Ben 10 RWBY Volume 1: Dimension Twist

by The Omni-Remnant

After an incident involving an old foe and a Null Void Portal, Ben and his team are transported to the world of Remnant... right in the middle of the Battle for Beacon. What will be the consequences? Ben doesn't know, but he does know one thing: It's Hero Time! (Takes place after Ultimate Alien. WARNING: Major changes to the end of RWBY Volume 3 and beyond. MAJOR AU.)

76. Of Bats, Spiders, and Spider-Monkeys

A/N: Hey everybody! It's that time of the week again! But man, it's hard to believe that it's the last day of January, isn't it? So much stuff as already happened in 2020 and it's only been the first month. Don't know if that's a good or a bad thing, but I'm gonna try and stay hopeful. Speaking of, this is also the last day before RWBY Volume 7 comes to an end, so there's that. But enough pleasantries, huh? We ALL know why we're here, so let's just jump into it! This is…

Chapter 76: Of Bats, Spiders, and Spider-Monkeys

…..

After the team had left for Menagerie, things had been relatively peaceful in the Xiao Long house as the afternoon settled in. Although it would be just for a day, Tai was starting to feel quite thankful for the peace and quiet. And to make things even better, he had some pretty good company in the form of Jonathan and Mary Arc, along with Max and Athena of course. Still, he wouldn't be a good host if he didn't show his guests a good time, and by god he was going to do it. For the course of the morning, the five adults had been enjoying themselves, whether it was by doing various activities or even just talking amongst themselves. After playing a few card games inside, Tai, Jonathan and Athena had all competed in a horseshoe throwing contest in the backyard… which Athena had won when she embedded her last horse shoe in a tree on the final throw.

"GAH!" Max grunted as he tried to pry the horse shoe out. "It's really stuck in there!"

"No kidding!" Tai grit his teeth as he pushed his foot against the tree for leverage. "Jeez, Athena, you threw this son of a gun hard!"

"I'm sorry!" The Mistralian huntress cried out, bowing her head in apology.

Jonathan couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Heh, she's beginning to sound like her daughter."

Mary raised an eyebrow at her husband. "Oh, and YOU don't sound like our son sometimes?"

"Hey!" Jonathan retorted, only to have his voice crack. His face went as red as a tomato and his hand went to his mouth, all while everyone else had a good laugh.

After finally removing the horseshoe, the five gathered onto the back porch to take a breather, and it was there that Tai decided to tell the Arcs about how Raven had recently, and unexpectedly, returned into his life. As he had expected, Jonathan was seemed to be in the most disbelief about it. "C'mon, man, I thought you had already known!" Tai exclaimed. "Ya know, considering that you saw Qrow at Ruby's birthday party and all."

"Well, yeah, I had a feeling." Jonathan confirmed. "And after seeing Yang again at the party, I was able to put two and two together. It's scary how much of a resemblance that she and Raven have to one another." The man put his head in his hands. "I just can't wrap my head around the fact that Raven Branwen of all people is actually a mother. I mean, this is the woman who gave me a WEDGIE when we were kids for crying out loud!"

"Hehe, so I've heard." Tai chuckled a little before resting his chin on his hand. "Still, I guess it's a good thing that Rae's actually ACTING like a mother now… for the most part. But at the same time, I can't help but feel conflicted about all of it."

Mary couldn't help but purse her lips at that. "Hmm, I have to agree with you there, Tai. I'm astonished that she was able to live with herself after abandoning you and Yang."

"I'm simply surprised that she came back at all." Athena agreed. "And that's not even getting into how she and Yang have surprisingly hit it off." The redheaded woman folded her arms across her chest. "If I were Yang, I would be a lot angrier with Raven."

"I can't fault you there… but I think Yang's just trying to give her a chance." Tai sighed. "She's been obsessed with finding out about her mother, and now that Rae's back in her life, I think she just wants to…" The blonde man paused for a moment as his head craned down to the table, the memory of his beloved Summer cropping up in his head once more. "…She wants to know what it's like to have a real mother again."

Everyone at the table grew silent after that, so Max decided to try and change the subject. "Uh… hey! Why don't we all go see if anything good's on TV, huh? Maybe we'll get lucky and we'll find something good."

The group decided to follow Max's idea and went inside, all of them heading straight to the living room. Tai grabbed the remote, turned on the television, and immediately began channel flipping. "Alright, let's see what's on. Remnant's Got Game… nah, too competitive. Acquaintances? Ugh, not funny in the slightest. The Perdix Family? ALSO unfunny." Tai ended up flipping through a majority of the channels before throwing the remote control against the couch. "Gah, it's like there's nothing on!"

"Ugh, what rotten luck." Jonathan scratched the back of his head. "Now what?"

Max put a hand to his chin before a smile came to his face. He snapped his fingers and pointed out to everyone. "I've got it! I'm willing to bet that my grandson has something that we can all watch down in the basement."

Mary sent Max a skeptical gaze. "Are you sure, Max? I mean, most of what the kids seem to enjoy is… well, kid stuff."

"Ah, don't worry about that." Max said with a wink. "My grandson has good taste in ALL forms of entertainment. You all just hold on, I'll be right back." And with that, the old man went down into the basement, leaving the four remaining adults to do nothing but wait for him to return.

Mary sat on the couch, resting her cheek against her palm as a wistful sigh escaped her lips. "You know, I wonder what our children are up to right now. They're probably having an exciting time on their mission."

Jonathan grinned and he put an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Yeah, kind of makes me wish that I could be there with them."

"A part of me wishes that too, Jonathan." Athena concurred. "But with that said, having too many people on that mission would've been a bit of a hassle, especially since it involves stealth."

"Heh, yeah, and we're not exactly all that stealthy." Jonathan chortled. "I mean, my armor would just be clunking and clanging all over the goddamn place, haha!"

Everyone got a small laugh out of that, but at the mention of the mission, Tai couldn't help but feel a small tug in his gut. He glanced at the clock to see that it was now twelve-thirty, making him let out a small sigh. 'Well, they should be there by now. Hopefully everything's going okay…' Tai then directed his gaze out the window, staring off into the sky with a silent prayer; 'Girls… everyone… please stay safe.'

However, he was suddenly broken out of his trance when someone called out to him; "Tai?" The blonde man whipped his head around to see Athena giving him a worried face. "Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh, me? Yeah!" Tai put on a fake smile while raising a reassuring hand. "Totally fine."

"You sure, bud?" Jonathan asked. "You seem to be… away from your own head."

Mary matched her husband's concern. "Yeah, you were just staring out that window for a good minute. Are you worried about the mission?"

"What, me?!" Tai put a hand to his chest. "Nah, I'm not worried in the slightest. Sure, my kids are half way around the world, but I know that they can handle themselves." He received a bunch of skeptical looks in response. "…You're not convinced, are ya?" Tai let out a groan before resting his forehead against his hand. "And here I thought that distracting myself would help me get over this stupid anxiety."

Athena sighed and put a hand to Tai's shoulder. "Tai, it's one thing to distract yourself from your anxiety, and another to fully get over it. It simply isn't going to go away just because you tell it too."

"She's right." Jonathan agreed as he held his wife closer to him. "When Jaune first left for Beacon, we were scared out of our minds, and the invasion of Vale didn't exactly help matters. But just like we did with our four older daughters, we managed to pick ourselves up and move on from it."

"Fear for your children's safety IS a big concern, Tai," Mary continued, "but if having eight kids has taught us anything, it's that you can't let that get in the way of your own health. If you let your fear and anxiety get the better of you, you'll just end up keeping yourself down."

Tai sighed and his shoulder's slumped. "Yeah, I know… I should probably start going to see a therapist."

"A grand idea." Athena smiled. "Getting help from people, especially a professional, is a good idea. And remember…" the redheaded woman gestured to Jonathan and Mary. "We're here to listen as well, so don't be discouraged, alright?"

Tai returned the smile and gave her a nod. "Yeah. Thanks guys."

"Hey, no problem, man." Jonathan saluted.

"We're happy to help." Mary grinned.

Just as the conversation ended, Max came back into the room with a few disks in his hands. "Hah, okay everyone, I think I've found the perfect show that we can all get a kick out of." The old Plumber knelt down in front of the DVD player and inserted the disk as he explained further; "I used to watch this show when I was Ben's age, and ever since, it's been a big thing in any Tennyson Family household. So I think that you'll really enjoy it."

"I hope so, Max." Tai said before letting out a breath. "Okay, let's give this relaxing thing another try." He sent another smile to Athena. "After all, our kids can handle themselves, am I right?"

"Exactly." Athena concurred. "I'm sure that they're just fine."

…..

"This is FAR from fine!" Pyrrha hollered as she was being backed up against a wall. The Invincible Girl was being closed in on by a wolf-eared White Fang grunt, the two locked in a battle of blades. Pyrrha kept her xiphos and shield at the ready, using them to block the wolf Faunus' wild and savage attacks. With every swing of the two blades, Pyrrha would either block them with Akouo or deflect them with Milo, but all the while, she knew what he was trying to do. 'I have to stop him, quickly.' She waited for the right moment; right when the White Fang was getting ready for another swing. Then, just as he was about to bring his sword down, Pyrrha blocked with her shield again before ducking under it and repositioning herself over to his right side. The wolf Faunus let out a surprised yell before Pyrrha sent a fist straight into his face, knocking him down to the ground. "Apologies, but I wasn't in the mood for your games."

"Nice work, Pyr!" Jaune called out as he also took out one of his opponents, using his shield to block their strike before sweeping their legs out from under them with a swift kick. "Man, I can't believe how many White Fang are out here. This is WAY more than I expected."

"Trumbipulor probably has all hands on deck." Pyrrha figured as she stepped over to her boyfriend. The two stood back to back as even more White Fang closed in all around them, forcing them into a defensive stance. "But we cannot give in now, right?"

"Exactly." Jaune gave Pyrrha a wink. "Which is why I've got a plan. Now guys!"

In a split second, a green blur rushed past all of the White Fang, with multiple sounds of metal slicing through metal accompanying it. Once the green blur stopped, it was revealed to be Ren, who was crouching down directly next to Jaune and Pyrrha. "That should take care of their weapons." The moment that the green ninja stood up, the White Fang's weaponry all began to break apart cleanly, be it fire arm or blade. As the group of grunts and guards gazed at their ruined weapons in astonishment, Ren craned his head up and called out; "Nora, your turn!"

"On it, Renny!" Nora's voice came from above, causing all of the White Fang grunts to crane their heads upward. As it turned out, the Pink Dynamo had climbed up to the top of a nearby building, a wicked smirk plastered onto her face as she shifted Magnhild into its grenade launcher mode. "GET CLEAR!" At her shout, Jaune, Ren and Pyrrha dashed out of the way and past all of the White Fang grunts, allowing Nora to fire a grenade where her three teammates once stood. The impact was just far enough away from the grunts to not cause serious damage, but the force of the blast was enough to knock them all down to the ground. Nora leapt down from her perch and met with her teammates, giving a cheer while pumping a fist into the air. "WOO! Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!"

"You're telling me." Jaune agreed. "Nice work, guys."

"Indeed." Pyrrha agreed, though she wore a slightly concerned face. "Still, we should probably be more careful with tactics like that. Remember, we aren't dealing with Grimm here."

"Hah, right." Ren sighed. "Hopefully these foot soldiers will stop coming soon enough." The green ninja shifted his gaze around, hoping to locate the rest of their team. "Hey, has anyone seen the others?"

But right as he said that, they heard a rather familiar voice shout; "INCOMING!", prompting them to whip their heads upwards. Team JNPR's eyes collectively widened as they saw Rex falling from the sky, his Boogie Pack falling to pieces as a White Fang guard dug into the wings with three long claw-like blades that were attached to her gauntlets. The four teammates dove out of the way as Rex and the guard finally landed on the ground, the two rolling onward as they continued their scuffle. Finally, the guard managed to pin Rex beneath her, embedding her claws into the ground on either side of his head in order to keep him there. "GAH! Heh, c'mon señorita, can't we cut a deal?"

The woman growled as she grit her sharp teeth, all while giving him a nasty glare. "No way, bub! I don't know WHO you are or why you and the Schnees are attacking us, but I swear, NONE of you are leaving Menagerie alive—AGH!" The guard was cut off when a powerful blast from behind blew her off of Rex, allowing him to get up. She rolled up onto her feet and glared in the direction of where the blast came from, her eyes narrowing even further when she saw who was responsible for it. "You."

"Yes, me." Weiss affirmed as she stepped forward, with Myrtenaster pointed directly at the woman. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll stay off of him."

"SCHNEE!" The woman roared as she ran forward, readying her tri-clawed gauntlets to strike a finishing blow. "I'll KILL you!"

"Unlikely." With a wave of her weapon, Weiss brought up a large glyph shield in front of her, blocking the White Fang's strike just in time. "Rex, NOW!"

In a split second, Rex came up behind the woman with his Blast Caster activated. "No need to tell me twice, Weiss!" He wrapped the large whip around the woman's body and instantly pulled her away from Weiss, sending her flying down the street. Rex chuckled to himself as he realized what he had just said. "Hehe, "twice, Weiss". Sorry for the unintended rhyme there."

"No need." Weiss assured as she watched the woman land on her feet and come running right back toward them. "Wow, she's persistent."

"You're DEAD MEAT, Schnee!" The White Fang guard leapt into the air, springing herself forward for another strike with her metal claws. "You AND your boy toy!"

The EVO and the heiress blushed at what the wild woman had just said, though the red on Weiss' face was a combination of both embarrassment AND anger. "He is NOT my "boy toy"! UGH!"

But just as the guard was about to close the distance between her and her target, a flurry of rose petals blew right into her face, causing her to stumble and fall back to the ground. The petals all gathered back together and Ruby appeared, the Hooded Huntress pulling out Crescent Rose. "Sorry, Claw Lady, but my partner and my friend aren't on your menu today."

"Why you!" The wild woman surged upward to claw Ruby's eyes out, but was immediately put back down when a fist slammed into her face, knocking her out.

Over to the side, Kevin shook his hand as he sent a smirk over to the silver-eyed girl. "Nice distraction, Ruby."

"Thanks, and nice punch." Ruby turned around and sent a knowing smile to Weiss and Rex. "So, having a tough time with these guys?"

"Pfft, no." Weiss denied. "We would've taken her out eventually."

Rex placed his hands on his hips. "Yeah, thanks for the help, but we can take care of ourselves."

Ruby raised her hands defensively. "Alright, alright, I get the message." But the Hooded Huntress smirked internally as she thought to herself; 'Hehe, this is just too good. They SO wanna show off to each other.'

Just then, Dr. Holiday and Winter came jogging up, the former's eyes landing on Rex and Weiss. "THERE you two are." The doctor said with relief. "I was wondering what had happened when that crazy lady jumped you, Rex. Is everything okay here?"

"Pretty much, doc." Rex nodded as Team JNPR came over to rejoin their group. "I think we finally might be whittling 'em down a bit.

Winter began scanning the area, the specialist searching for any signs of White Fang activity. "I wouldn't be so sure, Rex. Remember, in cases like these, it's never THAT easy to take an enemy down."

However, at that moment, a new voice entered the conversation; "How right you are, Miss Schnee." Everyone's eyes widened as they began whirling their heads around, searching for where they unseen voice had come from. After a few seconds, the voice sighed and called to them; "I'm up here, you fools!" That caught the team's attention and they shifted their gaze up, finally finding the source of the voice; a spikey haired man with batwings on his back. He was wearing an annoyed expression as he flew down to ground level, giving the group a sneer. "So, THESE are the Hunters that've somehow infiltrated our defenses? Tch, pathetic!"

Kevin narrowed his eyes, not in anger, but confusion. 'That voice… I've heard it somewhere before. But where?'

Ruby stepped forward and pointed Crescent Rose at the bat Faunus. "And just who are you, exactly?"

The winged man scowled as he folded his arms over his chest. "I am Yuma." he stated. "An assassin and proud member of the White Fang." If possible, his angry expression grew even harder. "And your intrusion in Menagerie is in direct violation of the law here."

"Not if the chieftain is the one who brought us here." Winter argued. "Ghira Belladonna specifically requested for our assistance in liberating Menagerie from—"

"HA!" Yuma scoffed, interrupting Winter's argument. "Ghira's influence and power were stripped of him the moment that Lord Trumbipulor took over. Now, both the White Fang AND Menagerie are under HIS rule, and that means that ANY defiance toward him is immediately deemed punishable by law." Yuma unfolded his arms and pointed right to the group. "But, because I'm feeling generous today, I'll make you a deal; leave this island now, and your lives will be spared. If you don't, you'll ALL suffer the consequences of your actions."

"Not happening, man!" Jaune refused as he pointed his sword at Yuma. "We're going to free the people here and bring Trumbipulor to justice."

"Exactly." Pyrrha concurred. "I for one am surprised that you can support this kind of behavior. I mean, the people here are being subjugated and extorted. Doesn't that bother you at ALL?!"

"It is regrettable, yes, but it will ALL be worth it." Yuma spread his arms out, gesturing to the houses lining the streets. "The time that the Faunus here will spend being oppressed will only be miniscule compared to what the humans will suffer through! Once we win Trumbipulor's favor, we will finally be able to do what both Ghira AND Sienna were too afraid to do; go to war with the human race!"

"What?!" Weiss exclaimed. "That's insane! The White Fang is an organization, not an army!"

Yuma turned his nose up to Weiss. "You're right, Schnee, it isn't. …At least, not yet." He raised an open hand, his fingers clawed. "We'll gather every willing Faunus imaginable from ALL across the world until the White Fang IS an army. And then," he balled his hand into a powerful fist, "we WILL be worthy of starting a war."

"But you STILL won't be able to win!" Weiss rebuked. "You'll be going up against the ENTIRETY of humanity, plus any Faunus who DON'T wanna be on your si—HMPH!" The heiress was suddenly cut off when something shot out from the shadows and wrapped around the lower half of her face, taking everybody by surprise. "MMPH! MMM-MMPH!" Weiss muffled out a scream for help as she began pulling at the white, stringy substance that was keeping her mouth shut.

"Weiss!" Rex went over and put a hand on her shoulder, calming her down a bit. "Hold still, okay?" The EVO reached around and slowly began peeling the sticky stuff away as gently as he could, though a few pained yelps escaped Weiss' throat whenever a few of her hairs got pulled.

It took about twenty seconds, but the substance was finally off, allowing Weiss to breathe a sigh of relief. "Phew, thanks Rex." The white-haired girl glared out into the darkness and called out; "Who did that?! Show yourself!"

"Hmhm, gladly." A feminine voice came from out of the shadows before its owner emerged. She was a young woman with short, grey hair. But those wasn't her most defining features. Rather, it was her grey hands and the dark grey veins that were on her arms and chest. She gave them a bow before introducing herself. "My apologies… but I just couldn't stand the sound of your voice any longer."

Weiss fumed in anger while Winter narrowed her eyes at the new comer. "And you would be?" the elder Schnee asked.

"Trifa, another proud member of the White Fang." The spider girl answered before directing her attention to Weiss. "And if you really MUST know how we plan to win a war with humanity, we have some new allies that we're consulting with at the moment to help that dream become a reality."

Kevin sent a glare at Trifa at the mention of new allies. "Salem's crew."

At that moment, another voice came out of the shadows, and it was one that Kevin recognized all too well; "That's right, Levin." The Osmosian whirled his head around to a dark alley, prompting everyone else to do the same. "And at this very moment, Trumbipulor is waiting to hear word from the witch about a possible alliance."

Kevin balled his hands into fists at the familiar voice. "Why don't you come out and show yourself, Simian? We all know it's you."

"Very well, but you brought this upon yourself." Simian stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself in all his Arachnichimp glory. "It's been far too long, Kevin. I must admit, I didn't expect you and the Tennysons to be here, but… what?" As Simian glared at the group of Hunters, he noticed that some of them seemed to be holding back laughter, much to his confusion. "What's so—"

"BAHAHAHA!" Kevin was the first to lose it, and as such, everyone else was sent into an uproarious laughter as well. Even Winter, Holiday and Ren were silently chuckling to themselves as they hid their grins behind their hands. In between his fits of laughter, Kevin pointed a finger at Simian, trying desperately to speak. "S-Si-Simian, wha… what the HELL are you wearing?! AHAHA!"

Simian's face soured as he glanced down at his bright pink shirt, realizing that it was the reason behind all of the hilarity. 'Oh, right… I probably should've taken this off.' But, in an attempt to save face, Simian decided to argue back. "I'll have you know that MANY men are proud to wear pink, Levin!"

But his argument fell on deaf ears as everyone continued to laugh. Jaune was doubled over in stitches while Pyrrha supported herself against his shoulder, and Rex had his head craned back as he let out his loud guffaws to the sky. Next to the EVO, Weiss was snickering to herself while Ruby and Nora had fallen to the ground, literally rolling on the floor laughing. Ruby managed to compose herself for a few seconds to respond; "Y-Yeah, but the pink just clashes SO horribly with your BLUE FUR! HAHAHA!"

"W-What in the WORLD were you THINKING with that?!" Nora hollered, the hyperactive redhead now thoroughly in tears. "It's like putting a doll's clothes on a stuffed toy! HAHA!"

Simian grumbled as he crossed his four arms. "There was… a mishap with the laundry."

"To say the freakin' LEAST!" Kevin smirked. "Man, at least now we can convict you of two things; taking this place over with Trumbipulor…" The Osmosian pointed to the shirt. "And that horrible fashion statement."

Simian let out a growl, balling his hands into fists. "ENOUGH!" he shouted. "You're on our land, so you WILL show us the respect we deserve!"

Jaune let out a deep-bellied laugh. "HA! Yeah, sure, once you lose the strawberry shirt, THEN we'll talk."

"Indeed." Pyrrha smiled confidently. "What makes the three of you think that you can take on all of us?"

A sinister smirk appeared on Simian's face as he raised a single hand. "This." He snapped his fingers and from out of the shadows, more White Fang guards appeared, surrounding the team of heroes and Hunters on all sides. "Yuma! Trifa! Let's dispose of these cretins, shall we?"

Yuma unsheathed his scimitars and went into a combative stance. "Gladly."

Trifa reached down to her hips and pulled out two black and silver flintlock pistols, the handles stylized with a white web pattern. There was also a rather deadly bayonet attached to the underside of each pistol, the blades possessing rather sharp ridges on them. "We'll make short work of them, Master Simian."

Pyrrha scowled and let out a sigh as she and the rest of the group of heroes readied themselves for battle once again. "Of course, I'm sorry I asked."

...

In a nearby alleyway, Hazel was standing silently in the darkness as the fight in the middle of town resumed, the burly man waiting patiently to make his move. However, there was a second reason that he was hiding out for the time being, and that reason was floating right in front of him just a foot above the ground. A lone Seer Grimm was hovering in place before him, and Hazel was speaking directly to it. Or rather, he was speaking to a certain woman through it. "Lady Salem, I apologize for contacting you again so soon." Hazel bowed his head in respect. "But I'm afraid that we have a problem."

"And what would that be, Hazel?" Salem spoke through the Seer.

"Regrettably, Ben Tennyson and his team have arrived in Menagerie." Hazel explained. "It would seem that Ghira and Kali were able to form a plan with them much faster than we anticipated."

"Hmm, so it would seem." Salem concurred. "But then again, considering what these children have been able to pull off, I suppose that it should not be THAT surprising."

"I'm sorry, my mistress." Hazel apologized. "I promise you that we WILL find a way to get Tennyson and his team out of Menagerie, by any means necessary."

But rather than approving of the action right away, Salem instead began to chastise Hazel, almost like how a mother did a child. "Ah-ah, let's not be too hasty, Hazel. I think that we have a golden opportunity here."

Hazel's eyes widened in surprise. "…What do you mean?"

"I don't think we should be quick to run Tennyson and his team off just yet." Hazel could practically hear the evil smirk working its way onto Salem's face as she spoke. "After all, I still have a meeting scheduled with Lord Trumbipulor, don't I?"

"You're still coming?" But then, the large man's lips parted in realization. "Lady Salem… you don't mean…"

"Hazel, I have been quite eager to speak with young Benjamin for a while now." Salem explained. "And I wish to show him just what he is getting into by challenging me. I will not allow this opportunity to pass me by. Am I clear?"

Hazel felt his blood run cold. But, even if he had his fears, he still lowered his head in respect. "I… I understand, Lady Salem."

"Good. I will arrive shortly." Salem took a momentary pause before adding; "Oh, and Hazel? Do not be afraid to hold anything back when it comes to Tennyson's teammates. After all, the less of them that live, the better."

…..

Meanwhile, back in the White Fang's underground stockade, Ben Tennyson was staring down a complete and utter psychopath, hoping to whatever god may exist that what he'd just heard wasn't true. 'If Salem actually DOES come here… then we might just be screwed.' He took a quick glance to the Omnitrix, thinking over which aliens would be best to use if he'd ever got into a confrontation with her. 'Let's see… Clockwork? Nah, she might be able to deflect the chrono-beams. Gravattack? Maybe, but she'll probably be able to negate the gravity a few seconds after I set it up. Way Big? Probably my best chance, but if I wreck this place, everyone else will die. And that leaves… Alien X.' Ben winced as he thought it over in his head. '…At this point, I really hope that Belicus and Serena are in a listening mood.'

However, he was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Yang shout; "BEN! Watch out!" The hero snapped his eyes up just in time to see Tyrian lunging at all of them, his wicked cackle louder than ever. But just as the madman was about to strike Ben with his pincer-shaped blades, Yang pulled him out of the way while Raven sidestepped directly in front of both of them, deflecting the attack with Omen. After that, she swung her sword right at Tyrian, forcing the scorpion Faunus to leap back with a flip.

Ben let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and hugged his girlfriend. "Thanks Yang, I owe you big time."

Yang gave him a peck on the cheek. "Don't mention it. I'm just glad he didn't gore you."

"Right." Ben then gave a nod to the tribe leader. "And thank you, Raven. I seriously didn't see that coming."

"Obviously!" Raven berated the hero. "What's going on in that head of yours, Benjamin?!"

"Just… just trying to figure out what we're going to do when… she gets here."

Blake glanced to the hero and put a reassuring hand to his shoulder. "IF she gets here, you mean." she corrected. "Remember, this is Tyrian talking. For all we know, he could just be trying to throw us off with a bunch of crazy talk."

But all that did was make Tyrian laugh even louder. "AHAHA! Believe me, Miss Kitty, I wouldn't joke about something like this." The crazed man tilted his head a bit while increasing the size of his smirk. "Believe me, my queen IS coming here. And when she does, you will ALL know what true fear really is! HAHAHA!"

Sun pulled Ruyi Jingu Bang off of his back and assumed a combat-ready stance, preparing himself for Tyrian's next attack. "Guys, I hate to state the obvious, but this ain't looking good. We need to get outta here now if Salem really IS showing up."

"He's right." Sienna acknowledged. "Further still, we must stop Trumbipulor from meeting with this "Salem" before they strike a deal and send Menagerie down an even further spiral." The tiger lady stepped up and pulled her signature weapon; the Cerberus Whip, off of her waist, her eyes narrowing at Tyrian. "And if we have to fight through this deranged psychopath, then so be it."

"AHAHA! Go ahead!" Tyrian spread his arms out, welcoming the challenge. "I'd like to see you try, Miss Khan!"

But just as Sienna was going to make due on her promise, Raven raised Omen out to stop her from taking another step. As expected, Sienna didn't take the motion well, sending the tribe leader a glare. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"As much as I'd like to argue about this with you, Sienna, I'm afraid that isn't an option at the moment." Raven explained. "Right now, you need to remain alive, as do the children. I want you to go with them and take on Trumbipulor, I will handle Tyrian in the meantime."

Yang wore a conflicted expression as her mother said those words. On the one hand, yes, they needed to get out of here alive, especially if Salem was coming soon. But on the other, the thought of her mother staying to face Tyrian by herself gave her an apprehensive feeling that she just couldn't shake. At that moment though, Yang felt a hand rest on her shoulder, prompting her to shift her gaze up to meet her mothers. "…Mom?"

Raven gave her daughter a nod before going on; "Yang, I want you to listen to me very carefully. I need you to make sure that your group and Sienna get out of here alive, alright?" She gave her daughter's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "And I'll be right behind you, understand? Don't worry about me."

"I…" Yang pursed her lips in thought and frustration before letting out a reluctant sigh. "Alright, fine. Just… stay alive, okay?"

Raven smirked at her daughter's words. "I plan on it." The tribe leader then whipped her head around to Blake and Ilia, a plan having formed in her head. "Hey ladies, think you two can provide a cover?"

"On it!" Blake loaded a vial of Earth Dust into Gambol Shroud and burst forward with surprising speed toward Tyrian. The action caught the crazed man slightly off-guard, but he eagerly brought his tail up to meet her attack. However, at the last second, Blake activated her Semblance and created a shadow clone of herself made entirely of dirt, taking Tyrian by surprise even further. "Ilia, now!"

"Gotcha!" Ilia leapt forward and brought out her Lightning Lash, using it to whip at the solid shadow clone and make it burst into a large cloud of dust, covering the entire room. "Come on, let's go!" Under the cover of dirt and sand, the five teens and Sienna all ran straight past Tyrian and out of the room, the scorpion Faunus having been blinded by the clone exploding right in his face.

"AGH! MY EYES!" Tyrian began hacking and coughing as he tried in vain to clear his eyes. He began tearing up as he fell to his knees, attempting to get his eyes out of the dust cloud that had kicked up. "They're gonna PAY for this—ACK!" Tyrian was suddenly met with a swift kick to the face, knocking him back so far that he flew out of the room and back into the hallway, slamming right into the far wall. He let out an angry yell as he wiped at his eyes more, finally getting most of the sand out of them. The first thing he saw was the retreating forms of Sienna and the teens, prompting him to snarl in ire. "Get back here!"

"They aren't going to listen to you, you know." Raven stated as she walked out of the room, opening her eyes once she came face to face with Tyrian. "Besides, when was the last time that anyone listened to a mad man like you?"

Tyrian growled in frustration as he lunged forward once again, intending to end this fight quickly. "I'll decorate my wall with your HEAD, Branwen!" He brought his Queen's Servants up to slice through Raven's abdomen, intending to spill her guts.

But Raven was quick on the draw, blocking his attack by bringing Omen up and clashing it with his blades. Then, in one swift movement, the tribe leader used Tyrian's momentum against him as she redirected him into another wall by shifting the position of her blade in the opposite direction. "See? That's exactly the kind of talk that I'm referring to."

"Enough of this!" Tyrian whipped back around and attacked again, this time with much more hastened ferocity behind his attacks. The two began clashing weapons more rapidly now as they dashed across the hallway, though Raven made sure to lead him away from Yang and the others rather than toward them. Out of the corner of her eye, Raven saw a nearby room, one that seemed much more open with a large table right in the middle of it. As she bounced another of Tyrian's strikes back at him, Raven quickly dove toward the room, prompting Tyrian to follow her. "You won't get away from me!"

"Wasn't planning on it!" Raven called back as she entered the room. Tyrian leapt in as well, sailing straight toward her with his blades at the ready. But just as he closed the distance, Raven brought Omen up and slashed at him, hoping to get in a lucky hit. Unfortunately, that was not the case as Tyrian simply grabbed the blood red blade and used it to flip over her at the last possible second. He landed behind her and whipped his tail up to her, only for Raven to block it with Omen. "This is getting far too predictable, Tyrian!"

"Predict this!" Tyrian whirled around and sent a downward slash at Raven, which she was able to quickly counter with her sword. But then he brought his leg up for a kick, only for Raven to quickly duck under before bringing Omen in for a back-hand swing. Tyrian was able to avoid it though, laying himself flat on the ground before kicking himself up and over the tribe leader. As he did a mid-air spin, Tyrian fired off the guns in his weapons, forcing Raven to retreat with a few flips to avoid getting hit. Tyrian landed on the table, giving Raven a sinister grin. "Why don't you just give up now? You have no stakes in this! You're a bandit, why fight with the good guys?"

Raven sent Tyrian an ireful glare and tightened her hold on Omen when he said that. "Because… I won't abandon my family. Not again!" With that, Raven rushed forward, only for Tyrian to block the strike again.

"AHAHA! Oh god, now THAT is rich! HAHA!" Tyrian's eyes turned purple as his grin increased in size. "But still… hehehe, THIS should be fun."

…..

Kevin Levin didn't normally ponder on a lot of things when it came to fighting bad guys. He was usually more of a "hit first, ask questions later" kind of guy. He knew that he often got on his girlfriend's nerves because of that attitude, but most of the time, bad guys can just be dealt with by giving them a good punch. Now, put a car or a Class S starship in front of him, and THAT is where he got thinking. However, in this particular moment, he was fighting a spikey-haired man with a goatee and batwings, and all the while he couldn't help but wonder; 'Why DOES his voice sound so familiar to me?'

Yuma's scimitars clashed against Kevin's arms, which had taken on the form of spiked bludgeons after the Osmosian had reabsorbed the pavement beneath his feet. But for every strike that Yuma sent to the dark-haired young man, Kevin just managed to deflect every one of them. This only served to frustrate Yuma more and more. "Will you just give in, human?!" he snarled. "You know that this is all futile, right?!"

"Not really, dude." Kevin shook his head. "In fact, I think my chances are a lot better than you think."

"And why would you think that "dude"?" Yuma said mockingly.

Kevin smirked and pointed behind the bat Faunus. "Because I've got her here."

Yuma's eyes widened and he whipped around just in time to see Winter coming in for a strike, prompting him to raise his scimitars in a X formation to block the attack. "HA! Thanks for the warning, idiot!"

But Kevin's smirk didn't fade as he shifted his bludgeon hand into a hammer. "Who said I was warning ya about her?" With that, Kevin slammed Yuma in the side, sending him tumbling to the ground. Kevin placed his hands on his hips as Winter approached him, a slightly aggravated expression on her face. "Well? Was that a great comeback or what—" CONK. "OW!"

Winter had used the handle of her primary sword to knock the top of Kevin's head, her face unchanging from its irritated state. "You boob, I had him right where I wanted him!" The military specialist berated. "I would have guaranteed a knock out if you hadn't smacked him away!"

"Gah, jeez! Well forgive me for not knowing your plan!" Kevin retorted. "But hey, at least he's down, right?"

"But NOT out!" At that moment, Yuma picked himself off of the ground and spread his wings, taking to the air laughing to himself proudly. "Haha! Try to get at me now, imbeciles!"

Winter groaned in frustration while Kevin readied himself for another round. "Alright, new plan; I'm gonna keep my mouth shut."

"How productive." Winter said sarcastically before offering her smaller, secondary blade to him. "Here, take this."

Kevin furrowed his brows at the sword. "Uh, Winter, I can make my own—"

"I meant the metal!"

"Oh! Right!" Kevin grabbed the blade and absorbed the metal, coating his entire body in the substance before refocusing himself. "Alright, so what's the plan?" However, Kevin's eyes widened when he saw Yuma swooping down from the sky straight at Winter, causing him to grab her and move her out of the way. "Watch out!"

The two landed on the ground while Yuma soared back up into the sky, with Winter giving the bat Faunus a nasty look. "That was an underhanded play!"

"Exactly!" Yuma shouted before diving back down to the ground. He reared his arms back to strike again, only for Winter to spring up and redirect the strike with her own swords. The two then began trading blows with their blades as Yuma continued to egg Winter on. "What did you think was going to happen? That I was just going to fly there while you two stood around and planned my downfall?"

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Yuma spotted Kevin coming up on his left, prompting him to raise his left arm to block the Osmosian's own arm-blades. However, just as Kevin brought them down, he shifted them from swords to hammers, allowing him to easily make Yuma let go of the blade and take him off guard. "Yeah, actually." Kevin said before hitting Yuma square in the chest. "That's kinda what we were hoping for."

Yuma let out a pained cry as he stumbled back, his energy depleting rather quickly. 'I have to finish this soon!' he thought to himself before spreading his wings again. He took to the air and flew straight over Kevin and Winter's heads, allowing him to scoop up his other scimitar from the ground before taking to the skies again to recoup himself.

As they gazed up at him, a plan finally entered Winter's mind. "We need to either lure him or force him back down to ground level." The elder Schnee firmly grasped her sword and pointed it toward the ground, making a glyph directly beneath her feet. "I can get up there, but I'll need a distraction. Think you can handle that?"

Kevin gave her a smirk and a thumbs up. "There's nobody more distracting than me, Winter."

"Good." Winter pointed directly to the top of a nearby single-story building, one of the only structures in town that had a flat roof. "Lure him up there and keep him there while I ready the take down."

"Gotcha!" Kevin saluted before running toward the building, waving his arms frantically all the while. "HEY! Bat-brain! Down here!" The Osmosian reached the building and jumped onto the wall, making the palms of his hands and the bottoms of his feet spikey while doing so. This allowed him to get a good hold of the wall and he began climbing, keeping his eyes on Yuma as he did. "Bet your wings are compensating for somethin'!"

"WHAT WAS THAT, HUMAN TROLL?!" Yuma screamed at the indignity before swooping down to the building, just in time for Kevin to finally get to the top. "I will make you eat those words and throw them back up!"

'Yeah, his voice is DEFINITLY starting to sound familiar.' Kevin thought to himself as he shifted his hands back into blades. 'Where HAVE I heard it before?' In less than two seconds, the two were clashing once again, with Yuma taking care to stay up in the air while attacking Kevin. Their respective swords clanged and scraped against each other multiple times, with each impact creating more sparks each time. "Sheesh, dude, can't take a joke?!"

"I'll show YOU what's a joke, you fool!" Yuma shouted.

Back on the ground, Winter was focusing heavily on the way Yuma was flying while he fought Kevin. Finally, after keeping track of the pattern that Yuma had to his attacks, Winter raised her sword up high and she summoned multiple glyphs, all of them at different angles leading up to the roof and above. With that, she made the glyph directly beneath her feet spin rapidly, giving her the extra power that she needed to lunge right up to the first glyph. From there, Winter went from glyph to glyph, the young woman's momentum growing ever faster with each leap.

On the rooftop, Kevin noticed Winter's feat of acrobatics out of the corner of his eye, making him grin wickedly as he shifted his focus back to Yuma. He deflected one of the bat Faunus' attacks before making another quip at him. "You know man, if there's one thing that bugs me, it's a persistent bad guy."

"And if there's one thing that bothers ME, it's an idiot who won't SHUT UP!" Yuma retaliated as their swords struck each other once again. "What's your point?!"

Kevin smirked as he saw Winter leap up to her final glyph, one that was positioned directly behind Yuma. "Ah, you know, that's the irony about it. See, YOU are that idiot who's about to be shut up."

"HA!" Yuma scoffed. "And who's going to do that, exactly?"

The moment that Winter took her great leap, Kevin pointed behind Yuma. "She is."

Yuma's eyes bugged out and he made to turn around and fly up, but it was too late. At the speeds that Winter had jumped at, he wouldn't have made it even if he had been warned a few seconds sooner. The bat-Faunus was struck out of the air and he fell to the ground, dropping his scimitars as he did so. He tried to roll up to his feet and bring up his fists to fight back, but the moment that he did, he was met with a swift kick to the stomach by Winter's high-heeled boots, causing him to double over in pain. As his head lowered though, Yuma was greeted by a quick punch in the face, eliciting a loud yell as his hands went up to where he was hit. Finally, Winter delivered a low sweep to Yuma's legs, forcing him to fall to the ground in utter pain.

Kevin didn't waste any time in taking out a pair of energy cuffs that he kept in his back pocket. However, he noticed Yuma attempting to get up, so he tossed the cuffs over to Winter before pinning Yuma back down. "Care to do the honors?" Kevin asked as he forced the bat Faunus onto his back and kept his wings secured.

Winter caught the cuffs and sent Kevin a grin. "I'd be glad too." The military specialist strolled over and put the energy cuffs around Yuma's wrists, the bat Faunus attempting to resist all the while. "And this is where the idiot is shut up, correct?"

"NO!" Yuma screamed in defiance. "I am NOT the idiot here! You humans are—ack!" With a swift strike to the base of his neck, Winter knocked Yuma out, his head falling to the wood paneling of the roof beneath him.

Kevin got up and shed his metallic shell, giving Winter a small grin before offering a handshake. "That was pretty sweet, Winter! Gotta say, even if you're a little uptight, you're alright in my book."

Despite the little jab at her personality, Winter returned the grin and shook Kevin's hand. "Thank you, Kevin. But this was a team effort."

"Eh, maybe, but you're the one who took him out." The Osmosian gave her a wink. "Speaking of "taking out", something tells me that Kenny's gonna be one lucky dude when you two finally get to meet in person."

A slight blush appeared on Winter's face as she cleared her throat, attempting to keep her composure. "Ahem, y-yes, I suppose so." Winter picked Yuma off the ground and handed his unconscious body over to Kevin, who was unprepared for the hand-off. As the Osmosian stumbled back a bit, Winter began to make her way to the edge of the roof top, intending to get back to ground level. "Now come, we must get back to everyone else."

…..

"So, what do you make of her, Ice Princess?" Rex asked as he and Weiss stood off against the creepy spider girl across the way. Trifa hadn't made any moves yet, which was disconcerting to say the least. All she did was stand there, her eyes scanning over her opponents. It was almost as if she were carefully analyzing their behavior to see what they would do next. "Think she's using some sort of sixth sense to get a read on us or something? Because I gotta tell ya, I'm seriously freaked the heck out. Muy siniestro."

"I doubt it." Weiss denied. "I think she's intentionally trying to scare us. And yes "very creepy", indeed."

Rex gave her a smirk. "Hey, you're getting better at translation."

"Yep, now let's take down this bruja." Weiss wore a calm and collected expression as she aimed Myrtenaster at Trifa, all while Rex wore a proud smile behind her. "I suggest we get this over with!" The heiress declared. "Otherwise, we'll just be standing here all night while everyone else fights."

"A fair point." Trifa smiled eerily. "Let's fix that, shall we?" In an instant, the spider-girl brought up her flint-lock pistols and began firing off multiple shots directly at Weiss and Rex, forcing the two to tuck and roll away. "There. Happy now, Ice Princess?"

As she rolled back onto her feet, Weiss' eyes widened at Trifa's use of the two words. But they were quickly substituted for a glaring look as she summoned a glyph in front of her. "Don't you DARE use that nickname!" The glyph began spinning faster and faster before a powerful beam of energy shot out from its center, forcing Trifa to jump away before it made impact with the ground. "Only ONE person is allowed to call me that, and even then, it's because he's respectfully persistent!"

"Aw, thanks Weiss!" Rex smiled. "Glad to know that you at least respect me for something."

Weiss sent a grin right back at him. "No problem, now can you give me a hand here?!"

"Gladly!" Rex saluted before activating his Smack Hands. "But how about I give ya two instead?" With a mighty battle cry, Rex surged forward and brought his Smack Hands up, intending to bring them down on Trifa. "Alright, spider-girl, let's—huh?!" Just as he was about to close the distance between them, Rex saw Trifa suddenly holster one of her pistols before zipping out of the way faster than he had expected her to move. His giant arms slammed into nothing but the earth below him, leaving him very confused. "W-What the—"

"Surprise!" Trifa's yell made Rex whip his head up in time to see her send a kick right into his face, causing him to stumble back and let out a pained yell. As Rex deactivated one of his Smack Hands to hold his face, Trifa landed on the ground with a smirk. "How was that? Painful enough for you?"

"Gah! What the hell, lady?!" Rex shouted, removing his hand to give her an angry look. 'How was she able to move so fast?' he thought to himself before noticing that Weiss was preparing herself for another strike. Rex reached his normal hand out and called to her; "Wait, don't—"

But he was too late. Weiss had already thrust Myrtenaster forward, intending to catch Trifa off guard. However, without even turning around, Trifa reached her arm upward, zipping off into the air again. As Weiss came to a stop, she blinked in bewilderment before sending a glare to Rex. "Nice job, Robo-dolt! You warned her about my attack!"

"I don't think that would've made a difference." Rex said as he approached her, his other Smack Hand deactivating. "Something tells me she's able to sense our movements."

"You're very astute, Bolts-for-Brains!" The two craned their heads up to see Trifa crouched down on top of a street light, the spider-girl smirking down at them. "I have a forewarning Semblance. I can sense when something dangerous that's close to me is about to happen, and because of that, I can avoid it."

Rex and Weiss stared at her for a few moments before a grin began to form on the former's face. "So… you have a spider-sense?" the EVO guessed.

Trifa pursed her lips at the term. "I… suppose?"

"HA! Sweet! I was kind of right!" Rex laughed. "And I guess that mean's you're moving around so fast thanks to those webs of yours, huh?"

"Yes." Trifa pointed down to the street light below her, gesturing to the long string of web that was hanging from it. "My webs have multiple uses, but mobility is probably the most useful of them all."

Rex gave Trifa a smirk and crossed his arms. "Listen, lady, I don't usually give advice to the baddies, but I gotta say that you're REALLY in the wrong line of work."

Weiss' eyes widened at his words. "Rex what the HECK are you doing?!"

Trifa turned her nose up to the young man. "Oh really? And what would give you THAT idea?"

"Trust me, you'd be a LOT better off using your Semblance and webs to help people instead of killing them." Rex explained. "Hell, you could probably be a GREAT superhero with your kind of abilities."

"Hmm, an intriguing thought, but I'm afraid I'll have to pass." With a thrust of her hand, Trifa sent a shot of webbing straight into Rex, causing him to be pushed onto the ground as the web ensnared his upper body and arms.

"Rex!" Weiss sneered up to Trifa and activated a glyph, sending a slew of lasers at the spider Faunus. In a single second, Trifa jumped out of the way of the lasers, resulting in the street light blowing up instead. Weiss spun around as Trifa landed on the ground, the spider-girl pulling out her other pistol again before firing them at the heiress, only for her shots to be absorbed into yet another glyph. "So what, THIS is how you repay someone for just giving friendly advice?" Wiess snapped. "By webbing them up?"

"Sorry, but the hero life just doesn't interest me." Trifa darted forward and reached her hand out, sending a long string of web at the glyph. The webbing managed to stick and, with a mighty yank of her arm, Trifa pulled herself toward Weiss to meet her head on. However, just as she did so, she felt her precognitive sense go off, making her eyes bug out. In a split second, the Glyph disappeared and the webbing fell to the ground, allowing Weiss to lung forward and attack. This forced Trifa to tuck and roll to avoid it, the two girls passing each other before both spun back around, aiming their respective weapons at one another. "Don't you see there's no point?" Trifa asked as she pulled her other pistol back out. "I can sense what you'll do before you even do it!"

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I won't stop fighting!" Wiess spun Myrtenaster's barrel to the Lightning Dust setting and held the weapon upwards, focusing heavily on her Semblance. The heiress summoned a Time Dilation glyph beneath her feet, its power coursing through her almost immediately. "Let's see if your Semblance can keep up with mine." Weiss surged forward at blinding speeds, intending to take Trifa down.

The sudden action made Trifa's precognitive sense go off like crazy, forcing her to stay on her toes as Weiss attacked her. It was almost overwhelming for her, but somehow, she was able to keep up, at least at first. With every strike that Weiss delivered with her weapon, Trifa was able to either counter it with the bayonets on her pistols or dodge it all together. However, with every strike, Weiss came at her faster and faster, and it was at that point where Trifa knew she couldn't keep it up forever. 'I need to stop her, now!' She waited until Weiss came at her again before shooting a glob of web at the ground directly in front of her, causing the heiress to get both of her feet stuck a second later. Weiss tripped and fell to her hands and knees, eliciting a laugh from Trifa. "HA! Where's that speed now—what the?!"

Much to Trifa's shock, Weiss was able to undo the straps on her high heels and slip out of them faster than Trifa could even see, causing her sense to go off yet again. In an instant, the spider girl shot a string of web up to the roof of a nearby home before pulling herself away, leaving Weiss on the ground. Weiss groaned in frustration as Trifa landed on the roof top. "I'm starting to get REALLY tired of this!"

"Tell me about it."

"AGH!" Weiss let out a surprised scream before whirling around to see Rex standing next to her, the boy now freed from his web entrapment. "REX!" The white-haired girl sent a jab at his shoulder. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Hehe, sorry." Rex chuckled. "Probably should've given you a heads up."

Weiss sighed and shook her head. "Whatever, I'm just glad you're in the game again. …Wait, how DID you get free?" Rex raised a brow to her before shifting his eyes to his right arm, indicating that he had transformed it into his Big Fat Sword. Weiss wore a deadpan expression and facepalmed. "Ah, yes, silly me."

"HEY!" Trifa yelled from her place on top of the house. "Are you going to fight or just stand there?!" With a quick motion, Trifa reloaded her pistols, aimed them right down at Weiss and Rex, and began firing off multiple laser shots, hoping to take the duo out.

"Get behind me!" Rex shouted before exchanging his BFS for his Block Party, the energy shields expanding to their maximum size to block all of the shots. As the laser blasts bounced off of the shields, Rex turned his head back around to Weiss, giving her an inquiring face. "So, any other plans?"

Weiss grumbled and balled her hand into a fist. "I wish… but I think I might've found a crack in her Semblance."

"Really? What's that?"

"Her precognition isn't perfect. She can be overwhelmed if too many things are happening too suddenly or all at once." Weiss explained. "At least, that's my theory. If we can do something so unexpected it throws her off, then we might just be able to get the advantage."

"Sounds good." Rex grinned. "Think you can do that time-thing again?"

Weiss grimaced at that. "Maybe, but I don't know how long it'd last. It takes a lot of Aura to use it, and I'm already feeling the drain." The heiress glanced over to her heels which were still trapped in webbing. "Besides, she'll probably try doing what she did last time to stop me, and if you hadn't noticed, I'm out of shoes to lose. If we're going to do this, we'll need to do it fast."

Rex's smirk came back with a vengeance. "I think I have a pretty good idea of just how fast you're talkin'." With that, Rex brought down his Block Party before sprinting over and picking Weiss up off the ground bridal style. "Hold on!"

This cause Weiss to let out a surprised yelp, her face becoming slightly red as she glared toward the EVO. "Rex, what're you doing?!" she yelled angrily before noticing his legs beginning to glow. "Rex, don't you dare, I'm not ready yet! REX!" But it was too late. Rex activated his Sky Slyder and took to the sky, and Weiss immediately felt the altitude change. She could feel her stomach flip and she nearly let out an unladylike sound when they finally leveled out, resigning to just glaring at Rex instead. "You'd better have a good excuse for this, Salazar."

"Trust me, you'll LOVE this plan." Rex said confidently. "We haven't been able to do much to Trifa on our own, but I think that if we work together and use her own abilities against her, we might just be able to put her down." The EVO gave Weiss a wink. "All we gotta do is trick her."

Weiss raised a single brow. "I'm still not sure what you—" But then, Rex began whispering his plan into her ear, which, while she was annoyed by the gesture at first, she began to warm up to the idea the more she heard about it. In the end, she returned Rex's smile. "Alright, I'll admit, that's a great plan. I'm in."

"Awesome!" Rex moved around and set Weiss down on the board itself, all while making sure that she was still holding onto him securely. "Okay, shall we?"

Weiss gave him a single nod. "Let's go for it!" With that, Rex made a hairpin turn and began flying back toward Trifa, the spider girl staring up at the two in astonishment. "Hey Trifa!" Weiss called out. "Guess what? Now WE have the higher ground!"

"Not for long!" Trifa reloaded her pistols again and aimed them at the flying duo. "I'm going to blast you two out of the sky!" She started firing her pistols off again, only for her shots to collide with yet another glyph that Weiss had summoned. Trifa smirked inwardly as she watched the Sky Slyder dash around in the sky above her, an idea entering into her mind as it occasionally passed over her. 'Time to force a crash landing.' She holstered one of her pistols before reaching her hand up and shooting a thick string of web at the hoverboard. But as it got closer, her precognitive sense activated again, warning her of an incoming danger. 'What? B-But I don't see—'

Her thoughts were cut off when she noticed that Rex had shifted the Sky Slyder's position so that the web shot past them, allowing Weiss to catch the string in her hands. "Oh no—AGH!" With a quick dash, Rex and Weiss pulled Trifa off the roof of the house she was on, pulling the web out of her spinnerets and sending her plummeting to the ground. The spider girl managed to save herself at the last minute so she didn't land on her face, but even after tucking and rolling, she still ended up in a heap on the ground. And what's more, it still hurt. "GAH! God damn it!"

"Phase one complete!" Weiss declared proudly, lifting the webbing in her hands before recoiling at the substance. "Ew."

"Yeah, kinda gross." Rex agreed. "Ready for phase two?"

"I'll need a minute. For now, just get us back to the ground."

"On it!" With that, Rex dove back to the ground before substituting his Sky Slyder for his Rex Ride, the large hover bike's nose impacting the ground with a loud CLANG before leveling out.

Weiss let out another surprised cry as she readjusted herself to riding on the back of the massive machine, only to have it stop a second later. She quickly got off the large hover bike, the web still securely in hand. "GAH! Okay, how about a little warning before you do that next time?!"

"Sorry, Ice Princess." Rex answered. "Won't happen again, promise."

"If you say so." Weiss set her eyes down to the webbing in her hand before tying it up into a lasso. Once she was sure it was tied correctly, she moved her gaze back up to Rex with a smile. "Alright, now we can start phase two."

Rex grinned back at her and gave her a salute. "Gotcha!" The EVO revved up his ride and the large machine shot forward, making Weiss' skirt flutter slightly in the breeze.

"HEY!" Weiss blushed as she kept her dress from having a malfunction. "Be careful with that!"

"¡Lo siento!" Rex apologized before looping around and stopping about fifty or so feet away from Trifa, who was just starting to get up from the ground. "Yo, Trifa!"

The spider girl snarled as she got up from the ground, her hands clenched in rage. "WHAT?!"

"Try to avoid THIS!" With his ride's engine roaring to life once again, Rex raced forward and activated the retractable battering ram, hoping that Trifa would fall for the facade. 'C'mon, take the bait…'

Trifa's precognitive sense was going into overdrive as the vehicle approached her, and she knew exactly what she was going to do. She reached down and pulled out her spare weapon; a double-edged knife that she kept in case of emergencies. 'I'm going to jump right onto that thing and stick this right in his head.' she thought to herself. Trifa waited for the right moment to jump onto Rex's ride, but just as she took the leap, Rex stopped directly in front of her and exchanged his ride for his Smack Hands, making her eyes widen as her senses went off again. "W-Wait, what—GAH!" With a strong right hook, Rex sent Trifa sailing back, knocking the knife out of her hand in the process.

Trifa landed on the ground again, her head spinning and ears ringing after taking the blow. It was then that she heard a loud; "HEY!" come from her left, prompting Trifa to move around just in time to see a lasso made from her own web get thrown onto her, the bind tightening around her arms. She whipped her head up to see Weiss holding onto the web, a smirk settled on her face. "Surprised?"

"You… you tricked me!" Trifa yelled as she began struggle against the web. "How did you—"

"By throwing you off your game." Weiss stated before raising Myrtenaster and loading another vial of Lightning Dust into its barrel chamber. She raised it up and began concentrating on her Semblance again, creating another time-dilation glyph beneath her feet. "Now… for the finishing touch." Using the enhanced speed that the time-dilation gave her, Weiss began running rapidly around Trifa, tying the web lasso around her further and further until her entire body was bound by it. Weiss stopped and let out a tired sigh, her Aura having been effectively spent. "Phew! And THAT is how we get things done."

Trifa lost her balance and fell to her rear, giving the heiress a nasty glare. "You won't get away with this, Schnee! Do you hear me?!" The spider girl tried to struggle against her own web to no avail. "GAH! I swear, the White Fang WILL have its vengeance on you AND your family!"

Weiss sighed and knelt down so that she and Trifa were at eye-level. "Trifa, listen, I'm not here to spite the Faunus on behalf of my father. I'm here to help free the people of Menagerie from a tyrant, one who you've been willingly helping." The heiress gestured out to all of the houses surrounding them. "How can you be okay with limiting your own people's freedoms like this?"

Trifa's face fell for a moment, but then hardened back up a second later. "It doesn't matter what we think about it. It'll all be worth it when Corsac and Fennec convince Lord Trumbipulor to take up our cause. And even better, this Salem person is going to help the Faunus gain even MORE power! Power that'll be enough to bring humanity to its knees!" Trifa lowered her gaze to the ground. "And then, once we've accomplished our goals, all of this will end."

"Will it, though?" Weiss asked, making Trifa snap her head back up. "Trifa, I don't know what lies Salem's crew have been telling you, but that witch is sparing no one if she ends up taking over the world. If she succeeds and brings down ALL of the kingdoms, she'll just stab you and the rest of the White Fang in the back."

"LIES!" Trifa screamed. "We were promised great power if we allied with Salem!"

"Trifa, think about this, please!" Weiss begged. "Do you honestly think that someone who controls the Grimm and has giant mutants and psychopaths for henchmen is trustworthy?!"

"I—" Trifa stopped herself in mid-sentence, giving some thought to what Weiss had just said. "I… I don't know WHO to trust." The spider-girl clenched her fists at her side. "The Albains and Yuma say that everything will be worth it when we begin subjugating humanity… but ever since Trumbipulor took over, everything's just felt… wrong. I don't want to extort and threaten my own people, but I DO want the Faunus to have the respect we deserve."

"I can understand that." Weiss agreed. "Everyone wants respect, but there are better ways of achieving it than threatening to hurt people, be they human or Faunus."

Trifa narrowed her eyes at Weiss. "Talk about calling the kettle black. Your family's business is responsible for hurting Faunus every day, and your father has nothing BUT respect from the people of Atlas for doing it."

"You're right… for the most part. But there are two people whose respect he doesn't have." Weiss stood up and pointed to herself. "That'd be me AND my sister. I'm going to make sure that my father doesn't get away with the crimes he's made against the Faunus community, and that's a promise."

"Hah, yeah right." Trifa scoffed. "I'll believe it when I see it. You've got enough money to buy anything your little heart desires. Do anything to piss daddy off and he cuts you off, right?"

Weiss gave Trifa a small smile. "If that's what it'll take, then I'm willing to make that sacrifice."

"Yo, Weiss!" The heiress turned around to see Rex approaching her, and to her surprise, he was carrying her high heels in his hands. "I managed to cut your shoes out of the web." The EVO offered them to her. "You want 'em back? I mean, I know you'll probably wanna buy new ones after they got stuck in that web, but I figure it's better than just going around fighting in bare feet, right?"

Weiss glanced down to her feet before going back to her high heels. 'About a year ago, you would've been right, Rex.' she admitted to herself. 'But now, it's time to change that way of thinking.' Weiss sent Rex a smile and gave him a grateful nod. "Thanks, Rex, but I'll be fine with them. They'll just need a more thorough cleaning when we get back home.

Rex gave a shrug before setting the heels on the ground. "Alright, if you say so."

With that, Weiss stepped into her heels and strapped them back onto her feet, all while Trifa stared on in bewilderment. 'She… she's fine with wearing them even after I webbed them up?' The spider-girl glanced back up to Weiss with a quirked brow of confusion. 'This… this IS Weiss Schnee, right?'

However, as she was contemplating this, Trifa received a small startle when Rex came up and jerked his thumb up. "Hey, uh, I don't wanna be rude, but we DID just capture you and you ARE working with the bad guy. So we kinda gotta take you in."

"Hmph, of course." Trifa moved her legs under her and got up as Rex took a steady hold of the web binding, making sure that she didn't run away. But just as the EVO began leading her away, she craned her head back to Weiss and called over; "Hey, Schnee."

Weiss' eyes widened when Trifa called her name. "Yes, what is it?"

After a few seconds of staring eye to eye with the heiress, a smirk came to Trifa's face and she let out a chuckle. "Heh, good luck with making a difference. You're gonna need ALL of it if you wanna win the trust of the Faunus community."

"Oh… thank you." Weiss smiled back. "I'll try my damnedest."

"Hehe, now THERE'S something I never thought I'd hear from a Schnee."

After that, Rex and Weiss began leading Trifa back toward the Belladonna house, where they could all see Winter and Kevin keeping Yuma restrained. "Well, these two are accounted for." Rex commented. "Now all that's left is Simian and those guards."

"Hmm, I think Team JNPR's handling the guards." Weiss recalled. "So I can only assume that Ruby's dealing with Simian."

"Yeah… wait." Rex shifted his eyes from side to side, searching for someone in particular. "…Where's Holiday?"

…..

There were very few situations that Rebecca Holiday couldn't get herself out of, though she had to admit, this was one of the more unique ones. Fighting off a bunch of armed guards in a small town on an alternate world wasn't the worst thing she'd ever been in the middle of, but it was certainly something she didn't think she'd be doing. 'Sometimes I have to ask myself how I end up in these situations.' Holiday thought to herself. 'But then, the more I think about it, the more I realize that I go into most of them voluntarily. Eh, go figure.' However, as she was thinking, she heard her firearm make a clicking noise, indicating that it was out of energy. "What? Gah, just great. And I only had it set to stun too."

"How unfortunate." Holiday shifted her eyes back up just in time to see a spear level with her face, making her back up with a slight yelp. There, directly in front of her, was a White Fang guard; a woman with a pair of dog ears snarling at her. "I don't know why you and your human friends are attacking us, but I've got half a mind to—AGH!"

The woman was suddenly interrupted when a flurry of rose petals blew right past her face, forcing her to stumble back. Holiday took the opportunity to send a kick at the spear, forcing the guard to drop it. The doctor then grabbed the spear and used its handle to smack the guard upside the head, knocking her out and sending her to the ground. With a proud stance, Holiday spun the spear and embedded it into the ground, moving her gaze over to the rose petals as they finally came to a halt. "Thanks for the assist, Ruby."

Ruby appeared from out of the petal blizzard with Crescent Rose at the ready, giving Holiday a salute. "No problem! We've gotta stick together in this, right?"

Holiday gave her a grin, abandoning the spear to stand next to the young girl. "Exactly. Now, what next?"

But before Ruby could answer, the two ladies heard the sound of slow clapping coming from a few feet away, causing them to direct their attention over to a nearby rooftop. Standing on the shingled surface was Simian, the pink-clad Arachnachimp using all four of his hands to give them a condescending clap. "Well, well, well. It would seem that you two are quite the team. But I'm warning you now;" Simian leaped off of the roof and onto the ground, narrowing his four eyes at the duo, "I won't be so easy to beat."

Ruby stifled a laugh and covered her mouth, a cheeky smile spreading across her face. "Y-Yeah?" she struggled to keep herself from laughing. "And what're you gonna do to beat us? Make us crack up into submission?"

Simian grit his teeth and snapped; "Do NOT underestimate me, young lady! I'll have you know that I am one of the deadliest criminals in five solar systems!"

The Hooded Huntress placed her hands on her hips. "Yeah, well, if you want people to take you seriously, you HAVE to lose the pink shirt." With a swift movement, Ruby twirled her scythe around and shifted it into its sniper rifle mode, taking aim at the Arachnichimp with sharp accuracy. "Don't worry, Doc, one shot of Lightning Dust and this'll be over quick."

"I don't think so." Simian reached around his back and underneath his shirt, pulling out not one, not two, but four small concealed pistols from beneath the pink garment. Ruby and Holiday's eyes widened in shock as Simian took aim at them. "Now we'll see just who's going to be taken seriously!" The Arachnichimp began firing all four pistols in quick succession, with multiple energy blasts flying straight at the duo.

"Uh oh!" Ruby folded Crescent Rose back up and reclipped it to her belt before diving toward Holiday. "Hang on!"

"W-Wait, what—AGH!" Holiday let out a yell when Ruby tackled her, only for the two to disappear in a large flurry of rose petals. In a flash, the Hooded Huntress managed to carry Holiday all the way to a lone produce stand, the duo diving behind it as the petals dispersed. Holiday was breathing heavily, her eyes darting around in confusion until she spotted Ruby sitting next to her. "What… the HECK… was that?!" the doctor asked between breaths.

"I'm sorry!" Ruby hollered an apology over the laser blasts that were sailing over their heads. "I panicked and I wasn't sure what to do!"

Holiday's breathing finally slowed down and she sent a sympathetic gaze toward Ruby, setting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It… It's okay, Ruby. I'm sorry for shouting." She gave the silver-eyed girl a grateful smile. "And thank you for saving me."

Ruby let out a sigh and she lowered her head. "You're welcome… quite honestly though, I'm just glad that worked." She scratched the back of her head as a nervous smile came to her face. "I've never really carried someone bigger than I am before."

"Well then, I think we can call that rescue a success then." Holiday jerked a thumb back over in Simian's direction. "Now, let's take Simian to the cleaners, shall we?"

"Right!" Ruby gave Holiday a nod before peering over the produce stand slightly, her eyes scanning over their opponent and the environment. They were in the middle of a vacant street and there were a bunch of houses on either side of it, allowing for good vantage points for both sides. 'Simian's probably going to use his acrobatic skills to his advantage, which means I'm going to have to keep up with him.' She focused on the multiple pistols in his hands, which he was currently reloading with precise speed thanks to his four arms. 'We'll need to take those out fast… but I'll need a distraction to—WAIT!' Ruby lowered her head back down behind the stand and turned to Holiday, who was also reloading her firearm with a new energy pack. "Doctor Holiday, I think I've got an idea!"

"I'm all ears." the doctor acknowledged after finishing up with her energy gun.

"Okay, I'm going to use my Petal Burst again to distract him." Ruby began. "I'll be trying to shoot his guns out of his hands, so make sure to stay clear." The Hooded Huntress crept on her hands and knees past Holiday and pointed out to the spear. "While I've got him occupied, I want you to run out and circle around him from behind. Once I've taken care of his pistols, you're gonna set your blaster to stun and blast him."

Holiday raised a brow. "Are you sure this'll work, Ruby? What if he decides to go up to the rooftops again?"

Ruby smiled and gave her a wink. "Don't worry, I've got a plan for that too." The Hooded Huntress reached around and pulled Crescent Rose out again. "Now, let's show this monkey that we mean business!"

After contemplating it for a few seconds, Holiday let out a relenting sigh and sent Ruby a thumbs up. "Alright, let's do it."

"This is your last chance, ladies!" Simian called out. "Surrender now and perhaps Lord Trumbipulor will spare your lives!"

In an instant, Ruby jumped up from behind the stand and shouted; "Not happening!" before bursting into petals once again, surging right toward Simian in a red blur. The Arachnichimp immediately began firing again, but Ruby was able to bob and weave out of the way without a problem. In a flash, Ruby flew right past Simian and the petals went right with her, the flurry momentarily obstructing the monkey alien's vision.

"Gah! What in the—" BANG! "AH!" Simian let out a gasp as a shot rang out and he felt something make impact with the pistol in his upper right hand, forcing him to let go of it. Once the petals finally dispersed, he looked down to see that the pistol was now in pieces on the ground, effectively making it unusable. "Why you—" BANG! "GAH!" Another one of Simian's pistols was shot out of his hands, making him whirl around in anger. "ENOUGH! Where are… ah, there you are." The Arachnichimp had moved his head up to see Ruby having settled herself on top of the building behind him, giving her the perfect vantage point to shoot his guns out of his hands. "I see. Well, two can play at that game." Simian's tail whipped up and shot a stream of web up to the roof, making contact directly next to Ruby before he reeled the web back into his tail, making himself to zip right up there.

As Simian reeled back his free fist to strike Ruby, the silver-eyed girl grinned knowingly. 'Just what I thought you'd do.' With a quick jump, Ruby dodged the strike and shifted Crescent Rose into its scythe mode, all while giving Simian a furrowed stare. "I'm not playing games anymore, Simian. You were right that I shouldn't underestimate you, but that goes the same for me!"

Simian let out a chuckle as he stood up straight, his upper arms now holding his two remaining pistols. "Oh, I know that. But that doesn't mean I won't be giving up!" In a quick draw, Simian began firing again, though Ruby was easily able to block his shots by whirling Crescent Rose around, the large scythe deflecting the shots with every spin as she ran forward. "Oh, I see you like your impressive scythe." Simian smirked as he dashed to his left. "It would be a shame if someone were to do… THIS!" With a quick flick of his tail, Simian sent another string of web right at Crescent Rose, the sticky substance easily attaching to the side of the large blade.

"AH! Hey!" Ruby cried out as she began pulling her scythe away. "Let it go!"

Simian holstered one of his guns again so that he could grab hold of his webbing with three of his hands, using them along with his tail to successfully yank Crescent Rose away from Ruby. "Haha! What're you going to do now without your—GAH!" Unfortunately, when Simian caught the scythe, he forgot to factor in the weapon's weight, causing him to fall back the moment the handle landed in his hands. Plus, thanks to the slant of the roof they were on, it threw him off balance enough to send him falling right back to the ground. However, Simian's reflexes were also on point as he shot another string of web up to the eaves of the roof, catching himself just before he hit the ground. As he hung there holding onto Crescent Rose, Simian let out a sigh of relief. "Phew! That was close—" SMACK! "AGH!"

From above, Ruby jumped off the roof and fell right toward Simian, giving him a good kick in the face and sending him sprawling onto the ground. This made him let go of both Crescent Rose AND his pistol, allowing Ruby to quickly scoop up the scythe before slamming its tip into the firearm, breaking it in half. "Sorry, Simian, but I guess today just isn't your day."

With a loud monkey-like screech, Simian pulled out his last remaining pistol and aimed it right at Ruby. "You little hairless freak! I'll show you just what I—AAAAAGGH!" Simian let out a loud scream as his was hit in the side by a stun-blast, knocking him right to the floor as he fell into unconsciousness.

Ruby's eyebrows shot up and she turned around to see Holiday, the doctor lowering her weapon as she approached. "Uh, you DO know that I wasn't done disarming him, right doc?" Ruby asked.

"Well, I saw an opportunity and I took it." Holiday shrugged. "Waste not, what not, you know?"

"Eh, I guess I can't fault you there." Ruby scratched the back of her head as she glanced down to Simian. "So… what do we do with him?"

Holiday bent down and picked Simian up, slinging him over her shoulder as if it were nothing at all. "Now we take him back the others." Holiday answered. "Kevin should have some stasis cuffs on him. Then hopefully, once we get Simian and the others secure, we can head out to the White Fang's palace to help Ben and the others out."

"Alright! Let's go!" And with that, Ruby and Holiday began making their way back to the Belladonna household, with their unconscious Arachnichimp prisoner in tow and ready for imprisonment.

However, unbeknownst to the both of them, a certain someone had been watching from a nearby alley, and he was far from happy. From out of the darkness, Hazel stepped out into the moonlight, his arms folded across his chest with an unimpressed expression. "So… that is all that Simian was capable of? Disappointing." He put his hands to his sides and clenched them into fists, preparing himself for what he had to do. "…Perhaps now is the time that I show these children just what they are up against."

…..

Back down in the lower levels of the White Fang's palace, Raven and Tyrian's battle was still going on, with neither one of them refusing to give in to the other. With every lunging strike that Tyrian delivered, Raven would block it with Omen. And with each deadly slash that the tribe leader sent, the scorpion man would use his wild acrobatic skills to either avoid it or counter it, leaving both combatants at an impasse. But it was clear to the two that neither of them was going to give up, so they had no choice but to keep fighting. 'I… I can't let him win.' Raven thought to herself as she tried to regain her breath. She was standing across the room from Tyrian, both combatants on either side of the table in the middle. The scorpion man's yellow eyes staring crazily at her, hoping to see her fall before him. 'I have to end this now before he gets the upper hand.'

On the other side of the room, Tyrian let out a loud cackle, his tail whipping about eagerly. "AHAHA! What's the matter, Miss Branwen? Getting a little tired of fighting me?!" His eyes shifted to purple again as he leaned his head toward her. "Maybe if you'd just let me get to those kids, we can just END this whole thing!"

Raven grit her teeth at the crazed man, her knuckles turning white as she sheathed Omen for a brief second. "NEVER!" With one pull of the trigger on her sheath, Raven shot Omen out and sent it flying toward Tyrian, following up with a quick leap of her own a split second later. Raven caught her sword in midair and sailed straight to Tyrian, intending to end the battle once and for all.

"HAHA! So THAT'S how it's going to be, huh?! FINE BY ME!" Tyrian jumped back and extended his tail to the ground, using it as a spring to send himself flying forward as well. The two clashed their weapons in midair before falling back onto the table, though that didn't stop them from surging toward each other again. With multiple slashes, their blades collided against each other in a blur of red and metallic grey, along with a bunch of sparks being made with every strike. Tyrian backflipped away from Raven and shot off more Dust rounds at her, though she managed to deflect them all with a few swings from her sword. The crazed man let out a loud laugh as he jumped up again to deliver a high kick to Raven's head, only for her to leap backward at the last minute, causing him to break the table instead. "GAH!"

'Big mistake, Tyrian.' Seeing this as her chance, Raven surged forward and brought Omen up to deliver a finishing strike. However, much to her surprise, Tyrian didn't waste any time in getting up and he sent his tail forward, the stinger just barely brushing past her face without making contact. "What—AGH!"

"GOTCHA!" Tyrian immediately pulled his tail back and wrapped it around Raven's wrist, pulling her forward quickly. As he expected would happen, his tight grip forced Raven to let go of her weapon… but it was what came next that he didn't expect. Using the momentum of the strong tug, Raven vaulted herself over Tyrian's head and grabbed her sword with her free hand before it could hit the ground. The scorpion man's eyes widened when they locked with Raven's, the tribe leader smirking as she prepared to make the finishing blow. With one long swing, Raven sliced through Tyrian's tail, the appendage unwrapping itself from around her wrist and falling to the ground motionless. Tyrian's reaction was quite appropriate; "AAAAAAUUUGH!"

Landing in a crouch, Raven watched as Tyrian fell to his hands and knees, crawling away from her while screaming bloody murder. The remaining half of his tail writhed in agony as he struggled to stand up, the pain causing him to stumble slightly. This only served to make Raven smirk even more. "Well… I did want to cripple you, so I suppose this is better than nothing."

But Tyrian wasn't amused in the slightest. "You… you BITCH!" He tried walking forward, but the pain proved to be too overwhelming, causing him to trip slightly as he took a few steps.

Raven's amused face quickly vanished as she glowered down at him. "Do you REALLY want to go on, Tyrian? Even after an injury such as this?" Raven pointed Omen directly at what was left of Tyrian's tail; barely half of what he once had. "I suggest you leave while you still even HAVE a tail. Think of what your "queen" would think if you had nothing left."

Tyrian grit his teeth in rage. He so desperately wanted to kill the tribe leader at this very moment, but as much as he didn't want to admit it, she was right. He couldn't go on without his tail, at least, not at the moment. The pain was too great to even try, and even then, he was out of ammo in his weapons. Plus, the thought of disappointing Salem even further only served to terrify him more, making him huddle his arms close to his chest as he backed away from Raven. "She'll forgive you." Tyrian reassured himself before dashing out of the room, hoping to find a way out of the palace without encountering even more opposition.

Raven's smile reappeared at the sight of Tyrian fleeing with the remains of his tail between his legs. "Heh, good riddance." The tribe leader glanced down to the ground, spying the other half of Tyrian's tail lying at her feet. "Usually this is where the victor takes a piece of their opponent as a trophy… but I doubt that Tai would want that in the house." After spying a nearby garbage can, Raven picked the tail up and strolled over to it, chucking the dead limb away without a care. "There, now to find the others." With all that done, Raven ran off into the halls, hoping to catch up with the teens before they ran into any trouble.

…..

"This way! Quickly!" Sienna called back to the teens as she led them up through the main halls of the palace and toward the throne room. As she ran ahead of them though, a part of her was still processing everything that had just happened over the course of the last twenty minutes. She had been freed by one of the most unexpected rescue teams ever, was almost cornered by a mad man, and said mad man just so happened to work for a woman who could apparently control the Grimm. What's worse was that woman was also trying to ally her forces with the White Fang, though to what end, Sienna didn't know. 'There is just too much to go over and so little time to do it.'

Suddenly, Ben gave her a shout; "Sienna!" The tiger-lady looked to her side and saw the young hero catching up to her, giving her an inquisitive gaze. "So… question; when we make it to Trumbipulor, do you have a plan?"

"Of course, I have a plan." Sienna answered as she focused her eyes back in front of her. "I am going challenge him to reclaim my throne."

"Oh yeah, great plan!" Blake said sarcastically. "Come on, Sienna, that's like if a bobcat was facing a speeding truck!"

Sun's eyes widened at his girlfriend's analogy. "Wow, Blake, didn't know you could get that dark."

"Just speaking the facts, Sun." The cat girl shifted her eyes to Sienna with a serious face. "But really, Sienna, if there's one thing I've learned from facing a LOT of Ben's enemies, it's that Trumbibulor's probably going to be no joke."

"Well then, what do YOU suggest I do?!" Sienna asked as the group finally entered the foyer of the palace. "That I just stand aside while he dishonors the White Fang even further?!"

"No! I'm not suggesting that!" Blake came to a stop directly in front of Sienna, preventing her from going any further. "What I'm saying is that you should probably let Ben handle it. He's defeated Trumbipulor in the past, so let him do it now!"

"While that might be true, that is something that I just cannot allow, Blake." Sienna turned away from Blake to set her eyes on the other teens, though she focused primarily onto Ben. "I thank you for your assistance in my escape, and for that, I will allow you to leave Menagerie without punishment, but from here on, I must take back my throne by myself."

"Sienna, please!" Ilia pleaded as she stepped forward. "Don't do this! You have no idea what Trumbipulor could do to you!"

"Ilia, my word is law in this palace." Sienna raised a hand up to the chameleon girl. "And the fact that these two are in here at all is already in violation of many White Fang regulations."

Ben pursed his lips with reluctancy before finally taking a step forward. "Sienna, while I respect the fact that you want to reclaim what's yours by yourself, I'm afraid that Blake has a point. Trumbipulor not only has immense strength, but he's also really smart. If you're not careful, he could get the upper hand." Slowly, Ben got onto one knee and lowered his head to the woman, showing his respect. "While I understand that you don't want human help, I'm still going to offer, because I know that it's the right thing to do. And if I have to be punished for it… then fine, so be it."

Sienna blinked in surprise before hearing Yang speak up right after. "Please, Sienna, let us help you." The Blonde Brawler stepped forward and did the same thing her boyfriend was doing. "All we want is for Menagerie's people to be safe, and we're not gonna leave until we make sure that our job is finished."

The leader of the White Fang sent a judging expression down to the two. "And you're willing to go to any lengths to do that? Even if it means receiving punishment?" She received a nod from both of them, making her eyebrows raise up slightly. "Hmm, well, you both are very stubborn, I'll give you that."

"We actually get that a lot." Yang confirmed.

"Hm." Sienna acknowledged before giving the couple a narrow-eyed gaze. "So, you are truly willing to help?"

"Of course." Ben affirmed. "And if you want to banish us from Menagerie when this is all over, we'll be okay with that."

After a few more moments of contemplation, Sienna let out a sigh. "Very well, you may assist in the fight, but make no mistake, this does not mean we are permanent allies."

"Gotcha." Ben and Yang stood up, giving the tiger-lady a double salute. "We won't let your decision go to waste, ma'am."

"That is what I like to hear." Sienna approved. "Now…" she directed her eyes over to the large double doors leading to the throne room. "Let us go see what our friend, "Lord" Trumbipulor is up to." The group followed Sienna up to the doors as she grabbed both handles, throwing them open without any trouble at all. "TRUMBIPULOR!" she shouted into the room.

On the opposite side, not only did everyone see Trumbipulor himself sitting on his throne, but also Thunderhog, Exo-Skull, and the Albains standing on either side of the large elephant alien. The moment that Sienna had announced her presence, Hog and Skull jumped slightly in surprise while the Albains simply raised their heads indifferently, almost as if they had expected her to come in. The Paku-Dermoloid directed his attention over to Sienna, letting out a small chuckle. "Heh, well, guess ya managed to get out afta all, Sienna. I s'pose Tyrian's not all that reliable, now is he?"

Hog stomped his foot in frustration. "Dammit, Tyrian! You had ONE job!"

"Yeah, and not like him to screw something like that up." Skull narrowed his eyes at the group of teens. "Unless they were able to get rid of him somehow."

Sun smirked and jabbed his thumb out the door. "Yeah, Raven's taking care of him right now, actually. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she beat the ever-living crap outta him!"

"Is that so, monkey boy?" Trumbipulor stood up from his throne, showing off his immense size. "Perhaps YOU'D like to join 'im next?"

But Ben wasn't having any of it. "Back off, Trumbipulor! You know why we're here!"

"Heh, indeed I do." Trumbipulor set his fists against his hips. "Gotta say, I'd hoped you wouldn't be here, Tennyson. You always were a big thorn in my side."

Ilia stepped up and pointed her Lightning Lash at Trumbipulor with an angry gaze. "Yeah, well now you've got about six thorns to deal with here. Your disrespect of the White Fang name will NOT go unpunished."

"Disrespect?" Corsac lifted his head with a small smile. "Whatever do you mean by that?"

"This is the NEW White Fang, after all." Fennec continued. "The one that many in our ranks have been pining for oh so long!"

"SILENCE!" Sienna roared. "I should have guessed that you two were behind this as well! What, were you co-conspirators with Adam?!"

"Hmhm, a lucky guess." Corsac chuckled "Yes, we WERE conspiring with Adam on this for some time, Sienna. In fact, he was the one who we initially wanted as our new leader. It was only thanks to the failure at the Battle for Beacon that he didn't make due on that." Corsac threw his red cloak to the side, revealing his short high and tight haircut. He took out a golden sai from his back pocket, one with a red spiral going down its blade. "But now that Lord Trumbipulor has taken over, we are willing to fight to keep him on the throne."

"That's right." Fennec said while taking out his own sai, this one with a white spiral instead of red. "The White Fang shall overthrow human kind and take what is rightfully ours; the world."

Sienna narrowed her eyes and readied her Cerberus Whip, preparing herself for a throw down. "This crosses so many lines."

Thunderhog let out a loud snort and pulled out his Thunder Mace, getting into a battle-ready stance as well. "Maybe, but so long as Salem gets what she wants, it's fine by me. Right, Skull?"

"Exactly!" Exo-Skull slammed his hands down to the ground, getting onto all fours as he blew air out of his nostrils. "Let's wreck 'em!"

Blake and Sun readied their weapons, the cat-girl sending a glance to Sienna. "Be ready. The two big ones aren't all that smart, but they've got some high-tech weaponry and they're REALLY strong."

"Hm, right." Sienna nodded before shifting her gaze to Yang and Ben. "Well, you two offered to help. Are you ready to fight?"

"MORE than ready." Yang asserted as she activated her Ember Celica. "Let's take these guys down, Green Boy!"

"I'm right there with you, Goldie Locks." Ben smiled before bringing up the Omnitrix. He brought up the holo-ring to make his selection and the faceplate pulled back, allowing the core to pop up. The hero directed his eyes right onto Trumbipulor, giving the Paku-Dermoloid a furrowed brow. "I have to say, Trumbipulor, you've hit a new low. Subjugating the people of Menagerie like this… you've gone too far this time."

"And who's gonna stop me, Tennyson?!" Trumbipulor challenged. "I've got an army!"

A slight smirk came to Ben's face as he raised his hand. Trumbipulor had set him up far too well. "Oh yeah? Well we've got a Humungousaur!" With that, Ben slammed the Omnitrix's core down and began to transform in a flash of light. However, what he transformed into was far and away from Humungousaur. Instead, before the heroes and Sienna stood a rather familiar nine-foot tall, buff, bipedal tiger man, his signature snarl etching across his face as he roared out his name; "RRRRAAAAAAATH!"

Everyone stared at the alien in surprise, and some were even astonished at the transformation, including Sienna and the Albains. At the end of it all though, it was Sun who summed the situation up best; "This could be a problem."

…..

A/N: Oh boy, it's Rath again! This fight's going to either end really well, or go horribly wrong. But man, a lot happened this time, didn't it? We had fights with Winter and Kevin, Weiss and Rex, and even Ruby and Holiday all working pretty well together, plus, a small talk between Hazel and Salem. What's more, it seems that both of them are getting ready to join in soon, and in the case of Hazel, he might not be holding back anymore. But, on a different note, just like in Volume 4, Tyrian ended up getting his tail cut off. Though unlike Ruby, Raven took more than just the tip. The question is… will he get his mechanical tail from Watts… or since Animo is there, will he seek a different option? Guess we'll just have to wait and see. But for now… NEXT TIME! The fight in the throne room gets underway, but while that's going on, we'll finally be catching up with Gwen and Ghira's group as they arrive at the docks to take out the White Fang defenses. Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you next time!