Jaune's Pineapple Jam Part 2 Ch 22.

Apologies for the delay, everyone! Consecutive major earthquakes in my country had me being sent to fieldworks all over the place. I was only really able to sit down and write this yesterday. Still, I hope you enjoy it!

-----

“I told you not to worry about how I’m going to protect you.”

Jaune could only smile wryly as Ilia smirked towards them, before he could even say anything, however, another voice cut in.

“Ilia?! How?! What?! Why?!” Blake asked rapidly, excitement coloring her voice, even as Ilia only smiled towards her.

“Didn’t you hear? We’re participating.”

Blake, however, only grew more excited at that as she suddenly grabbed Ilia by the shoulders.

“Is this what I think it is?! I can’t believe this is happening right now!”

Jaune, however, only tilted his head at that. 

“Why, what is it, Blake?” 

Sure, it was a surprise and a little bit exciting to learn Ilia was participating with her own team, but he didn’t understand how Blake could be this excited. The answer, however, came from an unexpected source.

“Come now, Jaune. A whole team made up of Faunus coming in from a Faunus state is finally stepping into the world stage? Representation, that’s what it is. And I for one, am happy that it has happened.” Weiss Schnee butted in, surprising the Faunus there most of all, as she smiled at them.

Jaune wasn’t ignorant at how significant that must’ve been, but he could only chuckle as he watched Ilia’s team have their jaws drop open at Weiss’ pronouncement.

It took Ilia stepping forward with an embarrassed smile on her face to break the silence. 

“Uhh…thanks, I guess. We appreciate it coming from you.”

It must’ve been awkward to thank a member of the family they were supposedly at war with, but Jaune’s heart warmed as he saw a friendship, or at least an understanding, begin to form between Ilia and Weiss.

Before anything else can be said, however, a voice rang out from all across Amity Arena.

“Citizens of Remnant! Welcome to the 40th Vytal Festival!”

And just like that, eyes snapped towards the source and silence fell all over the arena as they all watched a dais suddenly rise from one corner of the arena.

There, standing for all to see, was Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch in front of a microphone.

“Behold! Standing before all of you today is the future of our world!”

Her eyes looked towards them, and Jaune couldn’t help but perk up as her hands waved outwards.

“Look upon them! Humans, Faunus, Valeans, Atlesians, Mistralians, and Vacuoans! Their origins are as varied as all of us here today! Yet while they may have different dreams, and motivations, they also all have one thing in common!”

Mutters started to ring out from both participants and audiences alike at the reminder of their differences, while also wondering what they all had in common.

Jaune saw, however, that Headmistress’ Glynda’s eyes only hardened as she looked over them.

“They, the future of our world, have decided to take up arms against our one true enemy, the Grimm!”

Chills ran down Jaune’s spine. It was a reminder that despite the competition they were a part of today, their real enemy, the only enemy that matters, was the Grimm.

He could feel everyone around him tense just as he did as they processed the reminder. Headmistress Goodwitch, however, was not done just yet.

“This is what the Vytal Festival truly represents! A coming together of all our strengths despite our differences! A testament to what we can achieve when we work towards a common goal! And today, we celebrate it as a monument to peace, unity, and harmony despite our differences!”

Strong. That’s the only way Jaune could describe it. People weren’t clapping and roaring across the stands just yet, but he saw some of them start to think thoughtfully of Headmistress Goodwitch’s words. When Ilia’s team came out, they were met with mixed reactions, there was some polite clapping, some jeers, but most of all confusion.

Now, however, after listening to Headmistress’ Goodwitch speech, nobody was jeering anymore. Instead, those who disapproved earlier now only glowered somberly at Headmistress Goodwitch’s words. It was a stark reminder that despite tensions between the races, they had a much more terrifying enemy.

The Grimm.

Still, Headmistress Goodwitch did not finish her speech with that grim reminder. She smirked, and immediately, Jaune felt a chill run down his spine.

“But with all of that said, we have 17 teams today, ready to showcase the best of the next generation! Now you’re all probably wondering just how we will conduct a tournament for 17 teams, but do not worry, I assure you, you will not be disappointed.”

Mutters started out from the crowd once again, this time however, they were more curious about Headmistress Goodwitch’s words.

“Previous arrangements would have us watch teams of four fight against each other one at a time for the first round. Obviously, we could not do that for an odd number of teams.”

Eyes snapped towards Ilia’s team at that, but credit where credit was due, they stood stoically as people began to study them. Jaune himself noted that other than Ilia, she had with her a Spider Faunus, a Bat Faunus, and a Horse Faunus.

He was jolted out of his thoughts, however, when Headmistress Goodwitch continued, with amusement in her voice.

“So to compensate, we have thought of a solution. Instead of one by one, today, you will see all 17 teams fight against each other at the same time!” 

“Wait, what? What did she just say?” Jaune blinked, and he wasn’t alone at that, as more than one pair of eyes landed back towards Headmistress Goodwitch. 

Immediately, his hands went for Crocea Mors just as he saw the others do the same. But before anyone else could so much as throw a punch, the ground shook.

Beneath them, the floor began to open up, and everybody had to scramble backwards with their own teams as what seemed like a whole mountain rose up from right in the middle of the arena.

Jaune’s own feet threatened to fail, and he almost stumbled onto his ass as he suddenly found himself on the base of a mountain with the rest of his team and a forest around them.

He could hear Ilia’s team cursing somewhere around them, but Jaune was too busy making sure his own team was alright to pay attention to others. It was anybody’s guess who else was nearby, but he was betting it was Team RWBY considering they were just next to each other before the landscape changed.

He had many questions ranging from the how, the what, and the why, but a loud buzzer told him that this was no time to think of such questions.

Headmistress Goodwitch, however, only waved her arms around her at that.

“Remnant, I present to you, the first round! Battle Royale: King of the Hill!”

And just like that, the crowds roared as Jaune’s eyes widened. 

“Battle Royale?”

“Standard tournament rules apply! Eliminate opponents by knocking their Aura down to 15% or by way of ring out! The last eight teams surviving with members will move on to the next round!” 

“King of the Hill?”

“The team, however, that is holding the flag on top of the mountain at the end of 5 minutes, will receive an advantage for the next round!”

That explained that at least, and as eyes turned towards the top of the mountain, a flag with the combined symbols of Vale, Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo appeared.

“The game will start in 10, 9, 8….”

Jaune only had one thought in mind as he worriedly looked towards Pyrrha at that.

Shit.

—-----

Arslan Altan knew she had a problem.

“3!”

She was competitive, obsessive, and utterly aggressive when it came to fighting.

“2!”

Especially when it came to fighting her rivals.

“1!”

And there was none more worthy a rival than one particular person.

“0!”

“Follow me!” She shouted, her team falling in behind her as her foot slammed into the ground and cratered it as she let the force rocket her forward.

Arslan Altan was a blur, ducking under a mace and bullets alike as she climbed up the mountain looking for one particular person. 

She didn’t care about the flag. She didn’t care about any other teams. All she cared about was her.

She didn’t have to look far, because five seconds in and just as she was climbing the slope, she saw it from the corner of her eyes.

Red hair flowing in the wind like fire. 

There!

Near the foot of the mountain.

Immediately, she wheeled towards it, using her elevated position as a perfect jump off point, Arslan leapt. 

“PYRRHA!!!!!” She shouted as she cocked her fist.

This was it.

The time of reckoning.

The moment when she could finally clash against her rival in the largest stage there ever will be.

Arslan was ready, and despite Pyrrha probably not seeing her in the same light, she knew the four time Mistralian regional champion was more than up to the task of giving her a fight. 

After all, Arslan has never won a match against her.

Four fights and four losses.

That was their record.

Now, however, Arslan was going to eke out a win.

A fierce grin crept up her face as she flew through the air. Her vision narrowed as Pyrrha turned to face her.

Clang!

Predictably, a shield met her punch.

What was not predicted, however, was who that shield belonged to.

“Sorry, but I can’t let you hurt my wife.” Jaune Arc, the man on everyone’s lips, smiled nervously from behind his shield.

Hero of Vale he might be, Arslan, however, had another name for him as of this moment.

“INTERLOPER!” 

Her knee snapped forward, slamming into the shield to push the man back. Arslan’s eyes, however, were still focused on one particular person.

Olive green eyes met emeralds, and she immediately bared her teeth as Pyrrha only smiled softly at her.

“Face me, Pyrrha! Let us have our rematch!”

Contrary to expectations, however, Pyrrha Nikos only stretched her hand outward and leapt back with two words on her mouth.

“I forfeit.”

—------

“And there we have it, folks! Ten seconds into the round, and we already have our first elimination!”

“Right you are, Peter! Pyrrha Nikos has just forfeited from the tournament!”

Despite the VIP box they were in, Athena Nikos could feel the arena reel in shock at her daughter’s forfeiture. 

Athena, however, did not care.

She only cared about whether her daughter was safe or not.

And as her daughter finally exited the arena and headed back towards the tunnel, Athena could finally breathe out a sigh of relief.

“It’s okay, Athena. She’s safe. Pyrrha is going to be fine.” Kali called out comfortingly, and all Athena could do at that was give her a soft, relieved smile.

That’s right. Pyrrha was fine. Pyrrha was safe. Her daughter was now away from the fighting.

The same could not be said, however, for the rest of the parents there with her.

She could see the worry in Willow’s eyes as she looked down at the arena, even Juniper bit her lip worriedly as she watched the tournament continue. The only ones who weren’t so affected were Nicholas, Ghira, and Kali.

“Not worried about your own daughter?” Athena asked, but Kali only shrugged at her carelessly.

“Not really, it’s just a tournament. Besides, if Blake could survive running away with the White Fang, then she could survive this.”

She could see Ghira’s brow twitch at that, but he only grumbled in agreement.

“She’s right. As much as I hate it, Blake has already faced worse than this. I daresay all our children have after The Breach.” 

Athena frowned at that. It was a grim reminder that their children have already faced trials worse than she had. In fact, they’d probably have to face more if they continued with their career.

The only saving grace about that, however, was the fact that they weren’t going to face it alone. They would face it together.

That was something at least.

Athena breathed a sigh of relief at that. Still, that did not mean that they couldn’t worry as parents. Willow and Juniper were still watching worriedly as the tournament continued on, after all.

“What happens now?” She asked, noting that Beacon students found themselves in the southern face of the mountain with the team from Menagerie. They weren’t far from each other, but trees were still in the way even as

In contrast, the Atlesians found themselves on the north, Mistralians to the east, and Vacuoans to the west. It might have been unintentional, but it looked as if the mountain managed to separate them towards the cardinal direction their own kingdoms were located on a map of Remnant.

It would’ve been funny if it didn’t seem as if every other team were trying to find their way to Beacon’s. Instead of climbing up the mountain towards the flag like everybody expected, more than a couple of teams wheeled south.

To Beacon.

Towards one particular person.

With that in mind, there was only one answer to her question.

And this time, it was Nicholas who voiced it out.

“Now? Now, they fight.”

—----

Jaune winced as his shield shook in his hand from the flurry of blows that were thrown towards him. The woman who called out Pyrrha, however, only raged furiously as Jaune took her attacks.

Arslan Altan, his mind supplied.

Pyrrha’s rival during her younger days in the tournament circuit. 

Someone who they knew would seek her out, and someone Pyrrha had told them to watch out for.

Jaune could see why.

Her attacks rattled him despite the shield between them. And her fury at being denied a fight with her supposed rival only added weight to her fists.

Still, that did not mean Jaune was helpless himself. He pulled back, drawing her closer, and as he deliberately raised his shield just a little bit too high, Arslan attacked.

Her foot rose forward, aiming to kick his shield up a little bit higher to open him up for a quick combo. 

Jaune let her, a smirk creeping up his face.

Because just before any of her attacks could actually land, a hammer came smashing in from the side.

“Here’s Nora!” Nora grinned as Arslan folded, barely managing to block the blow by bracing her shoulder. The force, however, was enough to launch the woman through a tree and into the forest.

Pyrrha’s assessment was right. Arslan really did have a tendency to have tunnel vision that made her vulnerable to surprise attacks and unconventional techniques. Them fighting with their teams only made it easier to catch her off guard.

Still, that meant he himself had to be careful because just as they finished dealing with Arslan, fighting around him erupted.

“Incoming!” Ren shouted, StormFlower spitting out bullets, as the rest of Arslan’s team caught up.

They came from above them, peeking past the slope as they charged down towards them. Two men slid down on foot, their weapons at the ready, as Ren and Nora charged up to meet them.

The third member, however, a woman riding a hoverboard, streaked past above them.

Jaune only had a moment to see small round shadows, and it took an embarrassing moment of time for him to realize what they were.

Grenades.

They were grenades.

Time slowed, and a breath left of his mouth just as he felt a foot on his side.

His eyes flickered this way and that, trying to take in as much as he could as he tried to process everything was happening.

Arslan’s team had the height advantage, and Ren was keeping away a couple of guys from them with StormFlower while Nora was moving forward to support him. 

Meanwhile, Jaune was slowly tumbling to the side, trying to take note of the other teams beside him as his Aura took the damage for him. He knew that they were sandwiched between Ilia and Team RWBY before the landscape changed, but it didn’t make sense that he would receive a kick from either of them.

Unless, of course, someone from Ilia’s team didn’t receive the memo that they were friends.

“Jaune!” 

He stumbled as he turned towards the source.

It was Blake.

Blake had kicked him out of the way just before a grenade exploded where he had just been. 

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The slope became engulfed in a barrage of light and heat. Jaune, however, only had to cover his eyes as his Aura took the brunt of the blow while looking for Blake.

He never should have been worried.

She vanished, her Semblance taking the hit for her as it pushed her away from the explosions to land beside him.

“You okay?” She asked worriedly, but Jaune only let out an amused huff as he looked back at her.

“I could have taken it, you know? I wasn’t really in any danger.”

For emphasis, he flared his Aura, allowing its glow to shine brightly throughout his body.

Another voice, however, only berated him for that.

“Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”

“Weiss!” Jaune winced, but a smile crept up on his face as Weiss landed gracefully beside them with Myrtenaster on hand.

Her eyes scanned their surroundings, watching for any threat before look back on him.

“It was careless of you to allow yourself to be caught off guard in the first place. You should thank Blake for not letting you receive any kind of damage in the first place.”

Jaune could only roll his eyes at that, but nevertheless, he smiled indulgently towards Blake.

“Fine, thanks for looking out for me, Blake.”

“Any time.” Blake chuckled amusedly, while Weiss herself nodded with a smile on her face.

“Good.”

“Whipped.” A voice cut in, but Jaune could only grin as he looked towards the source.

“Yang!”

Yang walked into view from behind a tree, a smile on her face as Ruby came zooming past her.

“Hey, Jaune!”

“Ruby!” Jaune greeted excitedly, watching petals fly all around them as Ruby took her position next to her best friend with Crescent Rose out in her sniper form.

The reprieve didn’t last long, however, because explosions rocked the side of the mountain as Nora called out to them.

“Uhm, guys?! Less talking and more fighting! We’re in the middle of a fight over here!”

Fight was an understatement, because as Jaune looked up the slope towards Nora’s position, he found that more than one pair of teams were peeking over the edge. Worse, a shadow flew past them and Jaune looked up to see Arslan hanging onto her teammate’s hoverboard.

One thing was for certain, they were about to be attacked from multiple sides.

“Go! We’ll make sure nobody flanks you if you do the same for us!” Ruby shouted, cocking Crescent Rose with a smile on her face.

Jaune smiled back, brandishing Crocea Mors as he nodded his head.

“Sounds like a deal.”

It was a smart plan, things were already feeling pretty crowded as it was, and getting taken out by a grenade run was not in his things to do during the first round.

“Alright! Team RWBY, let’s go kick some butt!” Ruby beamed back as she expertly spun Crescent Rose behind her back.

“See you around, VB!” Yang grinned, shooting him finger guns as Ruby grabbed her hand before disintegrating into rose petals and zooming up to intercept Arslan and her teammate.

Jaune blinked at the sight, but a kiss on the cheek had him focusing on Blake as she smiled up at him.

“Take care, Jaune.”

“Good luck.” Weiss added, kissing his other side with a smile on her face, before manifesting a glyph on her and Blake’s feet to follow after Ruby.

“Good luck, everyone! I’ll see you in the next round!” He called out, chuckling as he turned to fight his own battles.

17 teams.

67 people now that Pyrrha was gone.

That's how many they were right now.

Jaune cracked his neck as he had one thought in mind.

It was time to trim those numbers down.

Unbeknownst to him, however, trouble was already brewing on the other side of the mountain.

—---

17 teams

Even for Cinder, that was a little bit too much. Especially, when she was fighting without using Maiden powers and a wholly different fighting style.

That didn’t mean she was utterly helpless, however.

Her fist snapped forward, punching an Atlesian student straight in the gut and launching him straight through a tree.

His teammate tried to retaliate, charging forward with a roar as he sliced sideward with a chainsword.

It was easy to duck under the heavy blow, but Cinder scoffed as she felt a weight land on her shoulders.

It was Neo, using her as a springboard to leap over the Atlesian. The man’s eyes tried to follow her, but Cinder took the opportunity to land an uppercut on his chin that took him off his feet. And before he could even react, Neo was already using the man’s momentum to slam him face-first into the dirt. 

“Had enough yet?” She asked, staring at the remaining two members of Team SLVR, who Emerald and Mercury were making quick work of.

The two boys tried to retreat, but it was futile. Emerald and Mercury finally put them out of their misery and knocked them out of the round.

Still, it’s not like she went out of her way to dismantle this particular team. In truth, they were the ones who bumped into them and picked a fight.

She shook her head, clicking her tongue as she crossed her arms.

Again, 17 teams, and they just had to pick a fight with hers.

The poor fools.

Still, that did not mean Cinder could let her guard down.

She scanned their surroundings, satisfied at the lack of threats as they stayed near the foot of the mountain where fewer people were likely to disturb them.

“What’s the plan, boss?” Mercury called out insolently, but Cinder only hummed in thought. 

They watched as more teams tried to climb up the slope, encountering and facing off against others in the process.

17 teams.

That’s how many they were inside the small arena that could barely fit 100 people. 

Add in a small mountain in the middle and trees all around them, then it was an even tighter fit. 

That meant fights should happen very quickly and close to each other, especially considering they had a flag to fight for right at the very top of the mountain.

It was a nice goal, a perfect bait to encourage teams not to hide it out in the forest. But instead of it being a chaotic free-for-all, however, teams still tended to band together with their schoolmates. 

Beyond that, Cinder noticed that on at least two occasions, whenever other teams met, guns will be pointed, swords will be raised, but a moment of hesitant greeting later, more often than not, they would make their way south together.

As in the case of Team ABRN charging forward with Team RNDM following behind them.

Cinder could hazard why.

They were teaming up to hunt down one particular person.

The target of men everywhere, and the desire of women everywhere.

Jaune Arc.

Cinder Fall grinned as a plan formed in her mind.

It was time to see what Jaune Arc could do, and if he really was Ozpin’s new vessel.

Unbeknownst to her, however, someone was already causing chaos before she even could.

—----------

“Today, we beat Jaune Arc!” A man shouted, his heart full of righteous fury as he raised his claws up into the air.

“””””Death!!!!””””

Brawnz Ni watched as the rest of the men from Shade took up the cry, but he wasn’t done just yet.

“No man should ever have that many women!” He shouted.

“Yeah! Fuck that guy!” Another guy yelled out.

“And so today, we get the girls!” He screamed.

And then the men roared out.

“””“GIRLS!!!!”””

Despite the girls shaking their heads at him, and despite the half-hearted cheers of some other people, none could deny that it was Brawnz Ni who still led the might of Vacuo in a charge towards Beacon’s.

“Charge!”

“”””CHARGE!!!!!””””

They moved as one, circling the mountain counter-clockwise until they saw the fighting.

Brawnz grinned.

4 teams, 16 people.

Hero of Vale or not, even Jaune Arc should have trouble fighting against all them.

Brawnz’s heart sang in jubilation at that, and he felt the tattoo of Pyrrha’s face on his back tingle pleasantly.

It was time to show Jaune Arc that only one of them was worthy of Pyrrha Nikos’ affections.

------

So we have 17 teams with Team Menagerie joining in! That means an odd number and we can't do the normal 4v4s with them, so.....Battle Royale!

Predictably, however, fanboys and glory seekers alike will only have one target. The biggest fish of them all, Jaune Arc.