A/N: Eight chapters in and I can't believe I haven't said this yet. I would like to thank everyone who has favorited, followed, reviewed, and even viewed this story. All of that really means a lot to me, so thank you again.

The mech was imposing, with every footstep sending noticeable shockwaves and cracking the pavement under its weight. Even so, the mech was quick for its size

Torchwick in a mech? Screw that, he's probably super dangerous even without the mech.

Usopp hurriedly fired a Platanus Shuriken before retreating like Blake and Sun.

Torchwick's eyes widened as he recognized the projectile that had sliced a Bullhead in two. He knew that his Paladin was tough, but regardless, he still decided to dodge the projectile.

Usopp didn't even bother to see if he landed his shot. Blake and Sun were jumping from rooftop to rooftop, while Usopp was running on the ground below, with the mech following behind.

"Why does Torchwick have a mech?!" Usopp yelled at Blake and Sun.

"That isn't important right now. Where is everyone else?" Blake asked.

Focusing, Usopp said, "Just a second… They should get here soon."

Usopp looked back at the mech which was in hot pursuit. It was getting far too close for comfort, prompting Usopp to fire off several dust rounds and another Platanus Shuriken. The mech managed to shrug off any dust projectiles, but once again Torchwick practically swerved out of the way of the deadly plant blades. This time, Torchwick had cut it too close and lost one of his mech's arms to the shuriken. After that annoying slip-up, he backed up to get more time to dodge any more plants that would be sent his way.

Usopp grunted, thinking about his options. He already seems wary of my Pop Greens, and that mech is just too nimble. I got an arm, but I doubt he'll get close enough to let that happen again. My other options don't seem to pack enough of a punch. I should just try and buy a little time so Blake, Sun, and I can regroup with the rest of the team. This should at least slow the thing down.

"Green Star: Bamboo Javelin!"

Usopp created a wall of green spikes that were too close together for the mech to run through. Torchwick eyed the bamboo wall, tempted to just ram through it. However, he decided to simply demolish a house on the side to go around it. Usopp was hardly satisfied by the second of time gained.

"I guess he can do that," Usopp mumbled.

From the rooftops, Blake asked, "How close is backup?"

"Just a-wait, I can physically see them up ahead!"

Yang and Neptune were quickly approaching on a motorcycle, while Ruby and Weiss were running not far behind. They were still a fair distance away though.

From afar, Yang yelled, "Usopp, watch-"

Usopp didn't hear the rest of the warning as he was blasted by an energy shot from the mech's remaining arm. Usopp was still skidding across the concrete, his Aura flickering, as a barrage of rockets exploded all around him.

One annoying kid down, Torchwick thought, Just to be sure though…

The smoke hadn't even cleared when Torchwick fired a volley of dust cannon shots in the Usopp's general area. He smirked in satisfaction as his most troublesome opponent was caught off guard and taken care of so easily.

Blake gasped in horror at the relentless assault. She even stopped running across the rooftops.

Yang's red eyes narrowed, and she made her motorcycle accelerate to an even faster speed.

Weiss' eyes widened in shock.

Sun created two clones with his semblance, but the clones simply dispersed upon making their attacks on the mech. Sun himself went in to attack, but all he received for the effort was a shot that sent him into Yang's motorcycle.

Ruby was the only one of her team that was undeterred. "Everyone, let's finish this quick! Freezer Burnt Wolf!"

"But that one needs Us-" Weiss started.

"Just do it!"

Weiss complied, creating a circle of ice on the road. Yang, dusting herself off from her crash, jumped up and punched the ice, creating a wave of cold mist that obscured Torchwick's view of the area.

Torchwick hurriedly activated his laser sensors, but by then it was already too late. Torchwick saw what could only be described as a wolf plant monster for a moment before it unleashed its powerful shockwave.

With Usopp's haki, his aim hadn't been impaired by the mist at all.

All of the mist was cleared away from the shockwave, revealing that the Paladin was completely destroyed. Metal parts were in shattered fragments all over the ground. Torchwick himself was sent flying into a building, bloody, battered, and eyes completely white.

With the mist cleared, and any dust settled, everyone else was able to see Usopp standing in a crater. His nose was bent at an unnatrual angle, and he was bleeding from several parts of his body. He was leaning on an enlarged version of Black Kabuto. Everyone had a mix of shock, worry, and relief enter their systems upon seeing Usopp in that state.

Although Ruby had never doubted that Usopp survived.

Usopp coughed some blood. "Ugh… You know, Ruby, I would have liked to lie down a little longer. Why did you have to *cough,* drag me into a team attack?"

"Sorry, but considering how dangerous the opponent seemed, I wanted to end it as fast as possible."

"Ahem," Weiss interjected, "That conversation can wait. You need to go to a hospital right now."

"Wait," Usopp said, "We need to make sure Torchwick is really out first."

A Bullhead flying into the air answered that question. A new girl in the Bullhead was carrying Torchwick's unconscious body on her shoulder.

Usopp glared, aiming a shot at the escaping Bullhead, but Weiss held out her hand.

"Wait, Usopp! Shooting down an aircraft in a populated area like this is too dangerous! And you shouldn't be moving around in the first place!"

Usopp hesitated for a second before relenting and unloading his shot.

"Now, let's get you to a hospital."

The next afternoon, Team RWBY, Sun, and Neptune all took an airship to Vale. Usopp had to be dropped off at a hospital there, but they all decided to visit him after classes. The whole day, Blake had been even more reserved than normal, hardly participating in any class activities besides taking notes. She had stack of detailed notes she took in order to make up for the classes that Usopp missed. Although, as they got closer and closer to Vale, Blake couldn't stop thinking about the previous night.

Ruby was taking care of Usopp's bag and slingshot, which she treated with great care. Although that didn't stop her from feeling the texture of the plant-based weapon.

"So, team, uh… do you think Usopp's got better yet?" Ruby awkwardly asked.

"Of course not! Did you not see how injured he was?" Weiss responded.

"Well… He was still conscious even when he got to the hospital, so I thought maybe-"

"It was probably just adrenaline. Honestly, it's surprising that he even survived at all. Atlas military-grade weapons are no joke."

"Oh..."

Blake looked down on the floor with guilt.

"And you Blake!" Weiss continued, "Don't think I haven't noticed how down you've been acting. So, what is wrong?"

Blake glanced around before sighing. Torchwick and his involvement with the White Fang was still bothering her, and she planned on spending a great deal of time investigating, but that wasn't the most pressing issue for her at the moment.

Right now, she was downcast because of guilt. "I… I don't think I can face Usopp right now."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"Usopp told me not to enter the building I did because Torchwick was there. But I entered in anyways, and Usopp got injured horribly because of that. If I waited for the rest of the team to get there..."

"Wait a second there," Sun said, "It's not like I objected to entering either."

"Also, you got the most useful information out of all of us," Yang said.

"But still… Why did it have to be Usopp? He was the most adamant about how dangerous this could be, but..."

"You should talk to Usopp about it," Ruby said.

"What?"

"He was the one who got injured, but it might not be as bad as it looks. If Usopp holds a grudge, you should try and apologize, but if he's fine, then you shouldn't worry too much about it."

"...Yeah… you're right. I should just go and see him."

Soon enough, the airship arrived in Vale and Blake steeled her nerves.

The hospital wasn't too far away, and the members of Team RWBY plus Sun and Neptune filed in with Ruby and went straight to the front desk.

"Excuse me sir, but is Usopp available to visit?" Ruby asked

"Let me check, what is his family name?"

"I… don't know."

The man at the desk frowned before typing in Usopp into his computer. "Well, it looks like there's only one Usopp here anyways. It seems like he's in the waiting room right now, and he's cleared to leave."

While Ruby looked happy, everyone else's eyes widened with shock.

"That can't be right. He was seriously injured just last night!" Weiss said.

"Last night, huh? Well, it wasn't my shift then so I wouldn't know. If you want to know more, then you can ask him about it."

The six made their way to the waiting room, and Weiss still was doubtful. "Did that guy really check the right Usopp?"

"Come on Weiss," Ruby responded, "How many people are named Usopp? It's a pretty unique name, and it doesn't seem to be related to any color."

In the next moment, the group entered the waiting room, and along with a few others, there was Usopp sitting in a chair with a hospital gown on. He had his old clothes folded in his lap, but they looked damaged. Usopp looked incredibly bored, but he was physically fine. Even his nose, which was previously broken, was healed with some bandages wrapped around it. Although, his boredom was curbed when he noticed the group that entered the room.

"Hey everyone!"

"Usopp, are you sure that you're actually healed up?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah, mostly at least. I don't need to be in a hospital anymore, but I've been told to take it easy for a little. I feel fine though."

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Did you unlock some kind of self-healing Semblance?"

"Probably not. The doctor also thought of that, but my Aura levels stayed normal throughout the night. Although, isn't it normal for Aura to heal injuries?"

"Minor ones! It doesn't mend broken bones overnight!"

"Milk does though. I had some milk last night, so that's probably it."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Right..."

"Hey, I'm serious! I know a talking skeleton that heals himself by drinking milk."

Weiss sighed. "And I'm sure he was right there to see you kill your first huge Grimm at three years old."

"Oh no, I only met him two years ago. Only my village has seen my early accomplishments."

"Well," Yang said, "at least it seems that you're acting like usual. Anyways, let's get out of here."

Usopp was handed his things by Ruby, and the group left. On their way to the airship, Usopp noticed that almost everyone else was giving him a lot of space besides Blake. Or, more that everyone was giving Usopp and Blake space.

Blake looked around around and took a deep breath. "Um… Usopp?"

"Hm? Oh wait, do I smell or something? Everyone else is kind of keeping their distance."

"What? No! I just… I'm sorry. Last night, you got injured because I decided to go in despite your warning."

"...Is there really a problem? No one died, and it's not like I'm crippled or anything. There were seven of us, and only one got any serious injuries. I'd say that we got pretty lucky, well I didn't get lucky, but that's besides the point. I guess I was so awesome that Torchwick couldn't help but try and get rid of me, ha ha."

"But, you were hospitalized. If I had just waited for everyone else to get there, then none of that would have happened."

"It wasn't that bad… ok, sure, it hurt a lot. But you know I used to fight a lot without Aura or anything protecting me. I broke my bones all the time, although I can't say that I'll ever get used to it. And, looking back, I shouldn't have ran from Torchwick. If I just faced him instead of turning my back to flee, then I might have been able to evade his attacks. In terms of recklessness, I would say that you're refreshingly cautious compared to what I've had to deal with before, so don't worry so much about it."

Blake was just silent for a minute before muttering a thanks.

On the airship, Ruby gave a look at Blake who just gave a thumb up in response. Everything had turned out well.

As they flew back, Ruby couldn't help but ask a question that she had ever since she talked to the receptionist at the front desk at the hospital.

"Hey, Usopp, this might be kinda random, but what is your family name?"

Usopp blinked a few times at the unexpected question before shrugging. "I don't know. I might have one, but if I was ever told it, I don't remember. I probably just don't have one though."

Everyone was silent as they began thinking of the potential implications of this. Well, everyone except Neptune at least.

"Well, if you had a family name, surely your parents would have mentioned it, right?" Neptune untactful asked.

Sun cringed, but Usopp only frowned for a fraction of a second before laughing. "Ha, I'm sure they would have, but I guess I can't fault you for not knowing that I set out to sea when I was just three years old."

"Your third year of life was quite eventful," Weiss commented.

"Naturally, but my point is that I haven't seen my parents for a while. I never really thought about my family name before, but I'll be sure to ask them about it when if I return."

Neptune nodded sagely. "Three years, huh? I remember adventuring on my own at the age of two." He winked at Weiss.

Usopp laughed. "You know, the island I came from was no small place. I was crawling around to explore everywhere when I was only one. I had to fight Beowolves and Ursas, and I did a better job than the local defenders."

"Oh really? Well when I was..."

As the two went on, the tension that had built up had all but disappeared.

Sun and Neptune went off on their own, while Team RWBY and Usopp travelled back to their dorms. Usopp changed into his school uniform.

Now that Usopp was back, it was finally time for something that had been delayed for far too long. Team JNPR was also in their dorm, so everyone was ready to get their Team Flags from Usopp. The flag the brought out first belonged to Team JNPR.

"Alright Jaune, how do you like it?"

Jaune widened his eyes at how Usopp had transformed his crappy little sketch into something of artistic value. Everyone else was also impressed, and it made Ruby more exited to see what Usopp had made for her team.

The flag itself was white, with the image of a Juniper Tree on it. Even small details like the texture of the bark, shading of the leaves, and shadows. On the tree were four 'berries' of varying colors. One was pink, the second yellow, the third green, and the last was red. On each berry, there was also a small emblem. The pink one had a hammer with a lightning bolt through it. The yellow one had the emblem on Jaune's shield. The green one had a blossoming flower, while the red one had a spear.

"Wow… it's awesome. Thanks, Usopp."

"No problem, Jaune. Anyways, if you want, you can put this up on your door. I'll go get RWBY's flag now."

"Well, it's not just mine," Ruby said.

"I was talking about the team from the start," Usopp said.

"Oh right, that can be a bit confusing."

By the time Usopp had come out with RWBY's flag, JNPR's flag had already been hung up on the door. Everyone's eyes turned to the flag. The people from Team JNPR were surprised by the general look of the flag, while Team RWBY, who already knew what the general design was, were just impressed by the detail put in.

To put it simply, Team RWBY's flag was a Jolly Roger. It was black with a white skull, although when compared to Usopp's Straw Hat Flag, that was where the similarities ended.

The 'crossbones' were actually Crescent Rose and Myrtenaster. Ruby and Weiss respectively appreciated the amount of detail on the painted weapons that made them almost look like the real thing. Yang was represented by the fact that the skull was on fire, and Blake was represented by the skull's black bow.

If I ever change my mind about wearing this bow, then I'll have to ask him to update the flag. I can't imagine that happening anytime soon though, Blake thought.

"Thanks, Usopp, you made my design look really cool," Ruby said.

"It's not a problem. Although, to be honest, I'm surprised that you went for a Jolly Roger for your Team Flag."

"A Jolly Roger?"

Usopp blinked. "You don't know what a Jolly Roger is?"

"No..."

Ruby looked around at the rest of her team, but they didn't seem to recognize the term either. Blake and Weiss felt that they had read it in a book somewhere, but they couldn't place the context off the top of their heads.

"Oh come on, how about Team JNPR?" Usopp asked.

Team JNPR shook their heads.

How do they not know what a Jolly Roger is? Although, pirates were pretty much missing in any topics that I've researched.

"Alright. A Jolly Roger is a pirate's mark. It usually has a skull and crossbones in the design, but what makes up the symbol can vary greatly."

"What's a pirate?" Ruby asked.

Although the mention of pirates actually jogged Weiss and Blake's memories a little, so Weiss got the chance to answer before Usopp. "Pirates are basically sea-bandits that appear in a few fictional works. They don't exist in real life though. Grimm out in the ocean tend to be larger and stronger than what appears on land, and it's much harder to keep and eye out for Grimm. Being at sea also limits the amount of populated places they can raid. If any populated island chains existed, then that might change."

"Oh," Ruby responded, "But Usopp, if a Jolly Roger is basically a sea-bandit mark, then why do you have one as your flag?"

"Oh, that's simple. It's because I'm a pirate."

A/N: If pirates are introduced in the next volume then I swear... Anyways, pirates haven't really been shown to exist in the RWBYverse, so I'm just going with the idea that they don't exist. The closest to pirates that we have seen were the people on the transport ship to Menagerie that had pirate like designs(which I'll personally say that they might have been inspired by some fictional work), but I seriously doubt that they were actual pirates. If they do exist, then FML I guess.