A/N: Hey there, guys! Well, it's that time of year once again. Time for the big, yearly October story arc! …Well, okay, so October doesn't officially start until tomorrow, but we're getting a head start anyway since this one has been a LONG time coming. It's time we stop beating around the bush and FINALLY bring in a certain family that myself and no doubt all of you have been waiting to see. Well, that wait is coming to an end, so let's get started with this arc, shall we? This is…

Chapter 53: A-Camping We Will Go

…..

The team honestly couldn't believe that it was only two o'clock in the afternoon. After the morning's crazy events, it had felt like they'd gone through the entire day. But, much to their relief, there was still much daylight left to spare, so they wasted no time in getting their stuff all gathered up and ready for departure. After arriving back at Gwen's house, Ben and Team RWBY had headed back to his to load up the car with their luggage, as did Kevin with his own housemates. Cooper and Team CFVY, however, decided to head to Plumber HQ to give a debrief on what had gone down. "Not sure if anyone will believe us, but hey, gotta explain why the docks are crater now." Cooper said.

As it happened, though, they were all surprised to see the Rustbucket already parked outside of Gwen's house, which she and Team JNPR were a bit confused by. "Didn't think Grandpa Max would be coming to pick you guys up so soon." Ben had commented before he and Team RWBY left.

"Yeah… me either." Gwen agreed, shifting her eyes over to Raven. "Tai's in there, too, right?"

"Yes, he told me he and Vernal were going to head over here to check on you." The Spring Maiden confirmed. "Though I didn't expect him to hitch a ride with your grandfather. Come, let's see what's going on." With that, she led the teenagers into the house, where they were immediately greeted by everyone gathered in the living room.

Tai shot up from the couch and jogged over to her first. "Rae!" He sighed as he pulled her into the hug. "Oh gods, we watched everything on TV! That was INSANE!"

That got everyone's attention. That whole fight had been broadcast to the general public… but the question was; what had the public seen with the Hydra shrouded in the haze? "You did?" Jaune asked. "Then I guess you knew about—"

"The giant serpent-headed dragon disguised as a missile truck?" Vernal piped up, placing her hands on her hips. "Yeah, pretty much. Your family explained the whole thing to us while we were watching the fight." She rubbed the back of her head with a guilty smile. "Gotta admit, we were a bit skeptical at first—at least me and Tai were—but then when we saw the winged horse pick that big dude up, we were pretty convinced."

Max put on a smiled as he approached his granddaughter, his eyes shining with excitement. "Gwen… was that really the actual Hercules?"

Gwen couldn't help but giggle at the exhilaration in his voice. Her grandfather was one of the reasons why she and Ben were even so well-versed in mythology to begin with; because he loved telling them those stories when they were kids. So of course, seeing the real deal would be amazing for him. "Hmhm, yep, it sure was, grandpa. And let me tell you, he's exactly how you think he is."

"Hah, you have to introduce me someday." Max sighed. "I honestly really regret missing him."

"Oh, I have a feeling that we'll see him again in the future." Pyrrha said before taking off her tunic, showing it off along with her bunch of arrows. "But look at all this amazing gear he gifted me! AH! I could just die!"

Vernal's eyes widened at the sight of the lion pelt in particular. "Woah! What the heck is that?!"

"This is a cloak that he fashioned out of the Nemean Lion that I slew this morning." the Invincible Girl explained, pulling up on the cape. "It's said to be nigh impenetrable, but I haven't really gotten to test that yet." She then pulled up the arrows again. "And these are arrows that he dipped in the Hydra's blood after Jaune killed it."

"Oh yeah, nice job on that, by the way, Jaune." Tai said as he gave the blonde knight a thumbs up.

Vernal gave him a nod as well. "Yeah, not bad, kid. Quite the explosive finish you've got going with that sword upgrade."

Nora only added onto the praise as she gave her leader a jab in the arm. "You're damn right it is! Jaune, how many more crazy combos can you pull off with that thing, anyway?"

Jaune's hand went to his neck sheepishly. "Hehe, w-well, in theory, ALL types of Dust should work with the sword, I just need to test them out first to see which ones I can handle and which I can't." He glanced down to the blade hanging at his hip. "Kinda scared to see what this thing can do with Gravity Dust, though, not gonna lie."

"It's a good thing that you're going camping, then." Winter noted as she and Kenny stepped into the conversation. "Plenty of space out there for you to practice that without causing major damage. By the way, where is my sister and everyone else?"

"Oh, they decided to head back to get their supplies for the trip." Ren explained. "After dealing with all of that, we figured it'd be best to leave as soon as possible."

Gwen placed her hands on her hips, noticing the distinct lack of her parents as well as her aunt and uncle. "Yeah, speaking of leaving, where's mom and dad?"

"Heh, well, after you guys beat the Hydra, they, Aunt Sandra and Uncle Carl deemed it "safe enough" to leave for their outing." Kenny revealed, wearing an apologetic smile while giving a shrug. "I tried to get them to wait, but they were feeling antsy and wanted to clear their minds of all this crazy Greek Myth stuff."

"They told us to give you their best regards on your camping trip." Winter added with a wink. "Hugs and kisses, too."

The Anodite rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Hmph, of course. Leave without saying goodbye."

"Hey, at least they CARE enough to pass that message onto us." Winter pointed out. "I only WISH my parents had been as attentive as yours." Her lips moved down into a slight frown. "Or at least… I wish my own mother had…" She felt a pair of hands on her shoulders giving a supportive squeeze, and she knew in an instant that it was Kenny. Winter reached up, placing her own hands over his.

Gwen honestly didn't know what to say. What she had intended as just a harmless jab actually reverberated MUCH more with the young woman. "W-Winter, I… I didn't mean to sound mean spirited or anything, really." She lowered her head shamefully. "I really should've thought my words through better, I'm sorry."

Winter sighed, giving her a sad smile. "It's alright, Gwen… honestly, this is on me for making it personal." She glanced off to the window, staring out toward the sky. "Honestly, I sometimes wonder… was I right to simply abandon my home without ever looking back? All while knowing that my own mother was still under the thumb of that bastard I call my father?" Winter's hand slowly balled into a fist. "When Weiss and I were little, she was genuinely a good mother… but as the years went on and the domestic problems grew worse, she found herself going to the bottle more and more." She shook her head regretfully. "And poor Whitley… he grew up with barely any attention from our parents."

Kenny pursed his lips hearing this, feeling dismayed at the fact that he had no idea how to help the woman he had feelings for. …Aside from one way. "Winter…" The elder Schnee sister's head perked up, turning toward him curiously. "I can't imagine how hard that must be for you." He furrowed his brow at her seriously. "Honestly, if I was in front of your dad right now, I'd deck him in the schnoz."

Winter had to stifle what would've been a bombastic laugh… at the cost of letting out a very unladylike; "Snrrt!" And even then, that wasn't enough. "AHAHAA!" She leaned in and hugged her boyfriend, placing her head on his chest as she kept laughing. That got Kenny to crack a smile as others in the room laughed with her, before she finally managed to compose herself. "Ahahah… ah… Kenny, darling, I KNEW I made a good choice."

"Hm? What choice?" the redhead said with a head tilt that Winter found adorable.

"Hehe, what do you think?" Winter tapped his nose knowingly. "You managed to cheer me up in an instant. Not just ANY man can do that."

"I-I…" Kenny's cheeks became a bright shade of tomato red at the compliment, shuffling his feet awkwardly. "I'm flattered, Winter, really. But I mean it." He put on his serious face again. "I'd punch your dad, really. I don't care WHAT he could have done to me, I'd do it for the sake of freeing your family from all the abuse he's put you through." He put on a bit of a smirk. "And knowing Rex, he'd probably get first dibs on that, too."

"Oh, I'm certain he would." Winter assured. "But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, alright? …Also, save a shot for me and Weiss, please."

Kenny nodded dutifully. "Hah! Of course! Wouldn't dream of anything less."

As this was happening, Gwen couldn't help but find the scene… oddly delightful. "Hm… who knew that wanting to punch a complete ass of a man would help bring two people closer together?"

"You'd be surprised, dear." Raven said with a wolfish grin. "I've run into PLENTY of cases like that."

Tai wore a nervous smile, his eyebrow twitching slightly. "M-Maybe a bit too many, honey. Anyway, shouldn't you kids get your stuff loaded into the Rustbucket?"

"Oh, he's right, kids." Max agreed, clapping his hands together. "Where we're going, we'll want to get there before nightfall, so let's all get our stuff together, huh?" The old man nodded to Jaune and Pyrrha. "You're bringing the pups, right?"

The duo nodded to him. "Yep, we even got them a special puppy fence for the occasion." Jaune affirmed. "…That reminds me, though, are they upstairs?"

"Yes, they're nice and safe in your room, with Zwei standing guard." Winter nodded. "They were actually sound asleep, so you might want to take them outside before you leave."

"Thank you, Winter. We'll do just that." Pyrrha bowed her head gratefully to the Military Specialist before she and her team went up the stairs, ready to start bringing down their luggage, as well as the dogs.

Gwen started up the stairs as well, but paused to give Winter one last request. "We're leaving Bellwood to you and the Plumbers again, Winter. Please, protect my family if anything happens."

"Wouldn't think of anything else, Gwendolyn." Winter promised, placing a hand over her heart. The Anodite smiled graciously and went to her room, leaving herself, Kenny, Max, Raven, Tai and Vernal in the living room. She craned her head to the Spring Maiden and the retired huntsman. "I'll be having your help again, though, correct?"

"You'll be having my help, yes." Raven said, nudging her head over to her partner. "Unfortunately, Tai here has to head back to Remnant to do a… necessary evil."

The man rubbed his temples irritably. "Grading mid-term papers… joy."

Vernal stepped up and jerked a thumb to her chest. "But in exchange, you'll be getting me, so I'd say that's a good trade."

"Hey!" Both Tai and Raven said simultaneously, with Tai taken off guard as Raven went over and gave her protégé a small smack upside the head. "I will NOT hear that kind of talk about Taiyang out of you, young lady!"

"Ouch! C'mon Raven, it was just a joke!" Vernal implored. "I didn't mean it, seriously!"

Immediately, Tai rushed in to play peacemaker. "O-Okay, ladies, let's just settle down, we don't need to get into any family arguments here."

Vernal just sighed and shook her head. "Okay dad, then why don't we just take this back home and…" She trailed off, however, finding that she added absolutely no sarcasm to that remark whatsoever. "W-Wait, what did I just say?"

"Ooh, what's this?" Raven grinned mischievously, seeing how her protégé seemed to soften up all of a sudden. "Are you taking a liking to the whole family dynamic? Your sisters are rubbing off on you, aren't they?"

"N-NO WAY!" Vernal blushed profusely, waving her arms frantically. "That's not it at all, I swear!"

"Oh, come now, Vernal. You can call me "mom" too, if you want."

"GAAAAAH!" And just like that, Vernal ran straight out the door, flying right into the Rustbucket like a bat out of hell to escape the awkward situation.

Everyone stared after her in stunned silence for a few moments before Max burst out laughing, a deep belly laugh, no less. "AHAHA! Oh my word, Raven, I think you broke her."

"I know, isn't it great?" The Spring Maiden spun around to Tai and gave him a hug as she too laughed infectiously. "Heehee, I am SO going to enjoy the weekend with her."

Tai smirked, rolling his eyes at the whole thing. "Oh, I'm sure that'll make for some fantastic mother-daughter bonding. Lemme know how it goes during our next video chat, hm?"

"Oh, I will." Raven leaned up and gave Tai a kiss, keeping their lips locked for a good few seconds before separating. "And let me tell you, Ruby and Yang are going to be THRILLED when I tell them what happened here."

"Hm, speaking of sisters, I should give Weiss a call." Winter said, pulling out her scroll to do so. "Just to make sure that they have everything they need."

Kenny gave her a suspicious gaze. "Winter, I don't mean to come off as… uncaring, but are you sure that's necessary? She's eighteen and a capable huntress, I don't think she needs to be reminded of what she needs for a camping trip."

"Oh, of course, but I was referring to weaponry, actually." Winter corrected. "After all, you never know when the Ministry could mount a surprise attack on them while they're alone in the wilderness."

"Ah, fair." Kenny conceded. As he watched Winter scroll through her contacts, though, his eyes trailed further down to his own body, recalling the conversation that they had earlier in the week. In all honesty, while he was by no means overweight… he could feel himself getting flabbier, as much as it pained him to admit. His mother had pointed it out to him, and Winter and he had a discussion about it soon after… so now, it was about time to put that into motion. "Hey Winter?"

"Yes, Kenny?"

The young man looked her confidently in the eye as he made his request. "Starting tomorrow… I think it's time we start that exercise routine we discussed on Sunday. I know things have been crazy recently, but I DO want to get this going… if that's alright with you, of course."

Winter blinked a couple times, processing his words before giving him yet another brilliant smile. "Kenneth Tennyson, here I thought you'd forgotten about that."

"Not forgotten just… a LOT of inconvenient timing is all."

"Very true, but that all ends right now!" Winter reached her arm out and hooked it around Kenny's, pulling him in to try and pump him up. "Starting tomorrow, your training begins!"

"Ha! Alright then! Thanks Winter, I—" But then Kenny noticed her choice of words. "Wait, training?"

Winter gave him a slap on the back. "That's right! Because what better exercise is there than a morning run and combat training? We start at six o'clock sharp tomorrow morning, so don't be late!" She pulled away from him as she went into the kitchen, now with a spring in her step. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must talk to my sister. I suggest you pick out some good work-out clothes for tomorrow, though, darling!"

Despite his heart fluttering at her use of "darling", Kenny could feel it sinking like a lead ball in the ocean as well. Combat training? Him? 'I've made a terrible mistake' His head shakily turned to his grandpa, hoping that he'd be able to help him. "Grandpa Max, what the hell have I gotten myself into and can you get me out of it?"

"Hehe, well sport…" Max went over to his eldest grandson, placed a hand on his shoulder and said; "…No."

Kenny faceplanted on the couch at his upcoming misery.

…..

Two more hours passed before everyone was finally ready, having gathered at the Plumber Headquarters to prepare for their departure. Kevin's car, Ben's car, the Rustbucket, and even Bumblebee were lined up in front of the Rustbucket III's entrance ramp, ready to be loaded on. And at the moment, Yang was giving some MUCH needed attention to her motorcycle. "Oh, my sweet little baby, I know it's been a long time, but Mama Yang has NOT forgotten about you. Oh no, she hasn't!" The blonde doted on the speed demon as she gave its sides a small polishing. "I promise, we're gonna ride you a LOT this weekend, ain't that right, Ben?"

The hero felt a bead of sweat trickle down his head at what he was seeing. He knew Yang loved her motorcycle, but he had never seen her take an extended break from it before. This… was very different. "U-Uh, of course babe, wouldn't dream of missing out on that." He leaned over and whispered to Ruby; "Does she usually get like this when she doesn't ride her bike for a bit?"

Ruby put on a wincing smile at that. "Lemme put it this way; dad took Bumblebee away for a month once."

"And?"

"She nearly hugged it to the ground when she finally got it back."

"Not surprising in the least." Weiss commented with a bit of a smirk. "She loves that bike more than life itself, I think."

Yang whipped her head up from behind her bike when she heard that. "Hey, that is NOT true. I love my bike, but it's not my ONLY love." She vaulted over the seat and landed directly next to her boyfriend, wearing her usual perky smile. "After all, I've got THIS one to think about." she said as she playfully pinched his cheeks. "Isn't that right, Green Boy?"

"Hah, phew, okay THAT'S reassuring, honestly." Ben admitted, sighing in relief. "Here I thought Bumblebee outranked me."

"Who said she didn't?" Yang deadpanned, making Ben's jaw fall in an instant. "PFFT—HAHAHA!" The Blonde Brawler immediately hugged her boyfriend, reassuring him as she laughed into his chest. "Relax, Ben, I didn't mean it, honest." She closed his mouth, leaned up, and gave him a kiss on the lips, helping him relax a bit more. "I love you more than my bike, really, I do."

Ben let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, shaking his head with an amused smile. "I should've figured you'd pull something like that. I love you too, Goldie Locks." He pecked her forehead with his lips before turning his attention to the rest of the team, all of them gathered outside of the massive jet with backpacks and suitcases at the ready. "Alright, so one last check before we go; did everybody make sure to pack EVERYTHING they need? Clothes, toiletries, etcetera?"

"We're all set, Ben." Ilia gave a thumbs up, placing her hand on Penny's shoulder. "Penny and I made sure to triple check our stuff."

Penny saluted at that. "Correct! We have all of the essentials… though I do wonder why we would need other clothes when all we wear is our huntsman gear almost every single day."

Gwen wore a look of what could only be described as perplexity and realization at the same time when she heard that. "…Yeah, actually, I've been meaning to ask…" She trailed her eyes across everyone worriedly. "Do you guys REALLY wash all of those clothes just to wear them the very next day? I mean, this CAN'T be a "you have multiples of the same clothes" thing, right?"

"Well, DUH, of course we wash them!" Nora said as she hung upside down in front of Gwen's face… somehow.

'It's Nora, don't question it.' everyone reminded themselves.

The Pink Dynamo flipped down and gestured to her combat skirt. "I mean, whaddya take us for? A bunch of street urchins?"

"Nora, we technically WERE street—mph." Ren was silenced by the redhead's finger.

"That's beside the POINT, Renny." Nora spoke through gritted teeth, giving her best friend a warning glare while keeping her smile. She faced Gwen again and gave her a wink. "Besides, you've lived with ALL of us long enough to know that we DO change our clothes every once and a while. We ain't primitives here, woman!"

Gwen raised her hands up, conceding to her point. "Okay, okay, you've made yourself VERY clear, Nora. Glad to know I was worried over nothing…" Out the corner of her eye, though, she very briefly caught Sun putting on some spray-on deodorant… and it was very apparent that Blake caught the act as well. '…HOPEFULLY worried over nothing.'

Kevin clapped his hands together, hoping to move on. "Well, with that all-important burning question answered, let's start loading up, huh?"

All of a sudden, the Rustbucket's horn honked and everyone whipped their heads around to see Max in the driver's seat, ready to get a move on as well. "Kevin's right, kids, we'll need to leave soon if we want to get there before sunset." He stuck his hand out the window, raising a finger to make a point. "Also, remember; we'll be DRIVING back to Bellwood early Monday morning, so don't expect the jet to come back."

"Oh yeah, remind me why we're leaving the jet?" Jaune piped up.

"For a genuine camping experience, son." Max wagged his finger. "I don't want any distractions on this trip, and that includes anything the jet has to offer. We're going to camp and we're gonna camp right." He then raised his hand up to clarify; "That said, gaming consoles are allowed if they're small and mobile."

Gwen and Ben produced their Switches from their pocket while Nora and Ruby pulled out their loaned 3DS's from out of theirs, the latter two girls giving a cheer. "WOO! Still got Pokémon!"

Neptune scratched the back of his head. "So, uh… if the jet's coming back here, then who's going to BRING it back?"

"That would be me." Everyone was slightly surprised at the sound of the soft tones of a certain Revonnahgander entering the room, but they nonetheless smiled at Rook's arrival. He also had Cooper and Team CFVY with him as well, no doubt there to say their goodbyes. "Good afternoon, everyone." Rook greeted. "I trust all of you are ready for your wilderness excursion?"

"Hiya, Rook!" Ruby waved. "Yep, we're ready to head out!"

Kevin, however, seemed a bit more judgmental of the alien as he confronted him. "Alright man, I'm gonna say this once and ONLY once." Rook showed no fear as Kevin got right up in his personal space… and pulled out a set of keys. "These're for the Rustbucket III's hanger. You're to land the bird and bring her straight in when you get back." He grabbed Rook's wrist, making him hold his palm up before dropping the keys in it. He closed Rook's hand and pointed at him. "And I don't wanna see ONE scratch on her when I get back, understand?"

"Yes, you have made yourself very clear, Kevin."

The Osmosian cracked a smile, glad that he got his point across. "Good, glad we understand each other."

"I only have one question, however."

"Sure, what?"

"How will I unlock the hanger while I am still in the cockpit?"

Kevin was about to point out the automatic opener… but then remembered that there WAS no auto-opener. It was a physical set of keys and he hadn't had time to make the switch. SMACK! His facepalm rang throughout the entire room, keeping his head low as he motioned over to Cooper. "Give the keys to Coop. He can handle that part for ya."

Rook glanced over to the genius and he nodded. "He's right, I can. I'll handle that part for you, Rook, don't worry."

The Revonnahgander grinned and placed the keys in Cooper's hand. "Thank you, Cooper. That is most appreciated."

Coco came forward with the rest of her team, nudging her head toward the Omni-Hunters. "Alright guys, hope all of you have a good time out there. And remember…" She lowered her sunglasses to give them a wink. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do, got it?"

"Haha! Got it, Coco Puff." Yang affirmed, giving her friend a high five.

"We'll still have some time to hang out on Monday, though, right?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, sure." Velvet nodded. "General Ironwood won't be coming until late in the afternoon, so there'll still be time for us to do something together."

Fox leaned over to Yatsu and mumbled; "So long as we're not scooped up in any sort of perilous monster battle again."

Blake, however, gave the blind huntsman an inquisitive brow, having heard his comment. "Hm, I'd bet you'd like that, wouldn't you, Fox?" That got the redhead's attention, making him tilt his head. "Especially if it means getting to meet up with a certain two-timing, two-toned haired thief girl, right?"

Fox's confusion was snapped right then and there, and he realized who she must've been talking about. "W-Wait… h-how did you—"

"Coco gets gossip around fast." Weiss clarified, holding up her scroll as she read; "And I quote; "OMG, just saw my team partner cavorting with the most petite girl you've ever seen. Too bad she's evil, or else I'd think it'd be a good match". Oh, and she also attached a picture of her touching your face."

Fox didn't have to see to know that there were a LOT of pointed looks coming his way. Ben took a quick glance at the photo, seeing that indeed, Neo and Fox were getting fairly touchy in it, which made him cross his arms. "Care to explain, Fox?"

"H-Hey, I-I was only trying to help her out!" Fox insisted. "Seriously, there was no flirting whatsoever! We were just talking!"

"Neo doesn't talk." Ben deadpanned. "Well… not in a conventional sense."

Pyrrha's hand went to her chin curiously. "But wait, how WOULD you have a conversation with her if you can't SEE her usual pantomiming?"

Fox cleared his throat, feeling a bit awkward as he answered. "Ahem… well… that's kind of what her touching me was all about."

Just then, Penny piped up, keeping her usual, cheery attitude. "Ah, that actually makes sense!" She opened her hand and projected a holographic image of Fox and Neo for everyone to see, with large "X's" over Fox's eyes and Neo's mouth. "Given that both Fox and Neo lack a very key sense needed for general communication, it would only make sense that they would need to rely on a different sense in order to speak with one another. It honestly only makes sense that would be touch."

"Hm, I guess that makes SOME sense." Ben admitted. "Besides, it's better than using smell and… taste."

Several of the hero's teammates cringed at that… all while Coco just laughed. "AHAHA! Oh god, now THAT I would love to see."

"COCO!" Fox shouted while blushing.

"Relax, Foxy, I'm joking… kind of." Coco reached over and grabbed her partner by the shoulder, making sure he was facing him as she spoke to him. "But listen, in all seriousness, you'd better be careful around her if you ever meet up again. She's a cutie, don't get me wrong, but she's also dangerous and wily. She could end up tricking you if you're not careful and you'd play right into her hands." Coco reached up and ruffled his hair. "I don't wanna see that happen to you, do you understand?"

As much as Fox didn't want to admit it, they were all right. Neo was no innocent, even if she did act kind to him in that moment. Even then, it was probably only because they had a truce going. He had to keep his expectations more realistic. "Hah… yeah, I get ya, Coco. I'll make sure to be on guard when it comes to Neo."

Ben gave a nod of approval, glad that was put to rest. "Good to hear, Fox. Well, with that settled, I think it's time we head out." He reached out and gave Coco's hand a shake. "We're counting on you guys to keep Bellwood safe in our absence, of course."

Coco gave him a thumbs up. "You've got nothing to worry about, Watch Boy. We'll keep things covered here. You guys go have fun."

"Thank you, Coco, everyone." Ben clapped his hands and whipped his arms up toward the ramp. "Alright guys, let's get a move on!" At his command, everyone got into their respective rides and drove up into the jet, the ramp closing just a few moments after. Once Cooper and Team CFVY had gotten to a safe distance, the aircraft began to raise up on a panel that brought it up to the launching dock, its jets powering up before blasting off through the tunnel and out the cliffside on the other end, flying up into the sky and off toward its destination.

…..

Thankfully, it wouldn't take long to reach where they needed to be, about a half hour or so before their destination would be in sight. During said half hour, though, Max, Gwen and Ben had been rather coy about keeping their actual camping site a secret, they being the only three who knew where they were going. "Just trust us, you're gonna love it." Ben had kept saying, hoping to assure his teammates.

"Yeah, we've been here before, and it's a great spot where you can just get away from everything." Gwen added, waving her hand up over her head. "Nothing but trees and mountains as far as the eye can see."

There was an audible grumble from a certain someone who had been relatively silent up until now; Rex. "Hmph, sounds kinda boring to me, honestly. Tell me it at least has wifi?"

"Very little, Rex." Max denied. "We're literally in the middle of the mountains here, so the best we're getting is the Rustbucket's satellite TV and radio on this trip."

The EVO hung his head over the back of his chair, letting out an even longer groan. "Uuuugh, great, I'm gonna be in Boresville all weekend." SMACK! "GAH!"

"Rex, don't be so ungrateful." Weiss scolded with her eyes closed at first, only to then give her boyfriend a disapproving glare. "Ben, Gwen and Max have gone out of their way to provide a nice weekend for us here and I doubt they'll want to be dealing with THAT attitude for the next two and a half days."

Seeing how upset she was, Rex's irritation gave way to remorse, giving another sigh. "…You're right. Sorry, Ice Princess." He bowed his head toward the Tennysons as well. "And sorry to you guys, too. It's just… I've been thinking a lot lately about the Collective and… well, I think there's a lot more to them that we're missing."

That managed to get everyone's attention. It wasn't like Rex to dwell on things, at least in the amount of time they knew him, so the fact that he was thinking seriously about the cult was surprising. To Weiss, however, she gave him a skeptical look. "…Is this about that Hunchback girl again, Rex?" That made the EVO flinch, and that was all the answer she needed. "Hmph, and here I thought you said she wouldn't come between us."

"A-And she won't, Weiss! Promise!" Rex asserted, panicking at the thought. "But, it's just… I've always had this creepy feeling whenever she's around… a really familiar creepy feeling that someone ELSE always gave me." He put on a solemn expression as he expressed his thoughts. "And given her ability to create portals, it all just seems to add up. It HAS to be that same person."

This continued to pique everyone's interest, leading Ruby to ask; "And who would that be, Rex?"

"I… I think it might be Breach."

Now THAT was a familiar name, one that the team hadn't heard in a while. "Wait, wasn't she that multi-armed girl you said Van Kleiss was holding against her will when you got transported to Ben's Earth?" Jaune asked. "How do you figure that's her?"

"Well, for one, the fact that she's a hunchback is worth pointing out." Rex answered, raising a brow toward the blonde knight. "Dontcha think that'd be just the perfect place to hide an extra set of big arms?"

"Hm, you do make a good point, Rex." Pyrrha nodded. "And given all of the other aspects, I can see why you would come to the conclusion that it IS Breach." But then, her features grew curious again. "That leads to another question, though… if she WAS transported here, how did she fall in line with a Cult?"

Rex winced and shook his head. "That, I've got no clue on. I don't recognize Bishop or Scales at all, so my guess is that she probably got separated from the Pack after she was transported here, and she was found by the Collective and subjugated by them instead." He tightened his fist, furrowing his brow as he continued. "But either way, we've gotta save her. Breach is NOT a bad person, I know that for a fact. Sure, her appearance may be a bit scary, but she shouldn't be judged just on that alone. She's just lonely… and she wants friends who can help her."

There was a short pause, though Weiss was the one to go up and place a reassuring hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. Their eyes met and she sent him a smile. "We'll find a way to help her, Rex. Whatever situation she's in, we'll make sure to free her from it, okay?"

Slowly but surely, Rex returned the grin and wrapped his arms around Weiss, pulling her in for a thankful hug. "Thank you, Weiss. I'm sure it'll mean a lot to her."

"Hm, of course." Weiss hummed as she pulled her arms around his back. "I might not know Breach, but if you say she's not bad, then I'll go with you on this."

"We all will." Ben stated, rousing a slew of agreements from everyone else as well. "Besides, if the Collective's holding her against her will, I can't let that slide…" Just then, however, Ben could feel the Rustbucket III starting to slow down to a standstill before slowly lowering down, giving everyone the signal that they must have arrived.

Max clapped his hands together, rubbing them eagerly. "Ooh, kids, here we are. Brace yourselves for landing, we're in for quite the sight." Everyone moved toward the exit hatch while Max, Ben, Kevin and Yang went to their vehicles, ready to roll them off once they landed. After making a safe touch down, the ramp slowly started to open and Rook's voice came on over the comms;

"Ladies and gentlemen, you have arrived at your destination. Please disembark in an orderly fashion and be sure to not leave behind any stray belongings. Have a nice trip, and I will see you on Monday."

After the group all walked slowly off the ship, it took off right into the sky, leaving them to be greeted by a surprising and wonderous sight. They had landed in a large clearing, with grass and huge stones sticking out of the ground as far as the eye could see. It was a somewhat hilly area, but the Rustbucket had landed down near a rather large pond which ran out into a nearby river, the area surrounding it being relatively flat compared to the rest of the clearing. They were also somewhat close to the forest line, seeing trees about forty feet away on either side. And, off in the distance, there was a huge mountain—no, rather a huge mountain RANGE, one which towered over them and had peaks that pointed straight up toward the sky.

The teens were absolutely floored by the picturesque scenery before them, with many feeling their mouths hang open at the sight. "Oh… my god." Blake murmured.

"This place… is so beautiful." Ilia emphasized. "Where ARE we?"

Penny did some quick observations of the area and ran it into her internal GPS, coming up with an answer instantly. "Hm, according to my calculations, we seem to be in the southwestern region of the state known as "Virginia"."

"That's right, Penny!" Max announced as he disembarked the Rustbucket, with his grandkids joining his side. "Welcome to the Appalachian Mountains! The biggest mountain range on this side of the United States."

Sun and Neptune were immediately confused. "That Appa-what-now?" they echoed.

Gwen rolled her eyes and reiterated; "That's Appalachian, boys. It's a mountain range that goes all the way through the Northeastern United States, and it's honestly one of the most scenic places in all of North America." She pointed up to the highest peak they could see. "Specifically, we're in the Blue Ridge Mountains portion of the range, and we just so happen to be at the base of Mount Rogers. The highest peak in Virigina."

"Woah! And we're just gonna CAMP out here?" Nora beamed as she started dashing around the entire grassy expanse. "Room to run, jump and do whatever?! Sweet!"

Ren, however, was a bit more skeptical. "While I DO like the idea of that, I have to ask… is this even an actual camping spot? Do people regularly come here?"

"Heh, well it technically is, Ren. We're here, aren't we?" Max said with a wink. "Sure, we COULD have just settled for a regular campsite where all the tourists go, but then we'd be missing out on what these mountains REALLY have to offer; pure, untamed wilderness."

Kevin couldn't help but smirk at that. "Ha! Yeah, this is the kinda camp site that the normal campsites don't want ya to know about." He gave the group a shrug. "After all, how else are those people gonna bleed ya dry?"

"Well, do we have any picnic tables or anything?" Pyrrha asked. "We do need someplace to eat."

At that, Max pulled out something from his back pocket; a blue cube that seemed rather familiar to the group. "Don't worry, got that covered." He pointed the cube down in front of the Rustbucket and shook it a couple of times… which made it spit out at least FOUR large, red picnic tables, much to their shock. "Subspace Storage Cubes. Never leave home without 'em."

"Heh, alright, that IS pretty handy." Jaune admitted. The blonde knight craned his head over to the nearby pond and river, noticing that the banks weren't too bad. They were mostly covered in stone and pebbles, yes, but it seemed fairly navigable. And the water didn't seem to bad either. "Hm… think that water's clean enough to swim in?"

"Should be." Max said as he pulled out several table cloths and started rapping them around the corners of the tables. "Every time I've come here, it's pretty clean, so if any of you brought your swimsuits, feel free to have some fun!"

Weiss grimaced and held up her hand. "Er, no thanks. Not to be a downer, but I was kind of hoping that we'd be going to an ACTUAL campsite with a pool. This is a gorgeous spot, don't get me wrong, but I'm NOT swimming in river water."

Nora placed her hands behind her head, giving a shrug. "Eh, alright. More fun for us!" She pulled up her bag and went to the Rustbucket. "Mama's gonna put on her swimsuit!"

"Eh, might as well." Ilia acquiesced as she also went to the camper. "I'm in the mood for a swim."

"Wouldn't be the first time I jumped in a river, hehe." Yang quipped as a line started forming outside the Rustbucket, comprised of boys and girls alike. "C'mon Weiss, don't knock it till you try it!"

Weiss grimaced and waved her hand to her teammate. "No thank you. I'd rather wade through mud." She went over to Ben's car and popped open the truck, revealing several tents all ready to be put together. "Instead, if any of you want to start HELPING me pitch some tents, then I'd appreciate it."

"Ooh! Ooh! I'll help you, Weiss!" Ruby volunteered.

"As will I." Penny affirmed as well with her usual salute. "I'd be more than willing to lend a hand."

Finally, Rex came over, offering his services. "Eh, sure, why not? I mean, I'm not opposed to a dip, but that can come later."

The former heiress smiled at the three and started handing them bags filled with tents. "Excellent! Ruby, you and I will start putting tents up on the right side of the Rustbucket. Those will be the girls' tents. Meanwhile, Rex and Penny, you can start setting up the boys' tents on the left side." With the tent bags distributed, the four of them took a stance, ready to get started. "Ready… GO!"

And just like that, they were off like shots, all four of them working feverously and in tandem to get the tents up in record time. …At least Weiss and Ruby were. Rex and Penny on the other hand. "…Okay, so this is the spike part, right?" Rex asked as he held one of the large metal pins in his hand.

"Indeed! And I believe these are the support struts." Penny pulled out four metal rods, holding two in each hand.

"You guys need help over there?" Gwen asked in concern.

However, the EVO waved her off, laughing cockily. "Hehe, no way! We've got this, right Penny? …Penny?"

But his and many others were wide-eyed at what they saw next. Penny had somehow managed to wrap herself up in the entire tent tarp, leaving only her eyes, hands, and legs exposed, poking out in random places. "…I believe I got it figured out, Rex!" Penny announced cheerily. "This must be what is referred to as a "sleeping bag"!"

"AAH! Penny, no!" Ruby rushed right over and started helping her friend out of the wrap. "That is NOT a sleeping bag!"

"…How is that even possible?" Ben asked, thrusting his hand toward the android. "She did everything so wrong and yet you CAN'T get mad about it. She's TOO innocent!" Everyone burst out laughing at that, including Penny herself who was being inadvertently tickled in Ruby's attempt to get her out.

Max smiled and placed his hands on his hips, taking in a deep breath as he watched the scene unfold. "Yep, this is gonna be an amazing experience for them all."

…..

Over the course of several hours, the team had gotten everything set up and ready for a prime camping experience. A total of seven tents were set up in a circle surrounding what would become the firepit during the evening; three for the boys and four for the girls. Each tent would hold two people each, and it was really a no-brainer in how they'd be paired up, so thankfully that was easy to figure out. The only ones who wouldn't be sleeping in a tent were Ben and Gwen, who would be bunking with their grandfather in the Rustbucket.

"It'll be just like old times." Ben had said.

"So long as you remember our old rules, that is." Gwen reminded with a pointed gaze.

The hero raised his hand in assurance. "Believe me, cous, I haven't forgotten a thing. …Thankfully, I'll follow them better this time."

"You'd better." Gwen narrowed her eyes. "If I find gum in my pillow again, I'll know who to blame."

"AGAIN; Dumbass Ten-Year Old!" Ben insisted while pointing to himself, leading both of them to erupt into a laughing fit. The others watched on in amusement, all while wondering just what sort of "rules" Gwen had set up.

But of course, everyone who had wanted to take a dip in the river did so, with Ilia, Ben, Kevin, Ren, Nora, Sun, Rex, Yang and Blake all donning swimsuits and heading in. Of course, Neptune was avoiding the water as much as possible, resolving to help Max set up the grill. But, much to Ben's relief, Yang had taken steps to wear something less revealing than what she had on the beach in Mexico. It was a yellow one-piece suit with white edging, though there was a hole in the middle that still showed off her belly. …And yet, it was still extremely hot. "Th-Thanks for not going ham on the swimsuit this time around, babe." Ben muttered with a soft blush.

Yang nudged him with her arm. "No problem, Green Boy. Besides, I doubt you'd want me teasing you like that when your grandpa's here with us."

The Omnitrix bearer cringed a bit. "Yeah, that was my main concern, honestly. I—"

"CANNONBALL!" Without warning, Nora's voice rang out through the area as she jumped high off a nearby rock and came crashing down into the pond, which thankfully WAS fairly deep. …And that meant a rather LARGE splash on her part. Both Yang and Ben were caught in the splash zone and were absolutely drenched, with Yang's hair covering her eyes. Nora emerged from the water with a bright giggle at what she'd done. "Heehee! C'mon guys! Quit talkin' and jump in!

Yang pulled her wet hair away from her eyes, zeroing in on the Pink Dynamo. "You sure about that? I can tell you now that you'll regret wanting us in there." Nora simply made a "come at me" motion with her finger, wearing a conceiving grin. "Oh, so that IS how you want it. Alright, then. Ben?!"

Ben reached for the Omnitrix, ready to seek their revenge. "Right there with you, Goldie Locks." As if on cue, the couple rushed toward the water and dove in, with Yang reaching out to cling to Ben's back as they went under.

Nora chuckled to herself, soon seeing the bright green flash underwater. "Hah! Please, as if there's anything you guys can do to surprise me—AH!" Suddenly, Nora felt two hands grab her by the ankles; one that was human, and one clawed, slimy hand with webbed bits between its fingers. In an instant, they forcefully pulled her across the water's surface at high speed, much to her surprise. "AAAAAAH! W-Wait, what's—WOAH!"

"Huh?" Ren spun his head around just in time to see a screaming Nora be tossed straight up into the air and go sailing straight down to the river bank… where he just so happened to be fishing. His eyes widened as his best friend came crashing down on him, the duo landing in a heap with the fishing tackle spilling all over the place. As the dust settled, they were nothing but a mess of limbs and one fishing pole… and Ren could feel her chest pressed up against his back. With a slight blush, he managed to keep his composure as he asked; "Nora… why must you do this?"

"I'm a glutton for punishment, hehe."

"Hm, that much is obvious." Ren stood up, grabbing his pole to try and reel his line in… only to be met with a tug. "Hm, that's weird. Didn't think I'd hook any—" But his voice practically dropped dead when he realized what he DID hook… and it wasn't a fish. The hook was caught on the back of Nora's top, which was thankfully clipped in place.

…But that didn't stop Nora from noticing it as well, along with how beat red Ren was at the moment. She smirked and placed her hands to her hips, wiggling herself a bit. "Ooh, seems I'm the catch of the day, Mr. Fisherman. Tell me…" She backed up and leaned her head up to his. "You gonna take that hook out for me and let me go? Or am I gonna be a keeper?"

"I-I-I-I…"

From the water, Yang let out a laugh. "HA! Nice, Nora, you broke him."

Nora puckered her lips, sending a sour look to the blonde. "Yeah, well if you hadn't thrown me on his hook… wait, why am I trying to argue?" Her sultry gaze returned as she leaned her head back to the stunned Ren, arching her back so he could get a good, full view of her. "I'm actually enjoying this—eh?"

But just then, a shadow was cast over her as a pair of large, orb-shaped green eyes appeared, meeting her own. "Sorry Nora, but your punishment ain't over yet."

"AAH!" Nora leapt away, bringing Ren with her as he made sure NOT to tug anymore on the hook. The duo were standing across from a large angler fish-like creature complete with gills on his neck, a huge underbite, and sharp, jagged yellow teeth sticking out of both jaws. His hide was scaley and pale green, with darker green webbing between his clawed fingers and toes. He wore a black shirt over his torso and a matching loincloth on his lower half, which had green V-shaped details going down toward the tip. The two recognized the alien as the same race that Magister Patelliday belonged to, and then saw the Omnitrix symbol on his waist. Nora instantly crossed her arms at him. "Haha, very funny, Ben. What's this one called? Lagoon Boy?"

"Actually, it's Ripjaws." the hero replied in a voice that sounded like he was gurgling on bubbles.

"…That is a FAR cooler name."

Ripjaws smirked and slammed a fist into his palm. "Thanks, but now's not the time for compliments." He thrust his arms up and called out; "LET THE WATER WAR BEGI—UUUUOORBLBLBLB!" Just then, a huge wave of water crashed into the Pisciss Volan, making him stumble straight back into the pond.

Everyone was taken aback until they saw Rex arrive, the young EVO with his Slam Cannon over his shoulder and dripping with water. "I couldn't agree more, mi amigo! Nora, I'm joining your side!"

"So am I!" Sun exclaimed, his tail wagging in anticipation. "Let's show these guys how to cause a REAL torrential downpour!"

Nora pumped her fists into the air victoriously. "WOOHOO! Ya hear THAT?!" She stuck her thumb to her nose and wiggled her fingers mockingly at the couple. "I've already got FOUR members on my team!"

"U-Uh, I didn't sign up for—oof!" Ren was cut off when Nora pulled him in, giving him an adorable, pleading gaze.

"You'd fight for me, right Renny?"

Ren bit down on his lower lip, resisting the urge to look down. "…I don't have a choice here, do I?" He sighed and pulled away, rotating his arm to pop a few muscles. "Alright, if it's a Water War you want, Nora, then I'll help you get it."

"THAT'S MY MAN!" Nora jumped up and gave Ren a hug from the back, piggybacking him for a bit. The ninja stiffened up at her touch, but regained himself when he jumped off, with Nora taking the lead. "So! Let's see what YOU two can do against OUR four!"

"Uh, ya might wanna make that THREE for them, Nora." Everyone craned their heads around to see Kevin come waltzing over, the Osmosian already coated in a layer of stone. "And even then, Ben and I can pick up the slack for another person, so that makes us even."

In the water, Ripjaws and Yang were thrilled at the news. "Haha! Alright, Kevin!" Yang cheered. "Let's show 'em what we're made of!"

Sun went down to the water's edge, ready to take the Osmosian on. "Heh, so what? You gonna sink to the bottom of this pond or something?"

"Actually, no… see, I've been practicing with a certain type of Dust that I've been having trouble with…" He reached down and procured a blue Dust crystal from his pocket, taking Nora's team by surprise. "So I figure now's a good time to use it!" He absorbed the crystal into his arms and slammed them together, making them glow while producing a geyser of water from each hand. "Let's see how you handle a REAL tsunami!"

Meanwhile, as the two teams started blasting water at one another, Blake and Ilia were simply reclining in their sun chairs, both relaxing while reading the same book; Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Gwen had been kind enough to make a copy of HER copies so they could read it, having been fascinated after the day's events to start learning more about Greek Myths. As the water war commenced, however, the Faunus duo peeked over to see it go down, with Ilia rolling her eyes.

"Pssh, boys." she scoffed.

"And Yang and Nora." Blake added. "Those two just can't stay out of trouble.

Ilia grinned, craning her head toward her best friend. "She's your partner, Blake. You gonna do something to stop her?"

The cat girl shook her head. "Nah, they'll all end up collapsing at some point. …Either that or that hook's finally gonna snap off Nora's top and they'll ALL have to stop."

Ilia flinched and her freckles flashed pink for a moment, trying to get that visual out of her head. "H-Hehe… right, of course. Here's hoping that doesn't happen."

…..

"Man, they are REALLY going at it over there." Ruby noted, watching the massive Water War go down. "Who do you think's gonna win?"

Weiss simply scoffed and shooed the whole situation away. "Hmph, please, at the end of the day, it's an over-the-top splash fight. Nothing's really at stake here, either, so—"

"My money's on Yang, Ben and Kevin." Gwen piped up.

"EXCUSE YOU, Miss Tennyson?!" Weiss exclaimed, slamming her hands on the picnic table. "Obviously it will be REX'S side who wins!"

Gwen's smirk increased as she tilted her head at the former heiress. "Oh? And here I thought you didn't care about this Water War." She shrugged her shoulders and flipped her ponytail. "Well, no matter. Kevin's been practicing with the Water Dust a lot lately, and Ben's got plenty of water-based aliens to spare. This a no-contest."

Weiss' lips curled and she balled her fists in challenge. "W-Well, Rex can make a pretty big splash too, if you hadn't noticed! Took Ben right off his feet for a second." She huffed, sticking her chest out proudly. "Plus, with Nora and Sun around, you can guarantee explosive results, so my bets are on them."

"Hahaha!" The sound of Max's laughter approaching brought their attention toward the old Plumber, who came over with Neptune at his side. "Hehe, well, glad to hear that all of you are getting into the spirit of things. But, there's still plenty of preparation to be done!" He pulled out a bag of marshmallows, a box of graham crackers and several bars of chocolate and placed them on the table. "For example, we can't roast marshmallows and make smores if we don't have any firewood. So, if anyone wants to head into the forest to gather some, that'd be appreciated."

Weiss couldn't help but tilt her head. "Of all the things you brought in that storage cube, firewood isn't one of them?"

"Why deny a classic camping experience, huh?" Max retorted, making his case to the white-haired girl. "In the old days, people gathered their own firewood from the forest, and that can lead to amazing discoveries." He made sure to point to everyone present. "However, if you ARE going into the woods, be sure to use the Buddy System. Just in case there's something out there, it's best to take someone with you."

Ruby, Weiss, Penny and Neptune eyed one another, wondering if the old man was serious. "Uh, Max, not to be rude…" Ruby and everyone else pulled out their weapons all at once, just to emphasize their point. "But I'm pretty sure we can take on anything that comes our way out there."

"I'm not denying that." Max assured. "But still, better to be safe that sorry…" His eyes went toward the tree line, narrowing his eyes toward the forest. "You never know what could be out in these kinds of woods…"

Hearing the old man's rather grave tone, the four of them began to reconsider their options. "…Perhaps it WOULD be best to go with the Buddy System, then." Penny suggested. "If only so no one gets lost."

"Y-Yeah, c'mon Penny, let's go find some firewood." Neptune agreed, himself and the redhead walking off in one direction.

That left Weiss and Gwen at the table, with Ruby looking to them both expectantly. The duo noticed this and they set their eyes on one another. "So… who goes and who stays?" Weiss asked.

Gwen wore a playful look and raised her fist. "How about Rock-Paper-Scissors? First two-out-of-three wins is the lucky one who stays?"

"Ooh, I like the sound of that!" Ruby said with a cheery grin. "Besides, either way, I win, because I get to go out in the woods with one of my best friends!"

Weiss sighed and balled her fist up. "Alright, very well. Sounds acceptable." The two girls placed their fists in their palms and announced; "Rock, Paper, Scissors, shoot!" Scissor tie. "Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" Paper tie. "Stop doing that!" Weiss insisted.

"Not my fault, this happens all the time." Gwen groaned before getting right back to it. "Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" Finally, it was a win for Gwen, getting scissors over Weiss' paper. "Ha! One for me!"

Weiss grumbled, but didn't back down. "Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" The former heiress smiled as her rock beat Gwen's scissors. "Ha! Repeat the same trick twice and you're doomed to fail!"

Ruby was intently focused as what could be the final match came up. This was it, all tied up and down to the wire. The duo announced; "Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" and Weiss through down her scissors… only to get crushed by the Anodite. "Ah-ha! Rock beats scissors! I WIN!"

As Gwen celebrated, Weiss' eyes were the size of peas as she staired at her own fist which betrayed her. '…I-Impossible… I lost a simple game?'

The Hooded Huntress went over and picked up her catatonic partner, dragging her over to the forest. "Aw, don't sweat it, Weiss. C'mon, I bet gathering some firewood will take your mind off this in no time."

As they ventured into the thicket for about ten or twelve minutes, the two partners made sure to picking up sticks, branches and even some logs as they went. While they walked, however, Weiss stayed decidedly silent, all while staring at the bunches of wood in her arms. She had lost a simple game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. Of course, this was a silly thing to be stewing over, but at the same time… it brought up a question she had pushed to the back of her mind for some time now. "…Hey, Ruby?"

"Hm? Yeah, Weiss? What's up?" Ruby stopped in her tracks, facing her partner.

"Do you think… ugh, this is a dumb question."

"What? No! Don't be afraid to ask me dumb questions, Weiss!" Ruby insisted, giving her friend a determined face. "I promise, no question is dumb to me, so feel free to ask."

Weiss bit her lip, slightly reassured, yet still a little nervous. "It's just… do you think…" She craned her head down shamefully. "That I've lost my edge?"

Ruby blinked in surprise, not expecting that question. "What do you mean?"

"I think you know exactly what I mean." Weiss asserted, recalling when they had first met at Beacon. "Back when we'd first met, I wasn't… the best person. Actually, that's a huge understatement—I was a terrible person. I was mean to you, everyone around me, I basically browbeat everyone I met." She glanced off to the side. "But I was also a lot more…"

"Abrasive?" Ruby guessed. "Assertive?"

Weiss pointed a finger at her. "Exactly! And while I don't mind that I've softened up around you guys, it just… feels like I've lost something."

"Psh, well I don't think so." Ruby waved off Weiss' concerns, giving her a supportive smile. "Weiss, I don't know what brought this on, but you're still plenty assertive and edgy, even if you've softened up a lot." She went over to her partner, nudging her arm with a wink. "And honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way."

Despite her worries, Weiss couldn't help but crack a grin of her own. "Hm, thanks, Ruby. I… wait." The former heiress brought her attention upward, taking note that the air seemed to be getting thicker by the moment. She couldn't even see the sky, which was instead replaced by… "Smoke?"

Ruby's eyebrows snapped up at that, quickly noticing it as well. "O-Oh my gosh! A-A forest fire?!"

Weiss furrowed her brow, shaking her head. "No, I don't think so. It would have a distinct burning smell. And this…" she took a couple of whiffs, only to gag immediately. "Bleh! Ugh, it's noxious!" Weiss held a hand over her nose and mouth. "Smells like rotten eggs and spoiled cheese!"

Now well on the lookout, Ruby searched for the source of the smoke, hoping to find it quickly. "B-But then where—ah!" She gasped when she saw something through the thick haze, which froze her right to that spot. It wasn't long before Weiss noticed it as well, and she was equally petrified. Whatever it was, it was BIG. Probably as big as a pick-up truck with gleaming red orbs for eyes that shined right through the smoke. It let out a low growl as its massive paws crunched over the fallen leaves and sticks, drawing ever closer to the two girls.

"R-Ruby… you know what we have to do, right?" Weiss whispered.

"Y-Y-Yep!" Ruby whipped herself up into a storm of petals, picking Weiss up and abandoning the bundles of wood in the process as she picked Weiss up. "WE GOTTA GET BACK TO CAMP!" she screamed as the two fled, the beast letting out a snapping bark as it began pursuing them.

…..

Back at the site, Jaune and Pyrrha were happily playing with Zwei, Romulus and Rema in their little play pen that they had set up. It wasn't anything spectacular, just four metal fences on each side to make a large square for the pups to play in, but it was enough to keep them in sight, and thankfully no one had tried to escape. However, Zwei suddenly stopped playing and perked his ears up… and then immediately turned toward the woods and began growling in that direction. Jaune and Pyrrha were taken aback, especially when the wolf pups started doing the same. Not many things spooked Zwei… but when they saw what got his attention, they knew exactly why.

"…Oh no." Jaune murmured.

"Oh my gosh! MAX!" Pyrrha called out. "EVERYONE! There's SMOKE!"

The group of heroes stopped what they were doing instantly the moment they heard her, the ones over by the river having abandoned their water war as they grouped back up. Max was stunned by the sight himself. Sure, he was no stranger to forest fires, but… "What in blazes?! What could've caused this?!"

"Guys!" The group whipped their heads around to see Neptune and Penny returning with armfuls of firewood, both of them very concerned. "We saw the smoke over the trees as we came back!" Neptune explained. "What's going on?!"

"I don't know…" Ripjaws said as he narrowed his eyes toward the forest, seeing a certain red and white petal storm coming their way. "But I think we're about to find out."

Sure enough, Ruby and Weiss burst out through the tree line and emerged from the former's Semblance, making a mad spring the rest of the way. "RUN!" Ruby screamed at the top of her lungs. "Everybody RUN! GIANT WOLF!"

Ripjaws did a double take at that… but it wasn't too long before he saw something come crashing through the trees, sending several toppling over as it trailed the smoke with it. Ruby and Weiss made it over to the team right as the beast's form became visible, and when it did, they were all perplexed and slightly intrigued. It WAS indeed a giant wolf, one with black fur that contrasted against the grey the smoke that was billowing from its body. Somehow, this red-eyed creature was the source of that thick haze.

"Uh… everyone's seeing this, right?" Sun piped up.

"You mean the smoking wolf?" Blake asked as she stepped slightly behind her boyfriend nervously. "Yes, yes we do."

"I TOLD YOU!" Ruby exclaimed

"Gwen, any idea on what that thing is?" Kevin asked.

But the Anodite shook her head. "Not a clue. Doesn't resemble any mythical beast I've read up on, Greek or otherwise." She furrowed her brow as the wolf focused its gleaming yellow eyes upon them. "…But something tells me it's not here to play."

Jaune, Pyrrha, Weiss, Ruby, Penny and Neptune stepped up, all of them going right for their weapons as they were readily accessible. Kevin, Rex and Ripjaws also stepped up, already prepared for combat. "We'll handle this!" Jaune unsheathed his sword before turning to his swimsuit-clad teammates. "You guys protect the pups and get to safety!"

"Gotcha, Jaune!" Yang called out as she grabbed Zwei, while Sun and Blake took up Romulus and Rema. "Good luck!" The remaining teens went straight to the Rustbucket, with Gwen creating a protective barrier over it.

The nine teens all went in toward the massive smoking wolf, which had no issue charging back at them with a reverberating howl that rang in their ears. "GAH! So, any plans on how to handle this thing?!" Neptune asked as he took aim at the beast.

"Don't kill it!" Ripjaws advised, raising a clawed hand. "We have no idea what this thing could be, so let's—urk! Haugh-hah!" Suddenly, Ripjaws started visibly choking, falling to his knees as his ability to breathe was taken away from him. "C-Can't breathe… need… water…"

As that happened, though, Kevin switched from Water Dust to trusty Fire, shaping his hands into a sword and mace as he went to engage the wolf. "Ben, dude, just change into a different form!"

"R-Right…" Ripjaws fell to the ground, but brought his hand up to his waist, slapping the Omnitrix and transforming into a certain hazardous alien. "Huh… Gutrot." The walking hazmat suit took in a deep breath, taking in even the smoke. "Ah, much better. In fact…" He opened all of his holes and started sucking in the smoke, clearing the air like he had earlier that day. "Let's make things a bit easier for us, huh?!"

Once all the smoke was cleared, the large wolf was left taken off guard, not expecting something like that. But still, it didn't faulter, snapping and biting at anyone who dared get to close to it. Jaune and Pyrrha went to slash their weapons at the beast, but it swiftly leapt over them both, leading it to tackle Neptune to the ground. "AH! H-Hold on, I'm not appetizing!" he insisted, keeping his gun aimed at its head. "Seriously, I'm WAY too gamey!"

Just then, a cold sensation worked its way up the wolf's spine, leading it to jump away as a Beowolf summon came slashing at it with its claws. Weiss and Ruby stood firm as the beast growled at them as well, the Beowolf standing guard. "That's right, Fido, growl all you want." Weiss shook her head. "But we're not budging."

Ruby took aim with her sniper rifle and cried; "Wanna play FETCH?!"

POW! She fired off a single shot to get its attention, the bullet racing past its face and off into the distance. That was enough to draw it to them, though, and within seconds, the wolf leapt and bound toward them. The Beowolf howled at its new opponent and went in as well, pouncing onto it with a mighty leap of its own. The smoking wolf readily met the new challenger and within moments, the two were tussling across the grass, biting, snapping and clawing at one another. Weiss took the opportunity to create three glyphs in front of one another, giving Ruby a nod. "You ready?"

"Of course." Ruby loaded a cartridge of Ice Dust into Crescent Rose and took aim, ready to go through with their united attack; "Ice Flower!" POW! The bullet shot through the three glyphs, building up even more icy energy as it travelled through the air and toward the smoking wolf.

However, the large canine's ears perked up when ite heard this familiar sound, knowing that something was coming. It snapped its head down and bit right into the Beowolf's shoulder before yanking it up and tossing it to the side, right in the path of the incoming bullet. Instantly, the summon was frozen in midair and came crashing down before shattering into ice particles, making for an effective shield and leaving Ruby and Weiss stunned.

"…Damn it, why'd this thing have to be smart?" Weiss questioned.

The beast howled again and made straight for the two, only to be intercepted by Rex and Penny on the way. The EVO brought out his Smack Hands and stopped the wolf from pouncing onto the girls, holding it back on its hind legs while Penny flew around and grabbed the scruff of its neck. "Back off, Kibbles n' Bits! My girlfriend and her bestie are NOT on the menu tonight!"

"Indeed, and HER bestie is MY bestie, so we definitely have a problem here!" Penny insisted before putting her jetpack on full blast, flying straight up and taking the wolf with it. She spun around several times in midair before tossing the wolf away, eliciting a short whine from it as it tumbled across the ground. It came up on all fours, however, and now it REALLY didn't seem too happy.

Rex saw this and shifted his Smack Hands for his Blast Caster, the whip filling up with energy. "Oh yeah? Well let's see how you like THIS!" He surged forward and slung the Blast Caster toward the wolf as it ran at him, successfully ensnaring it in his weapon before juicing it up with a powerful burst of energy. The wolf cried out in pain before Rex slammed it on the ground, where it laid still, yet breathing. "Alright, now let's finish thi—"

"Wait! NO!" Ruby zipped right in front of Rex, giving him a warning glare as she kept her arms out to guard the wolf from further harm. "Didn't you hear Ben?! He said DON'T kill it!"

"W-What?! Seriously?!" Rex thrust his hand toward the creature incredulously. "That thing's obviously some sort of monster!"

Ruby vehemently shook her head. "N-No, this… whatever it is… it's different." She turned toward the beast, her gaze full of sympathy. "Don't ask how I know, it's just… I've got a feeling that there's more to this wolf than what we're seeing. Something's different about it, but it's not an alien, a monster, or anything else. It's… I-I don't know what it is."

Seeing her troubled state, Gutrot came up and placed a hand on Ruby's back. "Hey, if it helps, I think I got a solution for this." He moved past her and went straight over to the wolf, its labored yet consistent breathing assuring him that it was alive, but exhausted. "Don't worry there, big guy, I've got ya covered…" He opened a finger and allowed a clear gas to waft out, putting it just below the wolf's nose to make sure it breathed it in. Before long, the wolf's already drooping eyes closed entirely, the animal falling into a deep slumber.

At that moment, the forcefield came down and the rest of the team reconvened, with the pups and Zwei now safe in the Rustbucket. With the Omni-Hunters and Max all together, Yang eyed the massive, smoking beast with an anxious gaze. "Uh, Green Boy? What'd you do to it?"

"Gave it a strong anesthetic." Gutrot explained. "Once it wakes up in about six hours, it's should be fine." He pressed the Omnitrix and transformed back into his human form, his focus shifting over to his grandfather. "Until then, we've gotta figure out a good place to leave it so it doesn't find us again."

But Max shook his head. "Ah, I don't think that'll be an option, Ben. A wolf can keep a scent for miles until it loses it. Even if we brought it back into the woods, it likely won't stop trying to come back." His own eyes found the wolf, watching the smoke waft off its black fur. "And even then, this is NOT a normal wolf."

"Obviously." Kevin fanned the fumes away from his face. "Pew! What the hell kinda wolf emits smoke?"

"…I have a hunch." Max admitted, placing a hand on his chin. "But to be sure…" He trailed off as he reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone. "I'll be just a second, kids, hang on." Max walked over to the Rustbucket as he called someone up, having a brief chat which the heroes could only hear bits and pieces of. They could hear the wolf being brought up, however, along with the word… "cryptic"? They couldn't tell, but they didn't have to wait long before Max came back. "Alright, I've got good news."

"That being?" Blake inquired.

Max rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Remember when I said that those specialists were going to meet up with us out here this weekend?"

"Oh yeah, right!" Gwen remembered, knowing exactly who her grandfather was talking about. "The family you said specializes in Kur, right? The ones who were coming to discuss the stolen tablet soon?"

Sun raised a finger to add; "And the ones who you said had a cool airship, right?"

The old man nodded to the two with a chuckle. "Haha, the very same… though I should probably clarify that a bit." He extended a hand down toward the massive, unconscious wolf, the smoke having slowed down as it slumbered. "In reality, these people don't just specialize in Kur, but rather, their specialty lies in ALL of the world's oddities, be it ancient civilizations, unexplainable events, and most of all, undiscovered creatures of indeterminate origin. I'd say our smoking wolf qualifies as the latter, don't you?"

Ilia placed her hands on her hips. "Psh, that's putting it mildly. So, I'm guessing they're on their way here?"

"They'll be here bright and early in the morning, yes." Max confirmed. "They just got home from a week-long deep-sea exploration, so they're giving themselves time to get prepped to head out in their airship again." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his storage cube, activating it and producing a large cage with bars made of energy rather than steel. It seemed like it could just barely hold the wolf inside of it. "Until they get here, though, we're going to have to keep our wolf under lockdown. Kevin, Rex, Ben, help me with this."

The three boys set their widened eyes onto the wolf, which appeared to still be sleeping quietly. Still, those sharp teeth and the beast's low moan as it slept was enough to send shivers down even Rex's spine. "Uh… is there anyway that we can get it in WITHOUT touching it?"

"Of course." Ben rolled his eyes and activated the Omnitrix again, transforming into… "Gravattack!" The Gallilean turned toward the slumbering canine and instantly started using his gravitational powers to float it steadily up into the air, slowly bringing it into the cage before sealing it in. "Hah, okay… now all that's left to do is keep applying that anesthetic every six hours until those guys get here."

Pyrrha wore a nervous expression as she stared at the wolf, worried about what would happen if it should somehow break out of that cage. "So… I assume that means we're sleeping in shifts tonight?"

"We'll HAVE to." Jaune affirmed, much to his dismay. "It's the only way we can make sure this thing doesn't destroy our campsite and EAT us."

The team let out a collective groan at that.

…..

Thankfully, things didn't get as bad as they had imagined over the course of the night. Of course, sleeping in shifts still wasn't exactly idea, but whenever the beast began to stir, the awake team always woke Ben up as soon as possible. The hero had even moved outside to sleep, even if it wasn't all that ideal. Sleeping in a bag on the picnic table to stay off the ground wasn't all that comfortable, to put it lightly.

But before long, the sun was finally up in the sky at about six o'clock, and both the camp and the team were fully intact. The smoke wolf was still fast asleep as well, none the worse for wear. "Ah, morning everyone!" Ruby announced as she emerged from her tent. She stood up and went over to the wolf, smiling as she pet its head gently. "And hello to you, too, Mr. Wolf."

"Ruby, don't touch it!" Weiss scolded. "It could have ticks or fleas!"

Blake leaned in to add her two cents; "Also, more importantly, it could wake up."

"Oops, yeah, good point." Ruby shrunk back, wide-eyed and frightened at the prospect.

Yang let out a loud yawn as she stumbled out of her tent after Blake, with everyone else emerging as well. The blonde scratched her lower back and arched it back, hearing a few satisfying pops. "Ugh, now I can see why they call it "roughin' it"." She went over to her cocooned boyfriend, rubbing his shoulder. "Green Boy, c'mon, wakey-wakey."

"Guh—GAH!" Ben snapped awake, though the dark circles under his eyes spoke volumes on just HOW awake he was. "W-What happened? Did I miss an anesthetic dose? Please tell me that thing's not awake!"

Yang sighed and leaned in to give him a short kiss. "No, no, you're good. It's just morning."

"Oh… good morning, honey."

"Good morning." Yang smiled back before craning her head to Sun and Neptune, the two boys being the last ones to take a shift. "And thanks for holding down the rest of the night, guys. Feel free to get some shut-eye."

Neptune was the first to collapse over the table while groaning out; "Oh, thank god." In no time, the blue-haired boy was snoring like he had never gotten up in the first place, surprising everyone with how fast that was.

Sun, however, just yawned and shook his head. "Thanks, but if these people are gonna be here as soon as Max said, I don't think we'll have much time." He stood up and sauntered over to his girlfriend, resting his head on her shoulder with his eyes half-lidded. "That said, I think some nice chamomile tea would do WONDERS right now."

"Hmhm, I'll get some started." Blake obliged, giving the monkey boy a peck on the cheek.

It wasn't long before everyone was getting their morning things set up, namely a stove top so that Ren could start making pancakes for everyone. There was also a coffee brewer and of course, Blake had broken out her tea pot… but all of the commotion came to an abrupt stop when the teens started hearing something off in the distance. It sounded like… a loud engine, one that was approaching them fairly steadily. Gwen's suspicions were raised and she eyed her grandfather. "Grandpa, could that be…"

"Oh, I think it is, pumpkin." Max smiled as he set his sights upward. "Keep your eyes on the skies, kids. You're about to see something pretty cool."

"Heh, please." Kevin scoffed. "This "airship" had better be pretty tricked out if it's gonna impress—uuuhh…"

The Osmosian's words were lost in his throat the moment he saw the absolutely MASSIVE orange and yellow aircraft come floating over the trees, hovering directly over them for a moment before slowly descending toward the ground. The airship itself was shaped almost like a blimp with wings, though it was definitely NOT a derigible given its all-metal construction. Still, like a blimp, it had a smaller section on its underside that was likely used for more recreational matters, at least, from what they could guess. The airship also had a larger rear fin with curved stabilizer fins on the back, no doubt what helped steer the large vessel.

The teens felt their mouths hang open as the ship lowered down not too far away from their campsite, with several powerful anchors lowering down from its underside to keep it in place. "…Are these people rich?" Nora muttered.

"Better; they're scientists." Max informed.

Ren gave a shrug. "Same thing, honestly."

They didn't have to wait long before the hatch on the side of the lower deck opened up, revealing a set of stairs that led inside. And, from the entryway, a very tall man stepped into view. He was African-American and had to be six-foot-five at the least and had a muscular physique, one that would make even the best huntsman jealous as far as the Remnant natives were concerned. He wore a black, long-sleeved shirt under an orange zip-up vest with orange gloves and yellow forearm braces, with a pair of black pants, yellow belt and orange boots completing the ensemble.

What everyone was most intrigued by, though, was his face. He had black hair that was buzzed down fairly close to his scalp, with a large patch of white right in his widow's peak. His eyes were dark brown… or rather, his LEFT eye was dark brown. The right one meanwhile was a pale blue, no doubt blinded after receiving the lightning bolt-shaped scare that went down his forehead and over his eyebrow. Despite his intimidating appearance, however, he actually seemed quite friendly, smiling the moment he saw Max.

"Ah, Maxwell! Good morning!" The man stepped off his ship and strode forward confidently, meeting the old Plumber with a handshake. "It's been far too long."

"Haha, it's good to see you, Solomon." Max nodded back. "And you're right, it's been a hot minute. We were actually just getting started on breakfast when you… erm, pulled up?"

"Hah, I can see that." The taller man scanned his gaze across the teens, taking note of every single one of them. "So, these are the famous Omni-Hunters…" His eye landed on Ben last and his smile increased. "And YOU must be Max's grandson. The world-famous Ben Tennyson." He extended his hand toward the young man. "It's an absolute honor. We're big fans."

"O-Oh, uh… thanks." Ben returned the handshake. "It's nice to meet you too, Mister…"

"Doctor, actually." The man clarified. "Doctor Solomon Saturday. Though most people just call me "Doc"." Doc set his sights on the teens once more and gave them a wink. "Sorry to keep you all waiting. So, I hear that you kids might have a Cryptid problem?"

…..

A/N: And thus, it's finally happened. With Doc's (and no doubt the rest of the family's) arrival, the Secret Saturdays have been brought into this story. Like Doc said, though, sorry to keep you guys waiting on this. I knew that I wanted to make the Saturday's arrival feel really important, and since I usually reserve the BIG story arcs for Halloween, I wanted to do the same with their arrival in this story. That and just their overall deal kind of goes with the Halloween vibe, you know? Working with Cryptids, the orange and black get-ups, definitely fits the aesthetic.

But, if you'll notice, Doc does NOT have his Omniverse design on him. We ain't dealing with T.G.I.S. redesigns here, no sir, we're dealing with the genuine article. I don't know how popular this opinion is, but I REALLY don't like the Saturdays' overhaul they got in Omniverse. If it weren't for a few small design cues, I would NOT have been able to see them AS the Saturdays, so needless to say, I'm going for their OG designs here. …Which means that when Zak appears in the next chapter, he'll look entirely different to his Omniverse counterpart. And I KNOW you guys are looking forward to him appearing, so I hope you're excited for that.

Aside from the giant smoking wolf attack, however, this chapter was a fairly decent start to the Omni-Hunter's camping trip. Swimming, setting up tents, wood gathering, all the fun stuff. Though let's send our thoughts to Kenny in the hopes that he survives Winter's training over the weekend. He's probably gonna be exhausted next time we see him.

So, what comes next? Well, of course, seeing that the wolf is incapacitated for the moment, Doc decides to start doing some analysis on the creature, which his wife is MORE than eager to get started on. Over breakfast, though, the Saturdays decide to go into more about what they do, explaining their jobs to the team and how important it is to study Cryptids. But, not long after, the couple get a call from their son, who's actually off deep in the forest on an observation mission of his own. Something's gone wrong, and he needs back up… which ends up leading to a chance meeting that's sure to stick for quite a long time. Thanks for reading, everybody, and I'll catch you all next time! And as always, stay safe out there!