Opening File: Team BATL

Team BATL is an elite Huntsman team with a reputation rivaling that of even Team SEKR, REYN, and RGCK. They are led by Baron Samedi who has a reputation for possibly being mystical with some from his country calling him the Man Who Cannot Die or the Chief of the Legions of the Dead or even as the voodoo spirit of darkness and death due to the fact that he has survived many situations that would have led to the death of even highly skilled Huntsman and also because of his Semblance. Whether this is true or not, Baron is still an extremely skilled Huntsman, said to be capable of rivaling Scotty Blake, the Dragon of Denver or even Genki Sanban. Baron Samedi was born in the New Orleans and attended the Huntsman Academy in the Kingdom of Moanna, earning a reputation as a skilled fighter but also as a degenerate who likes to drink, gamble, curse and make crude jokes while also being a bit of a scam artist.

There is a rumor he managed to scam Stan Pines during a trip to Vegas at one point and is even an acquaintance of Sterling Archer, the two of them having a knack for causing trouble wherever they go. The second member of BATL is Albert Forneus is more of a scientist than an actual Huntsman like Professor Extor but he is still skilled in his own right with a brilliant mind and is capable of inventing gadgets and chemicals needs for the appropriate mission. He lost his hands as a child and thus had them replaced with cybernetic hands that he himself had designed. The third member is a shark Faunus named Tiburon Akheilos who happens to be the muscle of the team.

Tiburon was born in the Caribbean Sea and was stated to be somewhat of an intellectual(nerd) among his peers. Still he grew up to become a powerful Huntsman, becoming especially dangerous in the water. Tiburon has a close friendship with Baron Samedi, even though he liked to pull pranks and scams on the poor Faunus in their early years to the point that simply reminding Tiburon is enough to set off his temper. He was recently hired by Kumari Kandom to train their prince Ulraj to be a warrior and a Huntsman in a way to foster goodwill between the Kumari kingdom and the outside world.

The final member of Team BATL is a panda Faunus from China named Li Xiongmao. He is a pacifist by nature but will resort to fighting if there is no other option. He is a skilled martial artist and his skills in Aura control and manipulation is second almost to none. He carries no weapons but keeps a stick made of bamboo with him at all times and unlike the rest of his team has not unlocked his Semblance but still remains one of China's greatest Huntsman, believing by some to be the legendary Dragon Warrior which is only bestowed on the greatest Huntsman or Huntress in Jade Academy.

He goes wherever he senses darkness and danger and will always look for a non-violent solution first; believing negotiations, bargaining and trust are the paths to finding true peace for the world. Together they are Team BATL, the team that is known to take the craziest of missions next to Team SEKR and come back alive.

Close File

Xxx

"You ever actually meet your hero and think 'Wow, this guy is not what I was expecting'? Well, you wouldn't be the first and you certainly won't be the last. Try to remember your idol is just as human as we all are and maybe the first time meeting them will be as magical as you hope." TOM commented as the file closed.

Xxx

Soos had seen and done a lot in his life, especially after meeting Dipper and Mabel. There was even an occasion where he traveled back in time with them to Gravity Falls when he was really young. Of course even then he felt he had to set a good example for himself and others.

So when he saw what he thought was a crime during the vote to regulate Huntsmen he did the first thing that came to mind.

"This is the hotline to report incidents of voter fraud." A woman answered the call.

"Okay, yeah I saw what I believe is a voter fraud s-situation." Soos began.

"Can you please describe it for me?"

"Um, so I saw a man. He walked into this-this building. Uh and he was wearing a black, he had a black hat, a black mask, a striped shirt and a…uh red tie. And um, I believe there were hamburgers in his bag. 'Robble Robble!' as he was exiting the building like a burglar." Soos said, holding up a finger for emphasis even though she couldn't see him. "You know, I think he's-I think he's probably anti-Huntsmen. Can I speak with the guy with the bad dye job?"

*DIAL TONE*

Xxx

"And now for the mechanitron's final run-through."

Dexter was seated at the top of his Spectral-Mechanitron, ready to make sure it was working properly for the GrimmFall Science Fair. The thought of winning would perhaps make him feel better about the…you-know-what and he was eager for another trophy.

"Computer sequence, begin test." Dexter ordered, crossing his arms.

"Engage josular switch."

Dexter pulled the switch. "Check."

"Release transputic pressure."

Dexter turned the twin nozzles to release the pressure. "Check."

"Dexter, press spectro button for completion in 10…9…6…"

Dexter raised his finger to press the… "Spectro button?"

Only when he did he look down and see where he was had placed the button did he remember.

At the bottom of the machine.

"5…4…"

"NO!" Dexter screamed as he ran down the stairs to the bottom of the Mechanitron.

"2…1."

Dexter had just made it to the bottom.

"Sequence terminated."

All the lights in Dexter's own lap went out as a result of the failed experiment.

"Drat." Dexter muttered in the darkness. "Computer, lights on."

"HI!"

At this point the last person Dexter wanted to see showed up, causing him to fall onto his back and curiously cause a sack full of marbles to spill around him.

"Hey Dexter, what was the noise I heard?" Dee-Dee asked. "And have you seen my marbles? There's a green one, a red one and…"

Dexter got up and walked past her, deciding to ignore his sister he looked at the spectro-button. "This is quite the dilemma. The button is at the bottom, but I am at the top, but to press the button I need to be at the bottom."

Why did he even put it here in the first place?

"But if someone were to…" Dexter looked over his shoulder, staring back at his sister for a second before he turned around with an actual smile. "No, no, no, no. That would never work. Ah, heck. I need a good laugh right now."

Why not?

Maybe his sister could humor him for once.

"Dee-Dee, will you come here please?" He asked nicely.

Dee-Dee walked over with a smile as Dexter stood next to the spectro-button.

"Will you please press the button for me?" He asked politely.

Dee-Dee stared at the spectro-button. "Ohhh…"

She seemed to be actually playing around with pressing the button, on purposely missing which was entertaining at first.

But then it got old fast.

"Ok, ok, thank you dear." Dexter said, pushing his sister away.

"But I want to press the button."

Once Dee-Dee was moved away from the machine Dexter was back contemplating his main dilemma. "Just as I thought, I will have to make myself an assistant."

"Come on, Dexter. I can help." Dee-Dee muttered, watching as Dexter walked off.

Xxx

"Yeah and this summer I got an…invite to a fake contest here in Gravity Falls." Hoagie continued. "Tell me, you guys ever hear of someone named…Bill Cipher?"

Dipper, Mabel and Stan both froze at the mention of that name which Ford noticed. "I take it you three have."

"We-I first met him when…I made a deal with him." Dipper answered first, causing Ford to stare at him. "It was stupid now that I realize it but he said he'd help break the password on your old laptop."

"My laptop?" Ford questioned before remembering. "Yes that's right! I kept a laptop that was my only other source of information outside of the journals. Wait, if you made a deal with him…I recall you mentioning something Hoagie. Did he…possess any of you?"

"Right." Hoagie nodded grimly. "Bill brought me and the other contestants here to help finish the portal. I met Dipper and Mabel here and when Bill made his deal with Dipper…He tossed my mind into the void. It's that thing he can do, to people who try to back out of deals they make with him." He gestured to his chest. "You shake his burning hand and something comes back, he puts something in us to make it easier for us to do what he wants. With Dipper it was throwing him out of his body, with Double D it was healing his scars under his hat and restoring his hair and with me…I wanted answers for what happened to my dad. Bill seeks out these obsessions and that's how he gets everyone to do what he wants by infecting them like a virus until-"

"Until they turn out like those Blind Eye freaks." Dipper finished, looking at Stan and Lydia. "You fought those guys and they turned into monster and they all seemed to take on traits resembling Bill. How did her do that?"

"Aura. He infected their Aura and their souls, making them less human and more like…whatever he is." Hoagie answered.

"Wait, you got body swapped with this guy?!" Stan turned to Dipper. "After you just met him?!"

"I was desperate and I thought he could help." Dipper helplessly shrugged.

"Yeesh, Dipper. That's conman 101. Seek out the desperate and the gullible and swindle them for every tech coin they got. Has hanging around me taught you nothing about that?" Stan shook his head. "When was this?"

"During Mabel's puppet show." Dipper answered, shifting a bit as he recalled that terrifying night. "I almost got Mabel and I think Hoagie killed."

"I didn't realize what was going on until it was the last second." Mabel shuddered slightly. "We managed to tire Bill out to kick him out of Dipper's body."

"Also he destroyed the laptop before that happened." Dipper recalled sadly. "I was desperate and stupid to trust him."

Stan frowned and looked at Ford. "And how do you know this guy anyway, Ford? Is he one of those freaks you were chasing?"

"No, nothing exactly like that. I will admit, amongst the dark beings I have seen out there almost all of them pale in comparison to Bill Cipher." Ford coughed and turned around, folding his arms behind his back. "The specifics aren't important right now. What matters is that his powers are growing stronger and if he succeeds then none of us, not this family and not even Gravity Fall itself will be safe!"

Everyone was silent as they digested this information as Hoagie stepped closer to Ford. "They need to know everything, Ford. You have your reasons to be angry about the portal being turned back on but they all deserve to know."

"Know what?" Lydia asked as they all looked to Ford. "Don't start hiding important info from us. If this is as bad a threat as you say you can't afford to keep secrets from us. We'll need to inform the Huntsman Association of this."

"Wait!" Ford spun around, holding his hands. "Look, I understand you wish to know more but informing anyone outside of Gravity Falls is dangerous. The priority right now is to make sure the government does not arrest us and find out what's going on down here and I must dismantle the portal to make sure there has been no lasting effect."

Everyone shared a silent look with each other, wondering whether they should go along with Ford's wishes to keep it all a secret…for now.

"While I can't speak for everyone here I do know we can't let the government find out about this machine." Hoagie spoke first. "But I am getting my daughter and the rest of my family out Gravity Falls and far away from Bill as possible. That's not negotiable."

"Daughter?!" Dipper and Mabel exclaimed, completely shocked by what they just heard and having been so caught up in meeting Ford they forgot about Lydia mentioning him sending a daughter to her and Betty.

"Oh, I hadn't mentioned that yet." Hoagie rubbed his head…and then again after Lydia whacked him. "Ow!"

"You couldn't have at least had a fake wedding in that other world." Lydia grumbled.

"How do you have a daughter?" Mabel asked quickly.

"Well, after I got thrown into the void I was pretty sure I was done for…And then Nyx Kane, a girl I had become friends with saved me." Hoagie began.

"Nyx? As in Tambry's little sister?" Soos questioned.

"Yep. Turns out Nyx had dabbled in a bit of magic around here…Well, not so much dabbled as in gotten chained to it. When she was little, Nyx found a book written by a magical being called a Chaos Lord and those guys are about as Bill Cipher. In fact some believe Bill is a Chaos Lord himself but he's not technically one of them. He's just called that for his destructive habits." Hoagie began.

Xxx

Nyx picked up the book labelled 'Bring Forth the Chaos'.

Xxx

"The moment she did that, Nyx's life was changed forever. The book bound her to the Chaos Lord who made it, Klarion." Hoagie scowled at the name of the being who made Nyx's life so miserable. "He forced her to become his apprentice."

Xxx

Nyx screamed as she conjured a ball of fire that burned her hands. Klarion laughed as Nyx hastily put the fire out and screamed at her burnt hands.

Xxx

"It was horrible for her. Klarion's teachings bordered on torture and he only threw her a bone when she did something to please him…Like using her magic to cause pranks. It amused him enough that he would give her spells to help heal herself after training."

Xxx

Nyx focused her energies and cried as her burnt hands healed but still felt the pain. She spent an hour crying before finally falling asleep.

Xxx

"The whole point of the training was because just like Bill, Klarion can't directly manifest himself into this world. He needed a physical vessel to act as his anchor and that happened to be Nyx when she became his apprentice. When Nyx finally mastered all the spells and magic in the book the next stage would be for her to die," Hoagie continued, stopping as Mabel and a few others gasped in horror. "Once that happened she would be reborn in the Chaos Realm as a Lady of Chaos and sent back here since she was born in this world while Klarion was not. But then Nyx did something that ticked him off so much he banished the both of us to a literal pillow made world to grow old and die in."

"What was that?" Mabel asked.

"…She saved my life."

Xxx

Nyx knelt down next to Hoagie, drawing a spiral symbol on his forehead. "Look for the Owl. The Beginning and the End, Life and Death, Creation and Destruction, come together and take your place…In the Spiral."

Xxx

"It was a magical ritual that invoked the summoning of one of the Six Founding Spiral, a group of deity like beings that played a role in the creation of the universe as it is now. Basically Nyx used my body as a connection to my mind to send out a special call that can only be heard by one of the Spiral and the one that did appear was the Cosmic Owl, the Golden Guardian of Dreams and Desires. It helped guide me back to my body and luckily Dipper was able to get his body back from Bill. But Nyx helping me got Bill and Klarion angry since Mabel and Dipper saved the journals and Nyx saving me caused them lots of trouble." Hoagie continued as he looked at Dipper and Mabel. "You two kept on looking all over Gravity Falls, digging up questions that Bill wanted to be kept buried and Nyx's act of saving me when she was supposed to be a Lady of Chaos made Klarion angry since it was done out of a purely selfless desire. She didn't even know me by then but she wanted to save me just so she could spite Klarion and that had consequences that came the night of the party at the Northwest mansion."

Xxx

Klarion possessed Nyx and dragged Hoagie into a closet that held a portal.

Xxx

"The reason Ford's portal machine worked here and not anywhere else was because Gravity Falls was a point where the walls between other universes was weak. Using Nyx on one side and with him on the other he managed create a crack long enough for him to banish me and Nyx to the Pillow World. The goal in mind was to cut us off from our families for the rest of our lives and forcing Nyx to watch the boy she saved grow old and die before dying next and becoming the Lady of Chaos he wanted. And for the most part it worked." Hoagie smiled a bit. "At first me and Nyx were only friends but we were in that world for years and we were growing up and things…started to change."

Mabel started to get excited. "So how did you two hook up? Did you have confess with a ballad under the moonlight?"

Hoagie rubbed the back of his head while looking away with a slight blush. "Ehhhh, not exactly."

Xxx

"What do you mean it's too risky?!"

Nyx as a young adult stood her ground, matching Hoagie's glare with her own. "I mean using a spell that involves manipulating time and space is too risky to us and our reality!"

"We've been trapped here for years! For all we know, all of our friends and family are long dead! Bill and Klarion are probably ruling the Earth right about now and we can't do a thing to stop them!" Hoagie shouted, slamming a fist into a wall. "Is that what you are trying to tell me?!"

"I've told you a million times that if I don't do it right than we die." Nyx retorted.

"We're dead either way! Dead from your spell or dead from living the rest of our lives in this pillow nightmare!" Hoagie shouted back. "All because you had to pick up that stupid book!"

"Don't pin this on me! You're the one who was stupid enough to fall for the stupid triangle's con all because you couldn't get over your daddy's death!" Nyx shouted, her eyes flaring.

"DON'T TALK ABOUT MY DAD!" Hoagie roared, taking a few steps towards Nyx who marched forward, meeting him face to face. "We're here because of you!"

"Because I was nice enough to pull your stupid soul back from the astral void! Yeah, my bad." Nyx growled.

"Well maybe you should have left me there!"

"Maybe I should have!"

"Well if that's the way you feel how about I leave and find some other spot on this world?!"

"Fine by me! Don't let the door hit you on the way out!"

"Yeah, your two-bit magic will do it for me!"

"Or I'll just do it the old fashioned way!"

Hoagie leaned forward. "Go ahead!"

"Sure!" Nyx said, leaning forward as well.

They leaned forward and…

Their eyes went wide as they felt their lips touching each other.

Both Hoagie and Nyx stared at one another, completely frozen in shock as they realized what was happening. For a moment there was silence…

And then Nyx grabbed Hoagie, wrapping her arms around his neck and deepening the kiss. Hoagie responded, guided by only instinct by grabbing her waist as they fell onto the floor.

Their lives would be changed forever in this single moment.

Xxx

WHACK!

"Ow!"

"You couldn't have at least taken her out for dinner first!? Not have a few dates!?" Lydia shouted, rubbing her head. "I guess no one believes in having class anymore."

"So…your daughter was born after that?" Dipper asked, trying desperately get that…image out of his head.

"Well…"

Xxx

Nyx was screaming as she crushed Hoagie making him gasp in pain. "Nyx, your crushing my hand!"

Nyx swung her head toward him with her eyes flashing purple and a glare that made him pale, than with a sarcastic angry tone retorted. "Oh I'm sorry. How could I be so careless, after all it's not like I'M GIVING BIRTH TO YOUR CHILD, WITH NO DOCTOR OR PAIN RELIEF?!"

Nyx then grabbed Hoagie by the collar and pulled him next to her face. "Hoagie I love you, but if this kid isn't out of me in the next 5 minutes you'll have more to worry about than your hand! BECAUSE I SWEAR I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR DOING THIS TO ME! THAN I'LL REVIVE YOU AND KILL YOU AGAIN!"

Xxx

Hoagie shuddered a bit at that memory.

"So wait. You guys just kiss like our grandparents did and a baby is born?"

This question that was close enough to the question all parents dread came from Zoe as she and Frida looked at their mother who shifted nervously. "Uh…Yeah, dad. Why don't you tell them?"

Stan stammered while looking down nervously at Zoe and Frida who glanced at each with small grins, please at the prank they had just pulled. "Um you see sweeties uh when a mommy and daddy…Well, you're old enough to know."

Too bad the prank backfired.

One minute later and they were running out of the lab, screaming with haunted looks on their faces.

"I'll go help them." Mabel said with a sympathetic look on her face as she followed after them. "We'll need thirty cups of Mabel Juice to forget."

Dipper was shuddering as much as Zoe and Frida out of the lab. As much as he wanted to ask Ford more about the journals he just couldn't be around all the…adult stuff.

"Reminds me of myself when I first found out…The hard way." Hoagie shuddered…and then sighed in pure bliss. "Nyx could be as beautiful as she was scary."

Speaking of Nyx…

Xxx

She hadn't been planning on getting involved but the chance for some fun was too good to pass up and not to mention she was technically supposed to be keeping them away from the portal.

Nyx was smirking with her eyes close raising her hands up in the air as fists, with the agents pointing their guns at her. I know, I know," Her eyes and fists suddenly fly open with bright blast of purple energy leaving her hands and hitting the agents in front of her. "Freeze!"

After the flash of light cleared it was revealed the government agents in front of Nyx have been frozen solid encased in purple ice still aiming at Nyx but now carrying expressions of surprise.

Nyx then turned Abracadaver. "Hey Zomdini, how about we preform one of the most classic acts of magic, using our dear volunteer here?" She gestured towards Agent Powers and Agent Trigger, gaining an evil sadistic smile on her face. "Cutting a man in half."

Deciding he liked the idea Abracadaver conjured a magician box, which Agent Powers blasted back into, than Nyx whipped her hair slicing right through the middle of the box. Powers screamed, seeing his legs separated from his body…

Only he felt no pain.

"Relax, big boy. The point of a magic act is when you saw someone in half it's supposed to be done without killing the volunteer." Nyx laughed as she sat on the box, patting the terrified Powers on the head.

Trigger screamed as he moved to run but was caught into another magical blast by Abracadaver and turned into a giant card, specifically a king of hearts card.

"Enough!"

A blast red magic slammed into both Nyx and Abracadaver, knocking them to the ground. Grunting, Nyx sat up and watched as Miss Spell hovered out of the woods.

"Well, talk about making an entrance." The Lady of Chaos said as she got up and wiped any dirt off herself. "The magical member of the Justice Friends herself: Miss Spell."

Miss Spell narrowed her eyes, facing down both a magical lich and a Lady of Chaos. Both of whom were dangerous beings on their own.

"Stop!" Double D landed from above and held out his hands, pointing to both sides. "It's over now. There is no point to this fight anymore."

"Tell that to her and them." Nyx gestured to all the agents who had incapacitated, transformed or just plainly blasted by Abracadaver's magic. "I was just here for some last minute laughs."

They cannot find the portal.

"Any suggestions?" Double D asked, keeping everyone in his sights as Phan-Tone landed next to his wife.

Yes. Charging.

"Charging? Charging what?" Double D asked before a bright light grew from his chest and continued grow brighter until it exploded in a flash of light, engulfing the entire area.

Nyx grunted as she vanished in a flash of purple fire while Abracadaver vanished into the ground. Phan-Tone swept his cape over his wife and both sank into the ground next. As for the agents they were returned to normal, many of them looking confused and disorientated.

"What…What did you just do?" Double D asked the AI armor he was encased in.

I used a modified version of the Mind Erasure weapon Stanford's assistant created and used it to wipe out the memories of the agents. While I'm not sure what effect it would have had on the lich, the Chaos woman and the other two the fact they retreated suggests they sought to avoid their memories being erased.

"Clearly." Double D sighed. "But those were Miss Spell and Phan-Tone, member of the heroic Justice Friends. They will be back and we've technically broken the law and possibly endangered the world."

You mean you broke the law and endangered the world. I was against activating the portal, even if it was to save Stanford.

"I couldn't in good conscious prevent Stanley from saving his brother." Double D argued as the Armatae armor slid back into its disk form on Double D's chest. "And I couldn't afford to risk my parents being killed."

"Then maybe you should explain everything."

Eyes widening Double D spun around, seeing Miss Spell and Phan-Tone standing behind him with rather stern faces.

Xxx

It was night time now as Stan and Ford were looking at themselves in the mirror.

"Look at us. When did we become old men?" Stan wondered, standing side by side with his brother.

Ford had traded his black clothing for a lab tan coat over a red sweat and black pants.

"You look like Dad." Ford said with a small smirk.

"Ugh, uck, don't say that." Stan recoiled in disgust before the two of them shared a laugh.

Once the laughter was over, Ford sighed. "Okay, Stanley, here's the deal. You can stay here the rest of the summer to watch the kids. I'll stay down in the basement and try to contain any remaining damage. But when the summer's over, you give me my house back, you give me my name back, and this Mystery Shack junk is over forever. You got it?"

Stan frowned. "So that's it? I save you; you thank me and now you want me gone? I thought we were finally past this."

"This isn't about you or me, Stanley. You've got a family of your own to look after now and now that I'm back you can go back to them." Ford reasoned. "You heard what Hoagie said about Bill. It's better for everyone that you and the rest get far away from here as possible."

Stan frowned, seeing that his brother wasn't being entirely truthful. "You're still mad at me, aren't you?"

"Not that just…" Ford turned away. "I've done enough to you already. I may have come to realize that I was too harsh along with Dad but it still doesn't change that I lost a dream I had when we were little…And I cheated you out of raising a daughter. You've done enough for me."

Stan wasn't buying it. "Fine but only on one condition: you stay away from the kids; I don't want them in danger. Cause as far as I'm concerned, they're the only family I have left."

With that Stan turned and walked upstairs, stopping to look back, then kept walking.

Xxx

Dipper had been nearby, listening to the conversation between his great uncles. He turned and walked back into the room he shared with Mabel and gaped when he saw a familiar owl sitting on his bed.

"Hello there, Dipper." Professor Pericles greeted with what would be considered a friendly smile. "Did you have a fun time greeting the author?"

Dipper turned to Mabel who was lying on her bed, seemingly asleep. "Mabel, get up! It's that bird that was with Nyx!"

"She can't hear you, Dipper. For the moment I have just resting." Pericles flew off the bed and landed next to Mabel, lowering his face down next to her. "I simply had the poor girl take a nice long nap after such an exciting day."

"Get away from her!" Dipper grabbed a nearby broom and tried to swat at Pericles with it.

The owl chuckled as he easily dodged the broom. "Oh please, don't embarrass yourself, Dipper. I have not come to fight but to warn you. After all, the only thing keeping you alive has now fulfilled its purpose."

Dipper lowered the broom as he glared. "What are you talking about?"

Pericles chuckles sinisterly. "Oh come now dear boy, I thought you were smart enough to realize that some things in your 'adventures' don't add up. Neither you and your sister have your aura unlocked, you also have no training, special equipment, or unique ability, nothing! Nothing except a journal about Gravity Falls weirdness that is basically useless against the true threats that are hiding in this towns shadows, or on the move outside of it. So for just a moment think about those facts, and consider the forces that Cipher had under his command." The evil owl suggested. "Then ask yourself this, why weren't you two killed?"

The question hit Dipper like a sledgehammer as his mind flashed back to the Blind Eye lair, and what the society members were capable of. As well as also remembering they weren't even aware of Bill having followers till they tried to help McGucket.

"He could have ordered the Blind Eye to kill us at any time, and we wouldn't have been able to fight or stop them." He whispered out in pure terror.

Pericles chuckled sending an ominous chill in the air. "Yes! There's the look of crushing realization, of utter hopelessness, Cipher has been playing with you! All that you, your family, friends, and efforts amount to in the end, in Bill Cipher eye is nothing but an amusing game to distract himself with while preparing for his grand celebration!" He exclaimed the last part while spreading his wings wide apart. "Face the facts dear boy the only other reasons you all weren't killed when you started digging into Ciphers plans was because of two factors. The fact that it was your grand uncle that was working on the portal and your disappearances or deaths could impede its progress, and simply wiping the memory of you two from his mind would just risk drawing attention they couldn't afford at the time."

Pericles lowered his wings. "As for the other factor." He chuckled. "Well let's just say Pacifica has some big plans for you Mason Pines."

"I'm not afraid of you and you can't hurt us. Remember the deal I made with Pacifica?" Dipper asked, pointing at the bird.

Pericles arched his feathered brow. "Oh is that what you believe?"

Suddenly out of nowhere a sword impaled Dipper through his back! He looked down in shock at the blade sticking out of his stomach, then suddenly the immense pain kicked in and he started coughing up blood as falls to his knee with everyone rushing to his side, as he looks up at Pericles who was seemingly unaffected by the scene except for dark amusement in his eyes.

Just as sudden as it happened the sword impaled through Dipper disappeared, as did the wound, and all the blood, as if Dipper had never gotten impaled, but he still felt the phantom pain.

Pericles chuckled as Dipper was panting on the ground. "That's the beauty of my semblance I can make anyone see, feel, hear, breathe, even taste whatever I desire them to. Such as let's say just as an example, making someone experience their own death. But that was just a small taste of what you can expect your fate to be if you continue down this road at your current level. Because dear kinder Cipher isn't the only player making his move in this game." Pericles dramatically shook his head. "Oh no as dangerous as he is, this conflict goes beyond just Bill Cipher and this little town, and it's all building to one thing. WAR! A war unlike any other this world, no this reality, has ever seen is coming! So take all of this as my warning to you kinder, prepare yourselves, grow stronger, smarter, and craftier, or risk getting taken off the board as you become just another casualty."

Pericles starts to fade away disappearing but his voice echoed all around Dipper. "And when the time comes and the lines in the sand are drawn choose your side and allegiances wisely."

"Did you hear what they said? I think Grunkle Ford said they're gonna buy us puppies made of ice cream. Might be wishful thinking, though." Mabel said, mishearing what had been said downstairs.

Dipper shook his head, deciding not to talk about what Pericles had said. "I don't know if this is good or bad. I wanted to meet the author, but..."

Mabel sat up on her bed. "Yeah. I liked the way things were here before. Just us and Stan and the occasional goblin-monster."

"Eh, I'm sure they'll work things out." Dipper shrugged.

Mabel didn't seem convinced. "Dipper, you don't think we'll turn out like Stan and Ford, do you?"

Dipper looked at his sister. "Well. What do you mean?"

Mabel lied down. "I mean, they used to be best friends, but then they got all stupid. Can you promise me you won't get stupid?"

Dipper hesitated but then smiled. "I'm not stupider than you, dum-dum."

Mabel laughed at that. "Good night, stupid."

"Good night, stupid." Dipper turned the light off and closed his eyes, Pericles' words echoing in his mind while Mabel remained awake as she looked up at the ceiling nervously.

Xxx

And Soos…

Wendy was sitting up in her bed at 3 in the morning with Soos on the phone.

"Okay, okay, so it turns out that the second Stan, the Stan that, we know, was actually, Stanley but the first Stan, was Stanford, but we didn't know, until, that Stanford came out of the portal, which was built by Stanford, but then Stanley pretended to be Stanford, he, did the portal, cause he's Stan, but he's not Stan."

"Soos, it's three in the morning." Wendy interrupted, desperately wishing to go back to sleep.

"Okay, okay, I understand. Anyway, act two: Stan started..."

Wendy groaned and lied back on her bed.

Xxx

"I heard you paid a visit to your old home."

Nyx frowned, watching as Preston poured himself a drink. "And what business is that of yours? Shouldn't you be worried about the cops searching your house? I heard that sockhead sent detailed information of your incarceration of his parents to the police."

"I've already released them and had the appropriate evidence prepared to show I had no idea of the dealings. They can search my house all they want. It's not as if another black spot on my family's record will bother me that much." Preston sipped his drink. "Besides, we should be more worried about you. You may have killed your foster parents but you left your sister alive."

"She's not my sister. There are no family ties between us." Nyx retorted.

Preston let out a chuckle that grew into full born laughter. "You're as bad a liar as you were when you were a pathetic child. Clearly Klarion has been wasting his time."

Nyx's eyes glowed in anger. "What did you just say to me?!"

Preston stopped laughing and replied smirking. "I said for all your newfound 'power' as a 'Lady'." He put sarcastic emphasis on power and Lady. "Of Chaos. Your still nothing but the sad little girl wretch crying for a family and mommy's love."

Preston just smirked arrogantly at the death glare Nyx was giving him. "It'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic."

Nyx snarled, raising a glowing hand to Preston. "Do not test me, old man! I will not be condescended to by the likes of you."

"Go ahead. You can then explain your actions to the Great One and see if he's more forgiving of you." Preston dared her.

Gritting her teeth Nyx lowered her hand. "You think you're some big player on the board, do you? I hate to break it to you, actually no I don't. You're not even worth a pawn. You are no Sebben, Major Glory, Director Betty, Klarion, Van Kleiss, Cipher, GOLB or Sammael. To them you are less than a speck of dirt."

"And what do you think you are?" Preston retorted, keeping his smile. "You want to a big player on the board? That's why you've been sneaking around, trying to gather followers like that weak willed magical guardian you've picked up. You want to act all big just so you can prove you're nothing like the weak willed child you were but you can never erase who you once were and who you truly are."

Nyx spun around, shattering the window as she jumped out. "I have more power in my single pinky than you have in your entire body!"

Preston shook his head as he finished his drink. "…What a child."

Xxx

"Thank you for coming on short notice."

"Of course. Who can say no to you when you've got the drinks out?"

Sebben barely batted an eye as his visitor popped a drink from the cabinet Sebben kept for important guests and poured another into his flask. "Well, I figured given with what's going on I thought I'd treat you, Professor Baron Samedi."

He stood around 6'5 tall with dark skin, wearing a black and purple suit with a white tie. He had a black top hat with black feathers on it, white gloves, and he was carrying a cane with a skull on the top. He had long black braided hair and wore a pair of aviator sunglasses with one lens missing.

"You'll be pleased to know you aren't the only one I have called." Sebben said as the door opened and in walked the shark Faunus known as Tiburon.

"Tiburon? Is that you?" Baron asked.

The man remained silent as he stepped in.

"Where have you been, Tiburon? I haven't seen you in twenty years! Boy, have you changed." Baron said as he took out his wallet and pulled out a group picture that showed younger versions of himself, Tiburon and two other members of the group. "Wow…you look really different."

The picture showed the younger Tiburon that looked similar, had nerd glasses and basically looked like an all-round geek. Baron looked at the current Tiburon Akheilos who looked like a complete badass.

Tiburon's only response was to walk up to Baron and sniff him. "You smell familiar."

"Tiburon! It's me! The first we day we met at Lucha and we were put on the team together, I tricked you out of all your money!" Baron recalled. "Remember when you were taking a shower and I pulled the fire alarm causing you to run out and into the fully packed lunch hall where everyone laughed at your little fish?"

"RAAAH!" Tiburon roared as he pulled out his club and started swinging at Baron who jumped out of the way.

"I mean big fish!" Baron sheepishly yelled as he dodged another swing. "Remember when you were sleeping and I shaved your head completely as a prank? Remember how angry you were?"

Baron giggled a bit but stopped when Tiburon punched him in the face with his serrated knuckles. Luckily Baron had his Aura up so he only stumbled back with a bruised cheek. "Apparently you do."

"All right that's enough!"

Both Hunters turned to the door as it opened and in walked, much to the surprise of Baron, another old team member of BATL.

"Li? What the Dust are you doing here?" Baron asked, completely shocked to see another familiar face.

Li Xiongmao smiled at Samedi. "I was called here just like you and Mister Anger issues here."

He stood around 5'11, wearing a straw hat on his head with panda ears sticking out from under them. He lifted the hat, showing himself to be a panda Faunus, wearing a blue tang coat with matching pants, a black and white Yin-Yang symbol on his back, his eyes having black spots around them and had a pot belly. He carried a yellow bamboo staff with him that served as a weapon.

"Now, Tiburon. I remember Baron's pranks on you as well but please-" Li started but was interrupted.

"Hey, I encouraged him to try asking out Genki Sanban during the Emperor Festival." Baron pointed out. "Even when she hooked up you still liked her! To this day you keep a picture of her in your wallet!"

BONK!

Tiburon put his club on his back and sighed. "You're not just irritating…You are Baron."

"Yeah, happy we could figure that out without you trying to make my insides be outsides." Baron grumbled.

"That may still yet happen." Tiburon said before Li whacked him on the head with his bamboo stick. "Hey!"

"Knock it off, you two." Li scolded. "Remember we are on the same side and we're trying to get answers to the same questions."

"Are you guys here for Van Kleiss as well?" Baron asked, looking at the two hunters.

"I felt a disturbance coming from GrimmFall. A storm cloud gathering good and evil." Li looked out the window and could see dark clouds gathering in the distance, in the direction of the Darklands.

Baron turned to Tiburon. "And what about you?"

"I'm a Huntsman. It's my job. And you?"

"Been transferred to teach at Nevernest, that's the official story." Baron said before facing Sebben. "I don't like being kept in the dark about serious things like this. Now I don't care what you do in your super-secret club here but I want to know WHAT THE DUST IS GOING ON!"

"You were all briefed, right?" Sebben asked and they all nodded. "Tiburon and Li are technically rogues since they broke off from Team BATL and the Huntsmen Association years ago but none of you committed any crimes. In fact you've done exemplarily work in protecting towns and villages that are outside our boarders in the Wilds and even in the ocean. Right now we need your help."

"You mean because of all the craziness going on. That thing with the Golden Castle, the Crom Crises and that work with Mars and the Red Caps." Tiburon commented.

"Mars Polemarchos is behind bars for his crimes and so is Robin Redcap Jr. They are not the prime concern right now." Callie Briggs replied as she stepped in. "You know who is."

"Yeah. You want us for back up for the teams who going after this Van Kleiss." Baron stated.

Sebben nodded. "Li's not wrong about good and evil gathering. In the next few weeks, GrimmFall is going to the center of various forces colliding and we're going to need to be ready. As Team BATL, you are one of the best teams out there along with Team SEKR, REYN, RGCK, the Justice Friends and the ones who have yet to come."

"The whole Team BATL? As in-" Baron was interrupted when the door opened again.

"Sebben, I have the test results on the DNA back and…" The man stopped walking as he looked at everyone in the room. "Is…This a bad time?"

The man stood about 6'2 tall, wearing standard scientist clothing with a white lab coat and everything, had red hair, robotic hands, and glasses over his face while holding papers in his hands.

"No, actually. This is perfect timing, Albert." Sebben answered as Baron walked over to him and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Wait! Forneus!? What are you doing here?" Baron asked as Albert Forneus turned to face him.

"Samedi? I haven't seen you since…Nevermind. I'm just doing my job, working as a scientist for Sebben." Albert answered.

"Wait, just hold on! Do you know what's going on?" Baron asked.

"About Van Kleiss? Yeah. I've been working on a way to track all the people who Van Kleiss might have abducted. I have been working at DexLabs, working on ways to scan their quantum signature we can tell who is from here and who is from another world." Forneus answered. "I've even worked on a way to track down the creatures known as Digimon after Doctor Princess was kind enough to show me the medical reports…With the added oath that I would not discuss my findings with anyone outside of her or Major Glory."

"Digimon?" Tiburon and Li questioned.

"You'll learn all about it." Callie remarked as she stood next to Sebben. "Hopefully we can use on your way to track down that Jimmy child before someone is hurt…Or he hurts someone."

"In the meantime I have some people to introduce you all too and what the mission might entail." Sebben said, getting back on track.

Xxx

"All packed?"

Nigel and Abby nodded, helping place all the luggage into the car. "Yep!"

"Good. We better hurry now. The last thing we want is for a storm to cancel our flight." Monty said with a smile as he got into the driver seat.

Elsa and Anna, much to their reluctance but complied with the advice of their Elementals, shrank their forms until they were the size of hamsters and sitting on Nigel and Abby's laps since there was not enough room in the back.

"We're off to the airport now." Monty said once they were all inside.

Abby looked out the window, staring at the house and then at her tablet, sending a quick message to Omni. 'Hope you don't have to rescue us to see us again anytime soon.'

Xxx

Hoagie smiled as he leaned over the sleeping form of his daughter. "I swear to you we will get her back, and everyone who hurts us, or anyone who stands in our way will pay." Hoagie with a dark look in his eyes clenched his fists. "They...will... pay!"