Preemptive Author's Note: Here's the "Gamer" fic promised in the update of "A Dream Hastened". Further notes are included after the chapter. Also...

Warning: Author Bashing in this chapter.

Beacon Academy stretched out across its campus, pristine and unharmed. It was a majestic sight. It was also a total lie.

Jaune Arc, or rather his disembodied spirit, was well aware this was impossible. Cinder Fall had led the Grimm and White Fang in an overwhefelming assault. The Atlesian Knights meant to defend Vale had been corrupted and turned against the defenders. Jaune had seen civilians, friends, and fellow Hunters crippled or killed. Each was a loss that weighed heavily on Jaune's soul and his memory. However, his greatest regret and failure was the death of Pyrrha Nikos. His best friend, partner, and someone he was starting to truly love was taken from him. Her death more than anything had mobilized Jaune, his teammates Ren and Nora, and Ruby Rose to begin the long journey to Haven Academy to investigate the faction led by Cinder.

All and all, Jaune had been pretty pleased by the progress Team RNJR had been making towards their ultimate objective.

Up until the point he had been impaled on a tree branch by a Geist's hitting him with a separate tree.

He hadn't been sure what to expect in the afterlife, but seeing the title menu of a video game was definitely not what Jaune had envisioned. Granted, dying hadn't been part of the plan. He had wanted to achieve justice for Pyrrha at the very least before dying. That would have left him with a good bit of regrets, but at least he would have accomplished one thing...

Unfortunately, the Geist had different ideas.

Jaune, if he still had a body, would have sighed. He decided to watch the cinematic views of Beacon and reflect on what could possibly happen next. The sole Arc son had one thing going for him in this situation. He had played a lot of video games. Everyone knew the first rule of gaming was to save early and often.

'Okay, I know how the Geist operates now. I can get RNJR out safe in a much shorter amount of time...'

Navigating the menu, Jaune opened the 'Load Game' option on the main menu. He found himself smiling, despite the fact he was...well...dead, as the 'Load Game' background image was Oobleck's class. The smile faded. It faded like Nora's smile when someone told her the dining hall was out of pancakes.

'Kinda on point,' Jaune seethed silently. This situation went well and truly beyond a critical pancake shortage. "Why the heck are there no saves? What kind of game doesn't even have autosave? This is a load of crap!"

Jaune really wished he had his body so that he could be taking Crocea Mors to the nearest desk in a fit of exasperated rage. What good was all this? He had to go back! He had to make sure that Ren, Nora, and Ruby would be alright. Jaune had to make sure Pyrrha, Ozpin, and all the others who had given their lives received a measure of justice. Everything that had happened was firmly on his shoulders. If he had possessed a fourth of the faith in Pyrrha that Pyrrha had in Jaune...

"That's in the past..." Jaune nearly wept. Pyrrha's death was a still a raw wound that festered in his mind and his soul. The sole Arc son had watched the short training video Pyrrha had made every night since RNJR had left Ruby's home on Patch for no other reason than to hear Pyrrha's voice.

Wait...

Jaune's afterlife was somehow a video game. A video game that had a blindingly obvious 'New Game' option. He could go back! There was so much he would change, correct, and all around improve. Jaune rushed through the main menu and almost selected 'New Game', but at the last moment he stayed his hand. A few very important questions had finally surfaced.

First, if Jaune's life had been a video game, why had he not been able to save his progress?

Second, why hadn't he had a HUD letting him know what the heck was going on?

Third and finally, why had he been so horribly spec'd?

All of these questions needed answers. Shelving his desire to start over and correct his mistakes, Jaune scrolled back to the 'Settings' Menu. As the recently deceased Huntsmen took in the settings, he only had a single thought enter his head.

"What in the actual duck? What kind of complete and utter dumbass made these settings?" Jaune spat at the image in front of him.

Difficulty: Ironman! What kind of unbelievable sadist had set Opponent Combat Speed to 150%, turned off autosaves, set experience growth to an absolute joke, and disabled tutorials? Jaune held off changing the settings until he got a better idea of what other horrors awaited him as he scrolled down.

Immersion: Full. Jaune really had the urge to kick whoever made the settings squarely in the nuts. The game was set to begin at conception. Con-freaking-ception. Just...what? Almost as bad, someone had disabled the HUD completely! No wonder he couldn't manually save! There was no reliable way to even access the menu! With tutorials turned off due to the assholish Ironman! difficulty, there was no way to learn the save hotkey either!

The dialogue setting was actually as distressing as any of the other options. Jaune's dialogue was set to 'auto'. Whatever systems ran the game choose all of his dialogue. In effect, Jaune's very Free Will had been disabled. Had that caused him to act like a total idiot when he had tried repeatedly to ask out the beautiful Weiss Schnee? Was the little voice at the back of his head that routinely whispered "What about Pyrrha?" been his actual Free Will? Jaune mentally clinched his fists. The game set him up to be nothing but comic relief. 'His' dialogue and actions had been an embarrassment to someone he had actually ended up considering a friend. Worse, the pretty dickish settings of the game may have played a role in Pyrrha's decisions during the whole Maiden fiasco.

Without a moment of hesitation, regret, or delay, Jaune changed the dialogue setting to Full Control. He reclaimed his Free Will. That moment of liberation was one of the best feelings he had ever experienced. It ranked up there with entering Beacon successfully, defeating that giant Ursa to save Cardin, watching the looks of pride and satisfaction on his team's face as they were announced as the victors over Team BRNZ, and finally that one moment with Pyrrha.

Temporarily pushing aside the melancholy and wistful thoughts of his partner, Jaune soldiered on.

Oh.

Oh Hell No.

Actually, Hell No was nowhere near strong enough to describe the absolute unfathomable levels of Hell No Jaune was experiencing. Hold on...

"What in the actual fucking hell? Who are the unbelievable fuckheads who would set my life up to be such a fucking joke? If I find who did this, I will fuck them all to death. I will rip down their pants and fuck them until their shitty souls leave their body for whatever Grimm-infested hell is waiting for their sorry, useless asses!" Jaune raged after disabling the Language Filter.

All Sexual Content had been disabled.

All of it.

Jaune Arc had been dropped into a world where his best friend was words-failing-ly gorgeous, five of six closest friends were also words-failing-ly gorgeous, one of his teachers was insanely hot, and nearly every woman he had ever met (including the one he dreamed of killing nearly every night) was beautiful (physically).

And he had never had a chance. All because some asshole had decided his life had to be 'family friendly'.

Forget that! It took several minutes of remembering more pleasant memories to calm down. He thought about the chat with Ruby heading to the first day's speech. Jaune's thoughts wandered to the training sessions with Pyrrha after he had pulled his head out of his ass after the encounter with CRDL. Sufficiently calm, Jaune decided that he hadn't run a wild enough gamut of emotions. He had gone from in mourning, to hopeful, to annoyed, angry then back to hopeful, and finally absolutely livid.

Now he could add completely confused to the list.

"Why is there a setting just for lens flares? And who in Oum's name is J.J. Abrams?"

The still rather confused, emotionally off-balance, and troubled young man idly set lens flares to sane before scrolling back up to Difficulty.

"I'd like to think I was doing pretty good," Jaune said to himself while trying to avoid thinking about how he was speaking with no body. He quietly assumed that since this appeared to be the afterlife, all normal rules were off. "I think if I can spec myself properly this time, I could probably hold my own at 100% combat speed."

Jaune believed that with Pyrrha's training, proper skills, and more experience earned for his actions that he could actually hold his own. The Knight had always felt that the deck had been stacked against him and seeing his settings had pretty much confirmed that position. Despite all that, Jaune had done okay. Tweaking the bare minimum would set him on a path to success. Opponent combat speed was set to 100%. Experience gain quickly matched that as well.

'Maybe this time, I won't be so far behind my friends. I won't be the lovable idiot stuck in the tree, but someone worth fighting alongside Pyrrha, Ren, Nora, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang...'

Autosaves were another option that was quickly re-enabled. The question of when to autosave was one that Jaune wrestled with for a bit. Jaune finally decided to autosave whenever he went to sleep. That option provided a great deal of leeway, a solid safety net, and a reliable schedule for him to plan around.

Since his last game had tossed him straight into the deep end, Jaune came to the completely reasonable conclusion that he needed to know what the hell was going on. Tutorials it was!

Last but not least, Jaune turned off 'Full Immersion'. He switched his starting point from conception to 'Beacon Admission'. Jaune still couldn't believe starting at conception was an option as he toggled Full HUD back on.

"Alright," Jaune's disembodied voice announced to the threadbare settings screen. The Knight was all too happy to exit that particular screen as the emptiness was unsettling.

"You know what? I need to know who exactly to blame for all this," Jaune grumbled. The cursor on the menu screen scrolled down and selected "Credits". A heavily synthesized pop/rock ballad from the era when his parents were born started playing. Jaune recalled the sensation of throwing up his arms in exasperation. "Why am I not fucking surprised?"

The first words to faze into existence on the credits screen was "A PNKE Studios Joint: Remnant: Academy."

"Of course it would be those assholes," Jaune exited the menu. He honestly had to admit the credits song was catchy, but after the third overly emphasized ACTION! he grew weary of the ridiculousness of it all.

The cursor blinked as Jaune hovered over the 'New Game'. Originally, he had been completely gung-ho about starting a new game. Now, he hesitated a bit. It was honestly hard not to be overwhelmed by the enormity of the chance Jaune had been gifted. There was no way having a second chance was common. He could not waste this opportunity, but there was a problem.

Emotions.

If this really started when he was accepted to Beacon, would he be able to get his emotions under control? Depending on when he was dropped off, could he keep his cover and not freak out the first time he saw Pyrrha, Ren, Nora, Ruby or the others?

'How bad would it be if I burst into tears of joy at hearing one of Yang's awful puns or seeing her unmaimed?' Jaune thought. 'No...this is best. As tough as it could be, I don't want to delay seeing all of them again...I need to see Pyrrha again. See her safe again.'

There was no delaying any longer. Jaune had to go back. He had to save his friends, kill Cinder, and make everything right. Despite his elation at the prospect of a second chance, Jaune couldn't help shake the guilt that if he had not turned around when Pyrrha screamed and given Cinder that opening...none of this would even be necessary.

Oh, and Jaune wanted his body back.

Resolved, Jaune selected 'New Game'.

The 'camera' providing the cinematic views of Beacon suddenly rushed to the main entrance. With a speed that rivaled Ruby's Semblance, Jaune was rushed into the yawning black maw behind the doors.

Jaune could 'feel' his body resting comfortably in the familiar confines of his bed...back home. It all felt as real as he remembered. Throwing up his hands in elated triumph, Jaune cried out "Yes!"

Then, reality decided to remind Jaune it was pretty dang weird. [Welcome to Remnant: Academy. You are about to embark on an adventure that defies your expectations. Before you begin your quest to save Beacon from the Grimm, White Fang, and the Ultimate Evil that threatens humanity and Faunus-kind, you will need to create your character's avatar!]

Somewhat against his will, his childhood bed was as comfortable as his recalled form his memories, Jaune got up and walked into his bathroom. He stopped in front of his mirror and saw his reflection. It was a welcome sight.

[Now it is time to create your character's avatar. Follow the prompts to finalize your appearance!]

Jaune wasn't sure why a Full HUD hadn't appeared yet, but assumed the game wasn't trying to 'overwhelm a new player'. Still, there were five options appearing on his screen. The first was 'Default Male', 'Default Female', 'Custom Male', 'Custom Female', and 'Random'.

The cursor was sitting on 'Default Male'. Jaune had to admit that part of him was fairly curious about what 'Default Female' would look like as well as the depth of the customization system. For all of Jaune's insecurities of being lost in the shadow of his family's legacy of heroics and the incredible skill and rapid improvements demonstrated by his friends, Jaune was truthfully comfortable with his own body. There was also the issue of what would happen if he radically changed his appearance and gender. How would everyone react? Would his friends have a vastly different reaction to him? How would Pyrrha react? Jaune's issues in the first playthrough really had nothing to do with his appearance. Every problem came from the awful default settings, being under leveled, and not having the proper skills chosen to compete with the world.

If he really got curious, he could always try another game one day.

Resolved, Jaune elected to keep his 'natural' appearance. Expediency and staving off a bit of an existential crisis tilted Jaune's decision to selecting the 'Yes' option on the pop-up asking [Confirm Appearance?].

[Now, you will need to finalize your character! Your default class is 'Knight'. Would you like to view the character sheet?]

Jaune selected 'yes' and desperately hoped there would be some information on his Semblance. He scrolled past several very interesting choices. Command and Conversation definitely jumped out.

Still, Semblance!

"Oh, come on..." Jaune grumbled. There was nothing specific about the nature of his Semblance. There were some great details, though. There was definitely an area of effect, which could be very useful. Level Four made a skill of his choice one magnitude higher while the Semblance was active. That...was awesome. Mastery was even beyond that. Everything stacked, but Mastery was freaking awesome. Activating his Semblance instantly restored all his health and Aura. Better yet, all allies healed an additional 10% while Jaune was using his Semblance.

"So...many...combos..." Jaune actually cackled as he finished his statement. He remembered Pyrrha's words, actually he recalled almost everything she ever said to him but specifically, about how Jaune had larger than average Aura reserves.

"I am going to be a freaking legendary tank!" Jaune declared. The Knight class seemed very natural to the young man. His greatest desire was to be the protector. This class would let him support and protect all he cared about from harm. "I don't have to be the greatest fighter. I don't have to be Nora, Ren, Weiss, Blake, Yang, or Ruby. I could never be Pyrrha, but I don't have to be. I simply have to be a more prepared Jaune. I can...I can do this."

[Do you wish to be The Knight?]

"Oum damn right, I want to be the Knight," Jaune declared as he hit the yes with the force of a million blows from Magnhild.

[You are the Knight, a protector and guide with a strong sense of honor and duty! As you have selected to begin your game shortly before beginning your Huntsmen career at Beacon Academy, you begin at Level 5. The game will now randomly generate your stats starting from a base of 25. The system will apply your initial stat upgrades up to Level 5. Future level ups will give you the option of allowing the computer to select three stats to upgrade or for you to manually chose which stats to upgrade. As for skills...]

Jaune's HUD flashed in front of him and a symbol for a book in the upper left of his perception blinked once. The world paused as the book became his sole focus. Jaune could only watch as the game tabbed over to 'Character Sheet'.

The Knight could only whistle appreciatively as he looked at his stats.

[This is your stats page. The currently highlighted section are your stats. To give you an idea, the average civilian averages a score of 15 for all stats. A Hunter averages 40. Weapon Skill determines how well you wield a melee weapon. Ballistic Skill measures your ability to aim ranged weapons. The other stats affect your physical and mental abilities. Strength also determines your physical appearance. A stronger character's appearance will be represented by the usual physical cues. Selected Skills will appear below. Now, it is time to select and generate your skills.]

"I really need to improve my Toughness if I'm going to be a Tank of any worth," Jaune grumbled. The appreciative feelings towards his stat line were slightly lessened. "At least I won't be asked to shoot much..."

Once again, the Game took control and directed Jaune to the Skills Table. Jaune felt his optimism for the future rise as he started planning his skill progression.

[As you can see, Knights begin with Shield Mastery 1, Longsword Mastery 1, and Command Level 1. You will earn a new skill every two levels earned. However! Before we allow you to select the two skills earned by your current level of 5, there will be a quick questionnaire. You can earn additional skills or stat increases depending on your answers! Let's begin!]

Jaune nodded as he prepared himself.

[First, Why have you chosen to be The Knight? 1. "I want to be the shining hero! I want to be the hero who arrives at the last second to save everyone!" 2. "I have a sacred duty to serve, protect, and guide others towards a better world." 3)"Knights are noble and powerful and wealthy individuals! I want that power!"]

If this question had been asked before his first death, Jaune would have selected option one without hesitation. He wanted to be the hero. Heck, he still wanted to be the hero. However, arriving at the last second was part of the reason he had died...and lost the closest person to his heart...the one who had unlocked his soul. Three was selfish and probably what someone like Cardin would have chosen. That mean two was the only option worth taking.

[You are the idealized Knight! You have unlocked Shield Mastery 2 and Command 2!]

Jaune grinned at that.

[When you are not hunting the Creatures of Grimm, studying to succeed in Beacon's Academic classes, what would you be doing with your free time if you could choose one of the following? 1)I would be cooking a nice meal. Can't stab a Beowolf on an empty stomach! 2)I would be chasing everybody that catches my fancy! I mean, have you seen some of the students at Beacon! 3)I would own the dance floor. Everything is combat at Beacon, and I plan on being undefeated in Combat Class and in Dance Battles.]

It took Jaune several moments to stop laughing at the options. First choice sounded good. Jaune was not a good cook, but the idea of being able to throw a meal together did have some appeal. The second choice definitely had some appeal as well. The sole Arc son had in fact seen some of the women at Beacon! That being said, he only really had his eyes set on one woman.

"Let's be honest," Jaune said to the blinking cursor. "I do plan on being undefeated in Dance Battles. JNPR owned the Beacon Dance. I plan on having that happen again!"

[You have sick moves. Your Weapon Skill and Agility increase by three and you have unlocked Creativity/Performance 1!]

"I can dig it," Jaune grinned at the pop-up message. "Now what?"

[It is time to finalize your character, class, and skills. As mentioned previously, you gain a new skill every two Levels. However, as you are just starting your epic quest (for loot...) to save Remnant from the Dark Forces threatening Human and Faunus alike, you will receive one additional skill. Please select the skills now.]

Jaune stared at his character sheet. "I wonder..."

[Semblance 1 cannot be selected. Longsword Mastery 3, Shield Mastery 3, and Command 3 required.]

'Well, crap,' Jaune thought. He had time to unlock those. The first step was to invest a skill point in Longsword Mastery. Jaune was confident that the ability to channel Aura into Crocea Mors would be let him provide enough support to his team for a few levels.

Jaune started reading down from Longsword Mastery. "I shouldn't...but I want it." Jaune decided to spend one of his skill points on "Piloting/Driving" in order to get rid of his near crippling airsickness. He wanted every possible edge he could get in kick-starting his friendship...and hopefully more...with Pyrrha.

[Select Vehicle Type: Ground Vehicle, Aircraft and Airship, Paladin, Boat]

Jaune wasn't sure that he could cure his airsickness if he chose any of the other options, despite the Skill Sheet claiming "All Negative Effects of travel are removed." This game was made by those jackasses from PNKE, after all. Erring on the side of caution, Jaune selected Aircraft and Airship.

The last choice, given Jaune's previous reasoning, was fairly obvious. He wasn't sure he'd invest any further skill points into the line. But damn it! Jaune was going to be able to flirt successfully this time around! His final skill point was spent, but he wanted to see what the other skill lines offered.

Cooking required prep work, but played to the Knight's buffing/support nature. Once again, Jaune was actually surprised by the synergy between the skills lines. Cooking Level 4 meshed well with Conversation and Command. Heck, Cooking Mastery provided a ridiculous monthly income bonus.

Creativity/Performance would require, well, creativity. Jaune could still see the benefits of the skill line. Especially when combined with Conversation.

'Mastery even combats the emergence of Grimm in an area. That's a nice little bonus...'

Secondary Weapon Mastery was exactly what it said on the tin. While the weapon would never be as efficient as wielding Crocea Mors, it could provide a nice bit of backup. Jaune would have even considered investing in the skill line...if his Ballistic Skill stat wasn't a steaming pile of garbage.

Cryptography/Encryption was an odd choice for a knight. 'I guess I'm defending...everything?' Jaune wondered with a bit of uncertainty. He could understand why the skill would be useful. The hacking of Atlesian Paladins proved that in a very deadly, very visible way. Problem was...Jaune had no clue where, when, or how Cinder managed to get into the system. The Arc Knight couldn't really see himself investing in this skill line, but it did provide food for thought. He wasn't a computer or technical expert, without the skill obviously, and just couldn't picture uses for that skill line outside of that one specific example. 'Maybe on another play through...'

Satisfied, Jaune selected "Confirm Selections".

[Are you sure?]

"Yes, I'm ready for my life this time," Jaune declared. As always, the Game had no response to his verbal confirmation

[Let's take a moment to introduce you to your HUD. In the top right, there are two gauges; your Vitality Gauge and your Aura Gauge. Vitality tracks physical health. The Aura gauge is identical to the function on a standard Scroll. The bottom right corner is your compass. If a Horde of Grimm approach, the Compass will flash red three times and a chime will play. Now, the icon in the upper left pulls up your Journal. The Journal has numerous tabs for inventory, Skill Table, Character Stats, and Active Quests. Also, when the Game is Autosaving, the Journal morph into your personal icon. In the Bottom Left corner, message pop-ups and other information may appear from time to time. There are other HUD features, but these will be unlocked as you progress in this tutorial.]

Quest Received! [Mission Start: Tutorial]

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief as he felt full control return to his body. Eager to test out the features of his HUD, Jaune opened his inventory and took a look. All Jaune currently had was his super comfortable Pumpkin Pete's Onesie. Testing out movement, Jaune walked to his dresser and collected his jeans, tee shirt, limited-edition Pumpkin Pete's hoodie, and a very comfortable pair of socks. He nearly panicked when his Onesie disappeared. Quickly pulling up his inventory, Jaune breathed a sigh of relief when he found his precious pajamas tucked safely in his inventory. They were organized into clearly labeled sections.

"Neat, I'm awful at organizing my stuff! This is fantastic!" Jaune declared. He could use any leg-up in getting the slightest bit organized that he could.

[Quest updated: Head downstairs]

Jaune rolled his eyes as the harrowing new Quest Stage. Truly, this was his greatest trial. Jaune exited his bedroom and headed down the stairs.

His mother, Capucine, was sitting at the dinning room table. "Jaune, you are up! Good morning!"

[Welcome to the Speech Tutorial. As you can see at the bottom center of your HUD, there are numerous options for dialogue. The first option, on the right side of the wheel, is generally a neutral option. These choices tend to be short and basic responses. On the far left, there will be more a confrontational response. At the top of the circle, is a basic inquiry. This asks for more information, but only provide information that the other character would give up freely to anyone. If you wish to leave a conversation immediately, the bottom of your Dialogue Wheel has a standard 'by-your-leave'. If you possess the correct Conversation skills, advanced dialog options such as Inquiry, Flirt, Coerce, Persuade, and a few other options will be displayed. Each conversation option has a set place on your Dialogue Wheel. Select your option and remember...it is never a good idea to talk back to your mom!]

Jaune smiled at his mom and selected the standard 'neutral' response. "Good morning, mom."

Capucine got out of her seat and hugged Jaune. The young man hadn't received a hug from his mother in months from his perspective and eagerly returned the hug. "Oh Jaune, I'm so proud of you. I always knew you would be a Huntsman! I don't ever think you've ever talked about being anything else, Jaune."

"Well," Jaune choked up a bit. "There was that time when I was ten when I wanted to be a comic book writer..."

"That you did," Mrs. Arc agreed. "I think Verte was looking for you. She was playing around her room earlier. I believe she needed her Chevalier..."

"I wouldn't be much of a hero if I didn't help a damsel that has called for aid," Jaune voiced the positive response. He was liking the dialogue wheel as his selection method as it provided a tiny preview of what he would say. Time seemed to slow ever-so-slightly as he choose his options. This, the young gamer thought, was something he could definitely get used to.

[Quest updated: Find and help Verte...]

The 'Chevalier' strolled through the house. He had a feeling where his youngest sister was currently. Verte had a room with great view of the rose garden. Unfortunately for the six year old, various creepy crawlies tended to slip into her room occasionally.

As Jaune expected, Verte was sitting glumly in their dad's office across the hall from her room. "Did milady call for aid?" Jaune announced theatrically after choosing an option that the game informed him was unlocked by his Creativity/Performance skill.

Verte brightened immediately and dashed across the room. "Yay! Jaune! I need your help!"

"Has a monster invaded your castle? A Dragon maybe?" Jaune asked gently.

"Almost as big!" Verte hugged her favorite brother. Granted, Jaune was her only brother, but he was still her favorite. "It is a really scary wasp!"

Jaune selected the 'neutral option' that was summarized as "Leave it to me." Jaune grinned. "I will drive the monster from the princess's castle."

Giving his sister an excessive bow, earning an amused giggle, Jaune stepped into the laundry room and...into another tutorial.

[It is now time for the Combat Tutorial. For the purposes of this battle, you will need to equip the mighty fly swatter and wicker clothes basket lid. Your mighty all conquering weapons will make use of your Longsword Mastery and Shield Mastery skills. Head to the equipment and equip it now.]

Jaune chuckled as he equipped both items. The menu system was easy to navigate and Jaune was very grateful for the limited 'hammer space'. 'Now that I think about it...that does explain Nora...'

[A word of warning. If you die in the Combat Tutorial, we will delete you from existence...]

The Arc Knight raised an eyebrow in a mix of amusement and concern. Shrugging it off as the game attempting to be humorous, Jaune strode into battle.

[Combat in Beacon: Academy is real time. Certain Skills, Semblances, event rewards, and even equipment can unlock Active Abilities that can help turn the tide of battle! There are also Passive Abilities that are always active. These can be unlocked the same way as Active Abilities. You currently have the Active Ability "Rally!" Activating this ability will restore your, and your allies', morale. It also increases damage resistance. Now, defeat the wasp!]

The wasp was sitting on the footboard of Verte's bed. Occasionally, it would flutter its wings. Jaune instinctively knew what has happening.

That little bastard was taunting him.

His wicker basket top was in the proper position to protect him, just as Pyrrha had instructed him, and the Mighty Fly Swatter at the ready. "I am going to end you."

Jaune brought his incomparable weapon down in a vicious swing. He was going for a sudden overwhelming attack. Fortunately, the wasp wasn't a Grimm or even a Rapier Wasp. The insect died with a squelch and barely a second thought. Jaune was man enough to admit that he had superimposed Cinder's face on the wasp. He had taken a great deal of pleasure in that moment of pettiness. Still, the Knight had pretty much made it his mission in life to gut the bitch.

He had wanted to engage in a tirade, a healthy outlet for all that hate bottling up inside, but Jaune was well aware that Verte had her ear pressed against the door. That caused the tirade to wither on the vine for three reasons. First, he didn't want to expose the innocent little girl to that much cursing. And Jaune swore that the first chance he got that he would curse...a lot. One of the main reasons he had turned off the language filter was to fully express his unyielding and undying loathing for Cinder's little band of demons.

'Calm down,' Jaune sharply ordered to himself.

Second, he didn't want to explain his crazy rantings about the Fall of Beacon to anyone. That could throw everything into the sewers. He had to get to Beacon and really get going as a member of JNPR. It was obvious to Jaune that it was obvious to Ozpin that the Arc's transcripts were fake. Ozpin had turned a blind-eye to the young man's 'inventive' entry to his Academy. Jaune saw no reason to force Ozpin to actually act on the application.

Third, Jaune was absolutely sure he'd let a certain word slip about a certain redheaded demi-goddess who's run on Pumpkin Pete's cereal only started two weeks ago. Jaune wasn't sure he'd survive the teasing...

It was then he noticed one very important detail...

...the game hadn't informed him the Combat Tutorial was complete. Jaune quickly recalled all the combat training and muscle memory from the desperate battles against the Grimm. He dropped to one knee and pulled his wicker basket shield to defend his face.

'Good to know I've still got some skill,' Jaune commended himself. A pair of very angry wasps had joined the fray. Jaune flipped the basket onto the bed. The sudden flipping stunned the wasps for a second. That second was all Jaune needed to counter-attack. His first swing took out one of the wasps with extreme prejudice.

[You have achieved your first Critical Hit!]

The second wasp quickly turned tail and ran. It slipped through a hole in Verte's window.

[Congratulations! You have survived the Combat Tutorial. We won't have to delete you from existence after all! Soon, you will see your XP gauge fill slightly. The amount the XP gauge fills is based off several factors including, but not limited to, challenge, your current level, whether the encounter progresses a Main or Side Quest line, is a random encounter, or is simply an action that is taken outside of combat or a quest line.]

Jaune hummed at the explanation. He noticed the bar fill up a tiny bit. He hadn't expected much. Jaune had been fighting three freaking wasps. Still, it was probably time to complete this part of, or perhaps all, the quest.

[Quest Updated: Return to Verte and Your mother.]

If Jaune's experience with video games, which now that he thought about it were video games inside a video game, had taught him anything; Verte and his mom would be waiting on the other side of the door for him.

All those 'wasted' hours were rewarded. Verte was holding Capucine's hand. "Well, Jaune, did you slay the beast?"

"Plural, actually," Jaune selected the 'standard' option. He figured it was safe, and given his close relationship with his mom and Verte, and likely humorously warm. "I also found out how they are slipping into the Princess's castle."

Capucine smiled. "That is wonderful news. You have performed well, Chevalier."

"Were they big?" Verte asked nervously.

"The first one was. The other two were smaller. I even managed to scare one off. He probably ran all the way home to tell the others to never invade your room again!"

"But..." Verte started sadly, despite her brother's words. "You're going to Beacon and they'll..."

Jaune flopped onto the ground and sat bow-legged. "That's right. I'm going to Beacon. The barbarians can't do anything to me now. What do you think they'll do when the wasps find out I'm a full fledged Huntsmen?"

"Run further away?" Verte asked.

The Chevalier patted Verte on the head. The young girl loved/hated when her brother did that, but accepted the comforting gesture. "Exactly. Now, I'm going to send messages when I'm at Beacon. Just put those near where the hole used to be. That'll send all the bugs running for their lives."

"Thanks, Jaune," Verte whispered.

Jaune hugged his sister. Capucine cleared her throat to get her children's attention. "Jaune needs to go get ready. Remember, we are celebrating his entry to Beacon. Dad and I have rented the neighborhood pool for an hour."

"Yaaay!" Verte shouted and squirmed free of her brother. She dashed away as her mother and brother smiled.

[Quest Updated: Return to your room.]

'Well, that won't be an issue,' Jaune chuckled. He strolled into his room. The game protagonist was about to reach into his dresser and grab his swimwear, when the game faded to black.

[Now loading...]

Jaune recovered from the sudden change rather well. He found himself walking, under the games control, into the neighborhood pool. His family had rented it out for an hour, so it would just be Jaune, his parents, and his sisters. The Chevalier was going to take full advantage of his hour. After he departed for Beacon, Jaune would basically be deploying for war. War against the Grimm. War against that asshole White Fang leader that had driven Blake into hiding and taken Yang's arm. War against Cinder. War...war to save Pyrrha and the others from their fate.

But right now, he wasn't going to think about that. He wasn't even going to think of Pyrrha as difficult as that may prove to be in the end. Jaune just wanted to be an Arc for a little while longer. He was happily racing Joncquille in backstroke. Verte and Arum were cheering on their favorite siblings.

Jaune hadn't expected to win, as Joncquille was as determined to be a professional swimmer as Jaune was to being a Huntsman. The fact he wasn't completely embarrassed in the race was an incredible accomplishment.

"Good to see you have been putting all that training for Beacon to good use," Joncquille laughed.

"Well, I can't embarrass the family, now can I?" Jaune teased back.

Joncquille shook her head. "Too late for that. You still wear that onesie."

"Ouch," Jaune replied. "Ouch."

"Come on, it's food time," Arum interrupted.

Food sounded great to everyone involved. The Arc children headed back to the main body of the 'brood'. Jaune and Joncquille were struggling to contain Arum and Verte's excitement in check. The two semi-responsible children of Nichol and Capucine Arc, by a miracle, managed to contain their siblings' excitement and get them safely to the table. The conversation was identical to how Jaune remembered it from his first 'playthrough'. However, Jaune had several advantages in this conversation. This time Jaune was far more confident in his ability to actually succeed at Beacon. He also had the dialogue wheel and its very handy 'slow down time' feature that allowed him to weigh his options before speaking. Jaune was loving seeing the positive reactions to his answers. Last time, his family had been proud of his acceptance to Beacon. They just had absolutely no confidence he would last at the school. Of course, they had all been kind and supportive. There just hadn't been any doubt in their minds Jaune would wash out.

This time was different. Joncquille was openly talking about making the Civilian Vytal Tournament. It had almost sent Jaune into a naked screaming panic, but he luckily fell back on the dialogue wheel to contain his terror at the thought. The attack orchestrated by Cinder, Roman and Adam was overwhelming and there had been nearly sixteen thousand civilian deaths, twice as many injured, and another several thousand missing. It chilled Jaune to imagine Joncquille, and undoubtedly the rest of his family, being present during the battle.

'Thank Oum, the Maidens, and every other deity-like thing ever for this dialogue wheel...' Jaune thought again.

"That...would be fantastic. I would love to see you win that meet," Jaune selected the neutral option. He prayed desperately that his fears would not be realized. Or, in the best case scenario, they could stop Cinder's Faction from even progressing that far.

'Yeah, that's wishful thinking,' Jaune groused, but found a part of him wanted to see his closest (age-wise) sister achieve her dream.

The meal finished on a slightly less distressing note. Jaune was glad he was prepared for the teasing from his sisters and the hopeful probing from his parents about meeting a girl this time. Jaune was enjoying the time with his family so much more this time around. Yes, Jaune's entry into Beacon was still forged. Still, Ozpin had probably been the only one with a clue. All the hints Jaune had picked up pointed to the other professors buying into his forged transcripts. He could dodge concerns much easier this time.

"Son, I had a few doubts," Nichol Arc announced. "You've put many of them to rest, Jaune."

"Yeah," Magnolia chirped in from the other side of the table. "We're actually all really impressed. Gotta admit, Jaune...when you started working out and everything, we thought you'd last a week. I'm shocked by how it has all turned out for you. I mean, you aren't a gangly twig anymore."

"A week," Jaune repeated.

Verte waved her hands in the air. "I said you'd do it!"

"Let's go swimming again..." Joncquille announced.

That...sounded like code. Still, the happy looks his sisters were radiating made it impossible to say no...

"Jaune Arc!" Magnolia shouted She tossed Jaune one of those Velcro ball catching shields and a foam noodle. "Prepare for combat!"

[BOSS BATTLE!]

"Ah...crap..."

"Get him!" Verte and Arum screamed and began chucking water balloons at Jaune's head. Muscle memory took over. Jaune quickly judged that Verte's throw was going wide left. Arum's throw was a bit more on target. He ducked the throw, but still held his 'shield' to protect his face in the event he hadn't ducked fast enough.

"Fear my Shaolin Foam Noodle of Ultimate Destruction!" Marigold led the next charge alongside Joncquille. Marigold swung high at her crouching brother. Joncquile started her swing low, but arced her strike upwards.

Jaune quickly pulled what he referred "Unfair-because-it's-so-damn-good Pyrrha Maneuver #28". He brought his own Shaolin Foam Noodle of Ultimate Destruction in a downward swing. As Jaune pinned Joncquille's attack, he snapped his 'shield' out just enough to block Marigold's attack.

"The heck!" Joncquille blurted out.

"Yeah, the heck Jaune!" Marigold yelled. "When did you stop being a scrub?"

"Oi!" Jaune laughed. He didn't laugh long. Verte promptly pegged him in the face with a water balloon. Jaune blinked as his HUD showed that his health dropped.

'Shit, I need Pyrrha to unlock my Aura...'

Jaune's 'health' took another hit as Vervain and Aster finally made their presence known with some very high-end water guns.

"Where did you even get those?" Jaune barked as he rose to his feet. Meanwhile, Nichol and Capucine were laughing hysterically at the antics. "Is everyone against me?"

"Yup!" All the sisters said at once.

Magnolia suddenly charged armed with a deadly weapon. Jaune knew he was doomed. With his attention on his parents and their 'betrayal', he definitely couldn't dodge in time. He did, however, have one source of solace.

He was totally taking Magnolia with him.

As the custard pie (Seriously, Magnolia?) hit Jaune's face, the Knight dropped his Shaolin Foam Noodle of Ultimate Destruction and grabbed his eldest sister's arms. He was right at the edge of the pool so he pushed off and jumped. It was incredibly gratifying for Jaune to hear his sister yelp in surprise as they both hit the water.

[YOU PIED]

Jaune laughed as he came up for breath. It seemed that despite being incredibly sadistic, the game did have a tiny sense of humor somewhere. More importantly, the entire family was laughing as they joined Jaune and Magnolia in the water. The Arcs enjoyed their last exclusive fifteen minutes before their rented hour ended. As the pool started to fill back up, the Arc family packed up and headed home.

After Jaune's favorite meal later that night, Jaune was sitting on his house's back porch with his dad. Nichol put a single glass in front of his son.

"Uh, dad, I'm..."

"Celebrating." Nichol filled Jaune's glass. "Besides, I want you to have your first drink with me so you don't go crazy."

Jaune smiled and downed the drink in one go. The smile quickly faded and was replaced by a hacking grimace. "What the hell was that?"

"Alcohol," Nichol answered with practiced flippancy.

"That could be weaponized to kill Grimm! It could probably drop a Goliath!" Jaune sputtered. Part of his mind was picturing Ruby in Mad Scientist Gear cackling as she developed a new shell to feed into her beloved Crescent Rose.

Nichol laughed. "Probably." He fished in a nearby cooler and grabbed a soda. Nichol tossed it to his son before shrugging his shoulders. "Jaune, you've been accepted to Beacon. I'd say that makes you officially a man. A man deserves honesty, especially from his father."

"Uh, thanks?" Jaune wasn't sure what his dad was getting at, but he definitely appreciated the sentiment. This was somewhat like the original conversation, but the tone was different.

"Don't thank me yet," Nichol said with a smile. "I doubted you. Even after you got the letter, I wasn't sure how long you would last. I was fully prepared to wish you luck, but expect you back in three months. Then I saw you train. Jaune, you're carrying yourself in a way I've never seen before. I know you are determined, confident, and proud. So, I still expect to see you in three months. It'll just be a visit for a week and I'm sure you're going to make Verte and your mother cry when you head back to Beacon."

Jaune simply stood, crossed the distance, and hugged his dad. "Thank you."

"Get some sleep. Can't have you miss your flight," Nichol said as he returned the hug. "Next time you're at home, I'll give you a drink that isn't complete Ursa piss."

"I would like that, but..." Jaune said, separating. "I think the Ursa piss would taste better than whatever the hell that was..."

"Get some rest, son," Nichol repeated.

Jaune nodded and trudged up to his room. The physical effort was almost nonexistent, but Jaune's heart was about to jump out of his chest, run the distance to Beacon, and start following Pyrrha, Ren and Nora, and Team RWBY around like a puppy. That wasn't an option, but he was almost drunk on the sheer excitement of the second chance. He was smiling as he flopped on his bed.

"This is it. I don't care if this is a game. It is my real. I can't wait to be back with JNPR..."

[The game is preparing to autosave. Your personal icon will appear on the Journal. While this Icon is flashing, do not exit the game or commit suicide. Autosave in progress...]

Jaune raised an eyebrow, but expected oddball shit like that from PNKE. Still, he fell asleep quickly and dreamed of red hair.

The next morning was a whirlwind of goodbyes, Verte basically welding herself to his waist begging him not to go, and Joncquille declaring she was going to win her events at the Vytal Games. Jaune had no doubts of his sister's abilities. Verte, Capucine, Arum, and Magnolia were all crying as Jaune boarded the Airship.

'This is it. This is it,' Jaune repeated as he boarded the airship. He was going to reunite with Pyrrha. He was going to...

[Pyrrha Nikos has entered the game! Would you like to enable co-op?]

Author's Note: Here we go! This is my first attempt at the ever popular Gamer-inspired quasi-crossover. As mentioned in the poll, this is primarily Arkos focused. There will eventually be "Landarkos" or Jaune/Pyrrha/Blake/Ruby, but the primary focus will be Arkos. A couple of pointers...

I'm not going to bring up stats, skills, etc in story all that often. I don't want number crunching and min-maxing to get in the way of the story. I do have character sheets for both Pyrrha and Jaune. The stats are all taken from the Warhammer 40,000 pen and paper RPGs. The stats are Weapon Skill (how well they swing a melee weapon), Ballistic Skill (how accurate they are shooting or throwing things), Strength (duh), Toughness (how well they can take a hit), Agility (Reflexes/quickness), Intelligence (smarts), Perception (Do you know what's going on?), Willpower (duh), and Fellowship (Can you get along with people?). I also have the character sheet for both Jaune and Pyrrha set up.

Again, while these stats exist, they aren't a focus. Consider them more flavor for the story than anything. If y'all are really interested, I'm sure I can work something out to share them.

Feel free to ask questions in a review, reach out to me on Discord, etc. I hope you all enjoy this fic.

Final Shoutouts/etc: First off, thank you to Racellos for beta'ing this chapter and suggesting the title. I owe you one man. Now, some of you are wondering why I warned y'all about Author Bashing. Well, PNKE is the SI team consisting of myself, Nexus Bladeguard, Dread Knight N7, and Lord Farsight. They've appeared previously in Dirty Laundry. The joke is mainly aimed at me since I'm the jackass who wrote this fic!

Anyway, hope y'all enjoy! The next chapter is already complete and will be posted next Friday!