Jaune woke up at dawn out of habit, his body still on his father's training schedule. The dorm was quiet. Ren was meditating in the corner, the only other person awake. Nora was sprawled across her top bunk, one leg hanging off the side. Pyrrha was sleeping peacefully in the bed above his.
He got up quietly and headed to the bathroom. A shower, getting dressed in his Beacon uniform, strapping on Crocea Mors. The routine was familiar, grounding.
When he emerged, Ren had finished meditating and was making tea on a small portable stove he'd apparently brought.
"Morning," Jaune said quietly.
"Good morning." Ren poured two cups. "Tea?"
"Sure, thanks."
They sat at the small table. The tea was good, some kind of herbal blend that woke him up without the harshness of coffee.
"You're up early," Ren observed.
"Old training habits. My dad had me up before dawn every day for six months."
"Discipline. Admirable." Ren sipped his tea. "Nora and I trained together, but more out of necessity than formal instruction. Your father sounds like a good teacher."
"He's intense. But yeah, he's good."
The alarm Nora had set went off. Loud music blasted from her scroll, some kind of upbeat pop song. She sat bolt upright immediately.
"GOOD MORNING TEAM JNPR!"
Pyrrha jerked awake, nearly hitting her head on the ceiling. "What—where—"
"Breakfast time!" Nora launched herself off the top bunk, landing perfectly. "First day of classes! This is so exciting! Ren, did you make pancakes?"
"No, Nora. I made tea."
"Aww. Okay, we'll get pancakes in the cafeteria then!"
'And there's the morning energy I was expecting. At least someone's excited about 8 AM classes.'
The cafeteria was already packed with students. Team RWBY was at a table near the windows. Ruby waved enthusiastically when she spotted them.
"Jaune! Pyrrha! Over here!"
They grabbed food and joined Team RWBY's table. Yang was loading her plate with enough food for three people. Blake was reading a book while eating. Weiss was meticulously cutting her food into precise pieces.
"So," Yang said with a grin. "Team leader, huh? That's gotta be a trip."
"Still processing it," Jaune admitted. "I'm just hoping I don't screw it up."
"You'll be fine," Ruby said encouragingly. "I'm team leader too and I have no idea what I'm doing!"
"Ruby," Weiss said with exasperation. "You're supposed to inspire confidence, not admit incompetence."
"I'm being honest! Honesty is important for team dynamics!"
"She's not wrong," Blake said without looking up from her book. "Though maybe phrase it differently."
Nora was already on her third helping of pancakes. "So what classes do we have? Please say combat class first. I wanna hit things!"
Ren pulled out his scroll. "We have Grimm Studies with Professor Port first. Then combat class with Professor Goodwitch after lunch."
"Grimm Studies first thing in the morning," Jaune said. "That's going to be interesting."
"I heard Professor Port tells stories about his hunting days," Pyrrha said. "Apparently they're very... detailed."
"You mean long-winded," Yang corrected. "I heard he can talk for an hour about a single Boarbatusk hunt."
"As long as we learn something useful," Weiss said primly.
They finished breakfast and headed to their first class. The lecture hall was large, with tiered seating and a stage at the front. A large man with a massive mustache and hunting gear was setting up.
Professor Peter Port. Jaune remembered him from the show. Good huntsman, terrible at staying on topic.
Team JNPR took seats near the middle. Team RWBY sat a few rows ahead.
Port cleared his throat loudly. "Welcome, students, to Grimm Studies! I am Professor Port, and I will be your guide through the fascinating, terrifying, and magnificent world of the creatures of Grimm!"
He launched into a story immediately. Something about his youth, a Beowolf pack, and heroic deeds. Jaune tried to pay attention, but Port kept getting sidetracked.
"...and that's when I realized the Beowolf wasn't actually dead, which reminds me of another time in my youth when..."
'Oh good. He's already three stories deep and we're only ten minutes in. This is going to be a long semester.'
Twenty minutes in, half the class was struggling to stay awake. Weiss was taking notes furiously. Ruby's head was on her desk. Yang was doodling. Blake was reading a different book entirely.
Jaune pulled out his scroll and started taking his own notes, filtering out the irrelevant stories and focusing on the actual information Port occasionally dropped about Grimm behavior patterns.
Nora was somehow still engaged, hanging on every word. Ren looked like he was meditating with his eyes open. Pyrrha was taking notes as meticulously as Weiss.
"Now then!" Port finally said. "Who among you believes themselves ready to face a real Grimm?"
Several hands went up. Weiss's shot up immediately. Port's eyes scanned the class.
"Ah! Miss Schnee! Wonderful! Please, come to the stage!"
Weiss stood confidently and walked down. Port wheeled out a large cage. Something inside was growling.
"A Boarbatusk!" Port announced. "Nasty creatures. Aggressive, armored, and surprisingly quick! Miss Schnee, when you're ready, I'll release it. Defeat it and you'll receive extra credit!"
Weiss drew Myrtenaster, her rapier gleaming. She settled into a fencing stance, precise and controlled.
Port opened the cage.
The Boarbatusk charged immediately. Weiss dodged elegantly, her weapon striking the creature's armor. The attack bounced off. She frowned and tried again, using ice dust this time. The Boarbatusk rolled into a ball and charged again.
Jaune watched critically. Weiss was skilled, her technique flawless. But she was fighting it like a tournament match, not actual combat. Too much style, not enough pragmatism.
The Boarbatusk was pushing her back. Weiss was getting frustrated, her movements becoming less controlled.
"Miss Schnee!" Ruby called out from her seat. "Its belly! The armor doesn't cover its belly!"
Weiss ignored her, trying another frontal assault. It failed again.
"The belly!" Ruby repeated. "Hit it when it charges and—"
"I don't need your help!" Weiss snapped.
'Oh good. Team RWBY drama starting right on schedule.'
The Boarbatusk took advantage of the distraction and charged again. Weiss barely dodged, losing her composure entirely now.
Jaune's Danger Sense pinged. The Grimm was going to catch her.
He started to stand, hand on his sword.
Pyrrha put a hand on his arm. "She'll be fine. Watch."
Sure enough, Weiss finally listened to Ruby's advice. As the Boarbatusk charged again, she waited, timed it perfectly, and thrust Myrtenaster into its exposed belly. The Grimm dissolved into smoke.
"Well done, Miss Schnee!" Port applauded. "Though perhaps listen to your teammates' advice more readily in the future. Pride has killed many huntsmen."
Weiss returned to her seat, her expression stormy. Ruby tried to say something, but Weiss turned away.
'And there's the team friction. Right on time.'
The rest of the class passed with more of Port's stories. When it finally ended, students filed out gratefully.
"That was so cool!" Nora said as they walked to their next class. "Did you see how Weiss stabbed it? I wanna fight a Grimm in class!"
"You'll get your chance in combat class," Ren said. "Professor Goodwitch's class involves sparring."
"Even better! I can hit people AND Grimm!"
Their next class was History with Professor Oobleck. The man moved at approximately the speed of sound, talking even faster. He covered more material in one hour than Port had in three.
Jaune's hand cramped from taking notes. Even Pyrrha looked overwhelmed.
"And that concludes our discussion of the Great War's third year! Tomorrow we'll discuss the Faunus Rights Revolution! Class dismissed!"
Students staggered out, most looking shell-shocked.
"I think my brain hurts," Yang said, rubbing her temples.
"That was amazing," Weiss said, her earlier bad mood forgotten. "Professor Oobleck covered so much ground. Did you all get everything?"
"I got about half," Blake admitted.
"I got the word 'war' and then my brain gave up," Ruby said.
'At least I'm not the only one who couldn't keep up. That man should be classified as a natural disaster.'
Lunch was a blur of food and exhausted conversation. Then came the class everyone had been waiting for.
Combat Class with Professor Goodwitch.
The training arena was massive, with a central fighting area surrounded by stadium seating. Holographic displays showed names and aura levels. Professor Goodwitch stood at the center, her riding crop held precisely.
"Welcome to combat class," she said crisply. "Here you will hone your fighting skills against both Grimm and each other. Your aura levels will be monitored. When they drop into the red, the match is over."
She tapped her tablet. "First match: Cardin Winchester versus Jaune Arc."
'Of course. First day and I get matched with the school bully. Typical.'
"Oh this is gonna be good," Yang said from the stands. "Show us what team leaders can do!"
Jaune walked to the center. Across from him stood Cardin Winchester. Tall, heavily built, wearing armor and carrying a massive mace. Team CRDL's leader and, if Jaune remembered correctly, a bully.
"Try not to embarrass yourself, Arc," Cardin said with a smirk. "I'd hate to send our new team leader to the infirmary on day one."
"I'll keep that in mind," Jaune said calmly, drawing Crocea Mors.
"Fighters ready," Glynda announced. "Begin!"
Cardin charged immediately, his mace swinging for Jaune's head. Telegraphed, obvious, way too much commitment.
'Dad hits harder and faster. This is actually manageable.'
Jaune sidestepped, let the momentum carry Cardin past, and struck him in the back with the flat of his blade. On the display, Cardin's aura dropped by ten percent.
"What—" Cardin spun around, angry now.
He attacked again, this time more carefully. But Jaune had fought his father for six months. Had faced twenty Pokemon at once. Had killed a Death Stalker during initiation.
Cardin Winchester wasn't even close to those levels.
Jaune blocked, parried, and countered. His father's training made Cardin's attacks look slow, predictable. Every opening was visible. Every mistake was exploitable.
Thirty seconds in, Cardin's aura was at fifty percent. Jaune's was still at ninety-five.
"Stop playing!" Cardin roared, swinging wildly.
Jaune's Danger Sense pinged a split second before the mace came in. He ducked under it, stepped inside Cardin's guard, and drove his shield into the larger boy's chest. Cardin stumbled back.
One more strike, clean and controlled, and Cardin's aura dropped into the red.
"Match over," Glynda announced. "Winner: Jaune Arc."
The class erupted into whispers. Jaune had just dominated a fight in under a minute without taking a single real hit.
"Impressive, Mr. Arc," Glynda said, her expression approving. "Your form is excellent and your tactical awareness is remarkable. Well done."
Jaune sheathed his sword and returned to his team. Pyrrha was smiling proudly. Nora was cheering. Ren nodded approvingly.
"That was awesome!" Ruby said from nearby. "You barely got hit!"
"Thanks. Cardin wasn't that tough though."
"Still!" Yang grinned. "Nice to see our neighbors can actually fight."
More matches followed. Yang demolished her opponent with enthusiasm. Blake fought with fluid grace. Pyrrha made her match look like a dance.
By the end of class, Team JNPR's reputation was established. Strong, skilled, and led by someone who knew what he was doing.
Later that night, in their dorm, Nora was still bouncing with excitement.
"Today was the best! Classes, fighting, pancakes! This is gonna be great!"
"It was a good first day," Ren agreed.
"You did well as team leader," Pyrrha said to Jaune. "That fight with Cardin showed everyone we're not to be underestimated."
"Thanks. Though I have a feeling he's going to hold a grudge."
"Let him. If he tries anything, we'll handle it together." Pyrrha smiled. "That's what teams do."
Jaune checked his scroll before bed. No messages from home. No system notifications. Just a normal day at Beacon.
It felt good.
'One day down. However many hundreds to go. I can do this.'