Ben 10 RWBY Volume 2: Ultimate Omniverse

by The Omni-Remnant

Having returned from a massive adventure in the world of Remnant, Ben, Team RWBY, and the rest of their friends find themselves faced with new challenges at every turn on Earth. Be it villains old and new… or even things that they never imagined to be real. It's going to be a challenge unlike any they've seen before, but they're up for it. It's Hero Time! (Cover Art credit inside)

82. Building Up the Future, Part 1

A/N: Greetings and salutations, everybody! Welcome back to Ben 10 RWBY and the FINALE of Season 3! And lemme tell ya, I'm already buzzing about getting to Season 4 when we come back in January, because I've got TONS of ideas on where this story's gonna be going. More Omniverse episodes, more original adventures, the works! But for now, we've gotta get into this two-parter first! There's gonna be lots of exciting stuff happening here that sets up what's gonna be happening later, as the title suggests, so let's get right into it, shall we?

Oh, but before we get into it, there's something I realized while writing this chapter. I did say that Donovan Grand-Smith was returning, but it occurred to me that his original voice actor, Tom Kane, sadly suffered a stroke a few years back and has had to retire from voice acting as a result. So, that being said, if I were to recast anyone as Donovan, I'd probably go with this…

Donovan Grand-Smith – Voiced by J.K. Simmons

So, now that we're properly THINKING with Portals and pictures of Spider-Man, let's get started! This is…

Chapter 81: Building Up the Future, Part 1

…..

With a big yawn and an even bigger stretch, Ben Tennyson awoke from his much-needed slumber… of about twelve hours. After an absolutely maddening series of events the day before, it was understandable why he would need such a long rest. After all, having to deal with Forever Knights, a Tarasque, an annoying little brat who hated his guts, and subsequently getting de-aged by said brat was quite a lot to handle in one day. Not to mention that the ones who remained in Bellwood had to deal with the Stymphalian Birds, so there was that to factor in as well. But, somehow, he and his team managed to do it, all thanks to the drastic time discrepancies between France and Bellwood. …Oh, and to top it all off, his internal clock was most assuredly screwed up, so dealing with that would be FUN.

But that would have to be dealt with later. Right now, Ben had to wake up. It was 7:00 in the morning and he wasn't about to stay in bed for ANOTHER twelve hours. "Aaaahh… okay, up and at 'em." As he sat up, though, Ben felt an odd sensation under his feet… before realizing that it was just the rug. "Oh god, I can't believe I almost got used to having short legs."

Placing a hand on his forehead, Ben stood up, making sure that he was six-feet even again. Thankfully, one peer into the mirror on his door was all the confirmation he needed. "Hah, man, that de-aging ray's got me going stir-crazy. I need a shower…" Grabbing a change of clothes, Ben shuffled out of his room… only for a certain voice to pipe up behind him.

"Well good morning, Green Boy." Almost instantly, the young man perked up and snapped around, seeing his girlfriend with her usual playful grin, wearing a yellow tank top and black shorts. Much to his relief, she was back to HER normal self as well… and his throat hitched when he was reminded of just how incredible her normal self was. Her beautiful features, her soft skin and long flowing hair… and of course, her amazing assets. But he was directed to her eyes first and foremost, seeing the love she had for him behind her gaze. "Good to see you… well, I guess back to being yourself."

"Hah, my sentiments exactly." Dropping the pile of clothes, Ben wasted no time in pulling Yang into an embrace, his hands traveling to the small of her back as he pulled her into a short but sweet kiss. "Mmm… I missed that." he said as it ended.

"Hmhm, I missed it very much." Settling into the crook of his neck, Yang peered up to him through her bangs, asking; "So, what's on the agenda today?"

Massaging her back, Ben hummed and replied; "Well, first, I need to take a shower to get my mind back on track." He rolled his eyes. "I'm still a bit thrown off from yesterday, honestly."

Yang nodded into his chest. "Yeah, same. I was thinking of taking a shower, too…" Then, her eyebrows rose in amusement, teasingly running a finger down Ben's chest. "…Wanna take one together?"

Ben's throat hitched again, leading to a brief coughing fit. "Hak-hak, u-um… you DO know that if either of our moms catch us in there, we're both dead, right?"

"Ooh, yeah, right. We're supposed to be on our best behavior so we can at least share the same bed, aren't we?" Yang eventually shrugged and just continued cuddling against his chest. "Ah well, it was just a silly little idea anyway. …Though come to think of it, would it be all that bad if we took one in, like, our swimsuits or something?"

"Goldie Locks, I doubt that'd matter to our moms."

With a dramatic sigh, Yang pulled away and raised her hands in surrender. "Ah, okay, okay, it was worth a try." She shook her head with a small chuckle before placing her hands to her hips. "But seriously, what's on the schedule? I know me, mom, Ruby and Vernal are headed out on the town, but after that, I'm guessing it's back to training?"

"I think so." Ben affirmed, picking his clothes up off the ground. "Pretty sure our first training session with Monkey King is gonna be today, actually."

"Aw, yeah, that oughta be fun." Yang pumped an eager fist. "I mean, we're gonna get our asses kicked, but it'll be a fun ass-kicking."

Ben couldn't help but chuckle a little himself at that. "Pfft, tell that to Sun. His new mentor's gonna whup his ass and he's not gonna have a fun time with it."

All Yang could do was shrug. "Eh, probably not. …But oh! Isn't your grandpa's billionaire friend coming today, too? I think he mentioned something about wanting to talk business with us, right?"

Scratching his head, Ben remembered that as well. "Ah, yeah, right. Donovan Grand-Smith is coming today, isn't he? Man, still can't believe we'll be seeing him again. It's been almost eight years…" He brought his hand to his chin in thought. "I wonder what sort of business he'll be wanting to talk about?"

"Ah, whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be exciting." Yang winked. "But that'll have to wait until later. You go take your shower, the girls and I will meet you downstairs for breakfast in a bit, okay?"

"Hm, right. See ya down there." Ben was about to head into the bathroom, when suddenly…

*whap*

His eyes widened. That was a hand… on his ass. It was only for a few seconds, but that sensation was unmistakable. He glanced over his shoulder to see Yang nonchalantly headed toward the stairs… though her stride was slow, almost methodical to make her own backside more appealing. "See you downstairs… lover boy."

Ben chewed on his lower lip. Did he dare? Could he even do it? He only had a few more seconds before Yang made it to the stairs. He couldn't possibly have enough time or confidence to—

*whap*

It happened in the blink of an eye, Ben was so fast about it, to the point where Yang wasn't even sure if he had even moved from his spot. But sure enough, one turn of the head later, and Yang spotted Ben hurriedly scurrying into the bathroom… all while still feeling where his hand had made impact. With a satisfied smirk, Yang proceeded down the stairs. "Hm… now you're getting it, babe."

…..

Across town, meanwhile, Gwen was having a much more relaxed morning, the redhead roaming around her house while Team JNPR played with little Romy in the backyard. Needless to say, her Sunday had been a LOT more hectic than she was expecting. Dealing with metal birds that left toxic droppings and being de-aged back to her pre-teen self was NOT something she had been anticipating, to say the least. She even had a near mental breakdown about the whole situation, but she managed to persevere thanks to her supportive family and friends.

"Hey there, sis." Hearing her brother pipe up, the Anodite craned her head back toward the kitchen, where he and Winter were standing in the doorway. The two approached her with equally curious eyes. "So, any particular reason why you're pacing a rut into the living room carpet?"

Gwen's eyebrows shot up and brought her head down, seeing that she was indeed leaving a path around the coffee table. "Oh! Hah, woops." Sitting down, she sent the couple an awkward smile. "S-Sorry about that. I was just… thinking is all."

"About yesterday?" Winter guessed, sitting down next to Gwen an offering a supportive hand. "Understandable. After everything you all went through this weekend, I certainly can't blame you for feeling uneasy."

"Well, yes, that's a big part of it, for sure." Gwen admitted, bringing a hand to her neck. "But… I can't help but think something BIG is about to happen, and soon."

This made Winter raise a brow. "What makes you say that?"

"Just… experience, I guess." Gwen sighed and leaned back against the couch. "Once you've faced down an eldritch abomination with those closest to you, you tend to start getting hunches about these kinds of things."

Kenny offered a sympathetic smile, sitting down with the girls. "Well, whatever it is, I can only bet that it won't involve any more de-aging. …And I certainly hope it involves LESS bird poop."

That made Gwen wince, glaring at her brother slightly. "…Thanks for the reminder, Ken. Thanks a lot." *ding-dong* The trio perked up at the doorbell suddenly ringing, prompting Gwen to get up and answer it. "I've got it." But, when she eventually opened the door, her eyes widened at the group that was gathered outside, her boyfriend included among them. "Huh? Kevin?"

"Hiya." Kevin greeted simply, leaning forward to briefly capture his girlfriend's lips in a good morning smooth. "How're you doin' after yesterday?"

"Doing better, actually, but um…" She peered behind him to see Sun, Neptune, Ilia and Penny all smiling happily in greeting. "What're you guys doing here so early? …In fact, HOW did you guys get here anyway? Isn't your car still… you know…"

Kevin nodded grimly. "Yeah, I've still gotta sort that out." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "The furry dude who crashed on my mom's couch is the one who got us here."

"That I did!" From around the doorframe, the Monkey King himself peeked into the house, making Gwen jump a little. "And lemme tell ya, it was a nice couch." Wu Kong showed himself in full before bowing to the redhead. "Can we come in, please?"

Behind Gwen, Kenny and Winter both simply stared in astonishment as the Anodite stepped aside, allowing her guests in. "O-Oh, of course, Monkey King. Please, everybody, make yourselves comfortable." All the while, though, she still kept an eyebrow raised at them. "But you still haven't answered my question. Why're you guys here this early? We could've just met up at Plumber HQ like we usually do."

Sun was the one who answered her finally. "Monkey King wanted to see you before we got down to business today, actually." he explained as he flipped over onto a chair, popping the recliner out in the process.

"Wait, see me, specifically?"

"That's right, I… wait a second." Wu Kong's sights traveled down to Kenny and Winter, who were still gawking at him. "…Hey, how's it hangin'?"

Winter was the first one who snapped out of her stupor, shaking her boyfriend's shoulder to break him out of his own. "O-Oh, my apologies, Monkey King, sir. We're just… still not used to your presence around here."

Shrugging it off, Wu Kong sent the two a smile. "Ah, it's understandable. I mean, you aren't the first to be overwhelmed by my company…" Just then, he caught something out the corner of his eye, bringing his attention toward the kitchen were Natalie was topped dead in her tracks. Slack-jawed and wide-eyed, the woman was struck absolutely speechless. "See? Mortals usually know what's up when it comes to me."

"M-Mom!" Gwen rushed over and manually moved her mother back around, pushing her toward the stairs. "Ah, heh, official hero business, sorry! Why don't we save introductions for later, huh?"

"Is… is THE Monkey King in my living room?" Natalie managed to ask

"I know, I know, a lot to process, but you'll get used to it." Gwen assured. "Hercules was here a couple weeks ago, remember?" After ushering Natalie up the stairs and back to her room, Gwen came back down and placed her hands on her hips as she addressed Wu Kong. "Well, Your Royal Highness, aside from putting my mother into near-catatonic shock, what is it that you want?"

The Monkey King grinned and reached behind his ear… where he pulled out a tiny speck that grew into a wooden box that he held in both hands. "Well, while I was flying around here the past week as Pilgrim's little woodpecker buddy, I couldn't help but overhear that you needed a few select items that're pretty hard to come by." He handed the box to Gwen, who gingerly took it with a curious eye. "So, I asked an old friend if he could provide one of these things while I sought out the other myself. Go on, take a peek!"

Initially, Gwen was skeptical. She had read Journey to the West at least twice, and she was familiar with Wu Kong's pranks. …But then she remembered he was enlightened and decided to take a chance. 'Eh, couldn't hurt, at least. What's the worse that could happen, a banana cream pie to the face?'

Once she cracked open the top, however… it became quite clear that the gift was genuine, and she let out a gasp in shock. "AH! N-No way!" She had to resist the urge to bring her hand to her mouth, lest she drop the box which she did NOT want. Because inside, sat upon a soft, blue cushion… was a glowing dragon's scale… and a phoenix feather. The scale glowed with a bright, rainbow hue but was jade green in color, while the feather was mainly red but changed to a more orangey-yellow closer to the tip, all while still radiating heat.

"WOAH!" Neptune exclaimed, his and everybody else's jaws dropping at the sight. "What the heck?!"

"I have to agree!" Ilia nodded. "Gwen, why in the WORLD were you searching for these things?!"

Gwen, however, was smiling ecstatically, still coming to terms with the gift. "Hah… b-because these were the last two things that Cooper needed for his project!" She whipped her head up to Wu Kong, asking; "W-Where did you find them?!"

"Hehe, like I said, I know a guy." Wu Kong winked. "Specifically, an old dragon friend that I took a western pilgrimage with."

That made Gwen's jaw drop even further. "This… this is AO LIE'S scale?! The Dragon Horse himself provided one of his OWN scales?!"

"Yep, and he was more than happy to help." The Monkey King pointed down at the phoenix feather. "As for this bad boy, I've got like, a TON of phoenixes that make their home on my mountain." He pointed up to his head crest, which had two long feathers sticking out the back. "After all, where d'ya think I got these? All I had to do was keep an eye out for any molting phoenixes and make sure I got their feather before it hit the ground. …Side note, don't drop the feather. It'll burn up the moment it makes contact with the earth."

"Oh, I will handle it with the utmost care, I promise you." Gwen assured, grinning down at the two object that might as well have been sacred treasures. "I almost feel bad that I have to use these for the liquid Dust. Here's hoping Cooper's project is worth it, I suppose."

Ilia, however, wore a skeptical look as she tilted her head toward Gwen. "That's something else I've been meaning to ask, Gwen. You've been mentioning this project for about a week or so, but still none of us know what it really is." Sun and Neptune both glanced to one another before nodding to the redhead, prompting Ilia to cross her arms. "Just what IS Cooper's big project?"

Her eyes shifting between the three, Gwen uttered a nervous; "Umm… well, I would tell you, but then Cooper may never trust me to keep a surprise ever again, so I can't."

At this, Penny's eyes lit up. "Ooh! I enjoy surprises! Perhaps it would be best to keep mum about this after all."

"I don't mind surprises, but it sounds like Cooper's relying on this new liquid Dust to work, which sounds to me like he's taking chance with it." Ilia pointed out, sending Gwen a concerned gaze. "Are you sure he knows what he's doing?"

"Ilia, Coop's a super genius." Kevin pointed out, stepping in to place a hand on Gwen's shoulder. "If Gwen believes he can pull it off, then I think we should have some faith in him. I mean, he built his first Iron Man homage suit in the middle of a battlefield! …With a bunch of scraps!"

The chameleon girl pursed her lips, but found that the Osmosian made a fair point. "…For the first time in a while, I think I can take your word for something, Kevin."

"See? What'd I tell ya—HEY!"

But Gwen placed a hand on Kevin's chest, settling him down before he could go off. "Now, now, not in the house, please. Safe frustrations for training." She closed the lid to the box and bowed to Wu Kong once more. "But again, thank you so much for this, Monkey King. I promise, these will NOT go to waste. Once I get to Plumber HQ, I'm getting these straight to Hope so that we can finish the Dust."

"Glad to hear!" Wu Kong saluted. "But after that, I hope you kids are ready…" Reaching behind his other ear, he pulled out something the size of a pin before the object increased in size, revealing it to be his Ryui Jingu Bang. "Because you kids are gonna be in for one HELL of a training sesh!" he said as he stamped his staff upon the floor.

"Sensational!" Penny cheered. "Training with THE Monkey King is sure to be quite exhilarating!"

Sun clapped his hands together eagerly. "You know it! So, what'll be your first lesson for us, Monkey King?"

"Your first lesson, huh? Well…"

"GWEN!" Just then, Nora's voice shouted from further in the house, taking everyone aback. "Call a plumber! …And no, not THAT kind! There's a toilet that's backed up!"

The group stared incredulously in horror at what she said, to which the Monkey King continued; "…Your first lesson's gonna be a THOROUGH understanding of the concept of "TMI"."

…..

Once that mess was taken care of, the group collectively went to Plumber base, with the Monkey King using his teleportation technique to get them there. A few of the teens felt a bit uneasy afterward, but Sun assured them that they'd get used to it. "It's a bit weird, yeah, but it gets a lot easier to handle each time." However, much to the group's surprise, it wasn't long before the Rustbucket came pulling up to the curb outside of Max's Plumbing, where Max himself, Ben and Team RWBY all came out at once.

"Ah, mornin', kids." Max greeted first. "How was your sleep?"

"Hah, MUCH needed." Jaune commented, his shoulders slumping forward. "I think that was probably the most chaotic Sunday we've had yet. And that's saying something."

Ben went over and gave Jaune a good-hearted smack on the shoulder. "Yeah, but you guys handled everything pretty great! After all, dealing with those birds couldn't have been easy." The hero's gaze traveled over to Pyrrha, giving her a thumbs up. "I heard that you were the MVP of that battle in particular, Pyrrha. Nice!"

Pyrrha bashfully glanced away, rubbing her neck as she shrugged it off. "Oh, I wouldn't say it was that impressive."

"Yeah, it was MORE than that." Ren piped up. "To the point it wasn't really a battle…"

…..

~24 Hours Earlier~

"You DARE to challenge the integrity of Bellwood, you flying menaces?! To endanger it's inhabitants with your FOUL feces?!" Pyrrha hollered from the top of a building as she kept shooting down the Stymphalian Birds one by one, all while the rest of her team gawked on in amazement and horror. "NEVER! I will bring you ALL down, do you hear me?! YOU AND YOUR CONTAMINATED DROPPINGS WILL NEVER TAKE OUR HOME OR OUR SPIRIT!"

…..

~Present Day~

"…More like a massacre." Everyone who was there stared at Pyrrha, and the others were similarly wide-eyed after hearing that. All the while, Pyrrha tried to hide away in her hair as she blushed a very similar shade of red.

But Yang was all the more impressed after the recounting. "Haha! P-Money, I had no idea you had THAT in ya!"

Peeking out from her hair, Pyrrha justified her actions; "Th-They, they nearly DEFECATED on Rommy! I wasn't about to let that slide!"

"Nor should you have!" Blake insisted. "I probably would've gone savage if those things had done the same to Rema, too."

With a sigh of relief, Pyrrha reached out and grasped Blake's hands gratefully. "Thank you for understanding, Blake. I knew you would!"

However, Ruby stepped into the conversation to change the subject, having just noticed something. "Hey, um, where's Uncle Qrow and Raven? I thought they'd be meeting us out here." She glanced briefly toward her sister. "After all, we've got a mother-daughter day to get to."

"I believe they might've already gone in to begin some preparations with Agent Six." Winter answered, nodding toward the front door of the base's façade. "Meaning that we should enter as well. After all, we have much more business to attend to aside from training."

"She's right, kids." Max concurred, stepping up to open the door for them. "I've got an old friend waiting for us down there already. It's the first time in almost eight years since we've seen each other, so I don't wanna keep him waiting any longer. And I'm sure that he's eager to meet all of you, too." Not wasting another moment, the Omni-Hunters piled into the store, with Winter and Wu Kong bringing up the rear.

Once they were all on the elevator down, though, Nora couldn't help but ask. "So, Grandpa Max, this "Donovan Granny Smith" guy, is he like, rich or stupid rich?"

Max got a laugh out of that, so much that he had to hold his chest. "Hahaha! Oh-ho, Nora, first off, it's "Grand-Smith", not "Granny Smith". But second of all… well, he honestly IS kinda stupid rich." Reaching into his pocket, the old Plumber pulled out a glossy photograph, which he showed off to the others.

In it were himself, as well as the very familiar faces of Ben and Gwen as kids. Next to them, however, were two others; an old man with swept back grey hair, brown eyes and a very hawkish nose, wearing a maroon turtleneck sweater, a pair of brown pants, and matching loafers. He also had a somewhat thin build with a bit of a gut as well. The man's hand was settled on a shoulder of another boy who appeared to be Ben and Gwen's age, and he was dressed much like the elder man. The boy's hair was black and similarly swept back as who the team presumed to be his grandfather, though he had blue eyes instead of brown. "Oh, so that's Donovan?" Jaune asked.

"That's right, Jaune." Max nodded. "This was taken the last time we saw one another."

"And the kid next to him…" Ruby leaned in curiously. "I'm guessing that's his grandson?"

"Yep, that's right." Ben affirmed. "His name was Edwin, though he also goes by Eddie." He pointed his finger down at Edwin and explained; "Remember how I said that Donovan's underwater resort was destroyed by a bunch of squid aliens? Well, Eddie helped Gwen and I reach the power core that they were after."

Gwen picked it up from there. "As it turns out, Donovan actually took the core to power his hotel, and the squid aliens wanted it back."

This made Jaune eye Ben skeptically. "Really? Ben, I thought you said that this guy was on the up and up."

"He is, trust me." Ben asserted. "…Though granted, he pretty much learned his lesson the hard way after that whole fiasco. By the way…" Focusing back to his grandfather, Ben raised a brow. "How DID that whole "resort hotel on the moon" idea go for him?"

"You can ask him that yourself, Ben." Max replied as the elevator came to a stop in the control room. "We're here."

The Omni-Hunters all stepped out and were instantly approached by Rex, the EVO waving them down. "Hey, buenos dias, guys!"

"Ah, good morning to you to, mi amor." Weiss greeted her boyfriend with an embrace, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Did you sleep well?"

Rex sighed as he kissed her cheek back, happy that Weiss could fit in his arms again. "Hah, after yesterday? You bet. Feels like I just slept off a week's worth of missions." However, Rex's attention briefly went over to Max, nudging his head toward the nearby meeting room. "Max, everyone's waitin' for us in there. Your old amigo's itchin' to see ya."

Wearing an eager smile, Max proceeded toward the room. "Oh, I'm sure he is. C'mon kids, let's go in."

The only one who remained behind was the Monkey King, giving them a salute. "You guys go on ahead. I don't think it'd be fair to Mr. Billionaire to rock the foundations of his world by introducing ME to him right off the bat." he reasoned. The team accepted that before following Max into the room, the team were greeted by the sight of Raven, Qrow, Vernal, and Six all sitting at the table… as well as someone else.

"Ah, there they are." Raven smiled at the sight of the team coming in. "Good timing, everyone."

Six stood up from his seat, gesturing to the older gentlemen. "Mr. Grand-Smith arrived not too long ago. We've been making conversation with him until you got here."

Max brightened up at the sight of his old friend. "Donovan! It's good to see—" But as he approached, Max cut himself off when he noticed something… strange about his friend. "…What in the—"

"Maxwell? Haha! Maxwell, it is you!" Standing up, Donovan Grand-Smith spoke in a jovial tone at the sight of his old friend, which belied his deep, aged voice. But what astonished Max and the others, however, was the fact that he looked nothing like he once did in the picture from almost eight years prior. The grey hair on his head was almost close to bald, with what remained thinning around the back. Instead, all of it seemed to go to his face, with a bushy white beard prominently on display.

What's more, his physique was completely different as well. No longer did he wear a heavy turtle neck to hide his thin build and pudgy midsection. Now, he wore a casual maroon V-neck T-shirt… which showed off the muscles of his much-improved upper body. If Max hadn't known better, he would presume this man to be a body builder rather than his old friend. But his hawkish facial features were a dead giveaway. This WAS Donovan Grand-Smith, much to his and his grandchildren's surprise.

"M-Mr. Grand-Smith?!" Gwen exclaimed.

"Donovan?" Max blinked as the strong man came forward, beaming from ear to ear. "Is that… w-what in blazes…"

The billionaire resort entrepreneur gave a laugh as he extended his hand, which Max shook despite his shock. "Haha! Surprised? I bet you are. Eight years can really do things to a man, you know?" His eyes shifted between Ben and Gwen, going to shake their hands as well. "And you kids! Haha, I know I see you on the news almost every day, but you've grown quite well."

Ben shook Donovan's hand, but was still trying to find answers. "U-Uh, thanks, but… what happened to you?"

Max scratched his head, echoing his grandson's sentiment. "I have to agree, Donovan. Where did all of… this come from?" He gestured toward Donovan's incredible form for emphasis.

"Hah… well, Max, unfortunately some of us don't age as gracefully as others." Donovan sighed, placing his hands in the pockets of his khaki pants as he reminisced. "…Two years after we saw one another, I… got really sick. And I mean, it was bad. Almost to the point where I wasn't sure if I'd survive."

Everyone's eyes widened at that, and Max was left absolutely astonished. "W-What?! How didn't we hear about—"

"I made sure that there was a media blackout about the whole thing." Donovan answered, furrowing his brow as he shook his head. "My family was already going through so much, I didn't want to burden them with the attention they'd get… especially from those tabloid hacks over at TNV." He craned his head back to Ben and Gwen. "I'm sure you remember my grandson, Eddie? He was going through school at the time and I didn't need THAT kind of weight on his shoulders."

Gwen wholeheartedly agreed. "Oh, that's totally understandable. But I take it that things DID get better."

"Oh, no doubt. After several surgeries and rounds of therapy, I got to the point where I could finally get out of bed and walk again." Bringing his head up toward the ceiling, Donovan gave a nod. "And it was at that point that I told myself that it was time to make a change. After all, I wanted to live long enough to see my grandson succeed, and perhaps even see HIS children one day. So, I made several healthy life-style changes; put myself on a new diet, daily exercise and plenty of vitamins." With a confident grin, Donovan brought his arm up and flexed it, showing off his full muscle. "And over the course of three years, this is the result! And I've gotta say, I couldn't be any happier."

Max was also very happy for his friend. "Hey, that's amazing to hear, Donovan. Good on you for taking such a big step. Though, uh, I have to ask…" He reached up to his own chin and scratched it, asking Donovan; "What've you got going on here with the Father Time business?"

"Oh, ha! Well, full disclosure, I lost a majority of my hair while I was sick." Donovan explained. "But, fortunately, that didn't extend to my face, so I thought "why not?"." He grasped his beard and gave it a gentle tug. "And I think the results speak for themselves."

Kevin smirked and quipped; "Yeah, and the result is "Jacked Up Santa Claus"."

Without missing a beat, Donovan rounded about on him, wagging a finger in the Osmosian's direction. "Ah-ha, nice try, kid. You have any idea how often I get that? Try for something original and then we'll talk." His words made Kevin shrink back embarrassedly, which Donovan couldn't help but chuckle at. "Heh, kid, I'm joking. Relax a bit, eh?" The billionaire's sights then shifted toward the rest of the Omni-Hunters, namely the Remnant natives. "Now, all of you must be the ones from this "Remnant" world, correct?"

"Oh, yes, sir!" Weiss confirmed with a polite curtsey. "It's truly a pleasure."

"Please, the pleasure's mine." Donovan insisted. "Trust me, being able to meet people from another universe is something else. Definitely not something I'd thought I'd get to experience." He folded his arms over his chest. "So, I'm betting you're wondering what it is I wanted to talk to you all about…" He glanced over to the Omnitrix bearer. "Isn't that right, Ben?"

Ben nodded back, keen to find out the reason. "Sure am, Mr. Grand-Smith. Grandpa said that you bought some property in Bellwood recently. …Wait, is this some sort of sponsorship deal for a new hotel or something?"

That got a laugh out of the older man. "HA! Oh, no, no, that's not it at all. Trust me, I have no plans on opening a resort in Bellwood." He raised a contentious finger. "BUT… my company IS going to be expanding into the architecture business. I plan on retiring in the next few years, and in that time, I want to oversee as much expansion as I can. And the first step is setting up the Grand-Smith Architectural headquarters here in Bellwood."

That caught Max's interest. "Ah, architecture, eh? Getting in the business of building more than just resorts, Donovan?"

"Well, more specifically, my grandson is." Donovan clarified. "He's currently going to school for it and I want to make sure he's got a good start when he earns his degree."

"Edwin's going into architecture?" Gwen reiterated. "Oh, that's so exciting! I hope he's doing well in his studies."

"Hmhm, actually, you'll get the chance to ask—"

But before Donovan could finish that sentence, the door to the meeting room opened, revealing a rather frantic Hope and Taiyang. "Guys!" the blonde man exclaimed. "We just got off the ID-Comm with Jim and Cooper."

All at once, the young heroes were all on high alert, with Ben, Raven and Qrow all marching their way through the crowd and up to the two. "Tai, what's the matter?" the Omnitrix bearer asked. "Is something going on?"

"Did Salem make a move in Remnant?" Qrow furthered.

"Or are more Grimm attacking Vale?" Raven guessed.

Charmcaster shook her head at both. "Oh, no, nothing like that. It's not something that requires major attention… at least not for the entire team." The sorceress set her sights onto Gwen and Kevin, catching the duo's attention. "Guys… it's ready. Cooper's project is done and ready for testing."

"In his words, specifically; "It's time to begin the experiment"." Tai added with a shrug. "Dunno why he wanted me to tell you that exact statement, but he did."

Gwen immediately broke out into a wide smile. "Oh! Perfect! And just in time, too." The redhead made her way over to Hope and held up the box the Monkey King had gifted to her, opening it up for her friend to see. "Take a look and what our new pal gave me!"

With eyes wide and lips parted, Hope gasped, her hand flying up to her mouth. "O-Oh my goodness!" But eventually, her lips curled into a smile as well, locking her gaze with Gwen's. "So THIS is the gift that he was talking about yesterday! Hah, I was wondering about that…"

"Yep, and now we can finally finish the last of the liquid Dust." Gwen closed the box. "Though we might have to do it while we're in Remnant."

Hope gave her a nod. "Yeah, he was pretty eager to get started, so we'll need to leave as soon as possible." She then eyed Ben next. "Sorry, Ben, but I'm taking your cousin and your best friend for a little bit."

"Ah, you're good." Ben waved off. "If Cooper needs you guys, then I understand."

However, Ilia was still somewhat skeptical about the whole thing. "Though, uh… how long WILL this "experiment" take? Seriously, I can't help but feel you're keeping something HUGE from us."

Kevin could only give a shrug. "Eh, who knows? With Cooper going all in on a project like this, you can never guess." He clapped his hands together, readily raring to go. "But the only way to know is to find out, so let's get goin', ladies!" He pointed toward the rest of the team. "And we'll see you guys later."

"Yeah, I'd better get back home, too." Tai said as he walked over to his family, bringing his arms up to hug them all. "I've been gone for a LOT longer than I said I would, so I've gotta get back to Signal. But hey, you girls have fun today, okay?" He leaned toward Yang and Ruby, supportively embracing them. "Be good to your mother…" And then he shifted over to Raven, planting a kiss upon her lips. "And I hope to see all of you soon."

"Hmhm, of course." Raven hummed with a little giggle. "It's been nice having you here, Tai."

"It sure has, dad." Ruby agreed wholeheartedly. "Say hi to the gang from Signal for us!"

Tai sent her a thumbs up. "Hah, you betcha!" The retired Huntsman craned his head over toward Vernal, nudging his chin toward her. "And, Vernal. Keep on being awesome, 'kay? And make sure that these kids stay on their toes."

Despite herself, Vernal couldn't help but smirk back at the man, folding her arms over her chest. "Heh, I don't plan on stopping anytime soon, Tai. Catch ya later."

With one final nod, Tai turned back to the group of magic-users and the Osmosian, ready to head out. "Well then, shall we go?"

"Yep. I'm pretty sure Luhley knows how to work the Dimensional Doorway, so let's go see her first." Gwen advised. Though before they all left, she made sure to bow her head to Donovan in farewell. "It was nice seeing you again, Mr. Grand-Smith. Sorry for having to leave so suddenly."

"Oh, no, it's fine!" the billionaire assured. "Go on, it's official hero business in another world! Far be it from me to keep you from doing what needs to get done. Trust me, I'm not gonna be leaving Bellwood anytime soon, so go on." Donovan gave the group a salute. "And best of luck!" After an exchange of goodbyes between the team, Gwen, Kevin, Hope and Tai all went off toward Luhley's lab to set off to Remnant, leaving the others behind. "Well, I think it's about time we head out ourselves." Putting his hands in his pockets, Donovan sent a knowing grin out to the Omni-Hunters. "I want to give you kids a little tour of the property we bought in Bellwood, if that's alright with you."

Clearing her throat, Raven came forward once again. "Ahem, my apologies, Mr. Grand-Smith, but I'm afraid that not all of us will be joining you." She set her hands upon Yang and Ruby's shoulders, the two beaming excitedly at her. "You see, I promised my daughters that we'd be having a little family day to ourselves, so that's our main priority today…"

Much to Raven's surprise, Donovan was not bothered by it in the least. "Oh, I see! Well, far be it from me to get in the way of a family outing." He gave the three a smile of approval. "You ladies all go have fun. And perhaps we'll meet up with you later on."

"Sounds like a plan, Mr. Grand-Smith." Yang bowed her head to the old man before directing her attention over to Vernal, who was still sitting at the table. "So, big sis, you ready for this?"

A sigh passed Vernal's lips and she stood up, strolling over to the girls. "I guess so. Just let me make sure of one thing…"

"Hm? What's that?" Ruby tilted her head.

Without uttering a word, Vernal stepped between the Blonde Brawler and the Hooded Huntress… before gently poking their cheeks one by one. Yang and Ruby could do nothing but stare incredulously at Vernal as she prodded their face, all while giving them a suspicious eye. But, before long, the former bandit let out a sigh and raised her hands in relief. "Hah, okay, both of you are ACTUALLY yourselves again. Good."

All at once, Ruby and Yang let out uproarious laughs that quickly spread amongst the others, aside from Donovan who was very clearly confused. But all the same, Yang wiped a tear from her eye as she tried to calm herself down. "Hahaha! Oh, oh my gosh, V, you crack me up."

"Well, can you BLAME me?!" Vernal exclaimed, thrusting her hands toward the sisters and Raven. "Seeing you come out of that portal in the middle of my training session yesterday all de-aged and stuff with Raven holding your hands like you were on your way to the park made me freaking flip out!"

"Hehehe! Yeah, true." Ruby giggled. "You jumped so high I thought you'd go through the ceiling! Hahaha!"

Vernal wasn't too amused by that, though. "Yeah, real funny. Hah, but since we've established that everything's normal again, what IS the plan for the day? Battle training? Survival tactics?"

But Raven shook her head at both. "Nope. None of that today. Remember, Vernal; this is a family outing. And that means we're going to be doing things that a normal family would do…" She then looked to Yang for some sort of direction. "Yang, what would a normal family do?"

"Hoo boy, we're gonna be at it for a while." Yang exchanged a knowing look with her sister before both of them stepped behind Raven and Vernal respectively, ushering them out the door. "C'mon, ladies! We're gonna have a fun time if it kills us!"

"Yep! And the first stop is… the mall!" Ruby announced. "We're gonna get you gals into some fresh threads!"

Vernal was immediately dreading the idea. "Oh god, what've I gotten myself into?"

Raven was a bit more optimistic, though. "I don't know… perhaps a change of wardrobe wouldn't be too bad… so long as it doesn't clash too much with my aesthetic tastes."

"Don't you worry, mom!" Yang assured. "I'm gonna make sure that both of you are happy with your new duds." Before she went out the door with her family, though, Yang stopped, realizing she'd forgotten something. "Oh, wait! Can't go without this!" She spun around and quickly zipped over to Ben, capturing his lips in another brief kiss. "I'll catch you later, Green Boy. Have fun with whatever Mr. Grand-Smith's got for ya!"

"Hah, I will." Ben winked. "And you ladies have fun on your outing. I'll catch ya later, okay?"

"Gotcha. Later guys!" With that farewell, Yang and Ruby led Vernal and Raven out of Plumber HQ, ready to begin their day in earnest.

Once they were gone, Donovan gave a slight chuckle and brushed his finger beneath his nose. "Haha, ah, reminds me a lot of how my family outings go. My grandkids usually drag ME around everywhere, too." His attention went back to the heroes, quirking a brow at them. "Well, now that that's settled, how's about we head out to that property I mentioned, eh?"

Ben was quick to approve. "Sounds like a plan, Mr. Grand-Smith. But uh, just one last thing…" Craning his head over to Six and Qrow, he asked the two men; "Do you guys need us for anything today? I mean, we've got plans to train, but…"

Six raised a hand to Ben and shook his head. "No, no immediate plans, Ben. After yesterday, things here have been all over the place."

"We're STILL workin' on cleanin' up the mess left by those birds and what's left of the Dimension 12 robots." Qrow explained further with a wave. "We'll call ya if we need anything, but for now, you kids enjoy yourselves for a bit."

"Awesome! Thanks guys." Rex gave a thumbs up to Donovan. "Alright, we've been cleared!"

Clapping his hands together, Donovan nudged his head toward the door. "Great! Well, let's head out then, shall we? I have a feeling that you kids are gonna get a kick outta this." Filing out one by one, the Omni-Hunters and Max all followed Donovan out of the room, with the exception of Winter who remained behind.

The elder Schnee went over and placed her hands upon the table, giving Qrow and Six a inquiring stare. "So, how did the interrogation of young Billy go?"

"He's an unpleasant child, plain and simple." Six answered without second thought. "He LIKES to think he's a mature adult, but he's anything but. Throwing tantrums, complaining about not getting his way, he's got all the hallmarks of a spoiled brat."

"So I suppose he didn't divulge the secrets about how he figured out interdimensional travel." Winter concluded, to which Six affirmed with a nod. "Hah, well, I suppose it's at least good that we have him in custody, so that he won't attempt the same plan again. Still, the fact that he was smart enough how to figure out how to travel between dimensions IS troubling. Not to mention controlling a robot army and de-aging entire people."

Qrow leaned back in his chair with a confident grin. "Ah, relax, Ice Queen. We've got him, we've got his de-aging gun, the robots are destroyed and that portal's gonna be dismantled in no time. The little twerp's done for."

Winter narrowed her eyes at the former drunken huntsman. "It's exactly that kind of complacency that begets karma, Qrow. You might want to remember that."

"Yeah, the lady's got a point." A voice from nowhere piped up before Sun Wu Kong revealed himself, having literally disguised himself as a fly on the wall. "Best not to sit on your—WOAH!" Six was up to his feet in a second and brought his blades out, crisscrossing them over Wu Kong's neck. "…Wow, nice reflexes!"

"Who are you?" Six pressed forward, drawing his blades closer to the Monkey King's neck. "How did you get into this facility?"

"Uh, I walked in with the kids, duh." Wu Kong rolled his eyes. "Sheesh, relax, I'm on your side."

Before the Providence agent could go any further, Qrow went up and grasped his shoulder. "Six, he's right. This ain't any sorta bad guy. This is… well, it's the Monkey King."

Six's eyebrows rose, though his stoic expression didn't faulter. "…The Monkey King. As in Sun Wu Kong himself and NOT our Sun?"

Wu Kong casually brought a finger up and pushed the blades away where they crossed, not receiving a single scratch from them. "Nope! You've got the real deal here now. Trust me, it's a LONG story, but I can tell you that later." Swinging his staff over his head and then SLAMMING it on the floor, Wu Kong sent Six a wild smirk. "Now YOU must be Agent Six, the Sixth Deadliest man on your Earth." He craned his neck forward in challenge, peering down at the man. "I've heard that you're quite the fighter. If ya don't mind, I'd like to go one-on-one with ya, so that I can judge for myself."

"…Is that so?" Six shifted his eyes between Winter and Qrow, who both merely shrugged in response. "…I accept, but only because I feel that you have an ulterior motive to this challenge."

"Ha! Nothin' gets past ya. Just what I expected." Wu Kong confirmed, raising his head up. "But you're right. I'm gonna be helpin' you train these kids from now on, after all, and I wanna make sure my new college's got what it takes. So, you still in?"

"I am. Now, let's take this downstairs."

As they watched Wu Kong and Six exit, though, both Qrow and Winter seemed somewhat nervous about the whole thing. "…That Hazard Chamber's gonna be wrecked by the time they're done." Qrow concluded.

Winter winced at that. "For once, we're in agreement."

…..

~Remnant, 6:00 P.M.~

Within the hallowed halls of Beacon Academy, students who one day dreamt of becoming Huntsman were commuting their way through. The school had made great strides in the past two months since it had been attacked by Salem's forces, to the point where a few classes had actually started back up again. Granted, the campus was still being rebuilt, so the classes had to be moved to other buildings and were mostly supplementary. And several dormitories were still being rebuilt as well, so temporary housing units were propped up all around the grounds. But all the same, the students who remained after the attack were committed to their studies and reconstruction, all under the guiding hand of Glynda Goodwitch; the new Headmistress.

However, as the day had been wrapping up… something odd occurred in one of these halls, which made several students gasp and double back in shock. There, right at the center of a crossing hall, a green vortex suddenly appeared, leaving many staring at it with stunned expressions. But then, even more astonishing, three people came leaping through… two who were somewhat familiar while the other was entirely new.

"Hah, well, here we are, Hope." Gwen announced with a raised hand. "Welcome to Beacon Academy—" But the Anodite stopped short when she noticed all of the young people staring at them, causing her to clear her throat in embarrassment. "Ah—Ahem, uh… hi?"

"Oh gods." Hope shrunk away, feeling nervous as everyone stared at her. "We came in at the worst possible place."

Before the portal closed, Tai was the last one to come through, pushing a large cart with a containment unit that as no doubt filled with all of the different Liquid Dust that Gwen and Hope had prepared. "Ah, home sweet—hallway." Tai abruptly stopped, realizing where they were. "…Have the portals ALWAYS been this random?"

But Kevin sent them all a reassuring wave. "Hey, relax, I got this…" He cleared his throat, speaking loud and clear to the students; "Listen up! We're Omni-Hunters here on official business. Can anyone a' you guys point us to your Headmistress' office?"

From behind the quartet, a powerful voice spoke up to answer him. "Yeah, I can take ya." They all turned around and were met by a tall, muscular young man with a head of short red hair, wearing a suit of full armor with a massive mace strapped to his back. His blue eyes locked onto the group with a greeting smile and a nod. "We've been expecting you, actually. Headmistress Goodwitch said you'd pop up around here."

"Oh! Cardin, hello!" Gwen greeted. "I didn't expect you to be the welcome wagon. How've you been?"

"Ah, you know, as well as a guy can be while rebuilding a better reputation for himself." Cardin shrugged before addressing the crowd of students, some of whom were staring fearfully at him. "As you all were. C'mon, time to turn in." Some students nodded respectfully to Cardin while others gave him disdainful side-eyes, and others simply ducked away all together. None of this went unnoticed to the young man, whose shoulders slumped with a heavy sigh. "Hah… spoilers, but rebuilding that rep ain't easy."

Kevin stepped forward and gave him a light jab to Cardin's shoulder, wearing a sympathetic face. "Hey, man, I get it. Trust me, not easy provin' that you've changed. But hey, a few people seem to like ya, so there's that."

But Cardin didn't seem to think the same. "Eh, it's more respect than anything. I'm pretty sure the only one who genuinely likes me around here is… er, um—"

"We know about you and Velvet, Cardin." Gwen winked. "No need to be shy about it."

His cheeked flushed red, Cardin fought to regain his composure before moving on. "W-Well, uh, okay then. C'mon, Goodwitch is waiting for you guys… though not at her office. This way." Following Cardin toward the southern end of the building, it didn't take long before the five of them found the Headmistress, who had her back toward them as she waited near a large elevator. "Prof, they're here."

"Excellent work, Cardin." Goodwitch turned around, giving a nod of approval to him. "Thank you for making sure they didn't get lost." Directing her gaze toward the Osmosian and Anodite couple, Glynda's lips curled into a happy smile at the sight of them. "Gwendolyn, Kevin, welcome back to Remnant. I trust you had a safe crossing?"

Gwen bowed to the blonde woman in return. "We did, Professor Goodwitch, thank you. It's very nice to be back."

Glynda gave her an acknowledging nod before briefly going to the blonde man behind them. "And Taiyang, always good to see you."

"Same here, Glynda." Tai saluted. "Raven and Qrow say hi, by the way. And the others are doing pretty good as well, just so you know."

"I'm very happy to hear that, Tai." Finally, her sights locked on to a certain silver-haired girl toward the back, who was sheepishly trying not to be noticed. "Oh, and I take it that this is…"

Gwen raised her hand to interject back into the conversation, wanting to do introductions. "Ah, yes, professor. Before we go any further, I'd like to introduce you to someone." Stepping to the side, Gwen revealed a rather nervous Charmcaster, who smiled as best she could to the headmistress. "Professor, this is Hope, a fellow sorceress and a close friend of mine. Hope, this is Professor Glynda Goodwitch, the Headmistress of Beacon Academy."

Goodwitch came forward, beaming kindly to the young woman before her. "Ah, I see. Well, any friend of Gwen's is a friend of mine." She extended her hand out with a curt bow of the head. "Welcome to Beacon Academy, Hope. It's very nice to meet you."

"Ah, l-likewise." Hope shook Glynda's hand, though her grip was somewhat shaky. "Sorry, I just… i-it's my first time having traveled here and—"

"You're anxious, I can tell." Glynda deduced. "Not to worry, dear, it's quite understandable. You should count yourself lucky, though…" She sent a knowing glance over to Gwen and Kevin. "At the very least, you haven't been thrust into this world in the middle of a conflict over the fate of Beacon and Vale."

Kevin gave a short laugh at that. "Hah, yeah, be grateful about that, Hope. The most you're getting into here is helping some nerd achieve his crazy dream." That earned him a glare from all THREE women, much to his chagrin. "Oh, come on, tell me that's NOT an accurate statement."

"I… well, okay, it kind of is, but you don't have to word it so harshly." Gwen contended. "Besides, if anything Cooper's dream might have a bit of merit to it."

Cracking open the top of the container, Tai gestured down to all of the Liquid Dust that was there. "Heh, I'll say. I don't think ANYONE would've thought to make Dust into a liquid to go through with a single project. But because of that, now we've got a new way to utilize Dust ourselves!"

"Very true, Tai." Glynda concurred, peering down to the sealed vials of the substance. "And I can assure you that James is already working on a way to do just that. But we're getting ahead of ourselves." She pressed the elevator button and it opened up for them, fortunately with enough room for the container itself. "Now come on. It's almost time for the experiment to begin."

The ride down was surprisingly long, and Gwen had no doubt that the elevator itself was taking them well below the surface at this point. "…I'm guessing that you've repurposed Ozpin's old lab for this project?"

"We did." the Headmistress answered. "Seeing as it had no use anymore, Cooper gave it a complete overhaul and transformed it into something very… well, you'll see soon."

And soon came very quickly as the elevator stopped and the doors opened, allowing everyone off. What they saw next was quite impressive indeed, to the point where Kevin muttered; "Woah, Coop's been BUSY."

The lab that was one dim and dingy was now very well lit and pristine, with the white walls now visible in the bright light. The lab space was lined with rows of tables filled with beakers, tubes, microscopes and other science-y stuff that the group didn't have time to fully take in as they proceeded forward, but they knew that it was a LOT. Toward the end of the room was a massive white-board that was already littered with equations and schematics, no doubt for the Build Driver's construction. And, situated directly above it, was a massive logo that was somewhat shaped like a gear that had diagonal lines going through it.

And, coming toward them from that side of the room, was General Ironwood himself, raising his hands in greeting. "Hey, there they are! Kids, Tai, welcome to Project Build!" he said with excitement lined in his voice.

"Hah, Jim!" Bringing the cart to a halt, Tai went over and shook his friend's hand, surprised to hear such gusto. "I don't think I've heard you this… thrilled in a long time."

"Oh, I have a good reason to be, Tai." Ironwood assured, taking a deep breath as he gazed out across the lab. "Today's the day, after all. The day where Cooper and Caesar show the fruits of their labor. And after overseeing this entire thing… I've got a lot of confidence that this can work."

Kevin raised his eyebrows at that. "Huh, wow, that must be a LOT of confidence, general. I mean, don't get me wrong, two super-geniuses collaborating on a project like this DOES add a lot of credibility to it, but still…"

Ironwood chuckled and shook his head at the Osmosian. "Hmhm, Kevin, you haven't seen what I have. These boys have poured their blood, sweat and tears into this project. I think we're about to see the advent of a brand-new type of hero, and you all have a front row seat." His eyes trailed across the group and he spotted Hope, sending her a wave. "Ah, Hope! Good to meet you in person. I was wondering if you'd be joining us today."

"It's a pleasure, General." Hope bowed back. "And trust me, after gathering the insane ingredients that Cooper needed for this project, I sure as hell wasn't about to miss out on this."

"The ingredients might be insane, but I promise, they'll be worth it!" At the sound of a certain voice piping up from across the room, everyone turned to see Cooper himself come striding toward them, wearing a lab coat over his usual attire. Following in-step on either side of him were Coco, Caesar and Velvet, and all of them were beaming from ear-to-ear with great enthusiasm. "VERY soon, might I add."

Caesar sent them a salute as well. "Buenos noches, everybody. Glad you guys could all make it."

Coco waved the couple down. "Yeah guys, awesome to see you here!" She made sure to give her boyfriend a playful nudge in the arm as well. "Trust me, I think you'll be REALLY impressed with what Tech Head's cooked up here."

"Oh, we wouldn't miss out on this for anything, guys." Gwen said with an amused smirk toward the blonde genius. "Not after everything we had to go through to make it happen. So… you ready to bring a work of fiction into real life?"

Cooper clapped his hands and rubbed them together in anticipation. "Oh, MORE than ready! Though there are a few small steps that're left for us to do. You guys brought the Liquid Dust, right?"

Placing his hand upon the crate, Kevin confirmed that. "Yep, got it all right here."

The two scientists came up and opened up the large box, seeing a bunch of small, glass containers that were all sealed and filled with the glowing liquid. And it was obvious that all of them had been infused with the objects that Cooper had listed, since every beaker glowed with a different, vibrant color. "Oh, ho-ho, amazing!" Caesar cheered, giving the Anodite a thumbs up. "Nice work, Gwen. I knew we could count on you."

"Hah, well, I can't take ALL the credit, you know." Gwen asserted as she nudged Hope's arm with her elbow. "After all, I had plenty of help."

It was then that Coco finally took notice of Charmcaster, which made her eyebrows shoot up with interest. Her lips formed an "o" shape and she brought her sunglasses down to get a better look, which left Hope a bit confused. "Ooh, Gwen, who's your friend?" the leader of Team CFVY asked as her lips curled up again.

"Her name is Hope, Coco." Gwen explained before she turned back to the other mage. "And Hope, this is Coco and Velvet, they're members of Team CFVY."

"Hello!" Velvet waved cheerily, her bunny ears perking up. "Very nice to meet you, Hope. Any friend of Gwen's is a friend of ours."

Coco pushed her sunglasses back up and agreed. "Oh, one-hundred percent. I dig your style, girl! Not many can pull off the hot pink and purple, but the black accents?" She raised her hands to accentuate her point. "It just brings the whole fit together. You're absolutely rockin' it!"

Despite herself, Hope felt her cheeks flush again, bashfully replying; "O-Oh! Thank you very much. I… I-I put it together myself."

"Oh, this is an original?" Coco seemed to only get more enthralled by that revelation. "That's badass. Remind me to ask you about tailoring sometime." But right then, the fashionista stopped herself before she went off on a massive tangent, raising her hands to stop herself. "Ho, but I'm gettin' way off track already. We're not here to discuss fashion tips, even though I wish we were." She went back to her boyfriend and gave him a light smack to the shoulder. "This is Tech Head's big moment, after all. It's time to begin the experiment!"

Cooper smiled back at her and brought two fingers up to his forehead, before flicking them upward. "Couldn't have said it better myself, Coco. C'mon guys, let's head over to where the magic's gonna happen." Following Cooper and Caesar, the group was ushered over toward the front table and the massive whiteboard, where the two scientists stood side-by-side. There, on the metal table, something was kept shrouded under a white cloth, which Cooper grabbed a hold of. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present, after nearly two weeks of around the clock planning and construction… the Build Driver!"

Pulling back the cloth, Cooper revealed the device to them all… and it pretty much just resembled the toy it was based on. Black outer shell, the grip next to the Fullbottle slots, visible gears and large, circular energy generator that were under a clear casing, silver piping under the slots, and some red detailing all throughout. The white Build logo was still there as well, right next to the red-handled crank… which was probably the only thing that was changed since it had a slightly larger handle to accommodate an adult-sized hand.

Gwen pursed her lips, feeling somewhat underwhelmed. "Wow. Stayed to the design pretty loyally, huh?"

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it, Gwen." Cooper said proudly, setting his hand upon the Driver. "And besides, this is WAY more than just a mere toy. Here, Kevin, pick it up."

"Eh, 'kay." The Osmosian stepped up and grasped the Driver by the top… and when he lifted it, he went wide-eyed at just how much heft there was to it. "Woah! Hah, damn, you weren't kiddin'. This thing's gotta be like eight or ten pounds."

"Solid infinitum." Cooper knocked against the back of the Driver. "Ain't nothing smashing through this baby."

But Kevin quirked a brow to the super genius. "How'd you manage to fit a freakin' Nitro Dynamo engine in here, dude? Feels like that'd be impossible."

Cooper glanced to the side and rubbed his neck. "Eh, well, I might've had to get a bit creative with one or two components… by using a shrink ray I borrowed from Plumber HQ the last time I was there."

That made Gwen do a double take. "You used a SHRINK RAY on some of those components?!"

"H-Hey, in my defense, I made sure to TEST all of them after I shrunk them down." Cooper assured. "It took a couple of tries, sure, but the final product WORKS, I can promise you."

"Namely because things stopped blowing up on the fifth attempt!" Caesar declared joyously, making Cooper deadpan.

"…Yeah, pretty much." the blonde admitted. "But in anycase, the Nitro Dynamo engine was the LEAST of the problems we had to deal with. The more annoying part was installing the subspace storage unit for the Snap Ride Builder to go into—"

But Kevin cut him off right there. "Uh, excuse me, the WHAT now?"

Caesar answered that for him. "Oh the Snap Ride Builder is a HUGE hydraulic press system that's made to bring the two halves of the Rider suit together once they're fully made." He lifted a finger to make a further point. "You see, the Driver won't really use the Liquid Dust that'll be inside the bottles themselves. Rather, the Nitro Dynamo engine extracts the essence from the Dust and then pumps it through a series of pneumatic pipes that are projected out of the front of the Build Driver via Hard Light Dust." He clenched his hands into fists for emphasis. "The hard light then solidifies the essence as it travels through the pipes, which change their shape into the preprogrammed molds for the different suit parts."

"And then once all that's done…" Cooper clapped his hands together. "The Snap Ride Builder SLAMS the two halves together over me, sealing me inside the Rider suit until I deem it ready to transform back to normal."

Once the explanation was done, Gwen sighed and placed a hand to her forehead. "Okay, I THINK I understood most of that. But isn't this the first time you're testing it like THIS, though? You know, using the ACTUAL Dust instead of just hypothesizing?"

It was then that Coco injected herself into the conversation. "Well… technically, yeah. But to be fair, we COULDN'T test it like this before since we didn't have the Fullbottles ready yet." She sent a smile over to her boyfriend. "At least… not before today."

"Exactly right, my dear." Cooper affirmed as he walked over to a different table, one that was smaller and had a hatch on top. Once he pressed a red button on the side, the hatch opened and a lift came whirring up from inside… where at least forty Fullbottles were all lined up and ready for use. Every single one had a unique, stylized image molded into them, representing what the Liquid Dust essence inside them would be. But, directly in front of the pack, were the Rabbit Fullbottle and Tank Fullbottle, which Cooper grabbed immediately. "And now, it's time to fill these babies up with liquid Dust magic!"

"Quite literally." Hope said as she took out the beakers of red and blue Dust that she and Gwen had labeled "Rabbit" and "Tank" respectively. She approached the genius and handed them to him with confidence. "Cooper, I know we don't exactly specialize in the same fields, but combining technology and magic in such a way… I think you might be on to something here. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out."

Giving her grateful bow of the head, Cooper happily accepted the beakers. "Thank you, Charmcas—er, Hope, I mean. Sorry."

"No problem." the sorceress waved off. "I get it all the time."

Velvet, however, couldn't help but be curious as to what that was about. "Hm? What do you mean?"

"Oh, back when I was an adversary of Gwen's, I usually went by "Charmcaster"." Hope explained. "I still sometimes do, but I want to start using my normal name more these days."

"Ah, gotcha." Coco understood, though she couldn't help but ponder on the name. "Charmcaster, huh? Heh, well, I can certainly see why…" She lowered her sunglasses and gave the girl a wink. "I can certainly see a girl like you casting charms on people you're interested in, if ya catch my drift."

Once more, a blush worked its way to Hope's cheeks, making her stammer. "Th-Thank you… I think."

Velvet rolled her eyes and leaned next to Hope's ear, whispering; "Take it as a compliment, dear. Coco's usually flirty like that."

"U-Um… okay." Hope replied softly.

As the girls talked, Cooper carefully poured the red and blue Liquid Dust into their respective Fullbottles, before topping them with a matching cap that had a "R/T" logo on them. With the Rabbit and Tank bottles now ready, Cooper picked them up and gave them a shake, seeing the Liquid Dust light up and make the bottles shine. "Hah… okay. Time to really get started. Follow me, everyone."

…..

~Bellwood, 12:30 P.M.~

"…You've gotta be kidding me."

That was all Ben could really say at what he was staring at. Of all the places that Donovan Grand-Smith could've brought them to, the LAST place that any of them could've expected was right back to where they were just the day before. The group were staring right at Billions Tower, a place where they didn't think they'd come back to almost 24 hours AFTER the entire hassle with Billy. "Is… is this REALLY the place?" Blake asked.

"If it is, then this is the biggest piece of irony I've seen in a LONG time." Weiss commented.

"That and it's another thing we can dunk on Billy." Sun smirked. "To think, the building that he was so proud of wasn't even HIS anymore."

But at the moment, Donovan himself wasn't exactly all too happy, having seen the hole that was blown about halfway up the building. "What in BLAZES?! What happened here?!" He swung around toward Max with an apologetic expression. "I swear to god, Max, it wasn't LIKE this a couple days ago! Gah, this is so embarrassing."

"D-Donovan, calm down." Max encouraged, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I promise, there's a sensible explanation for this."

"Yeah, that being the previous owner blew a hole through it." Neptune piped up, pointing directly to it. "He fell through it after a bunch of robots threw him out."

That only made Donovan even MORE confused. "W-Wait, what? William was here? A-And he was thrown out by robots?"

Rex crossed his arms and nodded. "Yep, and he totally deserved it, too." He jerked a thumb over to his girlfriend, Blake and Ben. "He's the little twerp who was responsible for de-aging these guys yesterday. He did it to try and get some REALLY petty revenge on Ben and—"

"H-Hold on, what?" Donovan interrupted, holding a hand up to stop him. "What're you talking about, son? That doesn't sound like something that William Billions would do at all." His sights travelled over to Ben, who was beginning to grow just as perplexed as he was. "At least, I don't ever recall William having a grudge against him."

Ben's suspicions were raising by the second, leading him to ask: "Hold on… are we talking about the same guy?" He lowered his hand down to about his knee. "Because the guy we're talking about is a snot-nosed brat who was trapped in another dimension for about seven years. Went by "Billy Billions"."

Donovan's eyebrows snapped up, a gasp escaping his throat. "You… you mean Billy's back? He's been found?"

"Well, technically he got HIMSELF into that mess, but—"

"Hah, well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised." Donovan said, scratching his bearded chin. "William always regretted not being more involved with his son's upbringing, especially after he disappeared so suddenly…" By that point, everyone was staring at him cluelessly, leading him to clarify himself. "I'm sorry, I should explain things properly. You see, William Billions Sr. and his wife Cheryl are very much the innovators of modern robotics… but because they were so busy running their company, they hardly had time to raise their son. And then when he disappeared, naturally, they were worried… so much so that they spent most of their fortune on trying to find him."

"Oh, I can see where this is going." Nora remarked.

Donovan bobbed his head with a hum. "Hm, yes, unfortunately they've since gone bankrupt this year. To the point where they had to sell off many of their assets…" He craned his head up to the golden skyscraper. "And their son's building was one of them. Though I actually ended up buying most of their company, to the point where it's now a subsidiary of mine."

Jaune couldn't help but be astounded by those circumstances. "Wow… to think that Billy's disappearance could to ALL of that."

"His poor parents…" Pyrrha brought her hand to her cheek with a sorrowful gaze. "I cannot imagine how much suffering they've gone through…"

Ren lowered his head. "Billy might be a spoiled brat, but I suppose even the most spoiled person can have parents that genuinely care for them."

It was then that Ilia pointed something out. "Well, now that Billy is in Plumber custody… what'll happen? He can't just be released back to his parents, can he?"

"Indeed. Given that he is technically an adult, I suppose they will have to try him as one for his crimes." Penny guessed.

"Yes, you're right, Penny." Max confirmed, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Not much we can do about that. Even if his maturity level isn't the same as an adult's, he is still technically one by normal standards."

"What do you mean by that, Max?" Donovan titled his head.

But Ben was the one to explain that part. "Well, the dimension that Billy was trapped in was one where time came to a standstill. Things still happened, but the presence of time was a non-factor, which means that even after all these years… Billy still resembles an eleven-year-old kid." The answer made Donovan's eyes widen, though Ben was quick to add; "Granted, he doesn't act his age at all, but mentally, he IS around seventeen to eighteen."

Taking a deep breath, Donovan put a hand to his forehead. "I see… well, that'll throw William and Cheryl for a loop." His focus shifted back to his old friend. "Max, all these years whenever you told me you were a Plumber, I didn't think you'd be dealing with things THIS insane."

"Hah, Donovan, trust me. Back in my day, insanity like what my grandkids experience was a rarity. NOT the norm." Max assured. "But let's try and move on from all of this for now, huh? You still wanna give us a tour of the place?"

"Oh, for sure." the billionaire perked back up, though he gave the hole in the skyscraper one more look. "Eh… well, I suppose we WERE planning on renovating the place anyway, so one hole isn't gonna affect much with what my grandson has in mind."

"Ah, that's right." Ben placed his hands on his hips, directing his gaze up to the building. "I'm guessing that this'll be the base of Grand-Smith Architecture, then? Given that Eddie's involved and all."

However, Donovan was quick to correct the hero. "What? Oh, hah, no, that's not it." Turning back around, the old man pointed just down the street toward Captain Nemesis' building. "THAT is going to be Grand-Smith Architecture."

The teens snapped their heads back and forth between the two structures in shock, not expecting to hear that. "W-Wait, WHAT?!" Neptune shouted. "Dude, you bought TWO skyscrapers in this town?! Right next to each other?"

A laugh escaped Donovan's throat, placing his hands on his hips proudly. "Haha, yes sir! The Billions' Tower was practically bought by happenstance, but it was always my goal to rip that tower and all the assets inside out of Nesmith's grimy hands." He clenched a fist and shook it at the villain's former residence. "Been a LONG time coming, too! I had to wait until the lease was up, but it's COMPLETELY worth it! Haha!"

"Wow… you don't like Carl Nesmith that much, do ya, Donovan?" Max stated.

"I mean, can ya blame him, grandpa?" Ben retorted with a hateful scowl. "The guy was an ass, plain and simple."

"That he was." Donovan nodded. "But yes, THAT building is going to be used for Grand-Smith Architecture's headquarters. As for THIS one, though…" Hearing the doors to Billions' Tower open, the old man craned his head back, smiling as he saw a certain someone come strolling out. "…Well, that's something you'll have to take up with HIM over there."

Before anyone could ask, a new voice called out; "Grandpa! Hah, there you are!" The teens all whirled back around, and there, standing out in front of the building, was a young man. He was Caucasian, had slicked back black hair, and a chiseled jawline, his blue eyes bright and striking. He wore a red, V-neck sweater over a black button-up shirt, the cuffs of which were pulled up over the sleeves of the sweater. He also had a pair of khakis with white sneakers on his feet, giving him an overall casual yet stylish appearance. His eyes lit up when he saw the whole group before him. "Hah! And you brought the team! Awesome!"

Donovan laughed again as he waved the young man down. "I told you I would, my boy. Come on, I'm sure you're dying to meet 'em…" Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that Ben was left completely dumbfounded, the hero obviously not expecting THIS to happen. "Heh, remember how I said I wanted to talk business? Well, I was half-lying. It's HIM who wants to talk business with you, Ben. And trust me, he's got a LOT of ideas for you all."

The young man's smile widened as he approached, moving directly over to Ben to greet him. "Hah, Ben Tennyson…" he extended his hand. "It's been a while, huh?"

Finally getting over his initial shock, Ben slowly smiled back, lifting his hand to reciprocate the gesture. "…Eddie Grand-Smith. It's been quite a while, indeed."

…..

~Remnant, 6:40 P.M.~

"…Cooper, I just have one question for you." Gwen piped up.

"Hm? What's that Gwen?" the blonde genius asked.

Thrusting her hands out, Gwen gestured up to the massive barricade that had been built off to the side of the laboratory area, complete with a window that was made of bullet-proof glass. "If you're so confident that this thing won't blow up, then WHY is THIS down here?!" the redhead exclaimed.

"Yeah, dude, seems kinda weird if you're that sure everything will go according to plan." Kevin admitted.

But the young scientists defended himself. "Hey, hey, we can't risk any errors here. There's always some percentage of failure, even if it's extremely low." Cooper brought his eyes down to the Build Driver in his left hand and the Fullbottles in his right, slightly biting his lower lip nervously. "And besides, even if it does succeed, the first transformation has a slight chance to result in a massive energy output that'll burst out across the room, so I want you guys to be protected at the very least."

"What about you, though?" Hope countered. "You'll be wearing that thing, won't you? You'll be at the epicenter of whatever happens."

"Don't worry." Cooper asserted, lifting the Driver up toward his waist. "The Driver can be easily taken off at a moment's notice, so long as it's by me, of course. If anything goes wrong, I'll toss it away and we'll all just take cover." He put on a smile for his comrades. "I won't be dying on any of you, that's for sure."

Coco came marching up to him and smacked him in the shoulder. "Yeah, you'd better hope not, Tech Head. Otherwise, I'll resurrect ya just so I can kill ya again!"

Despite her threat, Cooper grinned down to his girlfriend, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Knowing you, Coco, I believe it. But don't worry, I'll be fine. I promise."

Taking a deep breath, Coco got up on her tip-toes and gave her boyfriend a tender kiss, trailing her hand down his cheek. "I know. And don't worry. I have faith that this'll work." She lowered her glasses and gave him a wink. "Show 'em all who's the genius around here, Cooper. You and Caesar worked hard on that bitch, so put it to work!"

"Haha! You bet." Cooper affirmed before seeing Caesar himself approach on his left. "We all set to go?"

"Si. The barricades are secured and the energy readers are as well." Furrowing his brow, Caesar lifted a fist up to his lab partner of two weeks. "Best of luck, amigo. Let's show 'em what our combined skills are capable of creating."

Cooper reciprocated the fistbump without any hesitancy. "You betcha, man. Alright, everybody, get behind the barricades! We start in sixty seconds!"

At his word, Caesar, Coco, Gwen, and Kevin dashed for the barricade, joining Hope, Velvet, Cardin, Ironwood, Glynda and Tai. Everyone gathered near the large window, under which was a large machine with a holographic screen displaying energy levels. Caesar took a seat at the machine and inhaled deeply, bracing himself for whatever came next. "Okay, everyone. This is it. The moment of truth. I suggest you lay low for extra safety."

However, Gwen shook her head. "No need, Caesar." she said while glancing at Hope. "If anything happens, we'll make sure we're well protected."

"Right. I've got a protection spell already in mind." the silver-haired sorceress affirmed.

"Well, if you're sure, then I suppose it's best we get started." Ironwood concluded as he took out a wireless speaker from his pocket, switching it on to project his voice through the room; "Alright, Cooper, everything's ready on our end. Let's start things off, shall we?"

Once he was about twenty feet away from the barricade, Cooper raised his hand with the Fullbottles in them, pointing directly toward the group through the glass. "Gotcha! Let's proceed!" Planting his feet firmly and steadying himself with a long, deep breath, Cooper took the Build Driver and put it up to his waist, causing a bright yellow belt strap to come shooting out of the left side of the device and then clip firmly into the other side of the Driver. At that back, there was a round, black buckle that added more security to the strap, making sure that it was cinched to Cooper's waist.

Once the belt clicked into place, the Driver's energy core glowed with energy which resulted in a sound, confirming that it was on. Closing his eyes, Cooper recited to himself; "Now… shall we begin the experiment?" With his eyes snapping open, Cooper took a Fullbottle in each hand; the Tank in his right while the Rabbit one was in his left. Giving them a good shake, the Liquid Dust inside started glowing again, generating a small amount of power that would soon be amplified by the Driver. Once he stopped shaking them, Cooper crisscrossed his arms, putting the Fullbottles in opposite slots as they made a concussive locking sound to keep them in place… all while the Driver itself announced what the bottles were;

Rabbit!

Tank!

BEST MATCH!

Once the bottles were in, small holographic displays appeared in front of the Twin Slots, displaying the bottles' respective design before both united to form the R/T logo seen on their caps. From there, Cooper heard the standby music start, which he took as a good sign. "How're we doin' Caesar?!" he shouted.

Ironwood handed Caesar the speaker so that he could respond. "Doing good! Energy levels are as expected! I repeat; energy levels are AS EXPECTED!" On the screen, there were several bars that were smoothly going up before pausing about a quarter of the way up, indicating that things were doing okay.

"Alright! I'm gonna start cranking the Driver!" Cooper called back, placing his hand upon the red handle. The moment he began to crank it, he could hear the familiar sounds of rhythmic clanging coming from inside, the gears and pistons reverberantly pounding away as the device extracted the essence of the Liquid Dust from the Fullbottles. To him, it felt like his entire body was being used as a drum, but it was a feeling that excited him nonetheless. 'It's working. I can tell…'

His thoughts were confirmed when, at his feet, a massive machine appeared, expanding out toward his front and back. Just as he calculated, the subspace storage unit was working, letting out the large, blue and yellow hydraulic system that was the Snap Ride Builder. As the Ride Builder extended out, so too did a series of hard-light pipes come projecting out the face of the Driver, going forward and behind Cooper as they formed a series of struts. From there, smaller, more intricate piping branched off from the main struts, twisting and curling around each other until they formed the basis for what would be the suit. All the while, the red and blue essences came flowing through the pipes, which solidified them as they streamed into the smaller pipes.

By the end of it all, the two red and blue halves of the suit solidified on each end of the Snap Ride Builder, being held up by the hard-light pipes. It was at that point where Kevin realized something. "…Wait a second. Those look like the plastic runners that model kits usually come on." He raised a brow toward Caesar. "Is that intentional?"

"Yes sir!" the scientist confirmed with a wag of his finger. "Because what do you do with plastic model kits?"

"…You build them." Gwen deduced, slapping her forehead. "Good lord, Japan is somehow genius and insane when it comes to these concepts."

Velvet peered over to the screen, however, seeing the energy levels continue to rise steadily. "Are we still good, Caesar?"

"We are. Everything's going according to plan…" Caesar lifted the speaker to his lips and told Cooper that as well. "Still in verde, Coop! Now it's time for the last part!"

As if on cue, the Build Driver spoke up again, asking its wearer;

ARE YOU READY?!

Never before in his life did Cooper feel more prepared to say the word he was about to say. The command word that would… hopefully transform him from a mere man into a warrior capable of defending mankind from untold evils. Still, in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but vent his few remaining worries out in one simple statement; '…Please don't kill me.' With that thought out of his mind now, Cooper widened his stance and brought one hand close to his chest, all while thrusting out the other hand in front of him, proclaiming; "HENSHIN!"

…And that's when things took an immediate downturn. Caesar and the others gasped as the readings on the screen before them suddenly went through the roof, to the point where the entire thing began blaring an alarm and flashing red. "W-What?!" Cardin exclaimed. "What happened?!"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, NO!" Caesar's mind went into panic mode as he clutched the speaker in his hand, shouting at his lab partner; "COOPER! Get out of there! It's going to—"

But it was too late. As Cooper straightened his stance and the Snap Ride Builder began to close the two halves of the suit around him, the young genius barely had any time to gaze up at the group before the whole suit was brought together around him. The team was able to only see the completed thing for a mere second before—

*KRRA-CHYOOOOOMMM*

All at once, Cooper and the suit became the epicenter of an ENORMOUS burst of energy, the force of which was so concussive that it immediately began to crack both the glass AND the barricade itself. "NO!" Coco screamed, rushing to try and help her boyfriend only to be held back by Ironwood and Tai. "Cooper! COOPER!"

"Stand back!" Glynda whipped up her riding crop to create a telepathic shield using her Semblance, which Gwen and Hope quickly followed up on.

"Gwen, with me!" the silver-haired mage signaled.

"On it!" All at once, Gwen and Hope combined their magical energies, simultaneously casting the same spell; "MAGNUM PRAESIDIUM!" Much to Glynda's surprise, the spell enhanced her shield in the span of a few seconds, the glyph glowing with immense power just as the glass and barricade broke all together. The energy pulse continued for a few seconds more, but before any of them knew it… everything went dark, and at the same moment, the energy wave stopped.

Velvet, having clung to Cardin, gasped again. "AH! W-What happened?!"

Ironwood could be heard answering her. "The overload must've knocked out the power. Don't worry, we should have some back-up generators coming on any moment…" To the general's credit, his words came true in a matter of seconds, the lights flickering back on if a bit dimly.

But, when things became visible again… the group quickly wished they could unsee what happened. The area where Cooper transformed… was now a massive crater, with a billow of black smoke obscuring most of it. They were left collectively stunned and horrified by the sight… but none more so than Coco, who stumbled forward toward the edge of the devastated area, her sunglasses falling from her eyes and clattering to the floor. "No… no… COOPER!"

…..

A/N: To be continued… yep, I'm leaving ya off on THIS kinda cliffhanger. Did Cooper's experiment fail and take his life in the process? Well, you're gonna have to tune in next week to find out!

But yeah, this first part was pretty much establishing things before the second part truly kicks them off in spectacular fashion. Of course, there's what we just witnessed happen, but there's also the reappearance of Donovan to talk about. If you couldn't tell, I REALLY changed his design significantly to make him more resemble J.K. Simmons, mainly because I thought Donovan could do with a bit of an overhaul considering his grandson's also here. …Also, seriously, J.K. Simmons is SURPRISINGLY jacked, it's crazy.

That said, as you probably could've guessed, he wasn't the ONLY one to reappear here! Yes, Edwin's here as well, and he seems to be in the process of making some big changes to a few familiar buildings! An up-and-coming architect indeed… wonder where THAT could eventually lead him? Well, we may find out next time when we finally get to that conversation with him and the team. Oh, and as for his new voice actor since he's grown up… you'll have to wait for next week to find THAT out as well, hehe.

And we also got to figure out what Wu Kong's gift was! Now Gwen and Hope don't have to go running around the entire globe searching for a Dragon Scale and Pheonix Feather! …But will they be able to even use them if Cooper's… well, not there anymore? I think that'd qualify as kicking someone while they're down, honestly…

Oh, and I threw in a tragic backstory for Billy's parents losing their riches trying to find their son. Why? Just to make Billy look more like a little brat down the line when he finds out. He is NOT gonna take it well.

But, with all that being said… NEXT TIME! We catch up with Yang, Ruby, Vernal and Raven on their family outing to see how they're doing, before diverging back off into what's going on with Ben and the team along as well as the others on Remnant. Just what IS Edwin doing with TWO buildings? What happened to Cooper? And most importantly… how're Gwen and her team going to handle a Grimm attack when the beasts come knocking on Vale's doorstep? All this and more NEXT TIME on Ben 10 RWBY! Thanks for reading, everybody, and I'll catch you all later! And of course, as always, stay safe out there!