44 Chapter 44

"Alright." Jaune took a deep breath, steeling himself. "When...when I first came to Beacon, I didn't know WHAT to think. Everyone's weapons here seemed so unique and special for them, when all I had was a hand me down. I didn't even know what aura was, and you ended up saving my life twice during the entrance exam. Even though I ended up passing, it really felt like I didn't belong here. Like I wasn't good enough."

I, for my part, merely nodded. Sometimes it was better to just let someone speak when they had a lot on their mind.

"Do you remember our first spar? Back then, I was so excited when I beat you. It gave me hope, made me think if I could beat someone like you who led us to defeat the Deathstalker, then maybe I really did belong here. After that, you said we would fight three times a day. Honestly, it made me happy. Made me think that we had a connection, that you also understood what I was going through, and wanted to get stronger. That you and I were...well, rivals.

Jaune paused before continuing. "And that I had to do my best to improve so that you wouldn't overtake me. And sure enough, it seemed like you were starting to catch up with me, so I pushed myself even harder so I would keep winning. But...soon enough, I did lose one of our battles. I wasn't upset though, I thought that if I kept pushing myself that I'd catch up to you soon enough. As time passed, the gap between us kept growing, but I didn't quit, convinced that if you could grow, then so could I. That is...until you beat Russel and Cardin back to back."

Except that wasn't ME, that beat the two of them. Problem is, that's not exactly something I could just explain to him.

"It was such a big difference from when you fought against me or the others. Far more skilled than before, using new techniques. A semblance." He paused, looking down at his feet. "You had a semblance this whole time. If you had fought that way against me, I know I wouldn't have stood a chance. All this time, you were holding back against me. You even held back when fighting against Ren and Nora so that I wouldn't find out.

"Jaune...I wasn't holding back, I-"

"Please..." he interrupted me, shaking his head. "Stop. I don't know why you did that, but it's shown me that I really shouldn't be here. That it was pointless to come to Beacon in the first place."

"It wasn't pointless."

"I faked my transcripts okay?!" Jaune suddenly yelled, turning to me. "I didn't have the qualifications to enter this school in the first place! Do you get it now?! I don't know how I even lasted this long!"

Jaune panted after that outburst, visibly agitated. He looked at me with a weary expression, quietly waiting. Trying to see how I would react. Would I be confused? Disappointed? Angry? He seemed to be waiting for the inevitable backlash. However, I wasn't planning on giving it to him.

"Yeah, I already know about all of that."

"You...you what?" Jaune blinked in surprise.

"I've known that you forged your transcripts for a long time. Honestly, I knew even before you arrived at Beacon. And before you ask, psychic, remember?"

Jaune staggered back, his face incredulous. "You-you knew?! This entire time?! Then...why didn't you-"

"Turn you in? I did think about doing that. To be frank, I thought about it a lot. But..." I don't have a right to criticize Jaune for his actions. I don't belong here in Beacon any more than he does, but I didn't let that stop me. As much as I hate to admit it, turning him in would make me a complete hypocrite. And... "I...kinda sympathize with you wanting to grow stronger, I understand the desire to do so. So, I'm gonna give you a chance now that you've come clean and told me."

"A chance? What kind of chance?" Jaune asked uneasily.

"You have two options. One, you can leave this team of your own volition, either coming back next year, or moving on with your life to do something else. Or two." I lifted up a second finger. "You can stick around and keep working for your dream as a huntsman. BUT! If you stay, I guarantee you that it'll be boot camp from here on for you! A team is only as strong as its weakest link, so if you're staying, I'm not gonna let you be weak! I will REALLY put you through the wringer, got it? So, what's it gonna be?"

Jaune thought about all of this for a while, the two of us standing in silence as he mulled it over. All of a sudden, his eyes lit up, and he looked at me with a shocked expression. "I get it now! You've been rooting for me all this time!"

"...what?"

"I'll do it, I'll stay on this team!" Jaune reached out, grabbing my hands and holding them in both of his. His eyes were locked onto mine, filled with deep respect. "I know it's going to be hard on me, maybe even grueling, but I still want to try! I have to do this because you believe in me so much!"

"What?!"

"All this time, you knew that I cheated my way into Beacon, but you didn't tell anyone."

"Well yeah, I knew but-"

"And you held your skill back for my sake, letting me beat you. Sparring with me all this time so I'd improve."

"Wha? No I-"

"I get it now, all this time at Beacon you were looking out for me and trying to motivate me to be the best I could be! Even NOW, you're still trying to convince me to stay, telling me you're going to put in more effort to train me to help me become strong!"

I... REALLY don't know how Jaune connected the dots in such an unusual manner. Is that what my actions looked like to him? This is incredibly embarrassing. To act like I've been some sort of mother hen, watching over him all this time. But...if it motivates him, I guess there isn't a reason to correct it. "...yes...that. Looks like you found me out..."

"I knew it! I won't betray the high expectations you have for me!" Jaune shook my hands, his expression hardening. "I promise you!"

********************************

I didn't sleep well that night. Aside from still trying to process Jaune's misunderstanding, and worrying about how I'd continue to be Aero, I was terrified the moment I fell asleep, I would wake up back in my world. I sighed, turning over in my bed.

"This is a special kind of torture..."

Working hard, and becoming attached to something, only for it to be snatched away from you. Then given back once more, and not knowing if you could truly keep it or not. I wonder if this is how Don Quixote felt? A knight who lived in a fantasy world, pretending to be something greater than he really was. It was all he had. When it was stripped away from him, he had nothing left and died of grief.

"Shit, this is just making it worse."

I ended up with insomnia late into the hours of the night, unable to do much about it. I don't know when I fell asleep, but to my overwhelming relief...I was still here when I woke up. Still exhausted from last night, I ended up skipping Port's early morning class. Falling asleep after I realized Remnant wasn't going to be taken away from me. After which, I called up a meeting with Jaune who was unusually peppy today.

"It took some digging, but I found some people suitable for you to learn from." I said, rubbing my eyes, and yawning.

"Seriously?!" You hired people to train me?!" he asked incredulously.

"Not quite." I pulled out my scroll, showing a video on the screen. On the scroll, there was an image of a man wielding a longsword fighting against a girl with Tonfa. "This is your first 'teacher', Ebony Marx. He's a contestant from one of the past Vytol festivals who made it to the semifinals with just his weapon skill alone. You are going to watch every single one of his fights in the tournament until you can flawlessly replay it in your head, then you are going to try and replicate his moves, footwork, and stance." After getting the idea to learn from Aero's fights with Russel and Cardin, I thought: 'Couldn't Jaune use something similar?'

"Him?" Jaune rubbed his chin "Getting to the semifinals is impressive but...well, he doesn't use a shield like me."

"Ah, that's right. Speaking of which, until further notice, you're not allowed to use your shield."

"What?!"

"Your swordsmanship is okay, but honestly not that great. Your shield is able to cover for your mistakes, but you can't get used to that. If I take away your shield, you're going to have to learn how to fight with just your sword. Learn to not make mistakes. From now on, in every battle, you're banned from using your shield until you reach the level of my approval."

My teammate frowned, pulling out his shield and giving it a long look before closing his eyes for a while. When he reopened them however, they wore a determined expression.

Jaune paused for a moment before nodding. "Understood." he said, handing me his shield. "If you say that's what I need to do, then I just need to do it."

Wow, that was easy. "Er, well I appreciate you willing to trust me to hold onto this. But you really don't need me to take your shield Jaune. Just maybe put it in your locker or something."

"I know." My teammate nodded, wearing sort of a sad smile. "But, I still want you to take it." He turned to the shield in his hands. "I cheated my way into Beacon, and I relied on you to save me twice during the exam. It's strange but...I feel like I have to earn these weapons, you know, earn my place here. These weapons were given to me, not earned. My place at this academy wasn't earned either. This test of yours is like my REAL exam. If I can pass it, I can prove my worth as a huntsman...and as a person."