A/N: Hey guys! New Chapter time again! Remember when I said at the beginning of the last chapter that I had nothing much to talk about? Well this time's much different. Writing for a certain serpentine character doesn't seem that hard until you have to put multiple S's EVERY time he says a word that has the gosh darn letter. It'sss frussstrating I tellsss ya! That sssaid, let'sss get on with the chapter, ssshall we? Thisss isss…

Chapter 28: Darkest Returns

…..

"This is quite honestly the cutest problem we've ever had." Ruby said as she stared at the still sleeping wolf pups, the canines still dozing soundly in Pyrrha's sash having been places on the couch. She and Kevin had volunteered to watch over them with Venus while everyone else went back out to the forge, still hard at work on the sword. "But it's still sad, you know? They'll never truly know their real parents."

"It is quite sad, indeed." Venus agreed as she sat down next to the Hooded Huntress. "But we shouldn't worry too much. I'm sure that they will be well taken care of once the animal rescue takes them in."

"Well, hopefully they will." Kevin pointed out. "Jury's still out if they take wolves or not. What's takin' Festus so long with that call, anyway?"

"He said that he had to finish the cross guard first." Ruby reminded. "Then he had to put both that AND the pommel into gold solution to electroplate them."

Kevin's eyes widened. "Man, he taught you EVERYTHING in his class, didn't he?"

Ruby smiled and tapped her head. "Yep! Got it all up here."

Kevin smirked. "Heh, I guess so." His eyes focused back on Venus. "So, what'll happen if the rescue center can't take the wolves?"

Venus let out a sigh. "I'm not sure. We certainly can't let them go on their own. They're far too young."

Ruby suddenly let out a gasp. "Ah! I just had a brilliant idea; What if WE kept them?!"

Kevin's brows furrowed. "Uh, Ruby, don't know if you know this, but wolves aren't pets to be kept."

"Well… that is technically true… for civilians." Venus said. "Hunters on the other hand have been domesticating many types of wild animals for centuries so that they may grow up to help them in their hunts. With the right training, a wolf, or any form of wild cat, or even a bear can track a Grimm and potentially kill it."

Kevin was surprised, but at the same time his interest had been piqued. "So you're telling me that those little guys…." he pointed at the pups, "could one day hunt down a Grimm with the right training? That's badass, I gotta say." He glanced back over to Ruby. "But I still don't know. I'm not sure if you're dad would be happy if we bring home two more new residents."

"Aw, but their tiny! He won't mind." Ruby assured. "Especially if we actually train them."

"Okay, then what about Blake?" Kevin countered. "She's not really the biggest dog fan from what I've heard."

The hooded girl let out a sigh. "That's gonna be a bit tougher… but c'mon, who can resist this?" she pointed to the little sleeping puppies. "They're just so adorable!"

At that moment, Jaune, Pyrrha and Festus all entered the room, the former two wiping sweat from their foreheads from all of the hammer swinging they'd been doing. "Hey guys." Jaune greeted. "How're little house guests doing?"

"Still sleeping." Ruby answered. "They're little angels, I'm telling ya. But how's the new sword coming along?"

"It's still taking shape." Pyrrha answered as she knelt down in front of the pups. "It'll take a bit more time until it's finished. You know as well as I do that forging a weapon takes much longer than repairing one."

"Right, of course." Ruby looked up to Festus. "So, how did the call to animal rescue go?"

Festus sighed as he put his home phone back on the hook. "Unfortunately, they do not take wolves. They would have to be taken to a wild life preserve on the mainland if we want to put them into safe care.

Jaune grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. "But, the nearest preserve is miles away from the city. And we can't be sure how the pups will react to flying in an airship or sailing on a boat, so we're pretty much up the creek without a paddle on this one." The knight began to take a swig of his drink.

Ruby glanced off to the side. "…Soooo, does that mean adoption's still an option?"

Jaune spit out his drink in surprise, with Pyrrha immediately coming to his aid with firm pats on his back to clear his airways. Once Jaune had stopped coughing and Pyrrha made sure he was okay, the Invincible Girl focused her gaze onto Ruby. "Ruby, where did THAT idea come from?"

"We we're talking about it before you guys came in here. Since Hunters can own and train wolves anyway, we thought it'd be a good idea to take these little guys in."

"Ruby, I think you're forgetting one crucial detail." Jaune reminded. "We never graduated. We aren't licensed Hunters."

"No," a sly grin began to form on the Hooded Huntress' face, "But my dad and Pyrrha's mom are."

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes at Ruby in skepticism. "Are you suggesting that we should get our parents to sign an official document just so that we can train wolves?"

"Pyrrha, tell me, will your mom be able to resist that?" Ruby waved her hand toward the sleeping wolf pups, who were just beginning to stir from their sleep. "But more importantly, will you?"

Pyrrha was about to let out a defiant answer, but then she heard a tiny "yip" next to her. Her eyes went to the couch and she saw one of the wolf pups, now fully awake and moving. Both of its eyes were wide open… and it was looking straight at her. It hobbled over to the edge of the couch, with Pyrrha holding up a hand so that it didn't fall off. It began sniffing at her hand with its tiny nose before rubbing its head against it. The pup let out another "YIP!", gazing up at her with its bright blue eyes and causing its sibling to stir as well.

Pyrrha could feel her heart melting, her legs shaking, her lower lip slightly trembling. She had found her one true weakness; adorable wolf puppies. She picked the little bundle of fur up and set it on her lap. "By the gods, why have you forsaken me with such cute animals?!"

Jaune reached out. "Watch out, Pyr! You'll get attached to—"

"Yip!" Jaune slowly moved his eyes over to the couch to see the other wolf pup up and about, tilting its head as it looked directly at Jaune.

However, Ruby got to the pup first. "Aw, good moring sleepy head." She picked it up as it redirected its attention her now. "Its okay, you're safe now." She lowered her head to meet its gaze and it booped its nose into hers. "Oop! Well hello to you too!"

Jaune was beginning to get worried now. "Ruby, I wouldn't—"

"Jaune?" The blonde knight turned to Pyrrha, only to see that she was offering the other pup to him. "Would you like to hold him?"

"I-I, I'm not… exactly…" But despite was his common sense was telling him he reached over and set the wolf pup on his lap. The two stared at each other for a moment before the pup began to snuggle his head against Jaune's hoodie. The young man was broken in an instant, now gently holding the wolf pup in his hands. "HOW?! How can something so cute do this to me?!"

"YES! HAHAHA!" Ruby cackled. "Come to the cute side! We have puppies!"

Kevin simply rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, seems like it's a unanimous vote… but we still need an official Hunter's permission."

Pyrrha nodded and pulled out her scroll. "I'll call my mother right now."

As Pyrrha dialed the number, Festus let out a sigh. "Well, if this is really happening, then you all have to make sure that they are not only taken care off, but trained well. A wolf is not simply a pet, but a trusted companion that you hunt with. I hope you all understand that well."

Ruby gave him a salute. "Don't worry, Mr. Vulcan. We'll make sure that they're trained."

"Very good." Venus said as she got up and rolled up her sleeves. "If that's settled, then I'm going to get started on making lunch."

Festus rose from his seat. "I will assist you in the kitchen, my dear. Let us make your beef stew together! HAHA!"

"Of course, sweetheart, always happy to have the help." As the two exited the room, the four teens were left to themselves and the puppies, who were now playing with each other.

"So, what do you think we should call them?" Ruby asked.

"Uh, maybe one step at a time Ruby." Pyrrha said before her mother answered her call. "Hello? Mom?"

"Hello, sweetheart! How are you all doing over there? How's the sword coming along?"

"It's going great, mom. But… well… we've come across something else and we need your help on it."

…..

As Athena listened to her daughter speak to her on the other end, she and her group had just arrived back at the house from training, ready to properly start the afternoon. "Hmm… I see. Well that is quite the situation. And you are sure that you want to try and… yes, I see. Should I tell the others?" A smile came to the woman's face. "Not yet, got it. Alright, I will be there shortly. Love you, sweetie. Bye-bye." She shut her scroll off and let out a sigh. "Oh dear, what a thing to happen."

"What's wrong Athena?" Gwen asked.

"Oh, well, the others over at Mr. Vulcan's house have stumbled upon something quite fascinating." Athena vaguely answered. "However, I cannot tell you, at least not yet. It's a surprise"

Nora let out a big gasp. "AH! I love surprises! Is it a "OH MY GOD, this is so cool!" kind of surprise or a "oh my gosh, I'm going to cry" kind of surprise?"

Ren spoke up next to her. "Um, Nora, I'm think asking what a surprise is like will somewhat ruin the surprise itself, don't you?" he pointed out.

Nora gasped again. "You're right, Renny!" She whirled back around to Athena. "Mrs. Nikos, ixnay that oilerspay."

"Um… very well, Nora." Athena said. "I have to go over to the Vulcan's and see the others. Max will still be here, so if you all still wish to go to the mall, you can ride with him okay?"

Gwen nodded. "Yep, he wanted to go to town anyway. He says that there's this exotic food's market near the mall that he's been hoping to scope out."

"Perfect!" Athena pulled out her keys and began walking to her rental car. "Well, if that's the case, then I will see you all later!" The Mistralian woman got in and started the vehicle, driving down the dirt road and to the main road a mere moment later.

Gwen clapped her hands together. "Alright, well, with that settled, we should probably go get changed and head to the mall soon, huh?"

"You read my mind!" Weiss exclaimed. "I can't wait to do some shopping that doesn't involve getting attacked by bug mutants."

"Same here," Sun agreed before smiling over to a certain cat girl, "and I believe I owe someone a cup of tea."

"Oh, you don't have to, Sun." Blake reassured. "You put up a great fight, that's all I could ask for."

"Oh no, I'm a man of my word, and you're getting that tea, Miss Belladonna."

As Neptune and Weiss made their way to the door, the blue haired boy glanced back to the bantering duo and then down to Weiss. "Uh, have they been like that all week?"

"Welcome to my world, Neptune." Weiss confirmed. "A place full of aliens, criminals, and flirting."

As the group approached the door, Gwen could suddenly feel something… unsettling approach them from behind. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized who that unsettling feeling belong to, as well as the fact that she could feel dark energy collecting behind them. "Guys, scatter!"

"W-wait, wha—" Wiess tried to ask, but Gwen cut her off.

"SCATTER!" The group did as they were told and they all dove off into different directions, just in time to avoid a blast of dark energy that was aimed right for them. The blast connected with the ground and the impact kicked up a large cloud of dust, hiding the perpetrators of the attack from sight.

…..

Meanwhile, in the basement of the house, Ben and Yang were right in the middle of the two-part Batman episode; Two Face. Yang was particularly transfixed, watching as Bruce Wayne's dream went on. Her gut twisted as Two Face plummeted down from a collapsing rope bridge screaming; "Why couldn't you save meeee?!", his voice echoing in the bright red light.

"This is… really unsettling." the Blonde Brawler commented.

Ben gazed over to her with a sympathetic expression. "I know, I felt the same. But just wait, it gets worse."

They both turned back to the TV to see Batman walk over to the edge and his eyes widened as he let out a horrified gasp. The camera switched back, only to not come to the bright red light from before, but instead, Crime Alley. And there, standing beneath a street light, were Thomas and Martha Wayne, looking up at him with saddened eyes. "Why couldn't you save us son?" Thomas asked. That was what woke Bruce up in a cold sweat.

Yang's jaw dropped. "Oh. My. GOD!"

"Yep." Ben said, having seen the scene before multiple times. "Gives me chills every time."

"I-I just… what the ACTUAL hell?!" Yang put her hands to her head. "That was so… so…"

"Cruel and unusual?"

"Exactly!" Yang pointed to Ben. "Thank you! That is some messed up shit!"

"Uh-huh, and that's what makes this show so good." Ben said before handing her the popcorn bowl. "More popcorn?"

BOOM! A loud noise suddenly came from outside, causing the two to whirl their heads around to the small window. They couldn't see much, just dust having been kicked up by whatever it was that made that noise. Yang narrowed her eyes as she took her Ember Celica out of her pockets and put them on. "You know, I think the bad guys are just ASKING to be beat up sometimes."

"Yeah, I find that they come to me more often that I expect." Ben agreed as he rose to his feet. "Let's go see who's going to get a face full of fist this time."

Yang smiled at him. "Now that's what I like to hear!" The two made their way out of the basement and out the front door to see everyone scattered about, with Nora, Ren and Gwen on one side, and Blake, Sun, Weiss and Neptune off to the other. There was still a layer of dust on the air, though they could see two figures standing in the dense cloud, no doubt the two perpetrators.

Gwen was the first to get up, holding her hand against her head. "Ugh, okay, not pleasant."

"Gwen, what's going on?!" Ben asked as he and Yang ran out to help them all up. "We heard an explosion and—"

"Ah, Ben Tennyson." Came a reverberating voice from behind. Ben recognized the voice almost immediately, his brows furrowing as he turned around slowly, going into a defensive stance. From out of the dust came a man in dark medieval tunic with a metal neck piece, silver gloves and black boots. Over his head, he wore an iron mask, the source of his echoey voice. He turned his head to Gwen. "And lovely Gwen. So good to see some familiar faces after all this time."

"Uh, who's the Bucket Head?" Nora asked.

"Friend of yours?" Yang whispered.

Ben's eyes narrowed further, never taking them off of the man for a second. "Not in the slightest Yang, believe me." He shouted over to the man. "What do you want Darkstar? Because unless you're here to turn yourself in, we're not interested. And how did you even figure out where we were anyway?"

"Oh, it was quite simple really." Darkstar said before pointing to Gwen. "I simply sensed her energy. And I must say Gwen, you still have quite a lot of it. I'd be willing to take some of that off of your hands if you want."

"Stay the hell away from me, Michael." Gwen spat with enough venom to kill an elephant. "And if you were smart, you'd do what Ben said and surrender."

"Oh, but where's the fun in that?"

Blake and Sun rushed over to Gwen's side. "Gwen, who is he?" the cat girl repeated Nora's question. "What does he want?"

Gwen gave her a disheartened look. "Remember when I told you about the unpleasant experience that I had before Kevin and I started going out?" She turned her head back to Darkstar. "He's that unpleasant experience."

Darkstar spread his hands out. "Oh, come now, dearest Gwen. You can't say our short time together was all that bad, now can you?"

"Yes, I CAN!" Gwen countered. "It's STILL something I hate to think about!"

Blake's eyebrows shot up in shock. "Gwen… you two were…"

"Never a thing in the first place, Blake, trust me." Gwen assured. "I've come to regret every moment with him on that day. He took advantage of my trust, and I was too upset with Kevin to heed his warnings. It's a mistake that's been haunting me for almost three years now." She let out a hefty sigh. "And after all this time, it's one that never gets any easier to handle."

A stunned silence followed that before Yang spoke up. "Whoa, okay, this suddenly got really heavy."

"So it would seem." Darkstar noted before raising his hand. "Allow me to relieve that." He shot out a large beam of dark energy, intending to end all of their lives right then. But Gwen was quick to the punch, throwing up a large mana shield to deflect the beam. It hit the shield and dispersed harmlessly against it. But Darkstar shook his head. "Oh, such a disappointment. And here I thought you'd make it easy on yourselves. But, strength in numbers I suppose. And you certainly have those." He raised his hand again and pressed his thumb and middle finger against each other. "Fortunately, I too have a "partner in crime", so to speak."

He snapped his fingers and from out of the dust stepped… or rather, slithered, a very tall snake man. The creature had green scales, the hood of a cobra, and two arms that didn't have hands. Instead, they were an extra set of snake mouths. His mere sight was enough to make Weiss scream at the top of her lungs. "AAAAAAHH! What is that thing?!"

Neptune pulled out his rifle. "Is it another one of Animo's science projects?"

"No." Gwen answered. "His name's Ssserpent, another alien. You'd be surprised how many alien species resemble animals."

"Wait, don't you mean Serpent?" Nora asked.

Gwen shook her head. "No, it's both spelled AND pronounced Ssserpent, he's very particular about that."

Ssserpent narrowed his yellow eyes directly at Ben. "Ssso, Ben Tennyssson. We meet onccce again."

Rather than getting even angrier, Ben just seemed rather… amused. "HA! Really Michael? Out of all my enemies, the one you get to help out is Ssserpent? Geez, you should've been here DAYS ago, you could've teamed up with Rojo!"

Darkstar narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps, but Ssserpent and I share something in common. We both live off of other people's energy."

"Indeed." Ssserpent confirmed. "Hisss isss more myssstical in nature. While I prefer to eat my mealsss the old fassshoined way."

Yang sneered in disgust. "Okay, that is WAY too much information."

"Yeah, I did NOT need to know that." Nora agreed before pulling her hammer out. "Now COME ON! Let's get this over with so that we can get to the mall! Let's see what you got Scalebreath!"

Ssserpent hissed indignantly. "You dare mock Ssserpent, the Snake That Walks Like a Man?!" With great speed, the snake man slithered right toward Nora. "I ssshall make you pay for sssuch insssolenccce!"

"Yeah, no." The moment Ssserpent got close, Nora slammed her hammer upward against his chest and sent him sailing straight over the house and into the backyard, an audible THUD coming from behind the building. "There, see? Told ya so. Also, how does he walk if he has no feet?"

Darkstar sighed and put his hand to where his temple would be. "It is so hard to find good help these days."

Ren turned to the group. "Perhaps we should split up, one group handles Darkstar, the other Ssserpent. Agreed?"

Gwen nodded. "Right. Ben, Yang, you two take Nora and Ren to the backyard and secure Ssserpent." She focused back on Michael. "We'll take care of Darkstar."

Ben was about to protest, but he immediately saw the intense stare that his cousin was giving him. It held both reassurance and insistence without even saying a word. He knew she wasn't going to back down from her decision. He let out a small sigh. "Alright, Gwen. Good luck."

Gwen gave him a smirk. "Hey, I'm quite a Lucky Girl, remember?"

Ben smirked back. "Yeah, I get it." He turned back to Yang, Nora and Ren. "C'mon guys, let's go!"

As the four began to make their way to the back yard, Yang couldn't help but ask; "So, what's the lucky girl remark about?"

Ben gave out a short laugh. "Heh, now that's a long story."

…..

The moment he heard something going on in the front yard, Max knew there was something wrong. Ssserpent falling out of the sky and almost crushing him was just secondary confirmation. He had been busy getting his gear ready when the snake alien landed right next to him, groaning in pain. The alien picked himself up and rubbed his head with the back of his right snake mouth. "Hmm, that girl isss ssstronger than ssshe looksss."

The sound of an energy rifle charging up caused his eyes to widen. Ssserpent shifted himself around to see Max pointing his Techadorian Multiblaster right at him. "Hands in the air, Ssserpent. Or… whatever it is you have on your arms."

A sinister grin came to Ssserpent's face. "Oh, of courssse, Magissster." He raised his arms up, but the moment he did, he spat acid out of his mouth, causing Max to recoil in self-defense. The acid landed on the ground, melting away the grass. The Plumber's reaction pleased the snake man. "Ah, jussst asss I sssussspected. You have ssso few weaponsss, you do not wisssh to for them to be damaged. It would be sssuch a ssshame if it were to corrode into nothing."

"HEY!" Ssserpent whirled back to see Ben, Yang, Nora and Ren standing not far away, the latter three having drawn their weapons while Ben pointed at him. "Get away from my grandpa you slithering son of a bitch!"

"Ah, very well." Ssserpent shrugged. "Older meat isss very grissstle anyway. You all ssshould be much more tender."

Yang winced. "I never thought that talking about eating something could be so creepy."

"What do we do?" Nora asked.

Ren quickly scanned Ssserpent with his eyes before coming up with an idea. "I think I have something. His tail seems to be the one spot that is most vulnerable. Yang, if I distract him, do you think you could get behind him, knock him down and grab his tail?"

Yang nodded. "Sure, then what?"

"Toss him by the tail over to Nora. She'll know what to do next."

The Pink Dynamo saluted. "I sure will!"

Ren glanced over to the green-clad hero. "And Ben, that'll leave you an opening to finish him off with a transformation."

"You got it!" Ben gave a thumbs up before bringing up the Omnitrix.

"Great. Now let's do it!" Ren ran forward and aimed his Stormflower pistols right at Ssserpent, firing off round after round of Fire Dust at the alien. The snake man immediately put his arms up and spat acid out of his mouth-hands to try and stop the shots, but more just kept coming. Ren began to circle around Ssserpent, the alien forced to follow the ninja's movements to spray more acid on the incoming fire.

"Ssstop it! You're ussselesssss bulletsss are no match for—" SMACK! Yang landed a direct punch to Ssserpent's face with a Dust round unloading from her Ember Celica. The snake man fell to the ground, completely disoriented.

"You were sssaying?" Yang mocked as she picked Ssserpent up by the tail. She spun him around before tossing him straight over to Nora. "Here he comes Nora!"

"On it!" Nora swung Magnhild at the incoming Ssserpent, the impact sending him straight into a tree. Believe it or not, the alien was still conscious, even if his head was spinning. Nora hollered over to Ben with a grin. "Alright, Ben! Finish him off!"

"Give us a good show, Green Boy!" Yang cheered on.

Ben smiled at her. "The lady asks, and she shall receive." He slammed the Omnitrix core down and immediately began to transform. His clothes changed into a white and black unitard that only went up to his chest and halfway down his thighs. The rest of him began to grow grey fur all around his body with his head and neck growing black fur. His hands and feet changed into claws, with three black claws each appearing on the appendages. A long, black bushy tail grew right out of his hindquarters and his face became lupin in nature, elongating into a snout with large fangs. His eyes glossed over green and the Omnitrix symbol took its place on the alien wolf's chest as Ben howled to the sky.

"ARRROOOOOO!" The wolf's eyes shot open in surprise he looked over himself. "Huh, okay, I was going for Echo Echo, but this guy works too."

"A giant wolf?!" Yang exclaimed. "Gotta admit, that's pretty badass."

Nora's smile grew as she set her eyes on the wolf alien. "That is SO COOL! It's like a Beowolf if it wasn't completely evil! Who's this guy called?"

The Loboan rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, well, see, about that. I've actually never come up with a clever name for this one. When I was ten, I just called him Benwolf."

"Huh, well, we can't just let that stand!" Nora resolved. "We should get you a proper name for this guy!"

"Perhaps Snarler?" Ren suggested.

The wolf put a claw to is chin. "Eh, no, too generic."

"Ooh! Ooh! How about Howlback?!" Nora put in.

"Closer, but I'm pretty sure that name belongs to a Transformer."

"Um, kids." Max spoke up. "Maybe now isn't the best time for this!"

The old Plumber was right, for as the teens were going over names, Ssserpent had collected himself and got up, furious that they were not paying him any mind. "You dare ignore Ssserpent?!" He lunged forward, slithering as fast as he could to spit acid at the giant wolf alien. "I ssshall devour you with exssstreme prejudiccce!"

"HEY! This doesn't involve you!" The wolf alien opened his mouth… in four separate directions. The inside of his mouth was bright green and his tongue matched the interior, the soft muscle just dangling there in his opened quad-jaw. From his maw, the wolf creature let out a green colored ultrasonic howl that forced Ssserpent to cover his earholes with his hands. The force of the howl was so powerful that it forced Ssserpent to be sent flying back once again into the same tree, though this time, the tree was snapped in two when the howl itself hit it. Both Ssserpent and the tree fell to the ground, with the snake man falling unconscious soon after. The wolf rubbed the back of his head in guilt over what he had done. "Oh, woops."

But it was at that moment that inspiration struck Yang like a bolt of lightning. She snapped her fingers and said; "I've got it! Blitzwolfer!"

The Loboan's ears stood at attention as the new name was spoken. "Hey… now there's a name! I like it! Thanks Yang!"

Yang walked up to the newly christened Blitzwolfer and gave him a hug. "Don't mention it, big guy. But I think there's something you need to do to make it official, right?"

Blitzwolfer's eyes widened in realization. "Oh! You're right!" The wolf alien put his hand up to his mouth and cleared his throat before howling to the heavens; "BLITZWOOOOOLFER!"

Nora jumped into the air, ecstatic over their win. "Alright! We beat up a snake guy, AND we named an alien! That's a win-win in my book!"

Max sighed as he strolled over to the four teens. "Thanks kids, and good job. But where did Ssserpent come from in the first place?"

"He came here with Darkstar, grandpa." Blitzwolfer explained. "We need to get back out front and help Gwen!"

Max quickly had a sinking feeling in his gut from worry. "Darkstar is here too? Oh lord, you're right, we need to help them now!"

Ren gazed over to the unconscious Ssserpent, still sprawled out on the ground. "But what do we do with Ssserpent?"

"You can just leave him to me." At the sound of the deep, familiar voice, the entire group turned their attention to another side of the forest to see Tetrax emerge from the thicket. The Petrosapien bounty hunter was armed and ready with an energy pistol in his hand. "I'll secure Ssserpent while you help the others."

"Tetrax! You're back!" Yang exclaimed.

"Indeed. I was on my way here when I heard the explosions. I came running as fast as I could and I've informed Gluto. He's on his way here with the ship right now." Tetrax knelt down and produced a pair of energy cuffs from his pocket, securing them around Ssserpent's wrists. "I'll make sure he doesn't go anywhere, you all just get out there and help them up front. I'll meet you in a moment"

Blitzwolfer gave his old friend a nod. "Right, thanks Tetrax." The group of five went off to the front yard while Tetrax hoisted Ssserpent over his shoulder, careful of the acid dripping from the snake alien's mouth.

…..

As the fight in the backyard occurred, things out front were much tenser as Darkstar stared down his five foes, unmoving like an imposing statue. His hardened glare was focused on the object of his desires; Gwen. Not in any sort of romantic way, oh no. Romance to him was just a means to an end. What he desired most was energy. And he would do anything to take hers.

And Gwen knew this all too well. "Alright guys, if we're going to take him down, we're going to have to be careful. He can absorb energy, so be careful not to get caught in his beams, alright?"

The group agreed before Darkstar spoke up again. "So, we're going to be doing this the hard way, I suppose? Such a shame, my lovely Gwen."

Before Gwen could respond, Blake stepped out front and spat out at him; "Don't you DARE talk to her like that!" She unsheathed Gambol Shroud and rushed forward at near-blinding speed. Darkstar himself was quite surprised at how fast she was moving. Still, it was for not, as he could still sense the energy that her Aura gave off. The moment she was in front of him, he blocked the blow that she was about to make with Gambol Shroud, catching the blade in between his hands which glowed with dark energy.

"Impressive." Darkstar admitted. "But it would appear that you are feeling quite irritable. Did I touch a nerve, or does the kitty need to be put down for a nap?"

But Blake wasn't deterred, her death glare becoming even more terrifying. She let out a growl; "ENOUGH!" She twisted Gambol Shroud and pulled it away before hitting Darkstar with the weapon's sheath, which caught the villain off guard. He pulled back only to be dealt a swift kick to his abdomen, sending him back several feet. Blake let out a hard exhale before glaring daggers at him again. "We may not have met before today, "Darkstar", but I've dealt your type before. And if you even lay a single hand on my friend, I promise you that you WILL regret it."

"And what will you do?" Darkstar inquired calmly as he stood tall. "Kill me?"

"Oh no, I wouldn't go that far. You're a criminal, which means you have to be put away." Blake's amber eyes began to glow as her pupils changed into cat-like slits. "But believe me when I say that you won't be able to do much of anything once I get through with you."

"Hmm… it would seem you mean business. But then again…" Darkstar raised his hand, dark energy collecting around it once again. "I don't exactly care." He shot the energy right at Blake, intending to absorb her essence and move on. But Blake had anticipated such a move. She used her Semblance and made a shadow clone of herself, the black beam passing right through it. Darkstar's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, what—"

Only for Blake to appear right behind him. "Too slow." She delivered another strong kick to Darkstar's back, sending the unsuspecting man flying forward. "Sun! Heads up!" She shouted.

"Gotcha, Blake!" Sun sprinted forward and pulled out Ruyi Jingu Bang. He swung his weapon and it connected with Darkstar's gut, making him fall back to the ground in a heap and knocking the wind out of him. Just as he picked himself up and began to fill his lungs back up with air, Darkstar was hit in the face by the bo staff, forcing him to stumble back even farther. Sun pulled Ruyi and Jingu Bang apart into its gun-chuck mode, a smirk set on his face. "C'mon, Bucket Head, let's see what ya got!"

Darkstar straightened up, his lungs having filled back up with air. "You seem confident… for a dead man." The two yelled and rushed forward, meet each other head on. With every swing and blast that Sun made with his weapon, Darkstar was able to deflect it by creating black energy shields against his forearms, forcing the weapons to recoil back. But Sun kept at it before his eyes managed to find an opening.

"There we go." Sun spun one of the gun-chucks in his hand, making it appear to go where Darkstar had expected it to. But in a split second, the monkey boy faked him out and swung the other gun-chuck directly at his midsection, causing Darkstar to yell out in pain. Sun's grin returned. "And now for the finishing touch." Sun closed his eyes and his hair began to glow gold, his Semblance beginning to kick in. A gold clone of himself rushed forward, only for Darkstar to immediately grab it by the throat.

"Ha! I'm not about to be fooled by the same trick a second…" The iron masked man suddenly noticed the clone beginning to glow even brighter. "What the—GAH!" The clone exploded and sent Darkstar flying back again, another small cloud of dust kicking up where he was standing. Darkstar felt himself sailing back until he landed against… what felt like nothing. He opened his eyes to see that he had in fact landed against a black glyph that was spinning in different directions. His arms had gone through the glyph itself, preventing him from moving them. Disoriented and confused, he asked; "W-why can't I move?! What is this?!"

"Oh, just one of my Gravity glyphs." Weiss explained as she revealed herself from behind the glyph. She narrowed her eyes at him with a grin set upon her face. "And I guess what? You're going for a ride, you creep."

The glyph began to spin faster and faster and Darkstar's pupils began to shrink in horror. "Oh no." He desperately tried to move, to absorb the glyph before it could even do anything.

But Weiss wouldn't let that happen. "Oh yes." The heiress assured. "Now goodbye." With a flick of Myrtenaster, the glyph sent Darkstar right into the air and straight back toward the house. Weiss cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled; "Gwen! You're turn!"

"On it!" Gwen shot a mana tether out of her hand and it wrapped around Darkstar's waist before slamming him straight down onto the ground. Gwen glanced to the blue haired boy next to her. "Neptune? If you'd please?"

"Of course!" Neptune pulled his goggles over his eyes and pulled his weapon out, changing it into its trident form and lunging at Darkstar. He slammed the trident into the ground so that Darkstar's wrist was caught between the prongs of the weapon, the bladed pieces spaced together close enough to that he couldn't free his hand. Neptune then slammed his boot onto Darkstar's other hand, the iron masked man letting out a cry in pain. "Ha! How'd you like that asshole?!"

But surprisingly, as the five teens began to regroup around him, Darkstar began to chuckle, quickly forming into a sinister laugh as dark energy began to collect around him. Gwen's eyes widened as she reached out. "Neptune, get back!" But it was too late, Darkstar let out the burst of black energy, sending everyone away from him and onto the ground as he began floating in the air with the same energy sparking in arcs around him.

"THAT'S IT! I've tried being patient, but it's obvious that you all are going to learn the hard way!" His eyes scanned around before they landed on Blake, the cat girl still trying to get up. "Ah yes, I believe you were the one who made the first move against me." Darkstar shot a beam out, ensnaring her in it. "You shall be my first victim. It's unfortunate. After all, you have such a beautiful face." He instantly began to absorb her energy, with Blake letting out a cry of agony. All Darkstar did was take a deep breath. "Ah, yes I feel it. I knew the beings of this world must have more energy than the common human from ours. But it still pales in comparison to an Anodi—" Suddenly, a beam of mana shot out and cut off Darkstar's tether, forcing him to let go of Blake. The villain turned his attention to Gwen, giving her an apathetic stare. "Oh, dearest Gwen, must we really play this game of—"

But he cut himself short once he saw the state that Gwen was in. Her eyes were glowing bright pink in silent rage, glaring at him like he had just committed an unspeakable act. Suddenly, her entire body began to glow. In a blind flash of light, Gwen transformed into a dark purple being made of pure mana, with long, glowing magenta energy flowing from her head to resemble hair. Her eyes had become entirely white as well, completing her Anodite form, much to everyone's shock. "You were saying, Michael?!"

…..

Sun quickly rushed over to Blake's side, hoping to anything that she was alright. He looked down at her as her eyes remained closed, anxiety quickly taking hold as he began pleading with her to wake up. "Blake! Are-are you okay?! Please say something! Anything!" A few seconds passed before Blake's face began to twitch a little. Her eyes then fully opened a moment later, much to Sun's relief.

"Ugh, Sun?" Blake said as she slowly sat up and put a hand to her forehead. "What happened?"

"You're okay!" Sun cried out as he gently embraced her. "Oh, thank god, you're okay!"

Suddenly, Blake began to feel a bit queasy. "Oh lord. What happened? It feels like my Aura's been drained."

Sun gently pulled out of the embrace, careful to not jostle her. "Darkstar… he almost killed you. But Gwen managed to stop him." His shoulders slumped. "And… I couldn't do anything to help." He gazed down to the ground, disappointed in himself. "Shows how useful I am, huh?"

"Hey! Don't say that!" Blake put her hand to his face and brought it up to meet her gaze. "You're helping me right now, right? Sun, knowing that you care is all I could ever ask from you." She gave him a smile and hugged him again. "And you don't need to come to my rescue to prove that. Just being yourself is what's most important to me."

Sun was taken aback by the words as he slowly returned the hug. "R-really?"

Blake nodded against his shoulder, her eyes gently closing as she relaxed in the embrace. "Yes, really." But then her eyes opened as a realization hit her. "Wait, where IS Gwen anyway?"

"Uh… about that." Sun glanced back to where the action was happening with Blake following his gaze. The cat girl's jaw dropped as she saw who she assumed to be Gwen, having transformed into an energy being and floating right in front of Darkstar, glowering right at him.

Blake's cat ears flattened against her head. "Oh, so I'm guessing that this is what an Anodite looks like."

…..

"Stay back!" Darkstar gathered as much dark energy as he could muster and concentrated it into a black sphere. He shot it out at Gwen, hoping that it'd at least knock her back long enough for him to retreat. But, without even flinching, Gwen batted the sphere away with one arm, sending it flying away before shooting a mana beam at it, causing it to burst in midair. She drew closer to him, her glare unwavering. "W-wait! I-I was just—" Darkstar begged.

"You were about to kill one of my best friends!" Gwen asserted as she raised her hand. "Don't try to fool me, Michael." She blasted a powerful mana beam at Darkstar, knocking him out of the air and back down to the ground. "I know you enough to know you never have any other intentions." She drifted to the ground and slowly began to approach him, to which Darkstar immediately began to crawl backwards on his back, fear taking hold of him. "You'll do just about anything to get what you want, even if it involves hurting innocent people."

"W-wait! Please! I—"

"NO!" Gwen ensnared Darkstar in another mana tether before flinging him up into the air. "You want energy?! Then take this!" Gwen sent another blast of mana right at Darkstar, sending him straight into a tree. He slumped down against its trunk, having been rattled by the impact. Gwen exhaled slowly, calming herself down. "Finally." It was only then did she notice that Weiss and Neptune were staring dumbfoundedly at her, astonished by the spectacle she had just performed. "Oh, um… sorry, I kinda lost it there for a second."

A big grin came to Neptune's face. "What's there to apologize for?! That was awesome!"

Weiss nodded in agreement. "Definitely, great job, Gwen!"

"Uh, thanks, I think." At that moment, Gwen let out a gasp as she remembered her fallen friend. "Wait! What happened to Blake?!" Weiss pointed behind the her and the Anodite turned around to see Blake sitting with Sun, the two of them waving to her. Gwen transformed back into her human form and rushed over to Blake's side, Sun having already gotten there before she did. The monkey boy held the cat girl's hand as he slowly began to help her, careful not to move her too much. "Blake! Are you okay?!" Gwen asked.

"Heh, yes, I'm fine." Blake answered as Sun began to slowly help her to her feet. But she could feel another wave of nausea go through her, her hand moving to her stomach as she let out a groan. "Ugh, well, I think so anyway. My Aura was drained a bit, but I think you managed to cut him off before he got a majority of it."

Gwen let out a sigh, relieved that she was okay. "Good, I'm glad you're alright. Here, let me give you some energy." Gwen set her hand onto Blake's shoulder and replenished her aura with mana, giving back her strength.

"Ah, thanks Gwen, I—LOOK OUT!" Blake pulled Gwen out of the way just as another blast of dark energy flew right past them. The group whirled around to see Darkstar, limping toward them with a single arm outstretched. He kept his other arm close to his side, the entire appendage having been sprained. His dark eyes bored into the five as she trudged forward, his star holding no sympathy for them whatsoever.

"I have HAD IT!" He bellowed, the reverberations in his mask making the threat somewhat more intimidating even in his sad state. "I will NOT be IGNORED anymo—"

SLAM! Darkstar had been so caught up in his own words, that he failed to notice Yang as she sprinted around the other side of the house and decked him right in the face with a Fire Dust fueled punch. A strike so hard that it sent him back down to the ground and made his mask fly off. The Blonde Brawler cracked her knuckles as she glared down at Darkstar, who was hollering in pain. "How's that for being ignored, asshole?"

But then she recoiled at the sight of the face of Michael Morningstar, shriveled up, eyes sunken in, and tufts of hair randomly strewn about on his head. "EW! That's just NOT right!"

The rest of the group shouted in disgust as well, with Weiss in particular feeling every inch of her skin crawl as she looked at him. "Oh god! Gross!" she shouted. "Somebody put the helmet back on him!"

From around the side of the house, Ren, Nora, Max and, to Gwen's surprise, Benwolf had quickly returned as well, the Loboan glancing down at Yang's handiwork. "Ha! Nice Yang! You sure showed him."

Yang smirked back at him. "Sure did. And he deserves every ounce of that punch."

Nora cringed at the sight of the grey skinned man. "Yeesh, he definitely ISN'T pretty."

"Indeed." Ren concurred. "Quite grotesque."

Blake was internally screaming at the sight of the large wolf monster, her aversion to canines taking hold. But when she saw the Omnitrix symbol, her fear was quelled, at least a little bit. "Wait, Ben?"

"Yep, that's my name!" The Loboan confirmed. "Well… technically it's Blitzwolfer now, but that's beside the point." He then noticed Darkstar about to get up and he pounced onto him, pinning him down to the ground. Blitzwolfer lowered his head and snarled; "Just where do you think you're going Michael?" He reached over and grabbed the Darkstar helmet, shoving it back onto Michael's head without being the least bit gentle. "There, that's better."

Max instantly ran over to check on his granddaughter, hoping that she wasn't hurt. "Gwen! Are you alright? Did Darkstar hurt you?"

Blake smiled at the old man. "Quite the opposite actually, Gwen put the hurt on him."

"And it was AWESOME!" Sun added. "She turned into this cool purplish-pink energy being and just blasted him away like he was nothing!"

"She just tossed away his blasts like: BAM!" Neptune emphasized. "It was like they were volleyballs to her!"

Max looked to his granddaughter in surprise. "Really, now? Hah, it seems your powers continue to grow stronger every day, Gwen. Wherever she is in the universe, I'm sure your grandmother would be proud to see how far you've come."

But Gwen shrugged it off. "Aw, it wasn't that great."

"Um, I strongly disagree." Weiss interjected. "It was both incredible AND satisfying to watch."

"Man, wish I could've seen it." Blitzwolfer said. "Sounds like you gave Darkstar his just desserts, cous'!"

"Thanks Ben. And I'm glad that you finally renamed Benwolf." Gwen commented. "Blitzwolfer's actually a pretty good name for him too."

"You can thank Yang for that." Blitzwolfer clarified. "She's the one who came up with it."

"Why am I not surprised?" Gwen gave the blonde a smirk. "Look out Yang, Ben's got two more monstrous aliens that could also use a bit of renaming."

"I'll be sure to help him out with that." Yang promised. "So, what now?" As if to answer her question, Tetrax's ship flew into view above their heads, landing in the front yard and lowering its ramp. "Heh, right on time I guess."

Gwen gave Yang a questioning glance. "Wait, what do you mean by…?" However, the moment she saw Tetrax come from the backyard with Ssserpent slung over his shoulder, she realized what the blonde meant. She waved over as the Petrosapien walked closer to them. "Oh, hi Tetrax. When did you get here?"

"About a moment ago." Tetrax answered. "I heard the explosion and came running." He lowered his head to see Darkstar struggling as Blitzwolfer held him down. "I'm guessing that he's going to need a cell too? I've got plenty of 'em."

"He will." Max confirmed. "But don't use energy cuffs on him. He might be able to absorb them."

"Got it. Max, could you take Ssserpent for a moment?" Tetrax handed off the snake alien to Max and knelt down next to Darkstar. He placed his hands around Darkstar's wrists, encasing them in a pair of dense crystalline braces that connected between his arms, ensuring that he wouldn't be getting away. "Alright, he's secured. Ben, you can let go now."

"Great, thanks Tetrax." Blitzwolfer got off of Darkstar and transformed back into Ben allowing Tetrax to lift Darkstar to his feet. "Now, lock him up if you would be so kind. I don't wanna see him for a long time."

But Darkstar wasn't having it. The moment he got to his feet, he struggled against Tetrax's hold, shouting at the top of his lungs. "No! NO! I will not be denied my revenge! Do you hear me Tennyson?! DO YOU?!"

Ben just gave him a cocky smirk. "Oh, I do, I'm just choosing not to listen."

"ARGH! NO! This isn't how it's supposed to end!" But little did Darkstar realize, at the base of his feet where he was being pulled away, a dark black smoke was beginning to materialize, growing with his anger. "I will NOT be DENIED!" All at once, the black smoke erupted from the earth beneath his feet, the force powerful enough to knock Tetrax away and break the crystal restraints. Whirling around in shock, Darkstar attempted to move away from the smoke, but to no avail. "W-what is this?! Some sort of trick?!"

Ben suddenly got a sick feeling in his stomach as he recognized the pitch-black smoke. "It's Salem! She's trying to get him! Quick, grab him before he gets away!" The group of teens and Tetrax charged at the growing cloud of smoke, intending to pull Darkstar away in the vain hope of the black substance possibly dissipating. But it wouldn't be so, for when they got within an inch of him, Darkstar was completely engulfed by the substance, disappearing as soon as the smoke cleared. Ben ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Gah! Damn it! Not again!" He slumped down onto the ground, falling onto his knees. "We were so close."

Tetrax lowered his head in disappointment. "I'm so sorry Ben. I should've had a better hold of him. It's my fault he got away."

Ben shook his head, still looking down at the ground. "No Tetrax, this is all on me. I should've realized that Salem would want a scumbag like him for her cause."

Yang immediately knelt down on the ground next to him, wrapping her arms around him in a comforting hug. "Ben, it's okay. This isn't your fault. The guy literally showed up at our doorstep without any warning. We just weren't expecting all this to happen." She leaned her head against his shoulder, hoping her words were getting through to him. "So please, don't blame yourself for every bad thing that happens. It's not good for you to beat up on yourself like this."

"Yang's right Ben." Max agreed. "Remember what I've always told you: wins and losses go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other. And in any case, there's still a bright side." The old man gestured his head over to the snake alien on his shoulder. "Salem didn't take Ssserpent, so we were still successful in some way today."

Ben glanced up, first to Yang, and then to his grandfather holding Ssserpent. "Heh, yeah. Guess that means that Salem doesn't like the weaker ones. Thanks grandpa." He turned his attention back to Yang, giving her a small smile as he leaned his forehead against hers. "And thanks for talking some sense into me, Yang."

"Hey, anytime Green Boy." Yang smiled back at him. "So, you wanna get back to our marathon? After all this chaos, I could go for another escape from reality."

"You read my mind Goldie Locks." The two rose to their feet and went back into the house, walking side by side. "I believe we left off at Two Face, didn't we?"

As she watched the two go back into the house, Blake let out a tired sigh. "Well, I know one thing's for sure, I'm exhausted after all that."

"Me too." Sun agreed. "I could use a nap after that."

"Really?" Nora asked. "I'm feeling great! Smacking a snake guy around really gets the blood pumpin' ya know?"

Ren put a hand to Nora's shoulder. "I can tell, Nora. But Blake had her Aura depleted in almost an instant. I think we should take some time to recuperate after what just happened."

"That sounds like an excellent idea." Weiss said. "Besides, after all that, I'm famished beyond belief."

"So am I." Neptune spoke up. "I could definitely go for a bite after that."

"Right then, why don't we put the mall on hold for a bit and take a quick rest?" Gwen suggested. "Maybe get some lunch?" Everyone unanimously agreed before heading inside, though Gwen took a moment to stand in the doorway and look out over the horizon for a bit, contemplating the witch who kept recruiting their enemies. 'Just what are you planning Salem?' With that question burned into her mind, Gwen closed the door and joined her friends, hoping to put the days woes behind her.

…..

The moment his vision cleared, Darkstar found himself in a dark room, only lit by the dim rays of light coming from the windows from out in the hallway. He groaned in mild pain before picking himself up from the floor, scanning his surroundings for any sort of indication as to where he was. "What… what is this place?" But then, his senses kicked into gear as he felt a six other energy levels enter the room. Four of them felt familiar to him, with an unfamiliar one accompanying them. This unusual one held great power, as if it were a burning flame. But as the third energy entered the room, he could practically feel the dark power that it held. It was stronger than the other two and his own combined. He had never felt such malevolence in his life. It was truly evil. "Who are you people? Show yourselves!"

"Aw, little Mikey Morningstar." The familiar voice of a gruff woman rang out through the room. "How awful to see you again." The room lit up in an instant, revealing the life energy that Darkstar had recognized; Rojo. The bounty hunter was smirking right at him, her hands at her hips. "Been a while, hasn't it you little spoiled brat?"

"Rojo? Where—AGH!" The moment he moved, Darkstar agitated his sprained arm, his other hand grasping it in the vain attempt to ease the pain. "Where am I?!"

"Hmm, pathetic." Darkstar turned around at the comment, coming face to face with the burning energy he had sensed; a woman about his age with long flowing black hair and glowing amber eyes, wearing a red and gold dress. She scowled at him, her eyes blazing with power. "Simply looking at you, I can tell you are but a power-hungry leech. Desperate for any morsel of energy you can get your hands on. Scum like you are not even worthy of pity."

"What was that?!" Darkstar made to reach out and make a dark energy beam to absorb her energy, but regretted it the moment he let go of his arm, the pain returning in an instant. "Gah!" He held onto his arm again and fell to his knees, though he made sure to glare right back at the woman who had been foolish enough to provoke him. "I swear, you will not be so confident when you two are at my feet begging for mercy!"

"Relax, Mikey." Rojo said as she approached him. "We're all a team here. Cindy's just bustin' yer balls a bit. Ain't ya Cindy?"

The black-haired woman scoffed. "Your crudeness precedes you, Rojo." She then focused down on Darkstar again. "And just as a word of warning: if you even get the idea to call me that nickname like she has, I will eviscerate you. To you, my name is Cinder. Understand?"

Beneath his mask, Darkstar sneered. "Of course." He chose to comply, at least for the time being. "Now where am I? What is this place?"

"The Boss Lady brought you here." Rojo explained. "She's recruited me, Animo, Hog, and Skull for a little "take over the world" scheme. And now she wants you in too."

Darkstar gave her an inquiring gaze. "Boss Lady?"

"I believe Rojo is referring to myself." came yet another woman's voice. Darkstar turned his head around to see a woman with stark white skin and hair, wearing pitch-black robes and staring down at him with blood red eyes. She was the completely evil presence that he had felt. "Michael Morningstar, or Darkstar as you call yourself, my name is Salem. I have an offer to make you, and I guarantee that you will want to hear what I have to say."

…..

A/N: Show of hands, who saw that coming? Yeah, Darkstar's recruitment was pretty much a given. I don't think Salem would pass up having someone with his talents, even if he is a creep. But yes, since the events of Omniverse haven't happened in this continuity yet, Blitzwolfer gets his new name in a much different way than before. And I have a feeling that both Ben and Yang can come up with even more alien names together considering they're both so good at puns. So, how will Salem convince someone as egotistical as Darkstar to join her? We'll just have to find out… Next Time! But while that's going on, we'll see as the heroes try to save what's left of their Saturday… and you know what they say, happiness is a warm puppy, or puppies in this case. Thanks for reading! See ya!