Chapter 1: 1: Flow
1: flow (rewritten 04/25/2024)
What is strength? What is power?
Jaune wondered about this for a long time when he was a child, when he dreamed of being a hero.
He was naive, a fool in many ways.
But even someone like him knew that strength was necessary to save others, that having power was the requirement he needed to fulfill his dreams.
But even if he knew that, he was still ignorant about what strength meant and how to obtain it. Of course, his father deciding to hinder his path even before it began had a lot to do with that, but in the end, that was also an excuse.
Jaune didn't deceive himself about his own flaws either.
Even if his father didn't want to train him, he should have looked for other ways, he should have tried harder, attempted more, tried other options, found his own path.
but instead, he wallowed in self-pity and false hope that if he made it to Beacon, things would change.
That there he would learn everything he should have learned since he was a child.
That the only way was to enter the best combat school in the world.
How stupid.
How arrogant.
How idiotic.
He didn't even set foot on the campus grounds.
Maybe if he had sought strength, if he had tried to learn about it before running away from home like an idiot, he might have done something more.
Something more than just dying.
His foolish dreams and hopes failed the moment the Grimm began to tear his body apart piece by piece.
Ripping off his limbs, opening his body, and pulling out his guts, he saw his organs being removed from where they should be, he felt it all slowly and painfully.
Honestly, he would have preferred to die instantly, but he supposed that would be too simple an exit; somehow his body and consciousness endured everything, every wound, every stab of burning pain, until a Grimm decided to tear his head off his body with a bite.
That memory still brings nightmares.
The phantom pain still haunts him.
But surely this should be impossible, right? How can a dead person still have nightmares?
Well, he didn't know what kind of dumb luck, divine intervention, or miraculous coincidence happened to him.
The fact was that he woke up again.
Jaune Arc died in Remnant with unfulfilled dreams and broken hopes.
And Charanko woke up in a new world with a new life.
.
.
.
The first years were tough.
There were no Grimm, but that didn't make his new home any safer.
Unknown creatures.
Strange life forms.
Monsters.
Jaune hadn't known much about Grimm in his previous life, but he certainly had basic knowledge about them.
The monsters were totally different in many aspects.
Their intelligence, strength, and cunning were unparalleled.
Whole armies faced them daily and lost.
Humanity in this world might seem more united than in his old world without kingdoms and only a unified government, but that didn't mean it was safer.
The constant threat was palpable, and if it weren't for the existence of certain extraordinary individuals, humanity would have fallen long ago; Jaune had no doubts about that.
There was no general name for them, they didn't belong to the same group, and it didn't seem like they knew each other.
They were loners in many ways, but they were the ones who protected humanity.
This world didn't have hunters, there were no places that trained warriors to protect humanity, nor was there magical dust to tip the balance.
Without the involvement of these extraordinary individuals, humanity would have fallen in this world.
And so, like a naive fool who, even if he had died, still held childish dreams within him, he decided to go after his dreams once more, to seek out one of these extraordinary people to achieve what he could never in his previous life.
It helped that the man's identity was known and his place of residence public.
But why... why did the path there have to have so many stairs?!
.
.
.
The elderly man clasped his hands behind his back, even if he seemed a bit hunched, his posture was still firm like an immovable pillar.
He had been watching the horizon, gazing at the setting sun in the distance when something caught his attention, his gray eyebrows raised slightly as he saw the small figure climbing the steps to his dojo almost crawling.
He noticed the dirt on his hands, how they were red from the effort, he noticed the fatigue in him, how his body seemed to want to collapse at any moment, visible tremors shaking him.
But above all else, he noticed that fiery blaze in his eyes shining with surprising determination.
The least one would expect from a child no more than 6 years old able to climb the thousands of steps.
The elder despite noticing all this didn't move to help, because that would be an insult to the effort he was witnessing before him.
Instead, he waited, watching as the child struggled to climb until he reached the last step.
For a moment he thought he would faint once he reached it, but with some amazement, he watched as the child stood up and walked towards him unsteadily.
"Y-you are Master Bang?"
Bang nodded slowly without speaking, both of them staring into each other's eyes without blinking.
Then suddenly the child fell to his knees and bowed deeply before him.
"Please train me!"
That day would be deeply remembered by Jaune, after all, it was the day when for the first time in his existence someone decided to believe in him.
"Of course"
.
.
.
Three years later.
"It's like a current, a constant flow of water moving in all directions, like that of raging tides, capable of crushing even the sturdiest rocks"
Bang's voice echoed in Jaune's ears. Today was finally the day, after three long years of training, where he had learned basic martial arts to condition his body and mind, the time had finally come.
Today he would learn his master's true martial arts.
Except, looking at the great and furious river at his feet, Jaune wasn't sure if he would enjoy this as much as he had imagined he would.
"Like this river then, that's why we came to look at it, right? So I can understand how it works, just by looking at it from here safely and trying to understand it through observation, right?" Jaune couldn't help the tremor in his voice.
"Hahaha, of course not! To truly understand it, you need to experience it firsthand" his master laughed good-naturedly, stroking his chin as if he had a beard.
"E-experience it?! Wait, Master, maybe it's too soon, I think I should practice for another two years!"
"Nonsense! If I say you're ready, you're ready. Now go, test the flow of a river!"
With a movement of his hand that Jaune couldn't perceive, he was pushed into the air, plummeting towards the raging river below.
His scream echoed throughout the area.
.
.
.
At the end, his master had been right as he always was, and that experience had served him well to understand the foundations of the coolest martial art that exists, and anyone who dared to say otherwise was a fool in Jaune's opinion.
Because, how could there be another martial art cooler than the one that allows you to defy any adversity, counter any attack, and return the blow with double the force?
To fight beyond your physical capabilities, surpassing your own limits, and using the strength of your opponent against them completely?
Of course, there are many martial arts that claim to have such characteristics, but none truly compare to Ryūsui Gansai-ken!: Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist
It's no wonder his master is acclaimed as the strongest martial artist in the world.
Although the master says that in reality, his older brother deserves that title.
Jaune hadn't yet met his master's brother, but from all the good things his master said about him, he must be an incredible man.
Breaking from his thoughts, Jaune focused on the task at hand.
Despite everything, Jaune hadn't forgotten the reason he sought out his master, the reason he had worked so hard.
To be a hero.
To save people.
And now, that moment seemed to have arrived unexpectedly; in front of him stood the evil that plagued this world, a monster.
Honestly, Jaune didn't expect to encounter one while out buying comics.
Maybe this is another life and another world, but some things don't change; Jaune could be forgetting many things from his past, but he still retained his good tastes.
His fondness for comics being one of them; his life now centered almost entirely on his training, and if it weren't for his master constantly instilling the need to rest properly, Jaune would have missed out on the goldmine that was the comics of this world, or mangas as they called them.
Nothing is more relaxing than a good comic read!
Returning to the matter at hand, it was in the middle of his purchase that a monster decided to appear out of nowhere.
"Ku ku ku ku! Run! No matter how much you do, in the end, everyone will be my dinner!" The monster was tall, almost four meters, its skin seemed to gleam with a metallic gray color, and its face seemed like a parody of a traditional wrestling mask.
Not to mention that its body was almost completely naked, only covered by a pair of shorts too small to be legal.
It was a ridiculous sight, but that didn't make Jaune relax or underestimate his opponent.
No matter how ridiculous he looked or how foolishly he acted, in front of him was a real monster, and his master had taught him never to underestimate any opponent.
While people fled, Jaune approached, leaving his shopping bag on the ground and preparing for the fight.
Was Jaune brave?
No.
Was Jaune reckless?
No.
Jaune was afraid; if he were his former self, he would be trembling uncontrollably.
Even now, his body wanted to tremble, but his master had taught him better.
He had instilled enough discipline in his body so that his posture would not falter.
Instead, his body remained firm as he advanced; having endured the onslaught of raging river currents, it was impossible for him to tremble at this point.
And although he was afraid, it wasn't for himself.
He had died a horrible death, so horrible that the event still haunted him in his nightmares.
Death no longer frightened him, not when he had already experienced it firsthand.
Instead, his fear and nervousness stemmed from the people running behind him; if he failed here and now, everyone would be in danger, their lives would be at stake.
That's why he couldn't fail.
That's why he was going to win!
"Ku! A brave kid standing in front of me! Do you want to fight me? The great iron-fisted Jack!? Then prepare yourself, insolent punk, because you will witness the true strength of a professional fighter!"
The monster wrestler lunged forward, cracking the ground with just one of its steps; its enormous body moved faster than it had any right to, creating a shockwave around it that would have killed any normal person instantly.
For Jaune, it was like watching it in slow motion; all these years practicing with his master and the other students of the dojo had sharpened his perception beyond human, elevating all his senses to the extreme.
The attack in front of him was like that of a snail.
He easily diverted the incoming blow and, clenching his fist, made his counterattack.
His punch easily struck the monster's side, its skin as hard as steel rippled, and its ribs collapsed, breaking on the spot with a resounding crunch.
"Puaj!?" Blood spurted from the monster's mouth, and its body was sent flying dozens of meters in the next instant.
Jaune looked at his fist with childish amazement; fighting against his master or the other students of the dojo, he had never been able to land such a clean and direct blow.
Of course, he knew he could hit hard, very hard; after all, the "Rock Smashing" in martial art name wasn't just for show.
You literally had to be able to crush rocks with your fists if you wanted to start practicing it.
It was the minimum requirement and the reason why Jaune took three years to be ready.
Now, at 13 years old and having been under his master Bang's teaching for 7 years, Jaune could do more than just crush rocks.
A big smile spread across his face.
He was no longer weak; he was no longer that scrawny kid who bullies picked on and his sisters had to save.
He was no longer a disappointment.
He could be a hero.
.
.
.
It goes without saying that his master was not pleased with his reckless act.
"Even if you managed a good hit, monsters are very deceptive, Jaune! You can't judge their strength by their appearance!"
Jaune nodded, sweating as he maintained a horse stance and lifted a rock the size of a car over his head.
"Still, it would be hypocritical of me to continue scolding you when you used your strength for the good of others" Bang sighed.
"D-Does that mean I can rest?" the boy asked hopefully.
"No! This punishment isn't because you fought; it's because you stood there staring at your fist like an idiot after landing a good hit! Seriously, if Yoshida hadn't gone shopping with you, that monster could have caught you off guard!"
Remembering what happened after his initial success, Jaune hung his head in shame. He had let himself get carried away thinking he had won and got distracted fantasizing about being a hero.
If Yoshida, one of his fellow disciples, hadn't gone with him, then he could have suffered serious injuries when the monster counterattacked.
"You'll carry that rock until the sun sets; reflect on your mistakes"
.
.
.
After that, Jaune continued to face more monsters in his free time.
The number of them kept increasing as time passed, and so did his strength.
Jaune tried to protect as many people as he could.
He would rather die again than allow someone to get hurt in front of him.
Jaune didn't come out unscathed every time; the strength of the monsters and their fighting styles always varied.
Even with the coolest martial art in the world, Jaune found himself in serious trouble several times.
Still, he gained a lot of experience, helping him improve his strength by leaps and bounds.
He wasn't Bang's strongest disciple, but he was surely among the top 10, and he was the youngest, so people called him the most talented.
That changed when Garuo arrived at the dojo.
.
.
.
What was talent?
In his first life, Jaune hadn't been good at anything; there was no area where he excelled.
Perhaps if he had searched more, if he had tried harder.
But those were just past regrets that slowly began to fade along with his old memories. In this life, Jaune believed he had found his talent.
He thought he understood the word; maybe he got carried away by the praise from his master and the other students, but Jaune gained a certain level of pride.
It wasn't petty pride or anything like that; Jaune knew that even if he truly had talent, that wasn't what made his strength grow.
Instead, it was hard work and effort that mattered most.
But even knowing that, Jaune still felt proud, proud to be called Bang's youngest and most talented disciple.
Proud of his classmates' praises.
Proud of his strength.
Garou destroyed all of that in just one month.
Garou showed him what true talent meant.
The real meaning of the word.
"Genius..."
Truly, Jaune was grateful to Garou; he made him come back down to earth and realize that no matter the praises, no matter what others said about him, at the end of the day, he was still that clumsy, scrawny kid who had bled sweat and tears for everything he had gained in this world.
That everything was due to his effort and not to that illusory word called talent.
That he wasn't a genius.
And that was okay.
.
.
.
It was a few months after Garou's arrival that the Hero Association was founded.
Some representatives had come to his master's dojo seeking their participation.
Jaune's eyes sparkled with stars at the explanation the men had given, and perhaps if he hadn't been so focused on himself, he might have seen the dark look in Garou's eyes, the darkness and hatred that seemed to flood his eyes upon hearing the word "heroes."
.
.
.
Disclaimer: English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistakes there may be.
originally posted in the nsfw section of questionable questing
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone