Chapter 6:
Wearing his armor over his Pumpkin Pete hoodie as his battle gear, Jaune Arc looks towards Cardin Winchester as they both bring their weapons out. Like Jaune, Cardin is wearing armor but in his case, it's a more complete set of metal armor.
Come on Jaune, you can do this. You killed an Ursa Major yesterday and saved Cardin's life, and you killed four beowolves this morning with one of them being an Alpha. There's nothing to be scared of. You can fight better than before. Hey…. I'm actually getting better at hyping myself up! I could actually do this.
Nodding to Professor Goodwitch's question, he psyches himself up to face his bully.
"Begin!"
What?! Already?! I haven't even planned anything yet!
Busy with his own thoughts, he loses his chance to take the initiative. By the time he gets his head back in the game, Cardin is already charging him with both hands on his mace, rearing it back to strike and crush his bones. Raising his shield to block the incoming attack, he thanks his aura that it protects him from bone-crushing attacks, but nothing dolls the pain in his arm from blocking such heavy attacks.
Pushing back with his shield, he tries to strike back against Cardin. Only for Cardin to parry Crocea Mors with his mace Executioner. Dodge! Jaune avoided a blow that would have broken his guard if he tried to block it.
Ow! I can't take these hits head on! I need to move! He thinks to himself while rolling backwards to create some space.
"Can't take a hit? Still weak as ever huh. I thought beheading an Ursa Major would give you some bite, seems I was wrong." Cardin taunts him, trying to establish his dominance.
"I'm not the one who needed saving." Jaune bites back, he usually wouldn't talk back but killing 4 beowolves earlier morning gave him a boost of confidence.
Still, I need to dance around him. I can't take his hits when he uses both hands to swing. It would have to be down to my footwork.
In fights like these, there is no point in shielding from attacks that deliver damaging recoil. Yes, it seems footwork would have to be Jaune's key in winning this fight. Clutching Crocea Mors above his chest, he narrows his eyes at Cardin charging towards him again. Tch! Seems he doesn't want me to take a break. Jaune dives back to sidestep blows meant to crush his bones while parrying strikes that he could take. He waits for an opportunity to land a clean strike on Cardin.
"Stay still! Stop dancing around and fight like a man!" Cardin finally loses his patience and strikes the ground where Jaune used to be swinging Executioner with both hands. Using the dust in his mace, he blows the ground up showering the both of them with some dirt.
Finally seeing his chance, Jaune rushes in to push Cardin off-balance with his shield, not letting the older boy get his bearings. He successfully bashes Cardin with his shield, but the guy stays standing, unbalanced but still standing. Jaune follows it up with a flurry of attacks, strike! strike! stab! before dashing backwards to avoid the angry boy's wild swipe.
Taking a quick look at their aura meters, Jaune sees both of them are still at high yellow. Cardin at 74% while he has 78%.
I'm doing it! I just need to maintain some distance then get a clean hit when he overextends.
"You expect me to stand and let myself get hit? You must really be an idiot if you think I'd do something like that." Jaune replies to Cardin's previous yells, taunting him to keep him mad.
Enraged, Cardin charges with a roar towards Jaune. Wide swings making it hard for Jaune to get near him. Dancing around him with quick steps following an imaginary tempo, Jaune waits for Cardin to overextend again. He gets the opportunity when he sees Cardin tire from a swing and not get back to a guarded position.
Not changing his strategy, Jaune rushes forward to unbalance Cardin again, this time hoping to push the other boy down to end the fight. He doesn't see Cardin pass his mace to his other hand. All Jaune sees is Cardin suddenly swinging his mace towards his torso from the left side.
Instincts from a dream half-remembered save him from a direct hit that would have probably launched him out of the arena. He manages to move his shield on time to take on the dust-infused strike. Without proper footing, Jaune is still launched away. Flipping over, Jaune digs his sword in the arena floor to stop his momentum. Looking at the aura meters, he sees his reading 69%.
Damn, I would have probably lost double the amount if I didn't move my shield on time.
"Did you really think the same thing would work on me twice?! Get baited bitch. You're predictable." Cardin taunts from his original position.
Alright, don't be predictable. Noted. Jaune thinks to himself as he stands up.
This time, Jaune is the one who rushes forward with his shield up and sword tight in his hand. Cardin doesn't seem surprised by this because he also rushes forward, only for his eyes to widen in shock when he sees Jaune throw his shield at his face with a backswing. Without time to stop or dodge, Cardin takes a second to raise Executioner and swat the errant shield away.
That second is all that Jaune needs to dash inside Cardin's guard and slash his body upwards. Jaune follows up with a kick hoping to finally get Cardin down but he only loses his breath and staggers backward. Taking a peek at their aura meters, he reads Cardin at 60% and his still at 69%.
Damn, I gotta give it to him, it's hard to take him down.
"Who's predictable now, huh?!" Jaune trashtalks, gaining confidence after every exchange.
Raising Crocea Mors above his chest with both hands, he looks across Cardin and sees him hold Executioner with both hands too. They lock eyes and at that moment they both have a moment of understanding. With the classroom fading away from their sight, they only see the enemy standing in front of them. To them, at that moment, the only thing that matters is victory against their foe.
With a roar, both boys rush towards each other at the center of the arena. Metal met metal, sword meeting mace again and again. Without his shield, Jaune needs both hands to block attacks from Cardin.
Arms tingling from dull pain, he dedicates himself to using his footwork in this fight. With only his sword Crocea Mors to carry, Jaune doesn't need to take the weight and shape of the shield in account in his movements.
And so, Jaune Arc dances. He dances as his blood boils. With all his focus on the fight, Jaune lets go of his worries, self-doubt, and any fear he has of his bully.
He parries any strike he has to take, not allowing any of them to hit him directly.
He dances away from heavy blows with his footwork borne of memories of his dream and hours of dancing from his childhood.
He strikes at any opening he sees, not letting any chance he has at winning against his bully.
Cardin, seeing his foe has the advantage in mobility, tries to fight defensively. He tries to force the Arc to commit and overextend just to break his guard. But any light attack that hits already drains his aura and will eventually beat him. He then determines to trade blows with the Arc furiously while still trying to defend, willing to lose aura as long as his enemy loses more.
And so both boys continue to trade blows. Every exchange, someone loses aura. Neither willing to back down. Both boys, no, warriors in this case breath heavily.
It could have been seconds, or minutes, but to both of them it must have felt like hours. Hours of fighting just to hear a sound that cuts through their haze. They finally stop when they hear a horn blare its sound announcing an end. An end to their battle and the declaration of a victor.
They notice the quietness first, with the class finally fading back into their vision they see that it wasn't really quiet. Jaune sees Nora shouting something with hands in the air, he sees Ruby with her hands cupping her mouth saying something, he sees Pyrrha looking at him with eyes wide and mouth open in shock, surprise, and excitement. Both boys see these things but not really hearing them.
Finally, it is a quiet voice from their Professor that they hear, bearing an announcement
"Winner…. Jaune Arc."
—-
Glynda Goodwitch does not like surprises. Ever since coming to Beacon to teach every surprise has been unfavorable for her.
"Ahh Glynda, please do my paperwork."
"Glynda, I have captured a young deathstalker. Where do I put it?"
"Glynda! The coffee machine is broken!"
"Glynda!..."
"Glynda!..."
"Glynda!..."
You see, almost every surprise she has ever experienced in Beacon just added to her work and lessened her time to herself. And so Glynda Goodwitch does not like surprises.
But for the first time in a while she has been pleasantly surprised. A student has surpassed her expectations. The identity of the student in question just makes it doubly pleasant. Jaune Arc, dubbed the weakest in Beacon by his peers, has surpassed her expectations. She thought that she would have to kick him out for his own safety. She is ashamed to admit that she didn't believe in her own student. But watching him move on the battlefield now, you wouldn't think he was actually untrained.
His footwork needs more practice. It's flowing, but still crude for combat, it has too much flair.
His sword and shield seems unsynced with his footwork, once he manages to combine his upper and lower body to move in concert he would make a formidable warrior.
He could actually be a strong student, one of the strongest actually if he adds his tactical intellect into the mix.
Watching both Mr. Arc and Mr. Winchester fight on the battlefield, moving, blocking, striking, trading blows, she notes any areas where both of them could improve more. Hearing the horn announce the end of the match, she prepares to advise them.
As she opens her mouth to speak, she thinks to herself that this is one type of surprise she could get used to.
"Winner… Jaune Arc." She announces with an expression filled with surprise.
—-
"Winner… Jaune Arc." Professor Goodwitch announces with an expression filled with surprise.
I did it…. I actually did it…. I beat Cardin Winchester in a one-on-one fight. Jaune thinks to himself as he listens to Professor Goodwitch announce his victory.
"Wooo! You did it Jaune-Jaune! Victory!" He hears Nora shout from the class. He hears her together with their other friends cheer and clap for him. He sees Ruby and Pyrrha clapping for him with proud happy smiles on both their faces. He sees Yang grin at him while giving him a thumbs up. He sees both Ren and Blake clapping for him with gentle smiles on their faces. He lingers on Snow Angel though, wanting to see if she's impressed. She only gives her a raised eyebrow, not conveying anything more than surprise at his victory.
"Ahem!" Professor Goodwitch coughs to bring discipline back to the classroom.
"Mr. Winchester, you allowed your opponent to outmaneuver and counter you, letting Mr. Arc whittle away at your Aura. I would recommend you train your mobility and develop plans to defend against such opponents. There were many opportunities early on your fight where you would have been able to win decisively but you used that time to trash talk. There is a time and place for that and it is after winning the battle. " She looks at Cardin before giving her advice.
"Yes, Professor Goodwitch." Cardin could only nod at her absently, still in disbelief that he lost. He actually lost to Jaune Arc.
"Mr. Arc… Let me offer my congratulations first on your first victory."
"Thank you Professor." Jaune can only thank her, because really, what else can you do.
"Now as for your performance…. You need to practice your footwork more, it is better than before but it is still crude for combat. You have unnecessary steps that make your movement more flair and less efficient. You also need to practice using your sword and shield together with your footwork. It was obvious that as of now they are unsynchronized with your strikes and blocks lagging behind your footwork. Do this and you will become a better warrior. Your match now was way too close and could have easily been Cardin's victory."
He winces at that last part, looking at the aura meters, he sees Cardin down at 14% just below the red, while his own was at 17%.
One hit, I won by one hit.
"Regardless…. your improvement has been… adequate."
"Adequate" He remembers hearing from the same teacher in his dream.
"Thank you Professor, I will keep that in mind."
"See that you do. Now both of you, return to your seats."
Walking towards his seat, Jaune hears his friends congratulate him for the second time today.
"Congratulations Jaune-Jaune! You were awesome! I guess one night with Pyrrha makes you that strong huh." Nora says suggestively with a wink, causing a light blush to visit his face.
"I guess Pyrrha is just that good of a teacher." He replies, trying to pretend he isn't blushing to her comment.
Come on me, you can't think of Pyrrha like that. She's already helping you with your training, no need to make it awkward. It's not like she'll settle for someone like me anyway. Jaune thinks to himself, hoping that nobody notices the blush that he feels.
"She's right Jaune, you were amazing. It was more your effort than mine, I only thought you balance and stances so far. For you to take my lesson further and apply it to footwork, speaks highly of your learning abilities." Pyrrha smiles beside his seat, emerald eyes looking at him.
"Aww thanks Pyr, I wouldn't have known how to do it with you. I still need more training" He smiles back towards, his own eyes locking with hers behind his blond locks.
"If you need more training then we can help you with that. Still, Nora and Pyrrha are right, you deserve this win so just accept our congratulations. Congratulations again Jaune." Ren states supportively from his seat on the other side of Pyrrha.
"Shucks, thanks guys. You're gonna make me blush. Still I'm gonna take you up on that offer. Let's train together, all of us, Team JNPR." He replies and says to them all with a wide smile.
What Ren said made Jaune realize something. In his dreams, he was alone in his year, no one to train with other than training bots and second year combat class. Here in reality, he has a team. A team that could help him personally, a team that can go stronger with. A team that he can fight with. He recognizes a fact.
With my team with me, I can become stronger than even the me in my dream.
He gathers his determination to become stronger, to be better, to be worthy of this team that cares for him.
Looking at his teammates, he says one final thanks and makes a promise.
"Thank you guys, really. I promise I'll be the leader you deserve. We will be the strongest team in Beacon. Arc's word."
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Thanks for reading this chapter. As always, leave a comment, love it or hate it, tell me why this fic made you feel it.
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