Jaune woke up before dawn, his internal clock telling him it was time. He checked the system.
[Quest Completion: 23 minutes]
[Prepare for dimensional transit]
[Dawn is safe. Mission objectives complete.]
Twenty-three minutes until he went home. He got dressed quietly, packed his few belongings, and left a note for Dawn.
Had to leave early. Emergency back home. You did great at the contest. Keep practicing and you'll win that Grand Festival someday. Stay safe. - Jaune
He checked out of the Pokemon Center without waking anyone and walked to a quiet area outside the city. Found an empty field where no one would see him disappear.
[Quest Completion: 5 minutes]
Jaune looked back at Jubilife City, lights starting to come on as early risers began their day. Somewhere in there, Dawn was probably still asleep, dreaming about her next contest.
She'd be fine. Team Galactic would leave her alone after their failure at the lake. Professor Rowan would keep an eye on the situation.
[Quest Completion: 1 minute]
He took a breath, centering himself.
[Quest Completion: 30 seconds]
His aura flickered around him instinctively.
[Quest Completion: 10 seconds]
"Alright, System. Let's go home."
[9...]
[8...]
[7...]
[6...]
[5...]
[4...]
[3...]
[2...]
[1...]
[QUEST COMPLETE - DIMENSIONAL TRANSIT INITIATING]
The world lurched.
Reality twisted, colors bleeding together, sounds distorting into a single tone. Jaune felt like he was being pulled through something impossibly tight, compressed and stretched simultaneously.
'Still hate this part—'
Then it stopped.
His feet hit solid ground. Forest floor, familiar trees. The air felt different. Heavier somehow. Home.
[Welcome back to Remnant]
[Location: Ansel Forest - Departure Point]
[Remnant Time Elapsed: 4 days, 3 hours]
[Quest Status: SUCCESS]
[Calculating final rewards...]
[Primary Objective Complete: Dawn protected]
[Bonus Objectives Complete: Team Galactic operation disrupted, Mesprit rescue prevented, minimal combat resource usage]
[Rewards Granted:]
[Enhanced Stamina +50%: Physical endurance significantly increased]
[Danger Sense (Basic): Instinctive awareness of incoming threats within 30 feet]
[Bonus Reward - Combat Efficiency: Aura control increased to 84%]
[Additional Bonus - First Quest Perfect Completion: +10% to all physical attributes]
Jaune felt the changes immediately. Energy flooded through his body, his muscles becoming denser, more efficient. His aura reserves expanded, the control becoming more refined. And something new settled into his awareness, a subtle sense of his surroundings he hadn't had before.
He checked his status.
[Current Stats]
[Aura Control: 84% efficiency]
[Physical Conditioning: 300% of baseline human]
[Combat Proficiency: Mid Tier Graduate → High Tier Graduate]
[Skills: Pain Tolerance (Moderate), Combat Adaptation (Minor), Tactical Analysis (Basic), Weapon Mastery (Sword - Competent), Danger Sense (Basic)]
Three hundred percent of baseline human. He'd nearly doubled his physical capability in one quest.
"System, what exactly does the Enhanced Stamina do?"
[Enhanced Stamina allows for prolonged physical exertion without fatigue. Your body recovers faster, requires less rest, and can maintain peak performance for extended periods. Effectively, you can fight, train, or travel at maximum effort approximately 50% longer than before.]
That was huge. In a prolonged fight, stamina was often the deciding factor.
"And Danger Sense?"
[Danger Sense provides instinctive awareness of incoming threats within a 30 foot radius. You will feel hostile intent, incoming attacks, and environmental hazards before they reach you. Not precognition, but heightened perception and intuition combined.]
Also huge. That could save his life.
Jaune started walking back toward his house. It was early morning, maybe six AM based on the light. Four days had passed here. His father would want an explanation.
He reached home just as the sun was fully up. The house was quiet. His family was probably still asleep except for his father, who'd be awake and training.
Sure enough, Nicholas was in the training yard, running through sword forms.
"Jaune." His father lowered his practice sword. "You're back. Four days."
"Yeah. Sorry, lost track of time."
Nicholas studied him carefully. "You look different."
"Different how?"
"Stronger. More confident. Whatever you did out there, it worked." His father approached, eyes analytical. "And you're not telling me everything."
"No, I'm not."
"Is it dangerous?"
"Sometimes. But I can handle it."
Nicholas nodded slowly. "I won't push. But Jaune, you have nine days until Beacon. Whatever this other thing is, make sure it doesn't interfere with that."
"It won't. I promise."
"Good. Now drop your gear and show me what you learned."
They sparred for two hours. Jaune noticed the difference immediately. His stamina lasted longer, his movements were sharper, and the Danger Sense kept alerting him to his father's attacks a split second before they landed.
He still lost, but he lasted forty-five minutes before his father disarmed him.
"Definitely stronger," Nicholas said, breathing hard. "You're almost at my level now. Another few months and you might actually beat me."
"That's the plan."
His mother was overjoyed to see him back. His sisters bombarded him with questions about his wilderness training. He gave vague answers, keeping the story consistent.
Four days in the forest. Solo survival. Lots of practice. Fought some Grimm. Nothing special.
That afternoon, alone in his room, Jaune pulled up the system fully.
[Quest 1 Complete: Pokémon World - Sinnoh Region]
[Performance Rating: Perfect]
[Next Quest: Will activate at random interval]
[Estimated wait time: 2-8 weeks]
[Recommendation: Focus on Beacon preparation]
Two to eight weeks. So his next quest would probably happen after Beacon started. Good. That gave him time to settle in, make connections, and establish himself before the system pulled him away again.
"System, can you avoid pulling me during critical moments? Like, say, the middle of a class or an important mission?"
[Smart Timing Protocol will attempt to minimize disruption. However, random activation means some inconvenience is inevitable. Recommend maintaining cover story for sudden absences.]
So he'd need an excuse for randomly disappearing. Great.
'Nothing says "normal student" like vanishing mid-conversation. This will go well.'
But that was a problem for future Jaune. Present Jaune needed to focus on Beacon.
Nine days until the entrance exam. Nine days to prepare mentally, get his gear ready, and say goodbye to his family.
He spent the next week training with his father during the day and reviewing everything he knew about Beacon at night. Initiation took place in the Emerald Forest. Teams were assigned based on chess pieces collected at ruins.
But things might change. He'd already changed things just by being here, by having powers and knowledge that shouldn't exist.
Butterfly effect. One change leading to cascading differences.
He'd have to adapt.
On day seven, his acceptance letter and travel instructions arrived. Report to Beacon Academy in two days. Airship departs from Vale terminal at 9 AM.
His family threw him a going away party that night. All seven sisters, both parents, even some extended family from town. It was loud, chaotic, and warm.
Claire cried when she hugged him goodbye. "You have to come visit! Promise!"
"I promise, squirt. Beacon has break periods. I'll come home."
Saphron pulled him aside. "Take care of yourself out there. And if you need anything, anything at all, call me."
"I will."
Rouge punched his arm. "Don't die. I'm not explaining to Mom that my baby brother got himself killed by a Grimm."
"I'll do my best."
His mother hugged him tightly that night. "I'm so proud of you. Your father and I both are. Just... be careful."
"I will, Mom. I promise."
The night before he left, his father called him to the training yard one last time.
"One more spar," Nicholas said. "For old times sake."
They fought under the stars, auras flaring, swords clashing. Jaune lasted fifty minutes before his father finally got past his guard.
"Good," Nicholas said, helping him up. "You're ready. For Beacon, for whatever comes after. Trust your training. Trust yourself."
"Thanks, Dad. For everything. For believing in me. For training me even knowing I was faking my transcripts."
"You earned your place through that training. The transcripts just opened the door. You walked through it." His father gripped his shoulder. "Now go show them what an Arc can do."
The next morning, Jaune said his final goodbyes. Packed his bags. Strapped Crocea Mors to his belt. Walked away from the only home this body had ever known.
His family watched from the porch as he headed toward the airship terminal.
This was it. The real start of everything.
Beacon Academy. Team RWBY. Team JNPR. Pyrrha Nikos.
And somewhere out there, more quests. More dimensions. More powers to gain.