Just two days after Ruby finally managed to link up with Jaune the two of them found themselves at the mercy of their cruel tutor Weiss Schnee. Jaune's fingers tapped compulsively as he poured over a copy of Weiss' notes for their Grimm Studies class. The handwriting was tidy and neat as though a printer had stamped it on the page. It sat on his left between him and Ruby who was similarly fidgeting and struggling to focus. At this time most students had gone to dinner and then to their dorms so the library was largely empty.

"It's hopeless." Ruby dropped her pencil and let her face fall onto the blank sheet of paper in front of her. "The words just blur together. My brain…it's like…a smoothie?"

Jaune leaned back and hung his head over the back of the chair. "Yes."

"Ugh. Honestly. I can't for the life of me believe that you two are the leaders of your respective teams. It makes one question whether Professor Ozpin should be making those kinds of decision at all." Weiss Schnee sniffed and crossed one arm over the other disapprovingly. "You are leagues behind the other students academically and yet you refuse to put in the effort to improve yourselves."

"We're here aren't we?" Ruby words were muffled as her face was scrunched up against the table.

Weiss shifted her gaze to Jaune whose eyes were unfocused as he stared at the ceiling unblinking. "You are in an even sorrier state than her! You're more than just bad at studying it's like you've never studied a day in your life!"

"…"

"Are you even listening!?" Weiss leaned forward, hands on the table, and glared.

Jaune heaved a heavy sigh as though the sky itself was upheld on his shoulders. "I wish I could ignore you."

She huffed. "Well. If you have such an aversion to me then you know where the door is." She smirked when remained rooted to his spot. "I thought so. Now start again. Both of you. Remember, the goal is not to merely copy my notes directly but to take in the information and mark it down in your own words. This way you will deepen your understanding and maximize retention."

Ruby propped her head with her hand. "Can we call it here, Weiss? Pleeease? It's been three hours! We're never gonna remember this stuff if you make us cram it in. Aren't breaks supposed to be good too? Any more reading and I'll fall asleep!"

Weiss sighed and touched the tips of her fingers to her temples. "I suppose the fact that you even managed three hours is enough of a miracle. Fine. We'll stop here for today, BUT you will review your notes in your free time. Repetition is key in order to truly cement the knowledge in your memory."

Jaune and Ruby didn't let her get another word in as the two abruptly stood up and began to stretch away the fatigue they'd built up having remained seated for so long.

"Yes!" shouted Ruby. "I'm gonna head back to the dorm to listen to music and read comic books! What about you, Jaune?"

"I'm going to see I can't get any leftovers from the cafeteria. I didn't eat before coming and I'm starved." He gathered all the notes he had managed to write into a messy, uneven bundle.

"Good idea. If we're gonna learn this stuff, then we gotta eat all the brain food we can get our hands on." Ruby nodded sagely.

Jaune smirked. "Like cookies?"

"Exactly!"

The very first time Jaune joined Weiss and Ruby's study sessions him and Ruby stopped the cafeteria just in case they went long. Ruby loaded up on nothing but sweets with her premier choice having been cookies. Weiss nearly overturned her decision to let Jaune group up with them after Ruby got crumbs and chocolate stains on her notes.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Honestly."

"What about you, Weiss? You heading back too?"

"No, not quite yet. There are still some things I wish to review before I can I turn in, but I shall see you later this evening." Weiss offered a small smile to her team leader before it slid off her face as she looked to Jaune.

"Alrighty then! Lead on, Jaune!"

Jaune blinked. "Lead where?"

"Uh, food and then the dorm, right?"

"...My dorm?"

A look of confusion crossed Ruby's face. "Well yeah?"

Jaune matched her own befuddled look with one of his own. "Why are we going to my dorm?"

"Uhhh well not your dorm exactly it's just that, you know, our dorms are across from each other…right?" She trailed off as she watched a look of genuine surprise adorn Jaune's face.

"You didn't know? We're practically neighbors!" Weiss spoke up. "It's been nearly two weeks!"

Jaune's face scrunched in irritation. "No? How was I supposed to know that?"

"We've known since our first day here." Ruby supplied. "I thought all of Team JNPR knew. Didn't the others say anything? We were all almost late for our first class together." She paused. "Though, now that I think about it you were already there."

"I…actually haven't spoken to others very much at all." He usually didn't have a chance when he saw them since they were in the middle of class and every other time, he was busy. He only ever ate early in the morning and late in the evening so that was out too.

Ruby fell still. "Oh."

Weiss snorted. "Some team leader."

"Weiss." Ruby shot her a look over her shoulder to which her partner rolled her eyes. "Are you guys not getting along?" she asked, turning back to Jaune.

Jaune crossed his arms. "No, it's nothing like that. We just have different schedules is all."

Ruby frowned. "I guess I haven't seen you with them outside of class. What has you so busy? Maybe they could help?"

Before, he would have said his time in the forest kept him occupied but Ozpin was surely still watching him, so he relented on that front for the time being. "I'm…uh…it's not anything they could help with, so I don't bother."

Weiss raised an eyebrow, saying nothing.

Ruby continued to frown before perking up. "Why don't you and your team join ours for breakfast tomorrow?"

"Oh uh…" That was an idea, but he didn't think the others would like the thought of him volunteering their time. Besides, what could he stand to learn having breakfast with them. Still…Ruby practically had stars in her eyes at the mere thought of it. "I…can ask them? I guess?"

"Awesome!" At her shout a one of the remaining students in the library swiftly shushed her and Ruby cringed before continuing in a quieter voice. "Let's go now!"

"Right. Now." Jaune looked around, his eyes landing back on Weiss. Her voice was void of that usual haughty look she'd like to throw and instead was looking at him with vague curiosity. Jaune set his jaw. "Let's go," he said, spinning on his heel and marching towards the dorms.

The trek to the dorms was quiet after making a quick pit stop in the cafeteria. His appetite was suddenly diminished so it really only amounted to a light snack what he ended up getting. Even though it was largely just the two of them neither Jaune nor Ruby felt the need to fill the void with conversation.

Once the two were facing Team JNPR's door Ruby spoke. "Let me drop off my notes really quick." She flashed her scroll and the door opposite his own swung up. Inside, he briefly saw two sets of bunk beds thrown together haphazardly. One in particular was balancing on a stack of books of varying thicknesses. Blake's amber colored eyes briefly met his blue ones before the door shut. A few moments later Ruby re-emerged.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Did you all make bunk beds?" he asked, a bit incredulous.

"Yuh-huh."

"Ah. Let's go in then." Jaune brought out his scroll but hesitated before disengaging the lock. Were they really going to go through with this? A thousand meals will have come and gone before they graduate was sharing one really something to go out of their way for?

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine." Jaune said, jolting out of his thoughts. "Anyway, let's quit standing around." Jaune quickly undid the lock and swung the door open. Inside three pairs of eyes turned to meet the two new arrivals.

"Oh! Hi, Jaune! Ruby!" Pyrrha looked up from her book as they entered. Nora was posted on Ren's bed her scroll in front of her. Ren was seated at their shared desk with a textbook for reference propped up against another stack of books.

"Hi, everyone! Jaune and I were wondering if you guys wanted join Team RWBY for breakfast tomorrow?"

"I'm in!" Nora immediately answered.

"Sure." Ren agreed easily.

"Sounds like fun!" Pyrrha smiled.

"Great!" Ruby grinned and faced Jaune. "Ooh! Jaune, bring your notes tomorrow so we can review after breakfast!"

Jaune looked between Ruby and the rest of the team. "Uh…sure. Repetition is key after all."

"Uh huh!" Ruby put her fists on her hips and nodded.

"The two of you are studying together?" Pyrrha asked, smiling. "When did that happen?"

"It's actually the three of us!" Ruby piped up. "Me, Jaune, and Weiss made a little study group. I'm super behind since I skipped two years to be here, and since my partner happens to be super smart so she's helping me catch up."

Pyrrha looked to Jaune who relented after a moment. "Studying isn't my strong suit. I thought it might easier if I made the attempt with someone who's not up to speed like me, so I asked to join."

Nora looked to Jaune. "Ren's all about book smarts. Maybe he can give you some pointers too?"

Before Jaune could answer he stopped short at the sound of someone knocking on their door. They knocked two solidly two times before they began drumming rapidly on the wood. He shared a look with the others before reaching over and turning the handle to reveal Yang.

"Sup, Jaune. Nora. Ren. Pyrrha." She greeted each of them casually before setting her sights on her little sister. "Hey, Rubes. Blake said you'd be in here and I am so glad you are cause now I don't have to track you down to give you this!" From her behind her back Yang produced a plastic shopping bag she tossed to Ruby.

Inside was a bundle of comic books sealed in plastic with bright vibrant covers. Ruby eyes shot open. "W-where'd you get these!?"

Yang shrugged. "I nabbed them when I was in Vale. I saw a bunch of nerds waiting around one those comic book shops you like so much so I thought I'd pop in to see what's what."

Ruby gasped. "The limited-edition run was dropping today! I completely forgot! Thank you thank you thank you thank you! Jaune! I gotta go! See you all tomorrow!" In burst of Rose petals Ruby shot towards her dorm just barely braking in time for the lock to disengage before rushing in.

Yang turned to the rest of the group. "What's that about?"

"Team JNPR and Team RWBY are having breakfast tomorrow." Run supplied.

"Cool. See ya tomorrow then. Later!" Yang waved goodbye as Jaune closed the door behind her. He turned back to meet the combined gaze of the rest of his team. Stiffly, he walked over to his bed and sat down on it.

"It's unusual to see you back so early, Jaune." He looked over to find Pyrrha had put her book aside for the time being.

"Oh yeah?" He said lamely.

"Uh, yeah." Nora laid on her side and propped her head up with her hand facing them. "You're gone when we wake up and you sneak back in when it's super late. What's up with that?"

Jaune suddenly felt a bout of nerves overtake him. "I thought I was being quiet enough. I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Once or twice." Ren answered. "But we know it wasn't intentional. Nora and I are just light sleepers."
"So what's got you so wrapped up you can't even share a bite with your team?"

"Nora…" Ren chided.

"What? We're all thinking it! So?" Nora posed the question again and Jaune looked around. Pyrrha was leaning in, eager to hear his response. Even Ren had angled his chair to get a better look at him.

"W-well…it was training mostly." He glanced up, noticing the curiosity in their eyes. "I'm used to waking up early. There was always work to be done back where I'm from so the earlier we got started the sooner we could relax. Here at Beacon though I usually go for an early morning run to wake up. Then I eat and once classes are done, I try and study. When that doesn't work, I go out."

"Go out?" Pyrrha asked.

"To the Emerald Forest, but sometimes to Vale."

"You go out to party in Vale and you don't invite us!?" Nora wailed.

"It wasn't to party." Jaune denied. "I was just buying some essentials. It's hard navigating such a packed area, so I went a couple times to get the lay of the land."

"Well, you still could have invited us." Nora pouted.

Ren fully turned his chair to face him. "You go into the forest alone? Why take the risk?"

Jaune grimaced. He really didn't like where this conversation was going. "Beacon is…a new experience for me. I feel more at ease in the Forest where I can get some peace and quiet every now and then. I can also get practice from Grimm that stumble into my hideaway. It's not unusual where I'm from."

Nora sat up and crossed her legs. "I'll bite. Where are you from then?"

There it was. He'd already told Ruby, so the damage was already done. He didn't tell her to keep it a secret, but that would have only brought more attention to it if he had. Ruby didn't seem the type to do well with keeping secrets anyway. "I'm from Anima though nowhere in particular." He said, cutting off Nora's follow up question. "I lived with a group of nomads that roamed the continent. I came here to become a huntsman to help out my mom and teacher, our leader."

Pyrrha was paying rapt attention. "Is that why you didn't have anything with you when you first came here?"

Jaune nodded. "Right. The trip was pretty rough to say the least. Beacon is the greatest academy in the world though, so I thought what better place to become a Huntsman. Even better, on my first night in Vale I ran into Ruby who got caught up in a robbery. We fought off the gang together and Ozpin offered us both a ticket in after the fact."

"That's some serious luck." Said Nora.

"Some might even call it fate." Pyrrha added.

"Maybe." Jaune adjusted himself on his bed with his back to the headboard. He'd told lies peppered with some truth. He gave Ruby the same story and now he had to commit to it. He hoped it would be enough to keep them from asking more questions.

"The scroll on the nightstand. That was from Ozpin, right?" Nora and Pyrrha looked at Ren in surprise and turned back to Jaune expectantly.

"…Yeah. It was his way of welcoming me to Beacon. He knew my situation and he took it upon himself to lend me a hand. At least this first year while I get used to how things work around here." Ren and Nora shared a look but said nothing. Jaune felt there was something they'd decided to leave something out just then.

"I have a question as well if you don't mind." Pyrrha timidly raised her hand. "Why are you just Jaune?"

He furrowed his brow. "Huh?"

"Oh yeah! I noticed that too! We're Valkyrie, Nikos, and Ren, but you're just Jaune." Nora leaned in eager to hear his answer.

Jaune sat up. "That's something I won't be telling you." His words were forceful and brooked no argument. The other three looked on in surprise. "Uh, what I mean to say is I want to keep that private. Here, I'm Jaune and that's all anyone ever needs to know." Internally, he was kicking himself. He should have just lied. Nora looked like she was dying to ask more questions about it but somehow managed to hold off.

"That's fine with me," Pyrrha said. "Honestly, I wish I had been given that option, but it wouldn't have done me much good given my situation."

Jaune focused on that to try and steer the conversation away from him. "How come?"

"Well…I'm Pyrrha Nikos after all."

"So?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. A wide grin spread across Pyrrha's lips. She quickly put a hand to her mouth to stave it off, but it was no use. Her eyes crinkled in unabashed joy.

"Pyrrha's pretty famous." Nora chimed in. "She's a tournament fighter who made it big winning the Mistral Regional Tournament four times! In a row! She's a legend back in Mistral."

Curiosity showed clearly on his face. "I never heard about you until Initiation. This tournament, it was filled with strong fighters?" Jaune asked.

"Yes, but it wasn't anything too grand really." Pyrrha said, centering herself. "It was an honor simply to compete and have the opportunity to fight such skilled opponents."

"That's putting mildly there, champ, but I hear what you're saying." Nora grinned and Pyrrha smiled once more. The conversation fell into a lull. The sun had dipped below the horizon before any of them had realized it and they were left in the warm artificial lighting of the dorm.

The sound of a book snapping shut drew their eyes to Ren. "It's getting late. I'm going to shower first if no one has any objections." Everyone shook their heads in the negative and Ren gathered his clothes before heading off.

"So do you only ever do cardio in the mornings?" Nora fell back onto Ren's bed facing the ceiling.

Jaune shrugged. "Pretty much. With the tribe I would go out and patrol, forage, hunt, or help with repairs and fortifications for our camp. There's no need for any of that here so I'm left with nothing to do but run to keep active."

Nora crossed her arms behind her head. "Hmmm how about you join me in the gym sometime? Cardio is so boring when I do it alone. Plus, we could get you into lifting weights. You know, get your blood pumping and your muscles screaming for more." Nora grinned wildly in excitement.

Jaune thought about it. Just running was gonna get old soon. This way he could get stronger in a much more direct way than studying, which could only help. Nora was offering anyway. "Okay, but you should know I've never done anything like that before. You'll have to teach me."

Nora waved him off. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about it. I'll whip you into shape in no time!"

"Alright then. If you're sure." After that they each took their turns in the bathroom with Jaune being last. One boiling shower later he entered the room to find the rest of his team already prepped for bed.

"Hey…"

Jaune switched off the lights before Nora could get the words out.

:X:

The next morning, he awoke at his usual time, the rest of his team still soundly asleep. Jaune sighed, closed his eyes, and rolled over intending on following through with breakfast at least this one time. A couple hours later and given that he was still the first one awake he opted for the shower. It wasn't too long before everyone else began to slowly crawl out of bed to get ready for the day. One by one Team JNPR went through their morning rituals without much fanfare, at least in the beginning.

"JAUNE!" Nora shrieked causing the remaining trio to jump. "YOU USED UP ALL THE HOT WATER!"

Jaune froze. "…Used up? I thought it was endless."

"Well yes and no," Ren answered, his eyes full of mirth. "It takes a bit to reheat if you use too much at once."

Jaune grimaced. "Oh…sorry."

Soon enough Team JNPR met up with Team RWBY in the cafeteria if a bit later than expected.

"Hi, everyone!" Nora was the first to spot and greet the all-girl team, now in a much better mood. From that moment on the conversation flowed naturally. Yang and Nora lamented their unfinished homework. Blake and Ren discussed their shared interest in books. Weiss and Pyrrha reminisced on the comforts of home they'd left behind. Ruby was sitting across from Jaune and leaned so only he could hear. "Mission accomplished!" she whispered.

"You lost me," Jaune cracked a smile as he whispered back. "What was the plan?"

"Make friends of course!" Ruby offered her cup of juice to toast. Jaune rolled his eyes without any real heat behind it and in return clinked her glass with his own. Yang smiled into her cup as she went to take a drink, noticing the interaction from the corner of her vision.

"Yesss!" Ruby celebrated with a stack of pancakes drowned in syrup. He laughed in spite of himself and began to dig into his own meal. It didn't take long for him to notice the stares of his teammates as well as those of the girls on Team RWBY.

Jaune looked around. "What?"

"That's…your fourth plate." Blake said.

He swallowed. "Uh, yeah?" Jaune reached over and helped himself to a few more slices of ham.

"Where's it all going?" Yang wondered out loud.

"That cannot be healthy." Weiss deadpanned.

"Aren't any of you going to eat?" Jaune gestured towards their empty plate. "There's plenty of food."

"Well yeah, but we're not trying to cram breakfast, lunch, and dinner in one sitting!" Nora grinned.

Jaune downed his cup of juice before pouring himself another. "I'm not. This is normal for me."

"Well…" Pyrrha started. "I suppose a growing body needs fuel."

"Good food like this wasn't always easy to come by so I'm taking advantage." Jaune said simply. "I'm not one to waste food either."

The girls on team RWBY who didn't know his history shared a look with one another, but the moment vanished a particularly loud group of students made their way in.

"Ugh, not them again." Blake rolled her eyes and focused her attention back onto her plate.

Jaune looked up as the group of four passed them by. "Who?"

"Team CRDL." Yang supplied. "A few jerks in our year who like throwing their weight around."

Jaune hummed and watched as a group of students eating breakfast noticed them approaching before clearing their plates and leaving to make room for Team CRDL. He watched long enough for them to sit down and start talking amongst themselves before he put them out of his mind. The rest of breakfast was eventful and soon enough the teams were getting ready to part ways.

"That's enough for now, I think." Jaune gathered his notes with a smirk plastered on his face. Ruby once again was sitting with her face buried in her notes.

"Agreed." Weiss answered from Ruby's side. "All in all, a productive morning." Weiss crossed her arms and nodded.

Nora suddenly appeared and slung an arm over Jaune's shoulder. "Hey, Jaune. After class you know what time it is?"

"…Gym time?"

"You know it!" Nora shook back and forth with Jaune being forced to follow along.

He grinned. "Looking forward to it." With their day's plans laid out Team RWBY and Team JNPR parted ways.

"Don't shirk your studies!" Weiss called out as they left the cafeteria.

:X:

The next few weeks went by in a flash as he fell into a routine. From that first day onward, it became a tradition for their two teams to have breakfast together before heading off to class. He hadn't been planning on sharing any more meals and was about to sneak out in the morning like usual, but he'd been caught by Nora. She told him that they had all agreed to having breakfast again and that he was required to be there given he was team leader. She refused to drop and so he relented before they woke up the rest of the team. That happened again and again until it became the norm.

No longer waking up at before dawn, he and Nora would tackle the gym every other day after their studies. It was slow going at first, but Nora had taken it upon herself to teach him all she knew. Even Pyrrha joined them more often than not and was also willing to lend a helping hand. On days he didn't work out he'd spend evenings with Ruby as Weiss put them through their paces. Those days were torturous, and Weiss refused to give them an inch. With all that keeping him occupied, the day of combat class was upon them before he knew it.

He filtered in with the rest of his team, finding a spot close to the front that overlooked the edge of the arena. Moments later Team RWBY joined them with Ruby waving at him enthusiastically which he returned with a smile. Soon the rest of the class found their spots and turned to Professor Goodwitch standing in the center of the arena.

Despite the distance from the ground floor of the arena to the seats her voice rang clearly for all to hear. "Students, welcome to Combat Class. In this ring, you will pit your martial prowess against one another for the purpose of growth. I will be your overseer during these matches. Combat begins and ends on my word. Those who fail to heed my warning will be severely punished. The rules are as follows: fighters will be selected by me, you will fight until your aura is sufficiently depleted, or you are unable to continue, once your opponent's aura is in the red all hostilities cease. Do I make myself clear?"

The gathered students murmured their agreement of the rules while Professor Goodwitch scanned the audience. Some were clearly a bundle of nerves at the prospect of fighting others still were chomping at the bit for some violence. Inevitably, her gaze falls to the front and lands squarely on Jaune. She sees some lingering hostilities there do doubt he was still sore about their first meeting, but also a silent determination. She sighed. It was best to address that issue sooner rather than later, but who would be a worthwhile opponent?

"Without further delay: Jaune and Mr. Bronzewing you will be allotted 10 minutes to retrieve your gear and reconvene in the area. Your time starts now." The second the words left her lips Jaune was out of his seat. Chatter erupts in the interim.

"Jaune's up first! I'm so excited!" Ruby was bouncing in her seat.

"I admit I too am looking forward to see what he can do." Pyrrha added.

Nora leaned in. "Well, we already know Jauney's pretty durable, so he's got that going for him!"

The teams chatted about what the incoming fight had in store for them until Weiss posed her question out loud. "Why just 'Jaune?''

"What do you mean?" asked Yang.

Weiss elaborated. "She said Mr. Bronzewing versus just Jaune. Professor Goodwitch never used his surname. That's weird don't you think?"

Blake offered her own observation. "Professor Ozpin never gave it either when he formed the teams after Initiation." Team RWBY to the remaining members of Team JNPR.

It was Ren who answered. "We know as much as you do. Nora asked about it too, but Jaune said he wishes to keep that information to himself."

Ruby shrugged. "I guess that's that then."

Weiss hummed. "You could try asking him about it. The two of you spend an awful lot of time together after all."

"I guess so, but so do you. Why don't you ask him? Wait, why do wanna know anyways?" Ruby asked, cocking her head.

"The three of us only spend time together because you insisted!" Weiss scoffed. "As to why I'm simply curious. Aren't any of you?"

The question hung in the air but went unanswered as Dove and Jaune stride onto the battlefield.

Jaune's heart was beating steadily. Once more he was adorned in his black robe and dark blue vambraces with an enemy several feet ahead of him. Verreaux and Auger are secured to his side, and he grips Auger's sheath in his left hand before closing the distance between himself and Dove until Glynda is directly in between them.

"Remember," Glynda begins, "All hostilities are to cease on my word. Synchronize your scrolls with the displays." Him and Dove tap their scrolls and allow the screens to transmit the status of their aura. With that out of the way Glynda strolls to the edge of the arena and crosses her arms, "Now…begin."

There was a pause where both fighters did nothing but glare at one another before Dove broke the silence. Pointing the tip of his sword at Jaune, he fired off three rounds from the hilt. Jaune drew Auger, angling his blade to block two of the bullets before slashing the third one and swiftly sheathing his sword. Unconcerned, Dove fired again, emptying his magazine. This time Jaune kicked off the ground with sudden force and sidestepped most of the rounds and slashed the last two coming his way before once again sheathing his sword with a click.

Nora whistled. "Okay that was cool."

"That's what I've been saying!" Ruby shouted.

Pyrrha grinned. "That's my partner."

Yang was about to comment when she peered over to her own partner. Blake was sitting up straight with her face twisted in clear discomfort. "Blake? What's—" before she could finish her question everyone's heads snapped back to the arena.

Dove had closed the distance and clashed his straight sword against Jaune's blade. Immediately, Dove realized the difference in raw strength, but his goal wasn't to overpower him. He deftly maneuvered the point so that it was aimed right at Jaune and fired. Two bullets hit their mark at point blank range and Jaune grimaced, breaking the engagement with a wide sweeping slash before retreating with a leap backwards.

Jaune kept his distance while Dove reloaded but this time kicked off the ground in sprint towards him. Jaune dashed forward and in a burst of speed clashed his blade against Dove's in a shower of sparks. A whirlwind of attacks from Dove followed with the intent of overwhelming him with sheer volume. In a final surprising show of agility, he slashed and circled around Jaune in a single leap before lunging at his back. Jaune turned quickly and angled the point away from his body with his armored forearm before jumping back.

"Fight, you wuss!" Cardin Winchester's voice carried throughout the arena. "Dove! Lay him out already! All this guy's gonna do is run!"

Jaune spared him a glance before eyeing the board. Dove had secured the first blow, but it didn't net him and a meaningful lead. He refocused on the fight as more gunshots rang out. Blocking them easily, he took a step forward, then he took a second, finally when Dove went to reload Jaune kicked off and began his own offensive before he could finish.

Not only was there speed in his slashes, but also unrelenting strength. Dove quickly fell onto the back foot under Jaune's onslaught. Pressing the advantage, he let loose a powerful swing Dove was forced to block that nearly sent his sword flying from his grasp and simultaneously providing a clear opening. Jaune carved away his enemy's aura with two powerful swipes. Reeling, Dove angled the point straight at Jaune and actually took a step forward, adhering to the saying that a good offense was a good defense.

Jaune sidestepped the sharpened metal and quickly closed the distance in his stance. Dove's eye zeroed in on his opponent's sword arm, already angling his blade to defend the only direction Jaune's sword could come from. Instead, Jaune let go of Auger's hilt and let loose a vicious blow to Dove's nose with the back of his fist. Not expecting the unarmed attack, Dove stepped back and clutched at his face.

With his left hand Jaune reached out a grasped Dove's left shoulder in a voice-like grip and pulled him forward. Jaune gathered aura in his right fist and planted it straight into Dove's gut, nearly lifting him off his feet from the impact. His enemy gasped and coughed up spit over his shoulder as the air was driven from his lungs. Not wasting a second, Jaune's hand went to his weapon, and delivered two merciless attacks.

The first was aimed at Dove's sword hand and sent the weapon flying off some distance away behind him. With the second slash Jaune stepped forward and angled his blade parallel with the floor and he slashed horizontally.

Dove collapsed onto his back, hand clutching his throat.

"ENOUGH!" Glynda's voice erupted and was followed by deafening silence. She quickly advanced riding crop primed to halt the fight by force if need be, before swiftly kneeling down beside the writhing Dove.

Jaune's sheathed Auger and stepped back, glaring down at his adversary coldly. The match was his. Looking up at the screens, he saw that Dove's aura was so low it would have broken had he managed to apply a bit more force. With his semblance he would have cut right through it. Jaune snapped to attention as a roar rang out and Jaune quickly retreated as Cardin's fist came sailing by. The remaining members of Team CRDL formed a loose line between Jaune and their fallen teammate. Unarmed and seemingly uncaring for their clear disadvantage.

"What are you doing?" Jaune kept his gaze locked on Cardin.

"You could have killed him!" Cardin shouts back at him. "Back off or we'll make you."

Just as was about to retort Jaune heard people landing behind him and he whirled around, hand on hilt. Pyrrha took a spot beside him followed by Ren and Nora to Jaune's surprise.

"Go ahead and try." Nora threatened. To their credit Cardin and his team didn't back down.

"All of you get back to your seats! Now!" Glynda commands left no room for argument. With Glynda's assistance Dove climbed to his feet, shaken, but unharmed. He rubbed his throat clearly uncomfortable, but he allowed his team to lead him away. Cardin shot one last glare at Jaune as they left.