A/N: Hey guys! How's life treating all of you this week? I hope everyone is doing well and that you're all safe and sound. Alright, so, new chapter time! And let me tell ya, this one has a few surprises in store for ya, so let's get to it! This is…
Chapter 85: A Split-Up Situation
…..
It had been about a half-hour since Jessie Jameson arrived at the Xiao Long home, and by then, things had gotten into full swing with her stories. She in the middle of recounting many of her adventures with her old team; Team JAHB, and the teens were absolutely enamored by what they were hearing. At the moment, Jessie was right in the middle of telling her third consecutive story, describing the feats of two step-brothers; Henry Ironside and Paul Bruno. "So there we were, surrounded by a ton 'o Creeps in the middle of the Anima wilderness without anyway to contact base camp." Jessie raised both of her hands up into the air. "Then, this HUGE Alpha Creep comes outta the woods, bigger than a dump truck an' probably twice as rank as one too."
The whole team got a good laugh out of that, though Ruby followed it up with a question; "So there REALLY weren't scrolls back then?"
"Nope, least not in wide use like today." Jessie shrugged. "Back then, they were just used by army officials an' the elites. That's usually how it goes with new tech, ya know."
Weiss gave a sheepish shrug. "Yeah, you pretty much hit the nail on the head." But then, the heiress' smile returned. "So, what happened next?"
"Yeah!" Yang exclaimed. "How'd you beat back all of those Creeps?"
Jessie gave a small chuckle and raised her hands, calming the girls down. "Haha, alright, simmer down there, gals. I'm gettin' to it." The cowgirl leaned back in her chair, continuing her story. "Well now, here's where it gets good; I knew there were only two people among us who could take on that Alpha Creep; Hank an' Paulie. Those two worked together so well that there was no doubt in my mind that they could stomp that thing into oblivion." She made a motion with her hand, pointing up above her head. "An' the moment Hank saw me lookin' up to him, he understood that. With one nod to each other, he an' Paulie both ran at the Alpha as fast as their legs could carry 'em!"
Everyone in the room leaned forward, heavily invested in the story. "Alright, so how'd they take it down?" Blake asked.
"Once they were runnin', they broke off to the Grimm's left an' right side, hopin' to confuse it." Jessie pulled her arms over her head, bringing them back down with a swing. "They jumped an' slammed their weapons down on the Alpha's head before it knew what the heck was goin' on! Paulie brought his axe down first, drivin' it into the Alpha's head with its rockets before Hank brought down his hammer on top of Paulie's axe, shovin' it down even more!" The Vacuoan Huntress spread her arms out wide. "The pressure was too much for it an' the Creep's head went BLAM!"
"Ooh, nasty." Ben cringed. "Bet THAT was fun getting all over you."
"Heh, Amaya was NOT a happy camper after that, I'll tell you what." Jessie chuckled. "She washed her hair at least ten times that day after all that."
Gwen tilted her head. "So what about the other Creeps? I'm guessing you were able to escape back to base camp, right?"
The cowgirl let out a mighty guffaw at the thought. "HA! "Escape"? Team JAHB didn't know the meanin' of the words "escape" or "run away"!" She jabbed a thumb to her chest. "If'n we had a job that needed to be done, we'd finish it, no matter what!" Jessie slammed her fist into her palm with an eager grin. "We took out the rest o' those creeps in no time flat! Kids, let me tell ya, ya'll would've had to be there to see just how much o' the land we tore up in that scrap!"
Kevin smirked at her enthusiasm. "Heh, and I believe it." The Osmosian crossed his arms over his chest. "Man, your team sounds like they were a pretty hard-working bunch."
"We sure were, sugar." Jessie affirmed before letting out a slightly saddened sigh. "But 'o course, nothin' lasts forever. After we graduated from Beacon, we all went on to live our lives." She began counting off on her fingers. "Amaya went off to hunt the Grimm that live in Remnant's oceans. She even became the captain of own ship an' found crew o' Hunters to come along with her."
"Whoa! That's awesome!" Jaune said in awe. "What's her ship called?"
"The King Thatch's Wrath." Jessie smirked. "Perhaps ya'll've heard of it?"
All of the young Hunters-in-training gawked at Jessie in complete disbelief, finally putting two and two together in their heads while the Alien Trio and Rex were lost on what she was talking about. Nora gasped in shock, putting her hand to her mouth. "Wait… Amaya Edwards… you're telling us that you were teammates with Blackblade the PIRATE?!"
Over in his seat, Ben couldn't help but narrow his eyes in thought. 'Wait… King Thatch's Wrath… Amaya Edwards… and Blackblade the Pirate.' He put a hand to his forehead in intense thought. 'Why the heck does it feel like I'm missing something big?'
Meanwhile, Jessie was laughing at Nora's sudden realization. "Yes ma'am. You've finally figured it out." Jessie pointed back to her picture. "That was the little nickname we gave her back in her Beacon days, considerin' she used a cutlass with a blade made o' Gravity dust."
Pyrrha glanced back to the picture, which was now on the armrest of Jessie's chair. She stared straight at Amaya and her eyes widened in shock. "By the gods, she's right!" Pyrrha took out her scroll and opened up its browser, searching for an image of the aforementioned Blackblade. It didn't take her long to find one, and indeed, the woman on her scroll was the exact same woman in Jessie's picture, right down to the mischievous grin. Despite being a few decades older in the other picture, the pirate woman was still strikingly beautiful, even with the addition of an eyepatch and a cybernetic hook in place of her left hand. Pyrrha pointed between the two images. "Just replace her eye with an eyepatch and her hand with a hook and… well, she's Blackblade!"
"Hold on a minute." Rex raised his hand. "She's a Huntress… but also a pirate. I get the feeling that those two things can't be mutually exclusive."
"She isn't a "pirate" in the traditional sense, Rex." Winter clarified. "She gave herself that title to strike fear into those who would dare cross her while on the sea."
Ruby jumped up and clawed her hands with a sinister grin. "Yeah, it's a fear gimmick. After all, a lot of people are afraid of pirates, right?"
"Well, yeah, but pirates by their very nature are crooks." Ben pointed out. "So… what's the case here?"
Jessie smirked and rolled her eyes. "Okay, to be honest, Amaya just loved pirates as a kid and she always wanted to be one. How's that for an answer?"
"Eh, I guess that makes sense." Ben relented before tilting his head. "But how'd she lose her hand and eye?"
Jessie answered with a shrug. "Ah, ya know, the high seas can be rough. Ya never know what's gonna happen next, right?" The cow girl chuckled a little bit. "Still, I'm glad she does it. There are a lot of Grimm in the oceans of this world, an' she's probably one of the only people who take care of 'em for the rest of us."
"Exactly." Ren nodded. "But what about your other two teammates?"
"Well, Hank went off to Atlas, or rather Mantle, I should say." Jessie laced her hands together and put them over her knee. "He got hitched, started a family an' works as a manufacturer down in the city itself."
Sun was taken aback by this. "Wait, I thought he trained as a Huntsman?"
"Yeah, what's this stuff about manufacturing?" Neptune added.
Jessie sighed and took off her hat. "Well, unfortunately boys, durin' one of our team's big reunion missions… things didn't go so well for him. A group of Geists we were fightin' off had managed to possess a huge batch o' boulders, nearly a whole mountain's worth." She paused for a second, taking a deep breath before going on. "We managed to kill 'em all… but Henry took on most of 'em by himself, probably at least twenty. He overexerted himself, his aura was drained… and he had a massive heart attack."
A collective gasp went throughout the entire room at this news. "Oh my gosh, that's awful!" Penny exclaimed.
"It was, sugar." Jessie agreed. "I was so scared that one of my best friends was gonna die right there in my arms… but by god, he held on." A smile slowly appeared on her face as she began to tear up a bit. "I don't know if it was his stubbornness or what, but to this day, he and the rest of us thank our lucky stars that Henry didn't die that day." She let out another sigh before putting her hat back on. "After that, he permanently retired from bein' a Huntsman. Now he owns a weapons manufacturing company down in Mantle; Steel-Drivin' Manufacturing's what he calls it."
Penny brightened up at that name. "Oh! I recognize that name! My father is good friends with the people who work there." She waved her hand as she explained further. "They're also the providers of the weapon parts he puts in some Hunter's prosthetics."
"Huh, well I'll be darned!" Jessie folded her arms. "Have you ever met Henry in person then, Penny?"
"Oh… no." Penny rubbed the back of her head. "I for the most part, I lived up in Atlas. My father goes back and forth between there and Mantle when he's needed."
Jessie gave her a nod. "Ah, I getcha." She leaned forward and tipped her hat to the android. "Well, if you see your pa anytime soon, tell him to tell Hank that I said hello."
Penny giggled a slight bit before nodding back. "Hehe, will do!" However, in the back of her mind, she added to herself; 'I really SHOULD call my father sometime soon.'
From her seat, Ilia spoke up, raising her hand as she did. "Okay, now what about your last team member, Paul Bruno?"
"A.K.A. the man who's as tall as a tree." Kevin murmured to himself only to get nudged in the side by Gwen.
However, Jessie got a good laugh out of Kevin's comment. "Ahaha! Ah, Kevin, honey, I know that if Paulie were here, he'd laugh SO hard at that!" Her eyes then focused back onto Ilia. "But as for your question, sugar; Paulie's actually semi-retired too. After his step-brother's heart attack, he started takin' it easy. After all, he's got a family of his own to provide for." She leaned back in her chair once again, having finally settled from telling the story about Henry. "So, he started up his own lumberjack business down in Anima."
"Makes sense, I guess." Ilia figured as she pointed to Jessie's picture. "He certainly looks the part, at least."
"Well, his pa was a lumberjack by trade, so it was probably only natural that he'd follow in the family business." Jessie agreed. "But he also wanted to help clear the forests of Grimm too, 'cause that was a challenge that his pa faced constantly."
Yang raised an eyebrow to her idol. "So… if he's semi-retired, how often does he still go on missions?"
Jessie bobbed her head a little, thinking over the question. "Mmm, I'd say often enough. He hasn't lost the spark to go huntin', but—" RING-RING-RING! The cowgirl was cut off by the sound of a scroll ringing out through the room, prompting everyone to check their individual devices. As it turned out though, it was Jessie's scroll that had gone off. "Whoop! That'd be me! Sorry kids." She opened up her scoll, expecting to see her husband's icon in the middle of the screen. However, to her surprise, it wasn't. Instead, the icon was that of a man in his early fifties with a head and beard full scruffy beard of dark brown hair, along with the occasional strands of grey. Jessie let out a yelp of surprise. "Oh! Oh my god! Kids, you won't believe it! It's Paulie!"
"No way!" Rex said as he and the others stood up in shock. "What the heck are those odds?!"
"I'm not sure, sugar. But I ain't lookin' a gift horse in the mouth!" Jessie answered the call and brought it up to her ear, greeting her friend instantly. "Paulie! I was just talkin' about—" But then, Jessie cut herself off again, this time after hearing someone she didn't expect on the other end of the line. "Whoa, whoa, Luce, settle down, I can barely make out what you're sayin'!"
The team was taken back by this. They weren't sure who this "Luce" person was, but from the tone in Jessie's voice, they could tell that she was probably panicked. Weiss stepped up, confused as to what was going on. "Jessie, what's wrong? Who is it?"
Jessie glanced over and quickly answered the heiress. "It's Paul's wife." She didn't waste any time before going back to the call. "Lucette, CALM DOWN." Jessie pressed firmly. After a few seconds more, she gave a nod and let out a breath. "Alright, now tell me what's wrong, sugar. What happened to Paul?" Over the course of the call, the team could only watch as Jessie took in the information being fed to her over the phone, giving only the occasional "Uh-huh" or "okay". Finally though, a pained expression overtook her and her hand went to her chest. "Oh god, is he…" she then let out a sigh, her stress leaving as soon as it came. "Good, good, I'm glad to hear that. Gimme just a sec, hon." She put her hand over the speaker and went back to the team. "Paulie got hurt on a solo-mission by some sorta powerful Grimm. He's alive, but he's unconscious an' in the hospital."
This caught Ben's attention immediately. "Did he say what it was?"
Jessie raised a single finger up to him before going back to her scroll. "Luce, what was it that hurt Paulie?" After hearing the other woman's answer, Jessie pursed her lips and nodded her head, almost as if she were slightly frustrated. "Okay, gotcha." She moved away from the scroll again and faced the group. "She don't know. Paul was the only one to see it."
"Any other details?" Ruby asked.
Once Jessie had asked Lucette that same question, she went back to the group with an answer. "Not much. All she knows is that it's been terrorizin' the countryside near the village of Shion for a while now." Jessie shifted her gaze around the room to all the teens. "It only comes 'round at night, and not a lot o' people're able to get a good peek at it. And those that have… are never seen again."
Jaune's eyes widened at the information. "Wait, Shion? My family and I've taken a ton of camping trips there!" The blonde knight turned to Ben with a worried face. "Ben, the people of that town don't have that many Hunters. It's more of a tourist destination than anything else. If this Grimm decides to go in for the kill…"
Ben's expression matched Jaune's in a split second. "Then the entire town could be wiped out within a day, maybe even less."
"We can't let that happen." Pyrrha said firmly. "We have to do something!"
As the teens conversed, Jessie stayed on the line with Lucette, taking in everything the distraught woman was telling her. "Uh-huh. Yes, I understand. I'm actually a bit closer than ya think, hon. I'm in Vale visitin' my family." After a few more seconds, Jessie lowered her head and sighed through her nostrils, closing her eyes before nodding a bit. "Yep, I getcha. I'll be there as soon as I can, promise. I just gotta tell my family. I'll talk to you soon sugar. Now go take care of Paulie, okay? Bye-bye."
Once Jessie hung up, the team's attention went straight back to her, with Blake speaking up first; "What did she say?"
"Well, apparently, the people of Shion want me to come in an' try to wrangle up this Grimm problem." Jessie answered, flicking the brim of her hat up. "Gotta say though, after an overnight flight to Vale, this is honestly the last thing I had in mind." The cowgirl gave a shrug. "Ah, well, s'pose a Huntress' work's never done." She clenched a fist and brought it up. "Besides… I've gotta get back at whatever did this to poor Paulie."
Ben stepped forward and gave her a two-fingered salute. "Jessie, on behalf of everyone here, I'd like to offer our services. Please, let us join you on this mission." Behind him, the whole team gave a resounding "YEAH!", showing their support.
Jessie couldn't help but smile at such young enthusiasm. "Aw, shucks, that's mighty kind o' ya'll, really it is. But I don't wanna inconvenience ya'll or nothin'." Jessie gestured to the window. "Besides, Shion ain't just a hop, skip, an' a jump away. It's at least an overnight flight by airship." She put a contemplative hand to her chin. "I mean, I could rent a Bullhead an' cut the trip time in half, but even then, it's not as fast as I'd like."
Kevin wore a knowing smile. "Well then, you're in luck! A friend of ours has a ship that can get ya where you're going in no time flat."
"Hey, yeah!" Nora exclaimed. "He's an alien named Tetrax who got transported from Ben's world to ours, and he's got this super-fast space ship!"
"We could be there in at least three hours max." Gwen added. "Maybe even less."
The cowgirl's eyebrows snapped up, her lips turning up into a smile. "We can?! Well why didn't ya say so in the first place?! You know what? Ya'll can come along! The more the merrier!" The whole team gave out a cheer at their little victory as Jessie pulled her scroll back up. "Lemme just call up my family an' tell 'em what's goin' on. Then we can be outta here whenever ya'll are ready."
"Very good." Winter said as she stepped forward. However, she didn't seem all that excited about the prospect of going on the mission, which the team immediately took notice of. "Because we ALSO have a few things to plan out." Her eyes went directly to Ben, her icy blue orbs boring right into him. "Benjamin, I believe we need a… private team meeting."
…..
As confused as Ben was to Winter's request, he wasn't about to argue with that glacial stare she had. He had learned not to question Winter's judgment in the time that he knew her, so he complied. The team all went down into the basement and gathered around, with Winter making sure the door was securely shut to make sure Jessie didn't hear any of their conversation. "Alright, Winter." Ben folded his arms expectantly, as the military specialist walked down the steps. "What's up?"
Winter folded her own arms across her chest as well, wearing a serious expression. "To put it simply, Benjamin, I don't think it would be wise for all of you to leave on this mission. To leave Vale defenseless would be reckless endangerment."
"WHAT?!" Sun shouted. "But… that's exactly what we did yesterday with the big Menagerie mission. And nothing bad happened here!"
"Maybe so." Winter raised a single finger. "But consider this; after Salem's unexpected arrival yesterday, she has essentially told us that she isn't playing games anymore." The elder Schnee began pacing around the room, her eyes focused directly on the teens. "If we were to leave Vale defenseless, she would surely take the opportunity to strike now more than ever. We have to be ready to defend Vale and Beacon so that Cinder doesn't find her way to Beacon's vault and open it."
Yang spread her arm out. "So what, you're asking us to NOT help Jessie out?" The Blonde Brawler waved her hands out toward the living room. "You heard her, this is a REALLY powerful Grimm we're talking about, one that was able to hurt a REALLY big guy."
Weiss piped up to further Yang's point. "Plus, where there's one really powerful Grimm, there's usually a lot of other, less powerful Grimm following it." The heiress put her hands on her hips and furrowed her brows at her sister. "You can't seriously be suggesting that we can't give her any back-up, right?"
"Of course not." Winter denied. "What I am suggesting is something else entirely; we split ourselves up. We will send one team with Jessica to assist her on this mission while the other remains here to defend Vale in case of an attack." She placed her hands on her hips. "I believe this to be the best course of action, any objections?" From one quick glance, she saw that The Alien Trio, Rex and Ilia didn't seem to have any problems… but the others all wore uncertain faces. Winter raised a single brow. "Really?"
"Well can ya blame us?!" Nora asked. "I mean, we're talking about going on a mission with THE Jessica Jameson! Who in their right MIND would pass that up?!"
Winter wore a deadpan expression. "Nora, she probably won't be going anywhere any time soon. I'm sure that there will be many more missions she'll be going on during her time here."
"We get that, Winter." Weiss assured. "But still… you've gotta admit, it's a pretty hard decision to make."
As the heiress pleaded her case, however, Ben was going over everything in his head, trying to figure out the best possible away team to put together. "Well… maybe so. But I know one thing's for certain." Ben jabbed a thumb to his chest. "This all depends on whether I stay or go. If I stay, then more of our heavy hitters will be going with Jessie to take on that powerful Grimm. But if I go, then the opposite's going to happen so that we have a good line of defense against Salem's forces."
"Exactly." Winter agreed. "But then we get to the real conundrum; who would that be?"
"Hold on a second…" Ben did a quick headcount of the entire room before coming to a conclusion. "Okay, so we've got around seventeen teammates here, plus, with Cooper and Team CVFY, that makes twenty-two in total. …You know, I just realized how BIG our team actually is."
Yang gave a small chuckle at that. "Heh, yeah, even if Coco and her crew are part-timers, we've got a lot of heavy hitters here."
Gwen stepped forward and raised her arms up, bringing everything to a halt. "Okay, so we should split up into two teams of eleven for now." The Anodite eyed her cousin with a serious face. "Ben, I think you should lead the team going with Jessie. You've got a lot on your mind with this whole "Collective" thing, so I think it'd be best to get away and clear it."
Ben's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? You're sure?"
"Positive." Gwen put one hand over her chest and another to Kevin's arm. "Kevin and I will stay here and take charge. You go and stop that Grimm from hurting or killing any more people."
Yang quickly went up and put a hand to Ben's shoulder. "Well, if Ben's going, then you KNOW I'm going too."
"That's fair, I guess." Weiss relented. "After all, you're easily the biggest fan of Jessie's here." She wore a nervous smile at the next part. "And honestly, I'm kinda scared to get in your way."
The Blonde Brawler gave her friend a wink. "Ah, I wouldn't hurt you, Weiss-Cream… maybe just a stern warning."
"Okay, so we know who's heading up each group." Blake nodded. "But then who's going to stay back here? I mean…" the cat girl raised her hand. "I wouldn't mind staying, really." She gave Gwen a soft smile. "After all, I wouldn't have trouble taking orders from you."
Gwen gave Blake a thankful smile. "Aw, thanks Blake. you don't have to do that."
"Hey, you've had my back for a while, Gwen." Blake countered. "It's time I return the favor." A slight blush came to her face. "…Plus, I've been wanting some more time with Rema with all of this stuff going on, so this is a good opportunity."
The room had a good chuckle at that before Sun walked up and put an arm around Blake, smiling down at her. "Hey, if you're stayin', then so will I." He offered her a wink. "After all, we make a pretty great team."
Neptune went over and nudged his best friend in the shoulder. "Hey dude, if you're staying put, then I guess I will too." The blue-haired boy put his hands behind his head. "Besides, after the mission last night and the chaos that happened this morning, I'm honestly pretty bushed."
Winter raised a skeptical eyebrow to him. "Don't think you won't just be lazing about while they're gone, Neptune." she berated. "This is serious business, so you should treat it as such."
"Hey, hey I get that!" Neptune raised his hands defensively. "I'm not about to slack off or anything, trust me."
"Hmm…" Winter took her eyes off of him and then went back to the crowd. "Well now, has anyone else made a decision?"
Ben raised his hand again. "Yes actually." The hero pointed over to the blonde knight next to him. "I think Jaune should come with my group."
Jaune gave Ben a surprised look. "W-Wait, me? Ben, you really want me on the away team?"
"Well, yeah." Ben shrugged. "After all, you DID say that you and your family have been to Shion before, right? You probably know where you're going, so that'd help us out a bunch."
"Hey yeah!" Nora jumped in and put her arm around Ren, pulling him forward. "Plus, Ren and I are FROM Anima, too! We've passed through Shion a couple times, right Renny?"
Ren was a bit reluctant to answer, but he did nonetheless. "Well, yes we have." The green ninja put a hand behind his head. "But I'm not exactly sure if we'd be of much help navigating the land."
But Ben pointed right to him. "Hey, any help is good help, so you guys are in. Meaning…" The hero smiled over to Pyrrha and gave her a nod. "I'm guessing that you'll want in too, right Pyrrha?"
"Of course." Pyrrha put an arm around her boyfriend. "After all, I made a solemn vow to Jaune's sisters. And I am not about to break it." The Invincible Girl gave a sly grin to Jaune, leaning into him a little bit. "Well, Jaune? What do you say?"
Jaune wore a sheepish grin and let out a laugh. "Hehe, alright, I'm starting to get the picture here." The blonde knight gave a resolute gaze back to Ben. "Okay, Ben, count us in!"
"Excellent!" Ben said with a thumbs up. "Glad to have you guys on board."
Winter gave an approving nod. "Very good. So Team JNPR's going as well. Now, why don't we focus back onto the home team?" The elder Schnee shifted her focus over to her sister, the heiress surprised by how quickly her sister turned to her. "Weiss, I feel it would be best if you and I stayed here."
Weiss blinked in astonishment. "W-What?! Why?"
"The simple answer is that you have been given an exceptional power boost now that you are able to summon the Arma Gigas." Winter explained. "If Salem were to strike this island while Benjamin is away, then I feel that you and I would be of great use with our more powerful Summons."
Gwen couldn't help but agree. "She's got a point, Weiss. We could really use you here."
A pained expression overtook Weiss' features and she hung her head slightly. "I… I understand." She folded her arms and sighed. "I guess I'm just bummed that I just met Jessie and now I'm being told that I can't go on a mission with her."
"Ah, it's okay, Weiss." Rex assured. "Like your sis said, there'll probably be some more missions if we're lucky." The EVO gave her a cheeky smile and jabbed a thumb to his chest. "And hey, I'll even stay here and keep you guy entertained! How's that sound?"
Weiss smirked back and rolled her eyes. "Sounds like a living nightmare, but at least I won't be bored, I suppose."
"See? What'd I tell ya?" Rex placed his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest proudly. "Home team for the win!"
The heiress facepalmed in exasperation. "I think I've said the phrase "What have I gotten myself into?" a lot more times than I really need with you around."
Another round of laughter rang through the room before Ben spoke up once more. "Alright, so if I've done my count right, that makes six for the away team and eight for the home team." He directed his eyes over to Ruby, Penny and Ilia, the three girls whispering amongst themselves. "Ladies?" Ben asked, catching their attention. "Whatcha talkin' 'bout?"
"Oh, well…" Ruby began. "We were just talking about what we wanna do." She put her hands behind her back, a wry smile having formed on her face. "And… after a quick little talk we've decided…" She thrust her hands out to Ben's group. "All three of us wanna go with you guys!"
Yang's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, ALL of you?" She moved her attention over to Ilia, who was standing behind Ruby and Penny somewhat nervously. "Even you, Ilia?" The chameleon girl was taken aback slightly, which Yang quickly took notice of. "Not that I'm against it, because I'm not! I'm just a bit shocked is all. I figured you'd wanna stay here with Blake and the others."
Ilia's spots turned slightly pink and she lowered her head a bit. "W-Well, I DID want to stay at first. But…" She glanced back up to Yang and Ben. "If I wanna be part of this team, I should probably start learning how to be a team player. And if I'm going to do that, I figured I should start working with those who I'm less familiar with, right?"
Everyone was surprised by Ilia's answer, but Blake could definitely see the logic in it. "Ilia, that's actually really well thought out." She came forward and put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "If that's how you feel, then you have my full support." Blake balled her hand into a fist and gave Ilia a determined grin. "Go for it."
Ilia felt her confidence to build back up again and she retuned Blake's gesture, bringing up her own fist. "I will! Thanks, Blake."
"Sensational!" Penny cheered as she lifted her arms up high. She then wrapped them around Ruby and Ilia, pulling them both in for a hug. "This will be a fantastic mission, I just know it!" However, it was then that she realized something and turned to Rex, giving him an apologetic expression. "Um… I don't suppose we could put our hacking training on hold?"
Rex gave her a reassuring wave. "Ah, go have fun. We'll pick it up again sometime soon, trust me."
"Hooray!" Penny exclaimed before going back to Ruby and raising her hand. "Are you ready for this, Ruby?"
Ruby gave her a joyous high five. "I sure am! Bring it on!"
Winter stepped forward, raising an eyebrow at the duo and Ilia. "Forgive me, but I believe we all agreed to an even split between teammates." She gestured over to her group. "And with you three going over to Ben's squad, that leaves us with one less person."
Before anyone could go on though, Yang raised a finger up to the military specialist. "Hold your horses, Wints. We're still short five people. Gimme a sec, will ya?" The Blonde Brawler took out her scroll, punched in Coco's number and brought it up to her ear. After a few rings, it picked up, with Coco's voice being just barely heard on the other end of the line. "Yo, Coco Puff! It's Yang. …Yeah, we're doin' good. Hey, Jessie swung by my house and she just got a call to go on a mission." Yang smirked when she added the next part; "But get this; Ben's volunteered us to tag along, and we need two more people to finish off our squad. So… you and Coop wanna come?"
As the words left her lips, a high-pitched scream suddenly came from the other end of the scroll, one that was so loud that EVERYBODY in the room could hear it. Yang pulled her head away from the phone, her smile only widening as she was deafened in her right ear. Once Coco stopped, Yang yelled back over to her scroll; "I'll take that as a yes!"
…..
Once the meeting down in the basement had finished, Ben got into contact with Tetrax and told him about the whole situation. After making a few calculations, the Petrosapien had confirmed that he could get the group to Shion in a little less than two hours, which was even better than what they were hoping for. About half an hour later, the Resolute was making its way down onto the front lawn of the Xiao Long house yet again, ready to pick up its passengers. Everyone was already gathered outside, the two teams saying their goodbyes as the mighty ship lowered to the ground. "Jessie," Ben gestured to the ship as it landed, "I'm proud to present our ride for this afternoon; the Resolute."
Jessie was simply gawking at the ship as it landed, impressed by the spacecraft's design. It was big, but it wasn't bulky either, much more streamlined and sleek. So that meant that it probably went fast. "WOO-WEE! That sucker looks like it could peel the paint off a race car if it went by one!"
"Yep, she's pretty speedy." Ben affirmed as the spacecraft touched the ground and its ramp lowered, with most of the Away Team beginning to board it. "This ship got me halfway across my galaxy in a couple days when I was a kid."
"I'd believe it!" Jessie said before seeing something coming down the road. It was a roadster, painted in two shades of brown with gold metal parts on its grill, headlights and bumper to accentuate its paint job. It was evident that it was going really fast, the dust on the dirt road kicking up behind it. Jessie set her eyes onto the teens and jabbed her thumb to the car. "Is that Team CFVY I see comin'?"
Yang began waving at the car. "Yep, that's them!" The roadster made a sudden stop, practically screeching to a halt as Coco burst out of the driver's side door as fast as she could, her eyes landing on Yang and Jessie immediately. Meanwhile, the rest of her team all practically fell out of the vehicle, many of them appearing to be either sick, dizzy, or relieved that they were finally back on land. "Yo, Coco!" Yang called over.
"YANG!" Coco rushed forward, gave her friend a high five, and then immediately pointed to her. "Girl, I can't thank you enough for inviting Tech Head and me along!"
Once the rest of Team CFVY were able to collect themselves, they stood up and went over as well. Cooper gave an agreeing nod. "Yeah, thanks Yang. I've been wanting to get into more action since last night, actually. Working at Beacon's made me feel a bit… cooped up." Cooper facepalmed at that. "Oh god, why?"
"HA!" Yang guffawed at the unintentional pun. "C'mon, Cooper, be proud of that! The puns you don't expect are some of the BEST ones." Yang raised her hand up and put it to Coco's shoulder. "But anyway, it's no problem at all, Coco Puff. Besides, after forgetting to inviting you on last night's mission, it's the least I can do." She followed up with a little wink. "Plus, I just knew that you'd be pissed at me if I didn't invite you along."
"Heh, alright, fair." Coco chuckled before shifting turning to Velvet, Fox and Yatsu. "I just wish the rest of my squad could come along with us."
"Indeed." Yatsu said with a bow. "While we're more than happy to lend our assistance here, it's admittedly a hard mission to pass up." Next to him, Fox let out a small grumble of agreement, the redhead apparently not in a talkative mood.
Velvet folded her hands and craned her head down a bit. "Yes, it's a little upsetting to be sure." She gave a small shrug. "But, if we're needed here, then we'll certainly do our best to defend Vale if need be."
"That's the spirit, hon!" Jessie commended. "An' besides, I'm sure I'll probably be called on more missions at SOME point durin' my stay here." She gave Velvet a thumbs up. "I'll make sure ya'll go on one, trust me."
"Thank you very much." Velvet bowed. "We appreciate it."
Coco shifted her eyes over to Jessie as well, containing her excitement at the prospect of going on a real mission with her idol. "So, Jessie, what's the big mission here anyway?"
Jessie tipped her Stetson to her and began explaining. "Well, one of my old teammates from back in the day was hurt on a recent mission of his." She nudged her head toward the east. "He lives in Anima near Higanbana village. An' just one town over is a place called Shion." Jessie placed her hands on her hips. "Apparently the people there've been seein' some sorta powerful Grimm stalkin' the countryside, and they were hopin' my friend Paul could handle it." The cowgirl shook her head solemnly. "But… I'm afraid that wasn't the case. Paulie's been hurt an' that means I need to be called in."
Coco smiled and gave Jessie a nod. "I getcha. Well don't worry, Jessie, we'll make sure that whatever Grimm bastard hurt your friend will be put down!"
"HA! Now THAT'S what I like to hear!" Jessie went over and pat Coco on the shoulder. "Ya'll've got a lotta spunk there, Coco. I can respect that."
In her mind, Coco was freaking out at the praise, but she had to keep a cool head about her. She didn't want to lose her mind in front of her hero after all. "Th-Thanks Jessie." Coco cleared her throat and glanced up to her boyfriend, lowering her sunglasses to give him a wink. "Well, Tech Head? Are ya ready for this?"
"Sure am." Cooper affirmed. "Let's—" RING-RING-RING! At that moment, another scroll began ringing out, causing everyone to take a momentary pause. Cooper shifted his eyes down, realizing it was his. "Oh, hold on, I've gotta take this." He pulled out his scroll and opened it up, seeing that it was, in fact, General Ironwood calling him. Cooper answered and spoke into it. "General, what's going—wait, WHAT?!" The genius broke out into a big smile, seemingly excited at something. "It is?! Ha! Okay, yes, I'll be there. The timing couldn't be more perfect actually. I was just about to head out on a mission with the guys and this'll be VERY useful. …Yep, bye." Cooper hung up… and then immediately threw his arms up. "WOO-HOO!"
Everyone was taken aback by his excitement, though Coco was probably just as excited as her boyfriend was. "Woah! Haha! What's got you all revved up, Tech Head?"
Cooper let out a laugh before immediately pulling Coco into an embrace, spinning her around for good measure. "Baby, I just got the call we've been waiting for!" he said as he gave her a wink of his own. "The secret project we've been working on? It's almost ready."
"No way!" Coco shouted before wrapping her arms around Cooper's neck. "Cooper, that's awesome! When did G.I. say it'd be REALLY ready?"
"He says that he just needs me to come in and make a few final adjustments. Then we'll be good to go." Cooper craned his head over to Ben, Yang, Jessie, and the Home Team, who were all just confused as to what the couple were talking about. "Ben, I'm sorry, but there's been a bit of a change in plans. I've gotta go do something real quick, but I promise that Ironwood and I will meet up with you guys soon, okay?"
But Ben was still utterly lost. "Woah, woah, Cooper, what the heck's going on here, anyway?"
"Yeah, hon," Jessie agreed, "yer more hyped up than a red squirrel after eatin' coffee beans. What's the rush?"
Cooper and Coco shared a knowing glance before the genius gave a rather vague answer. "Well… after the battle of Beacon, I've been… experimenting with something that I thought to be rather useful. It's a surprise though, so I can't totally say what it is…" He gave the group a thumbs up. "But trust me, when you guys see it, it'll knock your socks off!"
"Trust us, guys." Coco added. "This'll be worth lettin' Tech Head go for a little while."
The group were still somewhat perplexed by the whole thing, but if what they said was true, then Ben wasn't about to deny Cooper's request. "Well Coop, if you're really sure about this, then sure, go on ahead." The hero pointed to his friend. "But I hope you and Ironwood are sure about all of this. Because if this Grimm really is as powerful as we've heard, then we might need this secret project you're working on."
Cooper gave the Omnitrix bearer a salute. "Trust me, Ben, we'll be there. And you're probably gonna love what we've got cooking." He took his eyes off his friend and moved them right back to Coco, the girl beaming up to him while still in his arms. "So… wish me luck?"
A playful smirk came to Coco's face. "I'll do you one better, Tech Head." With one quick motion, Coco leapt up and pressed her lips firmly onto Cooper's in the blink of an eye. Needless to say, this took everybody by surprise, most of all, Cooper himself. After all… it was their first kiss.
Over with the Home Team though, a certain redhead was cheering at the display. "WOO!" Gwen exclaimed. "Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!"
"About freakin' time!" Kevin added.
Soon enough, the fact that his girlfriend was kissing him on the lips had finally processed in Cooper's mind, allowing him to fall naturally into it. He wrapped one arm around the small of Coco's back while cupping her cheek with his other hand, deepening the kiss. "HAHA!" Yang laughed victoriously. "NOW he's gettin' it!"
Everyone else was getting in on the support as well, though none more so than Velvet, Fox and Yatsu. The bunny girl was practically hopping up and down in place, trying to contain her excitement as she covered her mouth, muffling her screams of joy. Yatsu was applauding at the sight while Fox simply smirked with an approving nod. Sure, he couldn't see it happening, but going off what everyone was saying, he knew what was going on. "Heh, good on ya, guys." he muttered.
Finally, Cooper and Coco separated, both of them letting out ragged breaths as they allowed themselves to fill their lungs back up with air. In that moment though, even as they were both breathless, the two were still feeling incredibly high off of one another, their resilient smiles only furthering that fact. "So… hah… how was that for good luck, Tech Head?" Coco said as she rested her forehead against his.
"It… was amazing." Cooper breathed out as he pulled Coco as close as he could to him. "And… it was also my first." He reached up and caressed her cheek again, his smile unwavering. "Can I just say how happy I am that you were my first kiss?"
Coco nestled herself against his shoulder, snuggling into the crook of his neck. "Of course, you can, 'cause I'm really happy I could be your first." She peeked her eyes back up at him, giving him one last wink. "And trust me, there's a lot more where this came from, Cooper. If you catch my drift."
Cooper blushed and let out a chuckle. "Heh, well, I guess I should probably expect that with you." He moved his head down and pecked her lips again before whispering; "I'll be back with you guys soon, okay?"
"I know you will, Tech Head." As much as she didn't want to, Coco fell out of Cooper's arms, her feet landing back on the ground. "Now go do what you're best at."
"Will do." Cooper waved over to Ben with a two-fingered salute. "I'll see you guys soon, okay?"
Ben returned the gesture as he felt himself well up with a bit of pride. To think that the young man standing before him used to be a self-conscious, unsure little kid who practically absorbed himself into his work. Now, he had his own group of friends and a girlfriend who loved and appreciated him for who he was. To Ben, that was amazing. "Will do, buddy. We'll see ya later." He then put his eyes onto the rest of his team, giving them a departing grin. "And guys, we'll be back later tonight!"
"I'm sure you will, Ben." Blake concurred with a wave of her own. "Good luck in Anima!"
"And don't forget anything!" Sun called out. "We wanna hear ALL the details when you guys get back!"
With that, Coco and Cooper parted ways, with the fashionable girl being immediately met by Yang with a pat on the shoulder. As the two girls boarded the ship with Ben and Jessie, Cooper let out a slightly saddened sigh as he walked back over to the Home Team. "Man, I just got kissed by the most beautiful girl in any world… and now I've gotta be away from her."
Gwen smirked and rolled her eyes at that. "Oh, come on now, Cooper. You two won't be apart for long." She gave him a soft jab in the arm. "Besides, I'm sure the surprise you two mentioned will be worth it in the end, right?"
Cooper chuckled a little bit at that. "Heh, yeah, it should." He set his gaze back up to the ship and saw Coco waving goodbye to him. Cooper returned the wave immediately before the ramp began to move up, the couple sharing one last smile with each other before the ship took off just a few short moments later.
Weiss gave a shrug. "So… what do we do now?"
"I dunno." Rex jabbed a thumb toward the house. "Anyone wanna go play videogames or something?"
The whole group agreed to the EVO's decision, with Cooper tagging along until Ironwood came by to pick him up. However, just as she was about to enter the house, Gwen could feel a familiar energy behind her, causing her to whip around quickly to see who was there. At first, she didn't see anything. But, right out of the corner of her eye, she spotted it; a black bird perching in a nearby tree, one that was very familiar. "…Raven?" But just as she said that, the corvid flew away, leaving Gwen to herself once again.
…..
"Girl, you just made that boy's day. You know that, don't ya?" Yang asked as she and the others boarded the ship, her hand still firmly on Coco's shoulder.
"Heh, yeah." Coco turned around and gave her boyfriend one final wave as they made it inside the Resolute, with Cooper reciprocating it instantly. "But I can't lie, he's the nicest guy I've ever met." The brunette gave Yang a small smile. "This is probably the most serious relationship I've ever had, Yang."
Yang nudged her friend with her elbow. "Hey, that's great! Having someone to share your happiness with is probably one of the best feelings anyone can experience."
"I know, but… it's just really ironic, ya know?" Coco pulled her sunglasses off and let out a small sigh. "Back where I'm from, people used to call me a heartbreaker… and it was true. But now, after being in a pretty awesome relationship with Cooper, I can't help but feel a little guilty for all those hearts I broke."
Overhearing their conversation, Jessie came over and put her hand on Coco's shoulder again. "Aw, it's okay to feel that way, sugar. It only means that you're growin' up an' gettin' smarter 'bout relationships." The cowgirl put her hand over her heart. "Trust me, I've been heartbroken in the past myself… an' I had to break a couple hearts too." She jabbed a thumb toward Cooper as the ramp went up, slowly closing them all off from the others. "But when ya find the one you know is right for you… ya just know."
Coco smiled down to her boyfriend one last time before the ramp closed off entirely, letting out another breath when it did. "Heh, I can't fault you on that one, Jessie." She put her sunglasses back on, her face becoming one of determination. "Alright, mission time. So how long do we have until we get to Shion?"
"Tetrax says that it really shouldn't talk all that long." Ben answered as the four continued inside. "About a couple hours or so."
"I see." Jessie nodded. "An' where exactly IS this Tetrax fella?"
Yang pointed up to the ceiling. "He usually stays upstairs on the bridge…" However, one quick glance around the cargo hold revealed that their teammates were currently nowhere to be seen, piquing Yang's suspicion. "Although… I'm just wondering where the rest of our team is."
Ben's eyes widened and he whipped his head around. His girlfriend was right, there were no signs of Ruby, Penny, Ilia or Team JNPR anywhere to be seen. "Hey, yeah, where ARE they?"
The moment those words left Ben's mouth though, the intercom suddenly came on and another voice rang out through the ship. However, the voice wasn't one that the hero expected; "Hey Tennyson! If you're wondering where your friends are, they're already up top with me!" a familiar feminine voice called down to them. "C'mon up if you wanna."
As the voice left, Ben, Yang and Coco all eyed each other in confusion. "Wait… was that Swift?" Coco asked.
"I think so." Yang replied. "But… who gave her permission to use the intercom?"
Ben shook his head. "I dunno, maybe Tetrax? Can't imagine any other way she'd get access to it." The hero placed his hands on his hips. "Swift is a lot of things, but a hacker she's not."
Jessie couldn't help be confused at their chatter. "Uh, s'cuse me for a second, kids, but who's this "Swift" gal? She a friend o' yours?"
The Omnitrix bearer gave her a shrug. "Well… kinda. She's a friend to some of us, but more like an acquittance to the rest. She WAS one of the prisoners that had escaped into Remnant after the whole portal disaster." Ben pointed up to the ceiling. "We initially captured her, but Ruby was able to make friends with her and convince her to reform. She's not technically free until she makes parole, but for now, she's at least allowed to roam freely on the ship."
"Ah, I getcha." Jessie understood before nudging her head toward the elevator. "Well, if'n that's the case, shall we head up?"
Coco groaned a little at the idea. "Oh great, more time in the elevator."
It didn't take long for the quartet to find the rest of the team, as they had all congregated in the Resolute's mess hall and were talking loud enough for their voices to be heard even through the thick steel doors. The team had split off into groups of four; with Ruby and Penny playing Pokémon as usual while Penny and Ren sat next to them respectively. Jaune and Pyrrha meanwhile were sitting with Ilia and, of course, Swift, the Aerophibian happily laughing with the four at a story she had just told.
The moment the doors opened though, everybody turned to see the Ben, Yang, Coco and Jessie enter, and Swift immediately waved over to them. "Hey! The big shots finally decided to join us, eh? C'mon over and pop a squat!"
Ben raised an eyebrow to her in response. "The "big shots", huh? That's what you call us?"
Swift gave him a smirk and a shrug. "Well, what else am I gonna call ya? Can't exactly get TOO anti-authority with you, otherwise I'd flip Tetrax's lid."
The hero was about to argue… but he couldn't find any fault in what she said. "Okay, fair point." But he narrowed his gaze slightly at her soon after. "By the way, how do you have access to the intercom?"
Ilia gestured over to the nearby wall, indicating a small intercom mounted on it. "Turns out there's a small one in every major room. Cool, huh?"
"Huh, neat." Yang admitted. "A little weird, but neat."
Swift put her arms behind her head and reclined back into her seat. "Well, I think it's pretty cool." However, at the feeling of being watched, Swift shifted her red eyes over to see an older redheaded woman gawking at her, and her mirthful smirk was replaced by a frown. "Ma'am, can ya please stop staring at me? It makes me feel uncomfortable."
Jessie was snapped out of her stupor and she blinked in shock. "Oh, terribly sorry there, sugar." The cowgirl bowed her head apologetically. "I've just… never seen somebody quite like ya before. Are… are you an alien?"
Swift smirked and bobbed her head to the side. "Well, part-alien, but yeah." She jabbed a thumb to herself. "I'm actually half-human, half-Aerophibian."
"Landsakes, I didn't think aliens could breed with humans." Jessie said in astonishment. "That's quite surprisin'."
"I'm sure it is." Swift nodded. "What's your name, ma'am?"
Jessie smiled and gave a tip over hat in greeting. "Jessica Jameson, at your service. But ya'll can call me Jessie."
Swift stood up and offered the woman a handshake, which she gladly reciprocated. "It's nice to meet you. I take it you're one of these "Huntresses" that I've been hearing so much about?"
"Sure am." Jessie confirmed. "And I'm mighty pleased to meet ya."
"Likewise." Swift reciprocated before sitting back down. "Well, have a seat, there's plenty to go around after all." The Aerophibian then gave a salute to Yang and Coco as they sat down at the table themselves. "So gals, how's it goin' today?"
"Can't complain." Yang answered before smirking over to Coco. "But I know someone who's feelin' pretty good right about now."
Yang's comment managed to get both her sister and Nora to move their eyes up from their game systems, their interests having been successfully garnered. "What d'ya mean, Yang?" Ruby asked.
Nora noticed that Yang was looking directly at Coco, and it was then that the hyper redhead caught on. "Ooh, feeling good about something, Coco?" She leaned forward excitedly, her eyes now focused onto the fashionable girl as well. "Well, c'mon, don't hold out on us! What's got ya so happy?"
Coco rolled her eyes as she began absentmindedly playing with a lock of hair. "Well… I just did something pretty big."
"You did?" Pyrrha asked before noticing someone missing. "Wait, where's Cooper?"
Jaune shifted his eyes toward the door. "Yeah, wasn't he supposed to come with us?"
"He had some important stuff to take care of with Ironwood." Coco answered as she propped her legs up on the table. "He'll be with us in a while. But… well…" Coco turned her head away with a sly grin forming on her face. "Before he left, he asked me to wish him luck. And… let's just say I gave him a lot more than he bargained for."
Everyone in the room began picking up on the subtext of Coco's words after a few moments, with Nora and Ruby letting out simultaneous screams of joy. "AH! No way!" Ruby exclaimed.
"You KISSED him, didn't you?!" Nora sprang up out of her seat. She received a small nod from Coco which only made her and Ruby shout even louder. "AAAAAAH! That's so awesome!"
"Sensational!" Penny applauded. "My utmost congratulations!"
"She's right." Pyrrha agreed. "Congratulations to you both."
Ren let out a small chuckle at the whole thing. "Heh, I suppose he wasn't expecting that, now was he?"
"Nope!" Coco shook her head. "I just smacked him square on the lips, no warning."
"Huh, how'd he react to it?" Jaune asked. "I mean, I'm assuming it was positive, but I'm sure he was a little shaken at first."
"Oh, he was, but he warmed up to it pretty damn quickly." Coco lowered her glasses and gave Jaune a smirk. "But then again, you of all people should be familiar with that feeling, Jauney-boy." She pushed her glasses back up and leaned back in her seat. "From what I've heard, you and Pyrrha over there are no stranger to sudden first kisses."
Pyrrha folded her arms and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I suppose. Though there's no reason to go around parading that fact, Coco."
"Eh, yeah, you're right. Sorry 'bout that." She gave them a thumbs up. "But ya gotta admit, we gave our boys somethin' to remember, right?"
Pyrrha glanced over to Jaune who was blushing like a mad man, and a playful smile came to her face. "Well… I cannot deny that." She moved over and leaned against her boyfriend's shoulder, to which Jaune immediately put his arm around her shoulders. "Alright, I think we've had enough teasing go around. Why don't we start focusing on the mission at hand?"
At that moment, the door opened up and a new voice entered the room; "An excellent idea, Pyrrha." Everyone turned in their seats to see Tetrax entering the mess hall, the Petrosapien approaching the table with resolve. "I've only heard the bare minimum details of what we're dealing with, so I want to be sure that—" However, Tetrax cut himself when he felt a pair of eyes having locked onto him, causing him to look around the table. Finally, he found who was staring at him; Jessie, the cowgirl slack-jawed and gob-smacked at the sight of him. "Um… can I help you, ma'am?"
"You… you must be Tetrax, right?" Jessie uttered.
"Indeed, I am." Tetrax affirmed. "And you must be Miss Jessica Jameson. It's an honor to meet a Huntress of your caliber, ma'am."
"Hah, well it's an honor for me to meet an alien such as yourself." Jessie countered nervously. "Sorry if'n I'm a bit shaky. This is my first time dealin' with stuff like this, so it's kinda outta my wheelhouse so to speak."
Tetrax gave her an understanding nod. "I'm very sure it is." He offered his large hand. "Still, I'm happy to have you on board my ship."
Jessie grinned and shook hands with the Petrosapien. "Well, I'm happy to be here, sugar." Once the two shook hands, Jessie clapped hers together, bringing everyone in the room to attention. "Alright, listen up, ya'll. When we get to Shion, our first priorty is gettin' to the hospital to check up on Paulie. Hopefully, he'll be awake by the time we get there an' he can tell us more 'bout the Grimm he fought."
Yang raised her hand. "And if he isn't? What do we do then?"
"I can probably wake him up." Ben suggested. "One whiff from Swampfire's gas and he'll be awake like that." He snapped his fingers for emphasis.
Jessie raised an eyebrow at that. "I'm guessin' that's a transformation o' yours?" Ben gave her a nod, to which she let out a sigh. "Well, I guess that'd be a better option than doin' nothin'. I ain't 'bout to head into a fight with a Grimm I don't know anything about." She pointed back at Ben. "But for the sake o' everyone at the hospital, I think you should make sure no one's around to see ya. Don't wanna freak anybody out even more, right?"
"Exactly." Ben concurred. "And once we get the information from Paul, we form a plan of attack. From there, we'll hopefully be able to take the Grimm down without much of a problem."
Jessie smirked and pumped a fist. "Sounds good to me." She put her hand into the center of the table. "Alright, ya'll, let's take care o' business! Whaddya say?"
Ben, Yang, Coco, Ruby, Penny, Ilia and Team JNPR all put their hands over hers, the teammates all looking right at each other. "Well, guys… you know what time it is." Ben grinned before nearly everyone threw their hands up into the air and shouted; "IT'S HERO TIME!" all at once.
The only one left confused by all of this was Jessie herself, who was glancing around at the teens in bewilderment. "Uh… I'm sorry, what was that?"
"It's their catchphrase." Ilia shrugged. "I know, kinda weird."
…..
Over the course of the following two hours, the team had chosen to give themselves some time to talk before the big mission, with each of them going off into their own groups. Ben, Yang, Jaune, Pyrrha and Coco were discussing Hunting strategies with Jessie while Ilia and Swift were talking to each other by themselves. Not far from the two girls though, Ruby, and Nora were still playing Pokémon, with Ren and Penny still sitting by them. Penny was staring at the screen intently as Ruby played on, intrigued by the otherworldly game and the large fiery fowl that Ruby was battling with. "I must say, Earthly videogames are quite interesting." the android said. "It surprises me how alternate dimensions can have such outlandish ideas while we do not."
"Ah, c'mon, Penny." Ruby nudged her friend with her elbow. "Battling with monsters you keep in your pocket can't be THAT crazy of an idea."
"Yeah!" Nora moved her eyes up raised a single finger. "Now, transforming robots and mutant reptile teenagers that practice ninjutsu? THAT is crazy."
Ilia had overheard the Pink Dynamo's comment and she whipped her head up, her eyes widening at the strange combination of words. "Wait, Earth actually HAS something like that?"
"Yep… and it's exactly what you'd imagine it being." Swift confirmed. "Also, they eat pizza."
The chameleon girl had NO idea what to think about all of this. "…Swift, are all of the people in your universe on drugs or something?"
"HA! Good one, Ilia." Swift laughed. "But nah, they're not on drugs… at least not everyone is." She tapped the side of her head. "It's just that humans on our planet have come up with some pretty crazy ideas that've stuck around for a LONG time. Sometimes it's because the idea just works, other times I think it's because it's too crazy NOT to fail. Like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers."
At that last one though, Ren raised an eyebrow. "Um… and what exactly is "Power Rangers"?"
Swift's eyes all widened, including the third one in between her yellow horns. "Are you serious?!" She whirled around and shouted; "Hey Tennyson!" She managed to catch Ben's attention and began "berating" him. "How in the hell have you not shown these guys Power Rangers yet?"
Ben gave her a deadpan expression. "Swift, we've been REALLY busy over the past few days, I've barely had any time to show these guys anything new besides Star Trek." He crossed his arms and put a hand to his chin. "Which reminds me I've gotta show you guys a Disney movie at some point."
Swift's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "Star Trek… over Disney. Never in my life have I felt such disappointment in one single person."
Ben waved his hands up into the air. "Yeah, yeah, go ahead and slam me, I'm a bad educator."
Yang pulled her arm around Ben's shoulders and ruffled his hair a little bit. "Aw, don't be so down on yourself, Green Boy. Like you said, we've been busy." She winked at him and booped him on the nose. "Tell ya what, once we get back home, why don't we all gather up and watch one of those "Disney movies" that Kenny was so keen on having you show us?"
The hero smiled and relaxed into her embrace. "Heh, you got it Goldie Locks. I've got a feeling that it'll be a lot of fun." His attention went back to the conversation they were having before, but now, he decided to bring up a new topic. "Hey, Jessie, mind if I ask you something?"
"Why no, sugar." Jessie assured. "What is it?"
"Well… my teammates have made it no secret about the things you're capable of doing." Ben explained. "From riding on a Manticore and using it to kill a bunch of Griffons, to breaking an Ursa's neck with your lasso, and even ripping out the teeth of a Sabyr… whatever those are, and making chopsticks out of 'em."
Jessie smiled and pointed to him. "I still have those by the way. And a Sabyr's a big saber-toothed cat-lookin' Grimm."
"Oh, well that makes sense." Ben nodded. "Anyway, how're you able to do all of that?"
"Heh, well, not to brag or nothin', but part of it IS raw talent." Jessie explained. "I always wanted to be a bit more… creative than most Hunters of my skill set. After all, where's the point in killin' a Grimm if ya ain't havin' any fun while doin' it?"
It was Yang's turn to point at Jessie. "Now THAT'S a philosophy I can get behind."
"It's certainly unique." Pyrrha agreed. "Not many Hunters are known for having fun with their jobs, after all."
Ben tilted his head. "Alright, so if part of it is your talent, then what's the other part?"
Jessie wore a sly grin and she wagged a finger at him, rising up from her seat soon after. "Hold on just a sec, sugar." She walked over to the kitchen and opened up one of the drawers… once she was able to figure out how they actually opened since they didn't have handles. When she DID get them to open, she reached in and pulled out a very alien utensil, one that didn't even resemble a fork, spoon or kitchen knife. After inspecting it for a few seconds, Jessie merely shrugged before going back over to the group, presenting them with the strange utensil. "Here. Try takin' this… doohickey from my hand."
Ben raised a brow and his eyes went to her right hand, inspecting it closer. She didn't appear to have her hand clenched all that hard. In fact, the way she was holding the utensil was actually rather relaxed. Ben shifted his eyes back up to her and pointed down to the metal piece. "So just… take it from you?"
"Yessiree." Jessie nodded.
"Well… alright." Ben reached out and grabbed the utensil, pulling it with a tug. It wasn't a lot of force, but he figured it'd be enough for it to slip out of Jessie's grip. But to his surprise, the woman's grip remained firm, the utensil having not even moved a single centimeter. "Huh? What the…" Ben pulled harder, yet still, it didn't budge. He then stood up to pull harder and harder still, but Ben just couldn't make Jessie let go of the blasted utensil. The hero was starting to get frustrated at this point, so he rubbed his hands together and grabbed onto the utensil with both, pulling as hard as he could. However, Ben ended up pulling so hard that his own hands slipped off of the metal piece, making him fall flat on his back. "GAH!"
Yang's eyes bugged out the moment her boyfriend landed on the floor. "Ben! You okay?"
Ben rubbed his head as he sat up, letting out a slight groan. "Ugh, I think so." His eyes went back to the alien utensil that Jessie was holding, and she was still only keeping a relaxed grip on it. "Alright, what the hell?!" Ben got up and thrust his hand toward Jessie's. "How in the WORLD are you still holding onto that?!"
At that moment, a glimmer appeared in Jessie's eyes, changing them from blue to gold. "Heh, I'm surprised ya haven't caught on, Ben." The redheaded woman opened her right hand, revealing that her palm was glowing with the same golden aura. "After a few weeks here, I thought you'd recognize a Semblance when ya saw it."
Ben's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wait… THAT'S your Semblance?"
"Darn tootin'!" Jessie flicked the utensil up into the air, making it spin around rapidly before catching it in her left hand. She raised her right palm, revealing the golden aura to everybody. "I call it my Iron Grip! Once I get a hold o' somethin' I wanna keep a hold of, I can latch onto it for as long as I want. Nothin' can escape my grip unless I say so."
"So THAT'S how you're able to keep a hold of Grimm like you do!" Ben said as he smiled in amazement. "That's incredible!"
"No kidding." Jaune spoke up. "In fact, that Iron Grip is part of what made her so famous."
Coco leaned forward in her seat. "And it's SUPER awesome. In some circles, she's even known as the Iron Gal."
Jessie rolled her eyes and pulled the brim of her hat down slightly, the gold aura disappearing as her eyes went back to normal. "Aw, that was an ol' nickname from way back when that my teammates came up with." She propped her feet up on the table, her spurs jingling as she did. "'Course, it never really stuck like "Blackblade" did for Amaya, but hey, what can ya do?"
"Still, it's a very impressive Semblance." Ilia commented. "I can see how you've made use of it over your career."
Swift gave the woman a thumbs up. "Yeah, I can respect a lady who's got a solid grip. Just hope you don't use it on handshakes though."
"Ha! Good one, sugar." Jessie chortled before watching Ben sit back down in his seat. "So, ya wanna try pullin' somethin' else away from me? Maybe use one o' your aliens to try an' make me let go?"
Ben chuckled nervously at the thought. "Heh, uh… no thank you. I'd rather not try and pull a muscle before this mission."
Yang pat her boyfriend on the shoulder. "Smart decision there, Green Boy."
As their conversation went on, Ilia couldn't help but give out a small sigh, craning her head up to set her gaze upon the ceiling. "Something tells me that I've still got some things to get used to around here." She turned her head and faced Swift with an amused smile. "Heh, but I guess I'm beginning to sound like a broken record at this point."
"Eh, a little bit." Swift pinched her fingers together. "Like this much. But hey, I don't blame you for that, Ilia." The Aerophibian jabbed her thumb over in Ben's direction. "Working with Tennyson isn't exactly what anyone would call "easy" or "normal"."
Ilia laughed and nudged Swift's shoulder. "Haha! Come on, be nice. Otherwise you may just fall out of his favor."
Swift let out a little laugh as well, relenting to the chameleon girl's wishes. "Heh, alright, alright, I gotcha." She offered a wink to Ilia with a toothy smirk. "But hey, I can't help it if it's easy to riff on him a bit."
Ilia rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Good god, you're incorrigible." After sharing another chuckle, the two girls fell into a comfortable silence once again, simply enjoying each other's company. However, it was then that Ilia remembered something that she had wanted to ask Swift about, and her face fell to a more serious demeanor. She moved her sights back onto her friend and asked; "Hey… Swift?" The Aerophibian hybrid turned her head toward Ilia with a raised eyeridge. "Could I… ask you for some advice?"
Swift blinked in surprise at the question, but nonetheless, she was more than happy to answer it. "Sure, what's on your mind?"
Ilia's eyes shifted left and right before leaning forward, making a "come closer" motion with her finger. Picking up on her request, Swift did the same, and Ilia began whispering to her as quietly as possible. "Listen… this is going to sound really embarrassing but… have you ever liked someone, but knew they could never like you the same way?"
Swift's eyes widened at the question… and her skin began to have a pinkish hue to it. 'Well… that was unexpected.' Still, she thought over the inquiry before giving her response. "I, uh, I can't say that I have, sorry to say." she whispered back before shrugging. "I mean, I've had crushes on people, but I was never allowed to act on my feelings because of… well, this." Swift gestured to her face for emphasis.
Ilia's face fell further in sadness. "Oh… right, I'm sorry."
"Hey, no need to apologize." Swift shrugged. "It's just something I came to accept. Humans aren't exactly keen on gettin' with someone like me."
A small grin formed on Ilia's face. "Hey… don't go beating yourself up. If anything, who you are makes you more unique."
Swift smirked herself. "You'd be surprised how many times I've heard that. But anyway, nah, I haven't exactly had that problem." She tilted her head. "But… I'm guessing you do."
Ilia's breath was caught in her throat a bit, but she swallowed her apprehension and pressed on. "Y-Yes. I've… known this person for a long time and I've always thought they were really special." She pursed her lips and lowered her head in shame and frustration. "But I know that they probably don't like me the way I like them. I mean, heck, they're even in a relationship of their own and—"
"It's Blake, isn't it?" Swift asked abruptly, bringing Ilia to a screeching halt. If they weren't in front of everyone at that moment, Swift was pretty sure that Ilia's colors would've changed to completely white just by seeing the expression on her face. The half-alien girl raised an eyeridge and smiled kindly to her. "C'mon, Ilia, you weren't exactly bein' all that subtle."
Ilia's spots became pink and she scratched the back of her head. "No, I guess not."
Swift reached over and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, making Ilia crane her neck back up. "Listen Ilia, I'll admit, I'm a bit of an amateur when it comes to matters of the heart." She reached up and pointed right in the middle of Ilia's chest. "But what I think is most important is that you do what you think is right."
Ilia stared into Swift's eyes for a few seconds before prying them away, going back to the floor again. "I know, but… what if she doesn't want to be my friend anymore if I DO tell her about it?"
The Aerophibian shook her head. "I can promise you right now that won't happen. I can tell that you and Blake are really great friends, and she wouldn't just abandon you over something as petty as that."
"But what if—" But at that moment, Swift put a finger to Ilia's lips, stopping her mid-sentence.
"Let's not focus on the "what if's"." The half-alien girl said as she took her hand back. "Instead, let's focus on the primary thing here; you have feelings for Blake, right?"
Ilia was silent for a moment before replying. "Yes, I do."
"Okay, now you need to decide what to do with your feelings." Swift held up one finger. "You could either, A; live with it for the rest of your life without telling anyone." She then put up another finger. "Or B; tell her and get it off of your chest."
"I… I just…" Ilia put a hand to her forehead. "I just don't know what to do. Is there any other way you could help me?"
Swift reached out and put both hands on Ilia's shoulders. "Ilia, in the end, this is your decision to make, not mine." She offered a small, encouraging smile. "I know it's a scary thing to try and confront, but trust me when I say that you'll feel WAY better for doing it, trust me."
Ilia allowed Swift's words to sink in before returning the smile in kind, as well as a small nod. "You're… you're right, Swift. I need to get this off my chest sooner or later."
"Hah, atta girl." Swift nudged Ilia's shoulder with her own. "I'm really proud of you, Ilia. And hey, even if I'm not there for it, I want you to know that you've got my full support, okay?"
At that moment, deep in her gut, Ilia felt extremely better for knowing that. But there was something else brewing down in there as well, a feeling that she could only really describe as… more than just happiness. It was a little strange, but also quite comforting. "Thank you, Swift." Ilia nodded. "I… I'm really glad that you have my back on this."
"With pleasure, girl." Right when she said that, the two girls, as well as everyone else, could feel the ship lurching forward, indicating that it was about to land. "Huh, guess we're where you guys need to be."
The lurching stopped a few second later and Tetrax's voice came over the intercom; "Attention everyone. We have made touchdown outside the walls of Shion village. At this time, all team members and their escort are to report to the cargo bay to disembark. Thank you."
Across the table, Jessie sprung up and turned her head toward the door. "Whoop! That sounds like we're bein' kicked off!" She motioned for the group to follow her, which most of them readily did. "C'mon ya'll, let's move out!"
As the gang got up and made their way toward the door, Ilia faced Swift once again, giving her a thumbs up. "Well, I guess I'm off. See ya later?"
Swift gladly returned the gesture. "Of course. And Ilia…" She reached over and pulled the girl into an over-the-shoulder embrace. "Good luck on the mission, and the whole thing with Blake. I know you can do it."
Ilia pulled her arm around Swift's shoulder as well, reciprocating the embrace. "Thanks again, Swift. I won't forget this!" Once they let go of each other, Ilia got up and ran toward the door of the mess hall, following everyone to the elevator.
Now all alone in the dining area, Swift wore a sad smile as she watched Ilia leave, slightly disappointed that she couldn't go as well. "You're welcome… and stay safe."
…..
The moment they disembarked the ship, Ben was taken aback a bit by the utter beauty that was Shion village. He wasn't sure if his mind was playing tricks on him or not, but the town heavily resembled a traditional Japanese village, one that was surrounded completely by the beauty of nature. Before they had broken up, he and Julie had taken a trip to Japan to visit some of her extended family, and in that time, she had taught him a lot about the cultural architecture. To say that Shion fit that bill almost like a glove would be an understatement. From the cobblestone streets to the Nihon kenchiku-esque buildings, Shion was a sight to behold. There was even a tall pagoda in the center of town! Not to mention all of the natural greenery that surrounded the village only added to its splendor.
"Wow… this place is amazing!" the hero gawked as they walked through the village, with Jessie leading the group.
"Yeah, no kidding." Yang concurred before eyeing Jaune. "So, is it just like you remember it, Vomit Boy?"
Jaune craned his head around, taking in the familiar sights and smells of the town that he visited many times in his childhood. "Hah, yep! It really hasn't changed all that much." The blonde knight pointed over to a trail that was leading out of town. "There's the hiking trails we used to go on." He then moved his finger over in the opposite direction. "Oh, and I think I remember the campsites being that way!"
Pyrrha closed her eyes and lifted her head so that the sun was hitting her face. "Well I must say, it's nice to be in a warmer environment for a change." She took in a deep breath of natural air, letting it out soon after. "And the air is so clean! It's quite refreshing."
"I can see why the people here are worried 'bout the Grimm." Coco commented. "It'd be a shame if this place were destroyed."
Ren was also letting the environment sink in, feeling a bit of nostalgia that he hadn't felt in a long time. 'I can't believe I nearly forgot what it was like here in Anima.' He softly clenched his hands, the more unpleasant bits of his memory beginning to bubble to the surface. 'Still… it's not exactly like my old home.'
"Hey Ren!" The green ninja whipped his head up to see Nora running ahead of him, the Pink Dynamo having gone up to a concession stand. "They. Serve. RICE BOWLS! On the street!" She quickly ordered a beef rice bowl, payed for it, and began devouring the meal, letting out a sizable belch the moment she was done. "HAHA! This place is awesome!"
Everyone stared at Nora in astonishment, with Ren chuckling awkwardly as he led his friend away from the kiosk. "Hehe, yeah, that IS pretty cool, Nora. But let's get back to finding the hospital before we cause a scene."
Ruby, Penny and Ilia meanwhile were staying ahead of the group with Jessie, the three girls focusing intently on the mission… even if a rice bowl sounded pretty good right about now. At least, that's what Ruby's stomach was telling her. "Ooh, when we come back through, we should get some rice bowls for the road."
"Agreed!" Penny nodded before setting her eyes onto Jessie. "So, do you know where the Hospital is, Jessie?"
"Sure as sunshine, sweetie." Jessie pointed over to the opposite end of town toward the right side of the road, right toward a building with a large red cross on its front. "There it is! Right over yonder." Jessie put her hands in her pockets with an apprehensive breath. "I just hope Paulie's doin' better."
"For the sake of everyone in the town, I hope so too." Ilia furthered. "He might be our only clue as to what exactly we're facing."
As the group made it to the front of the hospital, Jessie shrugged and took another deep breath. "Well, only one way to find out, I s'pose." The whole group entered the hospital, with Jessie going up to the counter to ask where Paul's room was. Thankfully, the lady at the counter recognized who Jessie was immediately and she gave her the room number, allowing them all to head up to it. Once they got to the right floor, however, the team was greeted with the sight of a rather nervous woman walking out of Paul's hospital room. Jessie brightened up the moment she walked out, calling over to her instantly. "Luce!"
The woman whirled around at her name being called out, allowing everyone to get a good look at her. To Ben, she most closely resembled a Native American woman, one in her late forties with a slim yet strong build and long black hair that was styled into braids. She wore a crimson house dress that was patterned with white blossoms throughout, along with a white apron on her front. However, the most astonishing part was that she was at least seven-and-a-half feet tall, her head just barely having room to fit in the hallway. The moment Lucette's brown eyes landed upon Jessie, a wide smile broke out over her face and she ran toward the redheaded woman, enveloping her in a powerful hug. "JESSIE! Oh, thank god, you came!"
The speed which Lucette had run at the group had taken the entire team by surprise, making a few of them even fall back on their rears. As the team stared up at the woman in shock, Jessie let out a laugh, though she was also struggling for air. "Haha, now, now, sugar!" she consoled. "Everythin's gonna be alright!"
However, at that moment, Lucette opened her eyes in realization. "Wait a second…" She placed Jessie down and raised a brow at her. "What're you doing here so soon? I thought you wouldn't be able to get here until tomorrow!"
Jessie brushed herself off and jabbed her thumb over her shoulder to the team behind her. "Well, I just made some friends who know a guy with a pretty fast ship." Jessie looked to the team and nudged her head to Lucette. "Everyone, this is Luce, Paulie's wife."
"H-Hello, ma'am." Yang greeted, still astonished by the sheer height of this woman. "We're here to help take out with the Grimm your hubby fought."
Lucette wore a hopeful smile at this. "Oh, thank you all so much. I'm sure that Paul will appreciate the help…" Her face grew worried again as she faced her husband's hospital room. "Whenever he wakes up, at least."
"He still ain't up?!" Jessie exclaimed. "Ya've gotta be kiddin' me!"
"I'm afraid not." Lucette shook her head solemnly. "He's been out cold since he came back from his mission." She ran a finger straight across her upper torso. "Paul walked back here with the worst gash that I had ever seen him take, straight across his chest. The moment he came back into town, he fell to the ground, and he lost consciousness soon after."
Ilia's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "He walked back? After taking an attack like that?!"
Coco eyed Paul's hospital room, impressed by how resilient this man was. "Jeez, how tough is this dude?"
"Tough as nails, sugar." Jessie assured before going back to her friend. "Lucette, are there any doctors in there right now?"
Lucette shook her head again. "No, they're working on another method to try and wake Paul up." She put a hand to her mouth in worry, her eyes going back to the door. "I just hope they can, because if they don't do it soon, there's a chance he could slip into a coma."
Ben smiled and stepped forward, pointing a thumb to his chest. "Ma'am, don't worry. I'm pretty sure I can get your husband to wake back up."
Lucette's eyebrows shot up. "W-Wait, you can? Well… what can you do?"
The hero raised his hand up to her. "Trust me, I've got a little secret that'll get Paul up pretty damn quick. He won't even feel any harm when I do it." He pointed right to the hospital room. "All I need is a few quick seconds in there alone, and he'll be up in no time."
As he explained this, Lucette narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Are you sure about this, young man? You haven't exactly given a reason for me to trust you, yet."
Jessie came up and put a hand on Lucette's arm. "Luce, trust me when I say this boy knows what he's doin'. He may not seem like much, but he's capable o' doin' some pretty neat stuff." She gave Lucette a reassuring pat. "It'll all be okay, Luce, promise."
Lucette looked from Jessie and back to Ben, seeing that both of them had pure honesty in their eyes. Finally, after a few seconds, Lucette nodded her head to Ben. "Well, if you can help my husband, then I suppose you can go in." She reached over and put one of her large hands on Ben's shoulder. "Please… wake up my Paulie."
"I will, Miss Bruno." Ben promised. "You can count on that." He walked over and walked into the hospital room, glancing over his shoulder back to everyone. "This'll only take a minute, believe me." He closed the door and turned back around, only to jump back at the utterly astounding sight before him. "Oh. My. God."
There, with his entire body laying across two hospital beds, was the massive Paul Bruno. The man was just as big as Ben imagined when he saw Jessie's picture, though it was obvious that the years had changed his appearance a bit. His beard was now full and scruffy, complete with a matching mustache and bushy sideburns. There were some grey strands as well, showing his age. Ben approached the large man's double bedside, allowing him to see the multiple bandages around his midsection. The hero gave out an impressed whistle. "Boy, you really ARE a big one, aren't ya, Paul?" He brought up the Omnitrix and found Swampfire's icon, ready to transform. "Well, time for your wake-up call."
Ben slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix and transformed… but by the end of it, he wasn't Swampfire. Instead of feeling the long and lanky limbs of the Methanosian form he was accustomed to, his arms, legs and overall body suddenly felt very bulky. "Huh?! What da—" His voice echoed for some reason and he suddenly spoke with a city accent, confusing him even more. "What's goin' on?" Ben searched around for a mirror, finding one almost instantly. But the moment he gazed into it, he was taken aback. "Holy cow! Dis… ain't what I expected.'
Rather than Swampfire, Ben had transformed into what he could only describe as a walking hazmat suit with a weird bluish-grey crater-filled head and shoulders. The suit overall was bright green, as he had expected, with the exception of two large white pieces along his shoulders and some white stripe detailing along his large gauntlets and boots. There was also a large green, black and white striped belt across his midsection, though instead of a buckle in the middle, there was a large window in his stomach, allowing him to see his gas-filled innards. There were also multiple nozzles strewn about his arms, shoulders, and even on top of his head, which he assumed to be where the gas would come out. Over his mouth was a large, black gas mask of sorts, with the Omnitrix symbol placed directly in the middle.
"Alright, I give, who's dis guy?" Ben asked himself in the mirror. "An' why's he so gross?" But the alien shook his head, brushing the situation off for the time being. "Ah, fahgettaboudit. I gotta wake da big guy up." The transformed hero went over, pondering just what to do. "Well, at least dis new guy's a gassy type. Alright, let's see, if I just combine some NH4 with a bit o' CO3… yeah, ammonium carbonate should do da trick." The alien bent forward and opened up one of the nozzles on his suit, allowing the chemical to waft out just slightly to Paul's nose. "Man, why don't more hospitals carry smelling salts?"
Just a few seconds after the scent hit Paul's nose, the man's eyes snapped open and he began coughing and hacking, whipping his body up soon after. "HAK-HAK! Gah! What was—AUGH!" But that quickly proved to be a mistake as he immediately clutched his midsection, his eyes screwing shut in pain. "Dear god, what happened?!"
If he had a mouth in this form, Ben was pretty sure he'd be smiling at this point. 'Success!' he thought to himself before transforming back to normal. Ben went up to Paul and began speaking to him. "Mr. Bruno, it's okay, you're safe—ACK!" But he was then immediately cut off when Paul instinctively reached out and put his massive hand around Ben's throat, lifting him up off the ground.
"WHERE AM I?!" Paul hollered. "And who are you?!"
"M-Mr. Bruno! Please!" Ben choked out. "I'm only trying to help!" At that very moment, the door opened, and Ben couldn't be more relieved to hear Jessie's voice.
"PAUL!" the cowgirl shouted out as she and the others all clamored into the room. "Put the boy down!"
The large lumberjack's eyes widened in shock and he dropped Ben to the ground, the young hero gasping for air. As Yang went over to help her boyfriend up, Paul continued to stare at everyone in bewilderment, though his focus was still on his old friend. "…Jessie? What're you—" He then saw his beloved wife also standing there, a worried expression on her face. "Lucette!"
"Paul!" Lucette ducked into the room and ran over to her husband, enveloping him in an embrace. "Oh, sweetheart, thank the gods you're okay!" She pulled away a little bit to lock eyes with Paul. "Honey, what happened?! You fell unconscious before anyone could ask!"
It was only then that Paul really took notice of where he was; a stark white hospital room. His abdomen was covered in bandages, with stitches most likely underneath the wrappings. His lips parted as the memories came flooding back to him. "I… I was limping my way back to Shion after taking on a… a… oh god." His eyes widened in fear as his hold on his wife tightened slightly. "The Grimm, I… I didn't…"
"We know, Paulie." Jessie said as she came up to him as well. "Why d'ya think your wife called me here in the first place?"
Paul sighed and laid back down on his mattress, staring up at the ceiling. "Well, I suppose that makes sense. Lord knows if I couldn't handle it, you could, Jess." The massive man raised a brow at the group of teenagers that had entered behind his old friend, as well as down to Ben and Yang by his bedside. "And… just who're these young ones?"
Ruby gave him a cheery smile and a wave. "Hiya, Mr. Bruno! We're here to help!"
Yang moved her eyes back up to him and slightly furrowed her brows. "Yeah, we are. Or didn't you hear by boyfriend say that while you were choking him?"
The lumberjack became crestfallen by the jab, closing his eyes in remorse. "I-I'm sorry for that. I wasn't sure where I was or what had happened after… that thing attacked me."
The Blonde Brawler pursed her lips before going back to her boyfriend, who gave her a small smile. With a nod, Yang helped Ben up before giving Paul a grin of her own. "Well, we can't blame you for that, I guess." She pointed to the bandages across the man's mid-section. "Considering what it did to you, I can understand why you'd react the way you did."
Jaune stepped forward and raised his hand. "Ahem, excuse me, Mr. Bruno, but do you remember exactly what kind of Grimm attacked you?"
"It would be best if we had an idea about what exactly we're facing." Pyrrha added.
Paul looked upon the group of ten teenagers in befuddlement before his expression hardened, turning his head away from them soon after. "Kids, I appreciate that you want to help, but I'm afraid that you're in over your head." The large lumberjack sat himself back up, slowly this time, and put his hands together on his lap. "I suggest that you all stay here. The Grimm that I faced is not for Hunters your age to be fighting."
Everyone was surprised by this response, which Penny was quick to speak up against. "But why not?" she asked. "We may be young, but we are capable Hunters-in-training who have gone on many missions in the past."
"Yeah, Pen's right." Coco supported while putting a hand to her hip. "What's the big deal, big man?"
Paul shook his head once again. "I'm sorry, ladies, but I can guarantee that in whatever time you've had in any combat school or academy you've went to, you are NOT prepared to face something like this."
Jessie crossed her arms and raised her head, her eyes gazing down at her old friend in judgment. "Paul Bruno, I am SURPRISED at you! Ya'll've always been welcomin' o' any help that's come your way."
Lucette set a hand to her husband's shoulder. "She's right, honey, this isn't like you at all."
"Maybe so, but…" Paul locked his eyes with Jessie's, and it was then that she could see just how serious he was being. "Jessie… we're dealing with a Nuckelavee."
At that moment, Jessie's eyes momentarily glazed over with horror… as did a few other people in the room. She rushed forward and grabbed Paul by the shoulders. "Paulie, I swear to god, if you aren't bein' one-hundred percent honest with me—"
"When have you ever known me to lie, Jessica?" Paul countered.
"A NUCKELAVEE?!" Jessie shouted, taking her hands off of Paul's shoulders and stomping her foot to the ground. "Consarn it all to hell, Paul! You know goddamned well how horrific those things can be! Ya should've called for back-up in the first place!" She thrust her arm toward him. "I mean, shoot! I'm surprised ya managed to survive, let alone walk back here!"
"I played dead for as long as I had to." Paul revealed. "I must've held still for twenty minutes before I was sure I could get away safely."
As the two adults spoke, most of the team were confused as to what they were talking about. The only ones that weren't were Coco, Pyrrha, and most notably, Ren and Nora. The latter two had frozen in place, neither one of them having moved an inch since Paul had spoken the word "Nuckelavee". 'It… it can't be!' Nora thought to herself. 'It just CAN'T BE!' The Pink Dynamo's eyes widened even further when she remembered; 'Ren!' She glanced over to her best friend to see that his hands were beginning to shake.
However, many others on the team had their own questions. "Uh… what's a Nuckelavee?" Ben inquired. 'And why does it sound kind of familiar?'
Pyrrha swallowed hard, taking hold of her unease to answer Ben. "A Nuckelavee is… an exceptionally powerful and rare Grimm." she managed to utter. "One that is made up of two separate Grimm that fuse together to make a whole; an Imp and a Stallion. They are almost exclusively seen in Anima, and they are nearly impossible to defeat unless one knows what they're doing."
At his friend's words, Ren closed his eyes hard, trying to fight back the memories that were beginning to bubble to the surface. But, in the back of his mind, he could hear a young voice begin to cry out… a voice that had once belonged to him. 'What's going on?! Where is mother?! FATHER!'
"Many Nuckelavees are responsible for wrecking a whole BUNCH of towns here on this continent." Coco furthered. "They're rarely seen, but when they are, they've been known to decimate entire villages within minutes."
Just as Coco said that, Nora saw Ren's hands start to clench up, and she could see his face beginning to falter. 'No… no please, not here!'
Jessie sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "She's right. But… the only Nuckelavee I can think of that's ever been near THESE parts is the one that attacked Kur—"
"STOP!" The whole room went silent at the sudden scream that echoes throughout it, with everyone's eyes going straight to Nora. Her face was contorted with frustration, breathing hard after yelling her lungs out with that one word. Right at that moment though, Ren suddenly moved back toward the wall and leaned up against it, lowering his head while murmuring silently to himself. Everyone's attention went to him as Nora quickly went over, holding her best friend by the shoulder. "Ren… it's okay. Everything is gonna be okay."
"Guys!" Jaune and Pyrrha were the first to step up to them, both heavily concerned for their friends. "What's wrong?"
Nora's eyes went back to her teammates, her apprehension beginning to show with Ren's increasingly fragile state. "I… guys, this is—"
"It's… it's okay, Nora." Ren finally managed to speak clearly. With a few more ragged breathes, he managed to compose himself and stand back up to his full height, though he was a bit unsteady at first. He faced his best friend with a saddened face, his eyes cast downward slightly. "We… should tell them."
With those words, Jaune and Pyrrha suddenly came to a realization, the couple quickly putting two and two together. "Wait… Ren, Nora…" Pyrrha began. "Is… is this what I think it is?" There was a still silence between Team JNPR for a good five seconds, and her friends saddened eyes were all the answer Pyrrha needed. "Oh… gods."
"W-What is it?" Ruby came forward, her eyes full of worry.
Yang tilted her head slightly. "Guys, you haven't had a run-in with this Grimm before… have you?"
Ren gazed around the room, collecting all of the courage he had to speak again. But before he could, Paul beat him to the punch. "Wait, your name is Ren?" The green ninja set his eyes upon the large lumberjack, the Huntsman staring at younger man as if something had just dawned on him. "You wouldn't happen to be related to… Li Ren, would you, boy?" Ren closed his eyes and gave Paul a solemn nod, which made the man lower his head once again. "So… you ARE his son. I thought so. I am so sorry."
"Sorry?" Ben asked. "Sorry for what exactly?"
Ren took a deep breath before going back to his friends, with Nora grasping his hand for support. "Everyone, I think it's time you ALL heard the story… about how Nora and I met."
…..
A/N: And so it begins… a familiar entity from Ren and Nora's past has fallen back into their lives by happenstance, and the team are faced with bringing it down. How will the two deal with having to face the very thing that traumatized both of them during their childhoods? Well, we'll just have to wait and see, now won't we. But hey, that's not all that happened in this chapter, huh? We got a… rather interesting interaction between Swift and Ilia, we've met another member of Team JAHB, and (probably biggest of all) Cooper and Coco's first kiss! Now THAT is a good way to send someone off! Plus, we have the debut of another certain Omnitrix alien, and although he remains nameless for now, I'm betting you know who he is. But it also seems that Raven's swinging by again. What could she want, I wonder? Well, there's only one way to find out, and that's to tune in… NEXT TIME! After Ren recounts the tale of the Nuckelavee's attack on his home of Kuroyuri, the team find themselves on their way to take the beast on, despite the ninja's protests. Meanwhile, after initially not making contact, Raven comes back to the house and starts talking with Gwen. But when Ben makes a call to his cousin, Raven catches wind of what the team are facing, and she's determined to help them out, whether they want it or not. Well, that's all for now guys. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you later. Take care!
