Ozpin frowned as the camera showing Ser Arc's vicinity shook and fizzled out into static.
"Don't worry, I can feel his magic from here. He's fine."
Ozpin jolts as the Curious Cat soothes his worries as it looks towards distance.
Regardless, there was no way for him to observe Ser Arc's condition and progress with magic himself without the camera and he was wary to trust the Curious Cat completely even now.
Something must have shown on his face or got transmitted to their bond but the Curious Cat rolls their eyes at his silence.
"You should know to trust me by now."
"To some extent, yes. Completely? No." Ozpin answered with narrowed eyes, the memory of Ser Arc's warnings about the Cat ringing around his head.
Ozpin might have a warmer relationship with the Curious Cat than what Ser Arc would like but even then, he was doing his best to ensure that the knowledge he asks from it can either be verified or at least have supporting evidences.
Never has he completely trusted the Curious Cat in their words despite what it looks like.
"Come on, have I lied to you yet? You know all I want is knowledge and entertainment amd I have both thanks to Jaune! First for giving me the chance to meet you and learn new things. Second, he is the most entertaining thing I have encountered in my existence!" The Curious Cat grinned with wide teeth and mocking tilt to their head but it is not Ozpin who answers.
"He is not entertainment!" Pyrrha Nikos hissed furiously as Ozpin and the Curious Cat whirl towards her direction.
And there they were, Ms. Nikos with the rest of her team and Team RWBY looking at them with red-rimmed eyes even as the Curious Cat laughed cruelly.
"Oh but he absolutely is! Spend a few millenia walking around your world like your dear Headmaster here and you would know what exactly am I talking about!"
More than one pair of eyes looked towards Ozpin as that as he resisted the urge to nod.
Cruel it might be to think so but he knew what the Curious Cat was talking about. No other person has managed to destroy the monotony of his own slow slog towards eternity like Jaune Arc did.
Yet despite ubderstanding where the Curious Cat was coming from, Ozpin would rather call Jaune Arc intriguing instead of entertaining.
Even now that he couldn't see him, Ozpin couldn't help but disect the Rusted Knight's magic.
It was, quite frankly speaking, ridiculous!
He would even go so far as saying that Ser Arc's proficiency in using magic armor was freakish! Though that could be explained by his familiarity with the use of his own Semblance and Aura, it pushed an already incredibly sturdy being into greater heights that even Ozpin would call cheating! He wonders then if Ser Arc would be able to complement his already formidabble defense with a ferocious offense.
Judging by the bright specks of black flashing in the distance, he was already trying to do so. Though the Black Fist of Destruction was ultimately a move used for unarmed combat, Ozpin wouldn't put it past the Rusted Knight to integrate it in his arsenal and use it with his sword.
What would such a combination look like? He thinks to himself. Crocea Mors, filled with the essence of Destruction? Gods, what a fearsome sight that would be! Would it rival the relic Sword of Destruction? Perhaps not but even then, its potential both terrifies and awes even him.
And even then, that wasn't the limit of Ser Jaune Arc's armaments!
In fact, if he really really wanted to then he could even innovate and manipulate his Magic Armor to manifest offensive traits! Ozpin has read records of truly phenomenal magic pratictioners during the Age of Magic that managed to produce sword and wings from their advanced use of Magic Armor. So the concept was at least not an impossibility.
Overall, Ser Jaune Arc's potential makes him a formidable warrior that even Ozma in his prime would be wary to face.
Not only was he freakishly sturdy, he was also freakishly strong, and could regenerate and amplify himself using his Semblance!
In a fair fight, one would need to hit him with a sure-kill attack to put him down. Any other measure would only give Ser Jaune Arc the time to regenerate and be back on his feet. Ozpin would even say that in a battle of attrition, Salem was the only person he knew who would be able to cleanly defeat Jaune Arc and that was only because she was immortal and will outlive him!
Yet that was only for a fair fight.
In an unfair fight however, there were many ways Ozpin could think of to handle Ser Jaune Arc. Ways that he planned to use on Salem but ultimately discarded due to her own versatility and magical capabilities.
To name a few, one could tie them up and drown them in the ocean. Salem would survive and ultimately call the Grimm to her for assistance but Ser Jaune Arc did not have her abilities. He would drown and die no matter how strong his defenses were.
One could also imprison them and suck all the breathable air out of the room. While Salem would survive and narrow her eyes at him before using her awesome magic to level her surroundings, Ser Jaune Arc would suffocate and die.
Nothing was off-limits for Ozpin when it comes to doing what was needed. Not to say it was going to be easy but it was very much in the realms of possibility, unlike the prospects of trying to kill Salem.
He scowled at the memory of Jinn's answer before shaking his head at the sight of Pyrrha Nikos glaring at him.
"His suffering is not your entertainment!" She shouted as Ozpin blinked confusedly.
Ah.
He was embarrassed to say it took a few heartbeats for him to realize what she was talking about. She must have misunderstood his prolonged silence as agreement to the Cat's words of Jaune Arc being the biggest entertainment of all.
"Forgive me, Ms. Nikos, but you misunderstand. I do not see Mr. Arc's suffering as entertainment at all." Ozpin clarifies but the Curious Cat only rolled their eyes at Ms. Nikos while casually pointing towards the distance.
"Besides, what suffering are you talking about? Your lover is already on his way over here! The most he's suffered are probably broken bones and a wounded ego!"
And there it was, a bullhead slowly approaching their location.
"I-ugh-that's not- we're not! You know what I mean!" Pyrrha Nikos stuttered as a blush overtook her face.
"I'm afraid I do not." The Curious Cat only smirked as the poor girl glowed redder.
Ozpin amusedly shook his head at that before lightly chiding the Curious Cat. "Enough, Cat. You do know what she means."
"The Rusted Knight! Jaune Arc! You see him as your entertainment!" Ms. Nikos blew out as she glared at the Curious Cat.
The Curious Cat only snorted at that. "You should know by now that despite sharing a name, they are two vastly different people, and yes. I see Rusty as entertainment, if you've spent as much time as I had bored out of your mind then you would think the same no matter how dull they could be after twenty years." The Cat tilted their head at that before grinning at Ms. Nikos. "Besides, aren't you supposed to be doing something?"
Their gaze flickers to the side to see the approaching bullhead start to slow down as it passed by them.
Air blew around them as everyone looked up to see the bullhead begin to land. The Curious Cat waved its paw to Ms. Nikos in a shooing motion, causing the poor girl to redden in humiliation.
Yet despite that, the champion only glares before walking a few steps, making sure to be the first to greet her partner.
Ozpin watched as Team RWBY picked themselves up with the rest of Team JNPR. The moment the bullhead door opened and young Jaune Arc stepped on the ground, he was immediately assaulted by the voice of his friends.
""Jaune!""
Two voices drowned out the rest as Ozpin raised an eyebrow when he sees both Pyrrha Nikos and Ruby Rose leap to embrace the blonde Huntsman.
"I'm sorry! I forgive you! It's okay! You're okay! We're okay! You didn't kill Yang!" Ruby Rose spat out quickly, her words almost jumbling together as Ozpin tried to decipher her words.
He immediately understood her haste to greet young Jaune Arc when he does.
His eyes darkened at the memory of the Rusted Knight's answer to Ruby Rose's question.
Atlas, the strongest kingdom this century, fell on top of Mantle. A Maiden, dead by Jaune Arc's own hand to keep the power in their side. A relic, right in the hands of their enemy. An enemy that could only be Salem.
Damn.
Those were some dark days indeed.
It was the first comprehensive knowledge they have of what happens in the future and he had Ruby Rose to thank for it.
The same Ruby Rose who was currently embracing and shaking Jaune Arc together with Pyrrha Nikos. Instead of being comforted or worried by Ms. Rose's words however, Mr. Arc seems to have decided to take on a different route.
"I think I'm gonna puke." He swayed and stumbled unsteadily as eyes widened at his words.
Groans sounded out from the group of students and Ozpin has never seen two women quicker to push themselves away from a man after Jaune Arc said that.
Weiss Schnee even found the energy to curl her lips in disgust despite her red-rimmed eyes as Yang Xiao Long stepped backwards and pulled a surprised Blake Belladonna in front of her.
"You better stay away from my boots, Vomit Boy!" Yang Xiao Long screamed and it seems just to spite her, Jaune Arc stumbles towards her direction as she and Blake Belladonna shrieked away.
Jaune Arc only smiled weakly at that while Nora Valkyrie laughed loudly from a safe distance with Lie Ren beside her.
"I'm glad you are back safe, Mr. Arc." Ozpin greeted with a chuckle at the students' antics, attracting Mr. Arc's attention towards him.
"Thank you, sir." Jaune Arc smiled thankfully though his pale face belied his condition.
"Perhaps you should try cycling your Aura around your body to combat any remaining dizziness or motion sickness." Ozpin nodded with a smile on his face, watching as the young man's face brightened and gaped at him with wide eyes as if he just taught him an esoteric art.
"What?! You could do that?!"
"Go on. Try it and find out for yourself." Ozpin said softly, his eyes focusing as Jaune closed his eyes and breathed deeply.
Everyone there saw the young man's Aura glow briefly all over his body before his eyes snapped open with a sharp gasp.
"Woah! That was amazing! I didn't know Aura could do that!"
"How could you? You have only unlocked your Aura for a week after all." Ozpin answered wryly.
"R-Right." Jaune rubbed the back of his head bashfully at the reminder of his inexperience.
Ozpin only shook his head at that however.
"No need to be shy about it. You are here to train after all. Which happens to be the point of today for all of you." Ozpin finished as he looked at the rest of the students around him.
"Wait, we are still going to continue?!" Ms. Schnee asked nervously while Ms. Nikos suddenly launched herself to Jaune's side now that the threat of him vomitting was gone.
"We can't! Jaune's still hurt!" Ms. Nikos shouted adamantly, getting Jaune to shrug even as his partner clung to his arm.
"I mean, I'm not that-ow, ow, ow!"
Ms. Nikos however only tightened her grip on him.
"See?! He's still hurt!" She repeated even as Mr. Arc cringed away from her.
Ozpin only shook his head slowly at that.
"The fact that Mr. Arc over here encountered more Grimm is irrelevant. In fact, it only makes his own experience much more realistic considering what his older self told us earlier."
"Wait, what?" Jaune's eyes widened at that.
"Well, Mr. Arc, your own older self told us quite the story earlier as an answer to Ms. Rose's question." He answers calmly as he sees his brow furrow together
"So he was already answering some questions?"
"He was but do not worry, Mr. Arc. I see no reason to hide his answers from you of all people." Ozpin nodded watching Jaune Arc bite his cheek before opening his mouth hesitantly.
"Did he...did he say something about someone he...killed?"
And just like that, gasps rang around them as they all remembered what the Rusted Knight said.
"So he told you then." Ozpin closed his eyes with a sigh.
Though Ozpin has seen how reluctant the Rusted Knight was with sharing information towards his younger self, it was still expected young Jaune would know more details about the future than even Ozpin did. Honestly, if there ever was someone he thought the Rusted Knight would share knowledge to then it would be his younger self just for the sole reason he does not repeat the same mistakes.
Contrary to his thoughts however, Jaune Arc shakes his head.
"No, he threw me towards the bullhead before I could even ask about it earlier."
Ozpin raised an eyebrow at that.
"Then may I ask how you know about...the person he killed?" Ozpin asked gingerly.
Jaune Arc however only looked away in shame as they all waited for his answer.
"I...saw it in his memories."
Damn. Ozpin understands now. It is really not unlike his own experience with his hosts were their memoriws slowly overlap with each other. The difference was both Jaune Arcs had their own bodies to inhabit while Oz had no choice but to supplant his hosts.
"I see." Ozpin sighed deeply as he closed his eyes.
To see himself killing a Maiden, a friend in fact, was sure to be a harrowing experience for the young man. Luckily for young Jaune, he was not alone.
"Oh, Jaune, are you okay?" Pyrrha asked softly, patting his shoulder comfortingly.
Jaune however bravely shook his head and looked at her.
"I'm fine, Pyr, I'm guessing he told you about...her already?"
"He did." Pyrrha nodded slowly, looking towards Ruby's direction as she looked at them with wide eyes while Weiss clenched her fists tightly.
"What is it then? What did he say?"
This time, it was Ruby Rose who answers Jaune Arc's question as she walks towards his other side and slowly put a hand on his shoulder.
"He told us that she was the Winter Maiden and...and it was like as if you killed Yang for me." Ruby gulped, closing her eyes as Jaune snapped towards her with a pale face.
"Oh Gods, I am so sorry, Ruby."
"No, no, it's okay! I already said I forgive you earlier! Besides, it hasn't even happened yet and it's not like you're out to kill Yang, right?!" Ruby leaned back, raising her hands placatingly before trying to lighten the mood with a brittle smile om her face.
"Y-Yeah, I guess that's what you were talking about earlier, huh?"
"Y-Yeah." Ruby looked down to her feet at that before answering with a small voice. "It's not your fault, Jaune."
Ozpin could see Jaune Arc smile shakily at that and he already knew this conversation was just going to go in circles. He's had enough experience with self-deprecating people to know that Jaune Arc would carry a burden not to let a future such as that come to pass.
So instead of letting that conversation continue, Ozpin cuts in as he loudly clears his throat.
"Ahem, if you do not mind me asking, Mr. Arc, what else have you seen from his memories?" He asks because if he could see into his future self's memories then what else had he seen that the Rusted Knight would be wary to share.
"I saw...Weiss bleeding out in my arms." Jaune Arc bit his lip at that before looking worriedly at Weiss Schnee's direction.
A choked sob comes out of Weiss at that as she looks at Jaune Arc in terror. Yet something about his words tickles Ozpin's brain.
"I'm sorry, Weiss."
"N-No. It can't be." Weiss muttered blankly, her eyes turning glassy at the bad things piling up against her.
Salvation comes however from the most unlikeliest of sources.
The Curious Cat snorts loudly even as it sat near the cliff's edge and its eyes looked towards the distance. Their eyes turned towards the multi-colored cat because of that but it only swishes its back and forth.
"What is it?" Ozpin asks but the cat only laughs.
"You forget, Weiss Schnee was supposed to be there when he kills the Winter Maiden."
Eyes widened at that reminder and life returns to Weiss Schnee's eyes.
"That's right! She was supposed to delay Fall!" Blake Belladonna gasped in realization even as Jaune tilted his head in confusion.
"Delay Fall? And...couldn't she have bled out in my arms after I-"
"Kill the Maiden? Nope. Her bleeding out in your arms happens way before that." The Curious Cat snarked, getting Jaune Arc to stare at it with wide eyes.
"You know what happens?"
"Of course! I've heard the same story for years ever since Alyx pestered it out of dear old Rusty." The Cat turned towards them with a grin on its face even as Ozpin narrowed his eyes at it.
"Then you know everything that happens in the future, why haven't you told me?" He asks flatly to which the Curious Cat only laughs happily.
"Because you never asked!"
"Well, I am asking now. Tell us what you know." Ozpin states, stepping forward as he looms over the Curious Cat who hums thoughtfully.
"Hmmm...no."
Despite the rejection, Ozpin only nods as he already knows how to deal with the Curious Cat.
"Knowledge for knowledge then. What do you want to know?"
He grits his teeth however when he sees the Curious Cat shake its head.
"Ahh...I don't think Rusty would appreciate it if I spoil you everything."
"What changed? You are usually happy enough to spite the man." Ozpin pointed out but his brow furrows when the Curious Cat shrugs dismissively.
"Nothing, I just think it would be entertaining for you to not know everything. Besides, you could always ask Rusty himself. He's already on his way back! See?"
The Curious Cat gazes towards the distance past the cliff and true to its words, Ozpin could see trees rustling closer towards their direction even as occasional flashes of black light peek through the treetops.
Ozpin only grunts at the sight however. He expected the Curious Cat to be happy giving out information the Rusted Knight was wary to but it seems he would have to needle it out the Rusted Knight the old fashioned way.
By asking.
He sighs but is jolted out of his thoughts by the Curious Cat once again.
"Don't be like that. You already know the most important parts. You know things are going to be bad which means you nwed to prepare for it. To train for it, you know? Like you were supposed to?"
It galls Ozpin to have the Cat remind him of their purpose here but he only coughs gracefully before turning back to the students.
It seems in his pursuit for knowledge, he almost neglected why they were here. Perhaps he should give Leo a call and have him check the vault below Haven before having him search for the Spring Maiden? The Relic of Knowledge would definitely be helpful in determining what course of action they should take next knowing what they know now.
Regardless, that was for later. Right now, he had students to teach.
"Right, before Professor Arc gets here, let us warm up first."
"Wait, haven't we already warmed up with the race and all?" Yang Xiao Long asked with a tilt of her head while Nora Valkyrie perked up.
"Yeah, that's right! We already had a race and Team JNPR still hasn't gotten any of ohr questions answered yet."
Ozpin only shook his head at that.
"I am afraid the race was just a part of thr training to tire you out and simulate the sheer amount of running Professor Arc has had to do in the future. As for Team JNPR's questions, we will have to wait for Professor Arc to return to be able to answer them."
Ozpin grins however when he cracks his neck next.
"In the meantime, let's warm up shall we."
He twirls his cane and his eyes glow as the students gulp at his eager expression.
Back in the Ever After, Jaune had the luxury of having Juniper carry him around the Acres.
This time however, he only had his own two feet to carry him through a Grimm-infested forest towards Beacon's cliffs.
It was slow going and it was not helped by the many Grimm drawn towards him. They weren't as many as before considering Jaune brutalized a whole lot of them earlier but there was still a tide of them to wade through.
"Finally calmed down?" Pyrrha asked as Jaune sighed abashedly, casually ducking under an Ursa's claw.
"Yeah, I'm good now." He muttered as he reached upward to punch said Ursa in the face and break its mask in two.
Jaune pushed and tripped the roaring Ursa into its back, toppling over another Beowulf trying to charge him.
Jaune will admit it, fighting was cathartic but there were only so much Grimm he could kill before his thoughts return to him.
Right now, he only felt bored and empty despite the beasts arrayed against him. His feet stepped sideward and he stretched his hand out to clothesline another Beowulf with his Magic Armor.
Grimm cried and roared as Jaune pushed past them and talked to Pyrrha in his head.
"You shouldn't let your anger control you, Jaune. It's dangerous."
That much was very obvious. While his anger gave him the capability of using the Black Fist of something something, it had the trade off of losing himself to the fight. It was obviously something he could not afford to do against stronger opponents. He still remembered how Cinder toyed with him in Haven and he was sure the likes of her would have no problem toying with him again if he was lost in his emotions.
Still, Jaune only smiles wryly at that.
"And whose fault was that anyway? I never knew you died with an arrow to your chest while you slowly burned from the inside." He whispers as his chest heats up.
The memory of it was still so vivid but unlike before, Jaune clamps down on his anger as tears pricked his eyes.
BLACK FLASH!
Black light flashed as the feelings left him, travelling with the heat on his chest down past his arm and into another Ursa's claws as he instinctively moved to punch it.
Jaune didn't mean to do it and it didn't happen as much now that he was finally starting to cool down but his punch still blew part of the Ursa off.
It really was a potent move used for unarmed combat but he would have to either lose himself to his negative emotions or have his body react to threats filled with Destruction just like the first time he used it against Ozpin.
Jaune hummed absently at the sight of the Ursa roaring before falling to the ground as a corpse as Pyrrha sighed inside his head.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know it would affect you so much."
Jaune almost scoffed at. What did she expect was going to happen after she showed him her manner of death?
"I'm sorry. I only wanted to help." Pyrrha mumbled piteously but Jaune could only sigh at that.
"You did, Pyrrha. You were very helpful." He said slowly as he turned his head over his shoulder and saw the bodies of dead Grimm smoking out of existence.
As much as how emotionally draining and tactically foolish it was to lose himself into his anger, Jaune could not deny how effective it was in decimating the Grimm who did not have the capability to exploit his rage and lure him into traps.
The only downside was the amount of them attracted to him and yet even that decreased in time as he slowly calmed down and killed more of them.
He sighed as he saw the bottom of the cliff while absently kneeing a Beowulf in the face.
The Grimm whimpered as it bowed its head down to ground before Jaune put it out of its misery by stomping the back of its neck.
Bones snapped under his boot but Jaune paid it no mind as he looked up at the cliff in front of him.
"Huh. Do you remember how we got up there the first time?" He asked loudly as bare rock almost 100 meters high met his eyes.
"Now that you mention it, I can't seem to remember." Pyrrha answered and Jaune looked around for anything he could use to climb the thing only for him to see nothing.
Only dead Grimm behind him.
Jaune frowned at that.
Who knew that after fighting through a horde of Grimm it would be a cliff that would stump him?
A near vertical slope almost 100 meters high? Yep, there was nothing else to it. He sighed as he approached the cliff face and slowly climbed up with his bare hands.
Let it not be said Jaune Arc did not have what it takes to do what is needed. He grunted and sweated and he even scraped his shirt against the jagged surface as he pulled himself upwards!
Great, another shirt ruined.
"Mhm, yummy."
"Pyrrha!" He chided with a blush on his face as holes tore itself into his shirt.
"What?! I spent a lifetime pining for this hot body. Don't tell me I still can't appreciate it now that I am dead!"
"You sound different than I remember." Jaune grumbled as he paused for a bit and took a deep breath.
The Pyrrha he knew never would have been that brusque with her words but what did he know? The Pyrrha he knew also had a crush on him that he only found out after she kissed him and ran to her death.
"Hmmm. I'm still me. I just don't feel the need to restrain myself like I did while I was alive." Pyrrha hummed as he drove a fist empowered by his Semblance into the cliff face to support his weight.
Looking upwards, he sees he still has a long way to go and that he wasn't even halfway yet!
This would really be a good time to grow some wings and fly yet try as he might, he only manages to produce small wings of light behind his back.
"Awww, they're so cute!"
"S-Shut up. They're supposed to be big and fierce!"
"Why do you want to fly anyway?"
"Uhm, other than because its so cool?! It would also be really useful right now!" He shrieked before sighing to himself. "Besides that, Cinder could fly, so could Winter and Penny, heck Qrow and Raven could turn into birds. There's no reason why I shouldn't be able to fly now that I have magic!"
"Aren't you worried about your motion sickness?"
Jaune's eyes widened at that.
"Crap."
It...has honestly been so long since he experienced it that he forgot he even had it! The last time...the last time was perhaps when he was still a student in Beacon!
He remembers stealing an airship from Argus to Atlas but he doesn't remember being sick then. In his defense however, those were some rough times and his mind was much more preoccupied with more important things than some silly motion sickness.
He would just have to hope that that resistance was not gone after all the years being stuck on the ground back in the Ever After.
In the meantime, he had a climb to continue.
One hour later and he finally managed to put his hands over the ledge only for him to meet the Curious Cat's ass when he peeks his head out.
"Gods! That's just foul!" He shouts to the laughter of the Curious Cat.
"Hahaha! I can't believe I got you! You're lucky I don't have the same biological processes as a normal cat!"
"I think I'm gonna be sick." Pyrrha muttered as the image of the cat doing unspeakable things to his face comes to mind.
Jaune only scowls as he shoves the cat away with his hand and pulls himself over the edge.
"Professor Arc, welcome back."
He heard Ozpin greet and he turns his head to see the older man standing in front of the group students doing push ups by his feet.
Jaune however raises one finger, pausing Ozpin in his tracks as Jaune looks for the Cat. Seeing his target licking itself, Jaune takes the chance and...kicks it.
The Cat yowled in pain as it was launched towards a tree and Jaune looked in satisfaction before he hears Yang mutter towards him with wide eyes.
"What the fuck?"
"Hey." He waves his hand awkwardly as he sees the students looking at him with incredulous eyes.
He still remembers how he left them to deal with the truths he dropped on their heads before he is jolted out of his thoughts by the sound of Ozpin hitting his palm with his cane.
"Did I tell you to stop? More push ups!"
The kids groaned as they continued Jaune finally straightened himself before walking forward and ignoring the Curious Cat who grudgingly wobbles.
"Strength training? That's a good idea."
"Any suggestions for the next phase, Professor Arc?" Ozpin asked even as Jaune sees Weiss and Ruby begin to struggle shakily while the rest soldiered on even at different rates.
He sees Blake, Ren, and his younger self continue on stoically with determined frowns even as Nora, Pyrrha, and Yang pushed on competitively though the sweat on their faces and their heavy breaths belied their tiredness.
"Rest."
One word was all it took and suddenly all of them were dropping into the ground. Groans and mutters sounded out from them even as Ozpin raised an eyebrow at him.
"I hope you have more in mind than just letting them lay down. You're the one in charge of their training after all."
Training. Jaune has never really trained anyone before but luckily for him, he knew someone who did.
"Pyrrha?" He calls out absently but is jolted out of his thoughts as a voice loudly replies.
"Yes?" Pyrrha Nikos, the student, looks at him and Jaune reels back at the brightness in her eyes.
"She's ogling you." His Pyrrha noted and Jaune couldn't help but blush brightly at her observation.
"Uhmm, sorry. I was talking to my Pyrrha." He says embarrassedly to the gasps of everyone there.
"You hear that, P-money? He called her 'my Pyrrha'." Yang teased, getting the redhead to flush.
"Y-Yang!"
Yang only ignores the champion however and proceeds to leer at his younger self.
"Maybe you could learn a thing or two, Vomit Boy!"
His younger self blushed but it was at that moment Jaune decides to step in.
"Ahem, if you have time to talk then you have time to train."
"Hey! We still have questions you need to answer, you know?!" Nora shouted, jarring him back as the rest of her team snapped towards him intensely.
His eyes widened, judging by his younger self's glare who knew the next questions would require heavy answers. Answers he was not ready to give just yet considering they just got done with an emotionally draining question earlier.
He sighed deeply at that before waving his hand dismissively. He had neither the will nor the emotional energy to go through another round of trauma dumping again.
"Later, for now training."
"Awww, man!" She groaned as the rest of the muttered their own complaints.
Jaune however only slumped to himself as he retreated back to his mind.
"Maybe you could make them work on their Semblances and teamwork? It doesn't look like we have to work on their fundamentals much." Pyrrha advises and Jaune nods at that.
"Alright, first of, Semblances." He sees them perks up on his words and he suddenly knows what to do.
"Mini me, Weiss, and Pyrrha. You need to work on yours." He points to each one of them before looking at the rest. "The rest of you, work on your teamwork. Your opponent? Ozpin."
He smirked as he saw the older man reel back before huffing with a shake of his head.
"Fine, I always wanted to be a part of this anyway. Come students, let us leave the rest here." Ozpin called out, pulling Nora, Ren, Blake, Yang, and Ruby away from them.
"Uhm, Professor? What do we work on exactly?" Weiss asked unsurely and Jaune couldn't help but chuckle at her words.
It still feels weird to be called Professor by her of all people but he only smiles softly at her.
"Well, Weiss. You start with your family Semblance. I'm sure you know all parts of it, right? Even summoning." He winked as she gasps and he couldn't help but laugh loudly at her surprise. "Don't worry. You can do it. I've seen you summon the Arma Gigas after all. I recommend thinking back on the moment you defeated it."
"R-Right! Thank you, sir!" She bowed excitedly before walking away to a quiet corner and closing her eyes.
That leaves only his younger self and his partner.
"Pyrrha." He says softly, looking at her green eyes as more memories from those days of future past rush through his mind. "You should stop being subtle with your Semblance."
Her eyes widened unsurely at him. "B-But what about the people? They would think I'm cheating!"
Jaune frowned at that. Frankly speaking, he did not care one bit but before he could open his mouth, he hears his own partner in his head speak.
"Jaune, let me."
He saw the moment the redhead in front of him stiffen and Jaune only nods silently.
That's right. She could see and hear her ghost self, couldn't she?
He doesn't hear what they talk about but he sees the young girl bite her lip in worry before nodding her head and walking away.
That left only his younger self who looks at him with furrowed brows.
"Sooo...our Semblance. How did you get it?"
Jaune sighed as he reached out his arm before closing his eyes. He snapped them open however when he feels another hand hold his.
"It all started when Weiss started bleeding out in my arms." He speaks and pushes his Semblance as blue eyes widened at him.
One hour later, he was walking back to his room after traumatizing his younger self and giving him the tools to overcome said trauma.
It was up to him now to do his part and learn it on his own.
Jaune smiled at that as he walked sluggishly to the Faculty Residences while ignoring the loitering students gawking at him.
Topless and with only his pants and Crocea Mors attached to his hip, Jaune was certainly a strange sight but he finds he could not care less.
"That was tiring." He mutters softly as he eventually reaches his room and hears Pyrrha hum agreement.
They both fall silent however when he pulls his door open.
Because there stands Glynda Goodwitch, right beside his bed with a stack of clothing in front of her.
"Mr. Arc, we need to talk."
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