《Jaune, The Strong》


 Chapter 1: Are You Really My Master?!

    A/N: Thanks for reading. Hope you can favorite, comment, and follow when you can.


    Jaune sighed as he swung his sword for the umpteenth time. His arm lacking strength, he swung again only to find out he was tired again. He glanced around to see that he was on the roof dubbed his and Pyrrha''s training spot. Since it was nighttime and he didn''t make an appointment, the leader of Team Juniper was alone.


    Crestfallen, the blonde boy sat down with shield and sword still in his hands. Pondering, he found out that a lot that happened in the recent events.


    For his own sake, he managed to get some closure on his former crush, Weiss, the renowned Ice Princess. Right after that was a dance he rocked with a dress thanks to lessons from his army of sisters. And somehow, deep inside, something told him that he and Pyrrha had found common grounds with each other. He still didn''t get the full answer since his mind wasn''t always on the subject of relationships.


    Then came the Grimm situation in Vale. Ruby called him for help that was swiftly answered. And just like that, the fight was over once human forces combined their strength. All was right in the world for the blonde boy as he was becoming stronger, wiser, even handsome as time passed on.


    Unfortunately, that wasn''t enough for Jaune. He noticed that there was something evil out there, something he couldn''t put his finger on since he was constantly put out of the loop. Plus, his desire to prove himself grew by the passing day. Dragging his friends around during his and their free time wasn''t something he could stomach as a pure-hearted boy.


    And that''s what led to his current frustration. Alone, tired, and dissatisfied with his progress. Jaune wasn''t an idiot. He knew it took time to get stronger. But for some reason, he really wished he could get to that point sooner than later.


    "Oh well, I should turn in for the night." Jaune picked up and placed in his weapons and walked on towards the rooftop exit. When his hand reached for the doorknob, he noticed there was something shining in the air.


    Curious, the blonde boy looked up to see a shining comet fly towards him. Gazing, his astute mind suddenly realized what was wrong with this scenario.


    One second took him to see he was standing under the projectile''s crash site. It took another for him to roll away into a crouch with shield up. Behind his cover, Jaune remained strong and prepared for a force that may blast him off the roof.


    When nothing came, Jaune looked up and over his metallic protection. His eyes captured the sight of something that he realized could have been the most bizarre thing he''s seen to date, especially as a student of Beacon.


    The ''comet'' that was about to hit him was floating in mid-air. Unlike the rocks from space, this one was shaped like a diamond necklace, a sparkling jewel on a string and shining in white and gold. Its intricate patterns and marks showed that this item was not anything of this earth. Instead, it was too beautiful to be anything that came from Remnant.


    "Hi, are you¡­Jaune Arc?"


    And this form of jewelry just talked to the confused teenager. A mature, male voice with a bit of joy, this item didn''t have a mouth to speak to him. So some strange workings were going on; the logic for this was just going way over Jaune''s head.


    "You are, aren''t you? Damn, I never thought I was able to find you out here. Why is a place called Beacon so hard to find out in the boonies?!"


    Jaune jumped when the necklace flew over to wrap its string around his neck. Looking down at the jewelry, he felt nervous to see that he didn''t have a say on whether or not the talking necklace could approach him.


    "Boonies?" Jaune asked out loud. "What boonies is there?"


    "Emerald Forest, Vale City, Forever Fall?! Hello, Vale is the land for the folkspeople which equates to the boonies! Dustarnit! Are you really my master?!"


    Jaune winced as the voice grew louder with its condescending tone. Righting himself, the boy looked around to see if someone was pulling a prank that may involve a Semblance.


    "I''m not a stupid whoopee cushion or a joybuzz. Okay, not exactly something the ladies would swoon over like the Snow White dress that makes me question your manliness. "


    Surprised how the talking item knew about his past deed, Jaune asked, "H-how did you know that?! Are you reading my mind?!"


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "¡­Maybe, and you can''t prove it. Can''t say I am looking at the redhead who''s hot as¡­wow, how''d you get her as your partner? Did you score yet?! Is my boy a man?! Hue hue, someone''s taken after the example of a hero."


    "Stop that!" Holding his head, Jaune closed his eyes shut. "Stop reading my mind or I''ll¡­I''ll sell you for low price at a pawn shop!"


    "If you do, then I won''t be able to become your super boost, power-up, the piece to your incomplete puzzle of manhood. By the way, sell me at a peasant''s shop and I''ll come back after you get the lien. Rinse and repeat, we''ll get rich enough to buy our own Kingdom. From there, we''ll conquer the Dust Company before the world!"


    Jaune felt dizzy from hearing about plans that obviously involved manipulating the world economy. He hated it as these plans weren''t anywhere close to his goals of becoming a Hunter, much less a hero.


    "Look, I''m sure that you''re¡­ decent in some ways." Jaunce winced when he heard the necklace blow raspberries at him.


    "Liar, you just wondered if I''m cursed. Not cursed, a blessing that was handed down from the bloody hands of your forefathers to the dirty ones of their sons. And sadly, dirt and grime were not on their grubby little fingers, especially in their teenage years."


    Blessing was far from Jaune''s choice of description. He still did his best to raise his open hands so he could get ready to yank and throw. "Family relations, great. Us getting along, that might not work out because we''re so¡­different."


    "Whatever, I''m here, so I''m going to make you strong, Jaune. Mark my words, you''re going to have girls and riches that''ll make the boys cry and more women love you or my name isn''t Lou Caliber!"


    Jaune paused as he heard the necklace just introduce itself. For some reason, the name seemed odd, yet fitting, as if it had relations to an old legend .


    "Oh, by the way, hold out your sword arm and cry out Luminous Shine. I''m tired from flying out of your old man''s home, but I want to help you mark the day we, the dynamic duo, met!"


    "No, there is no way that I''m going to use anything from you. Please, just leave me alone." By now, Jaune was trying hard to rip off the necklace. Shockingly, the string felt like it was three times stronger than Cardin''s arms doing a neck choke.


    "Did you just say please?" Lou sounded enraged. "Okay, lesson one! Never say please. Real men take what they want, own what they want, especially blow up every damn thing when they have the power!"


    Jaune felt his arm holding his sword rise against his will. Unsure why this was happening, he struggled only to feel that his weapon was high enough for it to be swung down.


    "Well, here goes nothing. Shall we say, hell yes?"


    "No, stop it!" Too late, Jaune''s arm swung its sword until the metal blade struck the rooftop. From there, an explosion of light went off along with the sound of rock and stone blowing apart. Jaune''s mouth did a big ''O'' as the light died down to show the resulting destruction.


    "See? See? Got some power I can hand to you. You got some enemies? One command from you and kabloom! They''re a thing of the past¡­.well, right after I recover from that stupid trip. Ouch, my tips feel so sore."


    Jaune couldn''t protest as he was still trying to find out how Lou gave him the power to blow apart a hug corner of the rooftop. He was more thankful that nobody was up here due to how people would be elsewhere in this time of the night.


    Fear of getting caught, Jaune ran through the exit so he could go back to his room. Along the way, the boy feared the worst when he heard Lou''s laugh that portrayed an ominous future.


    "Hit and run, I love your style, Jaune. That''s right, we''re going to rise so high, even the gods and goddesses will be put to shame! My master, you and I are going to rise from a dull zero to a sexy, rich hero!"


    A/N: So¡­ready for this kind of story? For readers of my past stories, yes, lots of action and a good amount of romance will be in this since there is a planned harem.


    Plus, I hope Lou''s form as an OC rock would be acceptable since he''s here for Jaune''s sake. He also has a color name, but that''ll be revealed much later. ;)

 Chaper 2: Morning Bombshell

    A/N: Thanks for reading this far. Hope you can still comment. Spread the word of this story too, would love to also answer any questions people would have based on what is read.


    Although it¡¯s been a really long time, this chapter is also in honor of Monty Oum, who helped me begin my attempts in creating something. May he rest in peace and his legacy continue on in many forms.


    *****


    Last night was Jaune¡¯s worst experience ever. Compared to Cardin¡¯s bullying, Lou¡¯s entrance and revealed intentions made the boy briefly wish he wasn¡¯t a student of Beacon. If the living jewelry stuck to its words, then there was a good chance that Jaune¡¯s life in school was going to be ruined in a matter of days, maybe hours if his luck really was the worst kind.


    In fact, the boy of hard knockings had a feeling that this morning was going to be a path down to his doom. A sign would have been a heat source that was behind him as he was lying on his bed and under white sheets. Along with this body heat, the second thing Jaune noticed were the two, soft mounds that made contact with the back of his white t-shirt. His legs were also intertwined with strong ones; one knee was almost up to his crotch that was covered by his black shorts.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Using a soft voice, Jaune tried not to believe that he was in a bad situation. When he tried to move away, two arms of strong, slender build moved around his abdomen before embracing from behind. As the mounds dug deeper, hot breaths tickling his neck made the boy¡¯s adolescent nature slowly kick into overdrive.


    And judging by the body¡¯s sturdy frame, the blonde victim had a guess of who was sleeping right behind him.


    ¡°Morning Jaune, like your present? Got to say, she¡¯s drop-dead gorgeous in person, much less in her pj¡¯s.¡±


    Jaune closed his eyes as Lou made its greeting inside his mind with some strange form of telepathy. He glanced down to see that the jewel was partially inside his shirt. He placed all the blame onto the necklace for now and the coming events.


    ¡°Come on, enjoy the moment. Although unlike the old days, this case would mean that you already did something with her. Oh well, just be glad that I, the Amazing Lou, gave you a perfect opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Or we could get into trouble if any teacher catches us.¡± Using his thoughts to communicate, Jaune would have done a face-palm as Lou made a noise of surprise. Either the necklace was feigning shock or it really didn¡¯t know about the modern beliefs of indecency.


    Turning his head, Jaune inwardly groaned when he saw Pyrrha¡¯s slumbering face. Looking closer, he saw that the bare light from the covers above created a pristine effect on her face, a Sleeping Beauty whose long, crimson hair flowed down her arm like silk clothing.


    ¡°Screw you, your generation also happens to break a lot of those gender standards. One action was all it took and voila, she¡¯s ready for ya. Now, just gently grab her head and lean in so we can get this one settled before the next maiden.¡±


    Jaune pushed the covers off of his head and squinted from the light of Saturday morning. Nervous, he glanced over at the room¡¯s other bed to see Nora and Ren there, gently breathing as they were still residents of their own dreamland.


    This made it worse as Jaune didn¡¯t know how the hell he was going to fix whatever Lou did to get him into this mess. To make things worse, Pyrrha slowly sat up with half-closed eyes as her first action of coming awake.


    Yawning, she stretched her arms up, leaving the sight of her red, button-up shirt clear for Jaune to see. He almost stared at how Pyrrha¡¯s hair was untied, giving him a rare, lax view of the strong warrior. When his eyes met her outlined chest, he looked away after his mind flashed back to what happened a few moments ago.


    ¡°Good morning Jaune.¡±


    ¡°Morning¡­Pyrrha?¡± The blonde teenager didn¡¯t know why his red-haired partner didn¡¯t have much of a reaction to their situation. ¡°Did you sleep well?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Pyrrha dipped her lovely legs out of the covers and over the side of the bed. This showed that from feet to plump thighs, they were almost bare if not for the black shorts. ¡°And how are you? You seemed tuckered out last night. Is that why you had to sleep early?¡±


    That was far from the truth, but Jaune had to resort to lying so he could cover up his accidental destruction on the rooftop. ¡°Yep, just did some training while you guys were getting debriefed by those Atlas soldiers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice. If you¡¯ve improved, then I¡¯ll need to see how much in our next sparring match.¡± One hand on bed, Pyrrha slowly slid over to the spot occupied by the surprised Jaune. After her head was inches from his face, the boy remained still as he didn¡¯t know why his partner was giving him a loving stare.


    ¡°Wow, she¡¯s setting herself up for you! Come on, take the bait and get something started! Be a man!¡±


    Jaune froze as he didn¡¯t understand what Lou was yelling about in his mind. All he could do was smile and try to make sense of what was going on. He also had to avoid the temptation of looking down Pyrrha¡¯s loose clothes.


    ¡°Hug chest-to-chest, French kiss! Do something! I know you two are friends, but that boundary is going to be a huge pain in the ass if it¡¯s not gone soon!¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­did I do something strange to you last night?¡± While Jaune asked this with a straight face, he also went through the trouble of blocking out Lou¡¯s complaints from his mind. ¡°I mean, we¡¯re both in the same bed and you don¡¯t mind. That means I¡¯m missing context that¡¯s making sense of this.¡±


    Pyrrha frowned as her eyes narrowed, something that meant only bad tidings for Jaune. ¡°You¡­don¡¯t remember? Are you saying that was an accident?¡±


    A pregnant pause ensued between the two teenagers. For Jaune¡¯s case, he was more lost than his first trek through Emerald Forest. Lou¡¯s sudden silence, probably from anger, only obscured the boy¡¯s ability to come up with a solution.


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°No explosions or interruptions, but you two somehow take the mood down that direction?¡±


    Jaune and Pyrrha jumped from the annoyed voice. Their search for its source led to the discovery of Nora sitting while she was in a white, sleeveless shirt and pink sweatpants. Beside her was Ren in his green pajamas, holding his head with both hands as if he was recovering from a trip to the afterlife.


    Heart beating fast, Jaune heard his partner exclaim, ¡°N-nora, were you awake this entire time?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and be glad that I was. Any more of this and one of you might have made a big mistake.¡± Nora crossed her arms and frowned to show her frustration. ¡°And Jaune, you really were sleeping last night? Especially when Pyrrha came over to pull the covers up your body? It seemed way too coincidental that you would wrap your arms around her and pull her in while your mind was shut down.¡±


    Jaune felt the urge to rip Lou off of his neck and throw it out the window. Knowing this wasn¡¯t an option for many reasons, the boy was only able to nod and reply, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s weird isn¡¯t it? I must have had quite the dream if it made my body move like that.¡±


    Nora sighed with head shaking while Ren yawned like the dead would after coming back to life. To Jaune, the worst expression he saw was Pyrrha¡¯s eyes glancing down in disappointment. Still unsure why the girls would make these kind of faces, he felt there had to be some way to make up for the unknown wrong he has done.


    ¡°Idiot, it¡¯s not your fault,¡± said Lou¡¯s voice. ¡°Perkness right there is trying to make things work out for you two. Now Pyrrha here didn¡¯t announce the one thing you said that actually convinced her to share the same bed.¡±


    Inside his head, Jaune sighed, ¡°I did something else? What else could I have done?¡±


    ¡°Mumble that you wanted her, your one and only partner, to stay the night so you could sleep better. And it¡¯s my fault for the hug, not the words that I just found out came from your sisters¡¯ favorite soap opera. But it worked out in the end, so way to go, Casanova. Now if you only had your dad¡¯s libido.¡±


    Jaune was about to inwardly object when he noticed Pyrrha look up to make eye contact. ¡°Then I should be the one apologizing. It didn¡¯t seem like you to just do something so bold. So¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    For some reason, Jaune felt distraught as his partner was trying to take the blame in a noble attempt to cover up this mishap. ¡°It¡¯s nobody¡¯s fault,¡± he quickly remarked. ¡°Last night, I started this and¡­nothing really happened. I mean, we¡¯re old enough to be responsible to not let things get weird, right?¡±


    Nora jumped off her side of the bed and chirped, ¡°I totally agree! And since my bed buddy isn¡¯t someone who likes to whisper your name, we should keep these arrangements until further notice. Wouldn¡¯t you agree, Ren? Ren?¡±


    Everyone looked over at the black-haired teenager to see he was staring off into space. Concerned, Jaune asked, ¡°Ren?


    Are you okay? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I just had the weirdest dream.¡± Ren placed a hand against his forehead with his eyes closed in pain. ¡°I was¡­a producer of a hit web-series. The characters were¡­us? I think, but our bodies were made up of so many geometries on a computer. Thinking about it just hurts my head right until something¡­terrible happened.¡±


    Nora placed a knee on her bed and patted a hand against her aching partner¡¯s cheek. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s morning Ren. You¡¯re back in this world now, so get up, breathe the air, and let¡¯s get something to eat. Mornings shouldn¡¯t be filled with so much dread.¡±


    Ren only gave a silent nod as his orange-haired partner dragged him out of bed so they could go to their respective restrooms. Jaune saw that as the two went out, he felt strangely relieved that his ¡®brother¡¯ was doing well.


    ¡°Speaking of weird, check out Pyrrha¡¯s face. Her cheeks are redder than a virgin¡¯s first time!¡±


    Jaune saw that his partner¡¯s face really was holding a deep, crimson color. Believing it to be the issue in his own mind, he said, ¡°So I guess we share the bed by unanimous decision¡­I think. Are you okay with that?¡±


    Pyrrha coughed once before her face formed a comfortable smile. ¡°Sure, although I can¡¯t promise about sharing the covers.¡±


    ¡°Then take all of it if you want. It always gets hot back when Ren and I had to share a bed.¡± In his sigh, Jaune wondered if this was a good idea to even begin with. ¡°But¡­if things do get awkward, then don¡¯t be afraid to tell me. Even the small things, just make sure to share them with me, okay?¡±


    When Jaune saw Pyrrha nod, he also noticed that her smile was natural enough to make him feel calm. His newfound state didn¡¯t let him notice the small, red tinge on the girl¡¯s cheeks.


    At this point, he was busy tolerating the downpour of complaints Lou was sending in his mind.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a beautiful necklace. Where did you get it?¡± Pyrrha¡¯s question didn¡¯t help with the situation. Before Jaune could hope to find an answer that didn¡¯t involve Lou¡¯s input, static filled the air before a male¡¯s voice made its unexpected announcement.¡±


    ¡°All students, report to the amphitheater. Repeat, all students report within half an hour. Professor Goodwitch requires everyone to be present for the news of last night¡¯s incident.¡±


    *****


    A/N: Wonder what the old professor has in mind? Hopefully nothing too serious.


    Also thanks to the follows, favorites, and my first review from @piens15


    Not always going to do this, but this is to show appreciation for what all of you have done for the story ?

 Chapter 3: Popular Confession

    A/N:  Sorry for being gone for so long. Things happened, but finally back to get into the groove of things.


    Highlight: Over 9000!!!


    *****


    ¡°You¡¯re a dustard, from the shard to the full crystal. Why do you have to be a good little boy and set boundaries? Why do you do that!?¡±


    In his normal clothes of white armor and plain wear, Jaune frowned at Lou¡¯s mental comment.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s the right thing to do. Is that really an issue?¡±


    ¡°Not if you want to have the best of everything, especially when it can involve more than one girl. I¡¯m trying to teach you how to enjoy life, not restrict it with these rules and morals of peaceful times. And can someone please tell me when I¡¯m going to see or sense a real Hunter in this damn school?¡±


    Jaune gently sighed as he sat on the bench of Beacon¡¯s amphitheater, near his team and friends as he usually did. He opened his eyes to stare at Goodwitch standing at the middle of the area used for combat practice. Her sharpened eyes told him that she called almost everyone, even the upperclassmen, to this room based on events relating to him.


    ¡°Now, several of you may wonder why we required everyone to attend this impromptu meeting. For those who were near the site of incident, you would already have an answer to this question.¡±


    Goodwitch¡¯s announcement was followed by a screen blinking into existence above her head. Its surface showed a picture of a wrecked site that Jaune recognized as the building he destroyed after his meeting with Lou.


    ¡°Damn it, we could do a lot better than that scratch. Once we get you trained, you could probably destroy a building on whim. Scratch that, we¡¯ll get a Grimm kill count of over 9000 within a year.¡±


    Jaune didn¡¯t feel comfortable about this info. Feeling lost, he maintained his rapt attention on Goodwitch as her riding crop in hand tapped against her palm.


    ¡°The damage from this image had traces of Aura. Atlas has been kind enough to share a prototype invention that may help us recognize the culprit. Would any of you like to admit in doing this crime or is it safe to assume that none of our students would ever consider vandalism on these hallowed grounds? Hm?Anyone?¡±


    Goodwitch¡¯s ultimatum made the other students look around and whisper, signs of wondering if one of their own really did it. Only Jaune¡¯s eyes remained wide in fear as he didn¡¯t want to reveal anything to anyone, even those close to him.


    ¡°Lookie here, that old beauty did a favor for us. See, my next lesson is me telling you that becoming famous involves attention. And what better way than to raise your hand and show the power in your disposal? I did say I¡¯m an amplifier for your potential, right?¡±


    Jaune felt one arm rise as it was under Lou¡¯s control. In distress, he struggled to pull down his uncontrollable limb. ¡°Stop it, I do not want to get expelled. I happen to like my life here, especially before you came!¡±


    ¡°Wuss, at this rate, you¡¯re never going to be the hero that everyone needs. Or was the info on those fake transcripts the only accomplishments you want to have in your life?¡±


    Lou¡¯s reveal of this sensitive information made Jaune lose his focus, thus his control. Arm high up, he sighed as Goodwitch aimed her eyes that may as well fry him upon sight.


    ¡°Mr. Arc¡­if you¡¯re raising your hand to go to the restroom, such action isn¡¯t required. A quiet entrance is enough for this meeting to continue undisturbed.¡±


    While Jaune felt glad for his teacher¡¯s misunderstanding, Lou¡¯s reaction was more on the angry side. ¡°Oh, so this old hag thinks you¡¯re that lacking huh? Well, prepared to be surprised. Jaune, keep your hand in the air for me.¡±


    The blonde teenager didn¡¯t have a choice, especially when a ball of white light appeared at the palm of his hand before it flew up and around its owner¡¯s head. This newfound ability didn¡¯t shock only Jaune; it made everyone gawk at him as none knew that he was able to do something like this with his Aura.


    ¡°What? Don¡¯t tell me none of you can do this at your age. Exactly who is teaching¡­oh, it¡¯s that broad. Is her stick too far up that fine ass for her to consider giving a proper lesson?¡±


    Jaune was incredibly glad that nobody was able to hear Lou¡¯s language. This also brought up confusion as he wasn¡¯t sure of whether or not he deserved the curious eyes of his fellow classmates.


    ¡°Is he using his Semblance?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it. It¡¯s too raw in form.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s Aura control? But we don¡¯t learn something that advanced until later.¡±


    Conversations of praise and wonder radiated from the seats. Several scrolls were raised to take pictures for later shares with the Scrollgram, an online exchange involving pictures.


    Jaune was in a limbo of bashful and panic as his arm was still up and wouldn¡¯t budge. He glanced down to see that his friends and teammates had their own expressions, most related to surprise. Only Sun and Yang had their Scrolls out to take pictures. They were smiling from having the best spot that anyone could ask for in this moment of hype.


    ¡°Are all of you too stupid to see that¡¯s a parlor trick?¡±


    Everyone turned to the voice that belonged to Cardin Winchester, a.k.a the school bully and half-baked beefcake. In his gray armor, the taller boy stood up from his seat and pointed a finger with a malevolent grin. ¡°Exactly how is this alright? We just found our crook who admitted his crime. Let¡¯s slap a bill on him and be done with this assembly rather than waste time looking at Jauney Arse.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.Jaune quietly groaned as his former ¡®buddy¡¯ was right. He was the reason why everyone was here; the peacekeeper known as Goodwitch had the right to present a suitable punishment to carry out justice.


    ¡°Mr. Arc, if this is true, am I to believe that you recently discovered this ability? You¡¯ve never shown any evidence of your current capabilities.¡±


    ¡°N-not really,¡± Jaune said to answer the blonde teacher. ¡°From time to time, sure, but not like last night. It was more of an accident.¡± To the boy¡¯s fortune, he didn¡¯t feel any guilt since he told the truth. In a general sense, coincidence was all any witness would have called Lou¡¯s bold actions that involved its victim¡¯s body.


    Even better was how Goodwitch was nodding with eyes that held none of her former malice. ¡°Then so be it. Accidents tend to happen in these cases. The only punishment is a stern warning for you to be more careful. Perhaps a later visit to Professor Ozpin would be best as he may examine you for any irregularities.¡±


    Jaune sighed in relief at this news. He noticed his friends and others nearby had the same expression for various reasons. The only ones different were Cardin, his gang, and the students who didn¡¯t seem to approve the attention Jaune was getting.


    ¡°Ah, they¡¯ll live with it,¡± Lou assured. ¡°By the way, Glynda there has this lonely vibe coming from her strict attitude. Would older woman be of some interest to you, angel boy?¡±


    While Jaune was sitting with hand still raised to hold onto his Aura ball, he noticed that Cardin also sat down with a dramatic. A second later, the bully had the nerve to raise his hand and flip out the forbidden bird, a middle finger of displeasure in a way only Jaune could see it.


    Lou was also strange with its unusual pause until it calmly said, ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s dead. We accept his duel, right Jaune?¡±


    ¡°What duel?!¡±The blonde boy never had a chance to reply as his arm automatically flung forward. This made his Aura ball fly forth until it made contact with Cardin¡¯s head and blew up like a grenade.


    Being the only one harmed, Cardin fell like a chopped tree and rolled into the next row right into the laps of Dove and Sky. Arms flailing, he fell onto the ground in such a comical way that had everyone laughing at the poor boy.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Goodwitch¡¯s voice boomed out loud, immediately overtaking her merciful behavior she showed to Jaune. ¡°Mr. Arc, you have somehow broken two rules in the same amount of days. Is this the one where punishment for you actions needs to be severe?¡±


    ¡°But¡­.I lost control again. I didn¡¯t really mean it.¡± Jaune¡¯s excuse was accepted by one half of the audience. The other, including a cackling Lou, knew it as absolute bullshit.


    Once Cardin was up, he went over to his seat where his mace was at. After grabbing the weapon, he began to make the climb up the stairs as his shame and pain commanded him to his act of blind revenge. Before the bully could come closer, he stopped once Team Juniper, especially Pyrrha, stood up with their bodies blocking the sight of their leader.


    ¡°What? Are you three stupid?! Your leader just physically attacked me!¡± Cardin aimed his mace at Jaune, who was truly sorry for causing this amount of tension in the first place.


    ¡°Hit the road,¡± Nora yelled as she made a shooing motion with both hands. ¡°You always start the fights and really, most of us here think you deserve getting a gentle tap from our man here. Wouldn¡¯t you think so Ren?¡±


    Ren firmly nodded, although Jaune knew that the silent boy was feeling strange about Nora¡¯s slang that she recently started using with others. This still didn¡¯t calm Cardin down, creating hostility to where Team Cardinal was on the rise in the case they were needed.


    ¡°Team Juniper and Cardinal, stand down.¡± With a sigh, Goodwitch swung her wand in a wide arc. Purple energy forced both teams sit down and Cardin take forceful step backwards. Ensured she was in control, the teacher waved her weapon up at the two floating screens hovering near her.


    ¡°While I condemn unsanctioned matches, today may be appropriate for several of you to settle any unspoken matters. Upper classmen, you are all free to leave as the session involving the first-year students has begun.¡±


    After several bodies got up and walked out, Jaune noticed that Velvet and her team didn¡¯t move from their spot. Unsure why, he couldn¡¯t think further as Lou yelled at him to look forward. His face paled once he saw his face and Cardin¡¯s appear on the screens.


    ¡°Today is when we will see another match between Mr. Arc and Winchester.¡± Walking to the arena¡¯s outside boundary, the teacher motioned for the mentioned teenagers to come down with her head. ¡°Remember that this is a practice match. As long as the conditions for victory are met, any methods you use in this fight will be acceptable.¡±


    *****


    A/N: So Jaune vs. Cardin¡­maybe. Because you never know what would happen in a story that¡¯s already taken standards to a differentlevel :3


    And since Part 1 of the Jaune series is pretty long, would it be acceptable to put in a villain OC along the way? If this seems acceptable, the villain wouldn¡¯t have too much of a role, more end up making the canon characters have a better image.

 Chapter 4: Then and Now

    A/N:  this chapter is part one of the fight that is going to happen.


    Highlight: Avatar Aang¡¯s nickname and a blue hedgehog


    *****


    Standing on the arena, Jaune had his sword, Crocea Mors, in one hand while Lou was out of his shirt for all to see. Seeing Cardin standing ready on the other side wasn¡¯t the reason why he was filled with the doubt caused by something else.


    ¡°Lou, mind telling me why you want me to fight with only one sword this way?¡±


    ¡°Practice. I¡¯m going to teach you how to fight with some unusual ways. And for the love of all that is made of pixie Dust, please tell me your folks taught you about Luminessence.¡±


    ¡°Lumi-what?¡± Jaune¡¯s head shook when Lou shouted inside his mind out of frustration. Wondering why, he placed both hands on the handle of his sword and waited for the signal of the battle¡¯s start.


    As referee, Goodwitch stood outside the arena¡¯s outside boundaries. ¡°Now remember you two, this match will continue until your Aura levels are depleted from the above screens. Understood?¡±


    While Jaune nodded, he heard Cardin remark, ¡°Of course. But before that, I¡¯d like to say a few words, if you don¡¯t mind professor.¡± Hearing this placed the boy on guard as his nemesis placed his mace onto shoulder.


    ¡°Jauney boy, I think you¡¯re getting a bit ahead of yourself. Do you really think taking down that Ursa Major the other day was all that great?¡± Chuckling, Cardin appeared much more of a d-bag than anyone was comfortable with. ¡°It¡¯s fine that you play like you¡¯re a someone nowadays. I wonder if that attitude is going to make you also side with those animals.¡±


    ¡°The Faunus?¡± Jaune didn¡¯t know why Cardin referred to the beast-kin with such a downgrading term. ¡°I¡¯m friends with several. Why wouldn¡¯t I side with good people?¡±


    ¡°Because they¡¯re freaks. Seriously, why do wimps like you forget that they¡¯re the losers who steal from your trash cans?¡± Cardin glanced at the Faunus in the seats, particularly Blake, Sun, and Velvet. ¡°And when Humans gave them mercy, all they did was whine and complain about having less. Their worst reaction was making the White Fang that will get declawed if they keep wrecking properties.¡±


    Unsure why Cardin would express the stereotype so strongly, Jaune just shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Well, not every one of them is that bad. Plus, they had their share of pain, so we could just leave it at that.¡±


    Cardin shook his head as if he was dealing with a na?ve child. ¡°Oh, Jauney boy. If only you were still my ¡®best buddy,¡¯ you could have been part of the bigger picture. Instead, you¡¯d rather be on the side that¡¯s going to lose after the correction begins?¡±


    ¡°Correction? What correction?¡± With his peripherals, Jaune noticed that several people from the audience had their eyes leering at him. He wondered if this had something to do with Cardin¡¯s comment full of lacking content.


    ¡°Whatever. Just get ready for the pounding that your man can¡¯t save you from this time.¡± Snickering, Cardin raised his mace with one hand. ¡°Whoops, that¡¯s not the right thing to say without that dress of yours, right Twinkle Toes? And what, did she get you that necklace? Looks nice, a shiny collar given by your stronger master.¡±


    ¡°Agreeing with the dress, disagree with me and your stylish moves. With Twinkle Toes as a name, ladies might flock to ya since they¡¯ll think you have the moves. After that act of joy is when you polish up your dancing for later.¡±


    Lou¡¯s comment mixed with criticism and support made Jaune feel somewhat at ease. It was all he had since his friends weren¡¯t allowed to interfere from their seats. However, he didn¡¯t appreciate how somehow implanted a sexual innuendo in the last part of his phrase.


    ¡°Now do remember, Mr. Winchester, that a real battle will not allow any ¡®trash talk¡¯ before it begins.¡± Clearing her throat, Goodwitch swung her hand out and announced, ¡°From now is an official match between Cardin Winchester and Jaune Arc. Victory will be given to the one who depletes the entire Aura bar of his opponent. Ready? You may begin!¡±


    Cardin started off with a sprint, quickly closing distance. Aware of this, Jaune jumped away to dodge the incoming bull right as he corrected his stance per Pyrrha¡¯s teaching.


    ¡°Okay, so Luminessence is a lifestyle that your ancestors made in the past.¡±


    ¡°Are you still talking about that?¡± Replying to Lou almost made Jaune forget to bring up his sword. He barely did so to have his blade block the massive head of Cardin¡¯s mace.


    ¡°Yeah cause you¡¯re going to need it. I¡¯m not liking the history you have with this loser. Whoa, incoming.¡±


    Lou¡¯s advice had Jaune dodge another strike from Cardin. Shuffling feet to maintain balance like he saw Ren do, he swung his sword to meet the mace head-on. Metallic clangs filled the air as both boys committed to the tempo of striking, parrying, and thrusting. Simply, one was fighting for dominance against the other even in this practice match.


    To the shock of several, Jaune was doing better than before. To see him fight on par with Cardin was more progress than most expected. Only his friends weren¡¯t surprised as they knew, giving Yang the chance to hustle as she made bets with other students who believed more in Cardin.


    ¡°Okay, so you¡¯re fighting okay to get some attention from the crowd. Not good enough though, so I¡¯m just going to cram some new techniques into ya.¡±


    A wave of nausea made Jaune stumble, a state that him vulnerable to the incoming mace. Thrown back by the strong hit, he quickly rolled and got up in the same manner Nora always showed him.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± Jaune leapt back to dodge a head strike. ¡°Please tell me you¡¯re not setting me up to blow up a human being!¡±


    ¡°No way, this guy¡¯s practice for you. He¡¯s more classified as a meatbag in need of a lesson.¡± Lou¡¯s assurance made Jaune maintain his grip of both hands onto his weapon¡¯s handle. Strangely, he felt nothing too different aside from how his body felt lighter as if becoming filled with energy.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°So I decided to add in your predecessors¡¯ skills, more of the ones you can manage.¡±


    Hearing these words while he was still fighting, Jaune noticed something strange with his movements. Dodging and weaving past the fast mace strikes, he no longer had to block with his sword. Instead, he swung with each dodge to make the metal smack all over Cardin¡¯s body.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you-.¡±


    Jaune ducked to dodge before he jumped up with an upward slash.


    ¡°-stop squirming!¡± Shouting, Cardin grabbed his weapon¡¯s shaft with both hands and struck down as he intended to break a skull. Jaune took one step forward to make the mace miss him by a thread¡¯s length and hit the ground instead.


    Sword already pulled back at ready, Jaune felt incredible energy gather into his arm in one second. In another second, he swung hard to slam the entire blade into Cardin¡¯s body. Upon contact, Crocea Mors suddenly shined until an explosion engulfed the taller boy¡¯s entire body.


    In smoke, Jane coughed and tried to wave the clouds away. When the clouds parted, he saw Cardin on the ground and moaning in pain. His brief relief was replaced by anxiety when his opponent got up to his feet.


    ¡°Not a Luminous Shine, but it¡¯s a smaller version. Hey, he¡¯s getting up again!¡±


    Jaune saw Cardin raise his weapon high. Remembering this technique from Pyrrha¡¯s fight, the blonde retaliated by raising his own weapon. From an unknown instinct, Jaune hit the blade to the ground where his arm felt power surge into his weapon. A small wave of light came out to meet Cardin¡¯s made of earth, both elements colliding with a loud crash.


    ¡°Now finish with Lumen Burst!¡±


    ¡°Stop giving me new skills!¡± Jaune¡¯s protest came too late as his shield shined before a blast of energy propelled its owner into the air like a cannonball. Flying, the blonde boy noticed he was heading straight for an unsuspecting Cardin.


    Left with no choice, Jaune grabbed his sword with both hands. Again out of instinct, he flipped himself down to make his body spin forward in mid-air like Sonic. Moving faster, he got out of his ball so he could slam his blade straight into Cardin¡¯s gut, sending the bully backwards and into the ground.


    Still moving due to momentum, Jaune landed with one knee while both hands had his sword in a tight grip. Coming to a stop, he breathed deep to keep himself calm as the pain in his knee and Cardin¡¯s shouting bothered him to no end.


    When all was calm and the dust settled, Jaune stood up tall and looked at the screen in hopes that he won. His heart skipped a beat after he saw that his Aura bar was mostly full while Cardin¡¯s was as empty as his self-esteem.


    ¡°Oh great, you won by a landslide.¡± Miraculously attached to Jaune¡¯s neck, Lou didn¡¯t sound very impressed. ¡°Big shocker when you have me as your all-powerful accessory. Mind thanking me?¡±


    As Jaune gave a simple, mental thanks, he heard a small applause coming from the witnesses. Goodwitch herself had a small smile as if approving the fight she had the pleasure of watching.


    ¡°Your performance does appear a bit odd. Compared to any students I¡¯ve trained, none has ever improved as much as you.¡± Walking to the space between the victor and loser, Goodwitch gave Jaune a good scan with a calm face. ¡°While you will need the headmaster¡¯s examination, I believe you have earned this victory. Congratulations, Mr. Arc.¡±


    Jaune smiled as he received a comment from one of the stricter teachers of the school. Before he could say something, his hand suddenly went up and opened as a gesture for a handshake.


    ¡°She¡¯s interested now. Hue hue, just got to seal the deal with some physical contact so you can check in this mature beauty some other time.¡±


    Feeling heat in his face, Jaune noticed that Goodwitch looked at his open hand in wonder. For a moment, the boy believed he saw a ghost of a smile from the approaching teacher.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure of the reason, but I suppose this is alright.¡± Slowly, Goodwitch rose her hand to where her slender fingers were about to make contact with Jaune¡¯s.


    ¡°Wait, wait! Don¡¯t let her touch you! I made a mistake!¡±


    Lou¡¯s exclamation came right as both student and teacher¡¯s hands touched each other. A moment later, Goodwitch¡¯s body was covered in a light that grew until it blinded all eyes. Once the brightness died down, there was no sign of the teacher anywhere.


    ¡°¡­Okay, I was fiddling and may have teleported her somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°Exactly where?¡±


    ¡°Somewhere around here, I think. Your Aura output would have¡­probably taken her to the nearby waterfall.¡±


    Jaune inwardly sighed as he realized the talking jewel did a terrible thing. Even worst was that he was going to become the one taking the responsibility for this mishap.


    ¡°So friends are coming. Got your shield on your back? Good.¡±


    Fire washed over the area Lou mentioned, making Jaune stumble forward in surprise. Actually glad he had his shield there, he turned around to find Russell standing in the arena with his Dust daggers in hand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, but it¡¯s payback time for what you did.¡± Standing beside Russell was Dove and Sky with their weapons in hands. Jaune glanced up to see that many of the students were even more shocked than he was by these turn of events.


    ¡°Surprise, surprise, that lunkhead of a loser has friends to back him up. Hey, remember that fight Pyrrha had with them? Now it¡¯s your turn.¡±


    Right then, Jaune knew that he was about to enter round two of this long battle. Trying to maintain a fearless face, he felt slightly dizzy right as the remaining members of Team Cardinal moved on to rush him with weapons raised.


    *****


    A/N: Again, round two of a fight that may or may not be short as part of the real trouble is heading our hero¡¯s way.