Be More Heroic

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY nor Be More Chill

Grimm Studies was both the most anticipated and most dreaded class at Beacon. Neither of those emotions were derived from the course material. Port was the professor for Grimm Studies and as everyone knew, he was quite the chatterbox. His class consisted primarily of him talking about his many "heroic deeds" in the war against the creatures of Grimm.

That didn't mean they were free to mess around however. Port was notorious for assigning ludicrous detentions to anyone who disrupted or skipped his class. So that really only left one activity for anyone too bored to pay attention: sleep. Many students treated Port's class as a free period to catch up on sleep or nurse a hangover from a wild night out on the town. For those who couldn't sleep, however, all they could do was feign interest in Port's "lecture" and stare into the infinite void.

It was a fate Jaune was resigned to as he took his seat and realized he didn't feel tired.

"Good morning, students!" the bombastic professor greeted. "I'm glad to see you all so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed today, for I have a truly amazing lesson planned for you today!"

The room remained quiet.

"That's the spirit!" Port exclaimed while swinging his arm across his body enthusiastically. "Today we'll be covering the eight-legged terror known as the Deathstalker!"

Several students made themselves comfortable and prepared for a nap. Despite the verbiage, Port was going to talk less about the Grimm in question and more about how he had once fought one that was three times its normal size and held a beautiful young woman in its claws or something.

"It wasn't 20 years ago from this day that I walked into a quaint village outside of the Kingdom!"

Jaune tuned out Port's voice and stared down at him blankly. Only two hours of desperately keeping ennui at bay. He was suddenly brought back into reality several minutes later.

+How intriguing.+

He blinked several times as Roman's voice pierced through his mental isolation.

'What is?'

+This lecture.+

Jaune's mind crashed and rebooted.

'You actually think this is interesting?'

+Of course. You don't see the value in it?+

His brows furrowed as he tried to comprehend what he was hearing.

'No...?'

+Of course you don't. Listen closely to him, Jaune.+

The thought of actually listening to Port made him grimace but he obeyed.

"-And so utilizing the stealth I had learned while I had studied with the Mistralian monks I told you about earlier this semester, I crept over the top of the beast's cave. My steps were as silent as-"

Jaune tuned him back out.

'I dont get it. He's just-'

+You don't get it because you're not listening. His lessons are embedded in the story. He approached the Deathstalker's den from a direction it wouldn't see him coming from.+

"-shot my weapon in the air to attract its attention. The Deathstalker couldn't ignore such a challenge and came crawling out from its abode, snapping its claws eagerly."

+He had to bait it out of its lair in order to engage it. The confines of the cave would give the Deathstalker the advantage.+

"That's when I leapt from my perch and landed atop its armored hide! The beast was caught off guard and I had rendered its greatest weapon useless in one fell swoop!"

+He positioned himself prior to the engagement so he retained the element of surprise even after drawing it out. His placement on top of the Deathstalker guarantees it wouldn't strike at him with its stinger lest it stabs itself.+

Jaune's jaw hung loose at the revelation. Port was teaching them. These stories were actually lessons! He quickly scanned the classroom and didn't spot a single person taking notes.

+And you most definitely should be, by the way.+

His team looked at him strangely as he scrambled to open his notebook and started writing.

"I knew the Grimm's armor would be too thick even for my trusty weapon, and so I proceeded to unload shots into its evil, crimson eyes!"

+A Deathstalker's carapace can endure a considerable beating, however its eyes are still vulnerable and should be a targeted.+

"Oh the shriek the creature made as I blinded it! It thrashed around so much that I couldn't maintain my place on its back and threw myself off. As it tried to adjust to its lack of sight I continued my assault and removed its legs from its body! The poor thing dragged itself in circles trying to get a bead on me!"

+Blinding the creature creates a window of opportunity. Its legs are another vulnerable target. Removing even a few will severely cripple its mobility.+

"I felt something akin to pity as the once mighty Grimm mewled pathetically before me. So I did what any merciful person would do. I shoved my weapon into its mandibles and blew its brains to smithereens!"

"The mouth is the most direct path to the Deathstalker's brain...," Jaune whispered as he wrote.

"Mister Arc!"

Jaune - and every student in the classroom - jumped at Port's exclamation. His neck cracked as his head snapped over to see Professor Port glaring at him from the aisle. Wasn't he down by his own desk just a second ago?

"And what, pray tell, are you drawing that is so important?"

"I- uh- bwuh-" Jaune stammered. He was so caught off guard he didn't even have the presence of mind to refute the accusation. His eyes darted right to left as though looking for an escape but only saw the amused expressions of his classmates. He turned his head lightly to meet his partner's eyes. She seemed desperate to help but didn't know how.

Port clearly accepted it all as evidence of guilt. He leaned over to swipe his notebook out from under his pencil and began to inspect the contents of the page.

"As I thought. I will see you in dete-"

Port cut himself off and a long silence followed. The professor merely stared down at the notebook, only reaching up to toy with the end of his mustache. The air was so tense that it was suffocating. Jaune felt himself break into a sweat as he awaited his fate.

"OUTSTANDING!"

Jaune could've sworn he leapt twelve feet into the air at the sudden bellow.

"My boy, in all my years of teaching I've not had one person understand as quickly as you have!" he boomed excitedly. "I hadn't pegged you as the observant type but clearly I was mistaken!"

The rotund man then turned slightly to address the whole class.

"The lot of you could learn something from Mister Arc here! I have no doubt he'll pass his mid-terms with flying colors!"

The mention of mid-terms seemed to shock everyone into alertness, as though they had never once considered the idea they would be tested on anything here. Port placed his notebook back before walking back down the stairs.

"Now where was I? Ah, yes! So I dragged the beast's carcass back to the village with one hand-"

Jaune relaxed back into his seat. He thought he was a goner.

+I have no idea why you would think that. You were just taking notes yet you fell apart like a house of cards when called out. You need to be less high strung.+

'Easy for you to say,' he grumbled.

+Perhaps. However the fact remains that you can't keep losing composure whenever you're under pressure. Not only is it unbecoming but it can be a handicap in combat.+

Pyrrha's hand came to rest on his arm before he could respond. Her face practically glowed as she leaned in towards him.

"I'm so proud of you, Jaune," she whispered. Then her cheeks turned a light red before she sheepishly asked, "Could I...perhaps see your notes after class?"

That Pyrrha, exemplar of Huntresses-to-be, would ask him for his notes was nothing short of incredible. He could only nod dumbly in assent.

+Use your words, Jaune.+

"Uh, yeah, sure," he whispered back.

He had no rebuttal to that. His lack of eloquency didn't seem to matter to Pyrrha though as she quietly thanked him with a bright smile and returned her attention back to Port. In fact, everyone suddenly seemed more attentive than normal. Many were staring hard at the professor as though they could find something if they just squinted hard enough.

Equal parts pride and guilt began to bubble in his chest. It was his SQUIP that had figured it out, after all. Could he really take credit for it?

+I encourage you to take credit for everything. It's precisely what I'm here for after all.+

The explicit permission helped to take the edge off the guilt. It still didn't feel quite right but if Roman said it was okay, then it was okay...right?

+Right.+

Jaune relaxed and a light smile slid across his face. That was that then. He tuned back into Port's lecture and continued jotting down notes. This SQUIP was amazing. It was like a walkthrough for life. Suddenly the debt he had to incur for it seemed very much worth it.

+Speaking of, we'll have to come up with a plan for that.+

'A plan? I have the money for it, but only barely.'

+And that's the problem. You're going to need money for what I have planned and the scant amount left after your payments won't be enough.+

The thought of having to manage financial issues all of a sudden lit a flame of panic.

+Don't stress out over it. You just go about your business and I'll work out a solution. Just trust me, Jaune.+

Roman's assurance smothered that flame as quickly as it had started. He still felt uneasy but it wasn't like Roman benefited from screwing him over. He shoved his worries to the back of his mind and refocused on the lesson.

"Look at 'Mister Observant' here," Yang quipped as they walked out of class. "What were you writing that had Port shouting your praises to the world?"

Jaune very nearly looked away in embarrassment but managed to squash the instinct. However he was unable to keep his hand from raising up to rub the back of his head.

"Just taking notes," he said.

Lilac eyes blinked in confusion. "Notes? In Port's class?"

Her confusion was mirrored on everyone's face. The fact that he had managed to figure out - in a manner of speaking - Port's secret teaching method while the rest of them didn't caused a grin to tug at the corners of his mouth. His chest puffed out and he opened his mouth to gloat about his discovery.

+Nobody likes a braggart. Keep it humble but don't downplay it too much.+

He deflated and lightly cleared his throat. "Yeah, I just decided to actually listen to Port out of boredom and I started to notice some details. Like when he talked about sneaking up on the cave, he was emphasizing the importance of positioning before engaging."

Nora leapt onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. Jaune gagged and pulled on her arms to try to restore his oxygen intake.

"Awww! Our leader is so smart!" she squealed.

"Nora! Nora, air!" Jaune wheezed. Thankfully she acquiesced quickly and loosened her grip, however she still clung to his back. His cheeks burned as he realized Nora's bosom was pressed tightly against his back.

A light rap on his chest from Yang's fist brought him back to reality. "Not bad, Vomit Boy. Maybe you could show me some of those notes later."

+An excellent idea. In fact, let's a make a study session out of it.+

'A study session? Like, with Yang?' He didn't know how to feel about being pushed towards the other blonde like that. The earlier flirting was one thing; a quick thrill that showed what Roman could do for him. That didn't necessarily mean he wanted to be paired up with Yang by his SQUIP for no reason.

+Don't be ridiculous. I'm not some dilettante matchmaker that'll throw you into just anyone's arms on nothing more than a whim. This study session will be open for all of your friends, and you'll be in charge.+

'But...I don't know anything about leading a study group.'

+It's not hard, Jaune. You just need to help people with any questions they may have. And if you don't know the answer, then I'll still be here.+

It made sense but he was still hesitant. He wasn't the most academic student and the thought of trying to help peers who were leagues ahead of him made him nervous. But Roman was with him and he was a literal genius supercomputer.

"Well, how about we all go to the library after classes and I can share my notes?"

"I think a study session sounds marvelous," Pyrrha enthused as she took a step forward to interject herself into the conversation.

"I certainly wouldn't mind learning of this apparent method to the Professor's madness," Ren added.

Nora groaned in disgust and sunk lower on his back. "That sounds so boring though!"

"I'm in."

Jaune had to double take at the speaker. Blake met his gaze unflinchingly.

"Professor Port said we would be tested on his...'lessons.' Clearly there was something we should have been learning and you figured it out. I don't intend on failing classes so unless you have any reason I shouldn't join, then I'm in."

A delicately raised eyebrow told him there shouldn't be a reason she couldn't join.

"Um, I guess I'll go too," Ruby said hesitantly. Clearly the idea of studying chafed but Blake raised an excellent point.

He couldn't help but turn back to Yang with a grin.

"Looks like both your partner and your sister are in, Yang. How about it?"

+Very good. Assertive but not desperate.+

Yang returned his grin, "Alright, sounds good. Let's all go to the library after class then."

"Don't presume to speak for me, Xiao Long," Weiss snipped. Her arms were crossed across her body and she was looking at him with thinly veiled contempt. "Arc is indisputably the poorest student at Beacon and you all want to have him lead a study session? I wouldn't trust him to lead me across the street."

Her words stung and his previous confidence began to wither. Roman spoke as Ruby rounded on her partner, trying in vain to convince her to tag along.

+Why are you so invested in her approval? What has she done that requires you to be validated by her?+

'Well, it's just...she's just so amazing, you know? She's beautiful, talented-'

+-arrogant, confrontational, and all around rude. There's absolutely no reason you should value her opinion so highly. In fact, you should let her know that her presence at the study session isn't necessary.+

'You want me to just tell her not to come? That seems...kinda mean.'

+No, kid. You should do the considerate thing and tell her she doesn't have to come if she doesn't want to. She's clearly reluctant to come along and any attempt on your behalf to coax her to participate would be seen as another pass at her. To be quite honest, this is a lose-lose scenario for you.+

Jaune chewed on the inside of cheek as he thought on Roman's words. He wasn't really wrong. Weiss clearly didn't believe in him, for good reason too. She was passing all her classes anyway so why should she go to a study session led by someone who wasn't as smart as her? As much as it caused his heart to twist, Roman was right.

"-so why would I bother to waste my time by-!"

"That's fine," Jaune said suddenly, interrupting the back and forth between Ruby and Weiss.

The interruption brought Weiss up short.

"E-Excuse me...?"

"I said it's fine," he repeated, trying not to let on how much effort it actually took for him to say that. "You're really smart so I understand why you don't want to join."

Weiss stared at him in bewilderment for a moment longer before gathering herself. "Well, of course. I'm glad you, at least, realize how pointless it would be for me to participate."

Her teammate waved a hand dismissively. "Alright," Yang said, "So everyone except Weiss Cream will meet up at the library after classes."

After an indignant rejection of the nickname from Weiss, everyone gave a brief affirmation and they all began walking towards the cafeteria.

+See? She didn't even try to fight it out of spite. You really did her a favor.+

'Yeah...I suppose I did,' Jaune thought glumly. It was pretty disheartening that she had eagerly grasped the metaphorical Get-Out-Of-Jail card he handed her.

Roman sighed exasperatedly. +Look, kid. It sucks. I get that. But this is the best possible scenario for you right now. I can get you into her favor but it'll take time. Just bare with me.+

Jaune rubbed the back of his neck. It really did suck but there wasn't anything he could do, was there? Weiss just didn't want anything to do with him. He took heart in Roman's assurances, however. It felt nice to have someone who was totally in his corner. His moroseness slowly bled away as he walked to lunch with his friends.

Any lingering bad feelings Jaune may have felt disappeared immediately when he noticed what was being served today. There, placed in a large pan, were steaming dinosaur chicken nuggets. Roman spoke up as his mouth began to water.

+I'm afraid you won't be having any of those.+

So shocked was he at being denied his nuggets he nearly responded aloud.

"Wh-!" He coughed into his fist to cover the slip. 'Why not?!'

+Because you're not ten years old anymore.+

That struck a nerve.

'Well maybe I'm so mature that I don't care how childish it looks?"

+You're lying. You care very much about how childish you look. Please don't try to lie to someone who is plugged into your brain. That aside, it doesn't have all the nutrients you need to improve your physical condition. Grab what I tell you.+

Jaune wanted to argue further but he had made a promise. He begrudgingly picked out a selection of food that wasn't chicken nuggets. The complete lack of said nuggets seemed to catch his partner's attention.

"Oh? No chicken nuggets, Jaune?" she said, seeming pleasantly surprised.

A weak smile crossed his face. "Oh, you know, I just thought I should...eat better, eh-heh..."

Pyrrha's smile radiated pride. She laid a hand on his shoulder and said, "That's wonderful, Jaune! I'm glad you're taking your diet more seriously."

Jaune's smiled melted into something more sincere. Maybe eating a little better wouldn't be such a bad thing. He began to dig in to his meal until a crashing sound caught his attention.

There were few things more amusing than putting animals in their place, Cardin thought. Which is why when he saw one of the circus sideshows walking by with a tray full of food, he saw a prime opportunity to de-stress from his class. He tapped Sky's shoulder to get his attention and then got up to follow the freak. The rest of his team quickly caught on and followed him. They surrounded the faunus before she could react and blocked her path.

"What's with the chicken, freak? I thought rabbits ate grass," Cardin sneered. He was so confident that no one would intervene that he didn't even bother to lower his voice. His teammates gleefully joined in. The Sky was first to continue followed shortly by Dove.

"I think she just got confused. Animals don't really know how to adapt to civilized society."

"We should help her then, shouldn't we? It's our duty as gentlemen."

Russel barked a laugh and stepped forward to grab the faunus girl's tray. Her grip tightened and she resisted his pull. His grin turned into a scowl.

"Don't make this more difficult than it has to be, fleabag..."

She hesitated, clearly debating whether or not it would be better to fight back or just let it happen. Cardin decided for her grabbing the tray as well and ripping it out of her hands and throwing it behind him. Food and liquid spilled across the floor in a great clatter. Several students sitting nearby gathered their things and quickly left.

Cardin reached out and tightly gripped her ear, drawing forth a cry of pain.

"Look here, sideshow," he said casually, "we're just trying to help. So why don't you come outside with us so you can have some lunch? I don't think they've cut the grass yet so it should be nice and long for-"

Something wet smacked him on the side of the face and dropped to the floor. He blinked and looked down to see a half-eaten steak sitting on the floor. His gaze turned upwards and zeroed in on a familiar target. Rage flared to life in his chest.

"Arc," he spat.

+You should run now.+

Jaune didn't need to be told twice. He took off and practically threw the cafeteria doors off their hinges. Cardin chased after him, looking ready to commit murder.

"I don't understand why I had to do that!" he cried, more concerned about the large boy behind him than not seeming crazy.

"Because you have a death wish, Arc!" Cardin roared in response.

+This bullying situation cannot stand any longer,+ Roman responded calmly.+You must assert your dominance. As you currently lack the martial prowess to take him on in one-on-one combat, we'll have to get creative with it. Take a right, here.+

He slammed a foot down hard and pivoted towards said direction. Jaune continued his panicked questioning.

"He wasn't doing anything to me though!"

+Hero's step in to stop injustices, correct? It was as good a place to start as any. Take a left.+

Jaune didn't have a response to that so he instead focused on outpacing his pursuer. He knew it was useless. Cardin was a conditioned Huntsman while Jaune was a fraud. Aura and sheer desperation was keeping him ahead so far but the bully was slowly gaining on him.

"You can't get away from me, Arc!"

"Roman!"

+Stick to the right side of the hall. Whatever you do, don't slow down.+

He didn't have any intention of doing so but his stamina wouldn't last much longer. The heavy breathing behind him was growing louder by the second.

+You're going to see a door start opening. Don't slow down. Don't move over to avoid. Just keep running straight.+

True to his word, a door cracked open ahead but didn't swing all the way. A hand was visible on the inner door knob, ready to push it all the way open.

"Roman, I'm gonna-!"

+Keep running.+

Jaune's jaw clenched in fear and he momentarily considered throwing the advice aside. A memory flashed in his head. That very morning when he had gone off script. What had been a fun little back and forth with Yang turned into yet another embarrassing moment among many.

+Trust me, Jaune.+

That's right. He had sworn to never ignore Roman again. He wanted to be a hero and Roman would help him. With that in mind he continued his straight path.

He barely cleared the door before it suddenly opened up and none other than Glynda Goodwitch stepped out with a bundle of papers tucked under her arm. Cardin, who had been following so closely and had no time to react, ran straight into her. They both tumbled onto the ground and paper went flying everywhere.

"MR. WINCHESTER!"

The indignant shriek nearly paralyzed Jaune.

+Now get far away from here.+

He was more than happy to do just that.

Jaune leaned against the wall and took in deep breaths. He had taken random turns until he felt he was far enough away from the pissed Professor Goodwitch. His chest expanded and deflated rapidly as he took in eager breaths.

'Brothers, that was close...'

There was truly nothing more terrifying than Professor Goodwitch.

Roman suddenly materialized in front him. +It had to be close, otherwise he might have avoided trampling her.+

He winced at the thought of accidentally tackling Goodwitch. 'How much trouble do you think he's in?'

+Well, if all went according to my calculations then you shouldn't be seeing him for the next week.+

Jaune's brows furrowed. 'Wait...you knew that was going to happen...?'

The SQUIP rolled his eyes and responded, +Once more, I'm a quantum computer Jaune. I can calculate the probability of events within a given time and space.+

He vaguely remembered Roman saying something about that during breakfast, but he didn't really think about it until now.

'So...you can predict the future?'

Roman made a flippant gesture with his hand.

+Something like that. I suppose that's a close enough approximation.+

The full weight of having a future-predicting computer on his side settled in. Nothing could surprise him anymore. He could show up to any emergency in time to save the day. He could outmaneuver any opponent. The opportunities were endless!

A smirk pulled up at Roman's mouth. +Now you're thinking, Jaune. Are you starting to understand the kind of advantage you have?+ He threw his arm around Jaune's shoulder. +You'll be the greatest hero Remnant has seen since the Last King of Vale.+

It hadn't even been a full day and Roman was proving to be worth his weight in debt. Jaune had never been more thankful to be gullible.

+I'm flattered, but you should never be grateful for your own gullibility. We'll fix that though, don't worry.+ Roman swung his cane around his finger. +Now get back to the cafeteria. You should have just enough time to finish eating.+

Jaune gladly obeyed. The close call with Cardin was now the last thing in his mind and all he could think about was the legends that would be written of him.

A/N: I am my own worst critic to be honest. I lag so hard on updating because I beat myself up over every little mistake I made and every part that could have been written better. Thanks for those of you who are still sticking around for some reason.