Chapter 7: New Direction

It has now been a week since Beacon returned to classes. Despite the disastrous first day of new faculty member, Hansel Kobalt, classes were now running smoothly everywhere. Ozpin could not help but breath a sigh of relief at this fact. With everything that had happened, it was important that the students had a sense of normalcy nowadays. There was no doubt in Ozpin's mind that the world was on the brink of war now, which meant that very soon, his students may have to grow up quickly.

It was why he was glad Hansel, in spite of his youth, was their teacher. It was just as he had said a week ago: Hansel was the man who experienced hell, one of the only three people in the world (besides himself) whom he could honestly say understood just how dark and terrifying Remnant truly was.

Thinking about Hansel and the past week brought Ozpin back to the council meeting he had with the others awhile back…

"I must say," Ozpin began with a calm smile, "I am very glad that we were all able to return to our usual pace of normalcy and calmness."

"I suppose you have every right to be calm, Ozpin." The head councilor told him. "After all, these past events have been a great victory for you."

Ozpin had immediately narrowed his eyes at that statement. "Come now, Councilor, you cannot in good conscience call it a great victory. A lot of good people lost their lives. We drove our foes back, but we never should have reached such a point in the first place. Our enemies should've never been able to knock on our door in the first place."

The council all fell silent at that statement. "…Yes, well, even so, you must read the news, Ozpin." One councilor said to him. "Support for Beacon Academy has skyrocketed since the events of the Vytal Festival. Your students are considered heroes for their conduct…in spite of the incidents leading up to the invasion."

Ozpin fell silent at this. Was this going to be the "serious discussion" about his future as a headmaster they had threatened before the festival? "Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Atlas, and General Ironwood." The Head Councilor continued. "Those Atlesian Mechs have caused a PR nightmare for him."

"Because those mechs were attacking innocent people." Ozpin reminded the councilor.

"The point is," a gruff councilor chimed in, tired of dancing around the topic, "to avoid that same PR nightmare, you need to remain in the position you are in, guiding these students to become even greater than before. If we fired you now, the council would face a PR crisis in the form of the masses questioning why we removed Beacon Academy's 'leader' from his position. Especially since we were so eager to hand over security of the Vytal Festival to Ironwood."

Ah, so that's what this is about.Even Ozpin could not help but want to roll his eyes at this. It's no wonder Hansel tells me he hates politicians so much. It's always to protect themselves.

Once again, they've failed to note the bigger picture. Then again, I am no better. If I were, we'd have never been in this mess in the first place. We're all at fault for what has happened, that is a reality we must accept if we're to ever move into a brighter future. Otherwise, we'll simply be stagnant.

"Apologies if you were concerned for your future, Ozpin." The lone female on the council said. "You need to understand that we were acting in what we thought were Vale's best interest at the time. If we had known how much General Ironwood was hiding, and the risks of the kind of army he was bringing, we would never have done such a thing."

A lie, Ozpin sighed inwardly, even if you had known, you would've just taken extra precautions. But this enemy we face…they've always known how to hit where it hurts most.

"With all due respect, Madam Councilwoman, James may have made plenty of mistakes, but his ability as a leader should not be questioned. Our enemy simply outsmarted us this time."

"Outsmarted the general." The youngest sounding councilman was quick to correct.

"No sane person should trust General Ironwood after such a mistake." The gruff councilman said, sounding angry. "The man is clearly unreliable."

"James is a lot of things, but not unreliable." Ozpin was quick to defend Ironwood. "He saw a situation that needed to be remedied, and he worked to fix it in his own way. Granted, that way failed, but that doesn't make him unreliable, it just means he made a mistake."

"I still believe in James," Ozpin continued, "he went behind everyone's back, but I know that his heart is in the right place. I still believe that he is a man of strong integrity, and great loyalty."

"The question is, to whom." The councilman who had spoken first pointed out. "Ozpin, not that we all don't appreciate your loyalty to your fellow headmaster, but you really shouldn't go to the sword defending his honor. That man is one of the most hated people in Vale right now. I can't turn on any kind of talk show without people insulting him."

"It is not James we should be focusing our hatred on." Ozpin claimed. "What of our enemies? Cinder Fall, her cohorts, and Adam Taurus; has there been any word on their whereabouts?"

"We'll find them soon enough, we've got roadblocks and wanted posters at every corner of Vale." The young councilman arrogantly declared.

"No," The Head Councilman rebuked immediately, "it is true, the woman known as Cinder Fall, along with her associates: Mercury Black, Emerald Sustrai and Neo Politan, have not been found. But we have no reason to be so confident. We don't even know if they're in Vale, or have fled the country."

"Perhaps to Mistral?" The councilwoman suggested. "They did come as students from Haven."

"Has Leonardo contacted anyone on the matter yet?" Ozpin inquired. "I've been trying to reach him myself. What about the Mistral Council?"

"They've all gone silent as well." The first councilman replied, sounding tired at the thought of it. "I'd wager they've been shamed by the revelations that people who infiltrated their school were the cause of it."

"They're probably dealing with backlash as well." The younger councilman suggested.

"Even so, that's no reason for them to not communicate with us." The councilwoman countered.

They probably are dealing with a lot of backlash. Damn, and they probably just forged their records too, it's not like it was Leo's fault. Ozpin shook his head.

"And Adam Taurus and the White Fang?" He spoke up again.

"We've attempted to take him into custody, but all attempts have been met with lethal resistance." The head councilman responded. "The White Fang has claimed Taurus's group to be a rogue faction."

Ozpin nodded, remembering reading about that a week ago. "And do we believe that?" He inquired. He believed it, but he needed to know if they did.

"It's not a question of whether we believe it, Ozpin." The gruff councilman responded. "It's a question of whether we can find a truth we can prove."

"Speaking of Adam Taurus," the councilwoman spoke up, "I believe it is time we discuss a matter we've been curious of ever since the news of this came out."

The council paused for a moment, considering their female coworkers words. Then, the head councilman spoke up. "Professor Ozpin, how did you manage to receive the aid of the Blue Demon, one Hansel Kobalt? Not only that, but now he's your new Combat Professor."

"…He's actually not too fond of that title." Ozpin pointed out.

"Do not change the subject, Ozpin," the head councilman told him, "the Blue Demon is famous for being a bit of an enigma. That kid just came out of nowhere last year and just started hunting down the criminal underworld in the other three kingdoms."

"And then he shows up at the Vytal Festival, out of nowhere, and the next thing we know, we're hearing stories that he not only fought against Cinder Fall, the woman who perpetrated the entire incident, but there's also a rumor going around that he took the arm of Adam Taurus."

"I' m not sure what you're getting at, sir." Ozpin decided to play dumb.

"It's simply too much of a coincidence, Ozpin, you know that." The head councilman told him. "And our suspicions were not helped when we looked into Beacon's student records, and discovered that Hansel Kobalt is in none of them. We even gained access to records in Shade, Atlas and Haven and found nothing."

"Considering his age," the councilwoman spoke up, "he shouldn't even be a full-fledged Huntsmen, he should still be in an academy."

Of course they spend more time focusing on this. They are damn suspicious of him. Ozpin once again frowned. Honestly, I can't help but wonder the headway we'd make if they put this kind of scrutiny into far more important things then snooping into Hansel's life.

"Does this really matter?" Ozpin inquired.

"We're just concerned about his vague background." The first councilman assured Ozpin. "Especially with his family name to be considered."

"Come now, Councilman just because of the controversies surrounding the Kobalt Family name, doesn't mean you have reason to be suspicious of him." Ozpin defended his apprentice.

"We are just being cautious, Ozpin, and considering our theory, rightfully so."

"Oh, and what is this theory?" Ozpin inquired.

"That Hansel Kobalt was an unofficial student of Beacon at some point." The first councilman said. "Why else would a man who spends most of his time in the other three kingdoms come all the way back to Vale? It would have to be because you formed the kind of relationship with him that you have with Qrow Branwen."

Ozpin sighed. Well, time for full transparency…

"Very well," Ozpin said, "Hansel Kobalt is indeed an unofficial student of Beacon, so to speak. Although, I'm sure he would prefer to be referred to as my apprentice."

The council remained silent, allowing Ozpin to continued. "Eight years ago, young Hansel Kobalt was left at Beacon Academy. So, I took it upon myself to train him. During those eight years, the boy showed amazing talent and progress. He was a true prodigy. And after he completed his training at age seventeen, he struck out on his own on a personal quest that was of great importance to him. However, when I contacted him and informed him that I needed him at Beacon, Hansel did not hesitate to return."

"Why were we not informed of this, Ozpin?" The head councilman demanded.

"With all due respect," Ozpin responded, "none of you ever asked."

"Anyway, while Hansel is young and has the unfortunate luck of carrying his family's name, I can assure you, his loyalty is unquestionable. While it bothers me somewhat, I know for a fact that Hansel would rather die than betray me, and by extension, Beacon Academy." Ozpin claimed with full confidence. "I believe his record and abilities speak for themselves."

The council fell silent once more. The head councilman then spoke up once again. "The only reason you will not be reprimanded for hiding this from us, is due to your current support from the masses." He said. "But we expect full transparency in the future, Ozpin."

Ozpin nodded. "I understand."

"This meeting is adjourned." The head councilman concluded as the screen vanished, cutting the connection.

Ozpin could only rub his temples in exhaustion. "And now I know why Hansel hates politicians so much." He muttered. "No, no I shouldn't think like that. They're flawed people, but they mean well. It's just that playing politics has made them disconnected from the truth."

Ozpin groaned, still exhausted from all the politics last week. "We're on the brink of war, and their biggest concern is image." He lamented.

"Still, at least I can remain in this position for a little while longer." He could not help but bask in that victory a bit more. "As of right now, Headmaster of Beacon Academy is where I can help out the most."

Ozpin found himself reaching into his desk and taking out a chess board. He calmly set up a few pieces. A white knight faced down a black knight while a black king was protected by a bishop, a queen, a rook, another knight and two pawns. Ozpin then calmly knocked away the black knight, putting his white knight on a direct path with the black king. "And that puts you in check," Ozpin said as he gazed at two white pawns he had placed at the other end of the board, symbolizing their promotion, "your move…Salem."

Meanwhile, Hansel Kobalt began another day as Professor of Combat Studies. He opened up his scroll in front of his students, much to their confusion. "Okay," Hansel said, "no pleasantries today, let's just get right into this before I forget."

The class sighed in exasperation. Even though Hansel had made good on his promise to try and be better as a professor, he was still wound a bit too tight, and extremely unorthodox in how he behaved. Take Weiss Schnee's thoughts for example. Weiss always thought teachers needed to be dignified and formal. Hansel was neither of those things. Hansel still acted like a moody, irritable teenager and was definitely very informal with just about everyone he met.

But, at least he was not beating up his students anymore. Still, he was as blunt as he promised he would be. Definitely no sugarcoating on his end. If someone screwed up in anything, he really let them have it; he made the entirety of Team CRDL cry after they got stomped by Team JNPR in a sparring match with a simple statement: "If this had been a real match, after a display like that, you idiots would be dead, try to keep that in mind."

But yeah, at least he was not beating up his students anymore, and even when his words were harsh, he always made it a point to offer advice on how to improve afterwards.

Enough about Hansel's actions as professor since that first day, however, it was a new day, and it was time to see just what Hansel intended to do for them today. "So, after a week of classes with all of you," Hansel began, "I think I have a pretty good gauge of each of your skillsets. This'll help me decide where you all need to be pushed the hardest."

Hansel read through the notes on his scroll. "First thing's first, I want to say that I think we now have something we need to focus on for the entirety of this year's class." Hansel told them. "Something that I want each of you to leave this class with."

"What is that, Professor?" Lie Ren inquired curiously.

"Semblance training," Hansel replied, "this semester, we're going to focus on your Semblances."

"Semblance training?" Cardin Winchester frowned. "Why Semblances? Shouldn't we be focusing on building up strength?"

Hansel shook his head. "Winchester, you ignorant twit." Hansel muttered. "Strength isn't just muscle. It's shit like that, that's the reason why you and your teammates are starting to fall behind your classmates."

Cardin whimpered at being dressed down by Hansel once more. Jaune Arc gave him a sympathetic look. It was harsh, but it was definitely preferable to last week, which was straight-up verbal abuse. This was—oddly enough—different. It was harsh, but it was something people needed to hear on occasion.

"So, who can tell me why I want to focus on Semblance training this semester?" Hansel inquired.

Everyone remained silent at this. Hansel sighed. "Come on, someone's gotta have an idea why." He said. "What about the people among you who have actually developed their Semblances. Surely you can tell me why it's a good idea to focus on Semblance training?"

"I'm…afraid we can't say, Professor." Blake Belladonna admitted.

"Sheesh," Hansel rolled his eyes, "okay, let me try to give you an idea of why with a question."

"Nikos," Hansel addressed Pyrrha, "you're some sort of big-shot champion, right?"

"Umm…well…" Pyrrha trailed off, unable to answer that question.

Hansel did not wait for her to answer. "So let me ask you this, in a fight, what are you more concerned about: the weapon you know and can see, or the weapon you don't know and cannot see?"

Rude. Nora Valkyrie thought to herself, put off by his tendency to interrupt people if they did not answer him quick enough.

Pyrrha looked at Hansel in confusion. "Well, obviously the latter, sir." She said. "Any sane warrior would be more concerned about a weapon we have no knowledge of and cannot see."

"Exactly," Hansel said, "so let me ask you another question: is it not true that Semblances are considered unknowns in a fight, because they are unique to each Huntsman?"

"Umm…yes, I suppose so." Pyrrha said.

"Now take a moment and consider the other side of that previous scenario. Would you say having a weapon that's unknown to your enemy gives you more of an advantage than the weapon you brandish openly to your foe?" Hansel asked.

"The weapon that's unknown, of course." Pyrrha said, as she slowly began to realize just what Hansel was trying to say.

"And if Semblances are an unknown, and having a weapon that is unknown to your enemy gives you an advantage in a fight, wouldn't it make sense to develop that weapon into something powerful, something that you can rely on to win?"

"Ooh, yes, yes, yes!" Ruby Rose shouted excitedly, cutting into the conversation.

Hansel heaved a sigh, still put off by Ruby's tremendous energy. He then got back on track. "Do you understand why I want to focus on Semblances now, everyone?" He asked.

Thankfully, yes, everyone did understand. One thing they also began to pick up on, was that they needed to be able to keep up with Hansel's thinking, not because it was hard, but because he would become a bit irritated if it seemed like people were not getting his logic, which he found to be quite simple.

"I know this isn't what you all like to hear, considering how attached people get to their personalized weapons." Hansel said. "But weapons in this world are a dime a dozen."

"Even my Wolf Fang," Hansel continued, brandishing his katana, "isn't the most important weapon in my arsenal. It's my Semblance. Because it's my Semblance that truly sets me apart from my allies and my enemies."

"That's why we're going to focus on developing everyone's Semblances." Hansel told them. "I want every last one of you to be able to set yourself apart from your opponents, with a power of your own. And that will give you your own advantage in a fight, because that power is yours, and no one else's."

"And that brings me to the data I've managed to collect after a week teaching you and gauging your current level of power."

"First thing's first," Hansel said, "I'd like to begin by going over the students who don't have Semblances of their own."

"Team CRDL, Adel, Alistair, Daichi, you seven show impressive skills in certain fields, and yet none of you have a Semblance to call your own." Hansel said. "Now, I'm sure you think it's pretty cool how you've managed to last this long without Semblances, or perhaps you've been holding back, are shy, too proud, or hiding your true power. Regardless of your reason, it's just not going to cut it anymore."

Hansel then gave Coco and Cardin a stern glance. "You two are supposed to be the team leaders, right?" He reminded them. "Show some damn initiative, fools. You want to be worthy of those badges, you've gotta stand out too."

Cardin and Coco both remained silent at this. "No more half-assing anything," Hansel told them, "I want you guys to chat with Oobleck. I'm sure he'd be happy to provide you guys some books on Semblance development. And just because the rest of you aren't leaders doesn't mean you're off the hook. I expect you to join your leaders in studying up on things."

"No more holding back, got it? If you want to survive, then you need to show the world what you're really capable of."

"What about Arc, he doesn't have a Semblance either." Cardin pointed out.

"I was getting to him." Hansel said, turning his gaze on Jaune.

"…I can explain." Jaune said, still visibly intimidated by his teacher.

"I don't want to hear excuses. You're supposed to be the leader, and judging by your current records, your only claim to that badge is your…impressive tactical skills." Hansel said, shaking his head. "Tacticians are great and all, Arc, but at what point do you stop hiding behind others and letting them implement your plans, huh? It's pretty damn easy to be a tactician, when you're sending others to risk their lives."

"Th-that's not fair!" Jaune yelled. "I don't want people to die for my strategies to work!"

"Then grow a pair and get stronger." Hansel told him bluntly. "You want to keep your teammates safe? You can't just rely on strategy. You have a sword and shield, use them, and use them well. Otherwise, you're just a coward who hides behind strategies."

"Professor, Jaune has been undergoing combat lessons with me." Pyrrha spoke up, standing up for her leader and crush. "He's improving immensely."

Hansel nodded, satisfied with that statement. "Do me a favor, Nikos. If that's really the case, I want you to turn your attention to his Semblance."

"Yes, sir, I'll try to work in some lessons to help him unlock it." Pyrrha said before smiling at Jaune. "Jaune has a tremendous amount of Aura, whatever Semblance he has will be quite powerful."

"All the more reason for him to show some hustle and unlock it." Hansel noted before turning his attention back to Jaune. "You hear me, Arc?"

Jaune nodded. "Yes, sir," he said, nervously.

Hansel sighed. In spite of everything, Hansel could not help but question Jaune's place in school. He was honestly the one student he still could not justify being at Beacon. Sure, he had a lot of Aura and a strategic mind, but the former was useless if he could not use it well, and the latter was more useful in the military.

"That brings me to the second half that have actually developed their Semblances." Hansel continued. "And I actually have quite a bit I want to say to each of you."

"First, Rose," Hansel said, addressing Ruby by her last name like everyone else.

"Yes, Professor?" Ruby asked.

"Your Semblance can be quite threatening," Hansel admitted, "but only as long as it continues to outpace your enemies. You'll find in the near future that there are plenty of foes who are just in damn good shape."

"Oh, like you, right, Professor?" Ruby noted. "And Professor Ozpin, for that matter."

Hansel nodded. "Not just me. Cinder Fall is definitely faster than you. And that means," he continued, "you need to find a more creative application for your Semblance, like you did when you split yourself apart."

"I could revisit the idea of kicking up windstorms." Ruby suggested, wanting to bounce off ideas with her teacher.

"Yeah, do that, that sounds like it could really clear a room." Hansel told her. "But listen, figure out some new ideas quickly because right now, you're talented, but you're also severely limited in how you fight."

Ruby had to nod in agreement with that. "When you lose your scythe, you're frankly useless. So coming up with more creative uses for your Semblance will go a long way. Maybe also learn some hand-to-hand combat? Pair that up with your speed, and you'd be quite the bruiser."

Ruby nodded. "Xiao Long," Hansel addressed her, "you're a strictly hand-to-hand fighter. Do you think you could give your sister some tips?"

"More than happy to, Teach," Yang said, addressing Hansel with a nickname.

Thankfully, in this past week, Yang's hatred for her professor had cooled, especially after she finally got Ruby to open up about his personal apology to her. Now, while Yang was still often put off by how blunt he could be, she was open-minded enough to see his improvements and his knowledge of fighting. Thus, the nickname of Teach came to be. "And while we're on the subject, let's now discuss your Semblance, Xiao Long." Hansel told her.

"Probably not much to discuss, considering how awesome it is." Yang grinned cockily.

"Actually, yours arguably needs the most work." Hansel told her bluntly.

"WHAT?" Yang screamed.

Ruby giggled at Yang being called out. "Here's the deal, Xiao Long," Hansel said to her, "your Semblance is like a power meter in fighting games."

"Ooh, ooh, like Kung Fu Ninja Ultimate Slayer Death Battle 2!" Ruby yelled eagerly. "One of the coolest fighting games out there!"

"…The first one was way better." Hansel told her with a deadpan expression.

"…You are so right." Ruby said in resignation.

"Anyway," Hansel got back on track, "you build up power from the damage you take, and then send it back twice as hard. It's devastating, and perfect for close quarters combat."

"However," Hansel continued, "the drawback is that you are not immune to pain. You still feel every blow that's rained down on you. And your Semblance is only useful if you can remain conscious or physically capable of continuing the fight."

"How long before you are exploited by a technical fighter, who hits you in vital areas to render you unable to continue?" Hansel inquired. "For example, did you know that Adam Taurus was aiming to cut off your arm that night during the invasion?"

Though Yang and Blake already knew about Adam's intentions, hearing it from Hansel didn't make it any easier to process. Yang went pale while Blake's eyes reflexively widened in horror. Hansel nodded. "He wanted to maim you, Xiao Long." Hansel told her. "For his own sick amusement. And you wouldn't have been able to do a damn thing, because you would be armless and passed out from shock and blood loss."

"So…what do I do then?" Yang asked after a moment of silence.

"Well, in your case," Hansel said, "what you need to do is be more methodical in your approach to building up power. Leaving yourself open to take hits and build up that energy is not a good long term strategy. Decide when to build up the rage, and when to let it out."

"So…you want me to dodge?"

"What I want for you is not to take unnecessary hits." Hansel told her. "A fighter who does that can get their ass kicked even by a total wuss."

"If you want a template to build off, think back to my ass-kicking at Professor Ozpin's hands." Hansel told her. "If you want to make any alterations to your gauntlets install some hooked braces perhaps. Or, if you're concerned about the counterweight, just work to improve your speed, dodging, and ability to move in and out of your opponent's range safely."

Yang nodded in understanding. "I think it'll be the latter," she admitted, "adding something like that would add a bit too much counterweight."

"Belladonna," Blake's 'bow' perked up upon being addressed by her teacher.

Hansel restrained himself from frowning. I can't stand how she wears that damn bow to hide those ears. He admitted inwardly. People with no confidence in their identity can be a liability in battle.

…At least he was not addressing her as Little Bow Peep anymore.

"Yes, Professor?" Blake inquired.

"Your Semblance allows you to create shadow clones." Hansel noted. "And not just illusions to fool your enemies and avoid attacks, you've managed to create clones out of dust as well."

Blake nodded. "Yes, sir," she said.

"You get points for creativity, Belladonna." Hansel told her. "But have you thought of pushing your Semblance a bit further than that?"

"What do you mean?" Blake inquired.

"Well, have you thought of making more clones?" Hansel responded with a question. "Or perhaps forming some sort of psychic connection to allow your clones to fight with you?"

"…That last one doesn't seem possible, sir." Blake said.

Hansel glared at her, making Blake flinch. Realizing what he was doing, Hansel took a deep breath. He still had to work on that. "You can't settle, Belladonna." Hansel told her. "That kind of thought gets people killed when they eventually run into a particularly tough opponent. And believe me, it's going to happen."

"Remember this, everyone, Semblances become stronger through training. They're like muscles. The more you use them, the stronger they get." Hansel reminded them. "So, there's no reason, Belladonna, to continue pushing your Semblance and evolving it into a much stronger weapon."

"You're talented, so don't waste that talent by not pushing yourself." Hansel told her.

"And rounding out the members of Team RWBY, Schnee." Hansel addressed Weiss.

Weiss nodded. "You've inherited your family's Semblance, much like I inherited mine." Hansel said, creating a small ball of black flames in his hand. "I'm well aware of the Schnee Family Semblance, Glyphs."

"Really, sir?" Weiss was surprised.

"Yeah, Old Man Qrow won't stop talking about how fun it is to mess with your sister." Hansel shrugged.

Ruby and Yang both laughed at this while Weiss bristled with rage at the thought of that ruffian teasing her big sister. "Anyway," Hansel continued, "let me ask you this, have you managed to summon yet, like Winter Schnee apparently can?"

Weiss's face fell at this. "No, sir," she said, "I mean…I did manage a partial summon…but…"

"A partial summon is a start." Hansel could not help but frown slightly at the girl's lack of confidence deep down.

That must be one fucked up family dynamic for someone like her to not have any real confidence in herself. What the hell did her old man do to her?

"It is?" Weiss asked.

"It means you have a base that you can grow from." Hansel told her. "Now, do you remember how you managed it?"

"It all happened so fast, sir." Weiss admitted. "Everyone was in danger…and I just knew I had to do something, no matter what."

Hansel nodded in understanding. "Try to replicate that feeling, those emotions you felt." Hansel told her. "Not the situation, obviously, but it appears that the stress you felt triggered the summon. So try and remember how you felt and use that to try again until you've pulled it off."

"Is it really that simple?" Weiss was surprised.

Hansel shrugged. "Sometimes it is," he admitted, "when I was a kid, I struggled a bit with my Semblance training."

Hansel summoned a small black fireball again. "This was all I could manage." He revealed.

"But eventually, intense emotions triggered much stronger flames." Hansel continued. "And it took replicating those emotions to help me train and build up my Semblance."

"What emotions were they?" Weiss asked.

Hansel took a deep breath. "Rage." He admitted.

Everyone fell uncomfortably silent at that statement. "People say that Semblances are a reflection of our innermost desires, thoughts, beliefs, personality traits, whatever you want to call them." Hansel reminded them. "As a familial Semblance, these flames represent our family's innermost desire."

"To destroy our enemies completely, until nothing but ashes remain."

"Holy shit…" Yang muttered, visibly intimidated by this statement.

Ruby gazed at Hansel in shock. I don't get it, why would an entire family have that desire? She wondered.

"My family is gone." He had said.

Professor…what in the world happened to your family? Ruby asked herself.

"But enough about me," Hansel said, getting back on track once more, "we're not here for therapy, we're here to learn combat. Now where was I? Ah, right, now that we've gotten through Team RWBY, let's get to Team JNPR. Or in this case, NPR."

"Valkyrie, Ren," Hansel addressed the odd pair first.

"Yes?" Ren inquired.

"You two have very interesting Semblances." Hansel noted. "Valkyrie, you can absorb electricity and convert into power, and Ren, you can mask all emotions entirely, perfect for hiding from the Grimm."

Ren and Nora both nodded. "I'm addressing you both simultaneously because I have the same advice for you both." Hansel told them. "Whereas Team RWBY needs to push their Semblances even further to strengthen them, you two need to consider evolving your Semblances."

"Err, you mention evolution like it's a particularly important word, sir." Ren noted. "Would you mind expanding on that?"

Hansel nodded. "Contrary to popular belief," he said, "a Semblance often doesn't stay the way it is when you first unlock it. Through training, it strengthens and becomes something completely different."

"For example, my family's Semblance was originally thought to be generating intense heat for increased combat capabilities. But later, it was discovered that it was straight-up pyrokinesis. If you want other examples, some people think they generate water from their body for their Semblance, but instead, it's actually manipulating the water molecules around them. Or, if you want an in-class example, Rose evolved her Semblance by giving it the added ability of splitting herself apart."

Ruby looked visibly proud of this. "My point is," Hansel continued, "your Semblances are impressive, but I personally think they have the potential to evolve into even greater weapons, that could actually make you true juggernauts in terms of power."

"Ren," Hansel addressed Ren first, "you could mask your presence entirely, making you perfect for assassinations."

"And Valkyrie," next, Nora, "what if your Semblance wasn't absorbing electricity, it's manipulating it, and absorbing it is just only the surface of your power?"

Ren and Nora remained silent at Hansel's question. "My challenge for the two of you, is to examine this concept further. Train your Semblances, push yourselves to try new things with it, like I told Belladonna, and see if it evolves."

Ren and Nora both nodded. Hansel then turned his attention to Nikos. "As for you, Nikos, you're definitely every bit the prodigy people claim you are." Hansel told her. "And it's reflected in how well you use your Semblance. Arguably, you have the best developed Semblance in your entire class."

"Err…thank you, sir." Pyrrha said.

"But that doesn't make you the strongest. I want you to now consider increasing the amount of weight you can lift with your polarity manipulation." Hansel told her. "Glynda can lift a building's worth of weight with her Semblance, I want you to try and do the same."

Pyrrha's eyes widened for a brief moment. A building's worth of weight. "Are you…serious, Professor?" She asked.

"Dead serious," Hansel nodded, "or is Sanctus Academy's champion intimidated by being challenged for once?"

Pyrrha fell silent for a moment before nodding in understanding. "I will…devote myself to adding more weight to my Semblance's power." She said.

Hansel remembered what Ozpin had told him, how he had also wanted him to monitor Pyrrha's development into the new Fall Maiden. She has the potential, but she can't handle the Fall Maiden's powers if she isn't even willing to push her own abilities to their limits. The Maiden powers are extremely demanding of their host. They require a tremendous amount of Aura, and an equal amount of skill in wielding it. If Professor Ozpin really wants me to help develop her abilities as a Maiden, she needs to perfect her Semblance, first.

"Umm, sir, you forgot Velvet." Coco suddenly spoke up.

Hansel frowned at Coco. "No, actually, I didn't."

Velvet Scarlatina's ears drooped adorably, bracing herself for what she assumed to be a long criticism. However, his words instead floored Velvet and everyone else in class. "Congrats, Scarlatina, based off your Semblance alone, you're actually the strongest person in this class." Hansel revealed.

Velvet's mouth dropped open. "Eh?"

"Velvet is the strongest, Teach?" Yang was shocked. "But what about Pyrrha? You just said her Semblance was the best developed among us."

"But that doesn't make her the strongest," Hansel reminded Yang, "I did say that Nikos has plenty to improve on through actual, demanding training. Nikos is a natural, but geniuses aren't always the best."

"No, as of right now, everyone, the strongest person in your class, is Scarlatina." Hansel revealed.

Velvet could only stammer in disbelief. "Not only that, but you're immensely skilled with it. You use your camera to take photos of people, and then use those pictures to mimic their fighting styles." Hansel noted. "Honestly, I'd hate to come across someone with that many skills. It makes fighting them hard to predict."

Velvet still stammered. It had been so long since someone had shown so much faith in her. Hansel then gazed sternly at Velvet, silencing her. "You and I both know you're skilled, Scarlatina, so why is it that you still doubt your abilities?"

"…I can't be as strong as you think I am, sir." Velvet finally spoke.

Hansel shook his head. "I don't bullshit people, Scarlatina." He told her. "You're definitely the strongest one here, which is why all this self-doubt is a bit irritating."

Velvet once again fell silent at this. "Right now, there are only two things you lack, one is confidence." Hansel told her. "You need to be sure of your abilities when you go out and fight. Don't give a damn what others say to you. If you know you're strong, stand tall and show the world just how powerful you really are."

"The second is that you need to train to either cover up your weakness of losing these copies every time you use them, improve the time you can use them, or work to lose them all together. However, I do strongly believe that as you are now, you are arguably the strongest person in this class."

"But first, work to improve your confidence." Hansel told her.

"I don't know…" Velvet could only mutter.

Hansel sighed. "And this is what I mean when I say that the kingdoms have really screwed up in forcing the Huntsmen Academies to lower their standards." He said. "Not only does it create a tremendous amount of students who aren't cut out for this life, but it forces those who actually have talent to tone it down."

"It's bullshit if you ask me. If someone's truly talented, truly special, truly able to stand out, those talents need to be celebrated, not discouraged. We don't exactly live in a world where we have the luxury of trying to equalize talent, which makes this whole thing even more irritating."

Hansel then turned his attention to Coco. "Adel," he said, "as her leader, I'm giving you the responsibility of helping her with this. No more keeping Scarlatina down, I want you to encourage her to use her abilities every chance she gets, no exceptions. This'll be a good first step into getting her confidence up."

"Sir, this sounds like favoritism." Weiss spoke up.

"I'd be doing the same thing if I noticed any of you had Scarlatina's struggles." Hansel assured her. "Fact is, different approaches work for different people. And most importantly, don't forget that I'm the teacher here, it's my responsibility to whip you all into shape. And how I do that is going to vary with each and every one of you."

"So, what do you say, Scarlatina?" Hansel addressed Velvet once more. "You think you're up to the task?"

Velvet was admittedly touched that Hansel was showing so much interest in her and her development. None of the professors had. Ruby could not help but smile. There was the heart of gold that was hidden inside of Hansel's blunt and rude attitude towards literally everything. She had noticed it more and more since Hansel's apology to her a week ago. Still, if she was falling behind Velvet, Ruby clearly needed to push herself even further…

"Alright, Professor," Velvet said hesitantly, "if you really think I have that much potential…I'll give it a try."

Hansel gave a curt nod. He then felt his scroll vibrate. It was a message…from Qrow Branwen of all people. Hansel raised an eyebrow and opened it to read: Call me when you have some free time. We need to talk.

He's never messaged me before. Hansel noted. What's this all about?

Tabling those thoughts for another time, Hansel got back to his lesson. "Okay," he said, "with the time we have left, let's take some time to revisit the basics of Semblance training, then discuss how we take them further."

It was time for a new week at Beacon. A new week and also new foes…

A.N: I'll see y'all in about a month. Time for me to go on break, recharge the old batteries, keep up my job hunt, and play my brand new God of War (PS4) and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. See y'all then.