The Initiation's final moments were a frantic ballet of desperate survival.
The newly formed teams of Ruby and Weiss, Yang and Blake, and Ren and Nora were plunged into pure chaos, running for their lives across the crumbling cliff face.
Above them, a colossal Nevermore—a gigantic, raven-like aerial Grimm—circled menacingly, its beady red eyes fixed on its prey. It dive-bombed, shooting volleys of razor-sharp, deadly feathers that shredded the rock around them, forcing constant, frantic dodges.
"We have to do something!"
Ruby shouted, a blur of red as she activated her speed Semblance, narrowly avoiding a barrage of feathers.
"What can we do?! It's flying so high in the air!"
Weiss yelled back, frustrated. She launched several offensive Glyphs, sending shards of ice and bursts of fire toward the beast, but the Nevermore merely laughed, effortlessly weaving through her attacks.
"Woohoo!"
Nora shrieked, actually enjoying the exhilarating, chaotic moment, swinging her hammer wildly at small Grimms as Ren grimly tried to keep up with her boundless energy.
"Slow down a little bit, Nora…"
He muttered, narrowly avoiding a falling chunk of rock.
Blake was a dark, silent blur, trying to shoot it down with her Gambol Shroud, but the Nevermore was too quick, too agile, even for her precise aim.
"Can we all just chill a little bit!"
Yang roared, a vein throbbing in her forehead.
She was getting a massive headache from everyone doing their own thing rather than coordinating.
If there was one more person to join this absolute chaos, she would lose it entirely.
And when everything seemed utterly hopeless, just as the Nevermore banked for another, more devastating dive…
Someone appeared beside her, landing with the quiet grace of a shadow.
"Did you hear that, Yang? That is the sound of a silver coin!"
Jaune said, a mischievous grin on his face.
"Jaune? What do you mean by that?"
Yang asked, completely bewildered but also incredibly relieved.
He hadn't brought any big Grimm along, just Pyrrha, who landed softly a few feet away.
"Please don't mind what he said,"
Pyrrha interjected, a blush of pride on her cheeks as she looked at her partner.
"And just look at what he's about to do."
Yang, along with the others, listened to her, then they all witnessed the utter impossibility.
Jaune took a deep, focused breath, a palpable surge of power radiating from him.
His body was suddenly covered in bright, crackling lightning, blue-white energy arcing around him.
With a powerful, explosive jump, he shot himself into the sky, a human bolt of pure electrical force.
His sword, Crocea Mors, was already drawn, shimmering in the sunlight.
He ascended with impossible speed, reaching the colossal Nevermore in a fraction of a second.
The gigantic Grimm roared, sensing the impossible threat, but it was too slow.
Jaune was already upon it.
With a single, devastating slash, he cut the huge, flying Grimm completely in half, as easily as cutting butter with a hot knife.
The Nevermore's two halves tumbled from the sky, dissolving into dark ash before they even hit the ground.
"One more coin! Hahahaha!"
Jaune laughed, descending slowly, his lightning aura still faintly visible.
He was like a maniac who loved coins very much, his joy pure and unbridled.
"Wow, he is super-duper strong!"
Ruby shrieked, her own speed Semblance palling in comparison.
This was the first time she had ever seen someone faster than her, even when she was using her full power.
Weiss was utterly shocked, her jaw hanging open.
She had never thought the boy who cleaned her jacket could possess such devastating power.
Blake just kept her silence, her Faunus eyes wide, observing every detail, filing away every impossible fact about him.
Nora, far below, clapped her hands together, practically vibrating with excitement.
Ren, finally relaxing, let out a long, weary sigh, though a small smile touched his lips.
Jaune super-hero landed gracefully next to them, the lightning dissipating.
He smirked, that confident, almost arrogant grin back on his face.
"That was fun."
Ruby, overcoming her shyness completely in the face of such heroism, immediately ran toward him and launched herself into a tight hug.
"You saved us like a hero! How can you be this strong!"
Jaune didn't mind her being like this; she was adorable. He patted her head.
"Well, if you want to know my secret, you'll have to visit my shop!"
Jaune, ever the shrewd businessman, was using this perfect opportunity to promote his Multiverse Convenience Store!