[6/12 (Thursday) - Afternoon]
[Vale — Forever Fall]
As Clerval quietly followed the trail left behind by Team Cardinal deeper into the forest, the dull sound of fists striking flesh rang faintly through the trees ahead of him.
"The stunt you pulled back there wasn't very smart, Jauney-boy."
Cardin hauled Jaune upright by the collar and yanked him close until they were eye-level.
"I'm gonna make sure they send you back to mommy in teeny, tiny pieces."
"I... don't care what you do to me." Jaune groaned painfully, forcing himself to look Cardin directly in the eyes. "But you're not messing with my team and my friends."
Cardin blinked, caught off guard by the defiance in his eyes. Then his lip curled.
"Oh? You think saying that makes you tough now?" He lifted Jaune higher off the ground. "You think you're some big strong hero? You? The guy who can't even step out of the Invincible Girl's shadow?"
And for the first time since this began, Jaune smiled softly.
"... Yeah."
Cardin's expression twisted instantly. Growling, he reeled his arm back and drove his fist straight toward Jaune's face—
Only for a brilliant white light to erupt across the clearing.
"Gah!"
Cardin recoiled violently, dropping Jaune onto the ground while clutching his hand in shock.
Jaune himself stumbled as he landed before instinctively touching his cheek... Cardin's punch never reached him. A pale white glow shimmered faintly around his arms and body.
His Aura, it had protected him instinctively.
Though, amidst the sudden burst of white light, none of them noticed the raging pillar of purple that flared around his body the exact instant Cardin's fist collided against Jaune's Aura.
Lowering his Evoker from the side of his head, Clerval silently exhaled as he remained where he stood. The Rakukaja from his newly fused Ara Mitama earlier this week wasn't needed, thankfully.
[One must walk before they can run.]
[Thou art forsakening your companion, should you wish to help in his moment of growth.]
Archangel voiced their opinion, and he reluctantly agreed with the sentiment. It was Jaune's time to grow, the chance for him to stand on his feet and confront his fears.
Then his thoughts were abruptly cut short by a roar echoing throughout the forest.
"A-An Ursa!" Dove screamed as the massive Grimm emerged from the forest canopy, towering over the students. The gorilla-shaped Ursa let out a deep growl as its crimson eyes swept across the clearing.
Slowly, it lowered its head and sniffed the air. And its gaze locked directly onto Cardin. Specifically, the red sap staining his armor.
"And it's a big, BIG URSA!" Cardin immediately turned tail and bolted, scrambling after the rest of his team in panic—only for a massive claw to swing out without warning and slam straight into his side.
The impact hurled him across the clearing with a cry of pain.
The Alpha Ursa slowly turned its attention toward Jaune, who still sat frozen on the ground, fear across his face. A tense silence followed before the Grimm shifted its gaze away from him.
Its crimson eyes settled back onto Cardin instead. Ignoring Jaune entirely, the massive creature began lumbering toward the downed bully.
Scrambling to get up, Jaune turned to watch the Grimm approach the sap-covered student. Cardin tried to retaliate by swinging his mace at the Ursa, but it easily deflected the strike and punted the weapon away.
From deeper in the trees, Clerval raised his Evoker, finger tightening as he prepared to fire—
[Stop.]
Odysseus' voice interrupted his thoughts.
Jaune was moving.
Instead of retreating, he darted toward his discarded weapons. Seizing his shield and sword, Jaune ran forward. With his shield lifted skyward, he slid past the Ursa's legs and placed himself between the Grimm and Cardin before bracing.
A sharp clang radiated throughout the forest.
From the edge of the clearing, a flash of red and white caught his eye. Ruby, Weiss, and Pyrrha arrived, skidding to a halt just beyond the treeline.
"What's going on?" Pyrrha asked urgently; her answer was given immediately as her eyes locked onto the scene ahead. Weiss instantly acted, raising her Myrtenaster to step in—
"Wait!" She was stopped by Pyrrha, who extended an arm to physically hold her back.
In front of them, they watched as Jaune struggled to fight against the Alpha Ursa... But he was doing much better than anyone could have thought. Although he was still getting hit by the Ursa's large claws and was making exaggerated movements, he moved with a steadier stance, each block and step sharper by the second.
It seems that Jaune's earlier episode of Aura had reinforced his instinctive control of the mystic energy, with his Aura currently bolstering his physical prowess to fight against the threat before him.
Jaune was getting more confident in his actions.
Breathing heavily, Jaune flicked a quick glance at his Scroll, checking his Aura levels before taking a deep breath. His Aura was in the red; this was his last shot.
His eyes narrowed in concentration.
He steadied himself—mind, body, and fear—and then pushed forward.
With a war cry, Jaune surged toward the charging Alpha Ursa, raising his sword high with the intent of striking the foe before him down.
The Ursa was going to hit him before Jaune could; he immediately noted as he prepared to summon a Persona—just for his shield to rise up unnaturally to meet the clawed strike.
His shield held, blocking the strike, but the sheer force drove him down to his knee. With a strained roar, Jaune let the momentum of the blow carry through, angling the shield to redirect the Ursa's weight. For a split opening, he forced himself upward, twisting into the gap.
Using that brief opening, he swung his sword upward as, with a clean slice, the blade carved through its head, decapitating the Ursa.
Jaune's shield... His eyes gazed at Pyrrha's raised hand, a hue of metallic black still faintly simmering around her fingers before slowly fading away into nothing.
"How did you...?"
"Well," Pyrrha said with a soft, composed smile, her gaze resting on Jaune as he stood exhausted before the fallen Alpha Ursa. "Ruby has her speed. You have your Glyphs. Clerval has his summons."
She lowered her hand.
"My Semblance is Polarity."
A second passed before Ruby muttered. "... So you can control poles..."
"No, you dunce! Polarity! That means that she has control over magnetism!"
"... Magnets are cool, too."
"Wait," Weiss said, turning as Pyrrha began to walk away. "Where are you going?"
Ruby nodded quickly. "Yeah, we should go tell everyone what happened!"
"We could," Pyrrha hummed lightly, watching the aftermath unfold ahead of them.
Jaune stood before Cardin. Slowly, he offered a hand.
After a brief pause, Cardin took it.
"Holy crap, Jaune? That was—"
"Don't ever mess with my team and my friends. Ever again," Jaune said firmly, cutting him off.
Something flickered in Cardin's expression.
"Got it?"
"... Yeah."
Satisfied, Jaune turned away, limping slightly as he made his way back toward his team, leaving Cardin where he stood.
"Or perhaps we could keep it our little secret."
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NEXT UPDATE: 17 June, Wednesday
A/N: Cough. So. Um.
I was really busy with my assignments, OK? Don't look at me like that. I literally had no time to write/post.
Here's a chapter to replace last week's.
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