Jaune and Pyrrha moved through the Emerald Forest with practiced efficiency. His Danger Sense pinged regularly, warning him of approaching Grimm before they could ambush. Between that and Pyrrha's combat instincts, they cut through opposition like it wasn't even there.
"Left side," Jaune said, sensing movement.
"Got it." Pyrrha's shield deflected a charging Boarbatusk. Her spear finished it in one clean strike.
"You know, this is almost too easy," Jaune said, checking their heading. "Shouldn't initiation be harder?"
"For most students, it probably is." Pyrrha fell into step beside him. "But we're not most students."
"Speak for yourself. I'm pretty sure you could do this blindfolded."
"And I'm pretty sure you're underselling yourself." She smiled. "That danger sense of yours is remarkable. How does it work?"
"Instinct mostly. Years of training and getting hit until my body learned to read threats." Not technically a lie. The system just accelerated the process. "Your polarity semblance has to be more useful though."
Pyrrha's expression shifted slightly. "You know about that?"
"Tournament footage is public. You use it subtly, but it's there. Metal manipulation, right?"
"Yes. Though I try not to rely on it too much." She adjusted her grip on her spear. "It can become a crutch."
They emerged into a clearing and spotted the ruins ahead. Stone pillars arranged in a circle, each holding a different chess piece. Gold and black, knights and rooks and bishops.
"There it is," Jaune said. "Now we just grab a piece and get back to the cliffs."
"Which piece should we take?"
"Does it matter?"
"Probably determines team assignments. Different pieces, different teams."
Jaune considered. In the show, his original team took rooks. If he wanted to keep the same team composition...
"How about a rook?" he suggested. "Solid defense piece."
"Works for me."
They approached the ruins. Jaune's Danger Sense was pinging softly but nothing felt immediate. Just ambient danger from being in Grimm territory.
Pyrrha reached for a white rook piece.
That's when Jaune's Danger Sense exploded.
"Move!" He grabbed Pyrrha and rolled them both to the side.
A massive black shape crashed down where they'd been standing. Dust and debris exploded outward. When it settled, a Death Stalker stood in the ruins, its stinger poised and ready.
"Of course there's a guardian," Jaune muttered, helping Pyrrha up. "Why would it be simple?"
The Death Stalker was huge. Easily twenty feet long, armored carapace gleaming black, claws large enough to crush a person. Its stinger dripped with venom.
'Okay. Giant murder scorpion. This is fine. I've trained for six months and fought twenty Pokemon at once. I can handle one scorpion.'
"We can take it," Pyrrha said, readying her weapons.
"Together or run?"
"Together. Running just means it follows us."
"Fair point."
The Death Stalker charged, surprisingly fast for its size. Jaune's Danger Sense screamed as the stinger lashed out. He dove right, rolling under a claw swipe. Pyrrha went left, her spear already striking at joints in the armor.
The problem was the armor itself. Their weapons barely scratched it.
"We need to find weak points!" Pyrrha called out, dodging another stinger strike.
"Working on it!"
Jaune circled the creature, looking for openings. The armor was thick, but nothing was invulnerable. There had to be gaps, joints, something.
There. Between segments of the tail, small gaps in the plating.
"Pyrrha! The tail segments! Between the armor!"
She saw it immediately. Her spear struck true, piercing between plates. The Death Stalker shrieked and spun, its stinger lashing wildly.
Jaune used the opening to get underneath it. His sword found a gap in the leg armor, driving deep. The creature staggered slightly.
'Better. These things are tough but not invincible.'
The Grimm was smart though. It backed toward a pillar, protecting its vulnerable underside.
"This is taking too long," Jaune said. "We're burning aura for minimal damage."
"Not necessarily." Pyrrha's eyes were calculating. "Can you keep it distracted for about thirty seconds?"
"Probably. What's the plan?"
"Trust me."
"Alright, thirty seconds of being bait. I can do that."
Jaune moved forward aggressively, drawing the Death Stalker's attention. Its claws came down like hammers. He dodged, blocked with his shield, kept moving. His aura took hits but held easily—these impacts were strong, but his training had prepared him for sustained combat. Twenty seconds. Twenty-five.
Behind the Death Stalker, Pyrrha had climbed onto one of the pillars. Her semblance activated, visible as black and red energy around her spear. She launched herself off the pillar with inhuman force, her weapon aimed perfectly at the gap between the creature's head and body.
The spear drove through with a sickening crunch.
The Death Stalker convulsed, stinger lashing one final time before it collapsed. Its body began dissolving into black smoke.
Pyrrha landed gracefully, recalling her spear. "That was exciting."
"You call that exciting? I call that a legitimate threat to our continued existence." Jaune checked his aura. Down to about seventy percent from multiple impacts. Better than he expected. "Nice kill though. Very dramatic."
"Team effort. Your distraction made it possible."
They grabbed the white rook piece and started heading back toward the cliffs. The forest was still dangerous, but after fighting a Death Stalker, the Beowolves and Ursai they encountered felt almost trivial.
"So," Pyrrha said as they walked. "What made you want to be a huntsman?"
Jaune considered his answer. "Someone needs to protect people who can't protect themselves. Might as well be me."
"That's admirable. Most people do it for glory or money."
"What about you? Tournament champion could make a career out of just that. Why Beacon?"
"Because being good at fighting in an arena isn't the same as actually protecting people." Pyrrha's expression was thoughtful. "I've spent years being the Invincible Girl. I want to be something more than that."
"Well, you're definitely more than a tournament title. That Death Stalker kill was proof enough."
She smiled. "Thank you. It's nice having a partner who treats me like a normal person."
"You're welcome. Though I reserve the right to be impressed when you do something especially cool."
"I'll allow it."
They emerged from the forest onto the cliff where Ozpin and Glynda were waiting. Several other pairs had already returned. Ruby and Weiss were there, looking like they'd had a rough time. Yang and Blake were present too, Yang grinning despite the Grimm residue on her gauntlets.
Jaune spotted Dove with another student—looked like Cardin Winchester. Both were covered in scratches but alive.
"Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos," Glynda checked her tablet. "White rook piece. Well done. You both showed excellent combat coordination."
Ozpin observed them over his mug of coffee. "Impressive time. And you engaged the Death Stalker rather than avoiding it."
"It was in our way," Jaune said simply.
"And you decided the solution was to kill it." Ozpin's expression was unreadable. "Pragmatic. Miss Nikos, your use of your semblance was subtle but effective."
"Thank you, Professor."
"Mr. Arc, your danger sense is quite developed for a first year. Have you trained specifically for combat awareness?"
Careful. Ozpin was fishing for information.
"Family training focused a lot on not getting killed," Jaune said with a slight grin. "My dad believed in learning through experience. Usually painful experience."
"I see. Well, your father's methods appear effective." Ozpin gestured toward the other returning students. "Wait with the others. Once all pairs have returned, we'll announce team assignments."
Jaune and Pyrrha joined the growing group of students. More pairs were arriving every few minutes, some in better shape than others. One team was being carried in by medical staff.
'At least we're not those guys.'
"Think we'll be on the same team as anyone here?" Pyrrha asked quietly.
"Depends on the pieces. If other pairs grabbed white rooks, we'll probably team up with them."
As if on cue, two more students emerged from the forest. A girl with orange hair and incredibly energetic body language, and a boy with black hair and a pink streak wearing what looked like formal clothes.
They were holding a white rook piece.
Jaune recognized them instantly. Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Which meant if the team assignments followed the same pattern...
"Last pair!" Glynda announced as two final students stumbled out of the forest, covered in Grimm residue and looking exhausted.
"Alright," Ozpin said, stepping forward. "All students have completed initiation. We will now announce team assignments."
Here we go. The moment that determined the next four years.
"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long. You retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose."
Ruby's face cycled through shock, disbelief, and joy in rapid succession. Weiss looked like she'd swallowed something sour.
Several other teams were announced. Then Ozpin's eyes settled on Jaune's group.
"Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie. You retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR, led by Jaune Arc."
Wait.
What?
Jaune blinked. "I'm sorry, did you say led by me?"
"Yes," Ozpin said calmly. "You demonstrated strong tactical awareness and leadership capability during your initiation. Miss Nikos, while skilled, deferred to your judgment on multiple occasions. A leader must be willing to make decisions. You are."
'Oh no. Oh no no no. I have fake transcripts and he's putting me in charge of people.'
Pyrrha looked delighted. "Congratulations, partner."
Nora bounced over. "Hi! I'm Nora! That's Ren! We're gonna be teammates! This is so exciting! Do you like pancakes? I like pancakes!"
Ren followed at a more sedate pace. "It's good to meet you both. I look forward to working together."
Jaune tried to process this. He was team leader. Him. The guy with fake transcripts and six months of training.
'Well. No pressure. Just responsible for keeping three incredibly skilled people alive. Totally fine. Everything's fine.'
"Congratulations to all our new teams," Ozpin concluded. "You will find your dorm assignments on the main hall board. Classes begin tomorrow. Get some rest. You've earned it."
The crowd began to disperse, students finding their new teammates and heading toward the dorms.
Nora was already talking a mile a minute. "This is so great! We're gonna be the best team ever! Ren and I have known each other forever so we work really well together and now we have two more people which means even more combinations and—"
"Nora," Ren said gently. "Breathe."
"Right! Breathing! Important!" She took an exaggerated breath. "Okay, so what are our team colors? Do we get team colors? I vote pink!"
"We should probably find our dorm first," Jaune suggested, trying to keep up with Nora's energy.
"Good idea, fearless leader!" Nora saluted. "Lead the way!"
They found the board listing dorm assignments. Team JNPR was in room 342, third floor. Right next to room 341, which was Team RWBY.
'Perfect. Right next door to the main characters. This will either be very convenient or very complicated. Probably both.'
The dorm room was bigger than Jaune expected. Four beds, four lockers, a shared bathroom, and a common area with a table and chairs. Their bags were already waiting, delivered while they were in initiation.
"I call top bunk!" Nora immediately claimed the bunk nearest the window.
"Bottom bunk," Ren said calmly, taking the bed below Nora's.
That left Jaune and Pyrrha with the other bunk bed.
"I don't mind either position," Pyrrha said.
"I'll take bottom," Jaune said. "Easier to get up if something happens in the middle of the night."
"Always thinking tactically. You really are leadership material."
"I'm faking it and hoping no one notices."
Pyrrha laughed. "I think you'll do fine."
They spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking and getting to know their teammates. Nora was exactly as energetic and chaotic as Jaune remembered from the show. Ren was her perfect counterbalance, calm and measured. Pyrrha was friendly and genuinely interested in getting to know everyone.
And Jaune was their leader. Responsible for keeping them alive, making tactical decisions, and somehow guiding this team through four years at Beacon.
While also dealing with random dimensional quests, meta knowledge he couldn't share, and everything else coming.
'No pressure. Just have to keep three talented people alive, lead a team, ace classes I'm barely qualified for, and save the world eventually. Standard first-day stuff.'
But as he watched his new team laugh and joke and start to bond, Jaune felt something unexpected.
Hope.
Maybe he could actually do this. Maybe this team could work. Maybe he could keep them safe.