Chapter 3:
New Day, New Me
Weiss Schnee does not have problems.
Weiss Schnee, heiress of Schnee Dust Corporation or SDC the largest Dust Company in Remnant is rich enough to not lack any needs. She is smart enough, in order to uncover and maneuver around corporate schemes. She is strong enough, trained by the best tutors and her sister, Winter Schnee, to be an example of a strong, independent, woman that could keep herself safe. She is beautiful enough with her white hair, porcelain skin, aristocratic features, and a fit and lithe body to have the adoration of men, and the envy of women. She is also popular enough to have the admiration of the masses with her beautiful voice and successful singing career.
So you see, what kind of problems can someone like Weiss Schnee have? Nothing.
What she has are trials to overcome, stepping stones to use to climb over, expectations to surpass, pests (suitors) to swat down, and puzzles to solve.
And right now, she is looking at someone who is both a pest and a puzzle, Jaune Arc.
No boy, who was so persistent in courting her like Jaune Arc, will just one day decide to do things differently and not greet or pester her without thinking that she was just playing hard to get.
I know what you're doing Jaune Arc, you annoy me everyday with your foolish efforts of courting me then suddenly stop? I've seen enough of this tactic from boys back in Atlas. They think that if they suddenly stop noticing me, then I would notice them in turn, and after they realize I really am not interested they would react poorly like brats saying I led them on. Well, it won't work on me, I do not care what you think of me, for I do not care for you.
That should have been the end of it. Weiss Schnee should just ignore Jaune Arc from now on, now that he isn't pestering her and focus on her studies…. And yet she cannot ignore what is happening right in front of her eyes.
Jaune Arc, perpetual dunce, foolish, clumsy, and obviously not an academic person, is listening and taking notes. LISTENING and TAKING NOTES in Professor Port's classroom. How?! He would usually be sleeping or doodling right now just like her leader, Ruby Rose, instead of listening to Professor Port's exaggerated stories.
"... and that's how I managed to save a small frontier town I was visiting when I was 14! Now! Can any of you tell me the traits of Beowulfs I exploited in order to secure such a crushing victory against a pack 40?!"
Raising his hand, Jaune actually answers Professor Port's question.
"Sir! you exploited their different ages and lured the younger members of the pack by being loud and eliminating the weaker ones first. You reduced the risk to the civilian population and defeated the older beowulf separately by constantly moving and not letting them trap you."
"Bravo! Mr. Arc! When you find yourself outnumbered by grimm, the best way to combat them is keep yourself moving while eliminating the weakest ones first, and slowly whittling them down. Never take on 40 at the same time, if you can take on 40 one at a time."
The dunce was actually listening to that story!? He not only listened, but also translated that mind-numbing storytelling?! How?! Is having a tuna sandwich for breakfast actually making him smarter?
"And to emphasize that lesson, then please Mr. Arc, come forward and show us how it is done." Professor Port says while pointing at the cage he brought with him.
Weiss narrows her eyes at Jaune, surprised at his insight of Professor Port's lesson. Regardless of Jaune's surprising intellect in actually uncovering Port's hidden lesson, she still doesn't believe him to be capable enough to warrant any special attention.
Watching Jaune walk forward to the front of the classroom with his sword and sheath, Crocea Mors, she already prepares herself to see him flail about clumsily and have Professor Port save him. Judging by Pyrrha's concerned looks towards the back of her partner, Weiss sees she is not the only one thinking that Jaune will need saving.
—-
Crap! I didn't think Professor Port would actually call me out to demonstrate! I just wanted to test if my dream would be helpful in class.
Listening to Professor Port's story earlier, Jaune couldn't help but remember the time his dream self went on a mission alone to exterminate grimm harassing a village. He remembered his dream self killing the inexperienced young ones first before running around and hunting the grimm one by one by luring them with some manly screaming.
It worked though, and Professor Port agrees that it was effective. Still… I don't think I'm ready yet to just face a pack of grimm and not make a fool of myself! Come on Jaune! Remember what Pyrrha taught you, feet wide, keep your balance, and don't let your enemy push you down.
Bringing out his family sword, Crocea Mors, from its sheath and holding it with hand, he plants his feet wide while transforming the sheath into its shield form. He can't help but think that if his knowledge from the dream is already working, can he also copy the moves to make himself stronger?
"Are you ready my boy?! Are you prepared to face the darkness and smite it for daring to harm you and your loved ones Mr. Arc!?" Professor Port yells dramatically from beside the cage he brought with him.
From the size of the cage, there's probably only two or three grimm in there, Jaune thinks to himself. He can probably take down one of them quickly if he's lucky then just defend from there.
"Ready Professor, ready as I'll ev-!" He replies, he doesn't get to finish what he was going to say because Professor Port has already opened the cage after hearing the word ready.
And Jaune Arc, thinking quick, nervously raises his shield while assessing the situation. He isn't looking at one or two beowolves, or even three. He is looking at four!
FOUR! How the hell did he manage to fit four of them in there?!
Two of the beowolves look young, smaller than him but not by much while also having fewer bone plates as armor, and already running towards him. Another beowolf seems to be his height with some more bone plates protruding from its flesh running behind the smaller two. Finally, behind the three beowolves is an Alpha Beowolf, taller than him and looks to have claws and muscles that are perfectly willing to rip into him. He locks eyes with the Alpha, and he can't help but freeze as it roars at him.
Crap! No time to worry about the Alpha right now! Worry about that later.
Shaking his head to shake off the fear, Jaune focuses on the two young beowolves about to reach him. He raises his shield as one of them prepares to leap towards him. Looking at the beowulf leaping at him in mid-air, he remembers a scene from his dream. He remembers a beowulf leaping with no guard up, and getting itself severed in half by Crocea Mors. And so, trying to copy what happened in the dream, he brings his sword up and swings!
Cutting the leaping beowulf in two, he forgets one crucial fact: unlike the dream, this isn't a 1v1. Before he can celebrate killing the leaping beowulf, the other young one jumps on his overextended right arm just after he swung his sword. Jaune closes his eyes and prepares for pain.
Bang!
Curious about the sound, something claws hitting flesh wouldn't make, he opens his eyes and sees his shield from his left hand already blocking the other beowulf. Surprised, but not wanting to waste an opportunity, he pushes his shield forward to unbalance the beast. With its guard open from the impromptu shield bash, he steps forward and slashes the grimm from its shoulder to hip. Crocea Mors parting its black flesh like a hot knife through butter. Looking at his hands, he can't help but think.
Holy shit! I can't believe that worked! I can actually do this! My dream can actually help me!
"Move Mr. Arc! Do not let their numbers pin you down!" Professor Port yells supportively from the side, his weapon blunderbuss "Blowhard" in his hands and ready to intervene.
With that warning, Jaune remembers that he still has two enemies left. No time to celebrate his kills, he looks at the only remaining beowulf that was the same height as him. He sees it almost upon him, drawing its arm back and claws ready to slash his face off. Not wanting to get his head swiped off, he moves his feet copying what his dream self.
Jaune realizes something immediately, his dream self was able to use his footwork to outmaneuver and counter his enemies but that was the result of hours and hours of training and sparring against training bots and second years. His body here in the real world hasn't done that yet. Sure, he could use his shield to block, but that was just a simple raising of the hand, he could do that. Doing complicated footwork allowing you to dodge and maneuver to counter-attack? Just because he knows how, doesn't mean his body does. And so with that realization, Jaune Arc trips.
Luckily for him, he trips forward and below the beowulf's swipe. With his sword and shield already angled forward, he lays his sword above the edge of his shield and points the tip towards the beowulf's chest. Allowing his weight to do the work for him, he sinks his blade right through the grimm's front and towards the back. Twisting his sword and pulling it back, he uses the beowulf's already dying body as a support with his shield to stand up.
Crap! Crap! Crap! That was too close! Hoooo boy, guess I can't do the fancy footwork my dream self did. So, what can I do?
Breathing hard from the close call and not wanting to repeat it, Jaune keeps his eyes on the Alpha Beowulf, his last enemy. Keeping his shield up and his sword tight in his hands, he tries and thinks of what he can do. Keep his balance just like what Pyrrha said, keep his guard to shield from attacks, and use his footwork to avoid heavy hits. With him realizing he can't do footwork like his dream self can, he tries to think of a solution, any solution he can use to take on an Alpha Beowulf one-on-one.
As the Alpha is steadily approaching, not too fast because it has seen the human kill its packmates, but still using its speed and mass to bear down on Jaune, he thinks, and thinks, and then he remembers. He remembers, not from his dream this time, but from his childhood.
You see, Jaune Arc, when he was a young child wanted to be a hero, a huntsman. So he begged his father, Nicholas Arc, the extraordinary huntsman of Ancel, for training. His father refused for reasons not explained to the young Arc. So Jaune asked his older sisters, who were also huntresses to teach him. They refused, not wanting to anger their father of course. To satisfy their little brother, they instead taught him skills in the guise that everyone needs to learn them to survive. They taught him cooking, sewing, cleaning, washing, and many other skills except for fighting. And the young Jaune Arc, believing his sisters applied himself diligently. One of the skills he mastered was something he can use now, something to do with footwork. He learned dancing, and Jaune Arc was a dance master indeed.
"Remember Jaune, dancing requires your footsteps to flow while keeping your balance. Now, follow me, one, two, three, one, two, three, and there you go! You're doing it! My lil bro is a natural!" He remembers one of his sisters teaching him.
I never thought I would say this, but thank Oum for my sisters forcing me to dance! If I can't do fancy footwork yet, then I just need to do the footwork I know and hope it works.
So looking into the eyes of the Alpha Beowolf now rushing towards him, Jaune Arc doesn't feel fear. He feels excitement, he feels his blood boiling at the opportunity given to him. He already killed three beowolves, what's one more.
You wanna dance big guy? Let's dance.
Hello again everyone! So in this chapter I wanted to highlight that while Jaune indeed does have memories of Pineapple!Jaune he doesn't have the body or muscle memory gained from the training. Sure he might get some of the instinct, like getting his shield up on time to block attacks or knowing when and how to move in a fight, his body has a limit in what it can do. I hoped I managed to portray it in such a way showing that while the knowledge he gained from Pineapple!Jaune is useful, he would need to train his body to move the same way he does in his dreams for hours and hours before getting as good as his dream self.
Once again thank you for reading this fic, this was my first fight scene and I hoped i wrote it well enough to convey the image I had in my mind. Leave a feedback and tell me what you love and hate.
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