Hey everybody! We've got an action packed chapter today! All the tension between Cardin and Jaune the last few chapters is coming to a head! Hope you enjoy the fight! As a reminder, I've co-founded a discord server where authors and readers can come together to discuss fic ideas with each other. If you're interested, PM me and I'll be happy to send you an invitation to join! Now then, on to the story!

Chapter 10: The Rematch

Weiss froze when she heard the announcement of who would be fighting. She looked over to her partner to see that his reaction was about the same as hers. This was bad. Very bad. He wasn't ready to face Cardin. He was only just starting to absorb everything they were teaching him. She watched as Jaune hesitantly rose from his seat.

As he turned to walk towards the locker room, Weiss grasped the sleeve of his shirt. He turned to look at her. She didn't know exactly what to say to encourage him. They stared at each other for a bit longer.

"What is it?" He asked.

Weiss remained silent for another few seconds before she said what she thought would be the most logical thing she could think of. "If you give anything less than your best, I won't forgive you."

Jaune smiled at her. "Don't worry. I don't plan to go down easily."

She nodded and let go of his sleeve. He began to walk towards the locker room. The rest of their team and also team RYBN gave him words of encouragement as he walked by. Soon, he was out of sight. Cardin followed, but not before giving them a smug look. Weiss' blood began to boil. If only she was the one fighting him. She'd make him regret ever coming to this school.

"Will Jaune be ok?" Ruby asked, snapping Weiss out of her thoughts.

"I'm sure he'll do well. He's been working really hard and has made a lot of improvements." Pyrrha said, trying to console her partner's worries.

"Yeah...I hope so. What do you think, Weiss?" Ruby asked, turning to face her.

Weiss knew that there was very little hope for their leader. She couldn't lie to the younger girl. But she didn't want to come off as cold and show no support for her partner. "He'll need a miracle to win...but he's got dumb luck on his side. So who knows."

It was a vague answer, but one that she knew would appease Ruby. It seemed to work as she gave a smile at her. "You're right! He's still got a shot!"

Weiss wished she could have Ruby's bottomless optimism. But she was a realist. And what she said was true. Jaune would need a miracle to win. And she knew Cardin was going to come out swinging after their multiple confrontations in the classrooms last week. This really was the worst case scenario.

Jaune was putting on his armor in the locker room. He was nervous and knew he had little chance of beating Cardin the way he was now. Still, he wasn't going to back down. He had stood up to him, now he had to back it up. Jaune closed his locker and let out a loud sigh.

"What's the matter, Jauney boy? You seem worried. Don't tell me that you're all bark and no bite after last week." Cardin said from behind him.

Jaune turned to face the bully who had that biggest, satisfied looking smirk on his face. It pissed him off. "Trust me, Cardin, you aren't going to like my bite."

"Maybe, but you're still going down regardless. Face it, you don't stand a chance. And when I'm done with you, you'll be the laughing stock of the entire school." Cardin laughed as he walked off towards the exit to the arena.

Jaune's fists clenched and his teeth ground together in anger. He took a deep breath to calm himself. He knew that if he let Cardin get under his skin, he'll make too many mistakes in the fight. He needed to be calm, collected and smart. He strapped his sword and shield to his belt and walked off towards the exit as well.

As he pushed through the doors to the arena, He saw Cardin standing on the other end of it, waiting for him. The smug look on his face ever present. The rest of the room was quiet save for a few whispers. He couldn't hear them from where he was, but he could guess what they were saying. Nothing encouraging on his part. He looked to his teammates. Even they didn't have convincing looks on their faces that they thought he could win. Then again, he didn't blame them.

"Well, Mr. Arc, it's time to show us what you've learned since your last battle with Mr. Winchester. You should thank him." Professor Goodwitch said as she addressed him.

"He personally asked to be paired with you so he could assist you with your growth as a fighter. A very noble gesture, wouldn't you say?"

Cardin's grin widened. He lifted his arms and shrugged. "What can I say? I feel it's my responsibility to take on a mentorship role for other students." Cardin said proudly.

So that was his game. He fed Goodwitch some lies about wanting to help him. Jaune had to admit that he hadn't considered that possibility. He didn't think Cardin was smart enough to come up with an idea like that.

"Now then, are you both ready?" She asked, looking between the two.

Cardin lowered himself into his combat stance. "Absolutely!"

Jaune drew his sword and deployed his shield. "Ready."

"Very well. You may begin!"

A horn sounded and Cardin sprinted towards Jaune, wasting no time. Jaune expected as much and prepared himself. As Cardin got closer, he lifted his mace high above his head to come down for a strong strike. Jaune smirked behind his shield at the predictability of Cardin's attacks.

When Cardin swung down, Jaune jumped to the right. The mace hit the ground and a loud clang echoed throughout the room. Jaune gripped his sword tightly and swung at Cardin, who narrowly avoided the attack.

Neither advanced to continue the assault. Cardin stared him down and Jaune returned the favor. He could see the frustration and disbelief on Cardin's face that he wasn't being as much of a pushover as a few weeks ago. His brow was furrowed and he was breathing heavily. That was satisfying in its own right, but Jaune wanted to take it a step further and get a few good licks in. It was risky, but the best way to do that would be to let him get close.

"Hey, come on, Cardin, you can't help me improve if you just stand there!" Jaune taunted.

His ploy worked. Cardin audibly growled as he took long strides towards him, raising his mace for another heavy attack. Jaune took a deep breath and focused his Aura into his shield arm. It began to glow white and he held his shield at the ready. Jaune planted his feet and, as the mace came down, he raised his shield to meet it.

The clash of metal on metal and scraping could be heard as both parties fought for dominance. Jaune knew, even with his enhanced aura, he wouldn't be able to hold out long in a strength contest against Cardin. Jaune thrust his sword forward and aimed for Cardin's stomach, but instead hit his breastplate and Crocea Mors bounced right off. Cardin instinctively jumped back to avoid another strike from Jaune's sword. CRDL's leader ground his teeth in anger.

"Don't get too full of yourself because you got in one lucky strike, Arc!" Cardin spat.

"What's wrong, Cardin, you should be happy! You said you wanted to help me grow as a fighter." Jaune replied, sarcasm evident in his tone. "I just landed a hit on you when I couldn't touch you last time we fought. That's improvement, right?"

Cardin wasn't amused by Jaune using his own words against him. Choking up on his mace, he ran forward once more. Jaune knew that a world of hurt was coming his way if he couldn't block his attacks.

Cardin swung, but his mace didn't strike true as it collided with Jaune's shield. The hulking brute then began to assault him with a flurry of quick strikes. He was much faster than Jaune had anticipated and was beginning to be pushed back.

With each blow, it took all Jaune had to keep from losing his shield. He had no way to retaliate and wasn't expecting it when Cardin mace ceased to strike him. Instead, Jaune was kicked in the chest, knocking him to the floor. Jaune looked up in time to see Cardin holding his mace in both hands above his head. Jaune brought his shield up as quickly as he could, but didn't have time to reinforce his arm with aura as the sound of metal clashing against one another filled the room once more.

Though Jaune's default Aura absorbed the impact, the sheer force of Cardin's attack shot a searing pain through his arm. Jaune grunted in pain and knew he couldn't take another attack like that, rolling out of the way as Cardin mace missed its target. Jaune righted himself and swung at Cardin's legs to force him to retreat. It worked as Cardin leapt back to avoid the attack. Jaune stood up to refocus himself, his breathing labored and sweat dripping from his forehead. He had to wipe it away as it stung his eyes as it flowed into them.

"Looks like you still have some improvement to do, Jauney boy! Otherwise you wouldn't have been knocked on your ass so easily." Cardin mocked him.

The grip on Crocea Mors tightened in anger. It took all Jaune's willpower to resist attacking him right then and there, but he knew better.

His arm still stung from the last attack, but his Aura was doing its best to mask the pain as quickly as possible.

"Alright, think Jaune, what can you do? Three steps ahead like Ruby said. You need plans on top of plans. It's possible to hit him, you know that now." Jaune thought to himself "You just need to find ways to connect that don't hit his armor."

Jaune eyes Cardin up and down and determined that the boy's stomach and legs were his most vulnerable spots.

Cardin tired of waiting and went on the offensive. Spinning his mace before his attacks, he began a quick volley of strikes again. Jaune deflected as best as he could and waited for the right moment. When Cardin attempted another swing, Jaune parried the blow and threw Cardin off balance. If the boy's face was any indication, he certainly wasn't expecting it. Jaune reinforced his sword arm with Aura and made a quick horizontal slash at Cardin's stomach. It connected all the way through. Cardin retreated once again before Jaune could attempt another attack.

"YES! I hit him for real! He's not unbeatable! I can do this!" He pumped himself up mentally.

Jaune looked up to see how much damage he did. Cardin's Aura was still well in the green zone, but the thing that pleased Jaune the most was that bit of black that he saw. That meant he'd improved. He'd have to thank his team and team RYBN for all their help. But first, he needed to drain away that bar a bit more to prove that their effort was worth it. He took a quick peek at his own Aura and saw that he was in a similar situation. Seems Cardin's earlier attack didn't diminish it as much as it felt.

"Hey, where do you think you're looking, Arc?!" Cardin called out.

Jaune turned to see Cardin approaching fast. Cardin began to swing wildly and Jaune had difficulty predicting his movements.

Cardin was still choking up on his mace to give his swings more speed, but there was still so much power behind them. Jaune was thrown off balance when Cardin struck his shield on the side and forced his arm away from his body. He held onto the shield, but knew he couldn't get it back to block in time. Jaune reinforced his sword arm with Aura and brought his sword over to block as a last resort.

Cardin landed a devastating uppercut and, as it impacted with Crocea Mors, an explosion erupted from the head of the mace that sent Jaune flying across the room. Cardin's dust infusion had been activated and it hit like a truck. As Jaune hit the floor, he laid there unmoving. His vision was blurry, his ears were ringing and the whole room felt like it was spinning.

"ne…..up…"

Things were starting to come back into focus. He thought he heard something other than ringing, but he was still too out of it to understand.

"aune...t…up…"

There it was again. It was almost clear, but still not clear enough. He let out a groan as he began to move.

"Jaune, get up!"

He definitely heard and understood that time. He also looked up in time to see Cardin's mace closing in on his face quickly. Jaune rolled to the side just in time, his reflexes kicking in at the last moment. He looked to where the voice had come from. He saw Ruby standing and looking at him worriedly. He stumbled to get up and immediately had to dodge again. Cardin wasn't letting up.

"Come on, Jaune, get it together! If you don't find a way to slow him down, then he's going to finish you! But how do I do it?" Jaune thought to himself. "I can get up in his face and force him to stop advancing."

Cardin's mace connected with the floor as Jaune narrowly avoided another strike.

"But if he knocks me down again, he'll just pummel me. I need a solution where I can shift the momentum in my favor."

Jaune rolled to the left to avoid Cardin's weapon again Jaune swung out with his sword, but Cardin jumped, dodging the attack, and proceeded to continue his assault after landing.

"Damnit, think man!...I gotta take out his legs. That's the best bet I have." That gave him an idea. "Gods, I hope this works!"

As Cardin attempted another attack, Jaune jumped straight back. As soon as he landed, he pushed off as hard as he could and ran forward. Cardin followed suit, suspecting an easy target. Cardin went in for a horizontal swing on Jaune's sword side but, Just before, Jaune slid to the ground and the attack missed. Jaune continued to slide under Cardin's legs and he dragged his sword along Cardin's inner thigh as he went. Cardin staggered and, as Jaune reached the other side, he twisted his body and slashed both of his legs behind the knee caps with one fluid motion.

Cardin let out a yell as his legs were diced by Crocea Mors. It was a modified version of the tactic he used against Ruby in training and it seemed to work here too. Jaune was brought back to reality as Cardin swung his mace backwards and connected with his chest. The power wasn't all there since it was on a back swing, but it was enough to knock Jaune prone. The blonde groaned as he got to his feet, but his strategy seemed to work as Cardin wasn't pressuring him like he had been earlier.

Jaune took this opportunity to gauge their respective Aura levels. It was as he expected. They were just reaching yellow at this point. Excitement welled within Jaune, but worry was also evident. He had gotten this far, but he wondered how much he had left in the tank. The routine that the girls had built for him to increase his stamina definitely helped, but he'd only been at it about two weeks. He still wasn't used to long, drawn out battles like this. His breathing was starting to become ragged and he figured he wouldn't be able to hold out much longer if things dragged on.

"I need to increase my pace without wasting too much more stamina. Ren said that I could boost my mobility if I focused Aura into my legs. I can catch him off guard maybe once like that."

Jaune took a deep breath and visualized his legs being strengthened by his Aura. They began to glow faintly and flicker. He'd never focused Aura into two limbs at once, but this was an actual battle, so he had no room for mistakes.

"Come on, Aura, you can do it!"

As he concentrated more, the glowing around his legs stabilized. Perfect, now he should be able to close the distance relatively quickly, but he needed to avoid a serious blow now that his primary defenses were weakened.

Cardin looked ready to proceed with his next attack since Jaune hadn't made a move sooner. With a push off the ground, Jaune, with the help of his Aura enhanced legs, sprung forward at a much faster rate than even he had anticipated.

Cardin's eyes widened as Jaune, who was once a fair length away from him, was now within striking distance in the blink of an eye. He tried to put up a defense with his mace, but Jaune knocked it away with his shield, leaving him wide open for an attack.

Jaune let out a loud and extensive shout as he struck Cardin with a stab to the chest just below his armor. He quickly followed with a horizontal slash and, finally, finished it with a diagonal slash from his shoulder down to his waist.

Cardin was sent reeling back after taking all three hits head on. Jaune couldn't get caught up in the moment though, he needed to press further while he still had momentum. The attacks had elicited numerous gasps and cheers from the crowd.

Jaune dashed forward once more, closing the distance in seconds. Cardin regained his balance and prepared for the next attack. Jaune swung his sword and connected with Cardin's mace as he brought it up to defend. Jaune swung again and was again blocked. Jaune's battle cry resonated throughout the room as his attacks picked up in both speed and ferocity. Cardin, unable to block cleanly, had to gradually retreat.

Just as Jaune thought he was beginning to make headway, Cardin grabbed his sword. Making no effort to block any longer, he had decided to put a stop to Jaune's assault by taking the brunt of the attack. Jaune's eyes widened in horror as he attempted to pull his sword free, but to no avail.

"You're getting way too cocky, you little shit!" Cardin yelled. "It's time I put you back in your place!"

Without letting go of Crocea Mors, Cardin slowly brought his arm back for what could only be a crushing blow. Jaune immediately released the aura surrounding his legs and focused what he could on his chest as Cardin yanked him forward. Cardin stepped in and delivered a attack akin to a one handed golf swing to Jaune's chest with the addition of his dust explosion. He was sent flying across the arena, skipping a couple times as he hit the ground.

The crowd echoed a unifying 'OOOOH!' as they watched Jaune take the hardest blow of the contest.

Jaune coughed violently as he lay on the ground. His body felt numb as he tried to move even the slightest amount. He had just barely managed to protect himself with the boosted Aura.

Considering Professor Goodwitch hadn't called the match yet, he assumed it was just enough to keep him in the fight. If he took that hit full on without the boost, he was sure that would have been the end.

Problem was, even if he was still in it, he was having a hard time getting up. His body refused to cooperate as he struggled.

"Come on, you need to move! I can't go down like this! I'm so close!" Jaune screamed internally.

He grit his teeth and attempted to lift himself again, but it wasn't working. He was barely even able to grip his sword or his shield at this point.

"Damnit! Is this really all I'm capable of?! I'm going to let them all down again! After they worked so hard to help me, this is how I repay them?! By losing in spectacular fashion?!"

"Get up, Jaune!" A voice cried out from the audience.

Jaune was able to turn his head to the side to see who it was. Ruby was standing again, encouraging him like she had done before. Yang hopped up next.

"Come on, Vomit Boy! Don't let this clown win!"

Nora was the next to jump up "Yeah! You're tougher than this! You survived my bootcamp! The only other person to do that was Ren!"

Pyrrha didn't stand, but she offered encouragement too. "We believe in you, Jaune! You can't give up now!"

Blake and Ren were stoic as usual, but he could tell from their expressions that they were encouraging him in their own way.

Jaune smiled as his team and sister team were trying to will him to move. He gave it another shot and was starting to gain traction until Cardin shoved him back to the ground with his boot and planted it on his chest to keep him there.

"Isn't that cute, you have your own cheerleading section! Haha!" Cardin taunted with a smug laugh. "Too bad they're going to have to sit back and watch as I finish you off."

Jaune tried to move his sword arm to force Cardin back, but Cardin stepped on his arm to keep it from moving as well.

"This is what happens when you stand up to me, Arc. I'll admit, you did a lot better than I was expecting. But there was no way you were going to beat me."

"He's right. I was stupid to think I could beat someone who's been training their whole life while I've only trained for three weeks." Jaune thought dejectedly.

Cardin slowly raised his mace above his head and gripped it with both hands. "Nighty night, Jauney boy."

Jaune closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable final blow. He gave it a good run, but that run ends here.

"Don't you dare give up, Jaune!" Weiss screamed from the stands.

His eyes opened immediately. "Weiss?"

Jaune looked to where he heard her call and she was standing next to Ruby. An expression mixed with determination and worry evident on her features.

Cardin growled angrily. He took his focus off Jaune to glare at the girl. "Shut up already, you annoying bitch!" He spat.

Something within Jaune snapped. "Take that back!" He yelled at the boy towering over him.

Cardin's attentioned refocused on him. "Or what? Last time I checked, you're not in the position to be making demands at the moment."

Jaune's body began to glow, visibly startling Cardin. "You know nothing about her! Take it back!"

Cardin shook off his momentary hesitation. "I know enough. She's just a rich snob who can throw her dad's money around and get whatever she wants."

"You're wrong! She may put up a cold exterior, but she cares deeply for her friends and is willing to put in the effort and time to help them succeed! She'll even sacrifice her own studying and training to help others if they need it! She's a thousand times the person you'll ever be!"

The glow around Jaune's body intensified as he spoke. The worried look on Cardin's face resurfaced and he was determined to end this before it went any farther. He raised his mace once more.

"It doesn't matter, you're finished anyway!" He yelled as he swung with all his might.

As the mace crashed down, Cardin was blown back by a shockwave of force as Jaune's Aura repelled the attack. The intensity and unexpected nature of the shockwave caused Cardin to lose his grip on his mace and it was sent flying several feet away from its owner.

Jaune was as shocked as anyone at what happened. He looked down at the rest of his body to see it glowing again, but he didn't remember activating his Aura like that. His body also felt much less heavy and was able to move again. The glowing stopped shortly after.

He didn't question it further, so not to lose his momentary advantage. He gripped his sword and shield and stood. Cardin was still on the ground attempting to get up, but he was slow to move just as Jaune was earlier.

As Jaune began his approach, Cardin began backing up while still on the ground, fear evident in his eyes. "Wait, please, I-I'm sorry! I'll take it back!" The bully pleaded.

Jaune held the tip of his sword in front of Cardin's face, a small squeal escaping him.

"Surrender." Was all Jaune said.

"O-ok, I'll do it! I'll surrender!" Cardin stuttered out.

Satisfied with the answer, Jaune lowered his sword and turned around to face Professor Goodwitch, who looked ready to call the match.

Cardin smiled wickedly as his opponent had turned his back on him. "Like I'd actually surrender to a flunky like you!" He yelled.

Cardin shot up from the ground and aimed a punch for Jaune's head. His actions were met with a solid strike from Jaune's shield to his face as he spun around and delivered a crunching hit.

Cardin fell face first into the ground with a thunderous thud and laid unmoving. Jaune lowered his shield arm and looked again to Professor Goodwitch who had her whip at the ready to stop Cardin had he failed to.

She lowered the whip and adjusted her glasses. "Well then, since it seems Mr. Winchester is unable to continue the match, I now declare Jaune Arc the victor."

His friends erupted in applause and cheers from the top of the classroom. In a trickle effect, more applause came from the rest of the students who were thoroughly impressed by the display. It wasn't a fancy match filled with super speed or over the top movements and attacks. It was a down and dirty brawl. One that Jaune had emerged victorious. The moment was surreal. He wondered if he was dreaming as he looked around to see all the students who doubted him and talk behind his back now cheering for him.

"Well Mr. Arc, I must say that I am highly impressed with your growth. It's like you're a completely different fighter than you were when you first fought Mr. Winchester." Professor Goodwitch complimented.

Jaune stood at attention. "Thank you, ma'am!"

"Your resourceful tactics proved very effective against an opponent who prioritizes brute strength over strategy. So you used your superior agility to strike at openings in his defenses when they presented themselves. Your use of Aura to increase your physical power momentarily was also well timed and effective. Especially for someone who only discovered Aura during initiation." Goodwitch allowed a small smirk to form on her face as she said that last line.

"It was also quite unexpected to see you use a more advanced version of Aura manipulation to use your opponent's force against them and repel their attack. It takes many hunters a significant amount of time to learn to control their Aura to that extent. Well done."

Jaune had no idea how he did that, so he was just going to smile and nod as the saying went in this case.

"There are still many areas you'll need to improve upon, however."

Jaune flinched as the Professor's tone turned harsher.

"Your movements are still sluggish. A more agile opponent would have no issues breaking through your defenses while also easily avoiding your attacks. Even Mr. Winchester's attacks were able to break through once he increased the pace of his strikes."

It's true. Jaune didn't fare so well when the pace picked up. He'll be sure to work on that with the girls when his training resumes.

"Additionally, while enhancing your Aura is useful for adding an extra kick to your strikes, I would also highly recommend adding a dust component to your weapons. You saw first hand how powerful Mr. Winchester's weapon became with its use. I believe you can achieve the same result."

Dust huh? The thought did intrigue him. He'd seen many uses of dust in weaponry from his own teammates as well as team RYBN. He'd have to look into it more.

"That will do for now. Congratulations again on your victory, Mr. Arc. I look forward to seeing you further improve during your time here."

"Thank you ma'am!" Jaune shouted a bit too loud.

"While I would like to critique Mr. Winchester, you seem to have knocked him out cold. I'll need to have him sent to the infirmary."

Jaune rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously. "Sorry about that."

Glynda shook her head. "You did nothing wrong."

She held out her whip and Cardin began to float. "I'll be taking Mr. Winchester personally. In the meantime, Nora Valkyrie and Sky Lark, you'll be fighting next. Please prepare yourselves and we'll begin the match once I return."

With that, the professor floated Cardin out the faculty exit on the arena level. Jaune stood unmoving. It still hadn't sunk in that he really won. It wasn't long, but for three weeks, he'd been subjected to Cardin's bullying ever since he lost to him the first time in such a humiliating way. Now, he was standing victorious.

He then realized that he needed to get off the stage so that the next fighters could be ready when the professor got back. He quickly headed towards the locker room to change and return to his team. As he entered the combo for his locker, he felt a painful slap on his back that knocked his head into the metal door.

"Great work out there, Jaune!" Nora said, identifying herself as his assailant.

"Thanks Nora, but next time, I could do without the physical abuse." He said as he rubbed his head.

"I just knew my bootcamp would come in handy! Anyone who could survive that has potential!"

"Actually, I wanted to ask you about that. How many people-"

"Hey Arc!"

Jaune was interrupted by Sky who had called out from behind them. Nora stepped in front of Jaune.

"Oh no you don't! You're fighting me! you'll have to avenge your boss some other time!" She demanded.

"I'm not here to challenge him. I'm here to tell him...good fight."

With that, Sky turned to walk away, but stopped briefly. "You know, he's not gonna take this loss easy. He'll come after you again."

"Tell him I'd be happy to knock him out again anytime he wants to go another round." Jaune responded.

Sky let out a sort of snort like laugh and walked out of the doors to the arena. Jaune and Nora stood in silence for a moment longer.

"Well, that went better than expected." Jaune said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah. I'm still going to destroy him." Nora responded with a look of anticipation.

"Haha, I don't doubt it!"

"Welp, I better get out there and be ready for when the Professor comes back! Hurry up and go see your team! They're waiting for their heroic leader to make his triumphant return!" Nora said, giving him an equally painful slap on the back once more.

"Thanks...I'll do that." He said, trying not to let the pain slip into his voice.

Nora skipped away and he began to change. The locker room was quiet. If he hadn't knocked Cardin out, he was sure that he'd be trying to pick another fight. Cardin most likely wouldn't back off until Jaune had thoroughly defeated him. Jaune just barely scraped by in that fight. If it wasn't for his aura repelling Cardin's last attack, it would probably be him the professor was carrying to the infirmary.

Once Jaune finished changing, he stood in front of the doors to the viewing area of the classroom. With a deep breath and a smile, he exited.

As the doors to the locker room opened, Weiss and the rest of her team watched as Jaune emerged. A smile as wide as can be on his face. Ruby hopped up from her seat and semblanced her way over to Jaune, effectively knocking him over as she wrapped him in a hug with rose petals fluttering above. Weiss was tempted to laugh, but remained composed.

"Jaune that was amazing! You were so cool out there!" Ruby squealed, still clasping onto the boy.

"Thanks, Ruby, but would you mind letting go? I barely have any Aura left and even a tight squeeze would probably be enough to kill me at this point." Jaune joked.

"Oh! Sorry!" She said as she let go and stood up.

Jaune stood as well and began walking towards his seat next to Weiss. He received congratulations from Blake and Ren as he walked by. Yang gave him a high five and shared some 'kind' words about how he put Cardin in his place. They shared a good laugh. He took his seat between herself and Pyrrha.

"Excellent work, Jaune! You handled yourself well out there!" Pyrrha complimented with a smile.

"Thanks, Pyrrha." Jaune said, rubbing his neck. "It could have gone either way though. I got lucky really.

"Luck is a part of combat too. You never know what could happen on the battlefield to turn the tables on your opponent." She countered. "Plus, Weiss did say that you'd need dumb luck to win." She giggled.

"Gee, thanks for having confidence in me. Not." He laughed.

Weiss couldn't help but feel a bit of pride as well. They had worked him to the bone the last three weeks and he had come leaps and bounds from where he first started. He deserved the praise for his efforts.

"While it wasn't the most...elegant display, you won. That says a lot about your progress. You did well. Despite your dumb luck." Weiss praised, in her own unique way.

Jaune's grin widened at her words. "Thanks, Weiss! That means a lot, coming from you."

She mock scoffed. "Well of course. I don't hand out praise to just anybody I'll have you know...and...thank you."

"Hmm? For what?" He asked.

Weiss fidgeted a bit in her seat. "For...standing up for me when Cardin called me a...you know." She trailed off.

Jaune knew based on his expression of disgust. "That jerk had no right to call you that. I'll be sure to tell him off once he wakes up."

"It's alright, Jaune. I've heard it plenty of times before. It's nothing that I can't handle."

"That still doesn't give him the right to call you that!" Ruby chimed in as she took her seat again.

"That's right. He's lucky it wasn't me he was fighting." Pyrrha said. She immediately turned to Jaune. "Not that you didn't do a good job!" She said waving her hands.

Jaune chuckled. "I know what you meant."

"Regardless, thank you for what you said and did. I suppose it will excuse your sloppy performance."

He laughed. "You just had to throw in that extra bit didn't you? By the way, what exactly did he mean when he said that you just throw money around to get what you want? Are you rich or something?"

...no...there's no way that he...that was impossible. He was a dunce, but he couldn't be that…

"Jaune...Do you not know who her family is?" Pyrrha asked, formulating the question that Weiss wanted to ask.

"Hmm? Schnee? Can't say that I do."

Oh gods, he really was that dumb. "Jaune...my family owns the Schnee Dust Company."

"Oh, is that a big company?" He asked innocently.

"Jaune! It's the largest distributor of dust in all of Remnant! How can you have possibly not heard of it?!" She finally yelled, capturing the attention of many other students.

"Whoa take it easy!" He said putting his hands up in defense. "Is it really that big of a deal?"

"Is it- what?! You can't be serious! Dust is the most used tool of hunters and even businesses across the continents! Do you remember the dust shop we visited the day of initiation?"

"Yeah?"

"My family supplies that shop! We supply almost all dust shops across the world! Does that put it in perspective for you?!"

Weiss breathed heavily after finishing her onslaught of words at her partner, who's expression just remained dumbfound. First, he didn't know about Aura. Now he didn't know about dust or the Schnees? How sheltered was he?

"Uhh, to be fair, I didn't know either." Ruby said, raising her hand.

Weiss slapped her palm to her face. Why was she not surprised. At least Pyrrha had a proper head on her shoulders, but these two were hopeless.

"Thinking back on it, I guess it does make sense. Nobody else had butlers attending to them on orientation night. Much less had an entire nightstand set up for themselves." Jaune commented. "Guess that means that calling you princes and Ice Queen were pretty spot on!" He grinned stupidly.

Weiss' face flushed with anger. "Stop calling me that!"

"Which one? Princess or Ice Queen?" He replied with a cheeky smirk.

"Both! You're making me regret ever giving you any praise! I wish Cardin smashed your stupid face in!"

"Now now, let's calm down." Pyrrha said, laughing nervously.

"Oh, that reminds me, can you help me pick out some dust to use for my weapons? Professor Goodwitch recommended that I start using it. Since you're so knowledgeable on the subject, I guess you'd be the best person to ask." Jaune said casually.

"I heard her recommend it, go look for yourself!" She spat back.

"Awww come on, don't be like that! I really need your help with this!" He whined.

"Yeah, Weiss! Don't be so stingy! You probably know more about dust than anyone in this room! Help him out a bit!" Ruby pleaded Jaune's case.

"You use dust don't you? Why don't you help him?" Weiss countered.

"I use dust bullets. They're not the same as a sword."

Curse her and her valid point. "What about Pyrrha? She uses a sword...among other weapons" She tried again.

"Actually, I don't use dust." Pyrrha simply responded.

Weiss was getting frustrated as she was running out of options. She could recommend Yang, but it would be the same argument as Ruby. Same goes for the rest of team RYBN she assumed. She sighed as she admitted defeat.

"Fine, I'll help you." She reluctantly agreed.

"Great! Thanks, partner!" Jaune said happily.

"Don't remind me." Weiss returned.

"Hmm, about what?"

"That I'm your partner."

To Be Continued

AN: Welp, our hero won out in the end! Honestly, I originally felt that Jaune should lose this fight, but I felt this was more justified. I felt this fight needed to be decided earlier in the story than having this plot point drag on too long. Hope you all liked the chapter and again, if you'd like to join the discord, feel free to PM me. Until next time, CYA!