Ben 10 RWBY Volume 2: Ultimate Omniverse

by The Omni-Remnant

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

83. Building Up the Future, Part 2

A/N (IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ): Hey there, everybody! Well, here we are at the second part of Season 3's finale. First of all, though, I'd like to clarify something that was erroneously said in the last chapter's Author's Note; we will be returning to this story in FEBRUARY, just to make everything clear. I still plan on doing Transformers MHA Month in January like initially planned, nothing has changed. It's just that I somehow typed out the wrong month last time and for that, I apologize.

Secondly, though, I'd also like to list off a couple more new voice actors that I would cast for certain characters. This time, it concerns Edwin… and most prominently for this chapter, Cooper. Because let's be real here; Chris Pratt probably ain't EVER coming back to voice Cooper in any future Ben 10 project, and now that Edwin's grown up, he deserves a grown-up voice. So, let's list 'em off;

Cooper Daniels – Voiced by Kellen Goff

Edwin Grand-Smith – Voiced by Xandar Mobus

…Yes, I've been somewhat interested in the 5YL Motion Comic project currently happening, but let's be fair here; these guys have a LOT of roles outside of that. You may recognize Kellen most from his role as Glamrock Freddy from FNAF Security Breach, but he's also Overhaul from MHA and has had roles in several different anime. And of course, you all know Xander from being the voice of the protagonist Persona 5. Overall, I think they'd make neat casting choices for these two.

But with all the fluff out of the way, let's cap off Season 3, shall we? This is…

Chapter 82: Building Up the Future, Part 2

…..

Inside of the Evernight Castle, Salem sat at her table in quiet contemplation, staring back at her personal Seer Grimm all the while. Something… was happening. What it was, she couldn't quite guess, but whatever it was, there was a lot of power behind it. She could sense that it was… at least somewhat magical in nature, and given the fact that she also sensed the Anodite entering their world, that didn't surprise her. But at the same time, where was something else to it. Dust was definitely used in the process of creating this immense energy burst, that she could tell… but even then, that wasn't all, and it was irritating her that she couldn't figure out what it was.

That was why she compelled a small horde of Grimm to move in toward Vale, the epicenter of this burst. It wasn't enough to overrun the city unlike the previous two times she had invaded it, but at the very least, she could gauge whatever this was by throwing something expendable at it. 'I WILL find out what's happening.' she promised herself. 'I swear it.'

"Ah… a-ahem." A gasp escaped Salem's throat and she whipped her head up, only to relax when she saw Viktor standing by the door. "Ah, my apologies! …May I enter?"

"Oh, Viktor, dear." Salem breathed out, ushering for the Transylian to come closer. "Yes, yes, please do. I'm sorry for not seeing you at first, I have been… preoccupied."

"I can see that." His heavy footsteps making the room quake slightly, Viktor made his way over to Salem. Once he was directly next to her chair, he knelt down, placing one of his large arms around her. "You seem tense. Is something the matter?"

His touch made her feel somewhat better, a slight smile tugging on her lips as she snaked her smaller arms around his. "Possibly. I have sensed something strange originating in Vale… along with Gwen Tennyson's presence. I've sent a horde of Grimm out to investigate."

Viktor's sights went directly into the Seer, allowing him to witness the horde growing ever closer to the city. "It is rather… small."

"Yes. After the previous two attempts, I'm not keen on trying for another massive takeover of the city anytime soon." Salem resigned. "The crown will have to wait… this is simply a small battalion in order to feel out what exactly is going on."

A low murmur escaped Viktor's throat, leaning his head slightly closer down to hers. "It's rare to see you this concerned… darling."

The word only made Salem's smile increase. She and her consort had come to terms with their feelings for one another some time ago, but still, it was delightful to her seeing Viktor be flustered whenever showing her affection. Still, they were talking business, so she couldn't get too distracted. "This energy, dear Viktor… it is unlike anything that I've sensed before. Magic, Dust and… something else… all intermingling together to create something very potent."

"Hm, so your concern is not misplaced." Viktor affirmed. "Do you believe this could be some plot being harbored by the heroes?"

"It could very well be…" Salem narrowed her eyes at the Seer. "In which case, we must hinder it before it even begins."

…..

~Bellwood, 12:50 PM~

Raven was… very conflicted at the moment. Of course, when she expected her daughters to take her out shopping, she had a feeling that Yang would try to get her into something a bit more… showy. She had been prepared for the worst—which thankfully hadn't happened yet—but all the same, what she saw in the mirror was making her feel iffy. "Yang, sweetheart?"

"Yeah, mom?" Yang called out from outside the changing stall. "How's it goin' in there?"

The Spring Maiden cocked her hips to the side, turning slightly to see if a different angle could help change her mind. "I'm just… having a hard time liking this, is all." Of all things, Yang had set her up with a pair of plain blue jeans. Of course, she HAD worn jeans before, but not for YEARS. She always found it more comfortable to fight in a combat skirt, so skirts were pretty much all she wore for the longest time. And she had never really found a need to wear pants afterwards, so there was that.

A hum was heard outside before Yang knocked on the door. "Mind if I come in and see?"

Raising a brow, Raven hesitantly allowed it. "Sure, so long as it's only you."

"Ruby's helping out Vernal, so I'm comin' in!" The door gently swung open and Yang peeked her head in… and her eyes immediately widened as a mirthful grin took hold of her face. "Oh-ho-ho! Mom, is THIS what you've been keeping hidden?"

"YANG!" Raven exclaimed. "You'd say that to your own mother?"

"Well, I'm sorry, but… gotta say," the Blonde Brawler moved around so that her own hips were prominently displayed in the mirror as well. "I'm glad that I inherited ALL your assets, mom."

A sigh passed Raven's lips and she shook her head, placing a hand against her forehead. "The Branwen family genes ARE fairly potent, I've been told." She spared an amused smile and quipped; "I wouldn't be surprised if any children you and Ben have all just look like you."

It was Yang's turn to blush that time, though she was less flustered and more shy about the comment. "A-Ahem, we're a LONG way off from that, just an FYI."

"Oh, I'm more than aware." Raven assured. "If he gets you pregnant before you get married, Imma kill 'im."

A grimace graced the blonde's features and she quickly changed the subject. "OKAY, moving on…" Yang gestured down to her mother's pants, which accentuated her hips, legs and rear quite noticeably. "All I'm saying here is that you REALLY gotta expand your horizons when it comes to clothes. Do you have ANY idea how riled up dad's gonna get if he sees you in those?"

Raven rolled her eyes raised a hand. "Oh, I'm MORE than aware. Your father would be on his knees barking like an incensed dog if he saw me in these." She winced and gazed at herself in the mirror once again. "It's just… I don't know if I'm…"

"Confident enough to wear them?"

Once again, Raven sighed and inspected her features closely, picking out every stray wrinkle. "Yang… I'm going on 42 years old. I appreciate you wanting me to feel young, it's just… I don't know if I can make this work."

"…Mom." Stepping behind the woman, Yang placed her hands comfortingly on her mother's shoulders, smiling at her reassuringly in the mirror. "Trying to make you feel young is great and all, but that's not why I brought you shopping. I brought you because I want to make you feel comfortable in something other than what you wear every. Single. Day."

The words managed to make Raven's neck stiffen, realizing only now just how accurate her daughter was. "I… w-well, like I said, I—"

"I KNOW what you said, mom, but it's literally the same thing." Yang asserted, her expression becoming more serious. "Either you have a copy of the same freaking combat dress or you wash the same one every night. Don't ya think that's kinda counterintuitive?"

"…And here I thought I used the big words in this family."

"Well, I'm frustrated enough to where I'm GONNA use 'em myself." But, for as frustrated as she was, Yang still wrapped her arms around her mom, hugging her from the back. "Point is, I'm gonna help you feel comfortable, casual, and most importantly; attractive for dad when you next see him. Okay?"

Once her daughter's speech sank in, Raven managed to put on a smile of her own and she reached down, taking the girl's hand in hers. "Hmhm, Yang…" She turned around in Yang's grasp and reciprocated the embrace, resting her head atop hers. "Thanks for that. I suppose I needed the wake-up call there. You're right, I think I do need a… wider wardrobe." But she also raised a finger at her daughter. "HOWEVER… I still have some ground rules."

"Name 'em!"

The Spring Maiden counted off on her fingers; "No short-shorts, no tank tops, no tube tops, no flipflops. Nothing that makes me seem like I'm going to the beach or exposes me too much." Raven narrowed her eyes. "After all, I don't want men to get the wrong idea and think that I'm… on the market."

Yang gave two thumbs up. "Gotcha! We'll dress ya just like any other mom, then!" She pointed down to the pants. "And hey, you've already got the mom jeans!"

"…Is that what they call them?"

"Yeah! Lots of moms wear jeans." Yank winked. "Why'd ya think I had ya try 'em on? And I didn't lie before when I said they helped accentuate certain areas, did I?"

Raven pursed her lips at that, finding no fault in her daughter's words. "Well, I suppose that's true. Just… please try to keep to the limits I set you with the rest of the ensemble."

"Sure thing! Come on, I'll have YOU choose what you wanna try on next."

From there, the mother and daughter duo went back out into the store for more browsing. And as hesitant as Raven was at first, she steadily found herself growing more and more used to shopping around… especially once she found some things that she actually REALLY liked. "Oh… this is nice." Off the rack, she pulled a two-toned shirt that was cleverly designed. It mainly resembled a black short-sleeved shirt, but it had longer, red sleeves sewn into the shorter sleeves so that they went all the way down to the wrist. Combine that with the piece of red fabric sewn into the V-neck collar and it gave off the illusion of wearing a long-sleeved shirt under a short-sleeved one. "I think I might try this on…"

Yang gave a nod of approval. "Go for it. I think it'd look pretty good on ya…" Just then, however, from over the racks of clothes, she spotted a head of familiar black and red hair. Raising her arm with a smile, she called out; "Hey, Ruby!"

Perking her head up, Ruby spotted the two and gasped, waving back as she dashed over. "Yang! Raven! How's the shopping go—ooooh." The girl trailed off when she saw her step-mother in the jeans, her eyebrow snapping up in shock. She locked eyes with Raven before once again grinning to her. "Wow! Raven, looking good!"

"O-Oh, you think so, Ruby?" Raven glanced down to her jeans once more. "I'll admit, it's… new, but Yang seems sure that they're good on me."

"Totally!" Ruby assured, bouncing in place. "But Raven, remember; it's not about making you look good in the clothes, it's about making the clothes look good on YOU. …At least I THINK that's how the saying goes."

Despite the confusion, Raven couldn't help but smile fondly to her step-daughter, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hah, I appreciate the kind words, Ruby. …Though that said, where's Vernal? I thought she was with you?"

Ruby instantly jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "Oh, she's over in the dressing room. I chose a REALLY cute outfit for her that I think she's gonna LOVE!"

"…Cute?" Raven said as she and Yang exchanged a weary glimpse. "I don't know if Vernal exactly does "cute"."

"Oh, not "cute" as in "pink, glitter, frilly" stuff." Ruby assured. "Just a casual outfit for her to wear that's not all rough an' tumble like her usual gear, ya know?" Just then, the sound of a creaking door graced the trio's ears, bringing their sights over to the changing rooms. "Ooh! Here she comes now! Vernal, do you like… uh…"

The family were left slightly perturbed by the expression on the adopted sister's face. It was a grimace which, while not mad, was more muddled and uncertain. And it was here that Yang and Raven finally got to see what Ruby had picked out for Vernal; A white, long-sleeved cotton shirt that had dedicated thumb holes, navy blue leggings that hugged around her hips, and finally, a pair of matching navy and white high-top sneakers that were FAR removed from anything they had seen her in before. Overall, the ensemble seemed very… cozy.

Yang decided to ask the question on all of their minds. "Uh… Vern? You okay?"

"I… don't… know." the former bandit got out.

Raven tilted her head. "How do you feel, dear?"

"…Comfy." Vernal uttered, gazing down to her hands as she slipped her thumbs in and out of the holes. "I… have NO idea how to feel about it. I haven't felt like this in… YEARS, honestly."

Both Ruby and Yang eyed the Branwen in shock. "…What WERE the living conditions in your tribe like?"

The inquiry made Raven sigh regrettably, stepping up to the young woman who she had taken in long ago. "Very harsh, girls. Harsher than what you're probably thinking." Vernal didn't have time to react before, much to her astonishment, Raven pulled her into a gentle embrace. "Vernal, my dear, I know what you're feeling now is strange, but it's okay. I'm aware that you don't see us as a full family yet, and that's okay. But know that you have every right to feel comfortable now. I'm sorry for taking that feeling away from you for such a long time."

"Uh… it's okay." Vernal assured in a perplexed tone. "I'm not, like, torn up about it or anything."

Raven's eyes shot open hearing that. "Oh… y-you aren't?"

Vernal shook her head. "Nah, not really." She inspected her sleeves again before her sights traveled down to her lower half, moving around in her leggings a bit more to get used to them. "It's just… a lot to get used to, you know?" All the same, though, she sent a sympathetic smile up to the woman who took her in. "But… thanks for the nice words." She shifted her eyes between all three of them before going on; "You're right… I honestly don't totally see us as a "family", but… I'd be lying if I said I'm completely against the idea."

"AH!" Ruby gasped joyously. "Does that mean you like the outfit?!"

"…Not sure how that correlates to being a family, but yeah, Ruby. I kinda like it."

"YAY!" Ruby zipped over and hugged Vernal next, making the older girl flinch. "I'm so glad you do!"

Despite the unexpected embrace, Vernal managed to return it this time, her smile coming back as she eyed Yang and Raven. "Well, guess I'm just gonna have to get used to this, now aren't I?"

Yang strolled over and put an arm around her adoptive sister's shoulders. "Ah, you'll get used to it… big sis."

"O-Okay, how 'bout we get back on track here before things get too mushy?" Vernal gently urged Ruby to separate from her, all while feeling a sort of tugging feeling inside her chest. She was never one to get emotional, but this… this was dangerously close to becoming a moment like that. After that, though, the four of them went back to finish up their shopping, and by the end, they were walking out of the store with their bags quite full. "Hah, well, now that that's done…" Vernal cocked her head toward Yang, "what're we doing after this?"

"Well, I—" *blip-blip* *blip-blip* "Oh, hold on, one sec…" Yang reached into her pocket and pulled out her scroll, going straight to her texts. "Ah, it's from Ben. He's asking how our outing's going…" She typed up a positive response and sent it… only to get a somewhat strange reply;

"That's awesome! Hope you're having fun! Hey, check this out…"

Ben sent an image after that, which was actually a picture OF the picture of Ben, Gwen, Max, Donovan and Edwin from eight years ago. It was complete with a caption that Yang read aloud; "Before…" Then, another image was sent… and this one took the four of them by surprise. Now, it was Ben, Max, Donovan… and who they could only assume to be an older Edwin! The four of them were standing together and smiling into the camera, much like the last photo, but it was quite clear that it was an homage to the original. "…After."

Ruby couldn't help but smile at the sight. "Aw, that's so cool! Ben got to reunite with a buddy he hasn't seen in ages!"

Peering over her shoulder, Raven spoke up. "Ah, I see. That must be Mr. Grand-Smith's grandson, then?"

"Uh-huh, pretty sure his name's Edwin." Yang confirmed before giving Ben a reply; "Now THAT'S pretty awesome, too! Can't wait to meet your friend. See ya later!" She capped it off with a heart emoji… leading Ben to send a reply that was just ALL heart emojis. "Agh, he's so sweet!"

"Yeah, sure, keep rubbing it in our faces, why don't ya?" Vernal said sarcastically with an eyeroll, shaking her head with a smirk. "Okay, so what's next for us?"

"Well, I know it's a bit of an odd choice, but…" Raven pointed just down the way. "I saw an arcade while we were on our way in. Perhaps some… healthy competition would help us bond a bit more." Vernal gave her an incredulous stare, but Raven had already set her attention onto Ruby. "Ruby, dear, perhaps you and I could test each other's aim? They're bound to have some type of shooting game over there, after all."

The proposition made Ruby excited. "Ooh! I get ya! Bonding WHILE training hand-eye coordination! I like the idea!"

Yang gave another thumbs up. "Heck yeah, let's do it!" She set a hand to Vernal's shoulder, giving it a light shake. "C'mon, Vern, how 'bout we go a few rounds at the air hockey table? Best three outta five wins?"

After getting over her initial shock, the proposition managed to get something going inside Vernal again, this time leading her to gaze competitively into Yang's eyes. "Hah, okay, you're on… little sis."

…..

Back at Billion's Tower, inside of the structure's lobby, Ben closed his phone and slipped it back in his pocket… all while purposely ignoring the eager stare of his old friend from over his shoulder. "Well? What's the consensus?" Edwin asked, making Ben smile in amusement as he brushed a hand through his already swept-back hair. "Any good word from the single ladies? Were they captivated by my presence?"

"Dunno." Ben shrugged. "Yang just said it was awesome that it was awesome that we were seeing each other again and that they'd see us later."

"Ah! Dude, come on!" Edwin nudged Ben with his elbow. "Can't put in a good word for an old friend?"

"…While on the phone with MY girlfriend?"

"…Okay, I see your point." Letting out a short laugh, Edwin gave Ben a hearty pat on the shoulder. "Hah, besides, I was just messin' with ya anyway. So, how the hell have you been, Ben? It's been what, eight years?"

Ben bobbed his head from side to side. "Eh, give or take. I hit eighteen at the end of the summer, so yeah."

That information, though, left Edwin somewhat confused. "Huh? I thought you said you and your cousins' birthday was in December when we saw each other last."

"Oh, no, no, that's my other cousin, Kenny." Ben clarified. "HIS birthday is in December. Gwen and I share a birthday that's pretty much right when summer gets out at the beginning of September." He gave a chuckle and set his sights over to his grandfather. "Heh, grandpa, remember how we were arguing about it that night when we came across that camp with the sentient plant monster?"

Max gave a nod. "Hah, yeah. I remember THAT fight vividly. Pretty sure I told you kids that you wouldn't make it to eleven if you kept that up."

Next to the old Plumber, Donovan let out a loud guffaw. "HA! Now that's one way to get 'em to stop squabbling." He walked over to Edwin and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Thankfully, though, Eddie's never had that problem with his little sister, have ya, sport?"

"Eh…" Edwin rubbed his neck. "…Not THAT specific problem, but we HAVE butted heads a few times, grandpa. Remember that incident with the catapult and—"

"OH, right, the one we rented for your—ah, yeah, that one was bad."

The Omni-Hunters and Max were all left to silently stare at the Grand-Smiths in confusion, all except for Nora who was utterly fascinated. "I'm sorry, but you guys mentioned WHAT about a catapult?" she asked while pumping her arms at her sides. "Can we hear?"

Both men winced uncomfortably. "Uh, probably not the time or place." Edwin insisted. "Maybe one day." He put a smile back on while setting his hands on his hips, gazing out toward the team. "But for now, I wanna get to know you guys! No doubt Ben's already told you about me, so I wanna hear EVERYTHING about you."

Jaune was the one to oblige, though he gave a certain caveat. "Well, I dunno about everything, but I think we can at least give you an introduction…" And thus, everyone introduced themselves one by one, from Team JNPR all the way down to Team SN. Some shook hands with Edwin while others simply chose to wave or give greeting fist bumps… or in Nora's case, give a high-five so hard that Edwin's hand was practically glowing red.

"AGH—AH-HAHA!" The rich boy choked back his own cry of pain, covering it up with a laugh. "Hah… q-quite the strong high-five you have there, Nora."

"Thanks!" the Pink Dynamo saluted, her hand completely fine. "I don't hold back!"

"I can see that…" Introductions continued from there, but by the end, Edwin was left with only one person left. He approached the brunette, seeing that her ponytail was uniquely curled at the end. Her grey eyes were very focused and she seemed very sharp, almost as if she was focusing intensely. …Though since she was staring off into space, he couldn't tell what that was. "…Is there something wrong, miss?"

Hearing him, Ilia's focus was broken through and her eyes snapped up, her freckles briefly becoming pink in embarrassment. "O-Oh! I'm sorry, I was lost in my own thoughts." Collecting her bearings, she gave him a half-hearted smile and bowed her head. "I'm Ilia Amitola. Nice to meet you, and sorry again. I was just… well… trying to make some mental plans for later."

Edwin nodded in understanding. "Oh, it's okay! I actually do a lot of mental planning, too." He lowered his head back to her. "But it's nice to meet you, too, Ilia." Just then, he put his voice into a low whisper. "…Lemme take a guess, though; you've got a date later and you're trying to figure out where you should go, right?"

Ilia's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates at the accurate guess. "H-How did you—"

"I recognize that kind of intense focus, believe me." the young man said knowingly with a reassuring nod. "I've been through it TONS of times. Good luck, though. I think you'll get through it."

"Oh… um, thank you." As he walked away, Ilia was left quite surprised at Edwin's decorum, even though he had guessed her personal matters correctly. 'He didn't even pry further than the initial guess. Just said he could relate and wished me luck.' she mused to herself. 'Compared to Billy, it's like night and day.' Ilia glanced over to Weiss with a small grin. 'That's two for two on the "had no idea rich kids could be this nice" chart.'

It was at that point that Weiss herself piped up. "So, Edwin, your grandfather told us that you were going into the architecture business."

"Ah, yeah, how's that going?" Ben asked further. "From what Donovan told us, it sounds like you're already in college."

Edwin folded his arms with a bashful expression. "Heh, yeah… I actually ended up getting into college pretty early. I don't like to brag, but I was pretty passionate about my studies." But then, his confidence surged to the forefront as he thrust his arms up into the air as he described his vision of the future. "But my big dream with starting this architecture company—the thing that I want to do most—is to make an ENTIRE city. One that emphasizes the FUTURE of human-alien relations where both intermingle, not separated by a layer of asphalt."

Pyrrha's eyebrows rose when he mentioned that. "Oh! So you know about Undertown, then?"

"I mean, yeah." Edwin tilted his head in confusion. "Doesn't everyone who's associated with the Plumbers?"

Ben pursed his lips, giving his grandfather a narrowed side-eye. "Not everyone, it seems. At least, not immediately." But he shook his head, getting back on track. "In any case, that sounds like an awesome goal, Edwin. But I'm guessing you're starting smaller than that, right?" The hero raised his hands toward the spacious lobby surrounding them. "After all, your family bought THIS gaudy building, so I'm guessing you've got plans to do something with it."

The rich young man's answer was cut off when Nora suddenly leapt into the conversation again. "Ooh! OOH! Are you gonna demolish it? PLEASE tell me you're gonna demolish it!" She clenched her hands into fists with a rather wicked grin. "I wanna see the look on that Billy brat's face when he sees his garish golden tower come CRASHING to the ground—OOF!"

Much to Edwin's shock, the redhead was promptly pulled away by the collar by, of course, Ren. "Please excuse Nora." the green ninja apologized. "She can get hyped up whenever an idea enters her head."

"Ren! You can't keep doing this to me!"

"And yet, you let it happen every time." Ren pointed out. "Even though, physically, you're stronger than I am."

Nora simply pouted and crossed her arms in a huff. "Well… maybe I like being held back."

Both Sun and Neptune quietly chuckled at that. "Heh, yeah, if it's HIM specifically. Hehehe…" However, Nora somehow heard the monkey boy's comment, leading her to give them both a dangerous glare. "G-Gah! Er, I mean, so Eddie, you were saying about the building?"

Once he took a moment to clear his throat, Edwin continued. "Ahem, yes, I was going to say… this place IS really brash and loud, but it won't be for much longer. I plan on completely redesigning the outer walls all together and repainting the entire interior." He waved his hands dismissively toward the outside, where the Billions emblem in the middle of the fountain still stood. "All of the Billions iconography will be done away with, too. Because this place… is going to be reserved for some very special people."

"Is that so?" Blake tilted her head. "And who're they?"

A smile worked its way back to Edwin's face… as he thrust his hands out to the Omni-Hunters. "You guys!"

"…Huh?" the cat girl uttered, with all of the other members of his team similarly perplexed and astonished.

"Haha, surprise, kids!" Donovan announced, clapping his hands together before gesturing to the floor. "You're all standing in what will become your future base of operations! Omni-Hunter Headquarters."

A long, silent pause followed, with everyone's mouths slowly falling open as the revelation settled in. "…Again, I ask; HUH?!" Blake exclaimed.

Ben was left just as shellshocked as the others… all while noting the smirk on his grandfather's features. "This… i-is this actually happening? Grandpa, did you KNOW about this?"

"Well… I might've." Max admitted. "Of course, I only just got informed about it a day ago when Donovan called me."

"It's like I said, we wanted to talk business." Donovan insisted, placing a hand on Edwin's shoulder. "And I think Eddie here is making a VERY wise business decision in investing in your future. Tell 'em, sport."

Edwin once more bowed his head to the group with a hopeful smile. "The truth is… I want to become your personal benefactor." He directed his sights over to the Remnant Natives first and foremost. "I know that you guys have only been here for a short while, but you've already helped keep the peace not just in Bellwood, but in other places around the world, too." His focus then shifted back to the Omnitrix bearer. "And Ben, your resume needs no reexamination. Everything you guys have done to protect Earth from evil… it's all deserving of significant repayment."

Ben immediately pumped the breaks on that one. "Woah, woah, hold on now, Eddie. I'm not owed anything here. Being a hero is its own reward. The fame and recognition is all secondary, and you certainly don't have to—mmph!"

All of a sudden, Neptune and Sun came in and placed their hands firmly over Ben's mouth, the blue-haired boy in particular giving him a stern look. "Hold on there, Ben… let the man cook." He and the monkey boy craned their heads back around, giving Edwin a pair of ear-to-ear grins. "You were saying, Ed Boy?"

"…Okay, one; please don't call me that." Edwin deadpanned. "I get enough of that from my contemporaries." However, his smirk returned as he explained further. "As for the building, like I said, I want you guys to have an ACTUAL base of operations. I've heard about how you guys are currently operating out of the Tennyson family homes, along with Kevin's mom's house and I figured… that's gotta be a bit crowded, right?And at least somewhat restricting?"

As he went on, several of the teens internally agreed with him… in particular, the couples who were all eyeing one another. Even Ben had to admit, the house rules his mother had placed were a little deflating, both to him and Yang. "Well… I guess." the hero admitted.

"Our wolves will have very little space when they grow up." Pyrrha added, her and Blake sharing a nod. "We won't be able to keep them in those houses when they become full size."

Nora's lips curled into a dissatisfied frown. "Yeah, and we can't practice ANYWHERE but at Plumber Base. It'd be nice if we could vary up the options, even IF the Hazard Chamber is super versatile."

Edwin pointed two fingers to the group. "See? Plenty of reasons to want an expanded living space! And lemme tell ya, this place has got TONS of room."

"Five-hundred thousand, two hundred and twenty-six cubic inches of it, to be accurate." Penny finally spoke up, giving Edwin a bit of a spook. "Oh! My apologies! I was doing the calculations in my head while you all were speaking." she explained.

"Uh… no problem." Once he was settled again, Edwin continued; "My point is, I want you guys to feel as comfortable as possible, especially after all the missions you go on." He craned his head up toward the ceiling. "And, with a new outer design, a fresh coat of paint, and a rebranding, I think Omni-Hunter HQ can be a shining beacon that Bellwood would be proud of."

The more he heard the idea, Ben had to concede that it was growing on him more and more. "Okay, so… lemme get this straight; you're offering us ALL of this…" he gestured toward the building around them before pointing right at Edwin. "And all you ask in return is to be our benefactor?"

"Yep! And you guys won't have to pay a SINGLE cent to live here." Edwin assured, causing everyone's jaws to drop.

"It's true! Everything's already taken care of." Donovan guaranteed as he counted off on his fingers; "No need to pay for rent, taxes, insurance, heating, internet or phone, commodities, we take care of ALL of that. The only thing that's left to you are basically groceries and personal items. That's it."

The shock of that statement made Ben want to argue. "Y-You do NOT have to—"

"Ben, we're rich." Donovan asserted. "Richer than God, as they like to say. And we're not assholes. We've got everything covered." The old man gave the hero a wink. "Just make sure to keep saving the world and we'll take care of ALL of it."

"We… we would never have to worry about not having a roof over our heads." Sun deduced.

"At least not one where we have to share an ENTIRE base with a bunch of Plumbers." Rex said before walking over to Ben and grabbing him by the lapels, staring at him intensely. "Dude, I don't think I've gotta argue hard with you here. Do. It."

Weiss slid in next to the hero, contributing her own two cents. "It's the opportunity of a lifetime, you know. Would be one heck of a deal to miss out on…" she encouraged.

By that point, every single Omni-Hunter there was gazing at him intently, all of them making their thoughts on the matter quite clear even without words. No monetary worries, no risk of inconveniencing their parents any longer… and of course, the chance for couples to share beds. At that point, the choice was clear. "…Hah, okay. No argument here." He extended his hand out to Edwin for the second time that day. "You got yourself a deal, Eddie."

All at once, an explosion of cheers echoed throughout the room as the two shook hands, the rich young man laughing with delight. "Haha! Excellent! I was hoping you'd say yes. …BUT!" That one word was enough to silence the crowd, bringing their attention straight to him. "The renovations ARE going to take some time. Probably a good couple of months, maybe a month and a half if we keep a good pace." This quickly deflated the team considerably, though he made sure to clap his hands together, keeping them concentrated. "That said, I won't be leaving you guys out of the transition process. If any of you have ANY suggestions for how we can renovate this whole building, please, feel free to contribute! To paraphrase a wise man; we're going to take your ideas and PLUS 'em all to make this the best possible base you could ask for."

"Hah, wow! That actually sounds really cool, man." Jaune approved. "Think we could get some sorta big training arena in the basement?"

"Consider it done!"

Ilia put a hand on her chin, pondering what could be added. "Hm… I don't know if this'd be possible, but maybe we could find some room to land our Plumber jet nearby?"

Edwin snapped his fingers and pointed straight toward the back of the building. "As a matter of fact, there's a hidden landing pad right under the river not far off form the tower. I'll check if it's big enough for your guys' jet."

Nora waved her hand eagerly. "Ooh! OOH! An all-you-can-eat pancake maker in the kitchen!" The team all stared at her with disappointed eyes, leaving her perplexed. "…What?"

"Oy, Nora, you already HAVE one of those." Jaune reminded… before pointing over to his best friend. "His name's Ren, remember?"

"Hey!" the green ninja shouted indignantly.

Pink Dynamo gasped, giving Jaune an irate look. "Jaune, seriously?!" She stamped her way over and wrapped her arms around Ren's, making the young man go stiff. "Ren is WAY more than that, and you know it!" She stuck her chin out to the blonde knight, puffing air out her nostrils. "Hmph, besides, this pancake maker would be for when I'm just a little hungry. I know who to go to when I want a legendary meal."

As the others watched the conflict happen, toward the back, Donovan leaned over to Max and asked; "What in the world is going on here, Maxwell?"

"Honestly, I find myself asking that ALL the time." the old Plumber admitted, though he couldn't help but smile at the green and pink-clad pair. "Let's just say that those two have a… unique way of showing affection." All the same, he clapped his hands to bring everyone back on track. "Okay, kids, let's settled down here. Before we get TOO crazy with the requests, how about we let Eddie here give us a tour of the place first? Just to see what's what around here, ya know?"

Edwin snapped his fingers and pointed to Max. "Great idea, Mr. Tennyson! C'mon everybody, let's take a ride up." Going over to the pair of elevators, he pressed the buttons pointing up and both sets of doors opened, revealing that the lifts were backed by a clear window. "I'll give Billions one thing; he knows how to make a good view. C'mon, let's go!"

The team were wholeheartedly quick to agree, filing into both elevators. As they closed, though, Ben couldn't help but muse to himself; 'Man, and here I thought we'd have to be stuck at my parent's place for the duration of our stay here. Yang and Ruby are gonna be SO psyched when they hear about this.' Just then, he was quickly reminded of his cousin and his best friend. 'Oh, I'll bet THEY'LL be pretty stoked about this, too. Wonder if Cooper and Team CFVY could even get some rooms here, too? At least for when they're not helping out in Remnant. …I wonder how they're all doing over there anyway?'

…..

~Beacon Academy, 7:00 P.M.~

Nobody could believe what had just happened. Despite what he had said about this being the least likely outcome, Cooper just gone up in a massive blast of energy, one that saw a massive crater formed in his own laboratory. The group couldn't help but stare at the smoking depression, all left absolutely stunned after nearly getting blown away themselves. But more importantly… there was no sign of their genius friend anywhere. On the ground, Coco was on her knees, still trying to process what she had seen… but it wasn't something that she was just about to accept. 'He's not dead. He CAN'T be dead.' she thought to herself.

Refusing to cry, Coco hardened her face and stood up, clenching her gloved hands. "W-We gotta find him! Come on, people, help me dig!"

"Right!" Kevin absorbed the rubble and shifted his hands into spades, ready to help out. "Let's get him outta there!"

"W-Wait, hold on!" Caesar warned. "There could be some adverse effects lingering from that energy burst. I-It might not be safe to—"

Without warning, Ironwood suddenly grabbed the scientist by his collar, making him look into his eyes. "Caesar, with all do respect, when it comes to a friend's wellbeing, getting Cooper OUT of there is what comes first. Understood?"

As concerned as he was about the energy's effects, Caesar had to admit, he WAS more worried about Cooper. "O-Of course. Just… proceed with caution."

Ironwood hummed in affirmation before shifting his robotic hand into his energy axe, ready to break apart some rubble. "Hang on, Cooper!"

From there, everyone started digging and moving the debris, with Gwen, Hope and Glynda going so far as to use their powers to levitate a lot of it. However… something started happening in the center of the crater that made them stop… *thoom* *thoom* It sounded like something pounding from under the wreckage, powerful enough to send slight tremors through the floor. And then…

*KRA-THOOM*

"DUCK!" Gwen hollered as a massive piece of debris shot up and out from the smoke, flying straight across the room and then slamming straight into the opposite wall. The group were left stunned into silence, their sights slowly shifting back to the smoke… all while something began moving and shifting under the rubble, digging its way out.

"AH! Cooper!" Coco approached the smoke at first, but quickly came to a halt. The figure that emerged from the floor was still obscured by smoke, though she knew it HAD to be her boyfriend given his physique. Still, something seemed off. "…Tech Head?" Coco saw him crane his head around, and she continued forward… but was caught off guard by what happened next. Where his head was, two bright eyepieces unexpectedly lit up; a blue one on the right, and a red one on the left… and it was accompanied by a VERY loud voice and guitar riff that made Coco scream and stumble back;

Hanane no Moonsault! RabbitTank!

YEAH!

From Cooper's body, jets of steam suddenly blasted out… likely from the suit depressurizing itself now that he was inside it. And, as the steam wafted the smoke away, they were able to see him far more clearly. To say that the suit was asymmetrical was an understatement, as there was probably no part of it that was perfectly balanced in terms of color… aside from the flexible black parts that were at his midsection, waist and knees.

The helmet was form-fitted to Cooper's head, made up of diagonal strips that were blue on the right and red on the left, corresponding with the respective eyepieces. Concerning the eyes, though, both were designed to be segmented on the inside, though each one had a unique shape to it. The blue eye was shaped like a tank, with its barrel sticking out to the side acting like an antenna. The same could be said for the red, rabbit head-shaped eye, only the rabbit's ear was the antenna. At the center of the forehead, there was also a diagonal gem that shined brightly, even more so than the eyes themselves.

Going further down, the suit had a big, black collar piece around the neck, and the chest plate was, again, half-red-half-blue, only now, the sides were switched from the helmet. The right chest and arm were bright red while the left chest and arm were now blue, and they still kept the diagonal strip theme from the helmet. On top of that, at the left shoulder where both colors met, a red rabbit ear and blue tank barrel stuck up, giving an extra bit of detail. At Cooper's wrists, he had black cuffs and matching colored gloves, each with a bit of extra armor at the back of the hand.

Finally, below the Build Driver and Cooper's waist, the colors switched back again; blue right leg, red left leg, only now, where was even MORE added detail. The red leg had a molded white spring in the shin just above the boot, which was also molded to resemble a rabbit's foot. Meanwhile, the left boot seemed to have a tank tread molded into its sole, as well as across the top of it.

Overall… there was no mistaking it; the experiment had been a success. And everyone was left completely speechless as Cooper stumbled forward, rubbing his helmet as the daze cleared from his head. "Ugh… wha… what happened?" Lifting his head, Cooper looked at his friends, seeing their stunned expressions. "Guys? …Is everything okay?"

No one was able to say anything before Coco suddenly shot up from the floor and grabbed him by his large collar, keeping a firm hold on him as she did her best to shake him. "YOU ABSOLUTE MORON! Do you have ANY idea how worried you made us?! We thought you blew yourself to Kingdom Come!"

"G-Gah! Coco, I-I'm s-sorry!" Cooper apologized profusely, all while still being shook.

"Ugh… you're lucky you're lucky to be alive, Tech Head." Coco continued, knocking him upside the head for good measure, wearing an amused smile. "Else things would be WAY different." She pointed to her boyfriend's chest, prodding it with her finger. "Because if you had died, I would've found a way to resurrect you so I could kill ya myself."

Cooper brought his hand up to his helmet, rubbing it sheepishly. "Hah, y-yeah, I wouldn't put it past you. I… wait." The young genius brought his hand back as the realization finally hit him… he was inside of something. "HAH!" He saw his gloved hand and clenched it, staggering back slightly out of shock. "A…A-Am I—"

"Yes!" Ironwood said, wearing a wide smile. "Cooper… it worked. Honest to the gods, it worked!"

The blonde's breathing became somewhat erratic as he raised his hand to the others. "G-Get me a mirror! Someone, please, get me a mirror!"

"Hold your horses there, Tech Head, I'm workin' on it." Coco calmed her boyfriend, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her compact mirror. She popped it open and handed it gently to him. "See for yourself… Kamen Rider."

Sure enough, as Cooper stared back at his helmeted visage in the reflection, their words rang true and it finally settled in with him; it HAD worked. Their experiment was a success. "I… I-It worked! It actually WORKED! HAHA!" Pumping his fists high into the air, Cooper shouted to the heavens; "I've become Kamen Rider Build! Hahaha!"

Caesar worked his way up to his lab partner, giving his own breathy laugh as he lifted some sort of scanning device up toward him. "Hah, not only that, mi amigo, but the Build Driver's energy levels have stabilized! You were right, there WAS a chance that the first transformation cold result in a massive outburst."

Gwen's brow furrowed in concern. "And you're absolutely sure that it won't happen on subsequent transformations?"

"Positive." Cooper nodded to his redheaded friend. "It was only a slight margin of error to begin with. Now that the Driver's power levels have stabilized, there should be no problem going forward." The new Rider crossed his arms, bobbing his head in thought. "Although, we WILL have to do a bit more tinkering on the next Build Driver that we make, just to make sure that error doesn't happen AGAIN." He reached out and placed a hand on Caesar's shoulder. "After all, we don't want new Riders literally EXPLODING into existence every single time."

"Heh, I hear that." Caesar affirmed. "I'll get to those calculations ASAP."

Glynda interjected, however. "Uh, perhaps you should take a rest first, Caesar. You both have been working on this project tirelessly... along with that OTHER one that you've got going as well. I think some sleep should be in your future."

Kevin, Gwen and Charmcaster all stared wide-eyed at Caesar… and it was only then that they noticed just how exhausted the scientist appeared. The circles under his eyes were heavy and almost purple, to the point anyone would've mistook it for a pair of black eyes. "…Caesar." Gwen uttered. "Have you… slept at all?"

"Who, me? Heh, yeah, of course I have…" the scientist said, only for his entire face to twitch involuntarily. "…About five days ago."

The three of them grimaced at him before Charmcaster stepped up, raising her palm up as it glowed with magical energy in front of his eyes. "Get some rest, Caesar." Once the spell was complete, Caesar went crumpling down into a sleeping heap, where Gwen caught his body in one of her mana constructs before he hit the floor.

Gwen shook her head with a sigh, giving Cooper a bit of a side-eye. "I swear, you two. I had a feeling you guys would go overboard working together, but not THIS much."

"H-Hey, if it's any consolation, Coco's been forcing me to NOT pull all-nighters." The genius said while pointing over to his girlfriend. "She always makes sure I'm in bed by at least ten o'clock."

"And I HOUND his ass about it, too." Coco added with a proud smirk, elbowing Cooper in the side. "But credit to him… he rarely put up a fight about it."

"…Yeah, I'll bet." Kevin said knowingly. "So, what comes next?"

Bringing his gloved hands together, Cooper started making his way back over to his personal workbench. "Well, now that I've successfully transformed, now comes the REALLY fun part! Testing out all of the gear and the Build Driver functions. Follow me, everybody!" The others kept on his trail as Cooper got to the table and reached for another button, activating a hidden compartment that revealed quite a few new gadgets.

Most notable out of all of them, was a hand-held drill… weapon. It was about the same length as a short sword, but instead of a blade, it was—of course—a massive drill. The tip of the drill was tipped with a yellow spike, with two others sticking straight up along the sides. There was also additional yellow plating around the base of the drill where it connected to the hilt as well. Said hilt was somewhat bulky and oddly shaped, with a large gauge resting inside it just above the grip, flanked by red and silver plating. There was also a rather noticeable hole that stuck out on the side as well, again, right in the hilt. Finally, toward the back, there was another cavity whose purpose was much clearer to the group, as it had a slot that was made specifically for FullBottles.

Cooper picked up the hefty weapon with ease, holding the drill part gently. "Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Drill Crusher." He brought it up and pointed it straight toward the sky. "My new personal weapon."

"Dude… that thing's actually kinda sick." Cardin commented.

"It definitely seems like it could do some damage." Velvet concurred. "How does it work?"

"How else? FullBottles, of course!" Cooper pointed to the couple. "You filled the three bottles I asked you to, right?"

Reaching behind his back, Cardin pulled out three more bottles; a cyan one with a diamond molded on it, a brown one with the face of a gorilla, and finally a yellow one with the head of a lion. "Sure did. Here ya go, dude."

Gently grabbing the three bottles with his free hand, Cooper gave them a nod. "Awesome. These'll do nicely for our test run…" Setting the Drill Crusher down, Cooper took hold of the next item; a FullBottle holder that was capable of holding three bottles. He clipped it to the Build Driver's belt strap and the power core inside the device briefly glowed, assuring the genius that it was now part of the system. From there, he inserted the Diamond, Gorilla and Lion bottles on it. "Alright… now for the finishing touch."

Going for the last gadget on the table, Cooper picked up… a phone. A rather chunky, black phone that was flat at the front and had tons of parts hanging off the back. …Including what appeared to be a set of folded up tires. "Uh, what the hell kinda phone is that?" Kevin asked.

"Oh, this is no ordinary phone, Kevin." Cooper proclaimed, showing off the device. "This… is how I access my ride."

Silence followed, with everyone all the more confused than before. "So… you're going to call a cab or something?" Charmcaster guessed.

With a deadpan expression behind his mask, Cooper replied; "Yes, exactly." before lifting the phone up to his ear. "Hello, hello? I need a lift to the battle downtown, please."

"…The sarcasm isn't appreciated, Kamen Rider Build."

Despite himself, the young genius couldn't help but grin under his helmet. He was definitely going to get used to being called that. "Yeah, yeah, I'll cut it out." Build pressed the screen on the phone, making it turn on and show off all the apps on it. "But in all seriousness, the way this works is REALLY cool. So, you remember how I said I borrowed a shrink ray from Plumber HQ? Well, I actually replicated some of that tech and put it into here so that it's able to—huh?"

His explanation was suddenly cut off when a set of rapid footsteps came from across the room, where they saw both Fox and Yatsuhashi running straight toward them. "Everyone!" the tall swordsman shouted. "You all need to get topside, quick, there's—uuuhh…"

But came to an abrupt halt, causing Fox to do the same. "Huh? Yatsu, what's going on?!"

"I'm… seeing a guy in a red and blue suit in front of me, dude." Yatsu revealed. "And… he's got the Build Driver on."

Whipping his head up, Fox's eyes widened. Even though he couldn't exactly see it, he knew what it had to be the end result of. "W-What? Cooper, that you?"

"Hah, it sure is, guys." Walking forward, Build brought his arms up at his sides. "Take it all in! I am officially a Kamen Rider!"

"Ha! That's amazing!" Yatsu pumped a fist. "And just in time, too. We can use the extra power for what's going on."

His words caught Glynda and Ironwood's attention, the two headmasters marching toward the head of the pack. "What do you mean, Yatsuhashi?" the blonde woman asked. "Please, tell us."

"Professor, something REAL bad is happening." Fox picked up with a serious expression. "We've got Grimm, and they've managed to sneak into the city."

The others were left aghast by the information, Ironwood most so. "What?! I thought we sealed up all of the holes!" He slammed his metal fist into the nearest table. "Dammit, will Salem ever just get TIRED of attacking Vale?!"

"Well, see, there's the weird part; it's not AS big as the last attacks." Yatsu continued, bringing his hands together for emphasis. "Reports are that this is a really small horde of Grimm. And the soldiers on the scene are saying that no Ministry members are anywhere to be seen."

"Hm… curious." Cooper brought a hand to his chin. "I wonder what they could want, then?" In the end, though, the newly created Rider just gave a shrug. "Ah, thoughts to save for later. Right now… I think this presents the perfect opportunity for our test run." He pointed over to the Ironwood. "Oh, and general, I made those adjustments to the Centurion Armor. It should be ready for you now."

"Woah, hold up there." Kevin lifted a hand, smirking over to Ironwood. "General, are you gonna be piloting the Centurion Armor from now on?"

Bringing his hand to his neck, Ironwood gave a sheepish laugh. "Ah, hehe… well, actually, I've already taken it out a few times before now. It's just that Cooper's had to make some adjustments so it can fully accommodate my size. Been a bit tight in some spots, but hopefully with THIS run, it should be good to go."

"I guarantee it will, general. Now come on…" Build raised his hand up to his tank barrel antenna, running his fingers across it before flicking them in the air. "Let's show these beasts who has the winning formula."

But Coco furrowed her brow at him, putting her hands to her hips. "You sure, Tech Head? Nothing's gonna explode again, is it?"

Build placed his hand on his girlfriend's shoulder reassuringly. "Coco, I swear, nothing more will explode during this battle… unless it's big, ugly and ravenous." Picking up the Drill Crusher again, Cooper held it in front of the Build Driver, which flashed again and brought the weapon into its subspace storage. Then, reaching down to his hip, Cooper took the Lion FullBottle and gave it a shake. "So… shall we begin the experiment?" Inserting the bottle into the bottom of the phone, the device began to glow, wherein Build tossed it into the air.

What happened next… left everybody floored. The smartphone proceeded to fold in on itself and the other parts unfurled… as the gadget grew several times its normal size. By the time it was done and landed on the floor, it had converted into a large, red motorcycle. Specifically, the model appeared to be a modified Honda XR 230, with a large gear in place of a headlight and the enlarged Lion FullBottle sticking straight out the back. Along the sides, it had a black, caution stripe paint job, adding in just a bit more detail.

"…What?" Gwen whispered.

"THE HELL?!" Kevin finished.

Cooper gave a chuckle and patted the black leather seat of his transformed ride, puffing his chest with pride. "Everybody, allow me to introduce you to the Machine Builder! A FullBottle-powered motorcycle that puts the "Ride" in "Kamen Rider"." Lifting his leg over the vehicle, Kamen Rider Build mounted his bike and started it up, revving its engine just to get a feel for it. "Ah… that's the ticket. Now, who wants to go kick some Grimm?"

…..

Down in the city of Vale, citizens were screaming in terror as a horde of Grimm went rampaging through the streets, currently being held off by a battalion of Atlesian soldiers. However, while both sides of the conflict in terms of numbers, the Grimm were easily the better in terms of power and strength, especially since most of them were Beringels and heavily armored Creeps. Beowolves and Ursai filled out the ranks, but most prominently of all… was a single Goliath that had rammed through a weakened part of the wall to get through.

"We're not putting a dent in that thing!" one soldier exclaimed, trying to hold off the elephant Grimm.

"Where's General Ironwood with the armor?!" another belted out.

Taking aim with a large bazooka, another soldier ordered; "Just keep fighting! Backup should be arriving soon!" He took aim at the Goliath and took the shot, and while the blast managed to break off part of its boney armored hide… it only just seemed to get angrier. Letting out a massive bellow, the beast went to ram straight into the soldiers, who all went to duck for cover… but then something happened.

A large, pink wall of energy appeared in front of them, which blocked the Goliath's charge and even made it stagger back by bursting out into its face. The soldiers were taken aback, but what they saw next made their jaws go slack. "You boys okay?" Gwen asked, floating down in front of them in her Anodite form.

But, in the heat of the moment, all the men did was scream, instinctively raising their weapons at her. "M-M-MONSTER!"

They didn't get the chance to blast her, though, as from out of nowhere, another figure came crashing down in front of them, landing in a kneeling position with their fist planted firmly in the pavement. Standing up, General Ironwood gave his men a stern glare behind the Centurion helmet… which had been repainted. In fact, the WHOLE armor had received a make-over; going from metallic purple and gold to cobalt blue and silver. Even the V-shaped visor's color and the chest core had been changed to bright red in order to contrast against it. "MEN! Stand down! That's an order!" James barked.

"G-General!" the men saluted. "You're here! B-But I don't understand, who is—"

"She's an Omni-Hunter, soldier." the general explained, tapping the side of his helmet to retract it briefly so they could see how serious he was. "She's here to help. You so much as graze her with that thing and I'll see to it that you're ALL court-martialed!"

The trio stiffened fearfully again, though this time, it was because of their commander. "SIR! YES, SIR!" they echoed.

"Good." Pulling the helmet back up, James nodded up to the Anodite. "Gwen, thanks for getting us all here in record time. Now, let's see if we can't bring down this Goliath."

"I couldn't agree more, general." With a swipe of her hands, Gwen brought down the mana shield and focused on the pachyderm Grimm, which was starting to regain its bearings. The beast shook its massive head and let out a loud trumpet before it charged once again toward them. "I'll restrain it, then we dish out the damage. Sound good?"

The armored man gave her a thumbs up. "Right, let's do this!" Both of them flew forward at astonishing speed, creating a gust strong enough to send the soldiers stumbling back.

From there, Gwen lifted her hands again, chanting another incantation. "Inclusi catenis!" Just then, a pair of bright pink energy chains came shooting out of her palms and started wrapping around the Goliath, beginning at its tusks and going down its body from there. The restraints culminated at the base of its legs, wherein Gwen focused her next spell. "Sigillum Immobilis!" The ground beneath the beast glowed brightly as four glyphs sealed the chains in place. No matter how hard the Goliath tried, it could not move an inch.

"Hah… that's amazing." Ironwood commented. "Could you always do that?"

Gwen shook her head. "No, that's a more recent trick. Having Hope as an ally now really makes a difference." She smiled and gave a wink while summoning a blade-shaped energy construct over her fist. "Especially when it comes to trading spells with each other."

"I see. Well, in that case, let's finish this thing!" Raising his right arm, the Centurion armor began shifting with Ironwood's hand as it transformed, with his axe emerging from the arm before the blue plating itself firmly integrated itself into the weapon. And with it, the energy from the armor's power core went flowing directly into Ironwood's axe, increasing its size and power significantly. "…Cooper, you're a mad genius." James commended before focusing back on their target. "Now, end it!"

With another burst of speed, the duo set forth, Gwen going down to the Goliath's underbelly to slice through into its body while Ironwood aimed for the head. Their blades cleaved through the respective targeted body parts like hot knives through butter, making the Grimm bellow in pain as they carved its body into pieces. Dispelling into a cloud of black mist, the beast was killed and its chains disappeared along with it, Gwen and Ironwood landing side-by-side afterward.

"Hah… hah…" Gwen steadied her breath as she returned to her human form, putting a hand over her chest. "That was… exhilarating."

His helmet retracting, James nodded down to her. "Hah, I know… at one point, killing Goliaths was considered a challenge that would take at least nine Huntsmen to accomplish." He raised his axe, transforming his hand back to normal. "But now, with this amazing technology Cooper's provided us, giants like them don't stand a chance."

"Woo-hoo! Hah, that was AWESOME!" The duo spun around in time to see Kevin, Hope, Glynda and Cardin all running up to them, the Osmosian going to his girlfriend with a light embrace. "Babe, the way you and Ironwood just turned that Goliath into mincemeat was freaking badass."

Cardin echoed that sentiment. "Oh, no freaking doubt. I don't think I've ever seen a Goliath taken down that efficiently, at least not in the videos I've seen."

"And you made AMAZING use of those spells I taught you the other day." Hope noted as well. "Nice work, Gwen."

"Aw, guys, stop." the redhead insisted. "You're gonna make me blush."

Meanwhile, Glynda had sauntered up to James, wearing a rather sly smile whilst sending him a rather… alluring gaze. "And you, sir, are certainly getting well used to that armor." She prodded his chest, running her finger across his pectoral. "I will say, though… I kind of miss when it was a snug fit on you."

Her words made James confused, raising brow to her. "Uh… why? I had a hard time moving, remember?"

The headmistress rolled her eyes and was about to respond, but was cut off when the soldiers from before came rushing over. "General! GENERAL!" One of the men was holding a rather bulky communicator in his hand, moving to pass it to his commander. "Something's happened over at the refugee center! Another group of Grimm have splintered off and—"

"I'm well aware." Ironwood asserted, raising his hand to push the comm back.

"I detected the Grimm breaking off after the evacuation crew when we arrived." Gwen elaborated further.

James gave his subordinate a nod. "Tell them that there's already a team headed their way…" He put on a confident smile. "And give them a heads up; they're about to see something amazing."

…..

Across town at the refugee center, things had devolved into complete chaos. Citizens that were still running away from the Grimm were screaming into the night as Atlesian soldiers tried to keep the beasts at bay, allowing the people to run to safety. However, the team was fairly small compared to the horde, and it already being stretched thin, leading to more and more close calls. "We can't keep this up forever!" a soldier cried out, helping an old man to his feet and into the building. "Where's that backup?!"

"I've received word from the general." another piped up, holding up his comm. "He's apparently already sent backup our way! …And apparently, it's supposed to be amazing."

"Let's hope it is! Because—"

"GYAAAAAAHH!" Another blood curdling scream caught the attention of the soldiers, whipping their heads down the street to see a woman being closed in on by an Alpha Beowolf. She was holding onto who they presumed to be her young son, who had just tripped up on a stray piece of rubble. The wolf Grimm's fangs were bared and its claws were raised, poised to strike the wailing child and his parent. Before the soldiers could even think to act, however… a new sound graced their ears;

*VRRRRRR-VVVRRRMM*

Rushing up behind the Alpha at breakneck speed, the soldiers were left stunned as someone on a motorcycle came blasting into the fray, headed straight for the monster. The Beowolf managed to spin around at the noise, but didn't have time to catch sight of the figure before the bike popped a wheelie. And then… something even more astonishing happened. The front wheel became engulfed in a glowing, golden aura that spun rapidly like a saw blade. The canid Grimm didn't even have time react as the wheel lodged itself right into its head, taking it clean off in one swift strike before the bike sliced through its body entirely.

Screeching to a halt, the figure kicked the bike up on its stand and got off… and that's when the soldiers, the woman and the child could finally get a good look at him. If anything, though, they were just left more perplexed at the sight of the half-red-half-blue-suited person, who wore probably the most outlandish helmet they had ever seen. All the same, though, the armored man went to kneel down next to the woman and child.

"Is everyone alright here?" Cooper asked. "Are either of you hurt?"

"N…N-No, sir." the lady stammered out, helping her son up. "Th-Thank you."

The boy, though, was completely enraptured by the masked man, his mouth hanging open at the sight of—in his opinion—the coolest person he had ever seen. "Woah… who are YOU?"

"Hah, who am I?" But right then, Cooper saw a sudden fear flash across the family's face, prompting him to stand up and spin around. Raising his left arm, he blocked an incoming strike from a large Ursa, which roared in challenge.

*Insert – Kamen Rider Build Theme BGM by Kenji Kawai*

Cooper didn't flinch, though, instead answering the boy's question while peering back at him over his shoulder. "I'm Kamen Rider. Kamen Rider Build."

The boy's fear washed away at the confidence in this man's voice. "A… common rider?"

"Sir, I'd say you are FAR from common." The boy's mother said while trembling.

But Build just laughed that off. "Haha! No, no… one second." Pulling back his left fist, the Rider thrust it straight into the Ursa's gut, which resulted in a burst of blue energy that sent it flying over his bike and tumbling down the road. He raised a finger and clarified; "Kamen; spelled K-A-M-E-N. It's a foreign word from where I'm from that means "mask" or "masked"." Build then placed a hand on his Machine Builder. "Rider; self-explanatory." He then spun back toward the two and snapped his fingers, pointing at the boy. "And finally, Build; meaning to create, or construct. A pleasure… to make your acquaintance."

The young child's eyes lit up in wonder. "So… cool!"

Beneath his mask, Cooper beamed widely at the boy's excitement. "Hmhm, isn't it? Now go. You and your mother need to get to a safe distance."

"O-Of course!" The woman bowed, as did her son. "Thank you very much, Kamen Rider Build."

"You're welcome. And just "Build" is fine. Now go, I'll handle the rest." Once the two were clear, Cooper sauntered back around toward the Ursa, which was now up on all four of its paws. "So… where were we? GRAH!" Leaping forward, Build closed the distance between himself and the bear Grimm in less than two seconds, landing another punch straight to its head. Taken off guard, the Ursa stumbled onto its hind legs and went to bring its massive paws down, only to be once again stopped when Build caught the heavy strike. Rushing in, he landed several punches in the Ursa's gut in quick succession, finishing with another heavy blow that sent it staggering.

"Yo, Tech Head!" Perking his head up, Cooper heard the nickname from behind the beast, to which he threw the Ursa off to see Team CFVY down the street, dealing with other Grimm. Coco waved him down and called out; "You need any help, let us know, okay?"

Build chuckled and gave her a thumbs up. "Right! I know I can always count on you—OH!" He ducked just in time to avoid the swipe of Ursa claws to his head, which only barely scraped at his antenna.

"Gah! Sorry, babe!" Coco apologized before slamming a Beowolf upside the head with her handbag.

Rolling into a crouch, Cooper reassured her. "It's okay! I've got this handled!" Falling to his back when the Ursa went to hit him again, Build caught himself with his hands and then performed a kip-up, thrusting both of his feet into the Grimm's muzzle. The hit was so hard that it knocked several of its teeth out, causing it to yowl in pain. "Hah, good… right where I want him."

As the Ursa writhed and held its nose, Build began running away from the Grimm… all while cranking the handle of the Build Driver. The rhythmic clanging signaled the generating of power once again, power that allowed the Driver to start projecting hard-light constructs on either side of Cooper. Specifically, these constructs resembled a line graph, complete with X and Y-axis. Along this hard light graph was also a curved line that ran down from the top all the way to the bottom… and as the two parts of the construct came together, the Ursa was left to get CLAMPED in between this line, causing it even MORE agony.

Build himself had made it to the end of the graph before it closed, raising two fingers to taunt the Ursa. "Good! Now stay right there." One short jump in place later, the Rider went burrowing straight under the road and into the ground beneath, creating a deep hole while the Build Driver announced;

READY—GO!

Just a moment later, Cooper jumped straight out of the hole and to the top of the Y-axis. Once he reached the apex of the hard light graph construct, though, he did a flip and thrust his right leg forward, sliding down the curved line at high-speed foot-first.

VORTEX FINISH! YEAH!

As the treads in Build's tank boot were spun at incredibly force this happened his foot made contact with the Ursa's head, and the beasts' bone-armored face was instantly broken apart. Build then SLAMMED straight through the beast and landed, with not a second passing before the bear Grimm blew up entirely, the graph construct dissipating at the same time.

As Team CFVY kept up their own fight, they couldn't help but comment on what they saw. "Bloody hell!" Velvet exclaimed, using a hard-light replica of Cardin's Executioner mace. "That was… quite a sight, to be sure."

"Very accurate to the source material, at the very least." Yatsu affirmed as well.

"Ugh, really wish I could freaking SEE it!" Fox grumbled as he sliced the throats of several Beowolves at once.

"Relax, Fox." Coco urged, stepping on a Beowolf's head and snapping its neck. "We'll describe it to ya in egregious detail when we get back. Just focus on the—WOAH! Tech Head, incoming!"

Cooper spun around just in time to an Alpha Beringel come crashing down from the rooftops above, along with two large Creep that ejected themselve from under the asphalt. All three Grimm roared directly at the genius, though Build's only response was; "Well… this sucks. But I'm not outta the woods yet!" Thrusting his hand out, Build willed the Drill Crusher out of the Driver's subspace, summoning it into his hand.

*Insert – Be The One by Beverly (English Version)*

"Come at me!" the Rider's challenge was met with more bellows as both Creeps charged at him, tucking their heads in to ram him. But Cooper merely leapt straight over them, landing on one of their backs and stabbing his drill directly into its left shoulder. He slashed away at the bone armor along its back as well before jumping back off, going to stab the other Grimm right in its hindquarters.

However, the Creep was surprisingly fast, moving its rear to snap its jaws down on the Drill Crusher. "Ah, big mistake!" Pulling the silver trigger in the handle, Cooper made the drill spin rapidly, causing not only the Creep to let go, but for several of its teeth to snap instantly. Reaching down to his holster, Cooper procured the Diamond FullBottle, gave it a shake, and then inserted it into the cavity in the back of his weapon. "I think it's time YOU took a break. Specifically a…" Pulling the trigger again, the weapon announced;

VORTEX BREAK!

A bright, blue energy surrounded the Drill Crusher as it spun again, encasing it in an incredibly dense and jagged crystalline material. Dashing forward, Cooper stabbed the drill into the Creep's open mouth, bringing it up through its head before the crystals disintegrated away. But he didn't have much time to take a breath as the second Creep just bolted at him again.

"Hah… persistent! Well, if there's anything I learned about what the people of Remnant have in common with most Riders… it's that if it's a blade of any kind…" Reaching up, Cooper removed the drill from the handle, turned it upside down, and then slotted it into the hole in the front. The maneuver completely changed the layout of the weapon, exposing a hidden barrel that essentially made it into a different kind of weapon all together. "…It's also a gun."

Pulling the trigger in quick succession, Build shot several rounds into the Creep, forcing it to fall back as its skin was grazed. Still, it showed no signs of giving in, which was when Cooper removed the last bottle and instead switched it for the next one. He inserted the Gorilla FullBottle and took aim, a bright, orange energy collecting inside the Drill Crusher's barrel. And then, he pulled the trigger once more.

VORTEX BREAK!

From out of the weapon, a massive energy blast went straight into the Creep, going straight through its body and reducing it to atoms. Build took the bottle out of his weapon and breathed a sigh. "Hah… two down…" Stepping back to lock eyes with the Alpha Berigel, Cooper glared at it beneath his mask. "One to go." The ape Grimm stood on its haunches and beat its chest, roaring in challenge and then lumbering forward on all fours. "…I think it's time we switched things up." Taking the Rabbit and Tank bottles out of the driver, Cooper instead placed in the two that he just used;

Gorilla! Diamond!

Best Match!

Wasting no time, Cooper cranked the Build Driver's handle, summoning the Snap Ride Builder around him to repeat the same process as before. As this happened, it caused a protective barrier to surround him, protecting the Rider from the Beringel's powerful fists coming down upon him. As the two halves of his next suit were constructed, the Driver announced;

Are You Ready?!

"Build Up!" Standing motionless in the center, Cooper allowed the new suit to snap over him, doing away with the RabbitTank form to enter a new one. This version of the Build suit, however, was VERY different. The colors had all been swapped out; with red being exchanged for brown and deep blue for bright cyan. And now, it was even MORE asymmetrical with many new details added, mainly in the upper body.

The chest armor was now donned with a gorilla-like pectoral on the brown side, as well as molded in gemstones going up the cyan side, getting bigger the closer to the shoulder they got. Speaking of said shoulder, the protective pad resembled a massive diamond, and there were even more gems molded into the cyan side's gauntlet. As for the brown right arm, though… it was an entire gauntlet, one with a HUGE fist and a piston built into the forearm. Thankfully, there was an open hole in the hand so that he could still crank the Build Driver, but this form was clearly meant to be durable and for breaking things.

The helmet's eyepieces were also changed significantly. On the left was a large, diamond-shaped eye, with a gleaming light effect as the antenna this time. And the right one… was half a gorilla head, with a raised fist serving as that side's antenna.

Kagayaki no Destroyer! GorillaMond!

YEAH!

Now in his GorillaMond form, Cooper pumped a fist in victory. "HAHA! Yes! Another successful transformation! And I didn't blow up this time!"

"That's great, babe!" Coco shouted. "Now finish that thing!"

"With pleasure!" As the Beringel bellowed and brought its arms up again, Build brought his own arms up to counter the incoming strike, grappling with the ape Grimm while the pavement beneath him cracked. But even with his opponent's amazing strength, he knew exactly what he had to do. Rather than pushing against the Beringel, Cooper leaned back and let it fall, where he once again pumped his legs up to monkey flip it over him. The Beringel landed on its back, stunned for a moment, which allowed Build to go in and land a HUGE punch with the Gorilla Gauntlet, bashing its skeletal face in.

The force of the blow not only sent the ape hurdling head-over-heel down the road, but once it landed, it howled in pain as it reached for its broken bone mask. But it knew it couldn't give up THIS easily, so it slammed its foot into the street, breaking a large slab of pavement that it picked up, lifted over its head, and then threw at Build with all its might.

Still, Cooper didn't hesitate, reaching down to start cranking away at the Build Driver. He lifted his left arm and, suddenly, the diamonds molded into his armor began to glow, along with the one on his shoulder. He thrust his hand out to the incoming piece of road and… it stopped in midair, its atomic structure completely changing from black asphalt into clear, shining crystal. Once he was done cranking, Cooper readied his right arm, the piston in the Gorilla Gauntlet shifting up as well…

READY—GO! VORTEX FINISH! YEAH!

Swinging the fist forward, the piston SLAMMED back in and caused the resulting punch to break the crystals apart into sharp, jagged daggers. The blow's force was so great that the daggers were sent flying into the Beringel's body, stabbing it multiple times in the arms, chest, legs, and—most importantly—into its broken mask. That part was particularly reserved for the LARGEST crystal shard, piercing right through its head and killing it instantly.

Cooper watched as the Grimm disintegrated and all of the gems fell to the street, leaning against his motor cycle to catch his breath. "Hah… phew. And that takes care of that."

"BRO!" The Rider perked his head up and turned back around, seeing Gwen, Kevin, Hope, Ironwood, Glynda and Cardin there, standing with Team CFVY. All of them were gaping in awe at what he had just done, with Kevin expressing their collective thoughts; "How… the HELL did you do that?"

"…You're gonna have to be more specific." Cooper pointed out.

"Uh, you changed asphalt into diamonds." Cardin clarified, thrusting his arms to the pile of gems on the street. "EXPLAIN!"

With a short chuckle, Build took out the Gorilla and Diamond FullBottles from the Driver, resulting in the suit disappearing in a flash of light. With him reverting back to his normal self, Cooper explained. "Hehe… well, let's just say that the Dust that Gwen and Hope prepared for the bottles might've had something to do with that." He took out the Rabbit and Tank bottles, showing all four of them off. "Gwen, I think you can take that explanation."

The Anodite agreed without question. "Of course. See, what's essentially happened is that, once the Liquid Dust was infused with attributes from all these different things, it resulted in said Dust receiving a MASSIVE boost in power. And it's what allowed Cooper to do everything he just did." She brought her hands together for emphasis. "It's like what Hope said before; we've essentially taken magic and technology… and melded both elements into one thing." Gwen pointed down to the Build Driver on Cooper's waist. "And judging by the results, I'd say it was a big success."

"Exactly! Both sides of the equation do a lot of the heavy lifting. And it results in what I can only describe as a science unlike any we've ever seen." Pocketing the bottles, Cooper removed the Build Driver from his waist, staring down at it with a wide smile. "And I am SO glad that I was able to pull this off. …But now, it's time to add another twist to it."

This made Gwen, Hope and Kevin tilt their heads. "Huh? What do you mean by that, Cooper?" asked the ruler of Ledgerdomain.

"What I mean is that I don't intend to JUST use the FullBottles for the Rider System. After all, in the end, it IS still Dust, and there's a LOT that you can do with Dust." He gave the group a knowing wink, which everyone else seemed to be in on given their reactions. "The Build Driver isn't the ONLY think that Caesar and I have been working on, I'll say that much. The swan-song of the Centurion Project will also be what utilizes the FullBottles in this unique way that I'm planning, but we've still got a little bit of work left to do on that."

"Oh, that's right!" Gwen recalled. "You said you were going to make a robotic body for—"

"Mister Build! MISTER BUILD!" The redhead was cut off when, from the shelter, a bunch of children suddenly came sprinting out straight for Cooper, the blonde's eyes widening as they crowded around them. Leading the kids was the young boy from before, beaming widely up at their new hero. "That was TOTALLY WICKED!"

Another boy bounced in place, pumping his arms up high. "Yeah! You were all like—VRRRRM—and then—POW—and then—KA-BLAMMO!"

"How did you even DO half of the stuff you just did?" said a little girl with wide eyes. "Are you… magic?"

With a blush upon his cheeks, Cooper rubbed the back of his head and crouched in front of the kids. "Ah, heh… well, sorta. Really, it's a mix of Earthly magic, Dust and science." He showed the Driver off to them. "You see this? This is what gives me my power. And it had a DNA scanner inside so that only I can use it. If anyone else tries… well, they may not like what they end up with, especially if they're a bad guy."

"That's so AWESOME!" A tween girl said, clearly the oldest of the bunch. "You're kinda like Ben 10, then!"

Cooper knew that comparison was probably going to come up, but he nodded all the same. "Yeah, though my own DNA doesn't change. Just the suit and powers I have access to." He sent a wink to the group. "But hey, Ben 10? I'm actually friends with him." That earned several excited gasps from the group as Cooper stood up, placing his hands on his hips. "Yep, and I'm gonna be helping him save the world with this new technology."

The boy from before spoke again. "Does that mean your belt is just as powerful as his watch?"

"Eh… not entirely, but it has the potential to be. Once I get around to the upgrade forms I have in mind." Cooper pointed down to the kids and swiped his finger into the air. "After all, if you have a good idea, you've gotta always keep improving on that idea! Or "plus it", if you will."

"This is amazing!" the younger girl said happily. "Our world keeps seeing new heroes pop up everywhere!"

"And I thought Huntsman were cool before." The tween girl concurred. "But this RULES! That nasty witch Salem doesn't stand a CHANCE! Good luck, Kamen Rider!" That earned a massive round of "Good Lucks" from the rest of the kids before they all went back to the shelter, being beckoned by their parents.

Seeing her boyfriend start to well up, Coco went over and leaned against his shoulder. "So… how's it feel to be everybody's new hero?"

Breathing a shaky breath, Cooper composed himself and put his arm over her shoulders. "It feels… great. I knew I was doing good as Centurion before, but this… this hits different." He gave a nod over to Ironwood. "And general, please, keep doing good as Centurion. It's my FIRST baby, after all."

"I will, Cooper. I promise you that." Ironwood assured. "But now, we should get everything ready. You mentioned wanting to take the experiment over to Earth for a while, correct?"

Cooper nodded back. "Oh, yes. It's time I show this all off to Ben and the others. Their minds are about to be blown." He went over to his bike and jostled the enlarged FullBottle a bit, which prompted the Machine Builder to shrink back down and transform back into its phone mode. "Can't forget this, of course. Alright everyone, let's move! We've got a LOT to get done." With that, the group headed straight back to Vale… all while unaware that they were being watched.

…..

Back in the Evernight Castle, both Salem and Viktor were left completely dumbfounded by what they'd just witnessed. An armored warrior, one who had dispatched several fierce Grimm with some of the most outlandish attacks and weapons that they had ever seen… was the same boy who had created the Centurion armor. While not exactly surprising, it was jarring enough to make them question everything they could've expected from the heroes. At no point would they have anticipated something like THIS being created. "My lady… what did we just witness?" Viktor uttered.

"I… have no idea." Salem admitted, narrowing her eyes at Cooper as he walked off with the others. "But I don't like it. A device that allows its user to transform seems exceptionally popular amongst the heroes. I wonder…"

The witch didn't get to finish her thought, however, as a knock came at the door, with Eon poking his head in. "Forgive me, Lady Salem, but I've received a message from Malware. He seeks your council."

Salem pursed her lips, knowing that the Galvanic Mechamorph wouldn't ask for such a thing unless it was important. Her musings would have to wait. "…Of course. Bring him through."

Eon wasted little time in bringing forth a portal, through which Malware came with Khyber and his alien hunting dog. Surprisingly, though, Malware seemed to be in a somewhat… good mood. "Lady Salem, thank you for allowing me your time." the corrupted being said with a bow. "Apologies if this is of any inconvenience."

"It is alright, Malware. I have nothing going on at present. Speak."

"Hmhmhm, that is very good to hear." Giving a dark chuckle, Malware rose up, placing a hand to his chest. "Because that means the good news that I bring will be all the better. The preparations have been finalized and the moment grows near… the invasion of Galvan Prime is at hand."

Both Salem and Viktor were taken aback slightly. "Really? So soon?" the witch asked.

"Yes." Khyber affirmed, reaching down to the Nemetrix on his dog. "We have the necessary information we need to get past their defenses, and the Nemetrix has reached its completed state. We must strike while the opportunity is ours."

Viktor scrunched his nose a little. "Hm… I recall you asked for some of our numbers to aid you in this task, correct?"

"Indeed…" Malware lowered his head to Salem slightly. "If you are still willing to spare them, of course."

Salem's lips curled into a slight smirk. "I am… but I hope to see good results from this, Malware. I will have Cinder and the others return here so they may join you… just make certain that my Fall Maiden returns in one piece."

Malware nodded in understanding. "That, I can promise you, Lady Salem." He tightened his clawed hand into a fist, raising it high in retribution. "Rejoice, my comrades… for the moment of my revenge—OUR revenge—is at hand! Azmuth will see Galvan Prime DECIMATED before him! And Ben Tennyson… shall be destroyed."

…..

A/N (IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ): Well, there you have it, everybody. The setup for Season 4's premier; Malware's Revenge. Been definitely eager to get to this one, namely because we're ACTUALLY going to be on a different planet with this battle, so expect it to be pretty interesting. And of course, Ben and Malware's big confrontation. It's all been leading up to this, people!

That said, that of course isn't the ONLY thing that happened in this chapter. We got a nice family bonding moment with Raven, Yang, Ruby and Vernal all doing some shopping, so that was cool to see. And hey, Vernal's actually coming around to the idea of officially being part of the family, so hooray! Progress! Oh, and let's not forget Yang trying to boost her mother's confidence in her clothes as well, along with Ruby and Raven sharing in some target practice at the arcade.

But in the meantime… wow, Edwin just dropping THAT bombshell on everyone, huh? He wants to repurpose Billions' Tower into the Omni-Hunters' OWN HEADQUARTERS. With absolutely NO charge to them aside from allowing him to be their BENEFACTOR. …Yeah, it pays to have rich friends, it seems. Talk about lucky. Expect to see this transition happening all throughout the Volume, by the way. By the end, they'll all be in that tower—which WILL have a new design to it as well. But yeah, overall, Eddie seems to be a pretty chill dude!

Now, however… the big one. Cooper's experiment was a success. He has now become… Kamen Rider Build. Now, I'm sure a lot of you have a lot of questions pertaining to this, such as "why bring this element in?" or "Will any main characters become Riders if this is sticking around?". Well, in regards to the latter question, no, none of the main characters—that being the Alien Trio, Rex or Team RWBY—will be transforming into Riders. This concept is going to remain a thing for Secondary and Tertiary characters ONLY.

And as for the "why", I thought it'd be a fun way to spice things up while also providing a way of keeping the other characters from falling to the wayside. Along with keeping up with the inevitable power creep that'll be coming as our heroes' enemies get stronger and stronger. After all, Ben shouldn't be the ONLY ONE who's able to go toe-to-toe with the likes of those kinds of enemies. He should have back-up whenever Vilgax arrives, just in case, you know? Besides, I've been wanting to incorporate Tokusatsu elements into the story for a while now, and I thought this would be the best way to go about it!

However, it's not gonna be a simple copy-paste situation. I DO have some original ideas to put a spin on the source materal, so don't expect this to be a carbon copy of Kamen Rider Build. Also, if you think that there won't be any consequences to Kamen Riders being created here… think again. After all, in the shows themselves, Riders often have to confront their OWN enemies… and often enough, they find their technology being used against them. Just you wait, things are about to get a LOT more interesting.

For now, though, we look ahead to NEXT TIME! Malware's ultimate plans begins as he and the Ministry set forth to attack Galvan Prime, giving Khyber's dog an opening to scan a certain extinct predator of the Galvan, and bring it back to life. However, just as the team all meet back up, they get collectively transported to Galvan in order to defend it from the villains. …Unfortunately, they end up with another problem. The Dust that they use? Rendered useless now that it's off of Earth. …This could be a bit bad. Next time; Malware's Revenge. Until then, thanks for reading, everybody, and I'll catch you all next time! I'll see you in a month's time, and as always; stay safe out there!