A/N: Morning, all, how the heck are we? Well, as you can plainly see, I just cannot seem to escape the reoccurring event that is the "Early Thursday Upload". What can I say? With how busy my summers usually get, I guess I just compensate by working my ass off on a chapter that I oddly vibe with writing. And, as you can tell by the title, this one focuses on a certain character that we haven't seen since basically the start of this journey, so I was REALLY eager to write for her. So, with that being said, let's get to that, shall we? This is…
Chapter 70: Julie in the Bounty
…..
Pyrrha Nikos couldn't believe it. Just a short hour ago, herself, Nora and Yang had come face to face with none other than Ben's ex-girlfriend, Julie Yamamoto. Of course, the moment itself had left the three young huntresses absolutely stunned, Yang most of all, understandably. All three of them were left worrying about what Julie would say. Would she demand to see Ben? Would she be angry with them? Would they be subjected to verbal abuse for the crime of stealing him away from his own dimension for a whole month?! …The last one was Yang's personal worry, but the answer was—thankfully—none of the above. Instead, Julie had asked them to join her for some lunch at one of the mall's restaurants, and over the course of just a few minutes, where Yang had been fearful of the young, sharp-eyed, dark-haired girl…
…The two of them were now laughing together in great camaraderie, almost as if they had been friends for years. "BAHAHAA! No freaking WAY, girl, Ben did NOT do that."
"Oh, he did." Julie smirked. "Ask him yourself. He won't want to admit it, but he DID do it."
"Hahaha! Oh my god, I might have to take you up on that. Green Boy's gonna be red ALL over the shop, hehe…"
The sudden tone shift had been… a lot for Pyrrha to take in. And as amusing as listening to some old, embarrassing stories surrounding Ben was both funny and interesting, she just couldn't get over it. "So… let me get this straight." Speaking up, Pyrrha managed to get Julie's attention, her brown eyes meeting the redhead's serious green orbs. "You mean to tell me that you hold absolutely no ill-will toward Yang because she's dating your ex?"
Julie's brows scrunched in confusion. "What? No, why would I be?"
"W-Well, it's just…" Pyrrha tapped her fingers together awkwardly. "Usually in these situations, that isn't the case, and—"
"Pfft, what, you expected me to be the "jealous ex-girlfriend" trope?" Julie scoffed and shook her head, crossing her legs confidently. "Well, I've got some news for you, sister, I don't exactly roll like that. In fact, I'm honestly quite happy living the single life right now." Her eyes trailed over to Yang, who had stopped laughing at this point and was focused on the matter at hand. "Am I sad that things between me and Ben didn't work out? Yeah, a part of me is. But honestly… ever since I found out about his secret identity, a part of me also doubted we'd ever be able to make it work. I loved Ben a lot in our time together, but our different lives always ended up clashing… and making us butt heads in the process."
After swallowing a bite of the burger she was eating, Nora piped up. "Hmph, sounds like you guys didn't have it easy when it came to romance, huh?"
Julie sighed with a resigning: "Yeah… yeah, we did. But thankfully, we parted on good terms with one another. It was… a bit rough at first, but I came to accept it… and then the Event happened." Bringing her sights back up, she nodded to the three of them. "When I first heard, I was worried out of my mind about Ben, and I was starting to second guess if it was the right decision to break up with him at all. …But then, when he came back, I was relieved to see that he had all of you with him. Because then I knew he wasn't alone wherever he went."
Pyrrha brought a hand over her chest, clenching it over her heart. "Aw. Thank you. We value Ben's friendship greatly, that much we're sure of."
"You're welcome, and I'm happy to hear that." Julie then smiled softly to Yang, the Blonde Brawler wearing a sheepish expression. "And of course, that's when I learned that you and he were dating. It was quite the pill to swallow, but it was easier than I thought it'd be. After seeing you and him all across the news for the past few weeks, it only confirmed to myself that I made the right choice."
That made Yang blink in surprise. "Really? Why's that?"
Reaching over, Julie placed a gentle hand over Yang's. "Because just from seeing that, and now hearing the stories that you've told me about how you and Ben have been doing, it tells me that Ben is putting a LOT of genuine effort into your guys' relationship, as are you." Her eyes became sad briefly as they drifted downward. "That's a lot more than I can say for when we were together. And while there were times he's made me frustrated or angry, I don't blame him fully for that. We have completely different lives, after all."
Yang's eyes widened when she heard that. "Woah… did you guys get into arguments?"
"Oh, plenty of times."
"…He and I haven't had a single one."
Those words got Julie to smile again. "Excellent. That only reinforces my thoughts." She gave Yang a wink. "Trust me, having no arguments is a lot better than having frequent ones."
"W-Well, yeah, but… I'm just shocked he and I haven't had one, yet." Yang rubbed the back of her neck. "I mean, we gel with one another so much, so I guess that's to be expected, but—"
"Yang, I think it would be best not to tempt fate in this regard." Pyrrha warned, raising her hand to stop Yang. "Believe me, having an argument-free relationship is so rare that it might as well be a godsend."
Plucking some fries off her plate, Nora added her two cents. "Yeah, I mean, even Ren and I have argued a bit in the past, and we're not even together—yet."
Pyrrha placed a hand to her chest. "And as much as I hate to admit it, Jaune and I have had several disagreements ourselves. Granted, most of them were also before we got together, but even then, we aren't perfect."
Yang narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Really? You and Vomit Boy have had disagreements?"
"Yes, and I can name a fairly recent one." Pyrrha raised a finger matter-of-factually. "It was when your mother first joined us and he said that he wished to continue learning sword techniques from her despite my protests." That made Yang's eyes widen, to which Pyrrha nodded. "Yes, this was back before we trusted her, but still, the point stands that he and I didn't see eye-to-eye on the matter. Of course, things are different now, thankfully."
"Huh, I didn't realize that." Yang folded her arms across her chest. "But still… I can't help but wonder if Ben and I will ever get into an argument of any kind."
Julie simply gave a shrug. "Well, who knows? Maybe one day, that WILL happen." All the same, she cracked a smile to the blonde. "But even then, I doubt that Ben will be upset for long. Like I said, you two are practically made for each other."
Those words made Yang's cheeks flush red, the brawler tucking her head low to hide. "Sh-Shut up! You're too nice!"
"Hahaha! Aw, thank you." However, Julie's smile faded when she saw something strange off in the distance; three people rushing straight over to their table. Upon second glance, though, Julie recognized them from the news as well. "Uh… I think you three have some friends coming over." Julie pointed.
Nora, Pyrrha and Yang perked their heads up to see none other than Weiss, Blake and Sun on the run toward them, much to their surprise. "Oh, heya, guys!" Nora greeted first. "Whatcha doin' here? I thought you guys were… on… dates?" It was only when the trio slowed down that Nora noticed that there was no sign of Rex anywhere, and they all seemed desperate to get to them. "Uh… guys? What's going on?"
Pyrrha stood up in concern as well. "And where's Rex? Did something happen?"
"Hah… hah… n-no need to worry… about Rex…" Weiss huffed out as she regained her breath. "We've got… other things to worry about right now—" But then, the former heiress cut herself off when she noticed Nora's attire, as well as Julie at the table, and it didn't take long for Sun and Blake to see that either. Weiss stared at Nora in her punkish clothes for a few seconds before shaking her head. "I'm not even gonna ask."
Sun leaned in and eyed Julie curiously "…Um, are we interrupting, Miss, or—"
But Julie stood as well, dismissing the concern with a serious face. "No, no, please go ahead. It's obvious that you have something important to say. What's the matter?"
"Woah, hold on, back it up a bit." Blake called for time-out, stepping closer to the other black-haired girl. "It's also obvious that we walked in on something without context." She glanced over to her partner with a questioning eye. "Yang, who is—"
"Julie Yamamoto, Ben's ex-girlfriend." Yang answered bluntly. And not two seconds later, the blonde had gotten the result she was looking for; slack-jaws all around. "Hehe, yeah, I know, pretty insane, right? But don't worry, we haven't been arguing or anything." She reached around and put an arm over Julie's shoulders, which only stunned the three even more. "In fact, we're kinda pals at this point after exchanging Ben stories, ain't we, Jules?"
The more petite girl gave a short chuckle, not only at Yang's comment, but at her friend's reaction. "Yeah, pretty much. Small world, as they say."
"…I think I can safely speak for all of us when I say; THE HELL DID WE MISS?!" Sun exclaimed.
Pyrrha sighed as she rubbed her temples. "Quite a bit, honestly. But back on the main topic, what's happened?"
Shaking her head, Weiss snapped out of her shock and explained; "R-Right, that. I just got a message from Ruby a few minutes ago." Her expression hardened as the girls listened intently. "We've got a big problem. Zak and his family have a bounty on their heads courtesy of an old enemy of his. A pair of bounty hunters just attacked them at Ben's house."
"WHAT?!" The three huntresses shouted as Julie furrowed her brow.
"Okay, I might not know who this "Zak" is, but these hunters… were they a pair of country bumpkins?" She received a nod from Weiss, all but confirming her suspicions. "Hmph, I should've known. It just HAD to be the Vreedles. I've had my own past negative experiences with them, to say the least."
"It gets worse." Blake furthered grimly. "They said that another pair of bounty hunters already captured Zak's parents. And they're more than likely bringing them to whoever put the bounty on their head as we speak."
Pyrrha's hand flew over her mouth, holding back a gasp. "Oh, no! This is horrible!"
Nora's teeth clenched and she reached behind her, pulling her hammer out of who-knows-where. "We gotta get to whoever this is and BEAT THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUTTA THEM!"
"Where's Rex?" Yang asked. "Did he already head to Ben's place?"
"No, he's… asleep." Weiss said with a wince. "He kinda collapsed after we told him that he shouldn't let Van Kleiss be on his mind every waking moment."
Yang sighed and facepalmed. "Jeez, what a time for a powernap. Well, we'll have to get ahold of Ben. He's gotta know about this."
"The Plumbers are already working on that." Blake assured. "Though we won't be sure how long it'll be until Ben gets that message, so until then… we're on our own."
Pyrrha had to admit, that was a somewhat intimidating thought. "Us against alien foes WITHOUT Ben's help… are we ready for this?"
Weiss, however, rolled her eyes at the question. "Pssh, Pyrrha, we've been able to handle MUCH worse on our own. A couple alien bounty hunters should be easy to handle."
"What about whoever's got that bounty on Zak and his family?" Pyrrha retorted. "Who knows how powerful THEY could be?"
"…Okay, granted, that's a much more unknown factor right now, but we don't know unless we try, right? Besides, we can't just LEAVE Doc and Drew kidnapped until Ben gets back. Who KNOWS what they could do to them?" Weiss shifted her eyes around to the other girls and Sun, seeing them all share nods of agreement. "If we're going to do something, we have to do it NOW."
Just then, Julie stepped into the middle of their group, placing a hand over her chest. "If you guys need help, then I'm in. I've had experience dealing with alien bounty hunters before, so I'd say I'm qualified."
This took Yang by surprise. "What? B-But Julie, didn't you say you—"
"Being a hero may not be part of my lifestyle, Yang, but what IS part of it is extraterrestrial stuff in general." Julie replied with a shrug. "It's something that I just can't escape at this point, especially after having dated Ben. I might be able to mitigate it, but I'll never truly be rid of it… especially with the little one I have here…" As she started to take off her pink backpack, Julie garnered a slew of confused stares at her comment. "And on that note, you guys need a lift to Ben's place fast. And I've got just the dog to do it."
Blake took a cautious step back, wondering what she was going on about. "Julie, what ARE you—whaaaa…?"
The five Remnant teens were left astonished as Julie revealed what was in her backpack. It was… a blob. A blob of gelatinous, metallic stuff that had a very familiar pattern to it; that of a Galvanic Mechamorph. The black and green amorphous blob seemed to jiggle as Julie rubbed it gently, speaking to it with a soft, tender tone. "C'mon, buddy, time to wake up…"
There was a low, metallic groan as the blob morphed and bobbed up, revealing a small, round head on a stretchy neck, its only facial detail being the Mechamorph's signature, ring-shaped "eye". And, as it stared at the five, it only said one word; "…Ship?"
There was an immediate response, one that knocked Sun down on his butt as the four girls crowded around the tiny alien in adoration. "AAAAAAAWW! It's so cuuuuuuuute!" they all shouted in unison.
"Look at this widdle guy!" Nora was practically gushing over the small Mechamorph, which only tilted its head and said it's name again.
"Ship? Ship-shiiiiip?"
Weiss was beside herself with the sheer amount of adorability on display. "AH! I could just die! It's so charming!"
"What in the WORLD is this cutie?!" Yang asked as she gently pat the blob on the head.
Julie's smile brightened, seeing her pet getting all the love and attention he could ever get. "Hmhm, this is my pet. His name is Ship and he is the goodest of boys." she stated proudly.
"I can TELL!" Pyrrha agreed as she rubbed her cheek against Ship's head, the Mechamorph "dog" panting as it fully emerged from the backpack, waving his little tail. "Oh my goodness, we have puppies at home, so we know what it's like taking care of a ball of adorableness."
"I have to admit… he is VERY cute." Blake affirmed before eyeing Julie with a raised brow. "But um… how is he supposed to help us get to Ben's place?"
Responding with a wink, Julie giggled and wagged a finger. "Hehe, that's the best part. Like any pet, Ship can do tricks. Watch." She gave a loud whistle and called Ship over to her, the little Mechamorph bounded over to her with bouncy eagerness. "Alright, Ship, roll over!" All of a sudden, Ship transformed into a tiny rolling pin, rolling across the ground before popping back into his normal shape. "Good, now wash!" Just then, he changed yet again, this time into a large washing machine that rattled rapidly before spitting out a fresh batch of clothing.
"Uh… woah. That's fancy-shmancy." Nora muttered. But then, her eyebrows snapped up in realization. "AH! Wait, can he change into a car?!"
"Well, he can… but this is even better." With a snap of her fingers, Julie pointed directly down to her pet. "Alright, Ship… airborne!"
"Ship-ship! Ship-ship shiiiiipppppp!" Down on the floor, Ship began to chase his own tail before suddenly merging with it into a ring-shape, which quickly began enlarging and expanding into a massive construct that forced the others to crane their heads up. Before long, Ship had gone from the ground to the sky as massive wings and thrusters expanding from his sides, his overall body shape going from a blob to large and angular very quickly. Before any of them knew it, they were all in his massive shadow, and staring down what had to be the most spectacular trick they had seen ANY pet do…
"SHHHIIIIIIIIIPP!"
With everyone's jaw's slack aside from Julie's own, there was only one thing Sun could say to what he was seeing; "…Yeah, that'll work."
…..
Back at the Tennyson household, the team were currently standing on the lawn, wondering exactly how they should go about the situation they were challenged with. Thankfully, it hadn't taken much to get Octagon and Rhomboid to spill the whereabouts of Shoji Fuzen, the problem remained that they had no good way of approaching the crime boss' stronghold easily, especially since SixSix and SevenSeven were bound to be there as well with Doc and Drew as hostages. It didn't help that no one knew what the layout of Fuzen's base was either. All of this was enough to make Zak even more upset than he already was, the boy running his hands through his salt-and-pepper hair in frustration.
"GAH! Freaking FUZEN! Of all people, how in the hell did HE manage to not only survive, but pull something like THIS off?!" He could feel Fiskerton and the rest of his siblings trying to comfort him, with Smokey's cold nose nuzzling his cheek bringing his eyes up to them. "Hah, I know, I know guys, nothing's gonna get done if I get angry about it, but still!"
Rook, having just gotten through with calling the Plumbers, turned to the young man with a reassuring nod. "Worry not, Zak. I have already contacted headquarters and they are already in the process of contacting Ben and the others. With any luck, they will return to Earth as soon as possible."
Ruby puckered her lips irritably. "Hmph, I still can't believe we can't contact him directly ourselves. Ugh, why does off-world communication have to be so difficult?"
"Indeed, inter-dimensional communication seems oddly easier comparatively." Penny concurred.
"Ah, well, it is what it is, I guess." Jaune shrugged before gesturing over to the Vreedles. "In any case, what do we do with them?"
His expression hardening again, Rook glared down to the two brothers, with Rhomboid flinching under his gaze. "They will be escorted directly to a prison cell at Plumber headquarters effective immediately. They have MUCH to answer for."
Rhomboid tried appealing immediately. "W-We'll do anythin' to make ya go easy on us, please! J-Just don't feed us to that mutt over ther—URK!"
"Boid!" Octagon chastised before leaning over to his brother. "Remember our recent musings about the inadvisability of surrender bein' as we is now fugitives an' such?"
"I do indeed recollect such a discussion, Octagon." Boid concurred. "…Why?"
Octagon sighed and shook his head sullenly, giving a brief glance to the heroes. "See what I must contend with every day." He furrowed his brow and gave Boid a firm nudge with his elbow. "The contingency plan, Boid! The contingency plan!"
Immediately, the larger brother brightened up as he finally remembered fully. "Oh, haha, yeah, now I remember!" From out of his glove, Rhomboid slipped out a small tube-shaped device that he grasped firmly in hand, pressing a red button on its shaft. Within moments, a beam of light shot out of the metal handle and became a short laser blade, which he used to slice through his and then Octagon's bindings, taking everybody aback. "Wooooo-weee!"
"Cover yer eyes, Boid!" Faster than anyone could react, Octagon reached into his back pocket and pulled out a very bomb-shaped weapon, which he threw to the ground and let loose an explosive flash of light, blinding the heroes briefly. As everyone screamed in confusion, both brothers somersaulted back and barreled into Ren and Ilia, who were guarding their weapons.
Picking them up, the Vreedles charged them up and aimed them at the ninja and spy, who had tumbled to the ground in the process. "Alright, now seein' as we acquiesced to inform YOU about our client," Octagon began as the heroes regained their vision, "I believe it's only reasonable that WE get off with impunity an'—in a word—get the hell outta dodge."
Almost immediately, however, the Omni-Hunters aimed their own weapons back at the Vreedles… including Ren and Ilia, who were fearlessly staring down the barrels of the brothers' laser weapons. "You think we're just going to let you go scot-free?" Ren challenged.
"We're not afraid of you." Ilia agreed. "We'll bring you down again and again if we have to, but we're not gonna give in to your demands."
"Is that so?" Everything was brought to a halt as a new voice entered the conversation, calling out from… the sky? The group craned their head upward just in time to be met with a barrage of laser fire from above, forcing them all to scatter, including the Vreedles. Ren and Ilia quickly stood up and rushed back over to their team, just in time to see someone come flying down and hover above the now scorched lawn.
He was a large, burly grey alien donned in black and red with eyes to match, his long, white hair pulled back into a wolf-tail. He had on a large, metal mask over his face and held a large energy axe in hand, though his most prominent piece of tech was the glider that he was riding on. It was armed to the teeth along its wings, and the weapons were all glowing with power as they were trained on Zak and the Cryptids. "Then perhaps you'd consider surrendering to me instead?" the alien suggested.
"Oh, for the love of—now who the hell are YOU?!" Neptune exclaimed. "The Grey Goblin?!"
"Shit, shit, SHIT!" Swift clenched her teeth as she eyed Zak fearfully. "Dude, you're seriously attracting the WRONG crowd today!"
"He is Sunder." Rook answered, pulling up the alien hunter's profile on his Plumber badge. "He is a bounty hunter who uses ruthless, aggressive tactics in retrieving his prey. And as a result, is on the Plumber's Most Wanted list."
That made Sunder smirk and grip his axe with both hands. "What can I say? I take pride in my work…" His sights went back to Zak and his family, however. "Unfortunately, I couldn't get to your parents in time before those Sotoraggians nabbed them. But you've still got a decent bounty on your head, kid, so I'll at least get part of the reward…"
"Hey, beat it ya big, grey galoot!" Rhomboid shook his fist.
Octagon also stomped his foot in protest. "Yeah, 'case ya hadn't taken notice, we were here first!"
Sunder, however, could only scoff to their demands. "Hmph! As if I would ever allow fools like you two bumpkins to claim the reward! The money will be mine and mine alone!"
"Oh, is that so?!" Before any side could properly engage one another, though, an abrupt and violent rumble began to shake the ground beneath everyone's feet. Then, from the walkway up to Ben's house, something suddenly shot straight up from the Earth, making them all gasp. The object, which was made of bronze-colored metal, had four legs that spun rapidly in midair before halting and spreading out, allowing it to SLAM straight down on the ground inbetween all of them. Its upper half was vaguely humanoid in shape, with one normal arm while the other… was a massive claw with a built-in cannon. The robotic being's head popped up, revealing a pair of round eyes and a mandible maw. The mechanoid focused in on Sunder in particular, pointing a finger at him and speaking with a gravely, robotic voice; "Well, not if I beat ya to the punch, Sunder!"
"Good god, do they EVER stop coming?!" Zak shouted with a double facepalm. "Now who's THIS guy?!"
"He… kinda looks like Power-Claw from last night." Ruby remarked.
Rook, with his Proto-Tool now trained on the newcomer, recognized him. "He is called Krabb. He is also wanted in several sectors of the galaxy for illegal arms deals and ration smuggling." He narrowed his eyes to all four of the bounty hunters present, who now seemed more fixated on one another than their quarry.
"We're dealing with two of the most dangerous bounty hunters in the galaxy… and the Vreedles" Swift muttered as she stayed behind Rook. "Watch out, guys! These guys might not be the Sotoraggians, but they're still pretty dangerous."
Krabb jolted up straight and his torso spun around so he could thrust his claw out at Rook. "Hey! I resent that remark! SixSix and SevenSeven are good-for-nothing hacks who've gotten away with everything thanks to those goddamned suits of theirs!" His claw opened up and he fired a powerful laser blast at Rook, only for Jaune to sidestep in front of the Revonnagander and use his energy shield to rebound the blast elsewhere. Krabb was quick to take notice of that, as well as all of everyone else's weapons as well. "Oh-ho-ho! Well, would ya lookie what we've got! A buncha kids with weapons that could take out an eye! You youngsters really shouldn't have these, ya know."
"Hey! I'll have you know that we're specially trained to handle these weapons!" Ruby shouted, having taken offense as she shifted Crescent Rose into its scythe mode, slamming the tip into the dirt intimidatingly. "And if you so much as DARE to lay one claw on Crescent Rose, I will make SURE that you leave here with your legs in pieces!"
"Woah-ho-ho, I am SO scared!" Krabb mockingly waved his hand as he laughed. "What's the little hooded girl gonna do? Bring me sweets in a basket?"
In contrast, Sunder was not in a joking mood. "Enough, you canned crustacean! It's obvious that these children can back their words up, otherwise they wouldn't be making threats…" At the same time, though, an eager smirk came to his lips as he snapped his axe, making several energy bolts fly off its blade. "At the same time, though, it makes the thrill of the hunt all the more exhilarating! I anticipating taking your weapons for my own…"
Jaune gave the alien a deep scowl. "Not gonna happen, dude. Everyone, form up on—huh?" Just then, the sound of loud engines greeted Jaune's ears, along with everyone else's as well, which didn't sit well for the blonde knight. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding. What now?!"
He soon got his answer as, from off in the distance… a black and green spaceship appeared, flying directly over the neighborhood houses and stopping directly in front of Ben's home. Everyone went slack-jawed at the sight of it; the ship being quite massive and angular at the front with some more cylindrical curves toward the back. The wings were very long and sleek, and had a large, rectangular thruster on each end. But, also lined up on these wings were rows of weapons, each of them different and distinct from one another. Most notable was the massive laser cannon under the ship's nose, which shifted and aimed directly for the four bounty hunters… as it seemed to speak;
"SHHIIIIIIPP!"
There was a moment of silence as everyone took it all in, with Zak inquiring the most obvious thing on everyone's minds; "…Did that thing just say "ship"?"
"Not just any ship…" Rook uttered in astonishment. "That is an Aterian Obliterator! Only a few of these ships are known to exist! How did one—"
"It's a Mechamorph!" Penny shouted out of nowhere, taking everyone off guard as her green eyes seemed to glow. "What it said just now, I… I-I understood it!"
"A… Mechamorph?" Ren said as the ship itself began to slowly rotate in the air, allowing its rear to face them before it lowered to the ground. "Well, I suppose the colors do match up." he nodded as its back hatch began to open up. "But what would a Mechamorph ship be doing her—whaaaaaa?" In an instant, Ren's question was answered as, from out of the vessel, Nora, Pyrrha, Yang, Weiss, Blake and Sun all leapt out, weapons brandished and ready for combat.
Sun was the first to greet the group. "Heya, guys! The cavalry has arrived!"
The Pink Dynamo brightened up and waved cheerily to her partner. "Hiya, Renny!" she sang before putting on a devilish smirk and growling; "Did we miss the FUN yet?!"
Ren, for his part, was left nearly speechless, but not because of the sudden entrance. Rather… it was because of what his best friend was wearing. Black… leather. And she looked good in it. His brain could hardly process what he was seeing, to the point where he was having trouble finding any words to say. "N-N-N-Nora… w-what the…"
A giggle escaped Nora's throat. "Hehe, I see you've been blown away by our entrance, right?"
"Th-That's not what I… w-what are you WEARING?!"
All at once, Nora broke out into a surprised yet giddy smile, realizing that he was fixated on her new clothes. With a delightful smirk, Nora stuck her hip out and struck a pose, throwing her head back dynamically. "Oh, this little thing? I just found it while on our shopping trip…" She reached up and lowered her sunglasses, fluttering her eyelashes. "You like?"
"I—I, I-I-I-I—augh!"
Jaune brought his hand down to the back of Ren's head in a strong chop. "Focus, man! We've got bounty hunters to stop, we can't be distracted… by…" He trailed off as he also saw Pyrrha's new casual clothes, taking note of how they accentuated her curves and muscle tone… especially her abs. He had to hit HIMSELF in the face just to focus again. "Th-Them… we can't get distracted by them."
As he said that, though, a certain Vreedle couldn't HELP but be distracted by the ladies. "AH! O-Octagon, look! Purdy ladies…" Rhomboid took off his hat, exposing his thinning hairline as he shuffled in place awkwardly. "A-Ahem, p-pardon us, gals, but would ya'll perhaps consider accompanyin' a couple a' former farm hands on an outin' or—" *KONK* "GOWCH!"
"Boid, would ya cut the flirtatious pining an' focus on what's REALLY important in the here an' now?" He tipped his hat apologetically to the—rightfully disgusted—huntresses. "My apologies, ladies, my brother ain't capable a' controllin' himself half a' the time. We're here strictly fer business purposes…" However, a slight, sheepish grin appeared on Octagon's face as he added; "Although, I certainly wouldn't mind if'n ya kept the option open AFTER our official business has concluded, hehe…"
Yang, Blake, Weiss, Pyrrha and Nora all shared the same, revolted grimace at what both brothers had said to them. All at once, they shared a glance with one another, nodded… and proceeded to bring the Vreedles down in half a second, stomping, kicking, punching and whacking the two with righteous ferocity.
"Gah! Oof! AUGH! A-A simple—d'ooch—NO would've sufficed!" Octagon hollered.
"WE. ARE. TAKEN!" Weiss shouted with every kick she delivered. "You bottom-feeding wretches!"
Yang punched with all her might, unloading round after round of Fire Dust into the duo. "And as if WE would actually go OUT with either of you!"
As everyone else watched with astonished expressions, Krabb couldn't help but throw his head back, pointing and laughing at the Vreedle's expense. "Bahahaha! That's what you idiots get for tryin' to horn in on my bounty!"
"YOUR bounty?" Sunder growled as he approached the crustacean cyborg on his glider, readying his axe for combat. "I believe you are mistaken, my friend. This is MY bounty, and I will NOT allow you to take—"
"HEY!" Everything stopped, from Krabb and Sunder's argument to the girls' relentless assault on the Vreedles, as yet another emerged from the spaceship. Ruby and the others were left perplexed at this new, black-haired girl, but they were quick to see that she did NOT seem happy as she fixated on the brothers first. "You two! You were the ones who tried to take ship from me!"
Rhomboid, now much more bruised, gasped and huddled behind his brother in fear. "GAH! O-Octagon! It's her! The one who doned blowed us up the first time!"
"Oh… this is NOT good…" Octagon said simply.
The girl then shifted her focus to Sunder, her scowl deepening. "And you! You're the one who cut off Ben's hand and trapped him in the Null Void!"
"Ah, yes, I remember you." Sunder affirmed with a glare of his own. "You were the one who prevented me from getting a good payday from that incident." He clutched his axe, making it spark again. "I believe it's time I paid back the receipt…"
Choosing to ignore that, the girl then set her sights on Krabb last. "And you! I… actually have never seen you before in my life."
"Same. But trust me, girly…" Krabb snapped his pincer open and shut. "Get in my way… and you'll WISH you hadn't met me."
"Uh, could someone please explain?!" Neptune piped up, gesturing to the purple hoodie-wearing girl. "Just who the heck is she?!"
Yang wore an amused grin as she answered without even flinching; "Oh, that's Julie. She's Ben's ex." …And right on cue, she received a slew of incredulous stares from her friends, which she waved off. "I know, I know, lots of explaining to do, but that can come later! Right now, we've gotta beat these assholes back!"
Flexing her neck to the side, Julie loosened herself up as she stepped out of the spacecraft… before it did something amazing. "I couldn't agree more. Ship! Battle mode!"
"SHHHIIIIIIIIPP!"
At her command, and to the amazement of everyone precent, Ship began to warp and change down to a smaller size… and in the process, envelope Julie's body until she disappeared entirely. …At least, until the Mechamorph began to take on a more definite shape. Before long, he had changed himself into a humanoid suit of black power armor with green detailing along the toes, knees, abdomen, shoulders and arms, with Ship's green "eye" taking place at the top of the suit's dome-shaped helmet. The arms and legs of the suit seemed incredibly powerful and the chest and shoulders were broad and sturdy, protecting Julie within. In addition, Julie's face was visible inside the helmet as well, protected by a green visor.
Once the transformation was complete, the group gawked at the girl as she strode forward, pounding a massive fist into her palm. "Guys, would you mind if I have this one?"
"…Uh, sure. Go right ahead." Ruby permitted before leaning over and whispering to Penny; "I have no idea what's going on anymore."
Krabb, however, only balked at the statement. "HA! So what, you think just because you've got some fancy Mechamorph protectin' ya means you'll be able to fight—GWAUUGH!" He didn't even get to finish his sentence as Julie rushed forward and grabbed him by his massive pincer, thrashing him all about and practically pummeling him against the ground back and forth every which way… until… *CREAAACCSSSH!" A scream—not one of pain, but of shock—came from Krabb as his pincer was completely ripped off by Ship and Julie, only to be absorbed into the armor proper. "GYAAAH! MY ARM!"
"Hm, nah, I don't think so…" Within seconds, the armor's right arm morphed itself into an upgraded version of Krabb's pincer, taking the form of a claw-like rail gun. "Mine now."
*BBWWWWAAAAAAAMM*
This time, Krabb's scream was one of pain as he was blasted straight down the street, left a scorched, sizzling mess in the middle of the road. The teens were absolutely thunderstruck by the move as Julie pulled the cannon back, only to have Sunder come in with a lunge, prepared to strike. "Enough! You won't get in my way again, girl!" Bellowing out a battle cry, Sunder struck her back with his axe… and she didn't even flinch. "…Huh?"
Without missing a beat, Julie reached behind and grabbed the axe, and while Sunder tried to pull away, her grip was far too strong… and in another blink of an eye, the axe was absorbed into Ship. An upgraded version soon came about from her left hand, this time with TWO bladed edges instead of a single one. "Sorry, but no."
With a gasp, Sunder quickly flew away, going for his energy whip next… only for Julie to jump up after him with the aid of some leg-mounted rockets. With a single swing of her arm, she sliced through Sunder's glider and sent him plummeting to the asphalt below, where she met him with a MASSIVE kick straight to the gut and knocked the wind out of him in one go. Finally, with a rocket-boosted punch to the face, knocking him out cold.
By the end of everything, the street had been almost completely upturned by the carnage that had unfolded, with everyone stunned silent in awe, astoundment… and a bit of fear. As Julie stood up in her Ship power armor, though, she knew there was still two things left to take care of. "…And where do YOU two think you're going?" She peered over her shoulder, seeing Octagon and Rhomboid attempting to sneak off without notice.
"GAH!" Rhomboid gasped before he thrust his arms up in the air, tossing his weapons aside. "We surrender!"
"Ugh…" Octagon shook his head in disappointment, but knew it was their safest bet… at the moment. "As much as I despise myself to acknowledge this, it would seem that we are outmatched compared to the likes a' you."
"Good answer." Julie said before smiling and patting her own head. "Good boy, Ship. Heel." With that simple order, the power armor began removing itself from Julie as fast as it had glomped over her, shrinking further and further until Ship had changed back to his normal, blobby form in her arms, panting and nuzzling her. "Hmhm, yes, you're such a good boy!"
If anything, this only left the team even more flabbergasted. "…You mean to tell me that little thing was doing ALL of that?!" Neptune cried out. "B-But it's… it's—"
"SO CUUUUTE!" In the blink of an eye, a screeching Ruby, Penny, Ilia and even Swift had all blown past the boys, joining the other girls in cooing and gushing over the little Galvanic Mechamorph, giving him ALL the loving. "Oh my goodness, he's so small!"
"And yet so powerful!" Ilia added in admiration. "Who's a little destructive cutie? You are! Yes, you are!"
Of course, Ship couldn't get enough of the attention, as indicated by how happy his "eye" was in the shape of a "smile". "Shiiiip! Ship-ship-ship!"
Then, without anybody expecting it… Penny actually responded to the little alien. "Oh, no, please don't be so modest! You and Julie were both incredibly impressive!" Julie in particular was staring at Penny with surprise as the redhead pat Ship on the head. "You must be capable of MANY impressive things! Not even I have perfected the art of upgrading things yet…"
"Um… pardon me, but… how were you able to understand Ship?" Julie inquired with a head tilt.
"Oh! My apologies, I definitely should explain that…" Penny cleared her throat and gave a salute to the two newcomers. "Greetings and salutations! My name is Penny Polendina. I am an android from Remnant who was rebuilt thanks to Ben and Rex combining their abilities. As a result, I am now a humanoid-Mechamorph hybrid with Nanite abilities…" As proof, Penny brought out her Mechano-Crushers, with Julie seeing that, indeed, they had the characteristic Mechamorph black and green colors. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Julie Yamamoto."
After staring at the massive arms for a moment, Julie managed to smile and give a small chuckle as she returned the greeting. "Hehe, it's nice to meet you, too. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Ben managed to do something like that." However, her countenance grew more serious as she changed the subject. "But we'll have to save introductions for later. Right now, we should focus on going after the other bounty hunters." Her focus shifted toward Zak. "Now, I don't recognize you from the news, so I'm assuming that you're Zak, correct?"
Zak nodded grimly as his Cryptid brethren all gathered behind them. "Yeah… and those bounty hunters kidnapped our parents
Once again, Julie found herself stunned, this time by the strange array of creatures she was seeing. "…And they are?"
"My family of Cryptids."
"…Cryptids." Julie rubbed her forehead with a deep sigh. "Of course, should've known THOSE must exist, too. Aliens, gods, monsters, now cryptids. It's obvious I've missed out on a lot." All the same, she composed herself and asked Zak; "Did you manage to get the Vreedles to tell you where they are?"
Zak lifted up a small piece of paper in his hands. "Yep, this address in Undertown… where ever that is."
Ruby raised her hand. "Oh, we know where it is! And we can guide you down there, pronto!"
"Okay, that's good." Julie affirmed before smiling back down to her alien pet. "Alright Ship, we're taking off again. Just follow their directions, okay?"
"Ship-ship!" Leaping out of her arms, Ship did a backflip into the air before bursting back into his Aterian Obliterator mode, landing on the street and lowering his ramp for everyone.
But before the team could do so, Julie stopped them with her arms raised. "Woah, woah, hold on there, guys. Ship can only carry so many. We can't ALL go. Some of us are going to have to stay behind…"
Rook understood completely. "Very well, I will remain here…" He glanced down to the unconscious bounty hunters, whom Sun and Neptune stacked on top of one another. Meanwhile, Ilia was holding Octagon and Rhomboid at whip-point. "After all, someone will have to stay here and guard these low-lives."
Sun placed a hand over his chest. "Yeah, guys, leave that to us. We'll hold down the fort while the rest of you go get Zak's parents."
"And kick that Fuzen guy's ass EXTRA hard for us!" Neptune cheered.
"Well, alright, if you say so." Weiss accepted with a shrug, only to notice Penny was stepping away and proceeding toward the front of Ship. "Um, Penny, where are you going?"
"Hm? Oh, I simply thought I would lead the way for Ship to follow!" Penny replied cheerfully. "After all, I know exactly where that address is after searching through my files on Undertown." She reached up and pat the side of the Mechamorph. "Simply follow me, Ship, and we will be there in no time!"
"SHHIIIIIIPPP!"
Julie clapped her hands together, liking the decision. "Alright, it's settled then! Let's get to it, everyone."
"Best of luck, guys! And be safe!" Ilia waved as Teams RWBY, JNPR, Zak and Julie boarded Ship, who took off into the skies with Penny in the lead. The chameleon girl couldn't help but stare off in the opposite direction, however, wondering what exactly a was taking a certain Alien Trio so long. "Ben, I know probation hearings can take a long time, but we could really use you right about now."
…..
Half way across the galaxy, Ben, Gwen and Kevin were… sitting around, doing absolutely nothing. And the same went for Hex, Charmcaster and Max as well. They had arrived at the High Court on planet Coda Coda an HOUR ago and there was nobody there. Not a single soul; no judge, no bailiff, no one. They were starting to think that they had gotten the wrong day, but no, Max had assured them that THIS was the correct time. "Just give it a little time, kids." the elderly Plumber had assured them. "We're just… a little early, it seems."
The Omnitrix bearer was starting to really reconsider what his grandfather had told him, especially since that had been about forty-five minutes ago. "Ugh, where IS everybody?!"
"Magister, are you certain that this IS the correct day?" Hex asked in concern. "It feels like we've been wasting our time."
"Hex, I can promise you, this IS the right time and place." Max asserted. "It's just… well, the one presiding over your case is a fairly busy person and—oh, wait!" Everyone's eyes snapped up toward the judge's podium, just in time to see a shimmer of light appear in front of it. "Haha, I knew we wouldn't have to wait much longer."
"Ugh, finally!" Kevin stood up and called out; "Yo, Domstol! What was the… the…"
But the Osmosian—and the Tennyson cousins as well—were left stunned when they saw who emerged from the shimmering light. It… wasn't the judge at all. Rather the person standing there was a tall, female alien standing on a hovering platform, her hands firmly behind her back and wearing a somewhat stern expression. Her skin was teal and wrinkly, mostly around her pitch-black lips and yellow eyes, and on her head were four sets of short tentacles that somewhat resembled hair, which also had brown blotches on them. She wore a standard Plumber's uniform, with the addition of a skirt underneath her white coattails and loose sleeves that hung past her wrists.
Hex and Charmcaster were somewhat confused as they saw the others with slack jaws and wide eyes, all except for Max who strode forward with a welcoming grin. "…Um, are you three okay?" Hope asked.
"K-Kinda?" Gwen said unsurely. "Maybe? I-I just really have NO clue what the heck is going on here."
Hex furrowed his brow at the teenagers. "Would someone kindly explain, then? Who is that woman?"
"She's… the Magistrata." Ben replied, almost in a fearful tone. "She's the HEAD of the Plumbers, the very tip-top!"
"She's also a VERY busy lady." Kevin noted as well. "What the HELL is she doin' here?"
As the discussion took place, Max met the Magistrata halfway and extended his hand in greeting. "Good day, madame. It's a pleasure to see you again."
Putting on a small yet genuine smile, the Magistrata returned the gesture as she stepped off her platform. "Maxwell, the pleasure is all mine. I apologize for my delay, I have been absolutely inundated with observing potential new recruits. When you informed me about this case personally, I knew I had to oversee it and expedite its resolution." The elderly alien peered past the Plumber veteran to see the five others gathered there, recognizing three but taking note of Charmcaster and Hex. "…I can only assume that those two are them?"
"Yes, ma'am. Come, allow me to introduce you." Max led the alien woman over to the group and presented her. "Hex, Charmcaster, I'd like you both to meet the Magistrata, the leader of the Plumbers." He nodded to his grandchildren. "Kids, I'm sure you're more than familiar with her already."
Ben swallowed nervously. "Y-Yes, grandpa."
"Ah, Ben Tennyson." The Magistrata gave the hero a half-lidded stare, almost as if she were unimpressed. "We meet again. You're fortunate that you haven't gotten yourself into anymore unnecessary trouble." Her gaze hardened as Ben began to sweat. "I hear tell that you will be conducting peace negotiations between the Lewodans and the Appoplexians in the coming weeks… I suggest that you make certain it goes better than your LAST attempt at peace talks, hm?"
"Y-Yes, ma'am. Understood, ma'am." Ben straightened his back with a salute, which stunned Hope immediately.
"…Gwen, what's going on?"
The redhead sighed and shook her head at her fellow mage's question. "Let's just say that, while Ben's done a lot of good… he's also left a LOT of messes for Plumber High Command to clean up in the past." Taking a deep breath, Gwen mustered her courage and addressed the Magistrata. "But I have to ask, ma'am… why are you here?"
With a short chuckle, the Magistrata answered; "Hm, I would think that'd be obvious, Gwendolyn…" From behind her back, she produced two massive stacks of papers, which she immediately handed off to Hex and Charmcaster. "I am here to make certain that Mr. Hex and Miss Charmcaster are absolved of their more distasteful records in order to begin anew." Her lips curled into a smile again as she eyed the two former villains, who wore stunned expressions. "Because after extensive research into their more recent criminal acts… I have found that they have done nothing noteworthy in the past two years. Thus, I believe that they are both worthy of being granted a second chance.
That made Gwen break out into a massive smile, seeing Hope gape in shock. "So you mean…"
"Hmhm, in other words, I am granting Mr. Hex's amnesty and Miss Charmcaster's parole… effective immediately."
"…WHAT?!" Ben exclaimed in utter disbelief.
Kevin, for his part, was also perplexed. "J-Just like that? No court hearing, no nothing?!"
"Indeed." The Magistrata nodded, sending a kind gaze down to the uncle and niece as they stared back at her. "For you see, after discussing the matter with Maxwell, we agreed that it would be more beneficial to have the world of Ledgerdomain as allies rather than enemies, and if we were to hold their leader for an extended period of time, that could potentially cause drastic repercussions." She bowed her head to Charmcaster. "And, in light of the threat that is this "Salem" witch, we would be most honored if you would aid the heroes in their fight against her, Your Highness."
Hope had absolutely NO idea how to feel about this. On the one hand, she was utterly flustered by being referred to as royalty by the LEADER of the Plumbers. On the other, she was absolutely shellshocked by the news that had just been dropped on her. And all of this combined, it caused a huge stir of feelings to start welling up in the pit of her stomach… which then made her start tearing up. "Hah… I-I… I don't understand! W-What I did—"
"Is in the past, young Hope." Magistrata continued. "What matters now is what you are trying to do in the present. Searching for a way to prevent the Earth's destruction as foretold in ancient prophesies that have proven to have some truth behind them…" The alien woman nodded again in approval. "Does that sound like something a villain would do… Benjamin?"
The pointed remark made the young hero's lips tighten. He was being called out, and while he could see that Charmcaster and Hex weren't too comfortable with it, he knew that the Magistrata was getting a silent kick out of it. …And he had to admit, she had a fair point. "…No, ma'am." Ben responded curtly.
"Excellent! So, now that we all understand one another, I shall leave the rest up to your discretion, Maxwell." The Magistrata shook Max's hand once again. "Feel free to decide Miss Hope's parole officer and form of community service on your terms."
"Thank you, Magistrata." Max said gratefully. "We will never forget this."
Charmcaster had to hold back her tears and a whimper as she smiled up to the elderly alien lady. "Yes, th-thank you. Thank you so much. It means the world to me."
"Yes." Hex concurred, placing a hand on Hope's shoulder. "To all of us."
The Magistrata stepped up onto her platform, though not without giving them another farewell smile. "It is my pleasure. I hope both of you have a glorious future. Hex, continue teaching young minds for years to come. And Hope, I am certain that you will make a fine hero…" Once again, her pointed glare returned as she zeroed in on Ben. "So long as those around you are willing to lend you their trust. Farewell for now, all. I have urgent business to take care of." Just as suddenly as she appeared, the Magistrata was gone in another flash of light, leaving the six humans behind.
"…Well, that definitely wasn't what I was expecting." Kevin piped up, nudging his best friend in the side. "But does she have it out for you or what, bro?"
Ben rolled his eyes with a groan. "Ugh, like I don't know that. I mess up a FEW things in the past and she holds it against me for years!" With a shake of his head, he set his sights on Hex and Charmcaster, giving a short sigh. "Well, what's done is done, I suppose. Now all that's left to do is decide—" *beep-beep-beep* "W-What the…" Pulling back his sleeve, Ben saw the Omnitrix beeping, to which he pressed the watch's faceplate and spoke into it; "Ben Tennyson here, talk to me."
"Uh… Ben? Ya there?" the voice of Magister Patelliday responded. "We've um… we've got a bit of a major problem goin' on down here. …A bounty hunter-related one at that."
The group all looked at one another, feeling a wave of concern go through them as Ben spoke back to the magister. "…Patelliday, what exactly is going on down there?"
…..
In Undertown, meanwhile, Doc and Drew had been practically thrown into a cage after their initial meeting with a man who they thought had been dead for years. Shoji Fuzen hadn't said five words to the couple before he immediately had his hunters toss them into a cage in the adjacent room, where they had been waiting for half an hour to see if he would show his face again. Doc in particular was left shellshocked, sitting with his back against the cage bars as he tried to make sense of it all. "I… I-I just don't understand! He should be—"
"I know, sweetie, I don't understand it either." Drew agreed, squeezing her husband's hand in solidarity. "But we need to focus on getting out of here and getting back to Zak and the others." She clenched a hand over her chest with uncertainty. "Who knows if he was caught alone by those other bounty hunters…"
Doc's gaze was sympathetic as he placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. "It's okay, hon. I have a definite feeling that he isn't alone, by a long shot." With her eyes on him, he gave her a tender smile. "Besides, I know for a fact that the Omni-Hunters wouldn't allow that to happen."
Drew sighed and nodded. "Yeah, you have a point—" *ker-chk* The second they heard the door knob turn, both Saturdays whipped their heads up, glaring straight at the man who came in. Shoji Fuzen, his legs whirring with every step he took, glowered stoically to the couple with his hands firmly behind his back, stopping just short of the cage as Drew stood up and met him at its bars. "So, gonna finally explain how you're alive, you bastard?"
"Hmph, such a violent greeting… I would not have it any other way." Fuzen mused with a sinister grin.
Clenching her teeth, Drew made for his collar, but the man was just out of her reach. "Gah! When I get my hands on you—"
"I am afraid you will not, Mrs. Saturday." Fuzen narrowed his eyes at her, his one cybernetic glowing bright red. "For you see, I will allow nothing to get in the way of my revenge."
"How ARE you even alive, anyway?" Doc stood up, taking his wife by the shoulders and gently leading her away from the man. "I saw you drop."
Fuzen scoffed and sneered at the other man. "Tch, yes… and you can plainly see what that cost me." He gestured down to his enhanced legs. "Paralyzed from the waist down… and left in a coma for a year after falling from such a great height. I was fortunate that some ignorant locals found me and kept me sustained for all that time…" Once again, his devious smile returned. "Although… their hospitality wasn't enough to save them from my rage when I awoke." That only made Doc and Drew glare harder at him as he moved further away from the cage. "Thankfully, I knew someone in the field of cybernetics who was able to give me the ability to walk again. From there, I rebuilt my criminal enterprise down here in Undertown."
Drew's brows wrinkled in confusion. "Right under the nose of Ben Tennyson? Hmph, you're pretty confident."
"Yes, well… that was BEFORE he discovered the existence of Undertown itself." Fuzen grimaced, turning back to the couple. "I plan on moving my business elsewhere soon. However, when I heard that your family was coming to the area, I couldn't leave without making certain that you all felt the sting of defeat at my hands." He clenched his fist tightly. "Rest assured, your deaths will be drawn out and quite painful—" *CHA-KOOM* "Agh! W-What?! What is happening?!"
Instead of being intimidated or frightened, the Saturdays wore confident grins as they stared down Fuzen. "…Yeah, about that." Drew continued. "The reason WHY we're in Bellwood in the first place is because we're friends with Ben Tennyson and his team."
"So guess who's come knocking to break us out?" Doc snickered.
His features twisted in rage, Fuzen yelled; "NO!" before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a communication device. "SixSix, SevenSeven, we have been discovered by the heroes! Hold them off until I am ready!" He hung up abruptly before he could even get an answer and pointed to the couple. "This will NOT stand, Saturdays! One way or another, I WILL end you today!"
"Yeah, good luck with that." Doc countered as Fuzen rushed off. The Secret Scientists gave his wife a wink as the room around them continued to quake. "So, what'd I tell you?"
Drew nudged him in the arm for that remark. "Yeah, yeah, I should've guessed they'd come quickly. Now let's just hope they can get past those two aliens… and whatever Fuzen has planned."
…..
Outside, the team had arrived at their destination; a large, black building that was at the very end of an alleyway in the middle of Undertown. At first glance, it didn't seem to be anything special, seemingly abandoned. However, as the team landed, they quickly saw that wasn't the case. The very second they stepped out of Ship, they were met with two armored aliens bursting out of the building, armed to the teeth with weapons. The magenta one had laser blasters on wires while the black and crimson one had additional arms in his shoulders that held another pair of pistols, while both of their main arms morphed into large cannons that open fired upon seeing the teens.
"Woah! Take cover!" Jaune hollered as he brought up his shield, which expanded out to cover all of them with its energy barrier.
Pyrrha and Nora, of course, weren't expecting that. "Woah! When'd ya get THIS upgrade, Fearless Leader?!" the Pink Dynamo cried out.
"This morning. Luhley helped me make some mods to it."
"Fantastic, Jaune!" Pyrrha commended as she took out Milo and shifted it into bow mode. "It would seem that we have a knack for matching upgrades."
Jaune peered past his shoulder, beaming down to his girlfriend. "Heh, thanks. But this won't hold for long and we need to get past these guys. Any ideas?"
With Ship shifting back into his normal form, Julie caught him and began thinking. "Well, really only a few of us need to get past them. If a majority of the team can stay here and hold them off while a smaller squad heads inside, then we'd have a better chance at freeing Zak's parents and confronting Fuzen if we meet him." Her eyes shifted across the group. "That said, aside from Zak, obviously, who should go?"
That was when Penny piped up and raised her hand. "Oh, I propose that I accompany the infiltration team…" She then placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Along with Ruby, who will be our key to getting inside."
Ruby's eyes widened in surprise. "W-Woah, wait, really? I mean, I know I'm fast, but…"
"Worry not, Ruby, I have faith in you and your Semblance." Penny raised a single finger as she explained; "You see, you are capable of traveling at an extreme velocity from one point to another by breaking your cells down to their molecular components." The android brought her hands together. "Thus, you negate your mass before reassembling them at your destination. Theoretically, this makes possible for you to transport all of us in the same way, as mass no longer matters."
Everyone stared at Penny in quiet astonishment, while Ruby herself was… very confused at the technical jargon. "I-uh… what?"
"You can use your Semblance on all of us!" Penny reiterated.
This only made Ruby even more bewildered… which is when Blake leaned in. "…Did Penny just figure that out before you did?"
Ruby gave her a deadpan look. "Blake, she figured out you were a Faunus before I did." Taking a deep breath, Ruby steeled herself before giving a nod. "Okay… okay, for Doc and Drew, I'll do this. Just… everybody hold on tight, okay—oh!"
Just then, Zak rushed forward, taking Ruby's hand in his and bowing his head gratefully. "Ruby, thank you, thank you SO much! It means the world to me that you're doing this for my mom and dad, really."
"O-Oh, um… you're welcome." Ruby flushed bright red, something which didn't go unnoticed by her teammates. She cleared her throat and took her hand back, trying to get back on track. "W-Well, um, anyways, let's go!"
"Alright, count me in as well." Julie affirmed, stepping closer to her, Penny and Zak. "No telling WHAT Fuzen has got in there." Wearing a self-assured grin, she gave a thumbs up to the rest of the team, focusing in on Yang. "You guys will be okay until we get out, right?"
"Psh, oh yeah, girl, definitely." Yang brushed off with a wink. "We ain't about to lose to a couple of weirdos in suits like these guys, right team?!" The rest of the Omni-Hunters gave a rallying cry as Yang activated Ember Celica, bashing her fists together. "Alright, so let's take 'em down! Ruby, GO!" With a simple salute, Ruby activated her Semblance and swept up Zak, Penny, Julie and Ship with her, the five of them blasting right over the Sotoraggian's heads and into the black building. SixSix and SevenSeven tried blasting them, but their attention was garnered as several shots landed on their armor. "Yo, Numbers!" Yang called out, with Jaune bringing down his energy field. "Why don't ya try picking on someone your OWN size?!"
…..
Ruby flew straight through the top most window, seeing as it was broken already, and glided through the halls until she was sure they were at a fairly well-off distance. Once they rounded the next corner, Ruby stopped and rematerialized, breathing hard, but wearing a victorious grin and striking a pose at her accomplishment. …Her teammates, though, weren't so jazzed as she was. Penny was fine, standing stoically as she began scanning the area, but Julie and Zak were both panting and left reeling at what they had just been put through, and Ship was jittering in Julie's arms from the shock as well.
"Hah… hah… for the record; I am NEVER doing that again." Julie definitively said.
Zak couldn't help but give a little laugh, though. "Hehe… I honestly thought that was kinda cool. Flet like some sorta sugar rush!" Shaking his head, the young Secret Scientist got back on track. "So, any idea where my parents could be?"
"That might take some time to figure out, honestly." Ruby admitted. "I mean, it's not like we can just locate—"
"Found them!" Penny announced, pointing straight ahead. "Just down the hall and to the left."
The teens stared at the redheaded android before Julie and Zak eyed Ruby, the latter facepalming. "Ah, yes, silly me. We can. Well, c'mon, let's go!" Not having to be told twice, the group ran forward, following Penny's direction before coming upon a door. They twisted the knob and it opened for them easily, leading into… a rather stylish room filled with Japanese décor.
"…I'm guessing this is Fuzen's office." Julie deduced, narrowing her eyes at the daruma doll on the desk with one eye painted black and the other in red. "But where's—"
"HELLO?!" a man's voice called out from the left side of the room, where they saw yet another door. "Is anyone out there?!"
Zak recognized the voice immediately. "In there!" Wasting little time, Zak got his Claw and launched it at the locked door knob, wrenching back with all his might to pull it off. Once it was, he launched himself forward and delivered a flying kick, making the door swing in and break off its hinges. And there, in the center of that room inside a large cage, were his parents. "MOM! DAD!"
"Zak! Sweetie!" Drew cried as the three met each other at the bars in a relieved hug. "Hah, thank god, you're alright."
Doc smiled proudly down his son, running a hand through his hair. "Well done, Zak. You guys really pulled through." His and Drew's eyes trailed up, seeing the trio of ladies approaching as well. "Hah, Ruby, Penny! Are we glad to see you. And… um…" The man trailed off when he saw Julie and Ship, confused by their presence. "I'm sorry, but I don't think we've met before…"
Julie shook her head, but smiled all the same. "Nope, we haven't. My name is Julie Yamamoto, sir. I'm Ben's ex-girlfriend." Seeing the Saturdays' eyes widen, she responded with a shrug. "I know, not exactly who you would've expected to see coming to your rescue, but Ben's off world at the moment and trying to get back as we speak. Honestly, I kinda just stumbled into leading this whole break out."
Drew blinked at the explanation, but was grateful nonetheless. "O-Oh, well, thank you, sweetie, that's very nice of you. Though—and sorry if this comes off as insensitive—but you seem relatively…"
"Normal? Yeah, I try to be." Julie winced. "Goes to show how well THAT'S worked out. But come on, we've gotta get you out of there."
Giving a salute, Penny took the honors. "Simply leave it to me! Doc, Drew, I suggest you stand back…" Reaching out and grasping the bars, Penny pulled with all her might until they bent outward, creating a nice hole for the couple to walk through.
"Haha, alright, Penny!" Ruby cheered, ushering the Saturdays out. "Now c'mon, before Fuzen—" *CRASH* "…Gets back."
Before any one of them could even try to step out of the room, a massive suit of grey and blue samurai armor came bashing through, making the wall crumble behind it. The armor was highly mechanical in nature and easily towered over all of them at eight feet. They couldn't see who was piloting it behind its green mask, but the group knew… it had to be Shoji Fuzen. "INTERLOPERS! How dare you violate the sanctity of this place?!" He then noticed Zak among them, and he grew even angrier. "Ah, the youngest Saturday has finally joined us…" Reaching to his hip, he took out a laser sword and leveled it at the group. "I will make certain YOU die first!"
Ruby took out Crescent Rose and Penny activated her Floating Array arm blades, standing in front of the Saturday family along with Julie. "Like we'll let THAT happen, you big jerk!" Ruby snapped.
"FUZEN!" Zak roared as well, getting his Claw out. "I'll make you PAY for what you did to my parents!"
"Zak, wait, don't try anything risky!" Drew pointed at the mech, seeing that it had her Tibetan Fire Sword and Doc's Power Glove on its hip. "He's got our weapons!"
Fuzen chortled beneath his suit. "Hmhmhm, that's right. And if you want them back, you'll have to pry them from—AGH!"
"Ship-ship-SHIIIIP!" Much to everyone's surprise, Ship had suddenly leapt up and clung to Fuzen's leg, with a long tube-like appendage coming out of his eye and sticking itself into his knee.
Julie wasn't prepared for that at all. "Sh-Ship! What are you doing?!"
"Gah! You damned creature! Get OFF!" Fuzen thrust his leg out, detaching Ship and sending him tumbling back toward the heroes.
With a gasp, Julie rushed forward, crouching down and taking hold of her pet. "Ship! What in the world were you doing?!" As Ship gave a low hum, his form of growling, she craned her head up to see Fuzen approaching them, with his sword now trained specifically onto them. "…You know, I was about to comment that you are going a bit overboard when it comes to the Japanese theme—ironic, I know—but if I'm being honest, you're just giving off "minor villain overcompensating" vibes right now."
Fuzen scowled under his mask. "You disrespect ME child?" Lifting his sword over his head, Shoji prepared to execute his next move with extreme partiality. "Allow me to put you in your place, then!"
"SHHIIIIIPP!"
"H-Huh—AH!" Without any warning whatsoever, Ship leapt up and encased Julie, transforming into her battle suit in seconds. …At least, that's how it started out as. Once it had fully formed, the suit then began changing further, its shoulder pads, arms and legs taking on a more ridged appearance as large, layered hip-guards began forming around her waist. Her boots became more pointed and the hands now ended in sharp claws, with her helmet also becoming more layered as well. Over her visor, a new faceplate popped up which had a mouth molded into it, and from her forehead, a dynamic, two-pronged crest emerged. Her chest plate became more rounded and finally, a pair of energy flags came bursting out of her back, propped up at her shoulders.
By the time Ship's transformation was complete, Julie was now decked out in highly advanced samurai armor of her very own, much to everyone's amazement. "…Oh. My. God." Ruby uttered.
Zak broke out into a massive grin at the sight, his inner fanboy coming out as he shouted; "AHAHA! Kachidoki Arms! Iza, shutsujin! Ei, ei, OH!"
"What?! What trickery is this?!" Fuzen took a step back in confusion.
Julie inspected herself for a moment before shifting her eyes up. "Ship, is THIS what you were doing on his leg? Finding out about his armor?"
"Ship-ship!"
Beneath her mask, Julie smiled and pat the top of her helmet. "Good boy. Now, let's give him a taste of his own medicine, shall we?" She peered over her shoulder toward the others, giving them a nod while whispering; "Zak, get your parents to safety. Ruby, Penny, let's take care of this clown." The two girls smiled eagerly at that while Zak started leading Doc and Drew away from the incoming fight. With a flick of her wrist, Julie summoned an energy Tachi blade from her palm, widening her stance as she lifted the sword above her head and thrust her free hand out in front of her. "You wanna Bushido Fuzen?! Then let's Bushido!"
"Hmph, very well! It will be your end!" On his back, Fuzen activated a pair of jets that thrust himself forward, his sword drawn and ready to swipe.
"Ship, up!" At her command, the war flags on her back rotated down and thrust toward the ground, sending Julie straight into the air. Fuzen clearly wasn't expecting such a move as he made to stop on a dime… only to be met with Ruby bursting into him with an explosion of petals.
Fuzen yelled and made to swipe at her, but she was gone before he knew it. "GAH! Another trick! GWAH!"
Before he could even react, Penny came surging through the petals and punched him straight in the gut, sending him flying across the room. "No tricks! Just semblances and skill!" She nodded to the Saturdays and pointed straight for the door. "Go, now!"
"NO!" Fuzen roared and went for another strike with his blade, thrusting straight toward the Saturdays as they ran for the door. But he wasn't even able to get within ten feet of them as Julie returned, clashing swords with him. "Gah! You are a disgrace! You are not even Ben Tennyson! Who ARE you?!"
Julie smirked under her mask. "Let me put it this way…" She swiped her legs and took Fuzen's out from underneath him, only to then deliver a spin kick straight into his gut. "How does it feel to get your butt kicked by Ben 10's ex?!"
Fuzen's response was to roar in rage, but Ruby reappeared behind him and sliced at his back with Crescent Rose, disabling his thrusters. "And she's pretty much normal on top of that." Ruby added with a cheeky grin. "To be beaten by someone who isn't even a main hero? Yeah, you're a minor villain. D-list at best."
"I WILL NOT BE INSULTED!" Over his shoulders, Fuzen went to bring out a pair of hidden laser cannons, aiming them straight at Julie. "This whelp MUST die!"
"Hmph, well if that's what we're doing…" Julie raised her free hand and transformed it into her recently acquired rail gun claw, taking aim herself. "Then let's see who's got the better tech!" Both of them let loose their lasers at the exact same time, and while the beams struck each other in the middle at first… even Fuzen's twin beams couldn't hold a candle to the Mechamorph's cannon.
His eyes widening beneath his mask, Fuzen was struck directly in the chest and careened right into the farthest wall, slumping down to the floor but scrambling to get up. "Agh! I… I am not through!"
"Hm, I believe you are." Penny countered as she and Ruby dashed in from either side, all while Julie closed in from the front. All of their blades were out and ready to go to work. "Now, here is where you fall!"
Fuzen wasn't about to go down without a fight. Taking Drew's own Tibetan Fire Sword, he surged forward and met the trio in a flurry of strikes, metal clashing against metal before both sides slide past one another, landing at opposite ends of the room. After a few seconds passed, Ruby ended up taking a knee, which Fuzen smirked at… until he realized something. …He couldn't feel his legs. "H-Hah—What—no!" One by one, pieces of his mechanical samurai armor began falling off, with he himself falling straight to the floor with his cybernetic legs fully disabled. "N-No! NO! This cannot be!"
"Ruby!" Penny went over to help her friend up. "Are you injured?!"
"Hah… nothing Jaune can't fix." Ruby assured, draping her arm over Penny's shoulder. The silver-eyed girl glared at the fallen man as he tried to crawl toward them with sword in hand… only for his wrist to get stomped on by Julie. "…And THAT was for kidnapping my friend's parents."
Julie's faceplate retracted, allowing the two to see her smile. "Nice work, ladies. I'd say that was a successful mission." Her lips curled down into a frown as she scowled at Fuzen. "And as for you…" *WHAM* With a single punch to the head, Julie knocked him out cold, before throwing him over her shoulder as if he were a child. "Let's get Mr. Minor Villain here under lock and key, shall we?" Ruby and Penny were all too quick to agree, retrieving Doc and Drew's weapons as they followed Julie out of the building.
…..
Back outside, things had gotten a bit more… out of hand. The fight between the Omni-Hunters and the Sotoraggians had been taken out to one the main streets, and from there, chaos had ensued. Merchant stands were either on fire or crushed, aliens were running around in fear as SixSix and SevenSeven unleashed volleys of laser fire upon the team, and several of the team had found themselves saving civilians WHILE fighting back against the bounty hunters. Needless to say, it was not looking good… at least, for a small portion of Undertown.
The team themselves, however, were breathing hard as they stood firm against the Sotoraggians, keeping themselves between them and the civilians as they all fled the scene. What's more, SixSix and SevenSeven were also visibly worse for wear, with certain parts of their armor even cracked—and some had been blown off entirely, exposing their eyes and unsightly, wrinkly grey skin.
"Hah… hah… we… will NOT… FALL!" Yang stomped her foot and shot another round at each of the bounty hunters, only for them to jump out of the way and start back toward the team. "Pyrrha! Weiss!"
Like clockwork, the two elegantly dangerous ladies sidestepped in front of Yang, the former heiress creating several Fire Glyphs while the Invincible Girl loaded a vial of Fire Dust into her bow, pulling back to create a blazing arrow. "Now!" Weiss called out.
"Of course!" Pyrrha acknowledged, waiting for the final blip before letting loose;
"Fire Arrow Victory"
A trio of fiery arrows were shot forth and went straight through the Fire Glyphs, before practically exploding in front of the Sotoraggians. The team heard gurgling cries of pain from the duo as they landed, but all the same, they were not deterred. SixSix in particular went for his pistols shouting; "EKH VON KA BARRRR!" as he pulled the trigger.
…At least he would have, if a beam of green energy hadn't blasted down from the sky and shot the pistol out of his hand. The whole group were taken by surprise, but Yang broke out into a happy smile, whipping her head up to see her boyfriend come swooping down from the air. "BEN! You're here!"
Ben—as Jetray—dove down and placed himself in-between his friends and the bounty hunters, grimacing with clenched teeth. "I heard that there was some trouble going on here. So, tell me…" Slapping the Omnitrix, the hero quick-changed into Humungousaur, now towering above the bruised and beaten Sotoraggians. He lowered his head down and snorted. "…Are YOU the ones behind the problem?"
The brothers' eyes widened in fear, knowing that they were woefully unprepared to confront the Vaxasaurian after what they had been through. Activating their jetpacks, they flew off down the street, screaming in gurgling fear. Humungousaur was about to give chase, but Jaune shouted to him. "Ben, wait! We can get them later." The blonde knight approached his friend with a raised hand. "We've got more important stuff to deal with right now."
"Hmph… yeah, you're right." Reaching up to his chest, Ben transformed back into his human form… where he was immediately glomped on by Yang. "Ah! Hahaha, wow, I must've been missed, huh?"
"Hah, you have NO idea, Green Boy." Yang put herself up on her tiptoes and captured Ben's lips in a thankful kiss. "Hmm, you missed out on a LOT, that's for sure."
"Yeah, I heard. Ilia said I could find you guys here." Ben scanned his eyes across the group, taking note of a few absentees. "Where's Zak, Ruby and Penny? Did they go to take care of that Fuzen guy?"
Nora gave an energetic nod. "Yep and—OH! Lookie over there!" Everyone's heads snapped around toward the nearby alleyway, where the topic of their conversation arrived… with his family in tow. "Hahaha! Zak, you got 'em! Awesome!"
Zak, Doc and Drew ran over to the group, the youngest Saturday laughing victoriously with a raised fist. "Haha, yeah! And you should've SEEN the girls back there! They kicked Fuzen's ASS!" It was then that he noticed Ben there as well, giving him a snarky look. "Well, well, you sure took your sweet time getting here, eh, Tennyson?"
"Oh, har-har, let's see how YOU like being stuck on the other side of the galaxy while something like THIS goes down." Ben fired back, only to smile at Doc and Drew. "But in all seriousness, I'm really glad to see you two are okay. Sorry this had to be your first experience in Bellwood."
"Think nothing of it, Ben." Doc waved off.
Drew gave a shrug of her own. "Yeah, we're used to it. And besides, seeing Fuzen get his ass handed to him by a high-tech Samurai Girl was well worth it."
Those words made Ben blink in confusion. "W-Wait, Samurai Girl? What're you…" But right then, Ben found his voice lost to him, seeing what else was coming down that alleyway. Ruby and Penny were familiar sights… but he wasn't expecting the Galvanic Mechamorph samurai armor bringing up the rear. The armor set the unconscious Fuzen on the ground before it removed itself from its owner, and reverted back to its normal shape.
There, Julie caught Ship in her arms… and of course, the first thing she saw was Ben standing across from her. While initially left in a stupor, she quickly collected herself and sent a soft smile his way. "Ben. Fashionably late again, I see."
"J-J-J…Julie?" Ben muttered, only for his eyes to widen in realization. His head whipped between his current girlfriend and his ex-girlfriend, utterly baffled by what was going on. "A-And YANG?! In the same PLACE?!" The blonde and black-haired girls both grinned and gave him a nod, causing Ben's hands to fly up and clench fistfuls of his hair. "WHAT THE HELL DID I MISS?!"
…..
A/N: I'm fairly certain that's the question of the entire chapter, Ben. What DID everyone miss? Thankfully, though, the Saturday family has been saved and reunited and Shoji Fuzen has been brought down with extreme precision and ease. Yeah, I think it's safe to say that this guy got in WAY over his head, especially since the Omni-Hunters have dealt with WAY worse threats in the past. Heck, JULIE has dealt with way worse stuff before, so no surprise he was taken down like this. Maybe if he works his way up the ranks with the right people, he might shake off that "minor villain energy" he's got on him someday…
Still, ya can't say his comeuppance wasn't warranted. Dude stole Zak's parents, so you KNOW the team weren't about to let that slide. And given Julie's past experience with bounty hunters, it makes sense that she'd want to help out here. Though of course, it wasn't JUST her helping out. Let's face it, bringing Ship back was pretty much a no-brainer. He and Julie are basically connected at this point. Can't have one without the other, and, like the good boy he is, he came in pretty clutch this chapter. Quite the upgrade to Julie's battle armor, that's for sure. And hey, Penny can even understand him! That Mechamorph upgrade keeps on coming in handy.
Speaking of bounty hunters, though, hi Sunder, hi Krabb! Sorry you got your stuff stolen from ya, but ya can't say it wasn't warranted, right? Same can be said for the Vreedles trying to hit on Yang and the others, too. That just wasn't gonna go their way.
Oh, and of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about Yang's new friendship with Julie. Because come on, I don't think either of these girls would pull the "jealous girlfriend" archetype with this scenario. They're both just too good-natured for that, plus I'm sure they'd both be quite eager to share some hilarious stories about their experiences with Ben. Now the question is… how WILL Ben handle his current and ex-girlfriends being buddies? Well, we'll just have to see for ourselves, won't we?
Ah, and yes, Charmcaster and Hex have been granted amnesty by the Magistrata herself. Because let's face it, when you're in a war with a witch and Vilgax is still on the loose, it's better to make friends with powerful magic users rather than be on shaky terms with them. Ben's gonna have to get used to THAT, now isn't he? But what of Hope's community service?
Well, we'll find that out NEXT TIME! We're actually gonna be headed into a more casual chapter next time as the gang return home while Doc and Drew retrieve the airship… only to be met with some rather baffling news regarding the Vreedle Brothers. But, going past that, we're also gonna be seeing some villain stuff as Bashmouth and his crew have a meeting with Salem herself, discussing how they'll go about their future business together. In the midst of all this, though, Gwen, Kevin and Charmcaster return to Plumber HQ to get a load of the machine the Lewodans have dropped off for Cooper… only for said genius to have sent a liaison over with a TON of Dust to test it out. Will he get the results he's looking for? Tune in Next Time to find out, but until then, thanks for reading, everybody! And of course, stay safe out there!
