A/N: Greetings once again, everyone! Welcome back to Ben 10/RWBY on Fridays, but also, welcome to the Season Finale of Season 2! Indeed, we're ending on a rather crazy one, folks, because if you've seen the original Omniverse episode, you'll know that Outbreak is one of the more interesting ones given the concept it presented; what if the Omnitrix malfunctioned so badly that it hybridized other people into Ben's aliens? And given that it's just happened to a bunch of RWBY characters, it's gonna be REALLY interesting to see how they deal with this. Plus, of course, today we're gonna find out what Cooper's secret project is, so that should be exciting as well.

Oh, and before we get started, I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge this; yes, it really took me FIFTY-NINE chapters to realize that Caesar's name had a second "A" in it. …Oy, that's gonna annoy me forever now. Nevertheless, let's get started! This is…

Chapter 59: Outbreak, Part 1

…..

Deep within the bowels of the Plumber Headquarters, inside of his prison cell, the one called Psyphon seethed in silent rage, his sharpened fingers tapping along his poor excuse of a bed. He had only been there for close to two weeks and already, he was beginning to go stir crazy from the enclosed space. He ground his sharp teeth at the sound of the blaring alarm, that being one of the MANY sounds that attributed to his ever-decreasing sanity. He wanted out, and he spent every moment of every day cursing those who'd put him there.

"Curse Ben Tennyson, curse those wretched heroes, curse every single Plumber who works here!" Psyphon slammed his hand against the wall… which was reinforced, so it hurt HIM more than anything. "Gah! And you know what? Curse Vilgax HIMSELF for all I care! I swear, if I had the power, I would FORCE my way out of this cell, defeat ALL of those unruly teenagers and… maybe even take on the conqueror myself." The alien crime boss sounded hopeful at the idea… but then remembered the true extent of Vilgax's power and thought better of it. "On second thought, reclaiming my crime syndicate would be good enough…"

BBZZZ! "AAGH!"

Psyphon snapped his head up at the sudden scream in the cell next to him, which belonged to one of his cohorts. "…Fistina?"

BBZZZ! "BA—KAAAWK!"

"Liam?!" Psyphon recognized that cluck anywhere, though something seemed off about it. "What in the world is going—huh?" Out of the corner of his eye, Psyphon saw the ventilation shaft in his cell glowing, and when he went closer to investigate… BBZZZ! "ACK!" The alien was blown back into the wall and all of a sudden, he felt a very warm sensation cover his body. His vision was blurry for a moment, but once it cleared up, he stood and rubbed his head. "Ugh… what just—ah!"

The moment he saw himself in the mirror, Psyphon gasped at his reflection. He had… changed. What was once bleach white skin was now thick and rocky with multiple cracks in it, with flames and magma flowing through them. His head was on fire, accentuating his now devilish single horn quite nicely. What's more, his body had been further enhanced, his arms and upper body now more muscular. Psyphon had no idea how, but he had become a Pyronite hybrid… and he liked it.

"Oh… THIS is quite interesting." Psyphon smirked as he tested out his new powers, melting a hole clean through his cell door. As the alarms continued, he quickly found that he was not alone. To his left, a Galvanic Mechamorph came oozing through their cell door, only for it to solidify into a rather familiar shape. "Fistina?"

"Boss! What has happened to us?!" Fistina asked, her bulky, angular form now entirely black with orange Mechamorph markings.

"I am not certain… but I can only assume that Tennyson has something to do with it—" BAM! "AGH!" Without warning, the cell door to his right came blasting off, and with it came a large Vaxasaurian… with red feathers on its head and a big gizzard hanging off of its chin. Psyphon's eyes widened in shock. "Liam?!"

The Vaxasaurian cocked its head down to him and greeted; "Ba-kawk! Hi boss."

Just then, however, another voice caught their attention in another cell. "Oh man, I don't like da looks o' dis…" Psyphon smirked at the familiar speech. It had too be Bubble Helmet. He went over to the cell in question and he melted through the door with ease. Sure enough, it was the worm-like alien… only he wasn't really a worm anymore. He had been mutated into a black and blue Gimlinopithicus hybrid, his exo-suit having adapted to his newly limbed form. "D'oh man… now I REALLY don't like da looks o' dis…"

Psyphon smirked evilly. This was their chance. "Hmhmhm… fret not, Bubbles." Psyphon's hands lit up, ready to do some damage. "It's time we break out of this joint."

…..

Back up in the main hub of the base, everyone was still trying to process what had just happened, most of all, Yang. The Blonde Brawler was currently staring at herself in a compact mirror that Pyrrha just happened to have on her, inspecting her visage by every petal and vine. "I… I-I don't believe it." she murmured to herself.

"Yang, I am so, SO sorry!" Ben apologized profusely, lowering his head in shame. He wished he could take his hand out of the containment unit and just give her a big hug, to reassure her that everything would be alright. "This is all my—"

"I LOOK SO AWESOME!"

Ben paused and snapped his head up, with Pyrrha and Jaune doing a double take. "…Excuse me, what?"

Yang, with an ear-to-ear smile, squealed in delight as she spun around, presenting her new form. "Are you kidding me?! This is so cool! I've always wondered what'd be like to become one of your aliens, Green Boy!" She sent him a wink and booped him on the nose. "And lucky me, Swampfire just happens to be my favorite."

"…Again, WHAT?!" Ben exclaimed.

"Yang, I know you think this is cool and all, but this is a pretty serious situation!" Jaune reminded, thrusting his hand out to her. "You could be stuck like that forever for all we know!"

Pyrrha nodded in agreement. "Yes, you should be very concerned."

The vine-haired blonde raised her hands up to the couple. "Okay, okay, I get that this IS pretty serious, for sure. But just LOOK at me!" She gave a twirl as she ran around, her vine-like hair waving through the air. "Right now, I look freaking sick, and I'm gonna enjoy it…" Yang brought one hand, inspecting the new hole in her palm. "Ooh, what's this for—WAHH!" Before she knew it, a small pillar of fire burst out of the hole, nearly hitting her cheek. "Woah! That's… actually not that hot."

The three teens couldn't help but stare incredulously at Yang as yet another fire burst came out of her other hand, causing her to whoop and holler excitedly. "…I think we lost her." Jaune deadpanned.

"Alright, nobody panic, this has happened before." Ben said, earning surprised faces from the couple. "Believe it or not, something similar happened to Gwen and Kevin in the past, so all that needs to happen is for the Omnitrix to be fixed and Yang will be back to—"

"EEYAAAAAAAHH! What happened to me?!"

Jaune and Pyrrha drew their weapons as they snapped their heads around… and were met with a shocking sight. Ben let out another gasp as across the room stood Weiss… at least, they were pretty SURE it was Weiss. She was still in her dress, but her skin was now covered in a coat of fine, black hairs with several white and cyan patterns all over. Her fingers had become clawed and her heels had fallen as her feet became somewhat digitigrade, the toes becoming clawed as well. Her face was still the same shape, but now had black and white patterns all over… and her eyes had become more insect-like. Also, her head was covered in a blue and white hood, which she was pulling over her eyes to try and make her problems go away.

"This can't be happening." Weiss cried, her tears freezing as they left her eyes. "This CANNOT be happening!"

"…Weiss?" Yang said, jaw open in stunned silence.

The Necrofriggian hybrid whipped her head around, her large eyes widening at the sight of her friend. "YANG?! What happened to you?!"

"Er, well… remember when we got swallowed by that burst of energy from the Omnitrix?"

"…Oh, my god." Weiss dashed over and picked up the mirror, desperate to see herself. The moment she did, she covered her mouth and exclaimed; "I'M A BIG CHILL?!"

Ben winced and nodded remorsefully. "Yes, Weiss. I'm sorry that—"

But Weiss reached over and put a finger to Ben's lips. "Oh, YOU don't need to apologize to me, Ben." Her expression twisted in rage, her hand threatening to break the mirror. "This is all that Evil Brainstorm's fault! HE made us like this by doing… whatever it is he did to the Omntrix!"

Yang went over and put an arm around her boyfriend. "Exactly, so don't blame yourself, Green Boy. We'll find a way to fix this, I'm sure."

"…Hm, you're right." Ben smiled, giving her a nod. "Thanks, Goldie Locks, I… wait." Ben's eyes scanned the room, searching for the others. "Remind me who else got caught in that blast, please."

"Ahem, down here, if you would." The teens all craned their heads down to the floor and were met with a rather surprising visage. It was a Gourmand, one whose skin tone was a combination of sickly green and periwinkle blue with black stripes along his cheeks. He also had somewhat feline features and large nostrils, which Gourmands DIDN'T have, and the fact that he was wearing Proto-Tech armor was a dead give away for who he really was. "Unfortunately, I was caught in the blast as well and reduced to… well, this."

"ROOK?!" the group shouted.

Yang lowered herself down, hovering her hand over the Revonnahgander-Gourmand hybrid. "Man, becoming an Upchuck really made ya go from a tower to a jelly bean."

Rook raised a brow at that. "I am uncertain what architecture or Earth confectionaries have to do with this, but I have become significantly shorter." Yang slapped her forehead at the alien once again taking things far too literal before Rook got back on track. "In any case, all of those metal serpents were defeated, so we have nothing to worry about there."

BAM! BAM! "WOO-HOO!"

All of a sudden, a mound of rubble was suddenly burst through across the room, leading everyone to whip their heads in that direction. When they saw what had caused it… everyone quickly felt their stomachs sink, though none more so than Jaune and Pyrrha. "Well… I can tell you what we DO have to worry about!" the former pointed to the walking, pink dilemma. "THAT!"

There, standing with her red hair sticking out of her new, pink, bucket-shaped helmet… was Nora. The Pink Dynamo stood atop the remaining rubble, her hands on her hips with a grin on her now grey-skinned face. Her legs, upper body, shoulders and arms were covered in heavy, pink armor, with a long, grey tail sticking out from under her skirt. Her arms, however, were what really worried the other heroes. She had become a Talpaedan… and as such, she now had piledrivers built into her arms. Nora. With PILEDRIVERS. A match made in hell as far as anyone was concerned.

"GUYS! Look at how COOL I am!" Nora raised her arms, the pistons in her arms already working overtime as they shook her all around. "WoOoOoO! Thi-i-i-i-is i-i-i-s a-a-a-aweso-o-ome!" she said as she vibrated across the floor

"…We're gonna die before the day is through, aren't we?" Weiss asked.

"Knowing Nora, more than likely." The familiar, calm voice caught their attention and brought their sights back around… only to be met with a long pair of green, digitigrade, insectoid legs. "Up here." There, towering above the teens was Ren, his skin now a light shade of green as his body was hoisted up by his long legs. Aside from his boots being discarded, though, his clothes seemed mostly intact. His hands now had claws at their fingertips, and his hair was gone, instead replaced by a set of antennae. Also, he had a set of mandibles near the corners of his mouth. "Gotta say, not really liking the whole "legs for days" thing I've got going on here."

Ben grimaced at the ninja's situation. "Oof, sorry Ren, seems like you got stuck with Crashhopper."

But Ren simply shrug it off. "Hmph, it's alright. Not your fault the DNA was randomized. Besides, I think I'll be okay until the Omnitrix gets fixed—"

"RENNY!"

"Oh no—augh! N-Nora! You're… crushing…"

From behind, Nora brought Ren into a soul-crushing hug… which the teens were fairly sure was ACTUALLY happening to him since they heard something crack. "EEEEE! You're a tall grasshopper boy now! Ooh! How high can you jump?! I wanna see!"

Despite his position, Ren could still feel his feet on the ground, and he thought to himself; '…Not a bad idea.' With his plan set in his mind, Ren pumped his legs and… BOING! He leapt right up, hoping to escape his best friend's strong grasp. …Unfortunately, she just kept hanging on, and both of them were sent right into the ceiling… and got stuck. "AUGH!"

"Hahaha! Some jump!" Nora laughed as she waved down to the others. "We're okay!"

With a collective sigh, the team shook their heads. This was going to be a LONG wait. "Ugh, can this GET any worse?" Weiss mumbled.

"Well Ice Princess, that depends…" The former heiress gasped and spun around… meeting a sight that took her breath away. It was Rex, who was in the process of taking his jacket off to let his arms out. Namely because they had seen significant growth since they were now made of solid, blue crystal. In fact, Rex himself was made entirely of crystal, with even the EVO's hair getting EXTRA spikey as a result. "Does THIS count as worse?"

Weiss couldn't believe it. Her boyfriend was now part Petrosapien, and her eyes were shining in amazement at how shiny HE was. "…No." She approached him and put her arms around his newly chiseled physique. "This is NOT worse at all."

At that, Six, Holiday and Bobo all came over as well, taken aback by their friend's new appearance. "Woah… chief, you're lookin' sparkly there." Bobo went up and knocked against Rex's leg, which made a clinking sound. "Damn, your skin's gotta be worth millions."

"Heh, as if I wasn't ALREADY worth millions." Rex raised his head proudly.

Holiday took out a scanner from her pocket and began using it on Rex, and before long, she received some very interesting readings from the device. "Oh… oh my word." The EVO raised an eyeridge as the doctor explained. "According to these readings, it seems that your new physiology has… well, it's put your nanites in a sort of suspended animation." Holiday turned the scanner around, showing Rex the read out. "They're still active, but the crystalline structure of your skin's made them… pause for lack of a better term. You might not be able to activate them."

Rex's eyes widened at that. "Que?! No way, can't be!" He left Weiss' side to put some distance between him and everyone else, just in case things got ugly. "C'mon, nanites, do your thing! Gimme Smack Hands!" He thrust his arms out, prepared to see the usual mechanical fists burst out of his arms… only for his arms THEMSELVES to suddenly grow, the weight bringing them right down to the floor. WHAM! "Woah!"

The small tremor was powerful enough to actually loosen Nora and Ren, bringing them back down from the ceiling… where Nora landed right on top of her best friend. "Oof! Hey, thanks for that, Rex!"

"Yeah… thanks." Ren muffled from beneath Nora's heavy body.

Six folded his arms, furrowing his brow at his pupil. "Rex, what did Holiday JUST say?"

"Hey, I've at least gotta try!" Rex argued, his arms transforming back to their usual size.

"I'd avoid "trying" anything more." The agent advised. "We don't want to be picking up shards of you from all over the floor incase something goes horrifically wrong."

Weiss went up to Rex, placing a hand over his chest. "Please listen to him, Rex. I'd rather not have you all over the place, please."

The EVO gave a sigh and sent a reassuring smile down to her, caressing her face soothingly. "If that's what you want, hermosa, then I've got no choice but to do it." He gave her a wink as well. "And I gotta say… I love the new hood you've got going on."

The young woman blushed a shade of cool blue, bringing said hood over her eyes. "Shut up."

"Hehe, alright. So, who ELSE got mutated?"

"Ooo-ooh! That'd be us!" The team were greeted by a certain monkey boy and his hydrophobic partner coming up to them… and they had to be in some of the most fitting and ironic forms possible. Sun was now covered almost entirely in bright yellow hair, his face having become more simian-like along with a second pair of eyes appearing under his primary ones. His sandals had slipped off due to his feet becoming hands, and just like with Rex, he took his jacket off to reveal a SECOND set of arms having grown out of his sides. His tail had remained the same, but now, he was ALL monkey. Or rather… "Sun the Spider-Monkey reporting for duty! AAH-AH!"

Neptune, meanwhile, had grown much thicker skin, quite literally. It was bumpy, sharp in some places, and was a bright shade of red. He too had to abandon his jacket so that his arms could breath, with new portholes having emerged from his shoulders. His lower face around his nose and mouth area was grey with the upper half being red, all while his blue hair solidified into place. He also had his own new hood, though his was much more solid. "Okay, so could SOMEBODY tell me what I am?" Neptune asked as he inspected his hands, which also now had portholes in them. "I don't think I even recognize this alien…"

The others, however, were quick to realize what Neptune was… and they were quite concerned because of it. "Uh, Neptune, you HAVE seen that alien before." Ben pointed out. "You're an Orishan."

The blue-haired boy inspected the porthole in his hand, which he subconsciously opened up. "In English please—" SPLOOOSH! "AAAAAAHH!" Without any warning, a blast of water came surging out of his hands, causing him to scream and pull his head back so far that he actually ended up falling right onto his back. The water didn't stop, though, going so far as to absolutely drench Neptune, much to his dismay. "AAAH! WATER! NO, NO, NO! PLEASE!"

"In English… you're Water Hazard." Ben stated.

"In more ways than one." Yang added as she hid behind her boyfriend to avoid the flailing, screaming boy.

Neptune was immediately hating everything in his life right now. Of all aliens, why did he have to get saddled with the one that shoots the thing he LOATHES the most in the world. "WHY?! Why does the world hate me?! Why does the UNIVERSE hate me?! AND WHY CAN'T I STOP SHOOTING WATER?!"

"Because you're PANICKING, Neptune!" Helen shouted as she zipped up and slapped Neptune across the cheek, immediately snapping him out of it. "You have to CALM DOWN and take stock of what you are now." With that firmly said, the Kineceleran girl smiled and offered him a hand. "Now come on, let me help you up."

With a hard gulp, Neptune accepted the offer. "O-Okay…" Steadily he stood to his feet, his joints clicking as he did. "Ugh! Why do my joints feel so… ratchet-y?"

Ben was the one to answer that. "Oh, your skeletal structure might've changed a little bit. Orishans actually have pretty thick bones to help them submerse underwater." As he explained, however, Neptune stared at him incredulously, along with a few other team members. "What? You're surprised I know that? I transform into these things, I've gotta know a lot about them."

"Hm, of course you do." Helen agreed before eyeing Neptune. "And as for you…" She pointed to the boy's chest sternly, taking him by surprise. "THIS could actually make for a good opportunity. You keep telling me how you want me to help you conquer your fear, right? Well, this could be the first step in doing that."

As his eyes shifted down to his hands, Neptune felt incredibly hesitant at the idea. "A-Are you sure? I mean, I know what I said, but… this seems kind of an unconventional first step."

Helen reached up and took a hold of his shoulder. "Maybe, but I'd say it's a step worth taking advantage of while it lasts, don't you?"

Neptune took her words into consideration, thinking this whole situation over. Sure, he had been transformed into a hybrid alien, one of a species whose powers were NOT ideal for him in the least. Of course, Helen also made a strong point; if he wanted to get over his fear and actually NOT be a big chicken around water, this presented him with a perfect opportunity. "Well…" After a few more seconds, Neptune gave a short sigh and shrugged. "Well, I guess it couldn't cause TOO much harm."

"Glad to hear it!" Helen smiled brightly, offering Neptune a fistbump. "And I promise I'll do my best to help you out with this, Neptune. Count on it."

If he could blush at the moment, Neptune probably would. "Th-Thanks, Helen…"

"Well, I'm honestly just psyched to put THESE bad boys to use!" Sun said as he flexed his four arms, only to see Manny coming right over to him. "Yo, Manny! High Five times FOUR!"

"Oh-ho, you read my mind, brother!" Manny laughed as he and Sun began doing different kinds of high fives and handshakes with all four sets of hands, all while everyone else watched on. "Ooh! I got it! How 'bout a multi-thumb war?!"

"Now THAT sounds up my alley, I—wait." Before Sun could take Manny up on his offer, he suddenly realized something. There was someone rather important missing from the line-up, his concern growing by the second. "Where's Blake?!" This got the crowd murmuring in their own worry as Sun started calling out for his girlfriend; "Blake?! Blake, where are you?!"

Yang joined him immediately; "Blake! Are you okay?! Please tell me you're not an invisible alien or something!" Right as she said that, though, Yang heard something from over in one of the far corners of the room. It sounded like muffled yelling, and it was coming from under another pile of rubble. Her eyes widened in alarm and she gasped; "Blake!" Noticing her run, Sun joined her and both began digging through the scrap to dig her out. "Don't worry, we'll get you out of—" WHAM! "WOAH!"

"Ah!" Sun fell onto his rear as, without warning, a slender yet very muscular arm thrust out from the rubble. The team stared at the arm in confusion for a moment, seeing it completely covered in black hair with white stripes going up and down it. The five-fingered hand was very humanoid, covered in white fur with sharp, black nails on each tip. But then… as the hand balled into a powerful fist… a single, black claw retracted from its knuckle.

"…Oh god, no." Ben whispered, his gut falling to his feet. "It can't be."

"Crap." Yang said, knowing exactly what this meant. "Sun, get back!" The Arachnichimp hybrid didn't have to be told twice as he leapt away just as the rubble came blasting out all across the room, accompanied by a powerful, deafening roar;

GGYYYAAAAAAAOOOORR!

Rex and Manny shielded the group from most of the rubble with their own bodies before things cleared up… though when the Omni-Hunters saw their friend, they quickly found themselves feeling utterly anxious. The long, black hair and the cat ears were all that they needed to know that it was indeed Blake, but she had gotten a bit buffer in her transformation. Unfortunately, while it wasn't a TON of muscle, it was enough to start ripping her clothes. Her white jacket was now in complete tatters, to the point where she merely tossed it aside when she emerged, but her black pants were also torn off at both knees, exposing her lower legs and clawed feet. Thankfully, her top had managed to stay on… though even then, that was beginning to rip a little as well.

Blake spun around to the group, and it all but confirmed their worst fears; her features were now much more tiger-like. From her nose, her upper lip, even her eyes, she was now MUCH more feline than before. And between that, the muscles, the fur and the clawed hand… as well as the general pissed-off demeanor she had about her, the Omni-Hunters had to accept their fear; Blake had become… an Appoplexian.

"B-B… Blake?" Yang stared.

"Grr… Y-Yang?" Blake growled, her voice now a tad lower. "W-What… happened to—ah!" The second she saw her hands, as well as the the state of her clothes, she saw exactly what happened… it was getting her upset and angry. "No… nonoNO!" Blake whipped her head around to a nearby computer screen to see her reflection… which only confirmed her fears and solidified her anger. Her lips contorted into an angry snarl, showing off her sharp teeth before screaming to the heavens; "GGRRRAAAAAAHH! BEN TENNYSON!"

Ben paled, knowing he'd probably be the focus of her rage. "Uh-oh—AAAH!" In one jump, Blake had managed to get right over to him and lock her hand right over his face, squeezing his cheeks hard so she could bring him right up to her. What made it worse was that his hand was still inside the containment unit, and he swore he heard his arm pop as it was pulled. 'Oh… I'm gonna be feeling that tomorrow.'

"LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', BEN TENNYSON! YOU'VE GOT TEN SECONDS TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO BLAKE, OR ELSE BLAKE IS GONNA CRACK YOUR SKULL OPEN LIKE AN EGG AND SERVE YOUR BRAIN IN A PAN!"

"…Huh, so this is what it's like to be on the receiving end of this."

Thankfully, Yang came over and hooked her arms around Blake's, getting her partner's attention. "Woah, woah, Blake, pump the brakes! This isn't Ben's fault!"

Sun did the same, using his new arms to gently rub his girlfriend's back in hopes of calming her. "She's right, Blake, Ben had nothing to do with this!"

A light growl escaped Blake's throat before she dropped Ben, who was thankful for still having his arm in its socket. "Grr… THEN WHO'S FAULT IS IT SO THAT BLAKE CAN BEAT THEM UP?!"

"That would be one Doctor Psychobos." From inside the containment unit, Luhley poked her head out, garnering everybody's attention again. She wore a rather displeased expression as she explained. "He is one of the most ego-driven, stuck-up, and downright nefarious scientists this side of the Milky Way, and to further that, he thinks himself as Azmuth's superior." She spat as the very words left her mouth. "Bah, he could even compare to the First Thinker."

"Wait… Psychobos." Ben's eyes widened in realization. "Oh my god… guys, HE'S the one who invented the Nemetrix!" This caught the whole team, even Luhley by surprise as he recounted his memory. "I remember Khyber mentioning him while we were on board his ship! Yang, you were there when he talked about that, remember?"

Slowly but surely, Yang did indeed recall that moment vividly. "Oh my gosh, Green Boy, you're right!" The Methanosian hybrid snapped her head down to Luhley. "H-He must've stolen… whatever it was out of the Omnitrix to try and upgrade HIS Nemetrix."

"Ugh, makes sense." Luhley sneered. "As expected, not even HE could completely replicate the genius of Azmuth." She bobbed back into the hole, continuing her examination. "Thankfully, Azmuth thought ahead for a situation such as this, and has left us with plenty of parts to fix the Omnitrix in such cases."

Jaune peered into the hole. "Okay, so what's missing?"

"Well, that's what I am trying to pinpoint." Luhley began walking back and forth, peering at several parts of the Omnitrix's core. "Primary stabilizers, check… morphogenic grating, check… oh dear."

Ben leaned forward, pushing Jaune's head slightly to see her. "Oh dear? What "oh dear"?"

"Gah! That spindly-legged charlatan of a scientist stole a key regulator from the Omnitrix." Luhley stepped out once again, placing a hand to her chin. "I can repair it, but the spare one is back down in my laboratory—woah!"

BZZZ! "Watch out!" Pyrrha quickly scooped Luhley up and out of the way of another green energy bolt, stepping away as the energy harmlessly went down into the floor. "Hah… is there any way you could at least stop those energy bursts from happening? Just so no one ELSE is mutated into an alien?"

Luhley smiled, raising a single finger. "That, I CAN do… though it will involve locking Ben into a low-power alien form until I can retrieve the spare part." She craned her head up to the hero. "Is that alright with you, Ben?"

"If it means not causing my friends any further harm, then yes." Ben nodded.

"Very well, prepare yourself." Luhley hopped back into the hole and twisted the Omnitrix core around, setting it into lock mode before jumping up and slapping the core back down with her feet. In a bright flash of green light, Ben's arm left the hole, the hero having shrunk in his transformation.

"Well? Did it work?" The high-pitched voice brought everyone's eyes down, and there, standing with the stubbiest legs and arms any of them had ever seen… was a talking fish. A blue, talking, walking fish with a giant mouth full of teeth. Immediately, everyone had to hold back their laughter, snickering and stuttering as many of them held their hands over their mouths to reign themselves in. Ben, however, wasn't too pleased. "…Is it THAT bad?"

"Snrkt… see for yourself." Nora snorted as she handed the compact mirror down to him.

The second Ben saw himself, he grimaced at his own appearance. This form was NOT flattering in the least. "Aw, man! I'm a… a Walkatrout!" However, his dismay was forgotten when he suddenly felt something staring holes into him, sending a chill up his fishy spine. "Wait… I'm a… a fish." He realized in horror as he brought his eyes up… and was met with Blake's gleaming eyes staring intently at him, her mouth open as drool dribbled past her lips.

"…Uh oh." Ben, Yang and Sun all echoed.

"FIIIIIISSHH!" Blake roared before chomping down at the blue alien, only for Ben to yelp and slip on the floor, sliding away from Blake at a surprisingly quick pace. "Grah! LUNCH!"

"NO! No, Blake, NOT lunch!" Ben exclaimed. "I'd taste terrible!"

Just as Blake was about to pounce after him, the Appoplexian girl suddenly felt something stick to her back and pull her down in midair. As it turned out, it was actually Sun, the Arachnichimp hybrid having slung some webbing out of his tail as quick as a flash. "…I have NO idea how I knew how to do that, but Blake, you NEED to get a hold of yourself." He stepped forward and knelt down, meeting her angry, hungry eyes. "This isn't you, it's the Rath part of your brain taking over." Sun reached down, taking Blake by the hand tenderly. "Please… remember who YOU are, and don't give into those instincts."

Blake's frustrated breaths began to slow, the Monkey Boy's words beginning to calm her significantly. She gently gripped his hand back, shaking her head to get her focus back. "S-S…Sun?"

"Yeah, that's it." Sun nodded, bringing his other hand down to grab the other. "You're doing great, Blake. Keep that focus."

"Ugh… my head… feels fuzzy." Blake managed to mutter, only to crane her neck down to hide behind her hair. "I must look awful, don't I?"

Sun's smile only grew, giving a light chuckle. "Hehe, are you kidding?" A third hand reached up and took her by the chin, all while his fourth went up to caress her cheek. "You're still the most beautiful girl I've ever had the privilege of seeing. Also, in my opinion…" Sun winked at her. "I think muscles are kind of hot."

A chorus of "ooohs" courtesy of the girls rang through the room as Blake blushed, her white fur tinging red. "…Sun Wukong, you are utterly hopeless."

"You know it, babe." And from there, the two closed the gap, their limbs wrapping up in one another as they kissed.

"…Never in my life did I ever think that I'd EVER see an Appoplexian kiss an Arachnichimp." Ben commented with a sigh. "Could this day get any crazier?"

As if to answer his question, Max came over with a data pad, his expression one of utmost seriousness. "I'm afraid it's about to, Ben." This brought everyone's attention to the old man, who began reading off his findings. "In the aftermath of the attack, our primary security grid's been taken off line, and all communications are down as well. We can't contact the outside."

"Which means we can't get to Gwen, Kevin, or even Azmuth." Weiss facepalmed. "Fantastic."

"Is there backups for any of these, Max?" Six asked.

The senior Plumber gave him a nod. "Yes, we're hard at work getting the secondary grid back up to full power." His brow furrowed in concern. "Unfortunately, communications are a different matter entirely. We're thinking that one of those serpents must've drilled through the wiring for those."

Rook then came up to Max, attempting to put a little light on the situation. "Well, in any case, it would seem that there is no second assault from Psychobos, otherwise he would have sent it by now." He sent the team a hopeful smile. "I am certain that it cannot get any worse."

His words had the exact OPPOSITE of what he intended, though, with everyone staring at him in disbelief while Ben slapped his forehead. "Rook, DUDE! You do NOT say that out loud! Do you WANT the universe to—" BAM! "…hear you?" The Omni-Hunters and their allies whirled around toward the middle of the room, where bolts of blue electricity came blasting out from the floor, creating a large hole from which three large figures leapt out of. They were all left stunned as a blocky Mechamorph, a feathered Vaxasaurian, and a blue Gimlinopithicus landed in front of them, the latter smirking as his hands lit up with lightning.

"Hehehe… Hey dere, chumps! Guess what?!" He slapped his fists together, the electricity increasing in intensity. "Dis right 'ere? Dis is a JAILBREAK!"

"Wait… Bubble Helmet?!" Yang recognized the armor from anywhere, and it wasn't long before she deduced who the other two were. "And Fistina? And Liam?! They got hit with the energy burst, too?!"

"More importantly, why did the CHICKEN guy get turned into a Humungousaur?!" Nora demanded, only to roll her eyes as she stepped up. "Ugh, whatever. Like it makes any difference." She stood in front of the group, smirking eagerly as she confronted Bubble Helmet. "Right now, I'm eager to hammer you into the ground with my new pistons! And your lightning should REALLY juice me up! Hit me, sucka!"

Bubble Helmet simply smirked. "Hehe, if you's say so, chicky! BRRAAA!" He thrust his hands out and blasted the lightning at Nora, who simply waited for it…

…Unfortunately for her, this didn't end the way she'd hoped. ZZZZZZAAAP! "GYYYAAAAAHH!" The team gasped as Nora was blasted with several watts of electric energy, her body convulsing and spasming every which way before it finally stopped. With an impactful THUD, she landed on her back, her eyes spinning in her head.

"NORA!" Ren ran over to her, careful not to bounce as he knelt by her side. "Are you okay?! Speak to me!"

"Oooh… haven't felt THAT sensation in a while." Nora said woozily.

"W-What happened?!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "Her Semblance should've activated!"

Weiss quickly felt a sense of panic surge through her before she took up Myrtenaster, holding it awkwardly in her new hands as she waved it toward the ground to summon a glyph. …And nothing happened. There was no light, no glyph at all, not even a single Grimm body part. Her fears were affirmed in that moment. "Oh god… guys, I think the mutation messed with our auras! We can't use our Semblances!"

"BA-KAW! Oh, what fun!" Liam clucked as he, Fistina and Bubble Helmet all closed in, ready for a fight. "I think it's time for a little bit of payback, then!"

As the Omni-Hunters huddled up, Pyrrha pulled out her weapon, which had yet to undergo its upgrades. "I know I've been saying this a lot lately, but… crap baskets."

…..

Meanwhile, in the next town over, Gwen and Kevin had just pulled into Cooper's driveway, the couple emerging from the front while Caesar got out of the back. "Huh, this is a lot… quainter than I expected." Caesar commented as they walked up to the front door. "I honestly expected Cooper's house to be a lot more… teched out."

"Yeah, well, I think his parents would rather live in a NORMAL house, honestly." Gwen figured. "Just because their son's a genius doesn't mean they'd want a fully automated house, you know?" The trio went straight up to the front door and Gwen rang the doorbell, waiting patiently for an answer. "So, what do you think this new "secret project" is that Cooper wanted us here for?"

Kevin gave a shrug. "Eh, probably somethin' to do with his armor or something." He smirked and added; "Heh, maybe he wants advice on how to compress it into a briefcase."

"Psh, please, Cooper's probably already figured that out, knowing him." Caesar scoffed. "If I had to guess, maybe it has something to do with those defenses that they're planning in Remnant."

"Hm, good guess. That very well COULD be what it is…" Gwen trailed off before the front door swung open, revealing Cooper's mother on the other side. "O-Oh! Good morning, Mrs. Daniels." Gwen waved, offering a smile. "It's good to see you."

Clara Daniels returned the bright smile as she ushered the three inside. "Gwen, Kevin! Always so good to see you two. Oh, and you must be Caesar!" She extended a hand to the young man as he came in. "I'm Clara, Cooper's mother. I have to say, I've heard quite a lot of nice things about you from my son."

The elder Salazar brother was taken aback, but greeted her nonetheless. "Hola, Senora Daniels. I'm sorry, but… Cooper's talked to you about me?"

"Oh yes, a fair bit, really." Clara affirmed. "He really looks up to you, Caesar, especially since you were able to figure out interdimensional travel and communication." She gave him a wink. "Now I don't know too much about that myself, but it's so nice to see Cooper have his own role models. Thank you for inspiring my son's work."

Caesar blushed a little, his hand rubbing his neck sheepishly. "O-Oh, I… I don't know if I'd consider myself a role model…"

"I do." Clara urged the three to follow her further into the house. "But let's not get too deep in the chit-chat. Cooper was the one who asked you all to be here, after all." In no time at all, they were in the living room, where Cooper and Team CFVY were already gathered. "Sweetheart, your friends are here!"

"D'oh! Mom!" Cooper bemoaned, feeling off put by his mother's tone. "Come on, this is an important meeting, not a get-together."

Clara covered her mouth and exclaimed; "Oops! Sorry, dear, I'll try to keep that in mind." She turned to leave the room, but not without saying; "But don't forget, there's fresh scones and iced tea in the kitchen if anyone wants it!"

Cooper's eye twitched, but he gave a relenting sigh. "…Thanks, mom."

"Don't worry, bro." Kevin reached over and gave the genius a pat on the back. "My mom gets like that sometimes, too."

"Well, at least YOUR mom's not overly cheery." Cooper muttered under his breath, only to give another sigh. "Well, okay, let's try to get back on topic, shall we?" He offered the gang a smile as Coco and her squad did the same. "How's it going guys?"

"Did ya enjoy the camping trip?" Coco followed up, lowering her sunglasses with a raised brow. "I'll bet it was a pretty awesome time, wasn't it?"

The couple eyed one another before Gwen gave them an answer. "Yes actually, it was… for the most part."

"Hm? What do you mean, Gwen?" Velvet tilted her head curiously. "Did something bad happen?"

"Er… well…" Gwen winced, not really wanting to get into the subject. "You see…"

Just then, however, someone cleared their throat behind her. "Ahem, pardon me, Gwen." The redhead gasped as both she and Kevin spun around at the familiar, authoritative voice. Sure enough, standing in the doorway with a scone in one hand and a glass of iced tea in the other… was General Ironwood. What's more, he was flanked by Winter, which left Gwen reeling in shock. "I'm sorry if this is a bit forward," the general said after swallowing a bit of scone, "but sounds like you're holding back on something."

"G-General Ironwood?!" Gwen shouted. "You're here?! Already?!"

Kevin pointed to the man, adding; "And you're NOT at Plumber HQ?!"

"Yes, yes, and no, I'm not." Ironwood took a swig of iced tea, letting out a refreshed sound before continuing. "Cooper asked me to come here for this meeting before seeing Leo." He eyed the blonde with a small grin. "Of course, I wasn't fully convinced it was more important at first, but once I heard what he wanted to discuss, I couldn't say no."

Gwen's sights snapped over to Winter next. "A-And Winter? What're you doing here? I thought you were training my brother this weekend?"

Winter visibly winced at that. "Er, um… yes, about that…" She scratched her cheek with her finger, avoiding eye-contact with the redhead. "I, um… I may have taken things a BIT too far in our training yesterday. Kenny is laying in bed as we speak." Winter immediately saw Gwen's features contort in fear, but she quickly quashed them. "D-Don't worry, he isn't severely hurt or anything, simply fatigued from all the work we did. A full day's recovery should help him." The elder Schnee sister suddenly brightened up, though. "On the bright side, though, he's made some significant improvement to his physical abilities, which is excellent."

The Anodite had to internally sigh at that. 'Well, I guess that's SOME good news about all this.' Still, she knew that she couldn't avoid fate for long. She had to tell them, along with Team CFVY about what had happened. "Well, I guess that's good news… but I think it's time we let you in on what happened over the weekend." From there, she and Kevin relayed what had happened over the course of that past Saturday, from meeting Zak and his family, to the incident at the TNT area, including the unfortunate result of the Ministry stealing the corrodium. By they'd finished, the group wore rather somber expressions, now knowing that the Ministry now had something else up their sleeve. "And… that's pretty much it. …I'm sorry, general."

"There's no need to apologize for anything, Gwen." Ironwood assured, going up to the young woman and placing a hand on her shoulder. "From the sounds of things, you've all had a bit of an off week. I've experienced plenty of those in my time as general, and I can tell you form experience that it does take a toll on you."

"I just wish there was… SOME way to turn all of this around." Gwen sighed, sitting down in the chair behind her as she crossed her arms. "The Ministry have been really on their game, the Forever Knights are set to become a problem AGAIN, and the Collective remain out of reach, even when we get so close."

Kevin came over as well, leaning against the chair. "She's right. Ben's got the Omnitrix, sure, but even then, the bad guys are getting crafty enough to work their way around it. We need something more to throw a wrench into their system."

"And that is where my idea can hopefully come in." Cooper interjected, the couple eyeing him curiously as he raised a finger. "But, before we get to that, we still have one more person to wait for—oh!" All of a sudden, a new sound graced everyone's ears as a shimmer of light appeared on the center coffee table, a small figure appearing from within it. "Hah, never mind, he's here!"

From out of the light stepped none other than the Great Thinker himself, staring at a tiny data pad as he spoke. "Alright, Cooper, this had better be good. I've got a meeting in about thirty Earth minutes, so my time is… limited." Azmuth brought his attention up and noticed that he and Cooper weren't the only ones here. "Oh… hm, I didn't realize this was a group meeting."

"Azmuth?!" Gwen leaned forward slightly.

Caesar eyed his fellow inventor. "Cooper, you asked Azmuth to be here?"

The blonde genius nodded. "Of course! Like I said, this is important."

"Well, yes, but I didn't think it was THIS level of importance." Gwen raised a brow to him. "What exactly IS it that you're planning?"

"Indeed, I would like to know as well." Azmuth affirmed, putting his datapad away. "Your request for a Lewodan crystal refinement machine yesterday was one thing, but this sudden call to Earth is another."

Cooper couldn't help but blush, having trouble finding the words as Coco elbowed him in the side. "C'mon, Tech Head, I think it's time to let 'em in on your plan." She slipped her hand into his, giving it a supportive squeeze. "Like we talked about before, I know it's nerve-wracking, but it's a GOOD idea." She gave him a quick peck on the lips. "You can do this."

Cooper took a deep breath, his girlfriend's reassurance helping to relax him at least a little bit. "Yeah, you're right, Coco. It's now, or never." He hugged her briefly before making his case to his audience. "Alright, so, like you guys said, things haven't been exactly all that cool recently. The Ministry's getting more cunning, more villain groups are popping up, and what's even worse is that we have all of these mythical beasts and monsters popping up out of the woodwork, too."

Kevin and Gwen winced at that reminder. "Yeah, the hydra thing WAS a pretty big problem on Friday."

"A hydra? What's that?" Ironwood inquired.

"To put it simply, a huge dragon-like beast with several heads." Gwen answered. "It, along with a huge lion monster ended up attacking Bellwood the other day, but we managed to fend them off with the help of a Greek god."

Ironwood stared at the young redhead as his hand went up to his forehead. "You know, sometimes I wish I was around to see all of these crazy things you kids get into."

Azumuth stroked his mustache, pondering all of this. "Hm, indeed. It would seem that you continue to encounter more powerful threats every single day. It's disconcerting… But Cooper, you were saying?" He extended a hand to the genius, ushering him to continue.

"Right, so, with all of these factors, along with the fact that Vilgax is still out there and could come for our heads at any time, I think it's time we start focusing on expanding our arsenal." Cooper took out a small hologram projector from his pocket and placed it on the table, switching it on. "Because let's face it, unless your name is "Ben Tennyson" or "Rex Salazar", I don't think any of us could withstand Vilgax." Cooper gave his team an empathetic gaze. "Sorry guys, no offense."

"None taken, Coop." Fox assured with a wave.

Yatsu gave a nod as well. "Yes, we're well aware that compared to Ben, there's a HUGE power gap between him and all of us."

Coco shrugged and lifted her purse. "I mean, we probably COULD land some good hits on Squid-Face, but at the end of the day, we're still pretty vulnerable, even with our Aura."

"Which Vilgax could easily break through if he wanted." Gwen said sadly. "It's unfortunate, but Vilgax is insanely powerful. Training is one thing, but you're right, Cooper. If any of the Huntsmen on our team want to help take on Vilgax, they'll need some serious upgrades. What were you thinking?"

"Well, of course, some general upgrades to our weaponry will be necessary." Cooper explained, bringing up images of Crescent Rose, Ember Celica, Gambol Shroud and Myrtenaster. "They're already really good, but to put a dent in Vilgax, they'll need to be even better." He swiped his hand across the hologram, bringing up Crocea Mors. "Heck, Jaune's already got the right idea. His recent upgrades to his sword are pretty devastating, and I'm hoping he'll be able to only take things further with that." The blonde gave Caesar a thumbs up. "You did some awesome work on that, by the way, Caesar."

"Gracias." Caesar saluted back. "And with any luck, Pyrrha's upgrades to her weapon should be coming along right as we speak."

Cooper pointed to him in approval. "Ah, excellent. Glad to hear it. But, in addition to that… I think it's time I unveil the concept for this new project I've been brainstorming all weekend. And it's one that I think could even surpass my Centurion project."

Those words managed to take Gwen, Kevin, Ironwood and even Caesar aback, all while Winter and Azmuth were left intrigued the more they listened. "Wait, what?! But Cooper, the Centurion armor is like your baby!" Gwen gawked in disbelief. "You really think it can be surpassed so soon?"

"Yeah, I mean, you pretty much started it JUST a month ago." Kevin pointed out.

Cooper nodded, wearing a melancholic smile. "Yeah, I do, honestly. Don't get me wrong, I have every intention of continuing the Centurion Project. The Mark IV is in the final stages back home and I've already started plans for the Mark V. But this new project is something that I think could be even MORE powerful than suits of mechanical armor that could be prone to malfunction or damage." His hand extended toward Azmuth. "And through combining Galvan tech…" he then moved to Ironwood, "Dust from Remnant…" and finally, his sights landed on Gwen, "and with a fair bit of magic, I think we could create something that could not only be better than the Centurion armor… but maybe even put the rest of us on the same level as Ben himself."

"You wish to create a device that could rival the Omnitrix?" Azmuth folded his arms, scoffing yet still intrigued by the notion. "Hmph, well, what exactly IS it, then?"

The young blonde was expecting that kind of answer. 'Hopefully he likes what I have in mind…' Cooper swiped the sword off the holoscreen and in its place… was a gear-shaped logo that was divided down the middle with a zig-zagging line, and Gwen was certain that she had seen it before. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present…" Cooper moved the logo up, and from under it, a new image popped up of a rather interesting and familiar device. "Project Build."

Gwen's eyes widened at the device, recognizing it straight away. After all, her brother had shown it off to her friends only a few days ago. The crank, the gears, the twin slots sitting side-by-side… she could practically hear the noises in her head by this point. It was the Build Driver, and as she stared at it, Gwen felt herself becoming more concerned. "Cooper, you can't possibly be thinking…"

"I am, and I firmly believe that it CAN work."

But even Kevin was a bit skeptical at this idea. "Uh, dude, I'm usually all for your more out-there ideas, but this might be a little TOO far." He pointed at the hologram. "You're essentially taking a fictional transformation device, something that's not even REAL, and you're trying to MAKE it real. Sorry, but realistically speaking, that's a bit farfetched."

Surprisingly enough, however, the most unexpected of replies came from Azmuth. "Is that so? And I suppose that means my Omnitrix is a work of fantasy?" This took Gwen and Kevin aback as Azmuth crossed his arms at them. "After all, IT is a transformation device, is it not?"

"Well, yes, but this one's different, Azmuth." Gwen explained. "It's something that's supposed to create a suit out of essentially thin air, and once the user is in it, they gain super powers." She extended a hand down to the Galvan. "Even YOU have to say that's pretty—"

"I don't have to say anything until I've heard Cooper's ENTIRE explanation, Gwendolyn Tennyson." Azmuth said firmly, pointing up at her. "Now, if you would be so kind as to LET him finish…" Gwen sucked in her lips, her eyes wide as she shrunk back in her seat. "Good. Now Cooper, you were saying?"

It took a second for Cooper to comprehend what had just happened. Azmuth had just vouched for his idea. He couldn't waste this opportunity. "R-Right, of course." Cooper pushed the Build logo out of the way, making the Build Driver bigger as a pair of holographic bottles appeared on screen. "Well, what Gwen said IS accurate, this device IS meant to coat one in an armored suit that grants them superpowers. But the source of the suit isn't from thin air." He put on a special control gauntlet and reached out, actually taking hold of one of the bottles. "Rather, these bottles are the source of the power, holding a special liquid that the driver uses to reconstitute its essence into the suit."

"Ah, I see, so THAT is what you wanted the refinement machine for." Azmuth nodded in understanding.

Ironwood tilted his head, his curiosity growing ever more by the second. "But what does this suit look like, though?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Cooper took the holographic bottles and inserted them into the driver before turning the crank, which slowly began to build up a new image from the Driver itself. By the time he was done, Ironwood, Winter, Team CFVY, Gwen, Kevin, Caesar and Azmuth were left staring at a red and blue warrior in an armored suit, his helmet having eyepeices that resembled the head of a rabbit and a tank, with the ear and barrel respectfully acting as "antenna" for the helmet. A guitar riff suddenly sounded through the room before everyone heard;

Hagane no Moonsault! RabbitTank!

Yeah!

Cooper stepped to the warrior's side and announced; "Everyone, may I preset… Kamen Rider Build."

Caesar gave an impressed whistle. "Hoo… que lindo…"

"Hah… wow." Ironwood chuckled as he inspected the suit closer, taking in every detail. "I have to say, this is suit is very different to what I was expecting, but nevertheless, I'm rather impressed." He saw that the boots were also themed to the aesthetic, one with treads while the other had a spring in it. "So I'm guessing that the Rabbit and Tank theming is just a thing with this?"

Cooper seemed to brighten up as he asked that. "Oh, that's the neat part! Depending on what types of bottles are inserted into the Driver, Build can actually change his form and get new powers as a result. For example…" Cooper snapped his fingers and Build's appearance changed, becoming orange and grey with a bird and gatling gun becoming his new eyepiece theme, along with a pair of orange wings emerging from his back.

Tenkuu no Abarenbou! HawkGatling!

Yeah!

As everyone stared in awe, Cooper explained; "The bottles are based on biotic and abiotic things, and each bottle has a Best Match in the Driver, which makes it even more powerful."

"I see." Azmuth pondered over this. It'd be a challenge to pull off… but there was a distinct possibility that it could be done. "So you're hoping to liquify Dust crystals and use THEM as the liquid for these bottles, correct?"

"That's right, though not just them." He set his sights back onto Gwen. "Because in order for it to work the way it's supposed to, magic and technology need to come together to do so. That's why I asked you to be here, Gwen. Your magic is the only way we can infuse aspects of biotic and abiotic things into the liquid Dust and give Build his proper powers." Cooper placed his hands together, bowing his head to her. "Please, I would like your help to make this project—this dream—into reality."

At that point, Gwen was starting to feel really bad. She had been so quick to judge just because she found the concept to be implausible, something that no one could ever hope to accomplish. But of course, this was Cooper, and knowing him, he'd give it his damnedest to try and make something a reality. And the fact that he needed her help only made her feel worse for degrading his idea. He wanted her help, and she had criticized him before hearing the full story. "…You really want my help? Even after everything I said?"

"Of course." Cooper's hand went to his neck, wearing a sheepish grin. "Believe me, I know that you're not exactly into this kind of stuff… but I think that if we pull our talents together, we can make this happen."

Gwen gave him a small, hopeful smile. "That's a very nice thought, Cooper…" But then, she grew concerned again. "But are you prepared for the possibility of things not working out?"

The blonde genius nodded without hesitation. "Yes, I have. If somehow this doesn't end up working, I plan to incorporate what DOES work from Project Build back into the Centurion Project." He reached over to the hologram of Build and pulled one of the bottles out of the Driver. "After all, if at least SOME of this stuff that we create ends up working but not working together, might as well merge it back into my first project."

"Good to hear… also, you said you were just finishing the Mark IV, but you're already starting the Mark V?"

"Well, the Mark V isn't technically for me." Cooper explained, pressing a button on his gauntlet and made another hologram appear from his wrist. "It's for her."

"Salutations, Gwendolyn!" VADOS greeted cheerily, her green power button logo flashing as she spoke. "How are you today?"

Gwen was somewhat surprised, but pleasantly so. "Oh! I'm doing well today, VADOS. How about you?"

"Oh, I am feeling spectacular!" the A.I. replied. "After all, I am positively ECSTATIC at the idea of receiving my own body! It may not end up as humanoid as my sister's, but I am quite happy all the same."

Kevin, however, quickly picked up on something. "Hold on a sec…" He gave Cooper a smirk. "Did you specifically save the Mark V for her because the Roman Numeral for that is the letter "V"? As in, "V" for "VADOS"?"

Cooper sighed as everyone in the room began laughing in amusement. "Okay, to be fair… how could I pass an opportunity like that up? It's just way too perfect."

"Hey, not judging you here, my dude." Kevin raised his hands. "I'm not about to argue that." He craned his head back to the hologram of Build, which had reverted to its RabbitTank form. "So, when do you guys get started on this big project?"

"As soon as we get back to Remnant." Cooper pressed a few buttons on his gauntlet, making the hologram deactivate and disappear. "It'll take quite a bit of time, though. I need some parts from Galvan, I need to gather the Dust we need so we can bring it back here to put in the machine, oh, and of course we'll need to gather the right biotic and abiotic materials…"

"Woah, woah, let's slow down there, amigo." Caesar urged, standing up to place a hand on Cooper's shoulder. "It's never good to take on too much at once."

Azmuth nodded in agreement. "Caesar is right, Cooper. Best to take this one step at a time." He pointed up to the two human prodigies. "I will send the parts you need to create this "Build Driver", though. When do you next depart for Remnant?"

"Soon." Ironwood answered, stepping between the two young men. "I need to get back before two o'clock for another meeting, plus I need to escort Leo to Atlas."

The elder Galvan gave an acknowledging; "Hmph, I see. Well then, I'd best get on that. Cooper, do you have a list of materials?"

Cooper grinned and pulled a list out of his jacket pocket. "Yep, always come prepared. Here you go, Azmuth. And thanks."

"You're welcome…" Azmuth unfolded the piece of paper and quickly glanced at it, taking note of all the parts required. For the most part, it seemed like a fairly easy list to put together. A Vortex Charger, Infinitum for the outer casing… but then Azmuth eyes widened when he saw one thing in particular. "You need a Nitro Dynamo engine for this thing?!"

Cooper's smile became nervous as a few beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. "Uh, hehe… i-is that gonna be hard to get?"

"No, but the parts needed to build one are priceless." Azmuth raised an eye ridge at him. "I hope you don't have to create too many of these things…" The fact that Cooper's nervous expression persisted was all the answer he needed. "Hah… I'll get you what you need. But you'd better repay me by putting your all into this." He extended his hands up to Cooper and Caesar. "After all, you two are some of the most brilliant young minds that Earth has to offer. If there's anyone who can pull this off, it's you two." Amzuth tucked the list away in his back pocket as he became engulfed in a shimmer of light once more. "I expect great things from both of you…"

And, in a flash, the Galvan was gone, leaving the humans to themselves. Caesar took in a deep breath, exhaling to calm his nerves. "But, ya know, no pressure."

"Yeah, right." Cooper quipped.

"Aw, relax, you two." Coco commended as she came up and wrapped an arm around Cooper's neck, giving Caesar a jab in the arm. "You two are smart cookies. If anyone can figure out how to make a working Driver, it's the two of you."

The two boys exchanged smiles with her and one another before clasping their hands together in solidarity. "Heh, si, sin duda. I'm sure that we can pull this off together." Caesar agreed. "But, uh… in order for us to work together, I think the best way would be to NOT have a whole dimension between us."

"Yeah, I was gonna ask… you okay with coming to Remnant for a while to work with me on this, Caesar?" Cooper asked hopefully. "I mean, I know I'd be taking you away from Rex, so I understand if you don't want to—"

"Amigo, no te preocupes por eso." Caesar waved off. "I'm sure once I explain what's going on to Rex, he'll be all for the idea."

Cooper cleared his throat at that. "Um, yeah, about that… if you want to tell Rex about it, then that's fine, but… I kinda want to keep this as kind of a surprise to everyone else." He sent a knowing wink to the group. "Just to see their reactions if this ends up working, you know?"

"Ah, I see." Gwen returned the wink. "Well, if that's what you want, Cooper, then we won't tell a soul about what we learned here."

Winter, however, seemingly took a bit more issue with that. "Now wait just a moment, you're telling me that you want me to LIE to Kenny about this, something that he loves, potentially becoming a reality?" Cooper initially winced under her scrutinizing gaze… but that didn't last long as a giddy smile replaced it. "Ooh, I'm in. I'd love to surprise Kenny, for sure."

Velvet clapped her hands together happily. "So, we're all in agreement then! Heehee, I'm so excited for this!"

"So am I, Vel. So am I." Cooper sighed as he clapped his hands together. "So, now that we've got that out of the way, how about we get ready to head out for Plumber HQ? We've got a lot to prep for when we get back to Remnant and we've gotta get started ASAP if we want to make good time on this project."

Taking one last swig of his lemonade, Ironwood concurred with the young man. "Ah, I was just about to suggest that, Cooper…" The general set his eyes upon Gwen and Kevin once more. "Now, I'm assuming that the Plumbers were getting ready to move Leo before you left, correct?"

"That's what we heard." Kevin gave a thumbs up. "Things over there should be good to go."

…..

"This is not good! This is NOT GOOD!" Walkatrout practically screamed as he waddled across the floor on his tiny legs, running away from the Liam-mongousaur that was pursuing them. Things had not gone well since the three criminals had broken up through the floor and commenced their attack, with several Plumbers holding them off unsuccessfully while the team had become a discombobulated mess. Once they realized that their Semblances were gone, things took a turn for the crazy as Bubble Helmet and Fistina went after them. But of course, Liam had chosen to chase HIM down since he was an easy target. 'Lucky me…'

"BA-KAWK! It's time for some payback, Tennyson!" The Vaxasaurian hybrid slammed his fist on the floor and made a large crack in it, which tripped Walkatrout up and send him sliding across the smooth surface. He came to a stop when his head hit a corner wall, where he quickly found himself trapped. "BAW-HAHAHAWK! Now, let's see how are for LUNCH!"

Liam picked Walkatrout up by the tail and started dangling him over his mouth, much to the hero's chagrin. "N-No! Not this again!"

"Hey! Vaxa-sucks-ian!"

"Ba-ka? AAAWK!" From out of nowhere, Yang and Blake came charging in and knocked Liam over together with their combined strength, making him drop Walkatrout.

Yang's hands ignited into flame as the fish alien landed on her head. "Hands off my boyfriend!"

"YEAH!" Blake plucked the hero off her partner's head and jabbed a thumb to her chest angrily. "Besides, if anyone's gonna be eating him, IT'S ME!"

"Ah! Blake!" Yang snapped her head around, narrowing her eyes at the Appoplexian girl. "Seriously?!"

Seemingly realizing what she just said, Blake slapped herself and profusely apologized. "Sorry, sorry! Ugh, Blake hates being Rath!" She set Ben down and pat him on the head. "Stay right there, delicious-looking Ben Tennyson! Blake and Yang are gonna go beat up that dino-chicken! GRAAH!" With that, Blake practically launched herself into battle, landing right on Liam's chest. She grabbed him by the gizzard and pulled his head up to her so they were nose-to-nose and yelled; "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', LIAM, YA HUMUNGOUSAUR WANNABE! BLAKE DOES NOT APPRECIATE YOU TRYING TO EAR HER FRIENDS!"

"Baw-baw! Oh yeah?!" Liam stood up to his full height and grabbed Blake with both hands… all while unknowingly pressing his thumbs into her chest. "Well what're you gonna do about—" RRRIIIPP! The sudden sound gave Liam pause, his eyes darting around to find the source all while Blake's face reddened in embarrassment and anger. "Bawk? What was that?"

Blake couldn't hold it back any more. She had to explode. "That… was… MY BRA!" The Appoplexian hybrid swung her legs up and kicked Liam right in the jaw, sending him sprawling back before she began wailing on him repeatedly. "YOU! RIPPED! MY! BRA!"

All the while, Yang and Walkatrout watched on in shock, trying to process what was going on. "…Well, this went from bad to worse." Yang concluded.

"Yeah, pretty much." Walkatrout agreed. "Yang, try Swampfire's methane attack. That oughta quiet things down."

"Gotcha." Yang rushed forward and leapt onto Liam's stomach, wrapping her hands around Blake's midsection. "Woah, Blake, slow down!"

"LET GO, YANG XIAO LONG!" Blake screamed, her eyes red with rage. "LIAM NEEDS TO PAY FOR RIPPING BLAKE'S BRA!"

Using all of her strength, Yang pulled back and took Blake with her, flipping the angry cat girl off of the Vaxasaurian's stomach. "I'll buy you a new one LATER!" With Blake sent tumbling, that left Yang to get up close and personal with the former chicken alien, grabbing him by the gizzard herself. "Hey! Not only did you rip her bra, but you put your hands somewhere that they REALLY didn't belong. Ya know what that get you?!" Before he could answer, Yang thrust her palm out and released a burst of methane fumes right in him… before snapping her fingers.

BOOOOMM!

A single spark was all it took to cause a fiery explosion right in Liam's face, the force of which managed to throw Yang off of him. "BA-BAAAWK! AAAAGH! MY EYES! THEY BURN!"

"Haha! Great job, Goldie Locks!" Walkatrout cheered as he went over to the girls… only to suddenly slip and go sliding once again. "ACK! Oh come on—oof!" But before he could get far, he ended up bumping right into Rook, who feel right on his rear as well. "Oh! Rook, sorry about that. How're things holding up?"

"I am not holding up anything at the moment." Rook answered, causing Yang, Blake and Ben's eyes to twitch. "However, at present, things are going poorly." He stared at his stubby hands and tubby physique, frustrated that he hadn't contributed anything to the fight. "I simply cannot fight like this!"

However, Walkatrout offered a supportive smile. "'Course you can! Just stop being you so much and be me!"

Rook raised an eyeridge, confused by the hero's meaning. "You are not making any sense."

Walkatrout pointed his flippers at the Revonnahgander-Gourmand. "You're focused on fighting like Rook Blanco, when right now, you're UPCHUCK. So BE Upchuck! …And you might wanna do that quickly." A pair of powerful stomps and a clucking roar alerted the group to Liam getting back up… and he was mad. "Eat something, Rook! Anything!"

"U-Um…" Rook scanned his surroundings briefly, but found salvation in the form of a pile of rubble. "Ah-ha!" He jumped onto it and immediately started downing the rocks, munching and gulping them down in big chunks as Liam stomped his way over. It didn't take long for his stomach to grumble and start glowing bright green, which was when Walkatrout gave the word;

"Alright! Now Upchuck it! Yang, Blake, get ready!" The two girls nodded and took their places as Rook let loose on Liam, hacking up a glowing green glob that hit the chicken-saurus right in the chest, blowing up and sending him staggering.

"BA-BA-BAWK! Hey, no fair—AUGH!" A pair of strong arms wrapped around Liam's midsection and then gave him a powerful suplex, sending him headfirst into the floor and cracking it.

Blake twisted herself around and yelled; "Take THIS Bra-Snapper!" before kicking him straight in the groin, making him go cross-eyed as he tumbled across the floor and toward the hole that he and his cohorts came through.

Yang ran up, intending to finish it. "And here's something from ME!" She put her palms together and launched a massive fireball at the criminal, blasting him straight into the hole with a painful clucking roar. The quartet cheered together as they brought their hands in for a high-five. "WOO! Hell yeah, guys, great job!"

"Yeah! We sure showed that idiot!" Blake grinned, punching her fist into her palm. "That'll teach him not to rip girls' bras!"

Walkatrout coughed into his flipper, hoping to move away from that awkward subject. "Ahem, yeah, well… I-I wonder how the others are doing? They must be having a tough time adjusting to their new powers…"

…..

"These powers are the BEST!" Sun exclaimed as he created a full web in front of himself, Neptune, and Team JNPR, shielding them from Bubble Helmet's electricity. "Man, I can see why Ben loves using the Omnitrix so much, it's just too awesome!"

Neptune wore a disconcerted expression as he saw Bubble Helmet approaching, the hybrid alien increasing the intensity of his electric output. "Yeah, well if we don't get Nora up and out of here, then we won't be able to experience this awesomeness for long." He snapped his head over to the Pink Dynamo and her partner. "Ren, how is she?"

"She's still breathing." Ren stated. "But she was knocked for a loop."

Jaune and Pyrrha were currently trying to move their heavy teammate, but it was no use. "Gah, and she's too big to move like this." the blonde knight uttered.

"Well, how CAN we move her?" Neptune spared a quick glance to Bubble Helmet, who was closing in. His eyes snapped between him and Nora in a panic… only for an idea to strike him before Ren could even respond. "Wait, that's it!" He went up and grabbed Nora by the helmet, pulling her head up to make sure she could hear. "Oh, Nora… Ren's making pancakes!"

And just like that, Nora's eyes snapped open. "AH! Pancakes?!" Within seconds, Nora was up on her feet and had a hungry glint in her eye, a wide smile gracing her features. "Gimme, gimmie, gim…me… wait a second! I don't smell pancakes!"

"Not yet." Neptune said before pointing to Bubble Helmet. "But if you take out Mr. Monkey-Worm, I'm sure that Ren would be happy to reward you handsomely once all this is over…"

Nora hummed ponderously, scratching her chin briefly before throwing her hands up with a smile. "Okey-dokey! Sounds like fun!" With that, she smacked her tail on the ground, giving her jump over the web some extra height.

Bubble Helmet had to do a double take as he saw Nora leap up. "W-Wha?! Da heck is goin'—" CRASH! "D'OH!" He didn't have time to think as Nora smashed her whole body into him at full force, her new heavyweight status sending him crumpling to the floor in a splayed-out mess.

"That'll teach ya for shocking ME of all people!" Nora grabbed Bubble Helmet by the back of his head as her pistons started to get working. "And THIS is for almost hurting my friends!" She slammed his head back down into the concrete floor and started hammering away, sending heavy vibrations through the floor with every slam she made. Once she was sure he was out of it, Nora stood up, took him in both of her hands and began spinning around. "And now yooooouuurrr… OUTTA HERE!" With a powerful fling, the Talpaedan hybrid tossed Bubble Helmet back into the hole, where he would no doubt have a painful landing.

Sun, carrying Jaune and Pyrrha in his arms, came crawling over the web with a beaming smile, all while Ren and Neptune hopped over it. "AH-AH! Nice work, Nora!" the Arachnichimp boy cheered. "You really sent him packing!"

"Haha! I knew you could do it!" Neptune pumped a fist into the air.

"Hm, yes, after some rather questionable motivation." Ren deadpanned as he pointed at the blue-haired boy. "You're lucky that I'm not about to deny Nora her pancakes, Neptune. Making promises FOR someone isn't cool."

The Orishan boy raised his hands, admitting to his fault. "Okay, yes, that wasn't cool of me at all and I'm sorry. But in that situation, what else was I supposed to do?"

Jaune raised a skeptical brow as he made a suggestion. "Oh, I don't know, how about DRENCHING Bubble Helmet in water? Maybe flooding him back down the hole?"

"Okay, even I know water and electricity don't mix, bro." Neptune smirked when he saw that Jaune couldn't make a counterargument to that. "Mmhm, yeah, even if I WANTED to flood the dude, we probably ALL would've paid for that. Now, uh, wasn't there another convict—AAUGH!"

All of a sudden, a pair of large, black and orange fists came bursting out of the floor where the group were standing, sending several of them flying as they punched upward. "GAH! Damn! What the…" Sun's four eyes widened as he saw Fistina across the way, the Mechamorph having morphed her arms across the floor to attack. "Oh boy, anyone know what a Mechamorph's weakness is?"

"Electricity." Pyrrha deadpanned. "Something which WE do not have at the moment."

"Hahaha! That is right, little heroes!" Fistina laughed as she approached the downed team, smashing her fists together before she morphed several sets of large spikes onto them. "Consider yourselves to be, as you say, DEAD MEAT! AHAHA—ERK! W-What the… why am I stopping?" All of a sudden, Fistina's body suddenly began to become encased in ice, much to her shock and horror. "What is doing this?!"

"Oh, I'm sorry…" From out of thin air, Weiss appeared in front of the villain, the Necrofriggian girl smirking as she folded her arms and spun toward Fistina. "I just found out how to go intangible, so I figured I might as well take advantage."

Fistina was NOT happy about this one bit, her legs and body now stuck in place. "AGH! You little wench! I will personally rip your tiny head off—ACH!"

WHAM! From off to the side, Rex came in and smashed his giant crystal fist into Fistina's head, toppling her over. "Yeah, not gonna happen." Rex shrunk his fist back down and instead transformed it into a big crystalline sword. "I may not be able to use my EVO powers, but this is still good enough!" He brought his blade down and smashed through the ice whilst sending Fistina rolling backward, getting her closer toward the hole. "Weiss, Sun, Ren! Mind wrapping this up?"

The two boys smiled, recognizing their chance as they joined Weiss. "Heck yeah, bro!" Sun pointed his tail toward Fistina and shot out a string of web that wrapped her up nice and tight, all while Weiss breathed cold air on the ground that formed an ice path beneath the villain's feet. "Ren, send her down!"

"On it!" BOING! With one bounce, Ren went soaring high into the air and came back down, extending his legs at the Mechamorph hybrid. "Say hi to your friends down there for us, Fistina!" With that final quip, Ren kicked the criminal at full force and made her go sliding down the ice, her struggle fruitless as she went careening back down into the hole.

"HAHA! Woo! Great job, guys!" The group's attention went over to Yang, Blake, Rook and Walkatrout as they came over, the former congratulating them on their work. "We sure showed them!"

Weiss gave her teammate a nod. "Hm, I initially kind of panicked when our Semblances weren't working…" She clenched her clawed hand into a fist. "But then… I remembered something; Huntresses can't afford to crack under pressure, and neither can heroes. We just have to work with what we got."

Rex went over and gave her a pat on the shoulder. "That and I had to hold her to get her to calm down for a second." He gave a small shrug. "But hey, it ended up working and when she calmed down, she figured out how to turn invisible, so that worked." He saw his girlfriend shooting him a sour look, but he just smirked right back. "Hey, it worked, didn't it?"

"…Yes, it did." Weiss admitted with an eyeroll.

"Well, we can't celebrate just yet." Walkatrout waddled up to the hole and peered down into it, seeing several lower floors having been blown through by the villains. "They're somewhere down there now and we've gotta get them rounded up and back in their cells."

"Uh, and who is "we", exactly?" Manny piped up, the Tetramand walking over with Helen, Brannigan, and Molly as they kept Lionheart under guard. He pointed down to Ben with a skeptical gaze. "No offense, dude, but you ain't exactly in a good position to be helpin' out right now. Probably best if you leave the hero work to us for a change."

Helen nodded, though she appeared to feel bad while doing so. "I'm sorry to say, Ben, but… Manny has a point. As Walkatrout, you don't exactly have any advantages other than being slippery."

Walkatrout placed his flippers on his sides, indignant at what he was hearing. "Hey, that's not true! I can give these guys advice on how to use their new forms!" He pointed up to his team, who stood behind him in solidarity. "Whether you guys like it or not, I'm going."

"Maybe that's for the best, honestly." Max concurred, the senior Plumber coming over with Luhley on his shoulder, along with Six and Holiday at his sides. "After all, what else is Ben going to do while Luhley's searching for the right regulator? Probably best to keep him close at hand, at least to prevent anything ELSE happening to the Omnitrix."

The hero couldn't help but deadpan at what his grandpa just said. He was allowed to go… but only so everyone else could keep an eye on him. "Wow, thanks Grandpa Max, I feel so appreciated."

Max furrowed his brow to his grandson. "Now come on, Ben, let's not go there. You know very well where you stand in terms of power right now."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Walkatrout huffed, plopping himself down as he crossed his fins. "It still sucks, though."

Yang put on a grin and scooped up her boyfriend, making him yelp in surprise. "Aw, don't worry, Sour Puss." She jerked a thumb toward her chest. "I'll make sure you stay safe, no matter what."

"…Heh, thanks, Goldie Locks." Walkatrout smiled back.

"Well, now that we're all in agreement, let's get—huh?" Before Max could start laying out their strategy, though, one of the screens on the main control console began to experience static, taking everyone off guard.

It wasn't long until the screen cleared up, though… but when it did, the Omni-Hunters and the Plumbers were met with a rather astonishing sight. The person on screen appeared to be a Pyronite… but the shape of their head wasn't like any Pyronite they had ever seen. But at the same time, the large dorsal fin on top of their cranium seemed very familiar, and that was only reaffirmed when the imposing alien began speaking; "Attention, Plumbers! I… am Psyphon."

"PSYPHON?!" The Omni-Hunters all said before Sun added; "He got hit by the same blast, too?!"

"Ugh, should've figured." Nora grumbled. "If his lackeys were all hit, it'd make sense that HE would, too."

Neptune placed a hand on his chin, recognizing Psyphon's new, intimidating appearance. "Still, you can't argue with the glow-up. Flames really make for a good villain gimmick." He saw Helen giving him a questioning glance out the corner of his eye and he raised his hands defensively. "Hey, I call 'em like I see 'em."

"I have been imprisoned here by you so-called, self-appointed peacekeepers." Psyphon continued, ignoring the banter. "And I would appreciate if you let me and my cohorts OUT of this dungeon of a base."

Max went right up and confronted the screen, glaring at the criminal. "You're dreaming if you think we'll give into your demands, Psyphon!"

Psyphon shook his head in disappointment. "Tsk-tsk. You realize that we control the lower decks of this base, right magister?"

"That won't help you. The only way out is through us, and that's not gonna happen." His glare hardened as he forcefully demanded; "Return to your cells, NOW."

"I… think not." Psyphon's jagged maw formed a smirk as he explained. "You see, I've connected this base's power core directly to the Null Void gate. And what's more. the gate has been set to overload, hmhmhm…"

A cold chill went through everyone, but especially the Plumbers, Max and Walkatrout. "But that means… oh god." the alien fish muttered.

"No… you're bluffing, Psyphon!" Max shouted.

"Am I, though?" Psyphon raised an eyeridge at the old man. "One prison is the same as any other for us… but why don't we see how the citizens of Bellwood feel being trapped? And what WILL they think of you Plumbers, who chose not to save them?" He raised a single finger, putting on a serious scowl "But there is ONE way that you can… grant us out freedom, or else I will let the gate overload… and send all of Bellwood into the Null Void. You have one hour to make your decision. So for now… farewell." The screen went black, leaving everyone in the room filled with a sense of dread and fear. But they also knew that they NEEDED to do something soon… or else Bellwood would be completely gone.

…..

A/N: To be continued… uh-oh. Seems like Psyphon got up to some nasty stuff while his lackeys were distracting the heroes up top. Now he's got the Null Void portal open and is threatening to pretty much suck ALL of Bellwood in if his demands aren't met. How will our heroes pull THIS off, I wonder?

Speaking of our heroes, I hope you all like the choices I made on which alien to give them! I'll admit, it was a bit of a process to decide which ones to assign, but I think I made some pretty fitting choices. Of course, elephant in the room here; Nora's not an electric-based alien, but I think that Armodrillo fits her just as well given that she's the strongest member of her team AND is very much hammer-related. Plus, I wanted to make her vulnerable to electricity to emphasize just how much they have to rely on their new powers. Because yes, Rex's EVO abilities and their Semblances are GONE thanks to these mutations. Let's see how they handle that going into their confrontation with Psyphon…

Oh, and of course, I HAD to make Blake an Appoplexian. How could I not, right? Seeing a raging Blake who has a hard time controlling herself? Yeah, that was something that I wasn't about to pass up on. And then there's Neptune becoming an Orishan, so now he's GOTTA confront his fear of water, whether he likes it or not, hehe.

And then there's Cooper's big secret project… and hoo boy, is it a doozy. He's shooting for the stars with this one, that's for sure. Wanting to attain power through transformation kind of like how Ben does instead of just putting on a metal suit and calling it a day, huh? Well, given what the technology and magic of the Ben 10 universe has been capable of doing in the past, along with how powerful Dust is… I'd say that he, Caesar and Gwen bringing all of it together might just be able to pull it off. Project Build… is now underway.

But with all that said, NEXT TIME! We come into this final chapter for Season 2 as the team band together to stop Psyphon's scheme, right after picking up Ruby, Penny and Ilia who have yet to see their friends in their new forms. That should be interesting… along with receiving a bit of additional help from an unexpected source. A certain Lion Man is searching for redemption, but will the heroes allow him to? We'll just have to wait and find out, but for now, I'll catch you later, everyone! And remember, there's going to be a MAJOR announcement next week, so keep that in mind as well. Until then, thanks for reading, everyone, and I'll see you all next time. And as always, stay safe out there!