gen:ARC (Discontinued)

Ch. 5: Offense or Defense

His answer came in ragged breathes as he calmed down and remembered where he was, his team's barracks at the Anvil base. Everything he saw was still fresh in his mind, a nightmare of him fighting the mech and not being able to save his parents from it.

"I-It's noting. Just a nightmare." Jaune said as he laid back down and turned to the right side, thinking about his dream and about that day five years ago.

His parents died because he couldn't do anything to stop the Union that day, even if it wasn't his fault or his fight, they died so he could live. He swore he would never let that happen again if he could stop it and that mech the Union used against them was now the biggest obstacle the he and the team had to face.

'I don't want that to happen again, I don't want anyone to die while I'm powerless to help.' he thought as he pulled his V.R. headset from under his pillow, putting it on. 'I have to get stronger so I can be a better help to the Polity.'

Diving into the Ether, Jaune pulled up a menu screen and searched for special combat tutorials. He realized after they got back and going over the fight with the Union mech, that his MMA style wasn't going to be enough against that thing. It's movements were strange and animalistic, something they couldn't predict well enough to fight evenly. It took a group of them to stand half a chance and near the end, they couldn't go any lasting damage to it.

"If we're gonna beat that thing, we all have to get stronger. Weapons can help but only so much." Jaune said to himself as he looked large shield and sword on his hip. "I could probably use what I do in 'Siege' but I'll need something else too."

He scrolled through combat tutorials and found one that might be useful if he had to clash with that mech alone once more, The Art of Arrest aka Taiho-Jutsu.

"Hmm, Taiho-Jutsu, a martial art stile utilized by police officers to subdue lawbreakers alive and without injury but some forces can still be utilized for offensive defense." Maybe this could work for me and my shield." he said as he checked the time on the screen, 2:12. "Better set an alarm so I can hope out and get some more sleep before breakfast."

Making an alarm for 6:00, Jaune diving into a private room in the Ether for his combat tutorial in taiho-jutsu. For the next few hours, he followed the tutorial as best as he could with limits that would be transferrable to his normal body in the real world which would them be put to use in his holon. Time flew by and before he knew it, his alarm went off and the tutorial came to a halt.

"Guess it's time to catch some sleep." Jaune said before he logged out of the Ether and took off his headset, setting it back under his pillow to get some more sleep.

1 hour later, the team was up and getting dressed in their body suits for the day with Jaune moving a bit sluggishly behind them and Cammie not waking up at all yet. They decided to leave her be as they went to the mess hall for breakfast, Jaune was able to get some coffee as a pick me up and made a little something for Cammie since she missed it.

"Cammie, come on. It's time to wake up." Jaune said as he shook her awake, though her turned his head to yawn a bit.

"Hmm." she let out as she turned away from him.

"Come on, moya zaika. Wake up, sleepyhead." Valentina said as they walked next to Jaune, shaking Cammie as well.

"Let me dedicate this to all those all-night gamer addicts!/これを一晩中ゲーマー中毒者全員に捧げましょう！" Kazu said as he sat on his with his guitar, playing a short rock riff to get Cammie to wake up.

It worked better then he thought as Jaune and Valentina cringed from the loud noise and Cammie groaned.

"Leave me be." she said as she help up a peace sign as the riff ended.