Chapter 3: Adapting toSchool? The Greatest Challenge Yet!

When attending a school as prestigious as Beacon Academy, there's always a sort of pressure put on students. It does not bode well when two teams, JNPR and RWBY, arrive just before their first class starts. Both teams slip through the door and slide into seats, RWBY positioned at the front-right of the class while JNPR is on the middle-left. Other students are situated at the various desks, leaving one open, just beside Blake.

A man with a fairly large stomach stands at the center of the room, watching all his students take their seats. His grey hair rolls down the sides of his head like waves, mimicking the prominent grey moustache he has. He's in Professor's attire, that being a double-breasted burgundy suit with gold buttons and lining. His pants share a similar colour, though they're tucked into olive boots. He has a very intimidating manner as he squinted eyes drag across the room.

"Fantastic! Such young, brave looking students!" He hollers, his voice booming with enthusiasm. "I cannot wait to see you all in action, to teach you what its like to truly fight a Grimm and be remembered... like me! Haha!" Professor Peter Port locks his hands behind his back and paces back and forth. "As I look at you all I realize we are missing a student! A tardy student means a tardy Huntsman... unlike me!"

"Hey, you think it's that one guy?" Yang whispers to Blake.

"How am I supposed to know? He's probably in another class."

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Your snores fill your room and beyond. Luckily there are no other students in the area, as all are in classes like they're supposed to be – like you're supposed to be. You've always been one to sleep longer than you should, but before it never mattered. To suddenly have a schedule that's not strictly enforced by a teacher is doomed to fail. Though, some could argue that sleeping through classes is exactly what failure is. Glynda Goodwitch is one who'd agree with that statement. She's patrolling each dorm to assure nobody is skipping out on their first classes. Normally she'd politely knock then enter each room to check for any students, but your snores are a dead giveaway. The woman follows the roaring sounds to your dorm.

"Why am I not surprised..." she whispers to herself whilst her scroll unlocks your door.

You're spread eagle on your bed, covers mostly hanging off, your clothes resting on your desk, and your tail as limp as the rest of your body. "(Y/N), wake up!" She declares with a powerful voice.

Your eyes flutter open, though your mind is still muddled. You don't fully grasp the situation you're in. You lift your body off the bed and rustle your hair with your hand.

"Mm..." Your eyes drift to your professor. "Oh... you're..." It takes at least ten seconds of staring at the cross-armed Professor to realize the situation. "OH WAIT!" You burst off the bed, grabbing your regular clothes then jumping out your window.

"Mr. (Y/N) you need your uniform! Mr... my goodness," she huffs.

You sprint across the stone paths of Beacon, hastily putting on your pants while almost tripping twice, followed by your socks and boots. Your shirt and gi are easy enough to get on while running, but your ragged and wrinkled clothes clearly indicate being rushed.

"Which class was it... which one... one-oh-seven. One-oh-seven... one-oh-eight? One-oh-something." You say to yourself as you approach the building.

You push open the first door and run through the long halls. There are different paths to take, most leading to other hallways with rooms lined along the sides. Most are classrooms, though every time and again there's a bathroom or storage closet.

"Okay, okay... gotta be one of these... gotta be one of these... let's try... this one?"

You push open the door, drawing the attention of Professor Port's class.

"Ah, another devoted Huntsmen-in-Training... though one who isn't wearing his uniform..."

You look down at yourself then at your fellow classmates. All of them are similar attire that you recognize. It was set out on your bed... along with the scroll and schedule. You have brought none of those things with you.

"So, young man, are you (Y/N)?"

"Yeah. Sorry, I'm late I was... well, sleeping, hehe," you shrug.

"Don't you think that's irresponsible for someone of your stature?" Port asks with a brow raised.

"Maybe. I was always told to rest well. 'Move well, learn well, eat well, rest well,'" you recite.

"I recognize those words! You come from the Turtle School!"

You eagerly nod, happy to find a topic to discuss.

"Yeah, I trained there for a long time. I owe a lot to Master Roshi."

A hand of a student raises, the owner being Pyrrha Nikos.

"Yes, Ms. Nikos?"

"I've never heard of the Turtle School before. What is it, exactly?"

"Well," Port moves his hands behind his back and begins pacing. "It's similar to the various training schools, like Signal Academy. The Turtle School is not quite as populated, however. There are other, smaller schools, such as the Crane School."

"Heh, I remember them," you whisper to yourself as you cross your arms.

"They teach fantastic techniques at those schools. It's an honour to train there. You must be quite the talented youth!" Port declares, turning his attention back to you.

"I'm nothing special," you chuckle, rubbing the back of your head.

"Well, please, take a seat! There's a spot next to Ms. Belladonna – at the front of the class," he speaks as he gestures to the location.

You trail down the stairs then pass by the other members of RWBY until you reach your seat. You sit next to Blake, giving her a quick smile before focusing on the lesson.

"Now, where were we? Oh, yes, the Grimm! As you all know, the creatures of Grimm vary in size and strength. But they all share common traits, like the attraction to negative emotions, the hunger to rip you limb from limb... and to be defeated by me! I remember, once upon a time, when..."

Your eyes glance at the whiteboard behind him. There are various Grimm diagrams detailed on each board, but none of this is new to you. Ursa, Beowolves, Goliaths, and those few Rexs that roam the land. It's hard to find regular Dinosaurs since the population of Rexs escalated. Most Rexs have survived numerous battles against young and old Huntsmen, so their immunities become a problem.

You return your attention to the babbling Professor. Your foot taps, your fingers dance along the table, your tail waves from side to side. All these things attract the girl beside you, Blake. She's well aware of everyone's boredom, but not everyone is making so much noise. On the other hand, her other three teammates are in their own little squabble. Ruby and Yang are laughing while Weiss is fuming.

"... I was lucky that day. Remember, class, there's a reason we pair you together. Grimm are extremely adaptable. Never think you can fight one alone! As Huntsmen, we must be adaptable and creative. This will be the nature of your first assignment!"

"Work already," you moan.

"It is school," Blake comments, still looking at the teacher.

"Yeah... but I thought we'd be training more..."

"Each pair will be given a location. You must figure out how to defeat a Grimm without using your weapons!"

"So," you raise your hand as you speak, getting Port's attention. "Am I gonna do it on my own?"

"Ah, yes, you are the single student... hm..." He runs his fingers along his moustache. "Ms. Belladonna, Ms. Xiao Long, would you accept him into your group?"

You look to the two girls. Yang shrugs, Blake barely moves.

"Sure, he can tag along," Yang answers.

"Fantastic! You'll be given your locations before class' end. Now, let's move onto the Grimm... yes, I remember some of these," Port glances at the Grimm detailed on his board. "This reminds me of a time when I was a stark young man... one year ago, I set off to..."

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After what feels like weeks of constant chatter, class finally ends. Blake and Yang were given their location, but you didn't wait up for them. Now you're wandering just outside the classroom like a lost monkey. You have no idea where to go next.

"Hm... I could go back to my room. I think that schedule thingy is there. Or maybe..." You spot Blake and Yang leaving the classroom, reading the page they were given. "Hey!" You wave, getting their attention before jogging towards them. "What's your next class?"

"Combat training," Yang responds. "Yours?" She tilts her head.

Your eyes light up at the sound of her words.

"T-That's mine too! Can I walk with you? I'm not too great at finding these places," you sheepishly admit while rubbing the side of your head.

"Sure, follow the leader!" Yang proudly points to herself. "It's..." She looks back and forth. "Um... this way!"

"This way," Blake walks in the opposite direction.

"This way!"

You follow the two girls through the hallways. The two girls speak of the project while you just follow them, arms crossed, eyes wandering to the other students who're passing by. So many different people with unique fighting styles and power... it's getting you kinda excited. You have this feeling leading all the way up to the small coliseum. Other students, including the ones from your previous class, are set along the upper seats around the center ring. You run past the girls and hop into the middle of the ring, taking in everything.

"This is awesome! Not like the tournament rings, but it'll do. Can I fight first? I wanna fight first!" You declare.

"I see you're enthusiastic for this," Glynda leans on her hip.

Her words grab your full attention.

"Can I fight first, Miss? Please?"

"If you get your uniform from your room, then yes."

"Got it!"

You quickly hover over the stands and fly out the door. Within seconds you return with a crumpled uniform in hand. You hold it out in front of your professor, a smile on your face.

"Got it, hehe."

"I... oh..." Glynda rests her head in her hand. "Give me strength... Fine," she flips her hand. "You at least have it. Your opponent is on his way."

"Awesome," you exclaim, tossing your clothes to the stands.

"You're not- oh why do I bother..."

You hop onto the opposite side of the stage and wait for your opponent. Soon enough the pitter patter of feet echoes out of the hallway and into the arena. Jaune Arc steps out of the corridor, nervous about his first real fight with anyone. His eyes go wide when he sees you standing on the other side of the arena with a wide grin.

"Heya! Ready to spar?"

"Eh... hehe... oh, you, huh?" Jaune nervously laughs. "Great, no, yeah, just great."

"Right? I can't wait to see what you got," you eagerly agree, stretching your legs. "It's been too long since I fought someone one-on-one," you enter your fighting stance, left arm up, right arm tucked in, legs locked in place. "You ready?"

"Eeeh..." Jaune hesitantly glances at Glynda. "A-Are we?"

Glynda clicks her scroll which brings up Jaune's Aura gauge on the screen behind her. Yours, however, does not come up. She taps on her scroll, eyes sharply moving to you.

"You haven't registered your scroll."

"Oh, hehe, yeah. It's fine, don't worry. We'll be fine."

"That's not your-"

"Ready, Jaune?"

"Ms. Goodwitch?" Jaune whimpers.

"You're not the teacher here, (Y/N)."

"I am the fighter, though," you smirk. "So let's do it. I've been itching to battle."

"You won't be training at all if you don't listen to me!"

"Come on, it'll be fun! Maybe we can have a whole battle... I'm getting excited just thinking about it."

The students all stare in amazement at the tense situation before them. Normally tension would be brought from the fight itself and wondering who would win, but now it's from defiance on your part. RWBY and JNPR didn't expect you to be like this. You're blatantly ignoring Glynda's orders just so you can train with Jaune, who, as most know, isn't even that skilled of a fighter.

You can see the uneasiness of the class out of the corner of your eye.

"Hm... everyone's feeling strange... maybe..."

This reminds you all too much of when you were younger. The early days of training under Master Roshi was the same. You were dismissive, brash, and obsessed with combat. That hasn't changed much, but you remember how patient and understanding your Master was. You learned this lesson already.

You stand up straight and turn to the teacher. Glynda's taken back when you suddenly bow.

"My apologies. I'll be sure to respect your position more in the future."

"I... well, thank you. But you can't fight until your Aura is connected to our systems."

"Those glass things? Oh yeah, I did bring that along."

You glide over to your clothes and dig through the pants pocket, quickly finding the scroll. You fly back to Glynda and hand it to her.

"Here you go. I don't know what you're looking for. That gauge thing wouldn't work for me," you shrug whilst walking away.

Glynda takes her time to calibrate the device... but you're correct. It's set up properly but it's not detecting an Aura from you. She looks up at you with intrigue. She's seen your abilities when fighting the Grimm... and that wasn't using Aura?

"Were you not already gauged at one of the schools?"

You casually look over at her and shake your head.

"Not really. I came from the Turtle School. We didn't have much in the way of technology or gauges."

The piece suddenly clicks into place. Why Ozpin's letting you in, why you're Aura isn't showing up. Ozpin has mentioned people like you before. People who use Ki. But even then, they have Aura. Every human and Faunus does, it just needs to be unlocked. But that's not her place. If Ozpin knew and didn't enforce an Aura, there must have been a reason. She'll hold her tongue and inquire about this later.

"I see... well, Mr. Arc, are you ready?"

"Hehe... yeah..." He sighs. "Go easy on me, alright," he shouts.

"Of course! It'll be a friendly match!"

"Ready..? Begin!"

Instantaneously, you disappear from Jaune's sight. He's freaked out for a moment, unsure where you've gone. His shield is up and his sword is ready, but even still he backs up. His head knocks into something, instantly making him jump forward and turn around. Your elbow is extended, but you have a confused look on your face. You switch from Jaune to the crowd.

"I didn't even see him move..."

"Is that his semblance?"

"He has multiple?"

"Ruby, you're fast. What happened?" Yang whispers to the young student.

"I could kind of see him. He's... really fast. Faster than me, I think..."

You bring your arm back and scratch your head.

"You couldn't follow me, could you?" Jaune shakes his head in response. "Hm... well, okay! You attack first, this time!" You cheerfully say as you slip back into your fighting stance.

"O-Okay... HYA!" Jaune runs at you in a fairly amateurish stance.

He slashes diagonally, which you easily just sway to the side to dodge.

"Hm... I... this isn't what I thought it was gonna be..." You mumble to yourself.

Jaune turns his sword and attempts another slash. You lean back even more, then, once the blade passes by, you backflip a few times to get some ground. You look at your hand, clenching your fist a few times.

"Maybe..."

You pull your hand back and throw your fist forward, sending a shockwave through the air to collide with Jaune's chest. Jaune flies back into the wall, knocking the wind out of him and cutting down his Aura to a quarter.

"Oh... hehe, I thought you were gonna dodge that. Are you okay?"

"Eh... yeah..." He slowly gets to his feet. "You didn't even hit me."

"Hm... I guess. No offense, but you're kinda bad at this," you bluntly state.

"You don't say?" He sheepishly remarks before sheathing his blade.

"Mr. Arc's Aura has depleted. (Y/N) is the victor," Glynda announces the obvious. "You two go change. The next match will begin shortly."

"Wait, that's it? I'm done?"

"For the day, yes."

"Aaaaaooooh," you moan, throwing your body back then hunching. "Man, I never had this happen with Master Roshi I always had training except for that milk thing that wasn't fighting but still..." You mumble under your breath while flying back to your clothes and down to the hallway.

You and Jaune walk down the hallway to the change room in silence. Jaune's more embarrassed than anything at being defeated so handily.

"So... where did you train?"

"Oh, uh... in a lot of places! All around Remnant," he quickly answers, somewhat nervous.

"Really?" You look at him in surprise. "You must've been pretty bad. I'm surprised you got into Beacon," you nonchalantly say, looking ahead of you once again.

"Eeeeh... yeah..."

"Well, I'm sure you'll get better! We all have to train, you know? I still train every day to get stronger!"

"Really? But... you're so strong."

You smile as you think on the subject.

"Yeah... I mean, everyone can get stronger. It's great to go against someone else who's strong to test your limits, you know? Maybe one day you'll be stronger than I am."

"I doubt that," he chuckles.

"No, think about it seriously!" You adamantly say. "Make it your goal! I'll even help you if you need it!"

"Well... thanks, but I don't need any help. I can do it on my own."

"Cool!" You hop in front of him and hold out your hand. "I look forward to a rematch, then!"

He stares into your hopeful, confident eyes. You either truly believe he'll get stronger or are putting on an act for him. But considering your demeanor in the past, Jaune leans towards the former. He shakes your hand with a firm grip.

"A-Alright then. Next time."

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The rest of the battles were extremely fun to watch. Everyone seemed to be relatively on par with one another. They were friendly matches, but the intensity was there. Though great to watch, you wish your fight had that intensity too. But the class has to end eventually and you're all sent out for lunch. Your class leaves the building, you trailing behind team RWBY and JNPR. The one thing that took away from all the fun was the uniform you were forced to wear. Even now you're pulling and adjusting it in every-which-way.

"Man, this thing sucks. I just wanna get back in my Gi..."

"You're not fond of regular clothes, are you?" Yang comments, looking over her shoulder at you.

You shake your head.

"No, I usually wore my Gi. Anything else was just... weird."

"Hm... well, when classes are done we can all change. Blake wants to start researching this project tonight. Are you okay with that?"

"The project? Oh, right. Sure!"

"Perfect. I'll come by your room later. I know we don't have any more classes together – thank my little sister for that."

"He- Yang! Don't tell him I snooped!" Ruby flails her arms.

"Uh, sure. Bye," you wave, though your arm is restrained by the suit. "This stupid thing..."

You make your way back to your room, forgetting you can go to the cafeteria for food. With the short break you have, you rush back to your room and immediately change back into your regular clothes. You stretch from side to side, your body free from those horrible restraints.

"Ah, that's better. I don't know how anyone can last in those things. I wish I could just stay in my Gi... maybe I should just avoid that one woman... yeah..." You grab your schedule and read it a few times over. "Hm... herbology? I know some of that. History... aw, man... I don't care." You flop onto your bed and stare at the ceiling. "I thought this would be more training and less learning... or at least learning about techniques. This is way more school then martial arts and fighting." Your head shifts to the window where a few birds fly by. "It is just the first day, though. But if nothing changes..." You hop off your bed and walk to the window, leaning on it as you watch some students outside. "Meh, I'll think about it some other time. Everyone always told me I'm impatient," you end with a snicker.

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As you predicted, Herbology went extraordinarily well. The teacher, Professor Peach, didn't even mind that you forgot to change back into your uniform after lunch. In fact, she was impressed by your expertise on the subject. Considering the fact you've lived off the land for practically your entire life, it's natural that you learned what's edible or not, which plants can mix with others and what they can be used for. You spoke the majority of that class, impressing both the teacher and the students who saw you as... not the smartest one around.

That impression will probably return when you enter History Class. You enter the room, looking around to see if anyone you know is here too. Luckily, JNPR is sitting at various spots around the room. RWBY isn't here, but having one team works well enough. You take a seat beside Jaune, at the front of the class.

"Hey, Jaune. How're you doing?"

"Oh, you know... getting through the day. Where were you during lunch?"

Your body perks at the sound of lunch.

"What?"

"Everyone was eating in the cafeteria. I thought you'd be there."

You slam your head against the desk and let out a large moan that everyone, including the teacher, can hear.

"How could I miss the best part of the day," you whine.

"Students, so happy you could all attend!" The Professor says with such speed. "Welcome, welcome to Beacon Academy! I am Professor Bartholomew Oobleck and I will be teaching you the important parts of our history!"

The speedy professor speaks much like he looks. Professional yet not, with a white shirt lazily tucked into dark green pants, a collar raised with his yellow tie loosely done around it. His green hair is slicked back, though rather messily. Lastly, he has round glasses that almost completely cover his brown eyes. His movements are extremely quick, bouncing from one end of the class to the other. These movements aren't exactly surprising to anyone, more just jarring for it seems to be his regular pace.

"Now, I shall hand out a piece of paper for all of you," Oobleck informs as he almost instantaneously grabs and places papers in front of every student. "I want you to write down every piece of history you can remember. Battles, names, places, anything! This will give me an understanding of you all."

You look down at the piece of paper and pencil. Everyone, even Jaune, grabs the pencil and starts writing things down. There are obvious ones like the foundations of the Academies, the Great War, Faunus rights, all these things most people know about... unfortunately, you are not most people. You know nothing about the history of this place.

You hesitantly grab your pencil and tap it on the desk.

"Hm... there was... a... battle? I've been in battles though and I don't think those are historic... what about that one against Tien? No, I don't think the Turtle and Crane schools are considered historic..." You whispers are only heard by you.

"Thirty seconds, students!" Oobleck announces.

With the clock ticking you... still don't write anything. Thirty seconds go by in a flash and the teacher collects your papers even faster. He returns to the front of the class, quickly reading each paper and checking the names. A third of the way in, he stops and looks to the class. This only lasts a brief moment before he barrels through them like nothing.

"Very well, I think I've a grasp on who remembers what," he says before putting the pages on his desk. "Students, history is very important. The mistakes and successes of those who came before you are lessons you should have lodged in your brain."

You tap your desk a few times, knowing he likely spotted your absolute failure in this department.

"Now, let's start immediately. We'll begin with the very beginning of human and Faunus history!"

"Mm..." You rest your head in your hands, ready to hear an entire lecture on something you don't care about.

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And so the school day is done and you're relaxing in your room. It's clear that Beacon Academy is far from what you thought, but the more you thought about that fact the more excited you got. This is something totally new! Even if you hate the classes, you'll still learn more and become a better fighter from all this.

You place down all your notes on your work desk in a fairly messy state. After glancing over them for a moment you walk away, trailing your hand across the desk.

"I wonder if we can spar after classes? Like studying but... better," you say to yourself.

Your thoughts are cut off when someone knocks on your door. You jog to the entrance and open it, revealing Yang Xiao Long.

"Heya," she waves. "Are you ready to get going? Blake couldn't make it, something about another class. She'll take care of the write up if we do the research."

"Oh, sure. Where did we get?"

She lifts the page in front of her for you to see.

"The Emerald Forest, actually. Might be hard but I think we can do it. You look like you know how to be... you know, creative," she wiggles her hands before resting them at her sides. "So, ready?"

"Yep, let's go. I got something that can get us there quick," you say as you leave your room, closing the door behind you.

"Are... look, I don't think I want you carrying me there while you do your flying thing," she quickly lays out as you walk through the hall.

"What? No, I wasn't thinking of that. I gotta something that'll take us there."

"Why would you have a vehicle if you can fly?"

"Well..." You cross your arms as your eyes drift to the ceiling. "I mean, it's a cloud so I don't think you can consider it a vehicle."

"A... flying cloud?" Yang can barely wrap her head around the concept. "One you can stand on?"

"Or sit. I usually nap on it," you give her a goofy smile.

"Are you trying to pull my leg?"

"No. My hands are crossed," you bluntly answer.

"I... oh, I get it," she wags her finger at you. "You're trying to use sass against me. I won't let it fly!"

You blink twice at her.

"If you don't let it fly then how will we get there?"

"I... that's..." Yang puffs her cheeks. "I won't let you win this war! My puns will win!"

"Okay..? I think you'd do better with a punch than a pun."

"You..." Yang shakes her fist at you while you walk away.

You two make it through the building and to the grounds of Beacon. After a short, quiet walk, you reach the docking area.

"Okay, so where's this 'cloud' you were talking about?"

"Nimbus!" You shout, hands cupping your mouth. "It'll be here in a second. He's a really nice yellow... kinda like your hair."

"My... hair?"

Moments later Nimbus soar in, parking itself right in front of you.

"Hey buddy! Told you I'd need ya," you say to the cloud before hopping on it. "Well, come on," you beckon Yang, who's still befuddled by what she's seeing.

"A yellow cloud... he's standing on it... You really are a strange one, aren't you," she comments.

You shrug and smile.

"I've been told that before. Come on, let's go. I just hope you have a pure heart."

"What do you mean?" She asks as she walks towards the cloud.

"Well, I was told any people with a pure heart can ride Nimbus," you say, offering your hand for Yang. "Otherwise you'll fall right through."

You pull Yang onto Nimbus, her body staying atop the yellow cloud. Yang squeezes your hand tight out of fear.

"I'm... standing on a cloud? I'm standing on a cloud... nobody's gonna believe me... heh," she looks to you with a smile. "You really are something else." There's a short pause before she speaks again. "I like it."

"Hehe, thanks. Let's go, Nimbus! To the Emerald Forest!"

Nimbus speeds along the edge of the docks before turning and flying into the forest. Yang has a mix of fear and excitement as she screams and laughs. You wrap your arm around her shoulder and keep her close.

"What're you-"

"You seem a little worried! I thought giving you some support would help?"

Yang's too caught up in the rush to really care. You don't seem to be trying to cop a feel or take advantage of the situation. You're having fun, just like her.

"Yeah, why not. This is awesome!" She cheers before laughing once more.

With the wind running through her hair and sheer insanity of the situation, there's really nothing better for a thrill seeker like Yang. Never before, and maybe never again, will she experience something quite like this. You both wiz across the land and quickly reach the Emerald Forest.

"Alright, you ready?"

"We're jumping from here?" Yang asks, though not hating the idea.

"Lower?"

"No way!" She shouts before diving off the cloud, screaming as she closes in on the tree line.

You shrug, then jump after her.

"See ya Nimbus!" You shout whilst falling.

You watch as Yang activates her yellow bracelets, transforming them into a gleaming pair of gauntlets. She fires them diagonally, launching her in a different direction and slowing down her momentum. You easily follow her as she slows down a bit until landing on some trees, jumping from one to another until finally getting to the ground. You land beside her with your arms on your hips and a big smile.

Yang rolls her eyes then smiles.

"Show off."

"What? You looked really cool! Flipping around and everything. Very... fancy."

"I guess. So, the Emerald Forest," she looks around to the Fauna surrounding you both. "How can we kill a Grimm without using our weapons or your... kame-whatever," she waves her hand at you. "Got any ideas?"

"Well," you cross your arms and start walking deeper into the forest. "I guess the first thing that comes to mind is fire."

Yang nods, writing that down in her scroll.

"That's an easy one. So what should we think on? No stabbing or slashing, no blunt force like rocks or dropping them off a cliff..."

"Drowning them is an option, but that might be hard for an average person."

"Hm... we need to get creative here. There's not much else-"

"Do we have Dust?"

"Me and Blake don't really use Dust. That's more Weiss' thing... so I guess that would count as something."

You shake your head before looking at the sky.

"No, that's not what I meant. If you could generate enough heat, even from a natural fire, you might be able to bring down some lightning."

You both stop in the middle of a dense section of the forest.

"That's a stretch."

"Well, when you got no other options," you shrug, not really finishing your sentence.

"True enough. So we have lighting and fire... what if we buried them?" Yang brings up, tapping the ground with her shoe.

"Yeah, that sounds awesome!" You nod. "Make a hole then collapse it. Good thinking."

Just then you both hear a sound. The ground is shaking every second as if something was running.

"(Y/N)..."

"Got it."

You both move behind one another, covering every angle possible. You can hear trees falling in the distance while the ones around you shake in fear. Inch by inch the creature approaches. Finally, it breaks through the treeline, revealing itself to be a Dinosaur – large, orange, and scared. You and Yang move out of its way just in time for the creature to tumble and fall. It's large body slides across the ground, tearing up the grass beneath it. You keep in front of Yang, a hand covering your face from the dust.

"What happened?" Yang exclaims.

"It fell... I think it might be hurt," you hypothesize. "Let me check it out. They may not be Grimm, but Dinos are far from pushovers."

You jog to the fallen animal, giving it a quick examination. Immediately you spot something lodged in its right leg, causing significant bleeding. The animal is panting heavily from both exhaustion and pain. You hover to its face and begin rubbing its neck.

"Hey... hey... are you okay?" The Dino lets out a small roar in response which you know is hostile. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you," you comfort as you continue to pet it. "Let me help you."

You glide to its wounded leg, giving it a closer look.

"What're you doing, (Y/N)?" Yang shouts.

"It's hurt. I think someone's after it," you respond, still checking out the wound. "Keep an eye out, Yang. She wasn't quiet, so whoever was after her is probably gonna show up."

"Why does it matter?" Yang asks, placing a hand on her hip.

"Well," you say as you carefully remove the tracking bullet lodged in the beast's leg. "We can't just let her be hunted. It's not a Grimm, after all. You don't go around killing regular birds instead of Nevermore, do you?"

"Well... no..."

"Exactly... here we go!" You pull the bullet out, eliciting a response from the creature. "Don't worry, girl, its okay, its okay," you say while rubbing her leg. "Okay... there should be some herbs around here I can use. Could you watch over her for me while I make some ointment?"

"You can do that?" She asks with genuine surprise.

"Yeah, of course, I can!" You return to the ground and approach her. "I'll tell you about it another time. I don't want her to be in more pain than she needs to be. I'll be back in a flash!" You say before dashing into the forest faster than Yang can react.

Yang keeps a comfortable distance away from the large beast. It's not much of a threat to her at the moment, but sitting beside something that could swallow her whole doesn't sit well with the young woman.

She leans against a tree and crosses her arms, keeping an eye out for the hunters you mentioned. She's ready to wait for a decent amount of time, but you speed back into the area, stopping right before the Dino. You have a leaf in your hand with mushed up herbs that's been turned into an ointment. You push into it, mushing the substance around and preparing it for treatment. You approach the wound and gently rub the ointment onto the wound. This instantly elicits a response from the beast but nothing violent.

"It's okay, don't worry. It'll start to feel better soon," you soothe the beast while scooping more of the ointment.

Yang watches as you handle the creature with care and how the beast doesn't bother to fight back. Even injured, most animals will have a flight or fight response. With flight not being an option, she'd assume it'd fight back. But no... it lets you treat its wound. This train of thought is soon cut off when she hears rustling coming from the trees. Moments later a group of seven men, all armed with guns, enters your small area.

"Look at that, boys! Someone's trying to steal our prize!" A burly man shouts to his comrades.

You don't bother looking at them until you're done with the treatment. Yang, however, gives them a quick examination. They're all wearing colours to blend in with the forest, clearly indicating hunters. Most of them have hats or masks to hide their identities, but the main one, the one who spoke, has his face clear as day. A rough looking man with a large, brown beard. This compensates for the shortage of hair on his head. Unlike the others, his coat is sleeveless, showing off a rather impressive arms.

"You should leave," you say just loud enough for everyone to hear. "You're not taking this life today."

"What're you talking about, kid? You think we're gonna listen to some Faunus and a bimbo?"

"Hey!" Yang uncrosses her arms and marches towards the man. "I'm not some bimbo!"

"Yang, don't worry about it," you calmly say. "I'm done. So," you turn around to face the group. "You have to leave. I won't let you hurt this Dinosaur."

"Boy... you're instigating violence," he says with a coy smirk. "If you threaten us we'll have no choice but to fight back."

Yang keeps quiet, annoyed at these guys attitude yet surprised at how calm and calculated you're acting. She wants to see how you handle this, but she's also hoping she can knock the teeth outta one of them. You raise your hand towards the group and conjure a small ball of yellow energy. You release the blast beside them, blowing up the small section of earth and covering the hunters with dirt and grass. They cough from the smoke, waving it away and brushing themselves off.

"What the hell was that?"

"Is he a Huntsmen? How can he fly and do that?"

"Quiet!" The leader shouts, obviously a little shaken at your sudden attack.

"That was a warning shot. Don't make me aim," you say with a cold demeanor that shakes everyone to their core.

"I... we..." The man grinds his teeth out of frustration. "We're... moving out, men..."

You keep your arm raised towards them until they return to the forested area. You descend to the ground then look at Yang, smiling like you always do.

"We'll that was something. At least she's okay," you say in your usual happy tone.

"You can be pretty scary, you know."

"Hehe," you rub the back of your head. "I just don't like people hurting animals. Especially ones who don't know how to hunt."

"Do you?"

"Yeah," you nod. "I lived out here for years so I kinda learned the ecosystem, I guess. The Grimm have made a bunch of regular animals endangered. Dinosaurs are one of them. I can't just let them all die out, now can I?" You say with a slight smile.

"I never knew you were such a nature lover," she remarks, looking to the dinosaur.

"Well... it's kinda like looking after your home, I guess," you chuckle. "Plus, when we get rid of all the Grimm we'll want as many animals as we can!" You look around the forest. "So... we can't really leave her here..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A fire burns in the middle of the Emerald Forest. The warmth emanates to you and Yang as you sit on separate logs. There's a makeshift stand that lets a pot dangle over the fire. It's a truly cozy place, considering the fact there's Grimm around.

"You didn't have to stay, you know. I could have sent you back to Beacon."

"Well, we are technically partners. Can't leave you behind," Yang says in a cheery tone.

"I guess," you shrug. "You just didn't seem like the type to spend a day in the woods."

"Hey, I grew up on Patch! It's practically all forest," Yang counters.

"Oh, really? Guess you're kinda like me, hehe."

"Exactly. I'm not some prissy girl, you know," Yang confidently reminds you.

"Oh... okay! That makes sense, actually," you rest your hand on your chin. "I guess you couldn't if you were a fighter."

"Ha, tell that to Weiss," Yang jokes to herself.

"Weiss... the one with the cape?"

"No, that's my sister, Ruby. Weiss is the other girl."

You stare blankly at Yang, the crackling of the fire aiding the atmosphere.

"The one with a bow?"

"No! God, do you not pay attention?" She asks with a layer of annoyance.

"Hehe, not really," you rub the back of your head. "Unless it's a fight!"

"Or animals," she remarks as she glances at the sleeping Dinosaur.

"Yeah, I guess," you shrug. "I think the fire needs another log. Are you still hungry?" You ask as you place another log on the fire.

"Oh, no. I'm okay. I'm actually surprised you could make food that good."

You open the pot, releasing steam and scents that take your breath away.

"Well, kinda. It's just a stew I learned from Lucent."

"That's the guy you mentioned before, right? The one who... fed and scared you?" She ends with a slight giggle.

"He's scary! Seriously!"

Yang tucks her hands under her legs, wedging them between the wood and her legs.

"Strange to think of you being scared of something. You seem so strong and... confident. Maybe that's because you're dense, though," she mumbles the last part.

"I'm not that strong. I just train a lot, you know? Anyone can do what I do."

Yang's brow shoots up.

"You mean... that blasty, beamy thing you did."

"The Kamehameha? Yeah, I learned it from someone else. Anyone can learn it, I think... I actually don't know," your gaze trails off as you think on this subject. "Then again, I'm starting to think I'm different from some of you guys."

"What gave you that idea?" She sarcastically remarks.

You cross your arms and move your lips to the right.

"Hm... I might be wrong. Don't worry about it," you smile at her. "Now, I need to get up and work off this food and work up an appetite, hehe," you childishly grin as you hop to your feet.

Only a second later, the Dinosaur wakes itself up. You and Yang both turn to look at the beast as it pushes itself to its feet and gets a grip on its situation. Its eyes soon land on your little campsite. You stare it directly into its eyes with a warm smile on your face. You can feel it giving you respect for aiding it, even if the beast makes no noise. It turns away and walks off into the forest, soon disappearing from view entirely. You cross your arms and look back at Yang.

"Now," you wipe your hands together. "I'd say we're about done here." You walk back to the pot of soup you made and start drinking it all. Yang watches with slight amazement as you just casually hold the burning pot. Once you finish it all you toss it to the side and let out a relieved sigh. "Now that hits the spot. You're ready, right?"

"Yeah... I think I have enough..." Yang places her hands on her hips and saunters towards you. "This'll be quite a story to tell. It'll blow up like dinomite," she claps in amusement, laughing at her own joke.

"What was that?" You look over your shoulder as Nimbus soars in.

"Oh, nothing! Darn it, he evaded my pun. Next time, (Y/N)..." She squints at your unsuspecting form.

And that was it! I actually had more fun with this chapter than I thought. Just some build up and character bonding. I don't think it'll take as long as Crimson Shadow for the main pairing to come together, but who knows. Plot first, romance second. Anyway, there'll be another chapter this month to make up for the lack of chapters last month. I was extremely busy with my personal life so I couldn't get much done. Sorry about that.

So, I'll see you guys next time, whether it be Crimson Shadow or Limitless!

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