Destiny No More

Chapter 52

"Your goal will be to retrieve one of these relics and bring them back here." Ozpin explained the rules of initiation to the line of initiates the same as he had in her lifetime, word for word. She wasn't sure if that was due to an existing script he used for such things or if it was coincidence, but it had the added side-effect of boring her somewhat.

She occupied her time looking over all of the students instead, Nora and Ren had set up farther down the line than she or Jaune had. Along with Ruby and Yang, though the former had picked plates that would launch them into a similar sector of the forest, Ruby would have no such luck.

Pyrrha let her eyes shift over to Weiss, trying her best not to glare at the heiress. Things had gone exactly as they had the last time in that regard, though she figured that was no surprise, and Ruby had messaged her about the embarrassing scene at the landing area. She'd done her best to calm the younger girl down, something she had no idea if had been attempted in her last life. While she doubted her success, she took comfort in knowing that it would work out in the end.

Weiss, for all her bad habits, was not a bad person. She would need time to grow, but she would more than be up to the task. Pyrrha had judged her for being a Schnee far too quickly, something she still felt some shame in.

"Any questions?" Ozpin finished his block of instruction, and judging by Ruby's panicked expression, did not fail to mention how partners would be assigned. She saw Jaune's hand raise, as well as how it went ignored by the Headmaster.

The platforms began to launch the students, even as Jaune tried to ask his question. Through it all, Pyrrha struggled to hide her smile. The moment he launched she couldn't stop herself from laughing softly, though were she not aware of the future, it would have been a far more concerning event. She hadn't failed to notice the subtle glances towards Jaune from the other students, or at least one specific student.

It seemed he had managed to catch her past self's interest, through no intentional effort of his own, of course. Pyrrha sighed as she saw her old javelin fly through the air once more, taking comfort in his safety and finally allowing herself to relax. Turning back, she saw Ozpin and Glynda watching her closely.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing of importance." Ozpin smiled softly, though there was an unusual amount of humor hidden behind his eyes. Pyrrha narrowed her eyes, glancing towards Glynda who had turned her attention towards the scroll in her hand. A scroll she was looking at with surprising intensity.

"What?" Pyrrha asked again.

"He's not what I expected." Glynda finally said. "That's all."

"What does that mean?" Pyrrha looked back towards Ozpin for an explanation, only to see that his smile had grown. "Jaune is a good man, just... in need of more training."

"His forged transcripts would say otherwise." Ozpin said, pulling his mug up to his lips as Pyrrha froze.

"I-I have no idea what you mean."

"Come now, they weren't even very good." Ozpin smiled back at her, though this time it was more like what she was used to; without the added humor at her expense. "You may not have said anything, but I caught them nonetheless. Still... I had hoped for more, judging by his name."

"His name?" Pyrrha looked down at her scroll, which was tapped into the camera feed so that she could monitor the students, and watched Jaune and past Pyrrha talk.

"He is an Arc afterall." Ozpin said. "His family has produced a long line of some of the best warriors Remnant has had to offer."

"He has the potential." Pyrrha whispered, looking at her watching her former partner closely. "He might not have much in the way of skill or training yet, but he is a quick learner, and he has a good heart."