A/N (BIG NEWS, Read if interested): Good morning, everybody! Hope you guys are enjoying watching your Jason Voorhees movies today, but we're once again BACK with Ben 10/RWBY Month! But before we get to the chapter proper, I have something VERY exciting to share with everyone here! Thanks to site user "TheAnomalyExpert", The Ben 10 RWBY series now officially has… A TV TROPES PAGE! …Kind of. At the moment, it's very bare bones and doesn't have much information on it aside from a brief description and links to all the stories.

But of course, that CAN change overtime. That said, I'm not exactly knowledgeable on tropes or webpage editing myself, so I don't really know the first thing about doing stuff like this. Plus, I'm pretty busy writing the story itself, so there's that as well. However, if any of you have the knowledge of how to do things like that, then I encourage you to head over and contribute in any way you can. The page is labeled as "Ben 10 RWBY Volumes" so head on over and let's see if this page can be built up to the level of Transformers MHA's TV Tropes page!

So, with that said, let's get on to today's chapter, shall we? This is…

Chapter 75: Strange Departures and Arrivals

…..

Kevin yawned as he drove through the dark streets of Bellwood, illuminated only by the streetlights as all but a few buildings had gone dark by this point. It was 3 o'clock in the morning and he was still trying to shoo the sleepiness out of him as he took his housemates to the Plumber's designated landing strip, where the Saturday's airship was waiting to whisk them away to France. Thankfully, he wasn't the only one still exhausted, as Neptune was lolling off in the back, drooling on his— "HEY!"

"GAH! W-Wha—what is it?!" Neptune snapped awake, the bags under his eyes dark and heavy. "A-Are we under attack?!"

"Dude, if you're gonna sleep, close your freaking mouth!" Kevin admonished, now fully awake himself. "You're slobberin' all over the seats!"

Neptune grimaced and whined. "Oh, COME ON, dude! Can't ya have at least a little sympathy here? We BOTH don't wanna be awake at this hour, ya know."

Glaring at him in the rearview, Kevin countered threateningly; "You wanna be the one cleaning these leather seats? I promise ya, it's not an easy job." He saw Neptune purse his lips and then fold his arms over his chest with a huff, sinking back into the seat. "Hmph, glad we understand each other. Mph, I seriously don't need this before a long trip."

"Ugh, Kevin, stop being so hard on him." Ilia ordered, rubbing the sleep away from her own eyes. "It's early for all of us and we don't need the yelling."

Sun nodded in solidarity with his fellow Faunus. "Yeah, man, take a chill pill. I mean, it's not like you'll be headed to Paris WITH us or anything."

"Well, yeah, but still, it really IS a pain in the ass to clean these seats." Kevin retorted with an eye roll. "But aside from that, I'm still not too sure about the ride you'll be takin' to Paris. I mean, the Rustbucket III is right there and Ben knows how to pilot it. It'd be WAY faster and—most importantly—we wouldn't have to get up at the butt-ass crack of dawn."

Ilia's scowl deepened as she raised a finger at him. "Okay, firstly, gross. Secondly, that's not YOUR decision to make. Ben wanted the Saturdays to take us, so they're gonna take us. Besides they have a LOT more tech on the Airship that'd help in researching the tablet once we find it." After raising a second finger, Ilia brought up a third. "And finally, could you please try to NOT be such a control freak? We don't need THAT on top of you being a pathological liar and all."

Kevin felt his eye twitch at that. "…Sure." he said through gritted teeth. "Whatever you say."

"The back-sass isn't appreciated either."

"GAAAAAHH!"

As that was going on, Penny was the only one in the car that wasn't too bothered by anything, happy to just bobble back and forth in her seat. She had been overjoyed since receiving the news that she was, in fact, a real girl, and it was to the point where she couldn't even fall asleep. 'Azmuth said that I might even be able to reproduce! …I wonder what that entails for me? Something to think about at a later date.'

Ilia craned her head around toward the backseat, making eye contact with her android friend. "Penny, you've been awfully quiet back there. Something on your mind?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Penny perked up and shook her head. "Hm? Oh, no, not entirely. It's just… I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, you know?"

"You mean the fact that you're a real girl?" Sun nodded. "Yeah, that IS pretty exciting. That's something you were really hoping for, wasn't it?"

"Indeed." Penny placed a hand over her chest. "Well, partially, anyway. I had always wanted people to treat me as a normal girl, for sure, but never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought of ever becoming MORE than just an android." She took a deep breath and leaned back in her seat. "But then… back when Azmuth presented the possibility to me before we left Remnant, I wondered… what if I AM really a living being now? And I will not lie, the more I wondered, the more the likelihood of that appealed to me." Her gaze shifted between her friends, who were all smiling back at her. "Granted, I'm still not what would constitute as a "normal" girl, and I don't think I will ever be… but I am still overjoyed to know that I am well and truly alive."

Reaching back, Ilia placed a hand on Penny's knee, showing her support. "And we're all incredibly happy for you, Penny. Without a doubt, you're one of the most special people in ALL of our lives."

"And we're happy to keep it that way, too." Neptune said with a thumbs up, only to then lean back and place his hands behind his head. "And to think, all it took for you to be real was Ben and Rex doing some of the weirdest baby-making ever."

And just like that, the mood had been ruined. "…Did you HAVE to remind us of that?" Kevin deadpanned.

"What? That's freaking hilarious and you know it, Kevin."

"…Okay, maybe a little."

"ASIDE from that…" Ilia piped up, her right eye twitching in annoyance, "let's all just be glad for Penny in this moment. I'm sure that her REAL dad will be ecstatic when he hears the news, right Penny?"

The redhead gasped at that. "Oh, my goodness, I forgot to call him! I must do that and deliver the good news right away!"

But Kevin was quick to pump the figurative breaks on that. "Ah-ah, let's not get ahead of ourselves here, huh? We can make that call later…" Another yawn escaped him as his eyelids started to feel heavy once again. "…Preferably in the morning."

"Yeah, and besides…" Sun peaked his head past his window, seeing the landing strip and the Saturday's Airship in the distance. "We're here." The car drove straight onto the strip and pulled to a stop, where they saw Ben's car already parked. Ben himself, along with Gwen, Rex, Team RWBY and the Saturdays were all standing in front of the airship, the group turning their heads when they pulled up.

All at once, everyone began piling out of Kevin's car, with Ilia waving to her friends. "Morning, everyone. Sorry if we're late."

Blake shook her head and went to greet her best friend. "Nope, you're all right on time. If anything, we're still waiting on your…" the catgirl sent her a wink, "little tagalong to show up." Almost immediately, a blush rose to Ilia's cheeks and her spots became pink, the chameleon girl shrieking and hiding behind her backpack.

"C-Come on, Blake, really?" She whispered harshly. "Do you have to tease me about it?"

"Hmhm, just trying to keep you awake." Blake went over and put a supportive hand to Ilia's shoulders, lowering her own voice to a whisper. "Though I have to ask… what's your plan of attack, here? Are you really going to ask her out in Paris of all places?"

"W-Well, I-I'm hoping the scenery will give me more of a confidence boost." Ilia rationalized. "Maybe then… I can be self-assured enough to take the initiative and ask her the big question."

A delighted smile came to Blake's face at that. "I'm very proud of you, Ilia. You've come a long way from the shy, reserved girl who came to Menagerie all those years ago." Her words made Ilia smile back, though that quickly disappeared when Blake's became more of a smirk. "That said, I hear that most people actually propose in Paris, so you saying you want to ask her the "big question" has quite the implications."

Ilia was about to scream again in embarrassment… but she forced her own mouth shut, squeezing her eyes closed to get control of herself. She took a deep breath through her nose and puffed out her chest, defiantly staring at her best friend. "Nope. Nuh-uh, not happening. I will NOT be thrown off by your teasing anymore, Blake. I'm going to ask Swift out by the end of this weekend. If freaking Neptune can do it, then I for damn sure can do it, too."

Blake's smile returned to one of pride, giving a resolute nod. "Atta girl. By the way, that leads me to ask…" Her gaze drifted over to the blue-haired boy himself. "What ARE you doing here, Neptune? You're not coming, right?"

"Nah, I just came to see you guys off." Neptune waved. "Penny and I wanted to get in our goodbyes and all that."

"Oh, well if that was the case, then we should've swung by your place like Gwen asked us to do with hers." Ruby jerked a thumb over her shoulder to the Anodite. "She said it'd be easier for all of us to just say bye to Team JNPR and Winter there than get them up just for this."

And just like that, Neptune was wide awake, the shock from Ruby's statement leaving him slack-jawed. "W-Wait, WHAT?!" He snapped his head toward Kevin, his baggy eyes filled with annoyance. "You mean I had a CHOICE?! Dude, what the hell?!"

"Uh… oops, I didn't get that memo." Kevin rubbed his neck sheepishly, only for Neptune to shoot right up to him and grab him by the collar. "W-Woah, hey, hey, easy man! This is the sleep deprivation talking!"

"Neptune, calm down!" Gwen insisted, reaching for his hand to pry it off her boyfriend. "I'm sorry I didn't get the word out to you in time. I've been busy all night, so it slipped my mind."

That piqued Neptune's curiosity. "Busy? With what?"

Gwen raised two fingers. "Two things; one, I've been getting some things prepared for Cooper's project. We're in the final stages, so it was important for me to concentrate. And secondly… I was also helping a certain someone get ready for this trip with you guys."

If anything, that only left more questions than answers, particularly for Ben. "Wait, "certain someone"? Gwen what're you talking about—" *FLASH* "AH!" All of a sudden, everyone gasped as a bright, pink light burst through the area near them, and once it dissipated, the group were astonished to see Charmcaster standing amongst them, wearing a cloak and hood.

"Morning, everyone." Hope greeted with a short wave. She was met with many incredulous stares, particularly from Ben and the Saturday family, which started lowering her confidence a bit. "Uh… hehe… sorry for being fashionably late, but I had to pocket a few things before I left."

Ben's eyes trailed back over to his cousin, his brows furrowed in confusion. "Gwen… is this the "idea" that you mentioned?"

"Well, I DID say that you could use a bit of magical help on this excursion, Ben." Gwen pointed out as she went over to Hope, placing a hand on her arm. "And while I can't go, I was thankfully able to convince Hope to go in my stead. Which is good, because she's FAR more skilled in magic than I am."

That made Hope roll her eyes. "Oh, come on, you've been getting better. You're incredibly powerful."

"Yes, but you have much more experience." Gwen insisted, gesturing over to the away team. "Which I'm sure will be nothing but a benefit for everyone here while you're in Paris."

Weiss tilted her head, unsure of the move herself. "Hm… well, I can see where you're coming from, Gwen, but aren't you technically in charge of overseeing her?" She placed her hands on her hips skeptically. "Plus, we've already got a sizeable team. Any more and we could be liable to be slowed down. Besides, Drew's already an expert when it comes to ancient artifacts and such, right?"

"A-Ahem, Weiss, maybe we shouldn't draw comparisons here." Drew said hastily the second she saw Hope frown at the younger, white-haired girl.

Charmcaster raised her head and approached the former heiress, staring down at her with half-lidded eyes and an unimpressed expression. "Ah, hah… pardon me, Miss… Schnee, was it? I am a free, fully-grown woman. I'm not tethered by any sort of parole or overseer. And, might I add, I am a highly capable sorceress who happens to ALSO be an expert when it comes to ancient artifacts. Especially of the magical variety." She lowered her head down to Weiss, locking eyes with the former heiress who narrowed hers right back at her. "So to sum things up, I would be an asset to this motley crew you have going on here, despite the extra number. And besides, that isn't your decision to make whether I come or not."

But Weiss didn't back down, raising her own chin up to her. "Is that so? Well, you're right. It isn't my decision." She smiled to Ben and nodded at him, her eyes closed confidently. "So, let her have it, Ben."

"Okay. …She can come."

And just like that, Weiss' eyes snapped open. "Wait, what?"

Hope was similarly astonished. "Wait, what?!"

Approaching the two, Ben came up on Charmcaster's left with a nod of his own. "You heard me. You're free to come along." His gaze drifted briefly over to his cousin before going back to Hope. "Gwen's right, some magical expertise would be appreciated should we run into something unexpected. And, well…" His hand rubbed his neck awkwardly. "…I've had a bit of a wake-up call recently with Malware's revival. It's made me realize that I need all the help I can get now, and you DO count among that number." He reached his hand out toward the sorceress. "So, let's see how you do, Charm—er… Hope."

"…Huh." Hope smiled back and reciprocated the gesture. "And here I thought you would be the hardest one to convince."

"Well, to be fair, I WAS pretty unjustifiably harsh toward you." Ben admitted. "I should be more open-minded when it comes to these things. After all, if I wasn't…" He nudged his head back toward Kevin. "He wouldn't be my best friend." His sights moved to Weiss, who was still flabbergasted. "Listen, Weiss, I know it's a hard sell, but we all need to learn to trust Hope."

Yang stepped up next to them and grinned to the mage herself. "Yeah, I mean, I'm all for it. Welcome aboard, Hot Topic."

Hope deadpanned at that. "Please don't call me that again."

"Fair enough, I tried." Yang surrendered, raising her hands.

Ruby rolled her eyes and dashed up to Charmcaster herself. "Sorry about my sister. She kinda likes giving nicknames to people." She beamed up at Charmcaster from ear-to-ear cheerily. "But I'm glad to have you aboard, Hope!"

"Hmhm, the feeling's mutual, Ruby." Hope chuckled, only to see Blake still standing off to the side, seemingly disinterested in the conversation. Mustering up a bit of confidence, Charmcaster approached the cat girl, who took notice almost immediately. "Excuse me, but… Gwen tells me you like reading books."

Blake's cat ears twitched a little. "…Maybe."

"Are you familiar with the Game of Thrones series?" Charmcaster zipped open her sewn-together rucksack and produced a whole book from it, handing it to Blake. Peering at it, the Faunus saw the title; 'A Song of Ice and Fire' and was left intrigued by it. "It's one of my favorites."

"…Is it?" Blake took the book in hand, noting how weighty it was. However, she still gave Charmcaster a questioning gaze. "If you're hoping to bribe my friendship with a book—"

"No, nope, nothing of the sort." Hope insisted, not a hint of deceit in her features. "Just wanted to recommend a good book series. Let me know what you think of it, hm?"

Pursing her lips, Blake tucked the book under her arm. "…I'll do that."

Clapping her hands, Hope gave her a grateful bow. "Great! I can't wait to hear them!"

As Hope stepped toward the Saturdays, though, both Sun and Ilia went over to Blake, the latter eyeing Hope as she left. "Wow, she's certainly smooth." Her attention went straight back to her friend, however. "So, what're you going to do?"

"Read it, of course." Blake reiterated, cracking the book open to the first page. "I'm not a liar."

"Yeah, I mean, she seems really nice." Sun nodded confidently… only for Weiss to zip over and get in between all of them.

"But what if that's what she WANTS us to think?" she suggested, narrowing her sights at the sorceress. "I know her kind, the prissy know-it-all who SEEMS nice on the outside but is really just plotting bigger plans for HER own desires."

Blake grimaced to her teammate immediately. "…So kind of like how you were when you first came to Beacon?"

"Yes, exactly, I—" Weiss cut herself off when she realized what she just said. "H-Hold on, that was different! I-I wasn't evil or anything! I was against my father's malpractices, after all."

Raising a brow, Blake countered; "But you still had your prejudices against Faunus at the time, didn't you?" Weiss was about to argue… but quickly found that Blake WAS correct in saying that. "Yeah, you aren't exactly innocent when it comes to bad things, Weiss. But here's the thing; you changed for the better…" She craned her head back toward Hope. "So why can't she?"

As much as Weiss didn't want to admit it, she DID have a point. Feeling a familiar touch on her shoulder, she peered back to see Rex giving her a sympathetic look. "Ice Princess, trust me, I understand where you're coming from. But let's give Charmcaster here the benefit of the doubt, yeah? I mean, she IS Gwen's friend, and you're Gwen's friend too, right?"

With a relenting sigh passing her lips, Weiss relented and accepted the reality of the situation. "Alright, I'll give her a chance…" However, she made sure to point two fingers at the silver-haired young woman. "But just know that I'll be watching her… like a hawk."

Meanwhile, Hope herself had started conversing with the Saturdays, introducing herself. "So, you must be the Secret Saturdays." She bowed her head politely. "Gwen's told me a lot about the three of you and your family, and I must say, I'm very impressed with what I've heard."

"Oh, is that so?" Doc asked, his smile widening a little as he crossed his arms. "And what exactly did she tell you?"

"That you all scour the globe helping Cryptids of all kinds, keeping them safe from ones who would try to use them for selfish gains." With a hand over her chest, Charmcaster expressed her gratitude. "And on that note, thank you for helping the Mothman you encountered a couple weeks ago. Aiding a denizen of Ledgerdomain is something that I will always be grateful for."

Zak rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Aw, it's all good. It's what we do!"

"Hmhm, yes… but you must be Zak, correct?"

Giving her a nod, Zak confirmed; "Yeah, that's me." Without warning, Charmcaster suddenly peered closer at Zak, making him jerk back slightly in surprise. All the same, Hope didn't let up as she concentrated directly into his eyes, only for her to gasp and reel back in shock. "W-What? What is it?" he asked.

"Hah… so it's true." Hope placed a hand over her mouth, absolutely stunned. "You're… the reincarnation of Kur himself. Your powers are weakened, but… there's no mistaking it."

"Ah… yeah, right." Zak winced, glancing away from her. "I should've guessed you'd be able to sense that. But yeah, I'm basically Kur reincarnated. But unfortunately, my Kur powers kinda got nerfed when this guy, Argost, tried to take them away and merge them with his own Anti-Kur powers that he got from a mirror-universe version of myself." He made sure to raise a finger and add; "But thankfully, his plan backfired and he destroyed himself, and my powers have been gradually coming back ever since."

Her eyes wide in awe, Hope muttered; "Fascinating… so is that what I'm sensing within you?"

Hearing this, Doc and Drew were taken aback, while Zak pointed to her. "You know, Penny actually told me the exact same thing!" He turned to the android for confirmation. "Right, Pen? You said you could sense some sort of power building up in me, too."

"Indeed." Penny reaffirmed, zipping over and circling her hand just over Zak's stomach. "Right around this area. Your core is extremely potent, and not JUST from exercise."

But Drew was still confused. "That… that shouldn't be possible. I took him to every mystic, fortuneteller and shaman I know and they weren't able to sense anything. No signs of Kur resurfacing at all."

Hope shook her head. "Mrs. Saturday, not to begrudge your contacts, but human mystics are far from the same level as true sorcerers." Behind her, Gwen seemed to silently support the claim. "We are much more familiar with magic, and thus we're able to sense power much greater than people who are simply in tune with the world around them. Being able to feel mana is one thing, but being able to manipulate and be a part of it is another." She nudged her head toward Zak. "And your son has quite a lot of it building up. I suspect there might be something more at play here than Kur, though. If it was, I would have been overwhelmed the moment I arrived."

"O-Okay, but what about Penny?" Doc pointed out. "How's she able to sense magical energy?"

"Well, she DOES have an Aura, despite being partially Mechamorph." Gwen explained, smiling over to her fellow redhead. "So her scanners are likely in tune with mana as a result."

"Quite the accomplishment for a technorganic being, I will say." Charmcaster echoed. "You have quite the gift, Penny."

Penny gave her a salute. "Just doing what I do best! Being helpful!"

Drew sighed and put a hand to her forehead, trying to take this all in. "Alright, okay, so now that we know all of that, what do we do?" She locked her worried eyes on Hope, eager to hear an answer. "My baby's not in any danger, is he?"

"That remains to be seen." Setting her eyes on Zak, Hope gave him a nod. "Once we're on the Airship, I'd like to do a few more tests on you, if that's alright."

Zak had to admit, this wasn't a normal occurrence for him, asking to be tested on by a beautiful young woman. …But then again, he was being asked to be tested on by a beautiful young woman, so who was he to say no? "Uh, sure… n-no problem."

Ruby narrowed her eyes a little and approached them. "If it's okay with you guys, I'd like to be there, too. I'm interested to hear exactly what the heck is going on."

"Oh, sure, Ruby." Drew permitted, all while Zak's expression twisted into a terrified stare. "You're welcome to join… in fact, I think it's about time we share something with you." The Saturday matriarch sent her a wink. "You remember what I said a little while ago, right? About having something that could possibly help you with your Silver Eyes?"

And just like that, Ruby's foul mood was short lived, her eyes lighting up when Drew said that. "Ooh, ooh! Yes, yes I do!" Using her semblance, she rushed up to Drew in a burst of petals, bouncing on the balls of her feet in anticipation. "You really think you have something that can help me, Drew?"

The woman laughed and gave her a wink. "Haha, oh, I think we've got something, for sure. Trust me, I think you're gonna like it." Drew scanned her eyes across the group of teens, taking a head count of the ones who would be going. "But, that said, do we have everybody here? Last call before—" *BEEP-BEEP* She was cut off when, from out of nowhere, a horn honked out at them and caused Drew to crane her head up, seeing the Proto-Truk descend down upon them. "Ah, guess that's a no."

Ilia let out a gasp and quickly spun back around to Blake, grasping her by the shoulders. "I-I look good, right? Please don't say I look like an utter mess."

"Okay, I won't." Blake smirked, causing Ilia to puff her cheeks out irritably. With a chuckle and an eyeroll, Blake reached up and took Ilia's hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze. "Ilia, you'll do fine, I promise. Now go on, she's expecting you, after all."

"…Hah, you're right." Ilia breathed, steeling her nerves as best she could. "I have to do this…" Approaching the Proto-Truk as it transformed back into its box truck mode, the chameleon girl stood by the passenger door as it opened up, revealing Swift in her usual attire of worn black jeans, white undershirt and black leather jacket. It was a regular occurrence seeing her like this, but for Ilia, it didn't matter what she wore. Swift would always be stunning, and the moonlight only accentuated that beauty. "H-Hi Swift. Glad you could—"

"AH! There she is, my savior!" Swift called out, immediately pulling Ilia into a big hug. And with that one gesture, all of Ilia's steeled nerves melted into jelly, along with her legs. "Hahaha! Ilia, you freaking ROCK for this weekend away! The store's been freaking BUSY all damn week, you don't know HOW much I need this."

It took all of Ilia's brainpower to come up with a response. "Y-Y-You're w-welcome…"

As that was happening, the rest of the team all wore similar grins at the scene before them. "Ah, so that's what Ilia's request was." Yang noted, nudging her boyfriend in the arm. "Green Boy, you're a peach."

"Heh, what can I say? I like making my teammates happy." Ben shrugged. "Besides, Swift's behavior has been pretty good, so I think she deserves a break from Mr. Baumann's shop. Of course, though, if we're bringing her along…" His sights trailed over to Rook, who had just got out of his Proto-Truk as well. "Rook, glad to have you aboard for this mission."

Rook exchanged a handshake with the Omnitrix bearer without hesitancy. "My pleasure, Ben. I will admit, I was surprised at the offer, but I have been wanting to sample some of Europe's unique delicacies." Producing a handbook from his back pocket, Rook flipped through the pages of what was titled "A Guide to European Foods", going straight to the France section. "For example, did you know that there are over 60 different types of cuisines that use snails? Quite fascinating."

Ben and the others somewhat winced hearing that. "Uh… yeah, real interesting there, Rook."

Sun placed his hands on his hips and spoke up to Rook. "Gotta say, though, dude, with how often we team up, I think at this point, you should just join the Omni-Hunters."

The comment managed to take Rook aback for a moment. "Me? An Omni-Hunter?"

"Hey, yeah! That sounds like a good idea, actually!" Ruby supported. "I mean, your skills are impressive, you're SUPER responsible, and your weapon is just amazing."

"I will say, you'd be a great fit, Rook." Ben agreed as well. "I mean, I know you're already part of Manny's team, but think about it for a bit. Let me know if you wanna join in."

Rook hummed in contemplation before giving them a nod of his own. "Very well. I will take the offer into consideration. Thank you for suggesting it." With that, though, the Revonnahgander went over to introduce himself to Doc and Drew. "Mr. and Mrs. Saturday, it is a pleasure to meet you. I have read up on several of your discoveries and accomplishments." He offered them a handshake. "I am Rook Blanco, and I appreciate you allowing me to accompany you on your vessel for this mission."

"Hm, nice to meet you, Rook." Doc shook his hand first. "And think nothing of it. The Airship's got plenty of room."

Drew shook his hand next. "And that goes for your fancy truck as well. Feel free to load it in."

"Ah, thank you, I was just about to ask." Rook bowed his head graciously. "Again, I appreciate your hospitality." Taking back to his Proto-Truk, Rook drove it straight up the ramp and into the Airship's docking bay, leaving the Saturdays pleasantly surprised.

"I've gotta say, he's quite the gentleman." Drew noted.

"I know, right? So cordial." Doc agreed before setting his sights onto Swift as well. "And what about you, young lady? Are you ready for our excursion to France?"

Swift gave another laugh and sent him a thumbs up. "Haha, you know it, pops! Let's get this show on the road!" Without any hesitancy whatsoever, she grabbed Ilia by the wrist and rushed right up the stairs, calling back; "C'mon, Color Girl, let's get on board already!"

"I-I'm coming, give me a second!" Ilia implored.

As the group chuckled at the duo's enthusiasm, Doc jerked his thumb up the stairway. "Well everyone, we'd better get on board, too. We wanna make sure there's still daylight when we get to Paris, after all."

"Hm, right, Doc." Ben affirmed, turning back to his cousin and his best friend to say his farewell. "Well, guess this is it. We'll see you guys in a couple days."

Gwen went in for a hug-fest, going around and quickly embracing her cousin and Team RWBY. "Oh, you guys have fun while you're there, okay?"

"And make sure to bring some souvenirs!" Penny added, putting her hands over top one another. "I would especially like a tiny Eiffel Tower, if that isn't too much trouble!"

Ruby giggled and went to hug her best friend as well. "Haha, I'll make sure to pick that up for you, Penny, promise!"

Kevin offered Ben a fistbump, which he received wholeheartedly. "Good luck findin' that tablet, too. Don't do anything I wouldn't, got it?"

Ben was about to respond when Yang suddenly came in and took him by the shoulders, sticking her chin up to Kevin with an unimpressed gaze. "Oh, don't worry, Levin. I'll make ABSOLUTELY sure that Ben doesn't fool around with other girls behind another girl's back. You know, something you WOULD do." As if on cue, Weiss, Blake and Yang all did a collective spin and marched straight to the Airship, with Weiss ushering Ruby to follow, all while huffing at the Osmosian as they walked away. "Let's go, ladies."

All Kevin could do was watch in disbelief as Ben and Ruby were carted away, the two only offering a sympathetic shrug. Rex and Sun managed to stay behind, giving Kevin some brief reassurance before they went in. "Sorry 'bout that, dude." Sun apologized.

"Look at it this way…" Rex rationalized. "They can't stay obsessed about the whole Looma thing forever."

"We can TRY, Robo-dolt!" Weiss barked back, making the boys flinch.

"Uh… that's our cue to skidoo!" Rex and Sun dashed straight onto the ships, with the Saturdays following directly after them.

Hope couldn't help but wince at Kevin's situation. Still, she recognized she had no stake in it, so she felt it best to change the subject. "Hm… well, I guess I'd better head on up, too." She bowed her head to Gwen with a small grin. "Thanks again for this opportunity, Gwen. I'll make sure they aren't disappointed."

"Hmhm, I know, Hope." Gwen reciprocated. "Oh, and you have that little… trinket I loaned you, right?"

Patting her rucksack, the sorceress confirmed; "Yep, still right in here. I'll make sure to keep it safe, don't you worry. See you soon!" With a two fingered salute, Charmcaster made her way up the stairway, which closed up when she shut the door.

Before long, the Airship was powering up and taking off, with Gwen, Penny and Neptune waving goodbye as it flew straight into the sky. Kevin, however, was still reeling at the unrelenting affront he had just received from the girls. "Do… do they hate me?" he asked his girlfriend with uncertainty.

Gwen sighed and placed a reassuring hand to her boyfriend's chest. "No, Kevin. They're just… disappointed with you. Like Rex said, it'll pass." All the same, the Anodite soured a little. "And if it doesn't anytime soon, I'll have a talk with them personally about it. Now come on, let's get you some more sleep." Kevin wasn't about to argue as the quartet went back to his car, ready to return home for the night.

…..

About an hour into the flight, Ben, Rook, Yang and Ruby all found themselves in the Saturdays' laboratory, with Doc, Drew and Hope surrounding Zak while he was on the operating table. Fiskerton and Smokey were present as well, the two Cryptids hanging by Ruby as they stared on in concern for their family. "It's okay, guys." Ruby assured, softly petting the two furry creatures. "Zak's gonna be just fine. Hope's just going to… inspect him for abnormalities." She narrowed her eyes a little. "And that's all."

"Yep, don't worry, you two." Hope echoed as her hands began glowing purple. "This is just a little spell that will help sort out exactly what is going on inside Zak. It'll be over before you know it…" Within a few seconds, Charmcaster's eyes began glowing brightly as well, all while she chanted an ancient language that not even the Saturdays could comprehend. She raised her hands over Zak's body, the boy remaining absolutely still as the glow spread over him as well. Mostly, he glowed pink, but from his center, a bright, blue light emanated, which left Doc and Drew puzzled.

"Is… is that it?" Drew muttered.

Rook raised a brow, intrigued at the sight. "What exactly is it, though?"

Ben scoffed and shook his head. "Heh, beats me. Magic's not something I can easily understand. If you want mythology or folktales, then I'm your guy."

"Meaning you're already halfway to understanding magic, Ben." Hope stated as her eyes and hands went back to normal, the light from Zak dissipating in the process. "Almost everything having to do with magic has its origins in myth, and Kur is no exception." As Zak sat up, Hope explained further. "Zak, what you carry within you is an ancient form of magic, an arcane power that only a dragon can wield. Of course, given you are Kur's reincarnation, that doesn't come as a surprise… but what does is how you managed to regain your powers after they were taken."

Zak raised his hand, peering down at his palm. "Yeah… we all thought they were gone when Argost combined them with the Anti-Kur powers, but then they came back a few months later."

Hope leaned forward with an intense gaze. "Zak, please tell me, how did this "Anti-Kur" power come about in the first place? And what about this "evil double" of yours?"

"Well, he called himself Zak Monday, and he and the rest of our evil counterparts came from an anti-matter dimension we called "the Shadow World"." His parents affirmed his statement with a pair of nods as he went on. "We discovered this world when we found a Smoke Mirror in Mexico, which was said to belong to—"

"Tezcatlipoca." Hope deduced, her features etched with concern. "The Aztec god of the night, hurricanes, obsidian and whose symbol was the jaguar." Her sights were trained directly onto Doc and Drew, giving them a serious glare. "And you sought that mirror out voluntarily?"

Doc raised a hand in defense. "T-To be fair, we didn't really BELIEVE any of the legends about the mirror were true."

"I did." Drew muttered.

"Honey, not helping." Doc mumbled back.

Stepping around the operating table, Hope went to confront the Saturdays directly. "It shouldn't have mattered if you did or didn't believe. In this world, ancient artifacts with any sort of legend surrounding them likely has SOME truth behind it, and tampering with them is HIGHLY ill-advised."

Zak immediately stood up from the table and went to his parents' defense. "H-Hey! Don't blame them for all of this. They didn't want to touch the mirror at all… that was my fault." Lowering his head, Zak admitted to his wrongdoing, surprising Charmcaster. "I'm the one who touched the mirror and brought the Mondays into our world."

"…You did?"

"I-It was an accident, and I was eleven at the time." Zak continued, with Fiskerton and Smokey coming up at his sides to support him. "I didn't think that a mess THAT big would be caused by just touching a mirror, but… I got proven wrong really quick."

Taking a deep breath, Hope calmed herself down and took on a more sympathetic tone. "I'm sure. And I'm sorry for assuming. It's just that dangerous artifacts such as the Smoke Mirror really shouldn't be messed with, especially by regular mortals such as us."

"What IS this Smoke Mirror, though?" Rook inquired.

"And why's it such a big deal?" Ben furthered.

Facing the Omni-Hunters, Hope began explaining. "The Smoke Mirror is an incredibly powerful item that is sacred to Tezcatlipoca. With it, he could control anti-matter, bringing it into this world to cause chaos as he saw fit."

"Well, it WAS all of that." Drew spoke up. "It's since been destroyed, Argost shattered it into nothing but dust."

Charmcaster was quite relieved to hear that. "Hah, good. Because if that's the case, no one ELSE can use it. After all, it was essentially a weapon that Tezcatlipoca used in his constant struggle with Quetzalcoatl…" she leaned toward the Omni-Hunters, "…who I'm sure you're all familiar with."

"Oh, that's for sure." Yang smirked. "Dude gave us his tail and beat the asses of Cinder's crew, so ya can't exactly forget something like THAT."

That managed to get Hope to crack a smile. "Hehe, yes, I'm sure he left quite an impression. On that note, though… Gwen DID loan me this, just in case." Reaching into her rucksack, Hope took out something that, in the palm of her hand, seemed to be as small as a grain of rice. But then, with a wave of her hand, she proclaimed; "Dilata!" and within seconds, the tiny object grew back to its normal size… and then SLAMMED on the laboratory floor, revealing itself to be…

"AH! It's… his tail!" Ruby shouted, all while the Saturdays just gawked at the rainbow-feathered appendage.

"Yep, Gwen let me borrow it just in case anything bad happened, gods forbid." Hope placed a hand on the tail. "Just thought you should know."

Ben had to admit, he was a bit surprised, but it made sense. His cousin WOULD want to make sure they had plenty of assets at their disposal, after all. "Hah, yeah, thanks for passing that along."

Drew approached the tail, enthralled by its very appearance. "This… is the tail of THE Quetzalcoatl." She reached a hand out, running her fingers across the fine feathers. "I can feel incredible power just emanating from it. It's amazing."

Meanwhile, Doc was just confused. "But… why would he just LET you have it?"

"Well, it was cut off by the Ministry first." Ben clarified. "But since the feathers actually have healing properties, he figured it'd be handy for us to have."

"Yeah, in this line of work, you never know WHAT could happen." Yang said, placing her hand to her arm for emphasis. "Hell, I almost had my arm broken the other day…" She pursed her lips and side-eyed the tail. "Probably would've been nice to have THIS thing there, in hindsight. Maybe then I would've gotten a round two with that dumb Tetramand princess…"

Ruby smiled to her sister and put her hand to her arm. "Something to think about another day, sis. But what I wanna know is what the big deal with that Smoke Mirror was. Something about anti-matter, right?"

"Exactly, Ruby." Hope said, picking up where she left off. "You see, while Tezcatlipoca could control anti-matter, bringing it into contact with this dimension at all was a very unwise thing for him to do." She touched her hand to a nearby desk. "Everything in this world is made up of matter. But when you bring anti-matter into the mix, you risk everything becoming unstable. And if left unchecked, the very fabric of the universe would be ripped asunder, leading to an uncontrollable collapse. Everything gone…" She snapped her fingers. "Just like that."

"Woah, sounds pretty gnarly." Yang commented, raising a brow over to Zak. "Is that how Argost went up in smoke?"

Zak nodded to her. "Yeah, pretty much. Though he learned pretty quickly that combining Kur and Anti-Kur energies wasn't such a good idea." Shifting his focus back to Hope, he furthered; "But still, that doesn't really solve how I got my powers back. They couldn't have just… gone back in me, could they?"

"Actually, Zak, that's along the lines of what I think might've happened." Hope asserted, bringing a hand up and summoning a perfect ball of mana to demonstrate. "You see, when combined energy like that is dispersed, it can't just vanish into the ether, it has to have somewhere to go. And I suspect that what remained of your Kur power must have returned to you, even with how little there was left. All the same, though, I don't think that's quite the end of it…" Bringing her other hand up, Charmcaster created another mana sphere and brought it closer to the other one. "It's my working theory that, while your Kur and the Anti-Kur powers were different, they were also similar enough to mix together in a way, their remnants combining into one cohesive whole." She brought her hands together, making an even bigger mana sphere between her palms. "In fusing, anti-matter became ACTUAL matter, and it all came back to you."

Her theory managed to take the Saturdays aback, none of them expecting any of that. "Woah… you're sure about that?" Zak whispered.

Closing her hands together, Charmcaster absorbed the mana back into herself and answered; "It's like I said, it's just a theory, but given the strange energy building up inside of you, I think it might be the safest guess."

Drew pursed her lips worriedly. "And… what do you think this energy IS, exactly?"

"Well, it's more than likely connected with your Kur powers, I know that much." Hope scanned her eyes over Zak from top to bottom, thinking everything over. "But I have a feeling that it's might be a side effect from the Kur and Anti-Kur powers merging. Again, just a theory, but it's almost as if… the Anti-Kur powers came with something else along with them, and right now, that power is… feeding off the mana inside of you. Not in a malicious way, though, more like… a symbiotic way."

Zak's eyes went wide, along with everyone else's. "Hold on, are you saying there's something living inside of me?"

"Let's not make any assumptions yet. Remember, all we can do is hypothesize at the moment." Pointing to Zak's chest, Charmcaster gave him some advice. "What I recommend you do, though, is keep a very close eye on it. This power, whatever it is… it has a very negative feel to it. Your energy is the positive to that negativity, so as I said, right now, it's symbiotic, and you're helping to keep it balanced. But the last thing you want is for that energy to take over." She craned her head toward his parents. "Once this trip is over, I'm going to continue studying him and work on a way to help balance whatever is going on inside of him, if that's alright."

"Please, feel free to do so." Drew obliged, her and Doc both nodding in solidarity.

"All we want is our boy to have a good life." Doc affirmed as well. "And if you can help him balance the Kur power inside him, then that's all we can ask for."

Charmcaster smiled at the couple assuredly. "Don't worry. I'll do everything I can to help your son."

Ruby approached Zak and nudged his arm with her elbow. "We ALL will." she echoed, with Ben, Yang and Rook all backing her up as well. As if on cue, Fiskerton and Smokey also leaned in, embracing and licking their brother's face respectively.

"Haha, thanks, guys." Zak chuckled before wondering one more thing. "By the way… what about USING my Kur powers? Is that something I should do or not?"

"Oh, that shouldn't be a problem." Hope replied confidently, giving him a thumbs up. "If anything, you might want to use them MORE now than ever, since using them will likely help reinforce the balance within you." She tapped the side of her head. "Though I hear you get headaches when you use them, right?"

A sigh passed Zak's lips and he hung his head. "Yeah, which sucks because it used to NOT do that. You think that might be because of the whole negative energy?"

Hope could only offer a shrug. "Possibly. But if that's the case, then it's something you must overcome. The headaches could be the negative energy trying to stop you from using your powers, in which case, it's only right that you use them MORE often to try and put a stop to them. Of course, I'll try to find a solution on my end as well."

With a bow of his head, Zak expressed his gratitude to the sorceress. "Thanks, Charmcaster. I'll keep all of that in mind. But for now…" His attention went back to Ruby and his mom, giving them a knowing grin. "I think it's time we set you up with that little something we got, Ruby. Right, mom?"

"Oh, yes! Of course." Drew ushered for Ruby to follow her and Zak to the lab's exit. "Come on, Ruby, I think you're going to like what we have for you…"

"EEEEE! I can't wait!" Ruby skipped behind the two, eager to see what sort of item they could have to give her. Fiskerton and Smokey were trailing close behind as well.

Meanwhile, Ben, Rook and Yang grouped up with Charmcaster and Doc, the Omnitrix bearer keeping an eye on Zak as he left the room. "Gotta say, I don't know why, but… I'm kind of worried about Zak now." he muttered, concerned as he looked at Hope. "I wonder… if his own theory could be true. Could there really be something living inside of him, sustaining itself through symbiosis?"

For her part, Charmcaster couldn't help but tilt her head. "You seem so certain about that hypothesis. At least more than I figured you would, Ben."

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time we've encountered someone with two people occupying the same body." Yang clarified, folding her arms over her chest. "Remind us to introduce you to a kid named Oscar Pine. The soul of our former headmaster is inhabiting his body at the moment."

"And he should be back from his planet hopping with my dimension traveling friend, Professor Paradox, soon." Ben brought a hand up, ponderously scratching his chin. "Maybe they'd have some insight on what's happening to Zak…"

All Hope, Rook and Doc could do was stare at the couple in shock. "…I get the feeling that they aren't kidding about that." the latter noted.

"With how confident they said it, I doubt they are not." Rook concurred.

…..

Elsewhere in the Airship, Zak, Drew and Ruby had arrived at the former's bedroom, which left the Hooded Huntress confused as they entered. She let Fiskerton duck his head under the doorframe and walk in past her, with Smokey poking his head in to nuzzle under her arm. "Uh, guys, why are we here?" she inquired, quirking a brow at Zak. "Don't tell me… the talisman you mentioned isn't really in your bedroom, is it, Zak?"

With a small smirk, Zak knelt on the floor and opened the draw of his bedframe, pulling out a small, black box that was locked up tight. "Well, yeah, kinda. I know it's probably not the BEST place to keep something like this, but you'd be surprised at the places we store things on this ship. Now c'mon, lemme show you this…"

While Ruby wasn't sure how to respond to THAT statement, she had to admit, her interest was piqued. Moving closer, she watched as Zak undid the locks and presented the box to her, opening it in the process. And inside was… a Claw. Or, at least, a Hand of Tsul'Kalu. Though… there was something much different about it. While the nails on Zak's Claw were smooth, the ones on THIS Claw were much more jagged and thin, giving it a menacing appearance. And from where she stood, she could feel a great power practically emanating from it, making her step back a little.

"Woah, you have another Claw?"

"Kind of, but not really." Zak said, taking the item out of the box and making the fingers open up. "Ruby, this… is the Fang."

"Ooh, cool name." Ruby whispered.

Drew came up next to the two, taking hold of the Fang from her son. "This artifact was brought over to our world from the Shadow World. Taken from their Tsul'Kalu." The white-haired woman handed it to Ruby. "You can probably guessed who used it."

Reluctantly, Ruby grasped the short handle of the artifact, drawing a short breath as she answered; "…Zak Monday."

"Yeah, pretty much the only thing that's left of him after he was killed by Argost." Zak took in a deep breath and sighed, shaking his head. "Honestly, it's a shame. He only found out too late that Argost use him for his own gain and now, he's gone…"

"…Didn't he try to kill you multiple times?"

"Well, yeah, but I didn't WANT him to die because of that." Zak shrugged. "I mean, who knows? Maybe if he wasn't so consumed by revenge and being evil for the sake of it, things could've been different." Scratching his head, Zak went on. "But considering his Anti-Kur powers are why I still have MY powers, I guess he left a bit more than the Fang behind." He nudged his chin toward the Fang. "But that's all in the past. What matters now is how the Fang can help you."

His mother was all too quick to agree, moving behind Ruby and bringing a hand over the Fang. "Exactly. The Fang works much like how the Claw does. It allows for the concentration of power and acts as a conduit for said power to flow through. And if your Silver Eyes are an innate power, much like Zak's Kur abilities, then you may be able to focus them through the Fang." That made Ruby beam hopefully, but Drew raised a hand to calm her down. "Though of course, it'll take a lot of time and training to hone those skills. I hope you know that, Ruby."

"Hmph, I figured as much." Ruby pouted as she stared at the Fang.

Zak joined her with an eyeroll. "Yeah, trust me, the training part isn't the EASIEST thing to go through…" He went over next to her and bumped his fist to her shoulder. "But honestly, I think you'll do great! I mean, heck, I know you'll do a lot better than I did when I was eleven."

That managed to get a little giggle out of Ruby. "Hehe, I'll bet it wasn't easy, was it?" She eyed Drew slyly at her next remark. "A kid that age probably didn't have much patience, right?"

"Oh-ho, no he did not." Drew laughed, causing Zak to grimace. "Oh, don't give me that, you were a little stinker at that age."

"…Okay, yeah, guilty as charged." Zak surrendered, sitting down on his bed. "But Ruby, seriously, I think you'll do really well with the Fang. You seem like someone who's really dedicated to being a Huntress, so I'm betting you'll get it down in no time!"

"Hehe, well… I can only hope." Ruby said, holding the Fang up close to her face. She stared at the weapon's jagged claws for a second as she contemplated everything, from finding out about her powers to using them for the first time. It had all been so much at once, and yet… she couldn't help but want to learn more. "To be honest with you guys… I wasn't too sure about what it meant to have these powers when I first learned I had them."

Zak and Drew shared a glance, before the boy stood up and gave Ruby an understanding nod. "Yeah, same here. When my powers first emerged, I had no idea what to do with them. But eventually, thanks to my parents, I was able to learn what I was capable of." He raised a determined fist to her. "I know that you'll be able to do the same, Ruby."

The Hooded Huntress offered a smile… but there was a sadness behind it that Zak noticed right off the bat. "Hm, thanks, but… it's a little hard for me, you know?" Switching placed with him, Ruby plopped herself down on the bed, shifting her focus back to the Fang. "I have these eyes because of my mom, you know. She's someone I can only barely remember, and yet… I still feel a connection with her somehow." She tilted her head up to the two. "Is that weird?"

"Oh, Ruby, it's not weird." Drew countered, sitting down next to Ruby as well. "As someone who lost her parents at an early age, I also remember my mother and father very fondly. My brother remembers them even less so, but he still has that connection." She extended a finger down and prodded Ruby over her heart. "Because no matter how long we've known them for, children always have a special connection to their parents. That's just a fact."

"Hm… yeah, you're right." Ruby agreed, though she couldn't help but feel a little sad still. "I just wish… I knew her longer, you know? Maybe she could've helped me with my Silver Eyes if she…" Trailing off, Ruby's grip tightened around the Fang, her lips tightening as she held her sorrow back. "If she—"

*CRASH*

"AAAAAUUUGHH!"

All of a sudden, a loud scream shocked everyone out of the moment, Ruby letting out a gasp and whipping her head up in worry. "That was Sun!"

With Smokey already backed out the door, Zak ran out with Fiskerton sprinting behind him. "Come on, let's go!" Just like that, the five were dashing down the hall and toward the hangar bay of the Airship, where they saw the rest of the team still gathered together. "Guys! What's going—"

"SSH!" Weiss hushed, backed up against the Proto-Truk with Swift and Ilia. With a shaky hand, she pointed directly across the room. "Over there!"

Turning, Zak, Ruby and the others were met with Rex, Sun and Blake surrounding… Sun's backpack. With them, Komodo and Zon were growling at the backpack as well, the reptiles both licking their chops eagerly. The Faunus couple had their weapons out and trained on the bag… which was jostling and moving around as if it were possessed. Rex, with his SmackHands at the ready, spotted the group enter and nudged his head over to them. "Hey, guys, we might need backup here."

"What the…" Ruby pocketed the Fang and took out Crescent Rose, zeroing in on the moving backpack. "What the heck is going on?"

"I-I don't know!" Sun insisted. "I-It just started moving by itself!"

Peeking her head out from behind Weiss, Swift called out; "That shit ain't haunted, is it?! Because if it is, I can't be liable for what I'd do to it!"

Blake shook her head, but still kept Gambol Shroud aimed at it. "I doubt it, but whatever's inside that thing, it's struggling to get out."

"Ggggrrrrrr…" Both Fiskerton and Smokey were keen on joining their siblings, growling at the moving bag with their protective instincts kicked in.

But Zak stood in their way, bringing the Claw out in preparation. "Woah, woah, guys, let's got fly off the handle, huh? I've got an idea…" Aiming his weapon at the bag, Zak sent a brief glance over to Sun. "I might rip it a little bit, just so you know."

"Dude, feel free. Whatever's in there has GOT to come out." Sun permitted.

"Alright… here goes!" With a swift jerk of his arm, Zak sent the Claw whipping forward and the Hand of Tsul'Kalu opened up, latching onto the backpack before Zak yanked it back and into the air. And then, all at once… *RRRRRIIIP* The bag was torn open and stuff was sent flying everywhere; a change of clothes, toiletries, a couple magazines… and something that actually stayed airborne.

Much to everyone's astonishment, inside the backpack was a small woodpecker, one that was immediately set upon by Zon taking to the skies with her mouth open. "RAWK! RAWK!" Giving a panicked chirp, the woodpecker began zooming across the room, somehow able to out speed and outmaneuver the Ornithocheirid. "AH! Zon, DOWN!" Drew ordered. "Bad girl!"

Fiskerton managed to get in Zon's way and stop her, but as Komodo tried to go after the bird himself, Smokey stood in his way, stomping his paw down with a firm growl. Seeing that it was relatively safe for the moment, the woodpecker slowed down and began flittering in front of everyone's faces, almost as if it was greeting and thanking them. As it passed by Zak, though, the only response he could come up with was; "Uh… what?"

"Oh for the love of—YOU again?!" Sun exclaimed, the woodpecker making its home on top of his head. "Come on, dude, you're seriously following me all the way to FRANCE now? Don't you have something better to do, like, carve out trees or somethi—" *TAPTAPTAPTAPTAP* "AUGH!"

Drew, Zak and the cryptids were left baffled by the display, though Blake was quick to explained. "Heh, that is Sun's familiar. Or at least, we think it is." Sheathing her sword, she went up and gave the bird some scratches on the head, which it seemed to enjoy. "It's been following him around since last week, and it doesn't really display any normal bird behavior, so we think it's a guardian that was assigned to him by some deity."

Fascinated, Drew came closer to the little bird, who chirped in her direction. "Oh, well aren't you just a cute little guy?" She smiled and scratched the bird's head herself, her eyes locking on Sun all the while. "Sun, you should count yourself lucky to have a familiar. They say that those who have one are blessed by the gods themselves."

The woodpecker hopped off of Sun's head and onto his shoulder, its eyes trained on him as he gave it an annoyed glance. "Yeah, well, considering how he's treated me, I don't exactly feel blessed. He pecks me every time he shows up!"

"Well, maybe that's just his way of showing affection." Zak suggested, joining his Cryptid siblings. "I mean, these guys have TONS of different ways of showing affection to me, don't ya guys?" Fiskerton, Zon, Komodo and Smokey all gave a collective roar… and then all piled onto Zak at once. "GAH! Oof! Hah, I-I didn't mean NOW, guys!"

The Omni-Hunters couldn't help but laugh at the massive dogpile, but then, the door opened once again, where they saw Doc, Hope, Ben, Yang and Rook all sprinting in. "Is everything okay in here?" the Saturday patriarch rushed directly up to his wife. "We heard someone yell from all the way across the ship!"

"Guilty as charged." Sun raised his hand. "Sorry, I kinda freaked out when THIS one started moving in my backpack." He moved his shoulder, making the woodpecker bounce. "Little stowaway."

"Stowaway?" Doc approached the monkey boy and tilted his head, seeing the bird himself. "Huh, a red-crested woodpecker. Never would've expected that."

"HA! Sun, he followed you on the ship?" Yang guffawed, putting her hands to her hips. "Man, that little bird friend of yours is pretty committed to ya."

Hope, however, was left wide-eyed, sensing a considerable amount of power emanating from the bird. She ran up, getting in Sun's personal space as she practically glued her sights onto the woodpecker. "S-Sun! Where—when—no, HOW did you find this?"

Sun backed up from the sorceress, raising his hand to try and get her to slow down. "Woah, woah, chill, Charmcast—uh, Hope, I mean." Poking his finger on the bird's head, he told her; "This little guy showed up last week, some time before the whole attack on Bellwood with the Grimm and Jotnar happened."

"And you're aware that he's just FULL of mystical power?"

The woodpecker poked back at Sun, making him reel his hand back. "Gah! Well, yeah, that's what a familiar is, right? A magic animal sent by a deity to guard a mortal?" His lips turned up into a small pout. "Of course, not sure why mine had to be a woodpecker, but—ooch! OUCH! Cut it out!"

As Sun got pecked again, Charmcaster was left a bit unsure by what she heard. 'That bird has WAY more power than any familiar should have, though. I wonder…'

"Something wrong, Hope?" Ilia spoke up, snapping the sorceress out of her thoughts.

"O-Oh, no, it's nothing." Hope assured, putting on her best grin to try and ease the tension. "So, um… h-how are you guys doing?"

Swift approached with a shrug. "Eh, not too bad. Been smooth most of the way so far." The Aerophibian hybrid shoved her hands in her pockets and drew a bit closer. "Hey, uh… so you used to be an enemy of Tennyson, yeah?"

Not expecting the question, Charmcaster cleared her throat and gave a so-so gesture with her hand. "W-Well, kind of. I was more enemies with him by association. It was his cousin who I was technically enemies with, but now we're really good friends." She put on a sympathetic gaze. "What about you? You're Swift, right? The one currently serving parole?"

"Yeah, that's me." the alien girl put her hands behind her head. "Been in juvie, broke out of juvie, resorted to a life of crime to survive on the streets, caught by Tennyson pretty quickly after that." Her frown shifted into a grin, however, when she set her eyes over to Ilia and Ruby. "But then, when I was suddenly transported to Remnant, I met a couple girls who changed my life for the better, and now, I'm working toward a better future."

"And you're doing a great job at it!" Ruby cheered in agreement.

Ilia went up and set a hand on Swift's arm, telling Charmcaster; "Let me tell you, this girl here is committed to her job and things are looking pretty good for her so far." She sent a wink to Swift, showing her support. "Trust me, your parole will be over in no time, I just know it."

A small laugh escaped Swift's lips and she turned her head, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Ah, thanks, Color Girl. I really hope you're right."

For her part, Hope was beaming at the two, recognizing that there was something going on between them. Still, it wasn't her business to pry, so she simply settled for some helpful words of her own. "Well, Swift, I wish you luck. And that you all enjoy Paris when we arrive."

"Speaking of…" Ben turned toward Doc curiously. "How long do we still have?"

"About five hours." Doc answered. "So strap in, people, and make sure you're wide awake when we get there. We'll be crossing the international date line and that means we'll be arriving Saturday afternoon when we get there. And you don't want your sleep schedule to be messed up, I'm sure."

…..

Thankfully, six hours managed to pass by fairly quickly, and the Airship arrived in Paris without much issue. Activating the ship's camouflage function, Doc landed the vessel just on the outskirts of the city in a wide, open clearing, where Rook and Ben proceeded to bring their vehicles out. Thankfully, there was room for almost everyone, with Rex taking his usual ride with Weiss joining him. The only exceptions were the Cryptid members of the Saturday family, who had to remain behind for the time being. "Don't worry, guys, we won't be gone long." Zak said with a wave from Ben's car. "We'll be back tonight, and then tomorrow, we'll head out to the Catacombs. Sound good?"

"Fiskerton, hold down the fort." Drew ordered, poking her head out the Proto-Truk's passenger window. "And be good."

The Lemurian gave her a thumbs up. "Rajabeebah, mm-hm!"

And with that, the group drove off, finding the main road in no time before setting a course straight for the city. Once it came into view, though, the Remnant natives were left astounded by how massive it was. "Woah… it has to be as big as Vale!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Yeah, and just as beautiful." Blake agreed, seeing the Eiffel Tower practically loom over the city. "And that is a LOT bigger than what pictures make it out to be."

"It's impressive, that's for sure." Ben agreed as they drove into a tunnel that would take them right into the city. Reaching over, he gave Yang's hand a soft squeeze. "And I can't wait to take you to see it, mon cherie."

Yang's eyebrows perked up and her lips curled into a happy grin. "Ooh, look at you being all fancy, Green Boy. I can't wait for it."

Things were relatively normal for the rest of the half-hour ride, with Ben following the Proto-Truk around every bend, curve and traffic circle it went around. Along the way, Ruby, Blake and Yang made sure to count every restaurant and boutique they saw. Why? Because they were EVERYWHERE. "Okay, why the heck are there so many restaurants and clothing stores in this city?" Ruby asked.

"'Cause that's basically what Paris is known for; food and fashion." Zak answered, shifting his gaze up to the Eiffel Tower. "But hey, it might be repetitive, but at least it's still around. A few years ago, I had an encounter with Zak Monday here and the entire city almost melted."

"Damn, seriously?" Ben piped up, rounding one last corner before the Proto-Truk came to a stop. "Sheesh, makes me glad my evil double is just a Galvan who turned into me instead of an anti-matter clone." Pulling up to the curb, Ben and the others all piled out, meeting with Sun, Hope, Ilia, Swift, Rook and the Saturdays.

Rex and Weiss actually hopped the curb as the EVO deactivated his ride, catching Weiss in his arms as they landed. "Hah, phew, glad that went well." Rex set Weiss down and pulled his goggles up. "Pretty sure every single police officer was giving me the side-eye on the way here."

"Well, your ride isn't exactly conventional, dude." Sun pointed out.

Weiss was in a much more excited mood, however, dashing up to her friends with glee. "Oooh, you guys, this city has EVERYTHING! Do you have any idea how many beautiful dresses I saw on the way here? And oh, all the scents of the local cuisine were simply divine!" She clapped her hands together with finality. "That's it! I've gotta go to at least SOME of these places before we leave!"

"Hehe, there'll be plenty of time for that later, Weiss." Doc promised as he and Drew walked up the steps toward the large, brick building before them. "Right now, let's get to the reason why we're here, hm?" As the teenagers waited at the bottom of the steps, Doc lifted the metal knocker, pounding on the wooden door three times and ringing the doorbell.

The wait wasn't long, though, as the door opened and revealed a man in his mid to late thirties. His black hair was slicked back, and Weiss could just tell that it was FULL of gel. He also had sharp features, including his nose and mustache, which was pencil-thin. His eyebrows were neatly trimmed and he wore a white lab coat over a grey vest and black tie, his grey pants neatly pressed with shiny black shoes on his feet. He gave a gasp and smiled as he greeted the duo. "Ah! Doctors Solomon and Drew Saturday, bonjour!" Extending a gloved hand, he shook theirs one-by-one. "It has been a long time, has it not?"

"It has, Dr. Lenoir." Drew concurred. "It's good to see you again."

"Hon-hon, the pleasure is all mine, Docteur." Lenoir bowed, his hand lingering his hers for a bit before he set his sights onto the youngsters below. "Ah, and these must be the famous Omni-Hunters from America!" Walking past the Saturdays, he extended his arms out to all of them. "Bonjour, tout le monde! Welcome to le Laboratoire de Garnier." He gave a dramatic bow. "I am Doctor Jaqc Lenoir, partner of Doctor Garnier. Consider me at your service!"

The man's name made Weiss do a double take. "E-Er, I-I'm sorry, could you repeat your first name please?"

Lenoir stood proudly as he recited for her; "Why of course! My name is Jacq. That is J-A-Q-C, for the record."

"Oh, hah, okay, that's MUCH different than how I thought it was spelled." Weiss shook her head. "Sorry, I thought your name was… something else."

The doctor tilted his head, but decided not to question it. "Hm, I see. Well, if you will all follow me, I will take you to see Juliette. She should be wrapping up an important business call at any moment."

As they group followed them inside, though, Ben, Rex and the rest of Team RWBY stuck toward the back with Weiss. "You okay there, Ice Princess?" Rex reached out and grabbed her hand. "I know his name sounds a lot like… well, you-know-who, but—"

"It's alright, Rex." Weiss assured, squeezing his hand gently. "I'm okay… though I will say, that man does give me some weird vibes…"

Blake's head bobbed to the side. "You mean aside from the fact that he and your dad's names sound the same?"

"Yeah. He just seems… a bit too friendly, if you get what I mean." The former heiress narrowed her eyes at Jaqc as he led them further in. "Plus, he just has that appearance, you know? Like some evil scientist, especially with that mustache and all that hair gel that he uses WAY too much of."

"Weiss, you sure you're not just judging someone on their appearance?" Yang questioned. "'Cause it kinda sounds like you are."

Backing up toward them a little, Hope shook her head. "No, he's giving me strange feelings, too. He has a somewhat… uncomfortable aura that I can feel from here." Her eyes narrowed at his smiling face. "Also, I don't like his smile. It seems disingenuous."

Ben pursed his lips, analyzing the doctor himself. "Hm, yeah, I can see what you're saying. I'll try and get more of a read on him later on once we're all settled."

The group came to a stop when Doctor Lenoir reached a set of double doors, opening them both at the same time to reveal quite a spacious study. The whole room was incredibly ornate, with a glass chandelier hanging directly above with a set of couches and chairs surrounding a large coffee table in the center. The entire room was also almost entirely surrounded with bookshelves, containing old and new tomes alike. Add in a large fireplace with a large portrait of an old man in robes over it and… Blake was in heaven.

"Oh… oh my gosh." The cat girl's jaw went slack as she and the others entered behind Jaqc. "This… this isn't a dream, is it?" She pinched her own cheek just to make sure. "I'm awake, right? Please tell me I am."

Just then, a new voice came in from behind them. "Ah, I see you have taken a liking to my collection, mademoiselle." The team collectively turned and were met with the same woman they had seen a picture of the day before… but in real life, her beauty was all the more outstanding. Her long, brown hair had been done up in a ponytail, accentuating her soft features. Her cool, blue eyes managed to leave them stunned and her choice in outfit under her doctor's frock was incredibly jarring; a top with black leather skirt and heels, with long, black stockings to match. She kept her eyes on Blake as she continued. "You seem like the type who is interested in reading, no?"

"N-No—I mean, yes! I-I mean…" Her cheeks now completely red, Blake stopped herself before she could be embarrassed anymore and simply bowed her head to the woman. "C-Can I read in your study, please?"

The doctor brought a hand to her lips, giggling at how flustered the girl was. "Of course, my dear! Feel free to grab anything off the shelves and sit wherever you like."

"Merci!" And just like that, Blake had zipped into the room proper and started scouring the shelves for reading material, eager to get started.

Jaqc approached the woman with a smile. "Julliette! I was just about to come get you. I had no idea how long you would be on the phone, so I was going to ask them to wait here. I hope you don't mind…"

Juliette didn't seem bothered as she shook her head. "Oh, that is no problem at all, Jaqc. They are more than welcome to be in here…" She walked up to the Saturdays with open arms. "Especially my good friends! Drew, Solomon, it has been too long!"

"Jules, you're looking fantastic as always." Drew greeted first, the two grasping each other's hands before exchanging light kisses on each cheek.

"I can say the same for you, my dear!" Juliette brought a hand up to Drew's face. "You MUST tell me what product you use, because you look incroyable!"

"Oh, you're too nice." Drew complimented back. "If anything, I should be asking tips from you!"

The two women shared a laugh as Doc came up as well, offering a handshake. "Juliette, always good to see you."

Without wasting a second, Juliette took the offered hand, doing her best to reach Doc's height so she could kiss his cheeks as well. "Solomon, it is an absolute pleasure to have you all here. Especially when we are on the cusp of such an important discovery…" She trailed off, however, when she noticed Zak out the corner of her eye, and she gave a happy gasp. "Ah! Zak, is that you?"

"Uh, yeah, hiya, Doctor Garnier." Zak waved sheepishly, only for Juliette to come over and give him the same treatment as his parents; a light greeting kiss on each cheek.

"Oh, mon cherie, no need to be so formal." The doctor said with a wink. "You are practically a Secret Scientist yourself now, after all. Please, feel free to call me Juliette."

Zak was left a blushing mess immediately… and for some reason, he could feel a hole being bored into his back. He reluctantly peered over his shoulder… and was met with a certain silver-eyed glare from the doorway. Ruby did not seem too happy, and the rest of the team were all keen on taking a step away from her should something happen. Zak cleared his throat and tried to salvage the situation. "Ah-hah, y-yeah, sure thing. B-But, uh, why don't I introduce you to my friends? I-I've got a lot of 'em here, as you noticed…"

Clapping her hands, Juliette squealed like an excited schoolgirl, practically prancing over to meet the young heroes. "Ooooh, oh yes! I have been very eager to meet them! The famous Omni-Hunters!" She started with Ben, of course. "Ben Tennyson, I welcome you and your team to my humble abode! Please, feel free to make yourself comfortable!"

The hero shook the woman's hand, not at all taken aback by her enthusiasm. It only made sense to get this kind of reaction, after all. "Thank you very much, Dr. Garnier. I promise we won't be too much of a burden on your—" But then he was cut off when Juliette once again gave him two light kisses on each cheek. Now THAT took him aback. "U-Uh… uh…"

"Hey!" Yang scowled as she pointed to the doctor. "Lady, I don't know what you're doing but—uuuh…" But the Blonde Brawler found that the doctor was shaking her outstretched hand as well… and before she knew it, she was gifted double kisses as well.

"Bonjour, mademoiselle!" And from there, Juliette went down the line, kissing each of the heroes on their cheeks while greeting them with "bonjours" a plenty. And by the end, almost everyone was left a flustered, blushing mess.

…Ilia especially. "Oh… oh wow."

"Ahem, right there with ya, girl." Swift agreed.

Even Ruby wasn't exempt from this, and in the process, her weird sense of anger was also forgotten. "…Weiss, I think everyone in this house might be overly friendly." she whispered.

Weiss didn't seem too flustered by it, though. "Oh, please, I'm no stranger to greeting kisses. I saw it all the time back at the Schnee Manor." Once Juliette got to her, she smiled and reciprocated the gesture. "Bonjour, madame. It's a privilege to meet such an esteemed researcher."

"Why thank you, my dear!" Juliette bowed her head to the former heiress. "I am glad you think so…" Her smile became slightly saddened as she admitted; "When it comes to the study of alchemy, you see, it is hard to be taken seriously in such a field by your peers… especially those from your college days."

Yang became more sympathetic at that. "Oh… do you get made fun of a lot?"

"Most times, yes." Juliette answered, only for her to put on a determined expression. "But I am not giving up! The study of alchemy deserves to be validated, especially in the day and age of aliens being proven to be real!" She nodded over to Rook and Ben. "If they are, then alchemy MUST have some feet to stand on as well."

Voicing his approval, Jaqc raised a fist in solidarity. "Oui, docteur. And with any luck, this latest discovery will give us the legs we need!" He craned his head toward the Omni-Hunters. "Tell me, children, are you familiar with France's history regarding alchemy?"

Sun shook his head. "Not too much, no. In fact, we're pretty new on the subject at large."

"Ah, I see." Juliette said before moving closer to her fireplace, gesturing up to the portrait of the man above. "Then I can deduce that you are not familiar with this man. He is—"

"Nicolas Flamel." Much to everyone's surprise, it was Rook who spoke up. The Revonnahgander moved into the room, staring up at the portrait with a hand on his chin in intrigue. "A famous 14th century writer who was rumored to be an alchemist following his death, correct?"

Juliette brightened up at the alien's knowledge. "Oh, my word! It would seem you know a bit on Flamel, Monsieur Rook." She looked to the painting of Nicolas once again. "But yes, that is exactly who he is. Well, to be more accurate, he was a scribe and sold manuscripts for a living… but the stories of him being an alchemist were FAR more than mere rumors." The doctor turned back to the teens with confident eyes. "Monsieur Flamel was, in fact, an alchemist, and a very successful one at that."

The news left quite a few of the team stunned, with Charmcaster in particular feeling her lips part with a gasp. "Are… a-are you serious? Then… does that mean that he DID manage to create a philosopher's stone, like the rumors all said?"

"Uh… a "philosopher's stone"?" Rex scratched his head. "Why does that sound so familiar?"

Ben rolled his eyes and waved the question off. "Because some lady wrote a book about a little wizard kid trying to find one and it became a hit. But that's not really relevant to this conversation anyway, so let's move on." The hero concentrated onto Dr. Garnier with a serious stare. "The philosopher's stone… it's said to have the power to grant those that wield it immortality, right?"

Giving a nod, Juliette confirmed; "Indeed, that is correct."

"And you're saying that Flamel actually managed to create one?"

"That is… still up for debate, I am afraid." Juliette conceded. "Unfortunately, the details on Flamel's alchemical studies were all lost to time." Her resolve showed again as she raised a fist. "But I am intent on finding out if he managed to do so, you can count on that. And with this discovery, I feel as if we are on the precipice of finding the evidence that we need!"

Hope raised a brow at that. "How are you so certain that he WAS an alchemist, though?"

The inquiry made Juliette crack a smile. "Because… he is my ancestor." Her response left all the Omni-Hunters silent, all while the woman craned her head back up to the painting. "…When I was little, my grandfather would tell me all about Flamel's work. You see, he too was studying Flamel's alchemic practices, and he had found evidence of them being true. Notes mixed in with old manuscripts detailed all of Flamel's findings, and since then, it was his dream to confirm alchemy's existence to the world." With a sad sigh, Juliette lowered her head. "My grandfather passed away before he could accomplish that dream… so now, I have taken up the task."

Overhearing what Julliet said, Blake's eyes bright with admiration, the cat girl leaping away from the bookshelf and over toward the doctor. "Dr. Garnier, your mission sounds as amazing as your book collection! Please, let us help you!" she insisted.

"Yes, please!" Ruby joined in as well, with Yang and Weiss joining soon after.

"We'd all LOVE to help out!" Ilia added, all while Swift giggled at her friend's enthusiasm.

"S-Sacre bleu!" Juliette exclaimed, not expecting to see so much support. "I…I-I do not know what to say, ladies! But I appreciate your support." She put up both fists with a determined smile gracing her features. "Tomorrow, then. We will all make for the cavern beneath Paris' Catacombs and we WILL find proof of Nicolas Flamel's findings! And, while we're at it, perhaps a clue to the Ishtar Tablet piece's whereabouts as well."

Jaqc gave a laugh and pointed straight up into the air. "Hon-hon, yes! Allonsy! With all of the permits from the city sorted, we should have absolutely no problems getting down in there."

Ben clapped his hands together emphatically, bringing everyone's attention to him. "Then it's decided then. We'll enjoy what the city has to offer tonight, get some rest, and then set out on our expedition tomorrow. Team?" Putting his hand in, Team RWBY, Ilia, Sun and Rex followed suit. The group waited expectantly, but when no more hands came in, he nudged his chin toward Swift, Rook, Hope and the Secret Scientists. "Come on, you guys, too. You're all a part of this." They all smiled happily as they placed their hands in as well. "Alright, we all know the words. On the count of three. One… two… THREE!"

Raising their hands collectively, the group shouted; "It's Hero Time!"

…..

A/N: And there you have it! The gang have arrived in Paris and the mission statement is clear; head down into the catacombs and see what's inside that massive cavern. But until then, time to get a better taste of what Paris has to offer.

Of course, though, it's been quite a bumpy departure, what with all of the unexpected twists to their travel plan. Not only has Charmcaster joined them, but Rook and Swift as well! Plenty of tag-alongs on this trip, that's for sure. Thankfully, Ben was relatively okay with Hope coming along, it seems, though she DOES still have a way to go with the rest of the team, who still seem a bit unsure about her presence. And of course, makes sense that Ilia would want Swift to come along. That said… hm, Rook as an Omni-Hunter. Sounds like a good fit!

Thankfully, though, the Saturdays don't seem to have much of a problem with her… especially given the fact that SHE was able to sense something about their son that other mystics and such couldn't. Hm, so it would seem that what caused Zak's Kur powers to return in the first place was the remnants of the Anti-Kur powers merging into them and then returning to his body, having congealed into one complete power in doing so. But still, the question remains… what could be this negative energy that's building up inside of Zak be all about? Hm…

But oh boy, wonder if any of you could've guessed THIS was coming! The return of the Fang! What was once Zak Monday's weapon is now Ruby's own conduit, which she can hopefully use to help focus her Silver Eyes through. You can expect THAT training to start fairly soon. But in the meantime, sheesh, that woodpecker sure is committed to following Sun around. Of course, WE know why… but will Sun ever find out the truth?

For now, though, we look forward to NEXT TIME, as the gang have a bit of fun out in the City of Paris for the night before they head down into the catacombs the next day. But will what they find down there be something amazing… or horrifying? Thanks for reading, everybody, and I'll catch you all next time! Don't forget to check out the "Ben 10 RWBY Volumes" TV Trope page and, as always, stay safe out there!