Author's Notes:Sorry that it took so long to get this out. I won't bore you with me whining about IRL stuff as an excuse for how long this took. Just know that fight scenes continue to be the bane of my existence. (Why do I do this to myself! JK, jk.)
Anyways, I'll blabber some more at the end of this extra long chapter. Enjoy
Edit:Made some corrections with grammar and spellings.
*Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt!*
Jaune cracked open one eye and saw his scroll blaring out the alarm as it vibrated on the bedside table. He groggily reached his hand out towards the device and fumbled with it until the alarm turned off. After that, he promptly put his scroll back on the table and pulled his hand back under the covers before closing his eye to sleep some more.
'Jaune…Time to wake up.' Ozma called out though his host refused to listen as he pulled the covers over his head, 'You do know that doesn't work with me, right?' he reminded in exasperation.
"Jaune, it's time to get up." a voice chimed in gently.
"Five more minutes…" Jaune groaned.
"Of course, Jaune. Five more minutes." the voice said softly.
"Thanks…" Jaune mumbled as he buried his face deeper into his pillow. A couple of seconds passed before he realized that the voice wasn't Ozma's. He jolted up from bed and saw that he was in his dorm room at Beacon instead of his room back home in Ansel. He turned his head and saw Pyrrha, already in her school uniform and sitting on her own bed with a patient smile on her face.
"Good morning, Jaune." his partner greeted, "I guess you didn't need the five minutes after all."
"Umm, yeah. Morning Pyrrha." Jaune answered sheepishly as he did his best to forget how he had thought she was his mom due to how motherly she sounded earlier, something that Ozma had found quite amusing. "Hey, where's Ren and Nora?" he asked, hoping to distract his thoughts with something less embarrassing.
"Oh, they left earlier after changing into their uniforms. They mentioned something about pancakes so I guess they're having breakfast at the cafeteria." Pyrrha answered and twiddled with her thumbs a bit before she hesitantly asked, "I was wondering… if you'd like to have breakfast together too. If you don't mind, that is."
Jaune immediately felt his stomach grumble at the mention of food, "Sure, I'd like that. I just need to freshen up first." he answered and Pyrrha's face lit up with a bright smile.
"Great! I'll wait for you here." Pyrrha said enthusiastically.
"I won't be long." Jaune promised as he grabbed his bag as he headed to the bathroom. At first, he was just going to splash some water on his face then brush his teeth and be done with it. Though he changed his mind when saw how disheveled he looked in his hoodie and jeans that he had slept in two nights in a row now. He lifted his arm into the air and sniffed at his armpit before recoiling in disgust at the odor.
'Seems like you are in desperate need of a shower.' Ozma said before retreating into Jaune's subconscious, giving him the privacy to undress and make use of the shower. Thankfully, there was still some hot water left, something that he rarely got to enjoy back home due to his sisters hogging the showers. After he was done, he reached into his bag and took out his uniform which he quickly changed into.
"Huh, not bad." Jaune muttered as he buttoned up the jacket and took a moment to admire himself in the mirror. He had initially expected the uniform to not fit and look awkward on him but he was pleasantly surprised to see well it did fit him.
'You look pretty dapper if I do say so myself.' Ozma complimented.
'I do, don't I?' Jaune said as he smiled at his reflection and even winked at himself playfully before laughing it off. Though his laughter faded as he kept staring at himself, 'I can't believe that I actually made it into Beacon…'
'Not to mention becoming the leader of your own team.' Ozma added.
'Yeah…Team JNPR. It's almost hard to believe it's real. It's like a dream come true...Wait, I'm not dreaming am I?' Jaune asked as he looked around the room to for any signs that it was a dream, whatever they could be.
'If you're that worried then why don't you pinch yourself to find out?' Ozma suggested jokingly.
'Right!' Jaune then pinched himself on the cheek. Hard.
"Yeowch!" Jaune cried as he let go and rubbed at his sore cheek. 'Yeah…it's real. Painfully real.'
'Did you have to pinch yourself that hard?' Ozma deadpanned before they heard knocking from the door.
"Jaune, I heard yelling. Is everything alright?" Pyrrha's voice called out in concern.
"Yeah! I'm fine. My finger just got caught in my zipper!" Jaune answered before facepalming himself when he realized how embarrassing the excuse was.
"Oh! Um…I…er, do you need help?" Pyrrha offered.
"N-no! I'm fine. I'll be out soon." he answered before he rolled up his dirty clothes into a ball and stuffed them into the laundry basket to deal with later. He opened the door to see Pyrrha looking up at him from her scroll which had a DusTube video playing, "Sorry for keeping you waiting."
"It's okay, I didn't wait that long." Pyrrha assured as she put her scroll away.
"So how do I look?" Jaune then struck a pose he once saw in one of Coral's magazine collection.
Pyrrha humored him as she looked him over and nodded in approval, "You look good. Though your tie is a little skewed." Pyrrha then walked up to him and adjusted his tie for him. "There, nice and straight." she smiled before squeaking out a barely audible "Sorry!" when she realized how close they were.
"Thanks, Pyrrha." Jaune said as he looked down at his tie, completely missing the blush on Pyrrha's face, "Come on, let's go before the cafeteria runs out of food."
Ozma just sighed at Jaune's clueless nature.
"R-right! Let's go." Pyrrha said as she hurriedly opened the door. Just as the walked out. they heard loud noises coming from the room across the hall. The pair looked at each other briefly in confusion before Jaune decided to step towards the door and knocked on it.
"Coming!" a familiar voice called out before the door opened and Weiss stepped out, "Ah, Pyrrha, good morning." she greeted courteously before nodding to him as well, "And a good morning to you as well, Jaune. What can I help you two with?"
Jaune felt butterflies in his stomach when Weiss finally got his name right and wanted try his luck at calling her Snow Angel again. A mental nudged from Ozma quickly quashed that thought, "Morning Weiss, we heard some noise from your room and was wandering what was going on."
"Ah, that. My team and I are…decorating." Weiss answered.
"Decorating?" Jaune peeked through the gap in the door behind Weiss and caught a glimpse of her team moving their furniture about haphazardly. Wait, did Ruby just cut their window curtain in half with her scythe? And why did she even have her weapon? Even though he hasn't known Weiss for very long, this didn't feel like something she would approve of, especially if it was so disorganized. "And this was your idea?"
"Actually Ruby suggested it. She said that we'd feel more comfortable if we decorated the room and as leader of Team WRBY(Ruby), I gave her my permission." Weiss answered.
"That explains the noise we heard." Pyrrha spoke up, "But couldn't you have decorated after classes?"
"That's what I said but Ruby was so excited about it and I didn't want to upset her so I agreed to her idea to make up for it." Weiss explained.
Jaune smiled at Weiss for trying to get along with Ruby, "Thanks Weiss, I appreciate what you're doing for Ruby and I'm sure she feels the same." he felt his heart beat faster when he saw Weiss' lip curl up in a slight smile though it quickly vanished with a huff and turned into an admittedly cute pout.
"No thanks are needed. I'm simply carrying out my obligations as team leader to take care of my-" the three jumped in surprise when they suddenly heard a loud crash from the room. "Excuse me, I need to check on my team." Weiss then slipped back through the door and slammed it was soon followed by her yelling at her team.
"Should we check on them?" Pyrrha suggested.
Jaune nodded and was about to knock at the door again.
'I'd advise against it.' Ozma warned.
Jaune raised his brow, 'Why? I just want to help.'
'While your heart is in the right place, do remember that this is Weiss' team. It is up to her to decide how she handles her team, for good or for ill. Just as it is with you and your own team.' Ozma advised.
Jaune frowned. He didn't like it but he could see where Ozma was coming from and lowered his hand. "You know. I think we should let Weiss handle things herself. Since it's her own team after all." he said, hoping he'd conveyed Ozma's words properly.
"Are you sure?" Pyrrha asked hesitantly before they heard laughter through the door.
"Yeah, sounds like they'll be just fine." Jaune said, happy that Ozma was right and that Weiss and her team seemed to have worked things out on their own. "Come on, we should get going. Wouldn't want to keep Ren and Nora waiting." he then walked down the hall, feeling good about himself.
"Umm, Jaune?" Pyrrha called out.
"Yeah Pyrrha?" Jaune said as he kept walking.
"The cafeteria is the other way."
"Urk!" Jaune stumbled before coming to a stop. He did his best to ignore Ozma chuckling at him as he turned around to go the other way. Fortunately for his dented pride, Pyrrha said nothing as she quietly followed after him, unaware of the soft smile she had on her face.
"Jauney! Pyrrha! Over here!" Nora called out excitedly as she waved both Jaune and Pyrrha over to the table she and Ren were seated.
"Morning, Nora. Morning Ren." Jaune greeted as he and Pyrrha sat themselves down across from the other half of their team.
"Good morning." Ren greeted before he took a sip of a greenish drink from his mug. "I hope that you're well rested now."
"Yeah, thanks for letting me sleep in. I guess I was more tired than I thought." Jaune said as he started eating his breakfast which consisted of bacon and eggs along with a side of fish sticks which contrasted Pyrrha's salad and fruit slices.
"I'm not surprised. Initiation was…a lot more eventful than I expected." Ren said before he sipped at his mug again.
"Yeah! It was super exciting and awesome!" Nora declared before chomping down on another forkful of syrup coated pancake and excitedly mumbled some incoherent words while chewing.
"Nora, don't talk with your mouth full." Ren chided.
Nora then swallowed and smiled. "Okiedokie, Ren!" before continuing to stuff more pancakes into her mouth. This time she swallowed before she continued, "Like I said, you were so cool when you jumped in and shielded us from the deathstalker's claws with your…well, shield! I even felt the ground shake when it happened and you just took it like it was nothing! Then you bashed it away and hit it with your cool energy attack! It was so awesome!"
Jaune felt a little self-conscious at the exaggerated praise and blushed at Nora's words, "T-thanks…you and your boyfriend were pretty amazing in that fight too." he said in return though he paused when he saw Nora freeze. "Umm, Nora? Are you okay?"
Nora's face then went beet red and she shook her head vigorously, "B-B-Boyfriend!? W-who are you talking about? I don't have a b-b-boyfriend!" she stammered nervously, "All I have is Ren here and we've been together since we were kids!" she then suddenly became oddly bashful, "But we're not together-together! We're just together, as friends, you know?"
Jaune turned to Ren for an explanation of his partner's behavior though the boy had his eyes closed as he sipped at his mug more noisily, seemingly not having heard Nora's words. Though the faint blush on his cheeks told Ozma otherwise with Jaune himself remaining clueless.
'Just nod your head, Jaune. It'll be less confusing that way.' Ozma advised and Jaune did so.
"Er…sure?" he responded hesitantly.
"Great!" Nora exclaimed, back to her boisterous self, "Now where were we?"
"I was talking about how amazing you and…Ren were in the fight against the deathstalker." Jaune reminded.
"Yep! Renny was super cool when he ran in and blew that grimm's brains out!" Nora said as she mimed Ren's double palmstrike followed by her shooting her hands into the air and going "Boom!" for effect.
Pyrrha giggled before chiming in, "Like Jaune said, it was an amazing move. If I may ask, but how did you…as Nora said, blew the grimm's brains out?"
Ren lowered his mug and raised his free hand which started glowing pink with his aura, "I used Aura Channeling to project part of my aura into the deathstalker. Since grimm can't utilize aura like we can, they react…poorly to it."
'Ah, Aura Channeling. It's been a while since I seen it. And before you ask, tt's a specialized form of aura control that allows its user to project their aura outwards into various forms for both offense and defense.' Ozma explained. 'It is quite impressive to see such a young practitioner.'
"Aura Channeling, huh?" Jaune looked at the way Ren's aura shimmered on his hand before he lifted his own hand and focused his aura into it. It started flickering with white and green light that soon became a shimmer like Ren's with the two colors alternating in shining waves.
"Oooh, it's so pretty!" Nora exclaimed.
"Hmm, fascinating. I've never seen aura with two colors before." Ren noted as he leaned in closer to examine the phenomenon, making Jaune feel more self-conscious at the attention.
"Indeed…though is it supposed to glowing that brightly?" Pyrrha asked in a concerned tone.
"Huh?" Jaune looked down at his hand and saw the light in his hand becoming brighter by the moment. He realized that he had pumped enough aura into his hand for an 'Air Slash'. Though without his sword to expel the energy, he quickly cut off his aura flow to avoid an accident. Most of the aura in his hand harmlessly dissipated though not without incident as the excess aura in his hand went out in a bright flash of light.
"Gahh!" Jaune exclaimed as he rubbed the spots out of his eyes.
"Look at all the pretty dots…" Nora slurred before she shook her head and grinned at him, "Do it again!"
"I'd rather if you didn't." Ren said while rubbing his own eyes.
"Agreed…" Pyrrha joined in as she blinked her eyes blearily to clear her vision.
"Sorry. My teacher always told me that I had too much for my own good." Jaune said sheepishly.
'That's putting it lightly.' Ozma snorted.
"I see…though if you can refine your aura control, you should be able to use Aura Channeling properly." Ren stated which caused a thought to pop into Jaune's head.
"Then could you teach me how to do it?" Jaune asked, catching Ren off guard.
Ozma also hoped that Ren would accept. He could also train Jaune how to use Aura Channeling himself, and likely to a degree much better than Ren could too. Though he felt that it would be more beneficial for his host if he learned from his teammate and use it as a bonding experience. The boy certainly needed more friends than a voice in his head.
"Hmmm." Ren hummed as he mulled over the request. He then raised his mug and took a long sip from it before answering, "I accept but in exchange, I'd like to observe your unique aura while I'm teaching you."
Ozma felt Jaune's attention on him, as if to seek permission. 'I don't see the harm in it.' It's not like Ren could figure out the truth just from observing. Plus, he was curious about this as well since none of his previous hosts had dual colored aura and was curious to see what insight Ren might offer.
"Deal!" Jaune declared as he stuck his hand out towards Ren who shook it.
"We can discuss details later and finish breakfast before class starts." Ren suggested
Jaune nodded his head happily in agreement as he dug into his breakfast though he was so happy that he didn't pay attention to what he put to his lips.
'Jaune,you're drinking my coffee.' Ozma said in dismay.
"Hrk!" Jaune sputtered when he registered the bitter taste of coffee. He promptly put the cup down and spat out the little coffee that had gotten into his mouth.
'I know you don't like coffee but this is just wasteful and insulting.' Ozma huffed.
"Jaune. What's wrong?" Pyrrha asked.
"Sorry, the coffee was hotter than I thought." Jaune said before chuckling nervously.
"Then would you like me to get you some ice?" Pyrrha offered helpfully.
'And water down the caffeine? Absolutely not!' Ozma shouted, making Jaune's head ring.
"N-no. I'm fine. I'll just let it cool down on its own." Jaune said before turning his attention to Ozma, 'Simmer down, Oz. Just switch out and drink your coffee already.'
'Fine…' Ozma mumbled like a child that's just been scolded.
Jaune's shoulders slumped briefly as the two of them switched and Ozma smiled as the scent of coffee reached Jaune's nose. He controlled himself and let the cup sit a little longer to sell Jaune's excuse before he lifted it up and took a sip, humming in pleasure at the taste.
It may not be the rich luxury brand coffee he enjoyed so much in the past but it did remind me of the days he and Oswald spent out in the field on expeditions. He missed Oswald as well as his fine tastes in coffee. Now if only he could find a way to convince his current host of the joys of a good cup of coffee.
Even though he wasn't in control of his body, Jaune felt a shiver run down his spine much to his confusion.
"Oh my, look at the time." Pyrrha exclaimed as she looked at her scroll before showing it to the others. "Classes are going to start soon."
Ozma frowned a little as he wanted to take his time to enjoy his coffee a while longer but it wouldn't do for his host to be late for his first day of class. He then took one last sip of coffee to go before putting the cup down and returning control to Jaune.
'Oz, wait a minute! I- Blegh!" Jaune screwed his face in disgust at the bitter taste but quickly schooled his expression as he got up to join his team who fortunately didn't notice anything. 'I hate you so much right now, Oz.'
Ozma simply chuckled in response as he looked forward to how Jaune's first day in class would be like.
After retrieving their books from their dorm, Jaune and his team entered the lecture hall where they were going to have their first class at Beacon, Grimm Studies. Jaune was blown away at how different it was from the classrooms he was used to back in Ansel. The room had four long rows of seats that had was split into separated sections and arranged in a semi-circular pattern with each row at different elevations that allowed everyone to see the front of the room where the teacher would be though it took up a surprisingly large amount of space. On the sides of the wall, he could see-
'Wait! Are those stuffed grimm heads?' Jaune asked as he stared at the heads of various grimm mounted on the wall in disbelief. 'I thought grimm didn't leave anything behind when they die.'
'They don't. Before holographic technology became more widespread, Combat schools and Huntsmen Academies previously used sculptures and other facsimiles to show and teach students about grimm anatomy without the need to capture live grimm.' Ozma explained, 'Though some hunters do use them as trophies for display which is probably the case here.'
'No wonder they look so realistic.' Jaune said as he and his team sat themselves along the second row. He then turned his attention towards the series of detailed drawings of grimm that hung behind the teacher's desk. Each drawing featured certain grimm and their anatomy as well as some notes on their behavior and weaknesses.
While Jaune occupied himself with reading the notes, Ozma scrutinized the drawings as they looked oddly familiar to him. He probably saw them before in a past incarnation but he couldn't recall when or where.
However, he was interrupted from his thoughts when the doors suddenly slammed opened and Team WRBY barged into the room. They looked out of breath as they panted heavily from exertion, as if they had ran all the way to class, which they probably did. Weiss looked around frantically before she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Told ya we'd make it before class started." Yang said confidently.
"But we skipped breakfast…I heard there was fish sticks too." Blake said despondently as the tip of her bow wilted to match her mood. Weird, Jaune noted.
"Sorry Weiss…if I hadn't insisted on decorating…" Ruby mumbled guiltily.
Weiss looked like she was going to snap at Ruby but she stopped herself and sighed again, this time in frustration before shaking her head, "It's fine. Like Yang said, we made it before class started. Now let's find a place to sit down."
"Lead the way, princess!" Yang declared though the crossed look on Weiss' face said plenty of what she felt about being called that but said nothing as she started looking around for empty seats.
"Weiss, Ruby! There's some seats over here!" Jaune called out and gestured to the first row seats in front of him and his team. Weiss nodded to him before she and her team made their way over to the front row.
"Thank you, Jaune." Weiss said politely before she sat herself down. Ruby and Yang waved at him in greeting before joining Weiss. Blake said nothing as she pulled out her novel the moment she sat down. Though she didn't get to read it for long when one of the doors by the front of the classroom opened and a man walked out of it, causing the chatter to die down.
The man was rather rotund and around Professor Mulberry's height though he appeared significantly older with his gray hair and bushy mustache that covered his mouth. The man stopped in front of the desk and turned to look around the room though it was hard to tell where he was looking with his eyes seemingly perpetually closed.
'By the brothers, is that? No, it can't be…could it? How is he still alive?' Ozma muttered in disbelief before chuckling in realization. Now he knew why the drawings looked so familiar.
'You know him?' Jaune asked curiously.
'Indeed I do. When I was with Oswald, we would go on many expeditions in search of ruins out in the frontier. That man was one of the huntsmen that Oswald worked with and was actually with us since the beginning of Oswald's career. And suffice to say, after working together for so long, we became good friends.' Ozma explained, feeling nostalgic as he recalled fond memories. 'Still, I'm pleasantly surprised to see that old blowhard is still alive and well.'
'Old blowhard? What do you-' Jaune stopped when he heard the man clearing his throat.
"It does my old heart good to see so many promising huntsmen and huntresses in the making. I am Professor Port and I welcome you all to Grimm Studies!" Professor Port declared proudly as he raised his arms into the air dramatically.
Nobody was sure how they should react to this and simply remained silent and blankly stare. The old professor seemed disappointed at the lack of reaction but carried on.
"And what do I teach in my class, you ask?" Nobody asked, "Why it's the study of how to fight humanity's greatest foe! Some call them monsters, deeeemons and even prowlers of the night! These names and many more are what people call the grimm but I merely refer to them, as prey! Ha-ha!" he laughed while gesturing dramatically to the grimm heads mounted on the wall.
Again, nobody reacted. Jaune even swore he heard a cricket chirping somewhere.
"Ahem! And once you graduate from this prestigious academy, you too shall do the same. As you all know, Vale, along with the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Remnant is absolutely teeming with these vile creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you and everything you hold dear to pieces!" the portly professor declared loudly.
Audible gulps could be heard around the room as some were intimidated while others remained passive to it. Though a few hardened their gaze in silent determination with Ren and Nora being among the latter. Jaune guessed his teammates had some personal history with the grimm but decided not to pry.
"That is where we come in! Huntsmen! Huntresses…" Professor Port paused briefly to playfully wink at Yang who groaned uncomfortably at the attention, "Individuals who have sworn to protect those who can't protect themselves!"
Jaune's eyes gleamed at this, eager to learn from such a passionate teacher.
Ozma wanted to warn Jaune against raising his hopes so high but held back and gave his old friend the benefit of the doubt. Who knows, maybe he fixed his bad habit after all these years.
"And I will teach you all how to become such individuals!" Professor Port then cleared his throat, "But first, a story! It is a tale of a handsome young man. Me! When I was a boy…"
Or not.
'Oh Peter…' Ozma sighed in mild disappointment and yet, he couldn't help but laugh at the feeling of nostalgia bubbling up inside him.
Meanwhile, Jaune's expression went blank as he listened to the professor's tale of his youth which become more and more exaggerated by the moment. 'Is this…what he was like back then?' he asked, his mental image of the elderly professor being a hardened veteran shattered.
'Actually, he was worse.' Ozma answered nonchalantly while thinking back to his time with Oswald.
'Wait, really?' Jaune couldn't believe that the professor's story telling could get any worse than the part where all the village girls swooning over him as he passed them by.
Ozma rolled his nonexistent eyes.
'Really. He often boasted of highly exaggerated feats. From single-handedly defending villages against hordes of grimm or bandits, to seducing beautiful girls in every settlement that exists and some that don't.' Ozma answered, 'Oswald and I thought he was just a big blowhard but put up with him since his stories kept us entertained out on the frontier. Though we soon found out that there was some truth to his tall tales.'
'Wait, are you saying that what he's actually telling the truth?' Jaune was skeptical, especially when he listened to the part of the professor's story where he talked about entering a grimm den armed with nothing more than as the professor put it, "…some rope, a lantern and my wits!"
'Oh definitely not, Peter always embellishes his stories, especially when it involves women throwing themselves at him. He's actually quite hopeless when it comes to women.' Ozma chuckled as he recalled a memory where a younger Peter Port was slapped by a village girl that he had somehow offended in his failed attempt to impress her. 'However, his stories about fights do hold water.'
'Really?' Jaune was doubtful of this as the professor's tale now told of how he was beating down a beowolf with two heads of cabbages of all things. Using food as weapons? Now that's just absurd on top of being wasteful!
'As ridiculous as it may sound, he was, and probably still is, a formidable fighter. Do keep in mind that he's an old huntsman, which is a profession where many usually die young.'
Jaune was silent as he thought about Ozma's words. It was hard to believe that the boastful man could be as strong as he was in his story. It was honestly ridiculous though Ozma rarely led him astray. He'll give the professor the benefit of the doubt and listened to the rest of his story, with a grain of salt.
"In the end, the beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity! And I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!" Professor Port declared triumphantly.
…Make that a fistful of salt.
"Now, what's the moral of the story?" Port posed the question that nobody asked, "Allow me to ask you this:What makes a true huntsman?" this time, his words drew interest from the students, well those that hadn't fallen asleep during the professor's story.
"Easy! A true huntsman has to be strong!" someone shouted, waking up some of the students from their nap. Jaune turned around and saw Cardin Winchester on the back row in the corner, a cocky smirk on his face while his teammates cheered in agreement.
"A huntsman must indeed be strong to face all manners of danger." Professor Port stated, "What else?"
"A true huntsman has to be brave!" another student spoke up and the professor nodded but gestured for others to speak as well.
"A true huntsman must be intelligent and wise!" Weiss joined in as she raised her arm and smiled when the professor nodded in approval.
"Umm…A true huntsman must be dependable!" Ruby chimed in while following Weiss' example.
Soon, more students, including those who had been napping earlier, jumped in and shared their own thoughts on what made a true huntsman. Even Jaune got caught up in the fervor and raised his own hand.
"A true huntsman must always be willing to help others!" he shouted though he was unsure if the professor had heard him over the others.
Professor Port then raised his hand, bidding the students to stop. As the noise died down, the man cleared his throat once more before addressing the students, "Excellent answers one and all! Now tell me students, who among you believe yourselves worthy to be called a true huntsman or huntress?"
Many hands were raised in response. Jaune wanted to raise his hand too but reconsidered due to how unlikely he'd be picked and sat back to see what happens next.
"Ho-ho! So many spirited youths! Normally I'd randomly pick one of you through the time honored tradition of Eenie-Meenie-Miney-Mo." This earned the professor some odd looks, "However, I'm looking for one student in particular. Which one of you is Jaune Arc?"
"Huh, me?" Jaune asked out loud while pointing to himself.
"Ah excellent! My esteemed colleague, Professor Mulberry spoke highly of you when you passed your Combat Assessment test." Professor Port praised. "I hope to see if you truly live up to my colleague's words in the demonstration."
Jaune wanted to ask the professor what he meant by a demonstration but got interrupted.
"Combat Assessment test? Isn't that where you just fight some drones? What's the big deal about taking down some tin cans?" Cardin scoffed and a number of students murmured in agreement.
"You would think so, wouldn't you? I'll have you know that the drone Mr Arc faced was far from your typical automaton. It was specially crafted by my colleague to fight on par with whole teams of students." Professor Port's words caused another round of whispers.
'Wait, was that why that thing had so much firepower?' Jaune wondered before he heard Professor Port calling out to him.
"Mr Arc, please go retrieve your equipment while preparations for the demonstration are made." Professor Port instructed.
"Uh…yes sir." Jaune nodded before getting up and heading to the doors, all while trying to ignore the looks he was getting from his classmates.
"In the mean time, I shall regale you all with another story of the time I single-handedly rescued the village of Sanctuary from a band of brigands led by the bandit lord, Gorgeous George!" Professor Port announced and the class collectively groaned at this.
'By the brothers, I remember this one.' Ozma groaned in exasperation. 'I suggest you leave now before it's too late.'
'Is it really that bad?' Jaune asked skeptically before he heard what Professor Port was doing, 'Wait…is he singing?' the professor started singing a stereotypical western tune in an offkey manner.
'Yes, now go before he gets to the chorus!' Ozma said urgently.
Jaune heeded Ozma's words as he picked up his pace. Just as he reached the door, he heard Ruby call out to him. "Jaune! Take me with you!" he turned to-
'Don't look back! Just go before I-we hear anymore!' Ozma yelled desperately. Jaune never heard Ozma sound so distressed before which was all the more the reason to listen as he bolted out the doors and sprinted towards the lockers while he did his best to ignore Ruby's pleas to save her.
When Jaune came back, he saw that over half the class had fallen asleep again. The other half were either nodding off and on their way to joining the former or had found ways to occupy themselves like Blake did with her book which she was openly reading without any repercussion. And at the front of the class, the professor was still droning on with his story though he came to a stop when he spotted him him approaching.
"Ah, Mr Arc, welcome back." Professor Port greeted, "I've just reached the climax of my story where I was about to launch Sanctuary into the air to protect them from Gorgeous George's nefarious plans. But it appears that that I'll have to end it there." the students cheered at the news, "Not to worry students, we'll continue the story next time." The class groaned in unison, which told Jaune just how unbearable the story must have been to listen to.
'You have no idea…' Ozma said, his voice hollow and haunted.
"Mr Arc, please join me…oh, why are you still in your uniform?" Professor Port asked when he noticed Jaune had worn his armor over his school uniform.
"Sorry professor, I forgot my spare clothes back in my room. I hope it's okay if I wear my uniform like this." he said sheepishly.
"Worry not, lad! Your uniforms are actually combat grade so it's perfectly fine to fight in them." Professor Port informed before adding, "Think of what happens next as a way of breaking in your uniform."
'Headmistress Goodwitch is certainly investing a lot into the school and its students.' Ozma said in admiration. Jaune hummed in agreement while looking down at his uniform with more appreciation.
"Now, prepare yourself, Mr Arc." the professor instructed as he made his way over to a large container that hadn't been there at the start of the class.
Jaune guessed it must have been brought in while he was away. Come to think of it, it reminded him of the same container that held the chimera drone from his Combat Assessment test. He hoped that he wouldn't have to face another drone chimera this time. He could still remember how painful the gunshots were.
'Considering this is Grimm Studies, I doubt it.' Ozma stated, 'If Peter's earlier story is anything to go by, it's most likely a beowolf.'
Jaune nodded as he drew his sword and grasped the handle with both hands as he went into an offensive stance and reinforced his arms with more aura.
"Go, Jaune!" Ruby cheered.
"You can do it, Jaune!" Pyrrha added.
"You got this, Jumpman!" Yang called out encouragingly.
"Jumpman, really?" Jaune complained. His fellow blonde grinned cheekily in response. At least it was better than Splatman or whatever she had suggested yesterday.
"Break their legs, fearless leader!" Nora shouted so viciously that it made everyone pause, "What?" she asked obliviously. Everyone with the exception of Ren, slowly scootched away just a bit from the violent Valkyrie.
"You certainly have quite the number of admirers, don't you, Mr Arc?" Professor Port commented approvingly.
"Thanks?" Jaune didn't know what the professor was talking about but dismissed it as he as he focused on the container which started shaking as whatever was inside it snarled in anticipation of its release. The professor took this as a sign that he was ready and pulled out what appeared to be a Great War era blunderbuss that had two large axe-blades attached to the stock.
"Let the match begin!" he declared before swinging his weapon's axe-blade down on the container's hinges, breaking it open and revealing two pairs of orange red eyes.
'Wait, beowolves don't have four eyes.' Jaune thought before a boar like grimm with large tusks rushed out of the container towards him.
Jaune sidestepped the grimm at the last moment and swung his sword at its side. It squealed as Crocea Mors cut into it's flesh but it's bone plating stopped the blade from cutting any deeper. However, the force behind his swing still sent the grimm tumbling to the ground several feet away. It quickly got back up on its hooves and spun around to glare at him.
"Ha-ha! Weren't expecting that, were you?" Professor Port called out.
'A boarbatusk…either Peter purposely misled us with that story of his…Or the two are completely unrelated.' Ozma sighed after realizing it was the latter, 'Either way, quick review of our lessons on a boarbatusk's anatomy. It's upper body is heavily armored and resistant to blades and bullets which puts you at a disadvantage. It's underside however has no such protection. I trust that you'll know what to do with that information.'
Jaune nodded as he turned his attention on the boarbatusk which was charging at him again. An idea popped into his mind as he focused some aura into his hand. Then he raised his hand forward and released the aura in his hand before squeezing his eyes shut as a bright flash erupted from it. He heard a panicked squeal which was followed by a loud crash.
He cautiously opened his eyes and grinned when he saw that the boarbatusk had crashed into one of the front of the first row seats that had only suffered minor damage despite the impact.
"Huh, can't believe that worked. Wonder what I should call it…" Jaune muttered before he saw his classmates rubbing their eyes after being affected by his action. "Sorry!" looks like he has to work on making the new technique more directed.
'Jaune, focus!' Ozma warned but was too late as the boarbatusk suddenly tackled Jaune in the side and sent him crashing into one of the other seats. 'Jaune, are you alright?' Jaune groaned in response. 'Good enough for me, now get up.'
"Jaune!" a voice called out from above him.
"Ruby?" Jaune opened his eyes and saw Ruby leaning over the front of the seats with a concerned look on her face. He had apparently crashed into where Team WRBY was seated.
"Come on Jaune, get up!" Ruby cheered before she was suddenly pulled back.
"Ruby, be careful! It's dangerous to lean over like that." Weiss' snapped while glaring at the boys in the back row who had been leaning over their seats as well.
"Okay, okay! I'll be careful." Ruby said in response, oblivious to what Weiss had meant. "Come on, Jaune! Get up and show it who's boss."
"You got it, Little Rose." Jaune teased as he got back up.
"Hey!" Ruby exclaimed.
"Oooh, how did Jumpman find out about that?" Yang asked teasingly.
Jaune smirked before turning to face the boarbatusk charging at him again. He dropped down into a forward crouch and swung his sword in a sweeping motion near the floor and launched a horizontal 'Air Slash' that swept through the boarbatusk's legs. The grimm let out a pained cry as the attack had cut off one of its forelegs at the knee, causing it to trip and fall to the ground. It's severed limb landed nearby before dissipating into smoke.
"Way to go, Jaune!" Ruby cheered as did Nora who let out a loud whoop at some leg related violence.
"Ho-ho! Another interesting technique but do not let your guard down! The grimm are a tenacious lot." Professor Port's warning were proven true as the boarbatusk staggered up to its three remaining legs and awkwardly resumed its charge.
Jaune deployed his shield and dashed forward to meet the boarbatusk's charge head on. He reinforced his shield arm with more aura and bashed the boarbatusk in its bony face to stun it. However, he had used a lot more force than intended as the grimm was sent flying in the opposite direction, all while letting out a high pitched squeal. His eye went wide when he saw it heading towards Professor Port.
"Professor!Watch out!" he shouted but was too late as the boarbatusk reached the professor. However, the man casually leaned to the side at the very last moment, letting grimm fly past him, missing him by the barest of margins as it crashed into the container that had held it earlier.
"Woo! Two points!" Nora cheered and Ren sighed at his partner's antics.
'What the…how!?' Jaune and the rest of the class gaped in disbelief.
'Good to see that Peter hasn't gotten rusty in his old age.' Ozma chuckled.
"Thank you for your concern, Mr Arc but I can take care of myself!" the professor called out as he strolled to the side nonchalantly, "Now, I do believe that you still have a grimm to slay."
As if on cue, the boarbatusk shot out of the container like a cannonball into the air where it unexpectedly curled up into a ball that started spinning at high speed. As soon as it landed on the floor, it shot towards him. He immediately raised his shield and braced himself for the impact that came soon after.
Jaune gritted his teeth at the force of impact. The boarbatusk's attack wasn't something to sneeze at but when compared to the giant deathstalker's claws, this barely fazed him. The porcine grimm then bounced off his shield and dropped to the floor on its back, dazed from it's own attack and more importantly, exposed. He quickly seized the opportunity to pounce on the grimm before it could recover and plunged Crocea Mor's blade deep into its exposed underside. The boarbatusk let out a wheezing squeal before it went still and turned to smoke.
"Bravo! Now I see why my colleague spoke so highly of you! Very impressive!" Professor Port said proudly, "I can also see how you were able to take on Big Bob!"
"Big Bob?Who's that?" Jaune asked, wondering if the professor was talking about the drone chimera.
Ozma recognized the name as it involved one of Beacon's oldest and frankly, dumbest traditions among the students due to how dangerous it is. Though after what happened during Initiation, it won't be as dangerous anymore.
"Er…Ahem! I'm afraid that's all the time we have left for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings. Class dismissed." Professor Port stated hurriedly before leaving through the same door he came through before, prompting the students to get up and leave as well. Though not all of them left as Jaune saw his team heading towards him.
"Way to kick butt, fearless leader! You were awesome!" Nora cheered before turning to her partner. "Isn't that right, Renny?"
"Yes, you were quite impressive." Ren nodded but said nothing more.
"Indeed. After seeing how you fought, I'm looking forward to when we get to spar with each other." Pyrrha said eagerly, her eyes gleaming.
"Sure, we can do that later this week." Jaune promised.
"Great! I'll look forward to a good match." Pyrrha smiled.
'Huh, she must really like to fight.' Jaune noted.
Ozma wanted to say something but decided to keep it to himself. Less frustrating that way.
Ren then cleared his throat, "For now, might I suggest we head to our next class?"
"You three go on ahead of me. I'll catch up after I stash away my gear." Jaune said as he headed for the door. As he walked along the corridor to the locker room, he heard Ozma chuckling, 'Ozma?'
'It's nothing. I'm just happy to see an old friend. That's all.'
'Yeah, it was weird to find out that your friend became a teacher here.' Jaune said, 'Still, I'm happy for you, Oz.'
'Thank you, Jaune.'
'Hmm, I wonder if anymore of your friends are here at Beacon too.' Jaune idly thought.
'Ha. As much as I want it to be true, I doubt it. Most of them have long since passed away before Oswald did.' Ozma stated sadly, feeling a bit melancholic at the old memories.
'Couldn't hurt to check.' Jaune brought out his scroll and pulled up his class schedule which also had the names of the person teaching the classes. 'Here. Check if there's anyone you know here.'
'Very well, I'll humor you…' Ozma said as he looked at the next class of the schedule and went quiet when he saw the name of the teacher.
'Well Ozma, see any familiar names?' Jaune asked but grew concerned when he didn't receive an answer, 'Oz?'
Author's Notes:
A personal headcanon of mine is that Ozma was friends with Peter Port in a previous life and decided to hire his old friend as Ozpin. Though Peter's teaching methods or lack thereof was something that Ozpin actively overlooked out of respect for their old friendship. Probably also how Fort Port came into existence.
However, with Goodwitch in charge, Port had to shape up or face consequences. She can't fire him due to tenure but she can still make his life a living hell if need be. Of course, he's still has a tendency to tell tale tales about himself but he's doing the bare minimum to stay on Goodwitch's good side…mostly.
Now for the white elephant in the room (or would it be goliath in this case?): Why did I make Weiss leader instead of Ruby?
In canon, Ruby was selected due to Ozma's bias towards the Silver Eyed Warriors despite her being two years younger than the other first years. Essentially, nepotism and grooming a future asset from a more impressionable age.
Here however, Goodwitch has already seen how reckless Ruby is from her attempt at stopping a robbery which is a point against Ruby. Of course, she has also witnessed her taking charge and rallying everyone together during Initiation. However, her recklessly charging straight at the Giant Deathstalker instead of working with the others also dimmed Goodwitch's view on her.
Yang, was also too much of a thrill seeker to be picked as a leader and Blake, was too antisocial to even be considered for a leadership position.
Weiss, on the other hand has an excellent education and training, something which Goodwitch appreciates in a student. Plus the fact that Weiss had opted to pursue the dangerous career of a huntress instead of just staying safe in her role as heiress to the SDC made her look good to Goodwitch.
However, as a consequence, Weiss would not have felt the need to upstage Ruby like she had tried in canon. She still feels the need to excel and prove herself to her peers but now it won't be tainted by feelings of pettiness and inferiority towards Ruby.
As such I used Jaune for the combat demonstration since Port feels like the type to want to see things for himself after Professor Mulberry talked about how some kid turned his precious punishment-bot into scrap metal.
And yes, I just gave Jaune a new move, thinking of calling it ArcFlash or Arclight or something more cringey. I'm open to suggestions.
Speaking of which, one of the recent reviews asked for a life update which made me wonder if I should turn my disused profile page into a Q&A sheet. You can ask me anything regarding the story and I'll answer them so long as it's not spoilery.