Jaune woke up to the sound of someone panicking.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no! I can't find my—where did I—has anyone seen a small red—"
He sat up, rubbing his eyes. The ballroom was chaos. Students everywhere getting dressed, checking weapons, looking nervous. And in the middle of it all, a girl with a red cloak was frantically searching through her bag.
Ruby Rose. Had to be.
"Looking for something?" someone asked.
"My spare Dust rounds! I had them right here and now they're—oh wait, never mind, found them."
Jaune stood up and stretched, feeling his enhanced stamina already at work. He'd slept maybe six hours but felt completely rested. The system's rewards were paying off.
"You ready for this?" Dove asked, rolling up his sleeping bag nearby. "Because I'm like eighty percent excited and twenty percent terrified."
"That's a pretty good ratio," Jaune said. "I'm probably fifty-fifty."
"Honest. I like it." Dove grinned. "Hey, if we end up on the same team, I call dibs on picking the team name."
"Assuming we both survive initiation."
"Way to be optimistic, dude."
They headed to the locker rooms to grab their gear. Jaune found his locker and strapped on Crocea Mors properly. The weight was familiar, comforting. Six months of training with this sword. Now he'd see if it was enough.
His Danger Sense pinged softly as someone approached from behind. He turned to see Pyrrha Nikos standing a few lockers away, adjusting her armor.
She glanced over and caught him looking. "Hello."
"Hey." Jaune gave a small wave. "Ready for today?"
"As ready as I can be." She smiled politely. "You're Jaune Arc, right? I saw your name on the locker assignment."
"That's me. And you're Pyrrha Nikos. Four-time Mistral Regional Tournament champion. I'd have to be living under a rock not to know that."
She looked slightly disappointed, probably used to people treating her like a celebrity. But Jaune kept his tone casual, friendly without being star-struck.
"Well, good luck today," he said. "Try not to make the rest of us look too bad out there."
Pyrrha blinked, then laughed. "I'll do my best. Good luck to you too."
Jaune headed out before the conversation could get awkward. He'd established himself as someone who knew who she was but wasn't making it weird. Good first impression.
The locker room was filling up fast. Students checking weapons, adjusting armor, psyching themselves up. Jaune spotted Yang doing stretches that looked more like showing off. Blake was in a corner, checking her weapon's mechanisms with focused intensity.
And near the entrance, looking small and nervous despite the massive scythe on her back, was Ruby. She kept fidgeting with her cloak.
Someone bumped into her. "Watch it!"
"Sorry! I'm sorry!"
'And there's Weiss. Right on schedule for their first argument.'
This was the part where Ruby and Weiss had their first clash, cementing their initial antagonistic relationship.
Part of him wanted to intervene, smooth things over. But that would change the team dynamics in unpredictable ways. Better to let canon play out for now.
"All first year students, report to Beacon Cliff for initiation," Glynda's voice echoed through the speakers.
The crowd moved toward the cliffs. Jaune followed, his heart rate picking up despite his training. This was it. The moment everything either worked out or went horribly wrong.
Beacon Cliff was exactly as he remembered from the show. A long line of metal platforms overlooking the Emerald Forest. Each platform had a student standing on it. Ozpin and Glynda stood to the side, observing.
"Take your positions," Glynda instructed.
Jaune found an empty platform and stepped onto it. The metal felt solid under his feet. Looking down, he could see the forest stretching out below, vast and green and full of things that wanted to kill him.
'So this is Beacon's idea of an entrance exam. I should've applied to Haven. I hear they just have written tests.'
To his right, three platforms away, was Pyrrha. Perfect. If he could time this right, make eye contact during the launch, they'd be partners.
To his left was Yang, grinning like this was the best day of her life.
"For years you have trained to become warriors," Ozpin began, his voice carrying easily. "And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams," Glynda continued. "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today."
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon," Ozpin said. "So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well."
Ruby's face fell. She'd been hoping to team with Yang.
"That being said," Ozpin continued, "the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
Panic rippled through the group. Jaune kept his expression calm. He'd known this was coming.
"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die."
'Casual death mention. Very reassuring, Oz.'
"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately."
Ozpin paused. "Are there any questions?"
Jaune had about a million questions, but none that could be asked without revealing he knew too much.
"Good. Now, take your positions."
The platforms began to activate. Launch mechanisms engaging, preparing to literally throw students into the forest.
Jaune bent his knees, centering his weight. His aura flared instinctively. To his right, Pyrrha settled into a perfect ready stance.
Make eye contact. Find Pyrrha. That was the plan.
The launches began.
Students shot into the air one by one, catapulted at high velocity toward the forest. Yang went first, laughing as she flew. Then Blake. Then others in rapid succession.
Jaune's platform clicked.
"Oh, this is going to—"
The launch mechanism fired.
Jaune shot into the air like a bullet, the wind screaming past his ears. His stomach dropped as he soared over the treetops, the forest spreading out below him in a green carpet.
'Okay. Okay. I knew this was coming. I prepared for this. I just didn't prepare for how absolutely terrifying this would actually be.'
Other students were airborne around him. He caught glimpses of Yang still laughing, someone else screaming, another person already deploying some kind of grappling mechanism.
Where was Pyrrha?
Jaune twisted in the air, scanning. There. To his right, a flash of red hair and bronze armor. Pyrrha was in a controlled spin, her weapon already deployed.
He angled himself toward her, using his momentum. Not close enough yet. Needed to get closer before they both landed.
His Danger Sense pinged. Something below. He looked down and saw a massive Ursa directly in his descent path.
"Oh, come on!"
Jaune pulled his sword and shield. His trajectory was going to take him right into the Grimm's back. Not ideal, but he could work with it.
He slammed into the Ursa shield first, his aura absorbing most of the impact. The Grimm roared and collapsed under his weight. Jaune rolled, came up in a combat stance, and immediately cut the Ursa down before it could recover.
One down.
He looked around, getting his bearings. Trees everywhere. The sound of fighting in multiple directions. Distant roars and weapon fire.
And no sign of Pyrrha.
"Great. Just great."
His Danger Sense pinged again. Jaune spun, sword up, and blocked a Beowolf's claws. The Grimm snarled and lunged again. Jaune sidestepped and drove his blade through its neck. It dissolved into smoke.
More movement. Three more Beowolves approaching.
"Alright," Jaune muttered, settling into a combat stance. "Let's see if six months of Dad beating me up paid off."
The Beowolves charged.
Jaune moved, his training taking over. Block, parry, strike. The first Beowolf went down in seconds. The second lasted longer, forcing him to use his shield actively. The third actually managed to tag him, claws scraping against his aura.
But his aura held easily. These Grimm were weak compared to his father's attacks. Compared to twenty Pokemon hitting him at once.
Thirty seconds later, three dissolving Grimm corpses.
"Not bad," someone said.
Jaune turned to see Pyrrha standing at the edge of the clearing, her spear and shield ready. She'd been watching.
Their eyes met.
"Hello again," Pyrrha said with a small smile. "I suppose we're partners now."
"Looks like it." Jaune sheathed his sword. "Think you can handle being stuck with someone who isn't a tournament champion?"
"I think I'll manage." She walked over, her expression amused. "That was good form. Your footwork especially. Where did you train?"
"Family tradition. My dad's a retired huntsman. He spent six months beating proper technique into me." Jaune started walking north, toward where the ruins should be. "So, tournament champion. That mean you're going to carry me through initiation?"
Pyrrha laughed. "I was going to ask you the same thing. You handled those Beowolves like they were training dummies."
"They kind of were. My dad hits way harder."
They moved through the forest together, falling into an easy rhythm. Jaune took point, his Danger Sense warning him of threats before they appeared. Pyrrha covered his flanks, her combat instincts perfectly complementing his.
When a pack of Beowolves ambushed them, they fought back to back. Jaune's sword work and Pyrrha's spear created a killing zone nothing could penetrate.
"You're good at this," Pyrrha said after they finished. "Really good. Are you sure you're a first year?"
"Are you sure you're not going to make me look like an idiot by comparison?"
She grinned. "I'll try not to."
They continued north, trading light banter and dispatching Grimm. The partnership was working. Better than Jaune had hoped.
'First objective complete: Partner acquired. Now I just need to not die before we get to the temple.'