Team SWRZ - Volume 1 - Chapter 18 - Team Building!

After talking with Professor Lilith Hale, Schwartz der Hund returned to his dorm room to speak with his teammates. He wasn't entirely sure what he was going to say to them. An apology was out of the equation. Sure, he wasn't one hundred percent right about everything he said to them, but he wasn't entirely wrong either. Regardless, the moment wouldn't be any less awkward for the team.

Bruna had taught him many things about being a leader. One rule she beat into his head was never to apologize, as it showed weakness and regret. Another motto of the bandit tribe was to live life; however one wanted without fear or guilt. He took that lesson to heart and always did as he pleased.

Perhaps that wasn't the best way to live out his days as a Huntsman in training. He didn't doubt Bruna's words or teaching, but he'd at least play the nice guy for the next four years. Afterward, he'd leave his "teammates" behind and never deal with them again. That's a day he couldn't wait to see.

When the young man returned to the door, his teammates weren't too ecstatic to see him again for obvious reasons. Rowan got up from her bed and pulled the curtain to cover hers and Zorina's side of the room. Maybe one day, she'd install a soundproof wall to separate the room as she wanted. Then again, she'd stay trapped with Zorina's incessant rambling.

"This is a surprise," Watchet retrieved his shades from the desk and put them on his face. He stared at his leader and smiled. He couldn't quite explain it, but Schwartz had a different air about him. "It is odd having you back at the dorm at a reasonable hour."

"I talked with Lilith," Schwartz dismissed Watchet's comments. He didn't return to the dorm to argue with his teammates again. That time, he wanted to avoid that outcome.

"Professor Hale?" Watchet blinked in surprise. Had his team leader sought out the advice of an instructor? Perhaps Schwartz was taking a step forward in the right direction after all.

"Yeah, she knocked some sense into me," Schwartz wandered over to his bed and took a seat on the mattress.

"Hmph, that'll be the day," Rowan scoffed, making her doubts about the young man's statement crystal clear. She believed it'd take more than a conversation for Schwartz to learn his lesson.

"Just shut up and listen, okay?" Though Schwartz's words seemed harsh, his tone was soft and somewhat pleasant. Rowan sat up from her bed and pushed the curtain aside. "I may not have been the best team leader as of late, but I want to try and fix that issue."

When those words left his mouth, Watchet, Rowan, and Zorina surrounded him. It was the first time they'd hear their team leader admit fault or guilt in his "leadership" tactics or tendencies. They attentively listened as Schwartz continued to speak. It was perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Watchet was perhaps the happiest out of the team. He was Schwartz's partner, after all. He presumed it would take months for the wild man to realize his faults as a leader. Thankfully, that time came a lot sooner than he expected. Team SWRZ was capable of change.

"What do you have in mind?" Watchet decided to test the newfound change in his team leader.

"I'd like to start with communication," Schwartz answered straightforwardly, shocking his teammates even more. The Huntsman in training took Lilith's advice to heart. If he were to learn and get stronger, he'd need to put some trust and faith in the others. It would take some time, but hopefully, it'd be well worth the wait. "We've been a team for more than a month, and I hardly know anything about you guys."

That was one of the main issues with Team SWRZ. Half of the members refused to engage with others. Watchet and Zorina would try to deepen their relationships with their partners, only for their efforts to waste.

That had to end.

"It's about time you finally opened your ears and decided to listen for once," Rowan snidely remarked. She was one of the team's first members to suggest getting to know one another. However, it wasn't for social reasons, such as bettering her relationship with them.

No, not by a long shot.

Rowan wanted any information she could gather from her teammates. No matter how many databases her friend, Mari Gould, went through, nothing appeared over their names. Who were these people she was allying herself?

"I'll admit, it's surprising to hear all this stuff come from you," Watchet commented. He received a sharp glare from his team leader, but it was the truth nonetheless.

"Well, we must do something for this team to work." Schwartz sighed. It would be a long and tiresome process, but perhaps Team SWRZ would come out on top by the end of everything. The stronger the team got, the stronger he'd become in the future. That's what he sought.

As discussed, the members of Team SWRZ spent the majority of the night talking.

Days passed since their talks, and Team SWRZ showed a drastic change in performance. The team showed decent progress thanks to team-building exercises personally constructed by Watchet. The animosity between Schwartz and Rowan reared its ugly head from time to time. But what team never fought once in a while?

The day of class started as usual but only slightly changed. Professor Hale led a group of students out into the forest. Some students shuddered at the thought of returning to the dangerous place that nearly cost them their lives.

Schwartz and Rowan showed no such signs of discomfort or fear. If anything, they were in their comfort zone. The forest wasn't much of a problem. Instead, it was what lurked inside it that bothered them.

The class set out for an assignment issued to them by the lovely instructor. The goal was to scavenge the forest, collect the listed materials, and slay some Grimm before returning. The only catch was that the students weren't out in entire teams. Only two members from each team got selected to participate in the assignment. The others were back at Haven studying.

Schwartz and Rowan were the "lucky" ones with their names drawn for the assignment. No matter how much they protested, no one bothered to swap places with them. So, the two begrudgingly wandered around the forest, hoping to complete their tasks as soon as possible.

Sure, the group improved as a team, but their relationships as individuals didn't grow so much. Out of the team, Schwartz and Rowan bickered back and forth constantly. A single day couldn't go by without them getting at each other's throats. Schwartz was wild and reckless, never truly having a plan and relying on his instincts to get the job done. Meanwhile, Rowan was strategic and insightful, always wanting to plan before committing to an action. Two opposite people teaming together would no doubt result in a troublesome situation.

It was only a matter of time until they lost it.

"Okay, let's go over the list again," Rowan suggested as she walked behind Schwartz. The team leader swiped his sword around, carefully clearing a path for both of them. "We've collected berries, herbs, saplings..."

"This feels more like we're grocery shopping for the school," Schwartz complained. Nothing about the material-gathering portion of the assignment excited him. He wanted to go and slay as many Grimm as he could while Rowan handled the boring stuff. However, it was against the rules to abandon teammates throughout the assignment. Therefore, he was stuck with her.

Thankfully, it was only a matter of time until the two would get to the fun part.

"Hmmm, I guess we've collected all the supplies listed," Rowan announced and put the list away.

A wide grin appeared on Schwartz's face. With the material-hunting portion over, they could hunt down the Grimm. It'd been about a week since the last time he fought against a creature of destruction, so he was looking forward to the exercise.

"Sweet! Then, let's get to some Grimm hunting!" Schwartz cheered.

"Yeah, yeah," Rowan sighed, knowing that tagging and the spontaneous team leader would only do her more harm than good. But there was nothing she could do. They agreed to collect the items first and then hunt the Grimm. Schwartz fulfilled his side of the deal. Now it was her turn. "Let's try not to pursue anything too dangerous. We don't want these materials getting damaged during the fight."

"Don't worry about it; I'll deal with the Grimm myself." Schwartz boasted.

"If it's just you, then I'm concerned for the safety of your partner," A familiar voice reached the ears of the students. Both showed immediate displeasure once the sound source revealed themselves as members of Team WEIS. Wei Tian, the White Tiger Faunus, and Sunil Ambrus, the Bull Faunus, stepped out from the brush.

"Hello there, Rowan," Sunil happily waved at Rowan. The red-head refused to return the gesture.

"You two already finished collecting materials?" asked Rowan.

"And hunting the Grimm," Wei added, shooting Schwartz an arrogant smirk. Schwartz wanted to wipe that look off the Faunus' face, but fighting amongst other students was prohibited.

"That was fast," Rowan noted the incredible speed of the team. "It hasn't even been an hour yet."

"Team WEIS is just that good," Sunil proudly boasted.

"Under my leadership, that is," Wei ensured that he planted that knowledge in the heads of the others. Team WEIS is one of the most talked-about groups in Haven Academy. They've crushed several records and proved quite formidable in their short timespan as a team. And Wei believed it was all thanks to him.

With his leadership, Team WEIS would reign supreme and spread fear to all those that dared oppose them.

"How many Grimm have you killed?" Schwartz demanded an answer. No matter how many the opposing team slew, he would double, no, triple that number.

Rowan's face immediately turned pale once she spotted the fire in the young man's eyes. That wasn't a good sign. Schwartz was going to get them in trouble.

"I lost count after thirty," Sunil remarked. The pack of Beowolves, the flock of Nevermore's, the stampede of Boarbatusks, King Taijitu's den, and the Death Stalker. Wei and Sunil were quite busy slaying the beasts.

"Ninety it is, then," Schwartz burned that number into his mind and stormed off in a random direction. Rowan gasped in shock and chased after the team leader, not wanting anything to do with hunting that many Grimm.

"Do you think they'll be able to do it?" Sunil wondered. He knew that Schwartz was pretty tough alone, but having Rowan at his side made things difficult. She wasn't noticeably active or even eager for battle like most students.

"Of course not," Wei scoffed and wandered back to the extraction point along with his partner. He didn't doubt for a second that Team SWRZ would fail. They didn't have it in them to surpass their limits. None of them would succeed as Huntsmen in the future. In his eyes, they were better off dead.