Training with Jaune

It was a cool, clear night in Vale. Countless stars twinkling in the sky above. Remnant's fractured moon casting pale light over the entire city. Sitting on a plateau high above the city was Beacon Academy. Training grounds for the next generation of huntsmen and huntresses. Unfortunately, one student in particular was struggling more than all the others.

On the roof of the student dorms, a duo stood in full armor, swords drawn and shields raised. One of them in a stance that had been practiced thousands of times, drilled into her since she was a teenager. The other looking clumsy, unsure of himself. Almost scared of the weapon he held.

"Again," Pyrrha said, preparing for what was to come.

Jaune swung wildly, rushing forward and screaming like a banshee. Right now, Pyrrha was having Jaune work on his offensive sword skill. He had shown some natural talent in defensive work, and now it was time to work on the other side of that coin. Their current exercise was almost insultingly simple. Just get a hit on Pyrrha. However, this was the tenth time around tonight, and the second night in a row, and Jaune had yet to have his sword make contact with her even once.

Jaune brought the sword in from his right side, aiming down towards his teacher's legs. Unfortunately for him, Pyrrha saw this coming a mile away and was easily able to block it. Her shield moving to intercept with little effort on her part.

Jaune took a moment to realize what had happened before he recovered and pulled back, assuming the ready stance that Pyrrha had shown him on their first night of training.

"Again," Pyrrha said simply.

Shaking his head to clear his frustration, Jaune took a moment to look her over, trying to find some obvious area to attack. Unfortunately, his eyes still weren't as well trained as his classmates, and nothing jumped out at him.

Abandoning thought, Jaune simply rushed forward, thrusting his sword straight forward, hoping to catch Pyrrha off guard with such a brazen ****.

Unfortunately, it didn't. With speed that almost rivaled that of Ruby Rose, Pyrrha was able to dodge the blade and disarm him, his sword clattering to the ground a few feet away.

"That one was pretty good," Pyrrha said, smiling. "Much more direct than your other attacks."

"Yeah, yeah," Jaune said flatly, shamefully walking over to retrieve his sword. "Still didn't get a hit."

"That's not important," Pyrrha reassured him. "Progress is still progress. You just need to not telegraph your moves so long in advance. Keep your opponent on their toes."

Jaune picked his sword up and examined it for a moment. The weapon of his great-grandfather. The weapon that had slain so many enemies in the Great War. The weapon of a hero.

"Pyrrha," Jaune began, turning to face her. "I really appreciate you doing this for me."

"Of course," Pyrrha said sweetly, as if there were no other option in her mind.

"But...I'm done."

Pyrrha felt her stomach drop. "Wait. You're...done?"

"Yeah," Jaune said, closing his shield and re-attaching it to his hip. "I just...I'm not making enough progress. Everyone here is leagues ahead of me, and I...don't deserve to go to school with them."

"Nonsense." Pyrrha walked closer and placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "You are making progress. You just need to have patience."

"Don't try to convince me, Pyrrha." Jaune sheathed his sword. "You, Ren, and Nora deserve a better team leader than me." He turned and began walking towards the staircase leading back into the building. "I'm going to tell Goodwitch the truth, tomorrow. Thanks, again. For everything."

Pyrrha was so shocked at his words, she couldn't even bring herself to stop him from leaving the rooftop. He's...quitting? Just like that?

"No," Pyrrha said to herself, shaking her head. "No, he's not leaving. I just need to find some way to make him stay. Some way to make him want to train more..."

Then she got an idea. A bold idea. A drastic idea. But...if all went to plan...it could be just what she needed.

By the time Pyrrha went back downstairs and into the JNPR dorm room, Jaune was already in bed and asleep. Or, at the very least, pretending to be asleep so Pyrrha would leave him alone.

Seeing this, Pyrrha just frowned to herself, feeling sorry for him. However, she had no intention of leaving him alone. Well, she would for tonight. But tomorrow was a different story. Tomorrow, Pyrrha would put her plan in motion.