A/N: Okay, this chapter's a bit of a biggie. I blame it on the fight scenes but hey, what can ya do? Also, sorry this took so long but... comment question responses!
Kamencolin: There will definitely be a few villains in this Volume, including some underutilized ones from Ben 10 as well as Cinder's group, though they'll only be minor roles. I want our main heroes to be the focus as they become a true team. But don't worry; Volume 2 of this story will have PLENTY of major bad guys, including the return of ol' squid face. (I've planned things out WAY ahead).
Gamelover41592: Gwen graduated early yes, but like I said in the first chapter, Omniverse is not canon in this story either. So no Rook (yet). I love Rook's character (one of the best ones in Omniverse's entirety) but he's probably not going to be introduced until WAY later on. In fact, a lot of things are going to be changing from what Omniverse established, so prepare for a few surprises. Think of this as another one of Ben 10's MANY alternate timelines
TheAdmiralJK12: As much as I love Ultimate forms, I'm afraid they won't be appearing in this story yet. Remember, this is the new Omnitrix, not the Ultimatrix. Not saying they won't ever appear, just not any time soon.
TheFishKing: Oh that'll definitely happen eventually. Gwen and Cinder WILL actually be seeing each other soon... but Gwen will be preoccupied with something that requires her full attention during that squabble.
Thank you all for your kind comments. I promise I'll try to keep up with these in the future. That said, let's go! This is...
Chapter 4: Ready? Fight!
...
Cooper Daniels could not feel more useless if he'd tried. There he was, sitting against the Rustbucket while everyone else was blasting away at Grimm. It made him disappointed in himself. First he couldn't prevent Vilgax's escape, then he had stupidly gotten his legs hurt (though some would argue that was out of his control), and now he was basically being the one protected, AGAIN! First during the Negative Ten incident, then when the Hybreed captured him, and now THIS?! He didn't go through intense Plumber training for THIS! He was sick of it! He took a deep breath, trying to let his frustration go. 'Remember Coop, you're not the only one probably feeling useless.'
He turned his attention to Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren, who had been moved so that they were sitting next to him. The normally upbeat redhead now bore a sullen expression while Ren seemed to show one of concern. Though now that Cooper's eyes had wandered, Ren looked up to meet his gaze. The two young men studied each other for a moment before Cooper spoke up. "You're worried about your teammates, aren't you?"
Ren nodded. "Yes, very much."
"Jaune and Pyrrha are like our older siblings." Nora said, catching the blonde's attention. "We've only known each other for almost a year, but it feels like forever." She began choking on her words. "If anything happened to them-hic-I just don't know what I would do."
Seeing her despair only made Cooper feel worse. He hit the ground next to him, not caring if it hurt. "Damn it! I feel so useless! If only I had some tech lying around I could force myself to walk!"
Ren was puzzled at that. "Tech? You need technology to walk?"
"Yes! Er, I mean no, well, ugh! Look, I'm a technopath, so in this situation, yes, I could use technology to will myself up onto my legs. Unfortunately, all I've got is this rifle that I can't use in this position."
"Well if you need tech, why don't you just use all of that over there?" Nora pointed over behind the Rustbucket to a cluster of destroyed white robots lying in a broken heap. Atlesian Knights.
Cooper's eyes widened in shock. 'How in the hell did I not notice those before? More importantly...' "Why didn't you tell me that was there in the first place?" he asked Nora.
"You didn't ask." The redhead replied with a cheeky grin.
Coop's face deadpanned. 'What IS this girl? She's sad one second and random the next, what the heck?' He couldn't doddle on that right now; he had to get to those bots. But he needed cover, so he called out to the first person who came to his mind: "Coco!"
The barrette-wearing girl didn't turn away from the horde of Grimm that she was mowing down, but she did hear him. "Yeah Blondie, what is it?!"
"I need you to help me over to that large pile of scrap over there!"
That got Coco's full attention and she glanced over to Sun Wukong, who was using his signature bo staff, the Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang to fight off the Grimm. "Hey Monkey Boy, I need you to take over for a bit!"
"On it!" said monkey boy acknowledged. He separated his staff into its gun-chaku mode and took Coco's position, blasting and knocking away Grimm with every swing. Coco changed her rotary canon back to its hand bag mode and strutted over to the three. She knelt down, looked Cooper in the eye and asked:
"Are you crazy?"
Cooper's expression never faltered. "Trust me, this will work."
A moment passed before Coco relented with a sigh. "Scratch that, I'M the crazy one for agreeing to this." She lifted Cooper's arm and draped it over her shoulder, picking him up off the ground and bringing him over to the wrecked Altesian Knights. "You're sure you know what you're doing?"
"Positive, I just need a few seconds." Coco set Cooper down in front of the wrecked robots, allowing him to work. He whistled, impressed by the technology. "Gotta say, this is quite the piece of work." He set his hand on one of the robots. "But nothing I can't handle." His blue eyes began to glow brighter as the pieces of metal on the Altesian Knights began to disassemble and reasseble themselves onto Cooper's body, covering his legs, arms, and torso in the white armor. Coco pulled her shades down, making sure she was seeing things correctly.
Cooper was now covered in a suit of white, highly advanced, Atlesian armor, complimented by a jet booster pack that he made from the spare parts. He picked up the head of one of the Knights, emptied it of its electronic contents, and placed it on his head, a perfect fit. The visor lit up, what was once a dark red now being a bright blue. He now looked like a fully armored Atlesian Knight. He looked to Coco and spoke; his voice sounding like it was coming through a speaker. "Well, how do I look?"
After staring in awe for a second, Coco smirked and pushed her sunglasses back into place. "Like you're ready to kick ass and take names."
"Heh, well I'm not that ready yet." Finally able to stand up, Cooper turned his attention back to where he was sitting before and picked up his Mark 12 Techadorian Multiblaster in his right hand, Ren and Nora looking up at him in shock. The weapon began to disassemble and then reassemble to become a part of his right gauntlet. "Ranged weaponry, check."
Cooper stepped past the two still gawking teens and went into the Rustbucket, Coco following after him. Her eyes widened, what she thought would be the home of a nice old man... was still that, but with a wall of weapons above the sink, Cooper himself taking hold of a shimmering blue energy sword. He set it against his left wrist and the blade folded in on itself until it was all compacted in his left gauntlet. "Melee weaponry, check. Okay, now I'm ready."
"Great, because I think we got company!" Cooper looked out through the door and saw that there were indeed more Grimm. Some appeared to be wolves and bears while others resembled giant lizards and boars. He activated his Multiblaster, now like an extension of his own arm, and nodded to Coco who smirked back at him.
The two exited the RV and walked past the line of defense, Ironwood almost mistaking him for an actual Atlesian Knight until Coco explained otherwise. Cooper stood in front of the horde, battle ready. One of the boars immediately began spinning rapidly and charged. Just as the beast was about to hit him, Cooper punched down on it, sending it into the ground, breaking its spine. More came his way but he used his blaster to shoot holes into all of them.
A lizard Grimm suddenly jumped at him, Cooper having to deactivate his weapon so that he could catch the monster's front legs. The beast tried to overpower him, but Cooper had an idea. He swung his metal covered leg to the beast's crotch and it staggered back in agony, Cooper unsheathing his energy blade and beheaded the suffering creature. More of the lizards charged and Cooper activated his jet boosters, propelling himself forward at great speeds whilst swinging his blade at the creatures, either gutting, dismembering, or decapitating them as he went.
"These systems might not be flight capable, but they sure as hell work!" he shouted. Cooper stopped and looked behind him to view his handiwork. Many of the Grimm were now either dead or festering in pools of their own blood. There were some Grimm he had missed, but a quick glance up reassured Cooper that Sun and the others were handling the stragglers. But he also saw something else that surprised him...
"Hey Tech Head, to your left!" Coco was running after him, a slightly annoyed expression on her face. It was only then that he'd noticed that the ground beneath him was moving. He jumped away just in time for a giant Grimm scorpion to spring forth from the earth. He was taken by surprise as the scorpion lifted its stinger and thrust it down at its prey. Coco slid to a halt in between them and smacked the stinger away with her handbag. As the scorpion reeled back, Coco activated her rotary cannon and unloaded a hellfire of bullets in its face, eviscerating it. When she stopped, Cooper was once again taken aback by the weapon's power and the girl's strength.
"Okay, what was that?" he asked.
"Death Stalker. Pretty unpredictable, very poisonous." Coco smiled. "Gotta admit, Tech Head, you're not half bad. A bit sloppy in combat, but still, you've got some skills."
Cooper shrugged. "Heh, well what can I say? A trained Plumber can also be quite unpredictable." He felt a tremor beneath him. "Speaking of..." Cooper turned around and another Death Stalker emerged from the pavement, but Cooper was ready this time. He brought out his blade and activated his jet boosters while leaping into the air. Landing on the Death Stalker's tail, he sliced the stinger off, sending it plunging into the beast's head. Cooper rolled off the giant scorpion, pulling his blade back and grabbing the remains of it's tail as he did. Using his tech-enhanced strength, Cooper lifted the Grimm off the ground and spun it around, letting go on the fifth spin and sending it straight into an empty building, burying it in rubble.
Coco seemed impressed. "Hmm, again not bad. Though we should probably avoid destroying anymore buildings."
"Right, my bad." At the sound of a deep growl, the two whirled around to see more hordes of Ursai and Beowulves charging at them. Cooper glanced to Coco. "Think you can handle the fifty on the right?"
She smirked. "Tech Head, I've been doing this all day, I think I can keep this up."
From beneath his helmet, Cooper smiled as he brought out his blaster. "Couldn't have said it better myself. Let's do this!"
...
The mighty duo of Kevin's car and Bumblebee were rolling through the school grounds, their destination: the ship docks. Yang, being the expert motorcyclist she taught herself to be, was weaving around destroyed structures and upturned earth like a pro. She could only imagine what her passenger was thinking. "Hey, Ben! You liking the ride so far?!" she yelled.
In all honesty, the only suitable word that Ben could describe his feelings right now was: exhilarated. There was something about Bumblebee that was just hitting all the right switches in his mind. "Are you kidding?! This is amazing!"
Yang smiled. "Glad to hear it!" As she continued down the paved grounds she started to notice moving objects along their left side. She glanced left and, to her irritation, they were being pursued by at least six Beowulves. "Ah, shit!" She said in disdain.
"What is it?" Ben asked.
"On our left!"
Ben turned his head and he saw the Grimm. "HOLY SHIT! What are those things?!"
"Beowulves. Ben, I'm gonna warn you, things are about to get crazy! I need you to hold on to one of the handle bars to help me keep her steady for a minute!"
"On it!" Ben released his left arm from Yang and went for the handle bar as she removed her own left hand. The Beowulves closed in and began to leap at the bike. But Yang wouldn't let them touch it. She activated her Ember Celica and started punching with all her might, unloading a shot into every Beowulf that dared lunge at her bike.
"GET! OFF! MY! BIKE! ASS! HOLES!" she yelled with every punch. The creatures fell, their corpses littering the courtyard and forcing the car behind them to maneuver past even more obstacles, something that the driver was none too happy about. Yang took back the handle and Ben returned his arm to her middle. She yelled back: "You good?!"
"Hell yeah, I'm good! That was awesome!"
"Thanks! But I think Kevin's not enjoying the presents I'm leaving him!"
...
"Oh no, please keep leaving dead bodies all over the road, Yang. I don't mind." Kevin said bitterly as he swerved around said dead Grimm with a small pout on his face. He wouldn't admit it was a pout, but it was.
Gwen glanced at her boyfriend with reassurance. "Kevin, I'm sure that she isn't doing it on purpose."
Kevin exhaled through his nostrils. "I know, I'm just not really looking forward to getting all this blood outta the paint when this is over."
"I know sweetie, I know."
In the back seat, Weiss' eyes had narrowed at the two's conversation, and she finally felt the need to ask. "Hey Gwen?"
"Yes Weiss?"
"Listen... I mean absolutely no offense when I say this, and you don't need to answer me when I ask but, you two seem so different from each other so... how are you two a couple exactly?"
The Osmosian and Anodite glanced at each other before the former smirked and answered. "Roguish charm."
Gwen grinned, rolling her eyes. "And a whole lot of patience."
"Um, not to interrupt," Blake spoke up, "but if you look in your rearview, you'll see that we've GOT COMPANY!"
Kevin glanced up to the mirror and his eyes widened at the sight of seven Ursai approaching fast. "Well... shit."
Ruby had a glimmer in her eye. "Ooh, Ursai! Don't worry, I'm on it!" She removed Crescent Rose from her back and activated the sniper rifle configuration.
Kevin's eyes widened. "Wait, it's a scythe and a gun?"
"Yep." the hooded girl replied, popping the "p" sound.
The young man turned to his girlfriend. "Gwen, I know what I want for my birthday next year."
"You're going to be nineteen Kevin."
"Oh come on, it's so cool!"
Ruby pulled back the sun roof and pushed herself through. She steadied Crescent Rose, took aim and fired, the rounds hitting their marks like it was nothing. Blake was lending a hand as well. Now part-way out of the left rear window, Gambol Shroud in hand, she fired at the Ursai that had managed to move clear of Ruby's shots and were getting too close to the car. One Ursa managed to leap at her, but she quickly activated Gambol Shroud's blade, stabbing it in the neck and up through its head. She pulled the blade out and let the body tumble away.
"Um, girls, not to sound needy, but we've got more in the front!" Gwen called out. Indeed there were more Grimm coming toward them, this time of the lizard variety.
"Creeps." Weiss stated. "I've got this." Weiss rolled down her window and leaned out, Myrtenaster in hand. She focused her semblance through her rapier and created several small versions of her snowflake glyphs. She spun the barrel to her signature ice setting and the glyphs began to glow. The energy gathered and out shot several large shards of ice, firing directly at the Creeps. The shards hit their mark, either skewering the Creeps through the head or impaling them in the chest. Kevin drove around the husks and before they knew it the Ursai had stopped attacking as well, leaving them...
"Woo! In the clear!" Kevin hollered. But the celebration was cut short when he felt a tremor from underneath his car. Yang pulled to a stop in front of them and Kevin did the same, the pavement having cracked and the earth moved. Bursting forth from the surface came two large snake-like beasts, one black, one white. Both were hissing and baring their giant fangs at them, their intent to kill very clear.
"Okay, the hell is that?!" Ben yelled from the bike.
"A King Taijitu!" Ruby yelled from the sun roof. She took aim and fired at one of the snake Grimm's eyes. However, it managed to avoid the shot and lunged at Ruby, who quickly retreated into the car before she could become a snake snack. The King Taijitu pulled back its head and continued hissing menacingly. "Okay, that didn't work. Any ideas?"
"Just one." Kevin pressed a small button on the dashboard and the car transformed into its battle mode, complete with gatling guns and missile launchers. The targeting systems locked on and fired at one of the King Taijitu's heads as it hissed, the missiles exploding inside of its mouth, making its head explode.
"Now for the finishing touch." Kevin reached underneath the dashboard and opened a secret compartment that housed a big red button. He slammed it and from back of the car emerged a large plasma cannon. It took aim at the remaining head and shot a powerful laser right through its skull, making the corpse fall to the ground. Kevin sat there with a prideful smirk on his face while the girls in the backseat all sat with their mouths gaping open. Even Yang was looking back at Kevin with a stunned expression.
"What... the HECK... was THAT?!" Ruby spoke for all of them.
"A Quasar Burst Plasma Cannon." Kevin answered as the car changed back to normal. "Level Six alien tech. One of the most powerful weapons of its kind" He turned to the three stunned girls. "Now, if we're done here, how 'bout we get the lead out and get to the docks, huh?" The three girls gave silent nods and Kevin turned back around, signaling Yang to keep going. The blonde gave a thumbs up and she and Ben were off like a shot, the dangerous green car not far behind.
...
Cooper slammed the last of the Boarbatusks into the ground, snuffing its lights out. Coco meanwhile, was smacking around one last Beowulf with her handbag before caving it's skull in with her boot, effectively taking out the last Grimm standing. The two allies relished in their victory. "And that, Coco, is what I would refer to as a fatality." Cooper commented on her defeated foe.
"Eh, not that big of a deal. Beowulves are like the grunts of the Grimm species. Easy to take out and don't really put up much of a fight."
"Yeah, but it was still cool." Cooper pointed out. Coco smiled and shrugged before the two's attention was directed toward the front of the school. What they first thought was the roaring of more Grimm were actually the roaring of... engines. From around the bend came a bright yellow motorcycle and a familiar green muscle car. "It's Kevin! They're alright! ...But who's the girl on the bike?"
Coco smirked. "That would be Yang. Huh, and she's got a passenger."
"Actually, I think that's Ben!"
Coco's brow rose in intrigue. "Really? Hmm... wonder why she'd let him ride on her bi—" her sunglasses shimmered and she smirked as the realization hit her. "Ooh, that boy's a lucky one."
...
The two speeding vehicles rounded the corner into the school courtyard. At first, Ben thought it was odd that there were no Grimm, but he soon got his answer as to why.
"Hey! There's Coco!" Yang exclaimed. "But who's the Tin Man next to her?" Ben looked over the blonde's shoulder to see who he presumed to be Coco as well as the "Tin Man". Once he did, the armor clad man seemed to notice and give him a thumbs up. A knowing smile came to the young hero's face.
"I think that's my friend Cooper!"
"Oh! Cool!" Yang replied. At that moment, Yang caught something from the corner of her eye. Her eyes widened and she started pointing behind Cooper and Coco, gaining their attention. The two turned around just in time to see a giant Grimm bird swooping down at them. They dove out of the way and the creature missed its mark, swooping back up into the air and straight over Yang and Ben.
"Okay, so that just happened!" Ben pointed out. "And something tells me it'll be back!"
"Yeah! Any bright ideas?!" Yang asked back.
"Give me a sec!" After scanning his surroundings, Ben found something they could use. A bit further down the paved walkway was a bit of upturned pavement... and it seemed very ramp-like. "Okay, plan formed! Yang, I've enjoyed the ride, but I'm going to have to transform! Think you can ramp up that rubble so I can launch myself?"
"Ben, that has to be the craziest plan I've ever heard!" Yang answered. "I love it! Let's go!" Yang sped up while Ben repositioned his arms so he could work the Omnitrix. They sped past Coco and Cooper and once Ben had the alien he wanted, he stood up on the bike, holding onto Yang's shoulders. "Okay, ready?!" she yelled.
"Don't really have a choice!" Bumblebee rocketed up the unstable ramp and Ben launched himself into the air, slamming the Omnitrix and transforming. Yang skid Bumblebee to a halt while Ben landed on the ground feet fist with a mighty BOOM! Kevin's car stopped as well, the two half-breeds in the front seat smiling at the transformation, while the girls in the back seat just stared dumbfounded. Cooper and Coco stood up, the latter sliding her shades down to look at the creature. Back at the docks, everyone was staring at the transformation awestruck at what they just witnessed... except Nora who yelled:
"HOLY CRAP what the HELL is that?!"
Yang craned her head up and removed her sunglasses. The other transformations were relatively normal size. Not this one. This one was fifteen feet tall at least. Its head was huge, its tail was massive, its appearance resembling a giant lizard. Ben reared his head back; roaring to the sky as he proclaimed:
"HUMUNGOUSAUR!"
Yang could hear Nora scream from the docks: "OH MY GOD, THAT'S SO GODDAMN COOL!"
Ben's head shot up in surprise at the loud voice "She's not wrong." Yang reaffirmed. The two's attention was drawn to the sound of a loud screech. The Grimm bird had circled the school and was coming back around.
Ben extended his hand to Yang in a protective stance. "Duck!" the Vaxasaurian yelled.
"Nevermore, actually." Yang jokingly corrected. "And it's really more of a raven than a duck."
"While I appreciate the humor, I don't think now's a good time!" Humungousaur ran up at the swooping avian and when it was close enough, he jumped up and grabbed onto its underbelly, having it carry him over everyone's heads and toward the docks. Yang and Kevin both started their vehicles back up and drove in pursuit of Ben and the Nevermore, Cooper and Coco not far behind as the former used his jet boosters to propel them both, him having to (very nervously) carry the young lady.
...
At first, the Nevermore had no problem lifting Humungousaur, it being at least twice as big as the alien. But all that changed when Humungousaur began to increase in size, the various parts of him changing as he grew. Now sporting heavier armor and greater height, Humungousaur was able to turn things in his favor. He twisted his body so that the Nevermore was now flying upside down and he was on top, his weight forcing the avian Grimm to crash land in front of the docks. The group of people backed off, still in awe at the giant lizard.
The dinosaur alien grabbed the Nevermore's still flapping wings and snapped them, leaving them limp. The bird still fought back as it snapped at him with its beak. Humungousaur waited for an opening and gripped the beak with all his might, forcing it open further and further before finally... CRACK! Its jaw broke. Just for good measure, Humungousaur gripped its head and twisted... SNAP! Its neck broken, the creature fell limp, the Vaxasaurian giving a roar of victory before calming down. He looked down at the people, a big grin coming to his face at the first person he saw. "Grandpa!"
"Ben!" Max exclaimed. "Boy, am I glad you're safe!" The two gave each other an awkward embrace, one being the size of a two story house didn't really help all that much.
"Hey you really didn't think I'd be in all that much trouble did you?"
The old man smirked. "Well... given your track record..."
"Aw c'mon!" the dinosaur pleaded.
Max chuckled at his grandson's expense. "Just kidding Ben. Now, there are a few people that I want you to meet."
"I'm sure." The Vaxasaurian craned his head over to the person next to his grandfather, a man in tattered clothes and who seemed to be half machine. "General Ironwood I presume."
"You would presume correct." The general extended his hand. "Pleasure to meet you Ben." Humungousaur lightly shook the man's hand with his own massive one before looking over to the woman who was also next to his grandfather.
"And you would be?"
"I am Glynda Goodwitch. I must say, I was skeptical of Max when he told us about you, but now that I see it... I still almost can't believe it!"
"Eh, that's what everyone says when they meet me. Really, at this point it's pretty normal." Ben then noticed that there was another man in a gray suit and hair to match standing next to Glyda a five o'clock shadow adorning his face. However, the man seemed to be a bit... unfocused. "Um, excuse me sir, but... are you... drunk?"
"Not as drunk as you think I am, kid. Name's Qrow."
"Oh... okay then."
"I understand that you're the reason my niece is still in one piece. Now don't think that just instantly gets you on my good side, hear me?"
"Um... okay?" Ben looked over the adults to see that there was a trio of kids his age, one standing and two sitting against the Rustbucket. "Um, hi." He waved to them.
"Hi!" a short haired redhead clad in a pink skirt waved back. "I'm Nora! And this..." she grabbed the shoulder of a green clad boy with long black hair, "is my friend Ren!" Ren nodded at Ben who just nodded back.
'Not much of a talker I guess.' Ben looked at the standing boy. He was blonde, had tanned skin with a shirt that exposed his chest, bandages on his arms and a monkey's tail. "And you would be?"
The young man gave the dinosaur alien a big grin and a salute . "Name's Sun Wunkong! Nice to meet you, Ben."
Ben's eyes widened. "Wait a second!" Ben hit the Omnitrix symbol on his chest and changed back to normal. "Your name is literally Sun Wukong?"
"Yeah, why? There a problem?"
"Well... no, it's just..." He heard an engine revving behind him. "You know what, I'll explain later." 'Saved by the Yang.' The teen hero thought in relief.
Yang pulled up alongside the group and dismounted Bumblebee, Kevin's car right beside her. Cooper and Coco also returned, the young lady dismounting her temporary steed. Yang walked up, a big grin on her face as she focused in on Ben. "That... was... AWESOME!" she proclaimed.
Ben scratched the back of his head. "Eh, it wasn't that great."
Yang smirked and pointed a finger at him. "Ben, you don't give yourself enough credit! I've never seen somebody snap a Nevermore's jaw and neck before! Decapitated sure but snapped? That's just too awesome."
"Well... I..." Ben started before his grandfather cut him off.
"Now Ben, don't be rude. I thought your father and I always told you to be nice to a lady when she gives you a complement."
His face beat red, Ben spun on his heel and looked at his grandfather, a smirk ever present on the old man's face. "Grandpa!" the hero pleaded, "could you please try not to embarrass me?! I'm not ten anymore!"
"No please," came Kevin's voice, "continue to embarrass him." Ben turned back around, Kevin standing with his arms crossed and a sly grin on his face. Ben gave him his best evil glare. "Aw, come on Ben, don't give me that look. Besides, embarrassment builds character."
"Yeah, like a boot to the head." Ben said through clenched teeth.
Gwen, along with Ruby, Weiss and Blake emerged from the car, the Anodite holding the still unconscious Adam in a cocoon of mana. "Kevin, seriously, could you stop mocking Ben for two seconds while I—" It was then that Gwen had finally set her gaze onto her grandfather and her expression softened to one of happiness and relief. "Grandpa!" She set the cocoon down and in three gates had embraced the old Plumber in a gentle hug. "I'm so glad you're okay!"
The old man chuckled and returned the hug. "I'm just glad that you're okay sweetie." Max looked up to see that Kevin had joined them, and offered his hand. "Kevin, glad to see you—"
"Oh no old man, bring it in." Kevin took the hand and turned the handshake into a side-embrace, with Max gladly accepting. Ben and Team RWBY looked on smiling at the happy moment, glad to finally have a moment of peace. Ben turned to Yang again.
"Well, if it means anything" Ben said, "I really did enjoy the ride. Thanks."
"Hey, no problem." the Blonde Brawler lightly smacked his arm in response. "And if you wanna ride Bumblebee again, don't be afraid to ask, 'kay?"
"I'll keep that in mind." At the sound of metallic footsteps, Ben turned around to see Cooper, his helmet now off, smiling and offering a handshake of his own.
"Ben, good to see you're still in one piece."
Ben accepted the gesture. "Good to see you too Coop! And you're on your feet!"
"Heh, yeah. This technology is amazing! Never seen anything like it in my life!"
"Uh-huh." Ben looked past the tall blonde and over to Coco. "And who's your nice lady friend?"
Cooper stammered. "Um...w-well, she's uh..."
Before he could get out an answer, Coco moved around him and answered for him. "Name's Coco. Nice to meet you Ben."
The two shook hands. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Coco. I hope our resident Tech Head hasn't caused you too much trouble."
"Don't worry, I only had to save his life twice today." She looked over her shoulder and smirked at the blonde who could only give a nervous laugh. Coco turned back around, addressing Team RWBY. "Good to see ya Yangarang, Rubes, Weiss-Cream, Kit-Kat."
Yang winked at her. "Right back at ya Coco Puff."
"Short-stack! Firecracker!"
Ruby gasped at the familiar voice. "Uncle Qrow!" Ruby rushed over to the semi-drunk man and gave him a hug, Yang following soon after.
...
Today just seemed to surprise Blake more and more. Never did she think that in the middle of all this chaos there would be any smiling faces left, but her team and her new friends proved her wrong. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt a tap-tap-tap on her shoulder. She spun around and her eyes widened. Sun Wukong, the monkey boy who had somehow gained her attention from the moment she met him, was standing right there in front of her. A million thoughts began racing through her mind:
'He's here? He's alive?! Where's his team? Wait, are those bandages on his arms? He was hurt?! Wait, WHY is he still here in the first place?! I thought—'
"Hi Blake." That was all it took to snap her out of her self-induced trance and she looked up to meet his eyes... and was shocked to see that the usual brightness that was behind them had dimmed a little bit. It was foreign to her. In all the time that she had known Sun he had always been a big force of positivity, one that could only rival Yang in the sheer amount of it. She realized she couldn't stay silent forever so she attempted to reply.
"Sun... are you okay?"
"Heh, yeah, for the most part." He gestured to the bandages on his arms. "Got cut up by some Boarbatusks. No serious damage though."
"Good... I'm glad. Where's your team?"
"They've been evacuated to Vale, along with the rest of the injured."
"So... why didn't you go with them?"
"They said I could stay so... so that I could wait for you."
The answer was so unexpected that it hit her like a freight train. 'Me? He was waiting for ME? Why?' She looked wide eyed at the boy who was now glancing off to the side while scratching the back of his neck, no doubt nervous as to what she would say next. He had treated her so kindly in the months that she had known him, and it still boggled her mind as to why. 'Why? Why has he been so nice to me? Why am I of all people deserving of his attention?'
She looked to her friends, for once actually hoping that they noticed the situation she was in and would offer any kind of assistance. They indeed had, and they all wore similar reassuring smiles. Weiss and Ruby gave her a single nod while Yang sported a big toothy grin and gave Blake a thumbs up. 'What in the world are they—' Blake's eyes widened in shock at the realization... they wanted her to comfort him. She looked back to Sun, still glancing off to the side, still with the brightness dimmed from his eyes... something she realized right then that she couldn't bear to see.
"Listen, I know that it sounds cheesy," Sun continued, "but I was really worried about you. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay and I didn't know where you were so—" The monkey boy was silenced when a pair of arms wrapped around his body, a head of black hair resting against his shirt. Sun was taken aback by the sudden hug. It had taken him a full two days before Blake had opened up to him, and the only other time they'd been this close was at the dance. But, from her slight trembling against him, he could tell that she had been through something while she was off on her own. What it was, he wasn't sure, but he knew one thing: he had to return the hug, for both their sakes. He placed his hands on her back, embracing her.
After a moment's peace, Blake pulled back, craning her head up to meet Sun's gaze. "Sun, things today haven't been that easy for me. I had to confront my past, I almost lost my partner, and quite honestly, those three over there are almost too crazy for me to handle." She gestured over to the three dimension-hopping heroes who were talking to Ironwood. "But... the fact that you actually stayed because you were worried about me is really, really nice." She smiled up at him "Thank you."
Sun smiled back. "Well what can I say?" Sun replied. "I'm a bit of a worry wart."
"And that's very flattering, but you should know that I can take care of myself right?"
"Hey, after everything that's happened today, I think worrying about someone I care about is at least somewhat justified, right?"
Blake let out a little laugh. "Okay, okay, you can be worried about me. But make sure that you don't let it get in the way of leading your own team."
"If it counts for anything, they did say I could stay and wait for you."
The brightness had returned to Sun's eyes, and Blake began to feel a little brighter herself. "And that was really nice of them. Remind me to say thanks later." 'He's such a dork...' she thought. 'But I guess... I prefer him that way.'
...
Gwen lifted the cocoon containing Adam off the ground and presented him to Ironwood, who looked at the White Fang with contempt.
"General," Ben addressed, "we present you with Adam Taurus of the White Fang."
"The asshole's got multiple injuries. I suggest a doctor before putting him behind bars." Kevin added.
Ironwood nodded. "Right. Kevin, if you could take him on board the Bullhead, one of my men will show you the infirmary. Make sure that he's strapped in tight." Kevin agreed and Gwen removed the cocoon, allowing him to sling Adam over his shoulder and bring him on board the airship. Ironwood looked back to the pair of cousins. "I can't thank you enough for what you've done today."
"It's no problem General." Gwen returned. "We do this kind of thing for a living."
"Well, I'm just glad you showed up when you did. But this fight is far from over I'm afraid."
"What do you mean?"
Glynda interjected. "He means that we are trapped here until that... thing is disposed of." She pointed off the side of the massive cliff. The cousins moved past the Bullhead and looked down the side. What they saw next, they couldn't believe.
"Is that a freaking dragon?!" Ben exclaimed. True to form, a giant behemoth of a black, white and red dragon was circling around the edge of the cliff, almost as if it were waiting for its prey to make a move.
"Yes," Glynda answered, "a Grimm Dragon. And the source of our problems."
"It was originally circling around the school," Ironwood explained, "but once you showed up, it retreated."
"Why is that?" Gwen asked.
"Because Grimm are attracted to one thing: negative feelings."
"However," Glynda added, "Grimm can be driven back by one thing as well: hope. The moment that Max arrived, the Grimm stopped attacking for a few moments before resuming the assault. My guess is that when you arrived, you brought such a strong sense of hope that the dragon had sensed it and was driven back."
"And that means?" Ben questioned.
"It means that it might fear your power." Ironwood continued. "But a Grimm that size doesn't just give up that easily. Even if it has no soul, it's still a living, thinking being. I know for certain that it's formulating a plan. If we leave in that airship without finding some way to kill the beast, it could destroy all of us while we're inside."
Ben brought up the Omnitrix. "Okay, so if that's the case, I'm pretty sure I must have something that can kill that dragon. Just give me a few minutes and then we can lea—"
"NO!" a shrill voice shouted behind them. They turned to see Nora, now supporting herself on one of the Rustbucket's railings as she stood, though she seemed pained to do so. She pointed a finger at Ben. "Look buster, I don't care if you can transform into an overgrown lizard thingy! I am NOT leaving this school without Jaune and Pyrrha!"
Ironwood attempted to calm the Pink Dynamo. "Miss Valkyrie, I know how you must feel but you need to..."
"Wait, Jaune and Pyrrha are still missing?!" Blake questioned.
"Why didn't anyone say so? If that's the case then we CAN'T leave!" Yang shouted in agreement.
"Woah, woah, woah, hold the phone!" Ben said trying to reel everything back. "Who are Jaune and Pyrrha?"
Nora limped over to him, her hand never leaving the railing, nearly in tears. "They're our teammates. Our friends! And-and the best goddamn family that I could ask for!" At this point, Nora had lost her composure and lost her grip on the railing, Ben catching her before she could hit pavement. Nora looked into Ben's eyes as her tears fell. "Please, please find them!" Nora bawled into Ben's jacket as Ren crawled over and held onto his partner's shoulders giving her extra support. The two green clad young men shared a look and Ben's determination kicked in.
"Nora?" the redhead looked up to meet Ben's gaze. "I promise, I'll do everything that I can to find your friends and bring them back here. Okay?"
Nora sniffed and dried her eyes, giving Ben a smile. "Thank you... thank you so much." Ben smiled back, allowing Ren to take his partner and hold onto her himself. No sooner did Ben stand up did Weiss' scroll start beeping. Everyone's attention was on her as she pulled out the scroll and answered it. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw who had called her.
"JAUNE?!" At the name, everyone huddled around, hoping to see if the blonde knight was okay. In truth, he wasn't. He really wasn't. The boy seemed to be in hysterics, the first sign to Ben and Gwen that something was definitely wrong. "Jaune, where are you?" Weiss asked.
"Weiss! Please you have to stop her!"
"What?!"
"Pyrrha! She's going after that woman at the top of the tower! She doesn't stand a chance!"
"Jaune, what are you talking about? Where are you?!"
Jaune's voice rose in frustration. "DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME!" A moment after, he seemed to calm down and he leaned back against a wall. "Please, you have to save Pyrrha."
Weiss looked at Ben, his expression steeling and the two nodded to each other. Weiss turned back to Jaune on her scroll. "We will. Are you okay?"
"I... I'm fine. I'm in the city. You just save Pyrrha okay? Please." The screen went dark and everyone looked to Ben.
"A promise is a promise." Ben brought up the Omnitrix and slammed the core down, transforming this time into another crystal creature, one that was thinner than Diamondhead. Most of him was covered in purple rock, except for the pink crystal that covered its hands and face, as well as individual crystals that jutted out from his back and chest as well as the horn on his head. His two green eyes had merged to become one as the Omnitrix settled on his chest.
"Chromastone!" Without wasting a moment, Ben turned to his cousin. "Gwen, you're with me. Everyone else, load up onto the airship and be ready to leave. Once we get back, that dragon is going down." He smiled to Nora. "This won't take long. We'll be back." Nora smiled back, taking comfort that her family would be back together soon. Ben looked over to his cousin again and she gave a silent nod, her aura glowing bright pink as she lifted herself off the ground and began flying upward. Chromastone would soon follow, but not before...
"Hey, Green Boy!" Ben looked back and faced Yang, a reassuring smile on her face. "Be careful up there 'kay? P-Money's gonna need all the help she can get!"
Ben smiled back and gave a two fingered salute. "I will. See you soon, Goldie Locks!" Yang's smile grew at the new nickname, something that Ben was thankful for. He rose up, meeting his cousin in mid-air and, like a pair of rockets, flew up to the top of the highest tower, their mission as clear as crystal: save Pyrrha. Yang turned around to her friends, family and teachers who were facing up at the retreating duo.
"Okay people!" she shouted. "You heard Green Boy, let's move!"
...
A/N: Told ya it'd be a long chapter! And guess what? The next one will be just as long! Speaking of which, Next Chapter... two words: SAVE PYRRHA!
