"Monsters! Deeemons! Prowlers of the Night!!"
The rather chunky professor spoke with great enthusiasm, with exaggerated motions.
"Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names. But I merely refer to them as prey! HAHAHA!"
I ignored the strange speed the professor designed for whatever reason and concentrated more on the board behind him, filled with intimate knowledge on all kinds of Grimm. Details that are severely lacking even in the most advanced of books, even the textbooks that we are required to use in Beacon across all years. I know this because I have already gone through them all during the summer, when we were preparing to apply for Beacon.
Glancing to the side, I saw Ruby's snore stop as she nearly shot to her feet in surprise, barely containing herself.
Unfortunately, her lack of engagement is not her fault. That is the main reason why I did not wake her up the moment she started to nap.
The professor continued his spiel for a bit before coming to the main point.
"As I was saying. Vale, and the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world."
'Safe havens? Vale? Maybe. Atlas? Also a maybe. But Vacuo and Mistral? Hell no. One is a hellscape that can basically be summed up as Grimmified Australia in a desert setting, while the other is a comically evil and corrupt kingdom where children take their first human life before they even hit puberty, most of the time.'
"Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces. And that's where we come in."
"Huntsmen, Huntresses!"
.....Ok, this guy is really weird. And was that wink towards my sister really necessary?
"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves. From what you ask? Why, the very world!"
Some guy in the back actually cheered at that cheesy speech. And it really is a cheesy speech.
Because every graduate of Signal knows there is more to being a Huntsman than simply fighting Grimm.
It is a topic discussed in our final year of Signal and shown in a practical setting.
Huntsmen are basically a cross between a private military unit, an independent contractor, and a backup army for the various kingdoms of the world.
Holding the license of a Huntsman gives an individual unprecedented soft power and perks. Such as their absolute authority on any battlefield, the kingdom sponsored a flat 40% discount on literally everything that a person can buy, free medical care across the kingdom, free schooling for their kids, and so much more.
However, the downside of this license is that a Huntsman must respond to a call to arms from their home kingdom should the need ever arise. Which means, if the day ever comes when Vale goes to war against one of the other kingdoms, all the Huntsmen who graduated from Beacon must report back to Vale and join its armed forces.
Aside from this, there is also the fact that Huntsmen are sometimes called upon to take out rogue, Aura-enhanced elements in the kingdoms when the local police force is incapable of handling the situation on their own.
This means, should the need arise, a Huntsman should be ready to take a life to ensure their own survival, along with the survival of the civilians around them.
These lessons that shatter the rose-tinted view around the profession are one of the main reasons why there is always a spike in dropouts during the final year of Signal Academy. Because people suddenly realize that they are not capable of walking this path.
"That is what you are training to become. But first, a story. A tale of a young, handsome man. Me."
The guy started going off on a tangent and started speaking about some made-up story about his youth, another nonsensical decision I cannot understand.
From what I know about Peter Port, based on the data on the official Huntsmen database, he is a rather accomplished Huntsman with a lot of dangerous Grimm kills and criminal apprehensions under his belt. He is considered one of the top Huntsmen of Vale even now, at his age.
So, for such an experienced and strong hunter to make this kind of decision makes absolutely no sense.
Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about his actions.
I leaned a bit towards Weiss, who was sitting next to me, and whispered.
"We need to add Grimm Studies to our self-study sessions. If Professor Port continues teaching like this, we will be thoroughly underqualified in the knowledge department by the end of our studies."
The girl stilled for a bit before nodding seriously.
"Good idea. We need to see if the library has the relevant books."
"Hm. I'll check it out on my way back from Vale tonight."
While we were discussing a study schedule to make up for this....subpar lesson, Ruby drew something on paper while giggling and held it up for us to see.
It was a stick figure of Port with the words 'Professor Poop' scribbled underneath it.
Ok. I have to admit. That is a bit funny, but still, now is not the time for such antics....
....Great. Yang is laughing as well. What's going on here? What happened to the seriousness you used to have when taking classes in Signal? Why are you so casual here?
I sighed and looked to the final member of the team, hoping to catch some semblance of seriousness....
...Aaaand she is reading a novel under that textbook.
....This team is fucked. No wonder they were such a mess in the original timeline.
"-The moral of the story? A true Huntsman must be honorable."
Ruby was now balancing an apple over a book, which was held up by a pencil.
"A true Huntsman must be dependable. A true Huntsman must be strategic, well educated, and wise."
Suddenly, I felt a strange chill, making me look to the side to spot an apocalyptic-looking Weiss.
.....Yikes. I forgot about this part.
Before I could calm her down, Port said those stupid words of his.
"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"
Weiss's hand shot instantaneously into the air.
Bugger! I was too late.
"I do, sir!!"
"Well, then. Let's find out! Step forward and face your opponent."
As Weiss nodded and headed towards the changing room, I couldn't help but stare at the shaking cage that Port brought out, excitement now coursing through my body.
'Man. I wish I remembered this sequence properly. Then, I could have stopped Weiss and taken her place instead. I love playing with Boarbatusks. They make really good balls to play baseball with!'
Soon, she came back out in her usual combat clothes and took her stance with that rapier of hers.
'Yeah, that little rapier is not going to be any good against a heavily armored Grimm like a Boarbatusk. If she is smart about it, she can use her Dust to produce a localized explosion underneath the Grimm and flip it on its back. Then, a straight stab will end the fight then and there.'
'Then again, if I am remembering right and my memory hasn't degraded too far, she is probably far too pissed off to think logically at the moment.'
I watched as Port prepared to release the Grimm while the team started to encourage her....
.....Blake? Where did you get that small flag for team RIWBY?
"Go, Weiss!! Represent Team Rainbow!!"
"Ruby! I am trying to focus!"
"...Oh. Sorry."
...Ok. That was straight-up mean. It is one thing to remember this from some distant show from a life long past, it is another thing entirely to see my adoptive sister sulk like that after being told off so publicly.
And, even if we put aside my emotional attachment, it is not a good look to see a member of the team rebuke another one so openly.
Looks like I'll need to talk to her properly later on.
As expected, the moment the fight began, she lost herself to her anger and made the rookie mistake of fighting an armored Grimm head-on without a weapon designed for such an encounter or a Semblance that could help in something like that.
Then, she got her rapier stuck in the creature's tusks and got dragged around a bit.
I glanced at my scroll, keeping track of her Aura, which was slowly being depleted.
It's nothing too serious from what I am seeing, but I think we should step in if she fails to bring down the creature by the time her Aura drops below 50%-....Aaaand she just lost her rapier.
Somehow, she managed to dodge the attacks and regain her weapon.
"Weiss! Go for the underbely-"
"Stop telling me what to do!!"
Her scream was rather loud, shutting up Ruby, who looked really sad now.
Ok. That does it. If Port doesn't put her in a proper mindset, as I remember, I will step in.
This kind of behaviour is simply unacceptable.
She seems to have finally found some measure of her combat instincts back as she manifested a Glyph, stopping the rolling Boarbatusk in its path and flipping it over after getting lucky.
Then, finally, she skewered it.
"Bravo! Bravo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress-in-Training."
I can hear the sarcasm in your voice, Professor. You aren't as subtle as you think you are.
"I'm afraid that's all the time we have today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings and stay vigilant. Class dismissed."
...Yeah, no. I can't wait for Port to handle her. This needs to end now.
——————————————————————
Weiss fumed as she stomped out of the class, heading away from the girl who was supposed to be her leader after finally letting her true thoughts be known.
The heiress really did not know why Ozpin decided on Ruby Rose as her team leader when she was clearly not qualified for such a position.
She knew for a fact that she would be a far better leader than Ruby. There was also Ignis, who was rather competent, if unstable. And there was also Blake, who looked very composed and knowledgeable.
Hell, she would even take Yang as a leader instead of Ruby, and that was saying something.
But no. It had to be that annoying girl, Ruby Rose.
She wanted to find Professor Prot, or better yet, Professor Ozpin, and immediately request that the team leader position be changed.
Failing which, she would rather go for another team entirely.
However, as she proceeded down the corridor, she heard a familiar, calm voice.
"That was rather unnecessary, Weiss."
"....What do you want? And how did you know I was going this way?"
Ignis Ruben simply leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. His expressions were neutral as his cool blue eyes stared into her icy cold ones.
"I guessed based on your actions so far. As for what I am doing, I want to speak with you for a bit."
"No need. I have places to be-"
"-To find a professor and request them to make someone else the new team leader? Or better yet, make you the team leader?"
"...."
She could not say anything. Knowing that this man was the older brother of the girl that she was going to complain against to the teachers, which somehow made her feel a little bit guilty.
"Come. Let's talk openly."
Weiss remained silent for a bit before sighing and following the man to an empty classroom nearby.
Once inside, Ignis sat on an open chair, motioning her to do the same in front of him.
"So, tell me. Why do you think Ruby is not 'worthy' of being a team leader?"
"Because of everything!"
Weiss finally exploded.
"Her behaviour, her childish acts, her way of not taking anything seriously, her attempts to turn this institute of excellence into..into a circus!!!"
By the end of her shouting, Weiss panted as Ignis just stared at her neutrally.
"Hm. You make good points. But, do remember that you are not without blame either."
"Excuse me?"
Ignis leaned forward a bit and stared her dead in the eyes, speaking slowly and making sure she heard every word.
"Tell me, Weiss, how have you behaved ever since you joined Team RIWBY? Look at your behaviour from an outside perspective and tell me what you see."
"....."
"Do you want me to tell you what I saw? Fine. What I saw was a Huntress-in-Training with exceptional skill on the battlefield. Yet, that excellence is matched by her sheer arrogance."
Before she could protest, he held up his hand.
"She believes that, just because she has been trained to lead and has a good background, she should be the one to lead the team. An arrogant, no, ignorant girl who does not understand the true meaning of cooperating with others and making the most out of her situation."
"A girl whose poor attitude is now costing her the ability to coordinate with others."
"How dare you!!"
She immediately sprang to her feet. However, Ignis calmly pointed at her.
"See this? This is what I am talking about. If you can't even have the humility to look at yourself and identify your own flaws and then accept them, how can we expect you to show humility in front of others as a team leader?"
"So you are saying that Ruby has more credentials than I to lead?"
"No. I am saying that you are not giving her the chance to prove herself. And neither are you giving yourself the chance to prove yourself."
"All you are doing is coming off as a bossy girl who is far too arrogant to look at others as equals."
Weiss fell silent at his words as Ignis stood up.
"Weiss, I know that you are not a bad person. If you were, I would have known before anyone else, because I know exactly what a really bad person is like. But your attitude is painting you in a really bad light."
"My advice? Don't let your emotions control your actions. Look at Ruby, and I mean truly look at her, beyond her role as the leader, as the annoying girl against whom you still hold that annoyance, just because your first meeting was bad. And give her a chance to prove herself."
"If she truly fails as a leader, even after you give her a chance? Then, you would be vindicated in knowing that you were right. But right now? By doing something like this on the very first day of school? It does not paint you as someone who knows what they are doing."
"It paints you as a spoiled brat who couldn't take no for an answer and started to throw a tantrum."
"In my experience, being a leader is not about carrying the biggest stick or being the most skilled. It is about knowing the people that follow you, understanding them, and leading them in a way that is beneficial to their growth."
Ignis got up and started heading towards the door.
"Weiss, I am not trying to belittle you. I am trying to help you. Just think about what I said, and if you like it, follow my advice. In the end, the only person who can truly change you and make you a better version of yourself, is you."
With his piece said, Ignis left the room, leaving behind a thoughtful heiress in that empty classroom.