Welcome to ch 14. *looks around* Anybody still here?

Jaune hit the floor hard, let out a loud groan, and tried to get up. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest, trying to convince him that moving right now was a bad idea - even though his brain insisted that it was the best idea.

Eventually his body won the argument, and the blond collapsed, gasping for air.

"Get up." His least favorite person in the world commanded.

Jaune ignored her completely, instead focusing on trying to put as much air into his lungs as he could.

"Don't tell me you're done after just that?"

He didn't, mostly because speaking would require expelling air from his lungs, something he was not willing to do at this moment. That, and he was sure that it was pretty obvious that yes, he indeed was done after just that.

He rolled on his back, looking briefly at Winter, before quickly turning his face away. He simply couldn't bear to look at her. Her face, as if carved from stone, her cold, judging eyes, it was too much for him. He didn't have high expectations when, the day after she arrived, Winter announced they would begin his training immediately.

He thought he knew what to expect - harsh, painful training, with a hearty dose of humiliation. But he had some small hope that he might, somehow, impress his new instructor. Or at least not disappoint her completely. He was fully aware of fact he was pathetically weak, but then again, he was still technically a cripple. That had to count for something, right?

Apparently, it didn't.

At least not to Winter Schnee. Their first training session didn't even last ten minutes before Jaune collapsed, unable to move. He had expected it. He was prepared for it.

But it made it no less frustrating.

But even with aching muscles and out of breath it wasn't physical pain that was the worst - he was used to it. Now, the worst thing about this whole thing was Winter. It wasn't anything she said - in fact she barely spoke to him. The only sign of emotion from her was a slight frown, that only deepened as their training continued.

Jaune finally managed to stand up, though his wobbly legs could barely hold him.

Winter's frown deepened.

"How… underwhelming."

The blond winced. It was the first time she voiced her opinion on him, and while he expected to hear it, it still hurt. He steadied himself, but didn't look up. He simply couldn't bear to look at her cold, dismissive face. He didn't want to see disdain in her eyes.

It was enough that he could feel it with his Semblance.

A weightless hand landed on his shoulder, and Jaune shot a quick smile towards Penny. She was doing her best to cheer him up, but there was little she could do.

Winter sighed, looking him up and down.

"Your display today was beyond pathetic. Are you doing it on purpose?"

Jaune clenched his hand, angry tears swelling in his eyes. Of course he wasn't! He was giving his all, and was willing to give even more.

But his stupid, broken body just couldn't keep up.

"You may not realize it, but this is not a game. You will be expected to fight in real battles, sooner rather than later. This… suit may compensate for your lack of skill..."

Jaune just clenched his teeth. He knew it, he'd had his first taste of fight, and he knew full well he wasn't good enough.

"But it's not just about you. In the future, the lives of other people may depend on you."

He knew that too. He still remembered the time in the clinic, his constant panic about what would happen if he messed up.

"If you don't intend to take it seriously, stop wasting everyone's time, and quit. As for us, we are done for today. You can go and fool around by yourself."

… what did she just say?

Jaune's head slowly rose, eyes glued to the retreating form of his instructor.

What the hell had she just said?

His hands started trembling, for once not from pain or exhaustion.

This woman just barged here out of nowhere, and she dared to accuse him of not treating this project seriously? ARES was everything to him - it was his one and only chance to achieve something great in his life. That alone would guarantee he would treat it seriously, but on top of that, it was also helping Penny. He gave his all to make it work, he risked his health, his future - hell, even his life for this project. And this… this… this bitch dared to suggest he didn't take it seriously?

"How dare you…" he uttered through clenched teeth. It wasn't loud, but apparently loud enough for WInter to hear, because she paused.

"Have something to say?" she asked without even looking at him.

"How dare you." he said before he could stop himself. Winter turned to look at him, one eyebrow slightly raised.

"How dare you say that." he repeated.

"I'm merely stating the truth. If you really treated this seriously, I'd imagine you would put some effort into it." She eyed him without even trying to hide her disdain.

"I do!"

Winter scoffed.

"You call this 'effort'? We are doing basic exercises, something any normal person should be able to do. And yet you…" whatever Winter wanted to say, she stopped herself when the doors to their training room opened, and Geppetto walked in. He took one look at the downed teenager, sighed and shook his head.

"I believe I told you to take it easy, specialist." He said, not even looking at Winter. The white haired woman scoffed, crossing arms over her chest.

"I was. But he obviously doesn't feel like putting any effort into this."

"Oh really?" Gepetto walked up to Jaune, and helped him get up. "Maybe you are just incapable of adjusting your training methods to suit your student."

Winter just scoffed and turned around leaving the room.

"Schnees." Gepetto spat, shaking his head. "Never even consider the possibility they might be in the wrong."

Jaune let out a tired sigh.

"But she wasn't really wrong. We weren't even doing anything crazy, I just can't keep up. Even when all I try to do is run around, I'm starting to trip over my own legs."

"Jaune, look at me." Gepetto said, placing his hands on the blond's shoulders. He waited for a few moments, but Jaune's eyes remained fixated on the floor. "You are doing fine. In fact, you are doing far better than anyone has any right to expect of you. I'll be honest with you, I never expected you to be able to walk, even with those implants."

The blond's head shot upwards, his eyes wide in shock.

"Oh, I was certain that you would regain some mobility, but I thought that at best, it will be at the level where you might be able to live on your own, but would still be tied to a wheelchair."

The blond just continued to stare at the old scientist.

"The progress you've made in such a short time is astonishing. Honestly, I'm still amazed how far you've come. And even before that. Your Aura control is excellent, far above anyone your age should have. The way you can augment your senses is amazing. And you achieved it all while being completely paralized. Most people in your situation would just give up, but you kept fighting. So don't let one entitled bitch bring you down. She knows nothing about you, and has no right to judge you."

Jaune blushed and looked away. Partially because of the praise he'd received.

Partially because he wasn't used to swearing, and his parents taught him to respect his elders. Sure, he himself often called Winter less than respectful things, but it was always in his head. Hearing Gepetto insult her out loud, and so casually at that, left him uncertain how to act.

"T-thank you, Doctor."

Gepetto nodded, apparently pleased with himself.

"We can cancel those training sessions if you want. I'll have to talk with your father, and we can…"

"No." Jaune stated firmly. "I want to continue. If only to prove her wrong."

Gepetto watched him for a few more moments before nodding.

"Very well. For now, come to the laboratory. You said you tripped over your legs? There might be an issue with signal transmission between the main implant and your lover body. Let's check it out."

Winter wasn't having a good week.

At first she was happy when Ironwood summoned her and informed her he had a task for her. The injury she suffered on her last mission had long since healed, but for some reason doctors insisted she take at least two weeks off active duty.

All the enthusiasm she had evaporated when she learned what the mission would be.

Working with Gepetto Polendina on some kind of secret project was not something she was looking forward to. Not because she thought it would be boring, or unnecessary, especially when she learned what exactly the old scientist is working on.

The problem was the man himself - and his well known dislike for the Schnees, and everyone associated with them.

She didn't know why he hated her family so much. Her own father never spoke about it, nor did her mother. And now she was stuck with the man, in some old cabin in the middle of nowhere for the foreseeable future.

Oh, and there was the brat too. She had to admit she was surprised when she learned he not only was part of the project, but he was the one operating the suit. And even more surprised when Gepetto requested she train him. The old scientist looked like it physically hurt him to ask her for the favor, and she briefly considered refusing just to spite him.

But then she realized he would probably be happy if she refused, and training someone would give her something to do. She didn't have high expectations, especially when Gepetto informed her her new student has no formal combat training, and that he has some health issues...and she should take it easy.

But what happened during their first training session had her blood boling. It had to be some kind of sick joke, she was certain of it. There was no way her 'student' was that bad. She left the room, after letting him know just what she thought about his performance.

It surprised her a little the next day he showed up again, with a look of determination on his face. But their training, if it could even be called that, went about as well as the first time. It took all self control she had to not just leave the room.

But then the next day came, and her new charge showed up again. As he did on the next day, and the day after that.

Finally, WInter was forced to admit that she might have misjudged him. There was simply no way the boy would put in so much effort, and go through so much pain just to piss her off.

It was then that she realized just how little she knew about him. She didn't know how, or why he became part of the ARES, why he was the one piloting the suit even though he obviously had no combat experience, what those 'health issues' Gepetto had mentioned once or twice were.

Hell, she didn't even know his name.

Of course, it wouldn't be too hard to fix that. All she needed to do was ask Gepetto. Easy.

Or rather, it would be if mere thought of asking the buffon for anything wouldn't make her physically ill.

She considered calling General Ironwood, but that would be silly. Arthur Arc was another option, but was currently unavailable, out on an extended recon mission. Sure, she could wait for him to return, but it could take several days, maybe even weeks. She couldn't afford to wait that long.

Winter sighed. There were no other options, she had to do it.

Taking a deep breath to help her steel her resolve, she raised her hand and knocked on the wooden doors in front of her.

"Come in."

With just the slightest moment of hesitation she entered Gepetto's office. The old scientist was staring at a screen fixed to his desk, which was almost completely covered in papers.

"How can I help you, Specialist?" he asked without even looking at her.

"What are the 'health issues' you mentioned he suffers from?"

Gepetto didn't answer at first, completely focused on the terminal in front of him.

"Why ask now?" he finally asked, still not looking at Winter.

"Because I can't possibly adjust his training regime if I don't know what his limits are. I thought he might be sick, or suffering from some lingering injuries, but this kid can barely walk on his own."

Gepetto sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Yes, that was… unexpected. He showed remarkable good results in his rehabilitation so far, but considering his current state, combat training might be too much for him right now."

He paused again, staring intently at his terminal, before angrily shaking his head.

"Take a seat." he said, finally looking at Winter.

"I want to make something clear, Specialist. I don't trust you. I don't want you involved in this project. If I get a chance to get you removed from it, I'll take it. I was certain your training regime will push Jaune to resign on his own, giving me pretext to lessen your involvement, but I guess I underestimated his resolve."

Winter shifted in her chair. She certainly didn't expect such a frank admission from Gepetto, but at least she now knew the name of her student.

"And as much as I would love to blame the worsening of his condition on you, my pride as a scientist and doctor will not allow me to." he sighed.

Winter felt her eyebrow twitching. This damned old man, he could at least pretend he hadn't consider it.

"How nice of you." she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You are welcome." Gepetto answered with a small smile. Winter chose to ignore it.

"But you don't need to be a genius to figure that sending a kid that can barely walk to combat training is a bad idea. So why did you do it?"

Gepetto sighed.

"And I wouldn't, but up until recently he was mostly fine. Me and Arthur discussed it for a long time, and came to the conclusion that some real-life training would do him good, even if his physical condition isn't the best. After all, we never intended for him to fight without the suit. And I'm sure I don't have to tell you that physical fitness is not the only thing needed to be a good fighter."

Winter nodded. Critical thinking, analyzing opponent, footwork, muscle memory. You needed to train both body and mind. Dumb brutes that relied only on their strength usually died first.

"The worst thing is, I'm still unable to determine what exactly is wrong with him. All the tests I ran show nothing out of ordinary." Gepetto added with a frown. He sighed again, and then frowned when his scroll started ringing.

"My apologies." he said after looking at the device, his frown only deepening. "I have to pick that one up. Yes? What? No I didn't… WHAT?! When did this happen? And you inform me only now?! Oh, for the love of… All right, I'll be there as soon as I can."

Gepetto ended the call, grabbed a large bag sitting next to his desk, and started stuffing various papers and devices inside.

"Unfortunately, we will have to end our chat here. There is an emergency in one of my clinics, I had to go. I'll send Jaune's medical files to your scroll. You can continue training him while I'm away, but don't start any tests with the suit."

Winter scoffed. She didn't even see the damn thing ever since she arrived here, nor had any idea where it was stored.

Gepetto grabbed the now full bag and rushe towards the doors. He paused just before leaving, and slowly turned toward his guest.

"I'll be out for three, four days, unless something unexpected happens. You don't have to worry about Jaune too much, he can take care of himself. But if something happens to him, you are to call me immediately. Out of all people involved in the project ARES, he is possibly most important."

"What?" Winter asked before she could stop herself.

"Oh, it's quite simple." said Gepetto, already at the door. "He is the only one who can use the damn thing. WIthout him, it's just a very expensive toy."

Winter hummed. Now that was interesting. With a sigh, she got up and left Gepetto's office, checking her scroll when it signalled a new message. She raised an eyebrow. Looks like Gepetto kept his word, and sent Jaune's whole medical history to her scroll. Judging by the size of the file, she would have a lot to read through.

Thunk.

Thunk.

Thunk.

Winter watched her student, as he repeatedly struck a training dummy with his practice sword. He was… decent. From what she could see, about four out of ten strikes were clean, but he was improving.

Of course just standing there hitting an unmoving target was far from what actual combat looked like. She closed her eyes briefly, recalling what she'd learned the previous day.

Five years. Five years spent hospitalized due to complete paralysis. She couldn't even begin to imagine how that must have felt - day after day just lying in the hospital bed, unable to move even a single finger. The files she received form Gepetto were, to her surprise, extremely detailed. She was not a doctor, so most of it was just gibberish to her, but the photos included made her stare in shock. Even she could easily say that with the state of his spine, the mere fact he was still alive was a surprise.

The fact that he could now walk on his own?

She let out a tired sigh. There was a lot to say about Gepetto, but the fact he could achieve something like that only proved he was a genius.

Or miracle-worker.

Possibly both.

Winter sighed and focused back on her student. He paused for a moment to catch his breath, his sweat-drenched shirt laid on the floor, discarded a while ago. Now that she knew what to look for, it was easy to spot several small scars along his spine and on his arms. As well as a metal plate at the back of his head.

How was she supposed to teach fighting to someone with that kind of injury? She had no idea how durable those implants were. How much force they could take before breaking? Would it be possible to replace them? How much risk would such a procedure have? From what she understood, they were powered by Jaune's Aura - did that mean that if he ran out of it, he would collapse, completely paralized? Would they restart when his Aura regenerated?

Winter shook her head. Too many questions, too many risks. That's why, for the time being she decided to refrain from any sparring, only teaching Jaune proper form. Of course, that could be a waste of time too, since she had no idea how well ARES suits could imitate human movement.

She glanced at her student again. His strikes were slower now, less precise.

"Allright, take a break." she said.

He stopped to look at her, then without a word collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. Winter shook her head and threw a bottle of water at him. It hit his chest, and rolled to the side, the blond letting out a low groan.

"You did well." Winter said.

Jaune didn't answer at first, only raised his head a little to look at her.

"You said something completely different a few days ago." he pointed out.

Winter fought to hide an irritated scowl.

"I did. And while your performance in our first sparring was… below average, I may have been a bit too harsh in my evaluation. Since then I was made aware of your… unique condition, and as such I had to adjust your training regime, as well as standards by which I'll be judging you in the future."

"You mean, you are going easy on me because I'm a cripple?"

"More or less." she answered watching his face carefully. Jaune's expression remained calm. There was no anger, or hurt, just acceptance. Winter's raised eyebrow, a small, approving smile forming on her lips. It looked like his condition was not a touchy subject to be avoided.

Good.

"While stationary training like that is not something I would normally advise, the fact you cannot move properly leaves us little choice. That being said, proper blade alignment is extremely important in sword fighting, so it's not like we are wasting time. Even if we tried to train properly, I doubt you would be able to achieve good results."

"Thanks, that really made me feel better." Jaune mumbled, voice thick with sarcasm.

"Another problem is that I don't know what this suit is capable of, so learning more advanced techniques is pointless, if you won't be able to perform them in the combat scenarios." Winter continued, ignoring Jaune completely. "We will focus on the basics that will give you a foundation that will, hopefully, allow you to adjust to any limitations the suit will place on you. On top of that, Doctor Polendina made me aware of the fact that your physical condition has little to no effect on the suit's performance. Since you won't be expected to fight without it, teaching you to strike properly, and training your reflexes is more important than physical conditioning."

"You know, if you feel sorry about what you said earlier, you could just say it…"

Winter paused, and sucked in a sharp breath.

This little brat…

Jaune titled his head to the side.

"Are you… Wait, don't tell me you are one of those people that have trouble apologizing, and then get super annoyed when someone realizes they feel sorry and point it out?"

Winter felt her eyebrow start to twitch.

Jaune blinked.

"Oh damn, you are one of those people."

Winter smiled.

Jaune paled.

"Wait, I didn't mean anything bad by it! I think…"

"One second thought." Winter interrupted him, still smiling. "I think some exercise will do you good. Let's start easy. How about… two laps around the house?"

Jaune chuckled nervously.

"Wait, let's be reasonable about this. You do realize I'll probably fall on my face after just a few steps, right?"

Winter's sabre left her sheath.

"Alternatively, we can spar."

Jaune sighed.

"Just let me grab some clothes. Unless you want me to run half naked?"

Winter didn't dignify this question with an answer.

Despite his complaining, Jaune managed to make two laps around Gepetto's house without falling even once. He tripped a few times, but managed to catch himself just in time. Of course, just because he could move his legs normally didn't change fact he was terribly out of shape. Winter didn't look too impressed when he all but collapsed in front of her - this time from exhaustion, not because his legs refused to work properly.

"Get up, you will catch a cold if you lie in the snow like that."

Jaune just groaned, and pushed himself up. Winter looked him over and scoffed.

"Well, I guess this is as much as I can expect from you. Go wash yourself and rest, we are done for today."

Jaune sighed. Would it kill her to be nicer? At first he thought Winter was just a… not very nice woman. The disdain and casual disregard for the effort he put into training really hurt, and the only reason he kept coming to these training sessions was to prove her wrong.

Or annoy her enough that she decided to leave project ARES on her own.

It hurt only a little bit that he knew the chances for the latter happening were infinitely higher than for the former.

However, something must have changed. Judging by her own words, Winter at hadn't been aware of his condition, which was the main reason behind her attitude. He supposed it made sense from her perspective.

He was just happy she no longer looked at him like the mere fact he was breathing the same air as her was a personal insult.

Or at least she didn't feel like that. Why the Specialist was insistent on acting all cold and unapproachable, Jaune didn't know, and didn't really care.

He paused, only now realising he was so lost in thought he reached his room without even noticing. With a tired sigh Jaune entered, made a single step towards the bathroom, then decided dhe si too tired for that and collapsed on his bed.

I know I should wash myself first. He thought, eyes closed. But I can do it later. For now, let's see what crazy new adventure Penny has prepared.

Jaune spun, practically showing his double-barreled shotgun into the mouth of a strange monster that tried to rip his head off. With a maniacal smile he pulled the trigger, giggling happily as monstrosity exploded in the fountain of blood, gore, and ammon and health pickups.

"You were right, Penny!" he shouted, switching the now empty weapon to a four-barreled, full auto grenade launcher. "There is no better way to relax than killing hordes of mindless monsters!"

"I'm glad you like it, Friend Jaune!" She answered happily, lifting her own weapon - an enormous chainsaw sword, at least four times as big as her, and looking at him with a bright smile.

Jaune finished clearing the last stragglers, and turned to his friend.

"So, what's next on the menu?"

Penny tilted her head, tapping her mouth with her index finger.

"Since we cleared nine waves already, I think it would be only fitting to have a boss encounter. Or we could spar a little, or run through some combat scenarios." She hummed, then shrugged. "Alternatively, you could wake up and assure Specialist Winter that you do not require immediate medical attention."

Jaune blinked.

"Why would she think I need one?" he asked, only a little suspicious. Penny was great, and he knew she wouldn't harm him, but she also lacked a bit in terms of common sense.

"As you know, The Room is basily interactive dream, and as such,each time you enter it, your vitals are lowered. On top of that, I disabled your motor functions, to prevent you from moving around when we pla… I mean, perform those exercises."

Jaune nodded. This sounded reasonable so far.

"It appears that Specialist Schnee entered your room after you failed to respond to her calling you for dinner she prepared." Penny continued happily. "Upon entering your room, she noticed your motionless, unresponsive body, and apparently came to the conclusion you had a heart stroke. She was performing CPR for the last two minutes."

Jaune face palmed.

"And why didn't you tell me sooner!?"

Penny deflated.

"I-I just didn't want to interrupt your fun. You were working so hard lately, I just wanted you to relax a bit." she sniffed, head hung low. "I'm sorry."

Aaaand now I feel like a jerk.

"It's all right." he said, patting Penny's head. "Just… next time inform me about things like that immediately, ok?"

Penny nodded.

Jaune took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. He hoped Winter wasn't too angry.

Winter was on the verge of panic.

One day.

Gepetto was gone for one day, and she already managed to give Jaune a heart attack.

Or put him in a coma.

She wasn't sure which one was worse.

No. Calm down. It's impossible that this is your fault. It had to be something else.

Her own thoughts failed to calm her down, as she finished another set of chest compressions, and moved to perform mouth-to-mouth.

It was then that Jaune's eyes popped open, staring into her own for a second before widening in shock.

"Whaaaaaaa!" He screamed.

She, of course, didn't do anything so undignified.

"Are you alright?" She asked, looking him over. She supposed if he could scream like that, he was, but she preferred to make sure.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he muttered, massaging his chest. "But damn, you didn't have to press so hard. My whole chest hurts."

Winter felt her eyebrow start to twitch.

"Oh really? Sure, next time when I see you having a stroke I'll be sure to be more considerate of your ribs."

Jaune rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, yeah. About that. That wasn't a stroke."

Winter glared at him.

"Jaune, you laid on your bed, unmoving, unresponsive, and with barely noticeable pulse. If it wasn't a stroke then what was that?"

The blond opened his mouth to answer, then closed, considering something for a few moments, then looked up at her with an innocent smile.

"Me taking a nap?"

Winter took a deep breath, turned around and left.

If she stayed in that room for even a second longer, she couldn't be held responsible for what happened.

So, yeah.

Hello again. I'm super late with this chapter, I know. I won't be making any excuses, life was just a bit crazy lately for me, and let's leave it at that. I really would love to say that I'm back to regular updates, but, unfortunately, I can't. I try my best, but I can't make any promises.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you next time.