(Yang's POV)

I'm running at the Geist. I saw the ground start to move. A centipede looking Grimm came out the ground and looked at us.

Yang: Huh?

It lunged at me. I quickly shot it, making it throw its head back in pain. It bleed some green stuff. It looked back at me and hissed. It burrowed back into the ground. A lot more of the centipede Grimm came out of the ground and walls, hissing at us.

Yang: That's disgusting.

I looked at (Y/N) and he's not moving, his face slightly pale.

Yang: (Y/N)? Are you ok?

(Y/N): I-I'm fine. Just... Stiff shoulders.

Does he not like bugs? One lunged at (Y/N). He screamed and pulled up one of his shields, blocking the attack.

(Y/N): Get away you freak of nature!

I quickly ran over and punched the Grimm away. (Y/N) ran past me.

Yang: (Y/N)! Where are you going?!

(Y/N): Um... To get the Geist! Yeah! Find me after you're down with those freaks!

Harriet: I guess it is babysitting.

Marrow: Told you.

(Y/N) started to run faster, going deeper into the mine. I sighed to myself. I noticed a Grimm trying to attack me. I punched it, sending it into a wall. I saw two more lunging at me. I punched the two in the head. I kept punching them while placing a bunch of tiny explosives on them. I jumped back and thrusted my arm back, setting off the explosives.

Yang: Now that was awesome!

Weiss: One left!

Ruby: I got it!

Ruby was about to get the last one, but Harriet dashed over at high speeds and plunged her fist through the Grimm's head, killing it.

Ruby: Whoa! Your Semblance makes you super fast, just like me!

Harriet: Very cool. Though, based on your reaction time, I'd say I'm a little faster.

I looked forward and started to walk.

Yang: Let's see if (Y/N) found the Geist.

Ruby: Right.

Weiss: He probably lost sight of it.

Everyone started to run forward. After sometime, we made it into a huge open room. I saw (Y/N) leaning forward, resting his hands on his knees, and breathing heavily.

Yang: Hey (Y/N).

He looked back at me.

(Y/N): Hey Yang. You got rid of those things?

I nodded my head.

Harriet: Did you find the Geist?

(Y/N): I swear I saw it in here.

I looked around, seeing all the different Dust crystals coming out of the wall. This is going to be hard, taking out a Grimm with Dust crystals everywhere. One mistake and we're dead. I looked over and saw Jaune, Ren, Nora, Elm, and Vine walk in.

Ruby: Guys!

Nora: I thought the target was supposed to be in here.

(Y/N): It is here.

A rumbling noise can be heard from above. Everyone looked up and the Geist fell from the ceiling. It crashed down with a body with rocks and Dust.

Ruby: It added Dust to its body? How are we supposed to-

(Readers POV)

The four Ace Operatives here rushed over to deal with the Geist. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked over and saw Yang is standing behind me, smiling.

(Y/N): Whats so funny?

Yang: You're scared of bugs.

(Y/N): I am not!

Ruby: I mean...

Weiss: You did scream and then ran away.

Nora: Looks like I know how prank (Y/N) at night now.

Ren: Nora. Please...

I felt my face heat up. I quickly turned around, making sure no one can see my face. I noticed that Clover and Qrow arrived. Clover caught a Dust crystal.

Clover: What would you guys do without me?

He rushed over to help his team deal with the Geist. I made sure to take note of them fight together. It's like they don't have to say a word to know what to do. Clover pulled out his fishing rod and hooked the Geist's face. Harriet rushed over and punched it, killing it.

(Y/N): The Dust!

I quickly ran over and started to catch all the crystals I can from them hitting the floor. Harriet tried to grab one, but Ruby, using her semblance, went over and grabbed the one Harriet was trying to catch. I quickly noticed that Ruby caught the last one.

(Y/N): Good. We're not dead.

I gently placed the crystals on the ground. I saw Yang giving me a thumbs up.

Yang: Great job catching the crystals.

(Y/N): Oh... Thanks.

I noticed Harriet walking up to me.

Harriet: I couldn't help but notice your staring while we were fight the Geist.

I can feel Yang giving me a glare, like she's trying to see through my skull.

(Y/N): I was seeing how you five would take it down. Me and my team could have done it too.

Harriet: Alright. But I bet we did it better.

She gave me a wink. She walked past me. I clenched my fists. Damn, she's right. The Ace Operatives really are better than I thought. They're better than me, for now at least.

Yang: (Y/N)!

I turned around to look at Yang.

Yang: Come on. We are leaving the mine now.

(Y/N): Right.

(Time Skip)

Everyone walked out the mine. Everyone is praising the Ace Operatives for their great work.

Nora: THUNDER THIGHS!

(Y/N): Huh?

I looked over at Nora. She's holding her hammer in the air, standing triumphantly with Elm standing next to her.

(Y/N): Guess she's already making a friend.

I noticed Ruby run over to Harriet.

Ruby: Perfect complementary teamwork. Oh, yeah, I want to have my friends' backs just like that.

Harriet: Friends?

Elm: This isn't the schoolyard, kid.

Me, Weiss, and Yang walked over to Ruby.

Yang: But, I mean, when you go through so much with someone, it kind of changes things, doesn't it?

Harriet: We get along well enough, sure. I count on them to keep me alive. They do the same. But that's the job. We don't confuse the two.

Harriet and Elm walked away. I saw Ruby, Weiss, and Yang got a sad look on their faces.

(Y/N): Huh, what a stupid way to look at things.

The three girls looked at me. I gave them a smile.

(Y/N): You would think an Ace Operative would know that being friends with your teammates makes everything easier.

They all smiled back at me and nodded.

Ruby: Yeah. She doesn't know what we've been through.

I looked over and saw Ironwood. The Ace Operatives walked over to him.

Ruby: What do you guys want to do when we get back to Atlas? Sightseeing? What should we visit first?

(Y/N): I want to visit our beds.

I started to walk away.

Ruby: Oh, come on, guys! This is a great time to go exploring! We haven't done that in so long!

Weiss: Ruby, we just explored a whole continent on foot before flying to this one.

Weiss walked up to me.

Ruby: Well, yeah, but... it was only the boring parts.

Yang: We almost died.

Weiss: You know (Y/N), I have to agree with you. Sleep does sound pretty good right now.

(Y/N): You're agreeing with me? That's something new.

Yang walked up to me.

Yang: Can't wait to get out of this snow.

I looked forward and saw a red portal appeared. Me, Yang, and Weiss got our weapons ready. Why is Raven showing up here?

Qrow: What does she want?

I was expecting Raven to walk out the portal, but it wasn't her. It was a girl, with long hair and she has the same hair color as me. She looks pretty beat up, with bruises and blood dripping off of her. She stumbled over to me.

???: Help...

She closed her eyes and passed out, falling face first into the snow. I ran over to her and picked her up.

(Y/N): Let's get her help, now!

(Chapter 38 end)