" ": You talking

' ': You thinking

* *: Narrator/Voice-off

Your POV:

Jaune: Haah... Haah... Urg...

Cardin: Hahaha.

Jaune: haah... Come on... Yaaaaaaaah !!

*SKLUNK*

Cardin: Hm. This is the part where you lose.

Jaune: Over my dead- Gurg !

Cardin: Hehe. HAH- !!

*BUNK*

Cardin: ... ... H- Huh ?

"Mr.Winchester, I believe this is enough. This was supposed to be a sample duel, not a public beat-down."

Cardin: ... 'Did my mace seriously got chipped on that guy's forehead... ?'

"Both of you can go back to your seats. Now, as all of you can see, Jaune's aura just dropped into the red with that last assault. In a regular tournament duel, this would mean defeat. So always remember to refer to your scroll during combat; Not just for your own safety, but also to ensure your teammates are fit to fight, or when you need to adjust your strategy to a more defensive one."

Jaune: ... Hm...

"Jaune, no one here wants to see you mauled to death by an Ursa."

Cardin: ... Speak for yourself...

"What was that, Cardin ?"

Cardin: N- Nothing...

"I thought so. One last thing before I let you go. The Vytal Festival is merely but a few months away, so it shouldn't be long before students from the other kingdom's academies start flocking the campus... Would you lot stop being overexcited for a second and let me finish ?!"

Ruby: S- Sorry...

"Try to keep the vibrating to a minimum, or you might reach a point of fusion. But as I was saying, those of you who'll choose to compete in the tournament will be representing all of Vale, so make sure you work hard... Or don't, I honestly don't really care."

*RIIIIIIIIIIIIIING*

"... Jaune ? I'm gonna be blunt with you. Prior to your admission to Beacon, did you... Follow any kind of combat training, at all ? Did you have anyone teach you the basics ? Because from what I saw, this match was more of you flailing around with your sword and hoping to hit Cardin eventually... While fighting a human opponent and a Grimm creature is vastly different in nature, if you keep going that way, you'll only get yourself killed..."

Jaune: ... ... ...

Nora: So... There were were, in the middle of the night...

Ren: It was day.

Nora: We were surrounded by Ursa...

Ren: They were Beowolves.

Nora: Dozens of them !

Ren: Two of'em...

Nora: But they were no match, and in the end... Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs !

Ren: Ah... She's been having this reoccurring dream for nearly a month now...

Pyrrha: ... Jaune... Are you okay ?

Jaune: ... Huh ? Oh, yeah. Why ?

Ruby: It's just that you seem a little... Not okay...

Jaune: ... Eh, guys, I'm fine... Seriously, look ! Eheh...

Pyrrha: Jaune. Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school.

Jaune: Who ? Cardin Winchester ? Nah... he just likes to mess around, you know ? Practical jokes !

Ruby: He is a bully.

Jaune: Oh please... Name one time he's "bullied" me...

Jaune: Oh, gah, come on !

Jaune: Ah... Hngh ! Come on...

"Each of you will be assigned a rocket-propelled locker to store your weapons and/or extra equipment. They also can be sent about anywhere thanks to a 6-digits code."

Jaune: Hm... H- hey, what ?! No, wait, wait ! You've gotta get me out of here ! Please ! Don't ! Don't do it !

*Beep*

Jaune: Oh come ooooooooooooooon !!

"... ... Ultra-fast deployment tactics, huh... I'll have to talk to Oz about that... Oh shit, Jaune !!"

Jaune: ... I didn't land far from the school...

Pyrrha: Jaune, you know if you ever need help, you can just ask...

Nora: Ooh ! We'll break his legs !

Jaune: Guys, really, it's fine. Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me, he's a jerk to everyone.

Velvet: Ooww, that hurts !

Velvet: Please, stop...

Cardin: I told you it was real !

Russel: What a freak !

Cardin: Hahaha- YEOOOOOOWTCH !!

"While we seem to be on the subjects of ears here, would someone care to explain to Mr.Winchester here what 10 pounds of torque does to a human ear ?"

Blake: ... Rips it off ?

"Thank you, Miss Belladonna. Now, Mr.Winchester, why don't we verify that theory on the way to the principal's office, hm ?"

Cardin: O- Oww ! Owwww !! Let go, let go !!

"Not so fun when you're on the receiving end, heh ? The same goes for the three of you, you will follow, by compliance or not. Do I make myself clear ?"

Pyrrha: ... Atrocious. I can't stand people like him.

Blake: well, clearly you're not the only one...

yang: It must be hard to be a Faunus.

Jaune: ... Uh...

Oobleck: Yes ! Yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution, more popularly known as the Faunus war, humankind was quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie.

Oobleck: Now ! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events ! Why, the repercussion of the uprising can still be seen to this day ! *Sip*.

"Professor Oobleck, I beg of you, please calm down, I can barely follow along with the slides !

Oobleck: Right, right. Now ! Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage ?

Velvet: ... ... ...

Oobleck: Dreadful, simply dreadful ! Remember, students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence ! *Sip*. I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to the White Fang ! Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorists believe to be the turning point in the third year of the war ? Yes ?

Weiss: The battle at Fort Castle.

Oobleck: Precisely !

'Real original name... What next, Citadel Stronghold ? ... That actually sounds good...'

Oobleck: And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces ?

Jaune: Rzzzzz... H- Hey.

Oobleck: Mr.Arc ! Finally contributing to class ! This excellent ! Excellent ! What is the answer ?

Jaune: Uhhhh... The answer... The advantage... Of the Faunus... Had over that guy's stuff...

'Please Jaune, don't screw it up...'

Jaune: Um, b- binoculars !

'Oh boy...'

Oobleck: ... *Sip* Very funny, Mr.Arc. Cardin ! Perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject !

Cardin: Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier.

"Yes, yes, i'm sure the crossing of a baboon and a hyena such as yourself would know a thing or two on that matter. Now, does anyone slightly more open-minded have anything substantial to answer ?"

Cardin: The crossing- You got a problem ?

"No, but i'm looking for the answer. Anyone ?"

Pyrrha: It's night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly-perfect sight in the dark.

Cardin: Grmbll...

Blake: General Lagune was inexperienced and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the General was captured. Perhaps if he'd paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure.

Cardin: Grrrr-

"Mr. Winchester ? Please take your seat."

Jaune: *Snickering*

Oobleck: You and Mr.Arc can both see me after class for additional readings.

Jaune: Ohh...

Oobleck: Now ! Moving on !

"Jaune. We need to talk."

Jaune: L- Look, i'm not in the best of moods right now...

"That wasn't a question. And i'm not the one who needs it the most either."

Pyrrha: H- Hey...

Jaune: ... Why do you care ? You said it yourself, you accepted this job so you could see us fail and then laugh at it.

"While that might be the truth, watching you just lower your head and give up with barely any fight at all. So you come, and I'll break Cardin's legs."

Jaune: Don't you mean "Or" you'll break his legs ?

"I know what I said, don't make me repeat myself."

Jaune: ... You know, While i'm going through a hard time right now, I'm not that depressed... I can always be a farmer or something...

"Okay, tone down the suicidal thoughts here ! This isn't why we brought you up there. Miss Nikos, go for it."

Pyrrha: Jaune, we know you're having a difficult time in class, and that you're still not the strongest of fighters, so... I want to help you ! Well, we do...

Jaune: ... W- What ?

Pyrrha: We can train here after class where no one can bother us !

Jaune: You... Think I need help ?

Pyrrha: N- No ! No, that's not-

"Yes. And I don't mean that in a derogatory way, Jaune. Everybody needs help and little push, and even I'm no exception. By making it to Beacon, you already proved that you have the capacities, so... Why does it feels like you're struggling behind everyone else ? Oz put you as team Captain, that alone speaks of what you can do."

Jaune: ... You're wrong... I- I don't belong here.

Pyrrha: That's a terrible thing to say, of course you do !

Jaune: No, I don't ! Haah... I... I wasn't really accepted into Beacon.

"... ... ... What ?"

Jaune: It's... It's like you said after my match... I mean, I didn't got o Combat School ! I didn't pass any tests ! I didn't earn my spot at this academy ! I lied... I got my hands on some fake transcripts and I lied.

Pyrrha: ... But, why ?

Jaune: 'Cause this is what I've always wanted to be ! My father, My grandfather, and his father before him were all warriors ! They were all heroes ! I wanted to be one too... I was just never good enough...

"... And you think just mopping around and sobbing will change that ? If you managed to make it this far, the least you can do is put in the work to deserve it now that you're here."

Pyrrha: Y- You're being too harsh-

"No, i'm being realistic. You lied to get here, so what ? Didn't you heard what Oobleck said, you need to let go of the past and not repeat your mistakes. Oz named you leader of Team JNPR, that means he saw you fight, and decided you had the abilities to be a Huntsman. All you need is a little help."

Jaune: I don't want help ! I don't want to be the damsel in distress ! I want to be the hero ! I am tired of being the lovable idiot, stuck in the tree while his friends fight for their lives ! Don't you understand ?! If I can't do this on my own... Then what good am I ?

Pyrrha: ... Jaune...

"Oh, I understand that perfectly. The guy hiding in a bush, too scared to even move as his friend is getting gutted right in front of him... yeah, I understand that better than anyone here. You think all these heroes they talk about in stories have been alone all their lives ? Big news for you, they needed help. Every single one of them needed someone to help them at some point. Now, if your big idea to become a hero is just to sleep through class and refuse help from your own team, then it's fine. But just like with how you got into Beacon, you better be ready to face the consequences of your own actions."

Pyrrha: H- hey, wait ! Come back !

"I extended my hand to you, it's up to you if you want to grab it or not, Jaune. And this time, I do care about your decision."

Jaune: ... Just... Leave me alone for a bit... Okay ?

Pyrrha: ... If that's what you think is best.

Jaune: ... ... ... *Sigh*

Cardin: heh. Oh, Jaune...

Jaune: C- Cardin ?!

Cardin: I couldn't help but overhear you guys from my dorm room. So, you snuck into Beacon, huh ? I've got to say Jaune, I've never expected you to be such a rebel.

Jaune: P- please ! Cardin, please, don't tell anyone !

Cardin: Jaune, come on ! I'd never rat out a friend like that !

Jaune: Uh... A friend ? Urk- !

Cardin: of course ! We're friends now, Jauney boy ! And the way I see it, as long as you're there for me when I need you, we'll be friends for a long time. That being said... I really don't have time to do those extra readings Dr.Oobleck gave us today. Think you could take care of that for me, buddy ?

Jaune: Ack ! Urg...

Cardin: That's what I thought. Don't worry Jaune. Your secret's safe with me.