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)

88. Abroad In Japan

A/N: Hey there, everybody! Welcome back to Ben 10 RWBY and let me tell ya, I'm VERY excited for this chapter. We're still in Japan, so now's the perfect time for the Omni-Hunters to experience this awesome place for themselves, even if it's mostly just Tokyo. But hey, this probably won't be our LAST visit to Japan, so there'll still be more to see in the future. But with that, let's get started, shall we? This is…

Chapter 87: Abroad In Japan

…..

If there was one good thing that Ben was thankful for with having such a big spaceship, it was that there was plenty of room for every single one of his teammates to sleep in it. Meaning that they didn't have to spend a fortune on a hotel with several different rooms. Granted, the "beds" in the spaceship weren't exactly much to write home about. They were more like cots than anything else. But all the same, they served their purpose, and the team managed to get at least a decent night's sleep… once they moved off of the Shibuya Crossing, of course. After finding an airport that allowed them to stay, they all went to sleep, eager to get to exploring the city in the morning.

…However, their awakening would end up being ruder than they had expected. "RAUF! RAUF-RAUF!" The sound of barking immediately made everybody toss and turn, some groaning as they were forced awake. "RAUF-RAUF-RAUF!"

"Hmph! Zwei, shush!" Ruby reached out to give a light bop to her pup on instinct. "We're trying to slee…" But once her hand landed on the dog's snoot, she quickly realized a few things. One; she wasn't at home, and thus, it couldn't be Zwei. And secondly, the muzzle she was holding was hard and armored, meaning only one thing. Her eyes snapped open and she was met by the Anubian Baskurr's blood red glare, a chill running down her spine. "…Eeeep!"

"GAH! B-By the gods!" Weiss yelped as well, and by this point, everyone on the ship was up. "I forgot you were here!"

Yang lifted her head from her pillow, giving Weiss a questioning gaze. "Mmph, how the heck did you forget something as important as her tagging along with us?"

Blake scratched her ears and stretched her arms above her head. "Yeah, she's not exactly hard to miss."

"W-Well… forgive me if my mind was caught up in other things since last night." Weiss huffed. "After all, we now live in a world where Kamen Riders can be a thing."

By that point, Kevin had gotten up and made his way over, smiling down to the Baskurr as it wagged its tail happily. "Aw, you buggin' Team RWBY over here, girl? C'mon, let's get you some breakfast."

Not only did the hound follow Kevin eagerly, but Team RWBY were left astonished by just how quick she was to obey. Though what was more perplexing at the moment was… "Wait a second, since when do you have dog food on here?" Yang questioned.

"Bought some last night before we left the city." Kevin replied, taking a large bag out that showed a Shiba Inu on the front with lots of Japanese text printed across it. "I've got no idea what brand it is or what it says, but it'll do until we can get back home. I also bought this, too." He took out a large, stainless steel dog bowl and placed it down in front of the alien dog, who waited until her meal was poured out before she started scarfing it down. "Good girl. Man, you were starvin', weren't ya? Betcha Khyber never gave her nothin' to eat…"

"…That's terrible." Ruby scowled, her teammates agreeing wholeheartedly.

"Still, I'm amazed at how loyal she is to Kevin…" Weiss muttered.

It was then that Jaune entered the picture, with Team JNPR not far behind. "Heh, well it's not to us. After all, Kevin's the one who saved her."

The entirety of Team RWBY, as well as an overhearing Ilia, did a doubletake at the revelation. "W-Wait, seriously?!" the chameleon girl exclaimed. "You saved her?"

Kevin knelt down next to the alien dog, petting her neck gently as she ate. "Yep. While we were fighting Hazel, that idiot ended up burying her under a buncha rocks." Once she was done eating the Baskurr pulled her head up and licked his face. "Hehe, so I did what anybody would do. I dug her out and here we are."

"…Wow." Weiss muttered, sharing a guilty glance between Yang, Blake and Ilia. Subconsciously, all four girls knew what they had to do then and there. "…Kevin, we're sorry."

"Huh?"

"For us constantly ragging on you for the past few days." Blake explained. "You know, because of the whole Looma thing."

Yang rubbed her neck awkwardly. "Yeah, we've been kinda unfair to you, honestly. Ya didn't deserve all that crap from us."

Ilia bowed her head. "They're right. From now on, we'll drop the whole thing."

"Ah… thanks, ladies." Kevin smiled back. "And don't worry, no hard feelings here. Honestly, I kinda DID deserve at least some of what you said after I acted like such an ass."

"Heh, at least we can agree on that!" To everyone's surprise, it was Manny who said that, the Tetramand hybrid walking his way over to them. "Bro, I'm gonna be honest, I don't think I can a hundred percent forgive you for settin' me up like this…" His four-eyed gaze traveled down toward the Baskurr, which glared right back at him. "…But, I guess I can't exactly be mad at someone who'd go outta their way to rescue a dog." He offered a hand to Kevin. "So if anything, I'll let it slide. We cool?"

"…Yeah, we're cool, man." Kevin shook Manny's hand. "And again, sorry for getting you into it."

Manny simply gave a shrug. "Eh, I'll roll with the punches. Who knows? Maybe it won't be as bad as we think."

From off to the side, Gwen entered the picture and grinned at the two of them. "Now that's the spirit. Keep thinking those positive thoughts, Manny. They'll get you far."

"Heh, I'll try. So, you decided on a name for her yet?"

Kevin glanced down to his new pat and gave her some scratches behind her ear, which she immediately wagged her tail at. "Well, what I DO know is that it can't be just an ordinary dog name. Something normal just wouldn't fit her."

Ben finally inserted himself into the conversation, letting out a small chuckle. "Hehe, yeah, I mean, can you imagine us calling her something like "Sadie" or some other common dog name?" As if in response, the Baskurr let out a displeased grumble. "See? Even she doesn't like the idea."

"Yeah, we need a name that sound intimidating!" Yang slammed her fist into her palm. "Like Natasha."

"…Or maybe Luna?" Blake suggested. "Goes with her dark blue… coat? Armor?"

"Those names both sound REALLY cool, ladies." Kevin agreed. "…But I've actually had something in mind for a while…" He knelt down in front of his dog so that her eyes were on him when he asked; "How does… "Zed" sound to you?" The alien canine let out an intrigued whine and slowly wagged her tail again, showing that the name piqued her interest. "You like Zed then?"

"RAUF-RAUF!" The Baskurr licked Kevin's face without hesitation, which was all the answer he needed.

"Haha! Alright, Zed it is, then."

The others had to admit, though, the name was a quite the surprise. "Zed, huh?" Nora tilted her head. "Isn't that more of a boy's name?"

Pyrrha wasn't too certain about it either, but she was willing to give it a shot. "Well, I suppose it could be gender neutral. Besides, it's short, sweet, rolls off the tongue and is easy for an animal to understand."

Ren nodded in agreement. "Hm, I think it sounds like a fine name, honestly."

Bouncing over to the canine, Ruby happily reached down and scratched her sweet spot. "Then allow me to officially welcome you to the team, Zed! Ooh, I can't wait to introduce you to Zwei, the puppies, Smokey—"

"Er, let's not dive head first into that that, okay, Ruby?" Zak requested. "Zed and Smokey already met and given how they reacted to each other on the ride back, I don't think we should rush her into any more meetings."

"Oh… right." Ruby winced, remembering how Zed and Smokey were nearly at each other's throats when they first boarded the ship. Thankfully the light speed jump ended up throwing both dogs for a loop, calming them before they landed. "Maybe it WOULD be best to take things slow with the introductions." She shook her head to get back on track. "So, anyways, now that we're all up, how about we get our day in Japan started?"

Across the room, Julie clapped her hands together, getting everyone's attention. "Exactly my thoughts there, Ruby. Gather around, people, it's time we plan out our courses for today."

…..

While some weren't sure of the idea at first, it turned out that Julie was right to want to form a plan of attack for their day of fun. Tokyo was a HUGE city, and therefore they likely wouldn't be able to explore it in its entirety in one day. So, she felt their best course of action would be to separate themselves into three groups in order so they could go to any part of the city of their choosing, then they'd get to share their experiences at the end of the day. With twenty-seven of them in total, there would be nine people in each group… which led to the more difficult part of deciding who went with which group.

"Alright, so I think it'd be best if our groups were each led by someone who speaks Japanese fluently." Cooper reasoned. "That way we at least have one person serving as an interpreter."

"Good idea." Julie agreed. "That means that you, Penny and myself will be chauffeuring. Now, have we decided on WHERE we want to go?"

Penny eagerly raised her hand. "Ooh! Ooh! I have! After doing some research, I've found that there's a beautiful park in Kichijoji called Inokashira that has some lovely natural scenery. AND… it is also home to a Capybara attraction!"

All at once, the redhead had Ruby and Gwen's undivided attention. "AH! Aw! Capybaras?!" Ruby cooed. "I wanna go see 'em!"

"Me too. Capy's just naturally give off good vibes and I could definitely use some of those right now." Gwen concurred.

From there, it didn't take long for others to want to join Penny's group as well. Kevin and Hope were all for it, as were Zak and Ilia, though the most surprising additions were Jaune and Pyrrha. "I don't think I've ever seen a Capybara before." the blonde knight noted. "Sounds like fun!"

"Indeed, and all the pictures I've seen of them are very adorable." Pyrrha nodded, cheerily clapping her hands. "I cannot wait to see a real one!"

With a welcoming nod, Penny accepted them into the group. "Very well, then! I believe that caps us off at nine!"

Julie took that baton and then handed it off to Cooper. "Alright then. Cooper, what about you? Did you have anywhere in mind?"

"I do, actually." The blonde genius set his sights down to his girlfriend, the two sharing a knowing smile. "We actually decided that we were gonna head to Ikebukuro last night."

"Mama's been itching to do some shopping." Coco rubbed her hands together with a devious smirk. "And apparently this Ikebukuro place is supposed to be one hell of a place for fashion. If anybody wants to some high-end shopping, then feel free to come aboard!"

Immediately, Weiss gasped and zipped up to the front of the crowd, with Rex's arm linked in hers. "AH! Take me with you!" the heiress practically begged. "I've been wanting to do some major shopping for DAYS now, but I just haven't found the time! Please, please, PLEASE, Coco!"

Rex sent the fashionista a pleading gaze. "Please accept, or else she'll probably collapse."

Coco snickered at her lower classmen's behavior, but did accept all the same. "Haha! Alright, alright, I hear ya, Weiss-cream. You're welcome aboard."

"YES!" Weiss threw her hands up into the air… and in the process, knocked Rex onto the floor. "AH! Rex, I'm so sorry!"

"No prob!" Rex raised a single finger. "I've been hit harder."

"I think I'll go as well." Velvet spoke up, wearing a bashful smile. "I've, um… been meaning to expand my wardrobe for a while myself. For, um… special reasons…"

Fox rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Translastion; she wants to look good on her next date with Cardin. Hehehe…heh…" But the long, dead silence was all the blind warrior needed to know that something was off… along with feeling like he was being pierced through by a pair of dangerous eyes. "…She's glaring right at me, isn't she?"

Blake winced as she stared at Velvet's uncharacteristically lethal expression, the bunny girl scowling straight at him. "…Yeah. In fact, just to try and calm her down, I'm gonna go with, too."

"Same here." Helen followed. "I'm down for a bit of shopping." She craned her head back toward Sun and Neptune, with her and Blake giving them inviting smile. "How about it, boys? You feel like tagging along, too?"

The two partners shared a glance and simultaneously nodded. "Yeah, we should go with." Sun resolved. "We might get stuck carrying the bags, but it's the right thing to do."

While Neptune gave a short sigh, he agreed as well. "Yeah… today's probably gonna be a long day, but it'll be worth it—oof!"

Before either of them knew it, their respective girlfriends came up and hugged them, no doubt a reward for their loyalty. "You guys are the best!" Helen beamed up at Neptune before giving him a smooch on the cheek.

"Yeah, thanks guys." Blake said as she pecked Sun on the lips.

"Well, okay then, that group's decided." Julie said definitively before turning to the remainder of the team. "So that leaves me with…" Her eyes landed on Ben, Yang, Ren, Nora, Rook, Manny, Fox and… the boy she had to break her neck in order to look up at.

But oh, it was well worth it to look at him. Ever since their little… encounter the night before, Julie knew full well that Yatsuhashi was an attractive wall of a young man. In fact, she'd go far as to say that she would be a fool NOT to notice. But the fact that he hadn't spoken once since that exchange made her all the more interested in picking his brain, so it was fortunate that he hadn't made any vies for the other groups. 'Now, I can try seeing what this guy's all about.' she thought to herself. 'I might be focused on my tennis career right NOW, but it never hurts to invest in the future.'

However, she was snapped out of her thoughts… quite literally when Yang snapped her fingers in front of her face. "Yo, Earth to Julie!"

"AH! O-Oh, Yang! Um… where was I?"

"That's kinda what WE wanna know." the Blonde Brawler fired back. "You've been staring off into space for, like, half a minute."

Julie's cheeks flushed bright red immediately and she hid herself in her purple hoodie, regaining her composure. "Oh god, I'm so sorry! I was lost in thought a-and I—"

Yang reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, wearing a knowing smile. "Hey, hey, it's okay. I get it…" She leaned in real close and whispered; "Every girl at Beacon has had that reaction to Yatsu."

And immediately, Julie denied the accusation. "I-I wasn't staring at—"

"Girl, ya totally were, and I'm not even blaming you for it." Yang winked. "You have ANY idea how many girls were all over Yatsu back home? He was literally carrying them back during our Vytal Festival."

"…I'm not sure how to feel about that."

"Oy, the point is that he's no stranger to it, so you shouldn't worry about it." Yang gave Julie a supportive pat on the shoulder. "Good luck, though. Yatsuhashi Daichi is notoriously hard to get. Trust me, many have tried."

Tilting her head, Julie couldn't help her curiosity when she asked; "Even you?"

"Hehe… I'll leave that up to you to think on."

Julie pouted at Yang as she stepped away. "Cheeky." She shook her head and got back on track, clapping her hands to get her group's attention. "Well, anyways, let's decide on where WE want to go! Have we made any decisions yet?"

Ben craned his head back to her and nodded. "Actually, yeah. We thought it'd be easiest to just stick around Shibuya for today."

"Indeed, I hear that Shibuya itself is home to many amazing sights." Rook continued, using his Proto-Tool to access the extranet and browse through potential sights. "For example, I am quite interested in this Samurai Armor Photo Studio, showcasing several different types of armor from many unique periods."

Manny rubbed all four of his hands together. "Yeah, an' I hear this is the place to be if you wanna chow down! Noodle shops, tasty treats, all-you-can-eats!"

"EEEEEEE! Yes, yes, YES!" Nora bounced up and down joyously. "I SO want to try every last bit of Japanese food I can get my hands on! AH! And—get this—I also heard that they make some crazy pancakes here!" The redhead's hands flew up to her cheeks in ecstasy. "Oh, I heard that they're supposed to be big and fluffy, like a pillowy cloud!"

"…Sounds more like a soufflé than a pancake, honestly." Ren commented.

"Well, it's MOSTLY pancake!" Nora argued, but gave her best friend a wink. "Or are you trying to discourage me from eating it because you're afraid they'll be better than YOURS, Renny?"

The green ninja huffed, holding his head up with pride. "Hmph! That's totally ridiculous. I don't think I ever have to worry about you defecting from my recipe." Ren stated confidently.

Nora couldn't help but grin from ear to ear before bringing Ren into a soul-crushing hug. "Yeah, you're totally right!" As she cut off Ren's circulation with her embrace, her focus shifted over to the two remaining Team CFVY members. "So, Fox, Yatsu, you guys in?"

"Sure!" Fox slammed his fist into his palm. "I'm always down for some good chow!"

"And I'm interested in that Samurai Armor place that Rook mentioned." Yatsu continued. "After last night, I…" But he trailed off when he realized what he was about to say, briefly eyeing Julie quickly to see if she caught it. Thankfully, she was more perplexed than anything, so he went on to salvage it. "…I've been interested in learning more about the culture of this nation! Haha, I-I mean, there must be more to it than anime and monster attacks, right?"

His words actually made Julie smile a little bit and she approached… though she took note of how his back went ridged when she did. "That's quite true, Yatsu. And don't worry, so long as all of you are with me, I'll make sure you guys are properly educated on this great country. But first, there's something ELSE I have to properly educate all of you on before we leave." She took up the remote for the ship's holo-screen projector and clicked the big button in the center, bringing up a hologram in the center of the bridge… that depicted a highly complex map of some kind. "Ladies and gentlemen, behold; a map of Tokyo that follows the routes of Japan's famous Shinkansen. Also known as… the bullet train."

…..

It took over an HOUR for Julie's full explanation of how the Shinkansen worked. She went over where everyone's individual trains would be, what the optimal time to board them was, and of course, how to get their own passes FOR the train itself. …And even then, the team STILL weren't a hundred percent certain they knew how to traverse the railways. Thankfully, though, the two most important members for each group; the guides, managed to retain the information. Cooper and Penny would lead their respective groups onto their designated trains to Kichijoji and Ikebukuro without fail, much to Julie's relief. And it was there, outside of Shibuya Station, where their day of fun could finally begin.

"Alright, so before we do ANYTHING in the city itself… there's one place where we're absolutely required to visit." The young woman, with Ship nestled over her shoulders like a neck pillow, led the group to a secluded area just outside of the main station. "It's basically a necessity if you're visiting Shibuya, and it's right over here."

Ben, Yang and the others were curious, but things were made a lot clearer once Julie showed them what she meant. At least, it was for Ben and Manny, who were familiar with what they were seeing. "Oh… right." Ben peered up to the statue that Julie brought them to with a sympathetic gaze. "…We should pay our respects."

"Gah, man…" Manny put a hand to his head. "You tryin' to get me all emotional like this? Really?"

Rook and the Remnant teens, however, were still a bit confused. Before them on a large pedestal was a bronze statue of a dog. An Akita dog, to be precise. It had a proud air to it as well, as if this dog was standing vigilant in that exact spot. "Um… I'm kinda afraid to ask, but… what is this?" Yang questioned.

However, Rook suddenly felt a realization, and he spoke up; "Wait… I believe I have heard of this. This is the dog who remained loyal to its master, even after his death, correct?"

"That's exactly right, Rook." Julie confirmed, extending her hand up to the statue. "Everyone… meet Hachiko. The little dog who came to Shibuya Station every day awaiting his master's return home from work. Unfortunately, one day, his master would die while he was at work and never came back… but that didn't stop Hachiko from waiting. He came back every day for nine years after his master's death… right up until the very day he himself passed away." She set her sights up to the statue with a sad smile. "And here, this statue sits as a way to commemorate Hachiko's unending loyalty, to the owner who he loved so much."

…And just like that, there wasn't a dry eye left in the house. The boys were doing their best to keep themselves composed, but when it came to Yang and Nora, neither of them could hold back. "BWAH-AHAHAHAAAAAWW!" Nora fell onto Ren's shoulder and practically bawled her eyes out. "Th-Th-That's SO BEAUTIFUL!"

"Snf… dammit." Yang grumbled. "Why do good dogs always have to go through tough shit? …D-Does anybody have a tissue or something?"

"I do." Ben pulled out a small packet from his pocket and handed it to his girlfriend. "A woman was passing these out on the street."

That gave Yang pause, but she took the tissue packet anyway. "H-Huh? Just for free?"

"Yeah, apparently they do it a lot around here." Ben noted the name of a business printed on the packet. "Seems like it's good for promoting places around here."

Yatsu approached the Hachiko statue himself… which he could very nearly look in the eye. "All the same, that really was a beautiful story." He smiled down to Julie and bowed his head in gratitude. "Thank you for taking us here first, Julie. I can tell that this is quite the special landmark."

"It is. And you're welcome." Julie bowed her head back before facing out toward the Grand Crossing… which was still somewhat wrecked from the battle yesterday. More astonishing, though, there were already roadworkers out to repair the damages. '…A detour might be necessary.' she resolved. "Ahem, but of course, this is far from where our tour ends. Come on, let's take some pictures with Hachiko and then get on that train ourselves."

"W-Wait, why?" Ren gestured out to the city. "Shibuya's right there, isn't it?"

"Yes, but there's a different PART of Shibuya that I want to take you guys to. Now come on, the train awaits!"

And thus, the group boarded their own train, though to where, they could only guess. While initially most of them were worried about getting on the train given their popularity, they thankfully had ways to circumvent being recognized. Ben had a simple disguise; he removed his jacket, swapping it out for a white hoodie he bought the night before, and then put on a pair of sunglasses. Manny and Rook had their I.D. Masks, so there would be no need for them to worry either. That seemed to be enough to not garner too much attention… though they still received astonished stares from time to time.

"Hopefully these people realize that we're trying to be incognito and not suspicious." Ben mumbled to himself.

"Oh, I'm sure they do." Yang reassured. "I mean, if some DO recognize us, they would've had us swarmed by now."

Julie peered over her shoulder and gave the couple a reassuring nod. "Don't worry. During the day, things are actually a lot calmer, what with people actually working. I think the big reason why we got swarmed last night was because so many students were out."

"Hm, good point." Fox piped up. "So, uh… where's this train goin', anyway?"

A small smirk came to Julie's lips. "Oh… you'll see. I think you guys are gonna get a BIG kick out of this…"

It wasn't long before the train reached its destination. In fact, Ben and the others surmised that it only took about five minutes. They followed Julie off and instantly saw a sign telling them where they are. "Harajuku?" Nora scratched her head. "Wait, I thought we were exploring Shibuya?"

"We ARE, Nora." Julie clarified. "Harajuku's a smaller district inside of Shibuya. I told you that Tokyo's a big place, didn't I? Now come on, you wanted to try out those fluffy pancakes, right?"

Nora gasped and vivaciously nodded her head. "AH! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"

"Hmhm, then follow me. There's only one place around these parts that specializes in tasty treats like that." The group followed Julie out of the station and they walked along the streets for a while… before coming across one that was particularly busy. The buildings were rather colorful and there was a large sign arching over it, the street's name proudly displayed for all to see. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Takeshita Street! If it's retro style or sweet food, you've come to the right place!"

"Woah!" Yang couldn't even tell where to go first, there was so much to see. "This place is insane!"

Fox put a hand up to his ear. "I'll say. I'm getting sensory overload just from standing here. How busy IS this street?"

"Well, it's a LOT less busy than it could be since it's a weekday." Julie answered. "Why do you think I wanted to get you guys here early? We gotta beat the afternoon rush. Now let's go. There's lots to see and do here."

From there, the group split up and set out to do their own things. Julie, Yang and Nora's first stop was a retro fashion shop with tons of different styles and accessories to choose from. Yang in particular noticed that a recurring item throughout the store were frumpy sweaters… and bows. Lots and LOTS of bows. 'Man, Blake probably would've gotten a kick out of this place.' The Blonde Brawler did take notice of some cute bracelets, though, so she started trying them out.

"Hey, Yang!" Perking her head up, Yang spotted Nora… who was holding up a pink and white plaid dress with a matching bow. "Whaddya think? Think Ren would like it?"

Truthfully, Yang wasn't too sure about it herself. "Er… Nora, don't you think it'd make you look a little… kiddish?"

Nora eyed the dress for a second before wincing a little. "Hmm… yeah, you've got a point. All I'd need is an oversized lollipop and I'd be like an eight-year-old. Gimme a sec, I saw something else!"

The Pink Dynamo rushed off in the other direction, right as Julie came up to Yang with her own find. "Hey, Yang, check these out." Pulling her hair back, Julie revealed a pair of dangly, diamond-shaped earrings with teal stones in the middle, taking the Blonde Brawler by surprise. "Ta-da! Whaddya think?"

"Oh, girl, those things are head-turners." Yang assured. "Find the right hairstyle to show them off and you'll get everyone's attention."

"Ah! I'm so glad you think so!" Julie took the earrings off and brought out their case. "'Cause I already bought 'em!" The two girls erupted into delighted laughter, all without noticing that Nora had returned. But when they did, their focus was immediately on the dress she was holding… though they weren't exactly sure if it was good or bad. "Uh… Nora? What is that?"

It was a black and pink dress with a heart-shaped cutout in the chest for the wearer to show their cleavage. It also came with a pair of long, black gloves, and matching black stockings. There was also a bow that had zig-zag patterns along the edges, which matched the pink lightning bolts that went around the skirt. "Well, whaddya think of THIS?!"

"…I think you may get in trouble if anyone back home sees you in that." Yang muttered.

"Aw, come on! I think it's fun!"

Julie tapped her chin as she continued staring at the dress. "I mean, theoretically… it DOES seem like something you'd wear, but… wow."

That's when Nora gave her a wink. "Ah, but see, I wouldn't wear this in public. This would be something for Ren's eyes only."

"Oh, are you two dating?"

"…Not yet, but I'm working on it."

Letting out a sigh, Julie turned back to her blonde friend. "I dunno, Yang, I think we should just let her buy it. If anyone asks, she just needs to say she bought it in Japan and everyone will just accept it."

As much as Yang wasn't certain about the idea… she knew for sure that Nora wouldn't forgive her if she said no. "Hah… okay, Nora. You can get this one." Instantly, the redhead started bouncing up and down, but Yang quickly added; "BUT you've gotta make sure that it's ONLY seen by Ren… and the girls if you want. Anybody else is a no-go."

Nora saluted without question. "Aye-aye, Yangarang!"

Once everyone had what they wanted, they bought their items and left she shop to move on to the munchies. Thankfully, it didn't take long to find the boys at all… namely because they were already chowing down on food. "Ah! Guys, really?" Julie exclaimed. "How in the heck did you get to the food so fast?"

"Well, we got done with our stuff pretty quick, honestly." Ben answered… with what appeared to be a tiny toy lion in one hand and a pizza-stuffed crepe in the other. "I always wondered what it'd be like to use an actual Gashapon machine and honestly? Pretty fun!"

Manny, meanwhile, had at least two rings on each hand… that depicted the rear end of a cat sticking out. "And man, they have THE weirdest shit in those vending machines." Also in each hand were fried hot dogs on sticks that were covered in sugar, which he took a bite out of one to reveal that it was also stuffed with rainbow-colored cheese. "Mmph, an' the food they sell is even weirder, but it tastes SO damn good."

"I must agree." Rook stated… as he held a long stick that had a fried potato that was wrapped around its entire length from top to bottom. "Such strange design…" *crunch* "Mmm… but quite the exquisite taste."

"…Okay, I will admit, that IS kinda cool." Yang smirked. "But still, really? Nothing for us?"

"Ah, I knew you'd say that." From behind his back, Ben pulled out another crepe and handed it to his girlfriend, revealing it to be chocolate and cream-filled. "Here you are my dear."

There was no wasted time between Yang's hand and the crepe, the blonde eagerly taking hold of it. "Oh-ho-ho, Green Boy, you read my mind." She bit down into it and was instantly taken on an explosive flavor journey, smiling to the point where she reached up to her cheek to make sure she could still feel it. "MMMMHMHMHM! Oh my gosh, yesh."

"I have to say, I'm impressed, boys." Julie admitted. "I didn't think you'd be able to order anything here without much help."

Manny gave her a shrug. "Hey, you'd be surprised how helpful just pointin' at something on the menu can be."

Rook added further; "Also, a surprising amount of the vendors here actually speak fluent English. I have a feeling that tourists are abundant in this area."

"…Yeah, that's fair." One quick glance around, though, and Julie couldn't help but notice that they were three heads short. "Hey… where's Ren, Fox and Yatsu?"

"Oh, Yatsu and Fox are over at that place." Ben pointed out a larger building with a staircase on the side. "Apparently there's some cool cotton candy that they wanted to pick up. As for Ren, he said he'd text us once he—"

*bleep-boop*

The hero was cut off when his phone sounded in his pocket. He pulled it out and opened his messages, and sure enough, it was Ren. "Ah, there it is. He found it."

Nora was naturally curious as to what her best friend was up to. "Whaddya mean "he found it"?"

Ben pulled up Ren's location on his phone's map, ushering the others to follow him. "Oh, you'll find out, Nora. Trust me, you're gonna be thanking him a LOT when we meet up. Manny, text Yatsu where we're gonna be, 'kay?" The Tetramand hybrid did so and then they were off down Takeshita Street, passing by several shops and food stores along the way that all seemed extremely good. However, when they arrived at their destination, it was a place that left Nora salivating the moment she saw it.

It was a small, pink building with little white tables out front with fancy metal chairs, as well as a white and pink-striped awning over the doorway. And, already sitting at one of the tables, was Ren himself, who wore a relieved smile at the sight of his friends. "Ah, good, glad you guys found the place." the green ninja sighed.

"Ren… where are we?" Nora questioned.

"You wanted to get your hands on some fluffy Japanese pancakes, right?" Ren raised his arms. "Well, I managed to find a place that sells them. Welcome to the Sweetie Maid Café. A place that sells exclusively deserts… at least I'm pretty sure that's what it is." He peered down to his table. "When I showed up, the ladies running the place literally placed me in this seat and handed me a menu, so I can't tell if they're desperate for business or just really enthusiastic."

"Probably the latter." Julie figured. "Maid Cafés like this usually have really high-energy staff." She turned to Nora with a happy smile. "But hey, would ya look at that? We're getting to do what you were hoping for, Nora!"

The hyper redhead was smiling as well… but it was more crooked and her teeth were clenched as if she were upset. "Yeah… but did it HAVE to involve Renny getting manhandled?!" she seethed.

Yang quickly took hold of her shoulders and eased her into a seat. "O-Okay, calm down. Let's not fly off the handle. Why don't we finally see what the hype is around those pancakes?"

Thankfully, it didn't take long for a maid to come back out, and while she was surprised at the sudden influx of customers, she wasn't about to complain. Once Julie relayed their order, it was only a matter of time before the pancakes were brought out… and they were quite the sight in and of themselves. Each plate had two pancakes on it and while they weren't huge in terms of circumference, their poofy, soufflé-like fluffiness more than made up for it.

"Oh… my god." Manny uttered as he poured syrup along the pancakes, and to his surprise, they didn't fall immediately. "It looks like a cloud."

"Mmm, I'll bet it tastes like one, too." Ben said before giving a nod to Nora. "Well, you get first bite, Nora. You're the pancake expert, so tell us how it is."

Despite her earlier doubts about the place, Nora had to admit, she got excited when she saw the ladies bring out the floofy pancakes. And, after lathering them in the appropriate amount of syrup, she took up her fork and cut into the pastry. As she expected, the inside was just as puffy as the outside, and the syrup falling into the little crevices as she cut into it was perfect. Once it was on her fork, she brought it up to her mouth and bit down… and just like that, she was sent on a flavor trip that both enticed and befuddled her tastebuds.

On the one hand, yes, it WAS a pancake, taste and all. But the light texture managed to leave Nora reeling in confusion. It was so familiar, but foreign at the same time… and she LOVED it. "Mmm-mm-MMM! Oh my gosh!" Like Yang before, she brought her hand up to her cheek as she savored the pastry's flavor. "It'sh sho goooood!"

Just like that, everyone started digging into their own pancakes and the consensus was agreed upon; they were pretty damn good. "Oh… oh gods." Yang wiped off a drip of syrup from her lip. "I'm gonna get a cavity by the end of the day, I swear."

"Worth it." Ben shook his head. "SO worth it."

"God, I WISH the portion sizes were a lot bigger." Manny said as he practically shoved half of one in his mouth. "Hmph, these things are to DIE for."

"They have somehow combined the flavor of a pancake with the texture of… a cloud." Rook deduced, plucking another piece into his mouth. "And the result is… incredibly satisfying."

Finally, Ren took a bite of his own… and even he had to admit, it was delectable. "Mmm… not bad. Though I still think my recipe can't be beat."

Nora smiled and sent a wink over to him. "Don't worry, Renny. I know that for a fact. Nothing could replace your pancakes." Her best friend smiled back and the two simply… stared at each other for a moment or two, only to turn away with slight blushes upon their cheeks.

"Are they always this flirty?" Julie whispered to Yang.

"Oh, you have NO idea." Just then, though, the Blonde Brawler spotted the unmistakable tower of a man that was Yatsu coming down the street and she waved him down. "Hey! Yatsu, Fox, over here!"

"Ah, there you are!" Yatsu waved back as he and Fox came through the small crowd… with both of them holding HUGE rolls of Rainbow Cotton Candy. The flossy treats were bigger than their heads, and they were layered with each color in a fat cone shape. The group's jaws fell to the floor at how big they were. "Glad we managed to find you guys."

Ben pointed at their treats and shouted; "Dude! I hope you plan on sharing those!"

Fox scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Pfft, of course we do. Sheesh, if we ate all of this ourselves, we'd definitely get sick."

Yang couldn't help but rub her lower jaw. "Yep, definitely gonna get a cavity."

Once the two Team CFVY members were seated, Yatsu noticed what they were all eating. "Ah-ha, so this is what Ren went searching for. How do they taste?"

"Like heaven." Manny said while offering his other pancake up. "Here, you should try it, man."

"Indeed." Rook pushed his own plate over to Fox. "Feel free to have the rest of mine as well."

Fox eagerly grabbed a fork and went to chow down. "Hah, thanks man!"

As everyone continued eating, Julie couldn't help but smile all the while. This was exactly what she had been hoping for when taking her group to Harujuku; good times, good food, and good friends to share it all with. 'I'd say this little excursion was a great success.' Julie thought to herself as she watched everyone talking and laughing while enjoying their food. 'Now I just hope everyone else is having a good time, too.'

…..

Across Tokyo, meanwhile, in the city of Kichijoji, a certain Hooded Huntress found herself strolling through a beautiful park with her friends, all while munching down on some of the most delicious treats she'd ever had. In her hand, Ruby held a stick that was skewered with colorful food balls of various different flavors. Apparently, it was called "Mochi" and this kind specifically was the ice cream variety. One bite in and it was very apparent that this was unlike ANY ice cream that she'd ever had, and it was fantastic. "Mmm-MMM! You've gotta hand it to the people of Japan, they know how to make some awesome food."

"Yeah, Japanese food IS pretty unique." Zak said as he took a bite of his own mochi, though his was of the fried potato variety instead of ice cream. "Mmm, so savory…"

"Wish we had some of this kinda stuff back home." Jaune said after swallowing a bite of his own potato mochi. "Feels like the only thing we have that's remotely close to it is the noodles, but even then, the ones here are SO much better."

Glancing over her shoulder, Hope raised an eyebrow to him. "Even though you had your ramen out of a cup?"

"Hey, if they can make cup ramen THAT good, then that's saying something." Jaune countered.

"Fair enough." Hope focused back on her own ice cream mochi, though her bites were slower and more deliberate. "Still, I feel like if we gorge ourselves on food, we're gonna end up too tired by the time we get to this Capybara Café. Which, by the way…" She set her sights over to Penny. "Are we getting any closer to it?"

Peering back to the mage, Penny shook her head. "Nope! We're nowhere close to it." The group almost facefaulted, but remembered that they were carrying food and backtracked on that. "I figured it'd be nice if we took a nice stroll through Inokashira Park to get there, so we're going the long way around."

"Hah, well, I guess I can't fault ya there, Pen." Kevin sighed

"But please, in the future, tell us your plans beforehand." Pyrrha requested. "Otherwise, we'll all just get confused."

Penny raised her head, putting a thoughtful finger to her chin. "Ah, yeah, I probably should've done that from the start. Sorry!"

Gwen shook her head and proceeded toward the massive park, where they could already see tons of people hanging out or strolling through. "Well, we DID want to go through here anyway, so how 'bout we make the most of it?" She pointed out the multiple paths before them and said; "Let's split off into groups of three and meet back up at the other end. That way we'll be able to have our own little experience walking through, huh?"

The group were actually quite keen on that plan and split off, with Ilia, Ruby and Penny going down the very center while the guys and the rest of the girls took the side paths. As they went along, the girls couldn't help but admire just how vibrant everything was. "It's hard to believe that a place so green is just in the middle of the city." Ilia commented as they passed by a river, where they could see a small family of ducks floating past. "And with a surprising amount of wild life to boot."

"It's quite amazing, that's for sure." Penny spotted a park bench and pointed it out to the others. "Why don't we pause here and finish our mochi? Then, once we arrive at the café, we'll be ready to eat again."

"Not a bad idea, Penny." Ruby agreed, leading to the trio taking their small break. Even then, once they finished their mochi, they couldn't help but stay on the bench for a bit longer, taking in the lush scenery. "Ah… this place is beautiful."

"Yeah, really puts my mind at ease and—" However, Ilia cut herself off when she heard something approach from behind, her senses now on high alert. The steps were slow and soft, almost as if whoever was approaching didn't want them to know they were coming. "…Girls?" Ruby and Penny eyed Ilia with concern. "Be careful. There's someone coming our way."

Ruby pursed her lips worriedly. "Who do you think it is?"

"I don't know, but on the count of three, let's turn around and take them by surprise." Ilia received a nod from both girls, letting her know to go through with the plan. "Alright. One… two… three! NOW!" The ladies jumped to their feet and whirled around, shouting right in their stalker's face. "GRAAAHH!"

"AH!" They didn't get a clear view of him at first, but they did see him fall over, meaning that their plan worked. "Ach! What was that for?!" he shouted indignantly.

Ilia was taken aback by the man's response, but she wasn't about to back down. "What do you mean "what was that for"? You were sneaking up on us!"

At that point, the man had gotten back into a seated position on the ground… and that's when they were able to see his face. He was a rather handsome Japanese man, even as he gave them an irritant glare. His brown hair was tousled and he wore a pretty well-kept black suit for being out in the park. His undershirt was a striking magenta, and around his neck, he had a camera that he was currently clutching onto. "Sneaking? Miss, I'm a photographer!" he retorted. "I was on a stroll through the park and taking pictures when you three startled me."

His explanation immediately made the three girls feel a bit guilty for what they'd done. "A… A photographer?" Ilia muttered.

"Oh my gosh, sir, I am SO sorry for what we did." Ruby went forward and offered a hand to the man. "Can I help you up?"

"Hah… that would be appreciated." The man excepted her hand and Ruby hoisted him up, which took him by surprise. "Woah… huh. You're surprisingly strong for your size, young lady."

Ruby wore a bashful smile at his compliment, rubbing her head sheepishly. "Aw, well… I kinda need to in my line of work."

The man's expression became curious, but then his eyebrows rose up as he connected the dots in his brain. "Wait a second… you three are part of that superhero team, aren't you? The… Omni-Hunters, correct?"

"Exactly, sir!" Penny saluted. "And three very proud members, at that. My name is Penny Polendina!"

"My name's Ruby Rose, leader of Team RWBY!" the Hooded Huntress waved.

Ilia bowed her head to the man. "And I'm Ilia Amitola… sorry for scaring you. We usually try to keep our guard up and when we heard you approaching, I assumed the worst."

The man nodded in understanding. "Ah, you thought I was a villain or some other unpleasant person. Well, I suppose that's reasonable. You three being by yourselves could leave you wide open to attack." He bowed his own head back to her. "I accept your apology, but also please accept mine for not speaking up and making my intentions clear."

"O-Oh, no, it's fine!" Ilia assured. "You probably come here WAY more than we do."

"Actually, this is my first time here in a while." the man let go of his camera, letting it hang loosely around his neck as he put his hands in his pockets. He strolled forward toward the river, leaning over the wooden guard railing. "I'm what you might call a "traveling photographer". I've been all across the world searching for the best scenic spots to take pictures at." He peered back over his shoulder at them with a slight smirk. "Just a passing through so-and-so, you might say."

"Ooh, a traveling photographer, huh?" Ruby stepped up next to him, eager to hear more. "You must've been to a lot of places then."

The man nodded with a slight chuckle. "Hmhm, oh, SO many. I've almost lost count at this point, but I remember every single one." It was at that point that his eyes widened again, realizing something else. "Oh! Damn, I got so caught up in everything that I didn't introduce myself." Once more, he bowed his head to them. "Please, call me Kadoya. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Kadoya-san…" Ruby returned the bow. "Nice to make your acquaintance."

Propping his back against the railing, Kadoya turned his full attention onto Ruby. "So, you said that you're the leader of the Omni-Hunters, eh, Ruby?"

Ruby's eyes widened and she immediately corrected him. "O-Oh, no, no, you misunderstand! I'm the leader of my own team within the bigger Omni-Hunter team. It's a team with my friends, Weiss and Blake, and my sister, Yang. Together, we're Team RWBY!" However, as she said that, her smile became a bit more uncertain. "Although… it kinda feels like I haven't been doing much leading lately. Honestly, most of the leading is done by Ben since our individual teams rarely operate by ourselves these days."

"Ah, see, I had a feeling that Ben Tennyson was the overall leader of your group." Tilting his head, Kadoya couldn't help but inquire further; "Although… it sounds as if you'd rather take charge once and a while, hm?"

"W-Well, I don't wanna seem pushy or anything!" Ruby waved her arms in denial. "Ben's honestly a great leader, and I wouldn't trade him for anyone else!" Even so, her expression was still unsure. "But… it would be kinda cool to lead a mission or two by myself."

Penny and Ilia went up to Ruby to show their support. "Well, Ruby, you should ask him if you could." the redheaded android encouraged. "You have fantastic leadership skills, I've seen it firsthand!"

"Yeah, Ruby, I'm sure you'd do great leading a mission." Ilia added with a smile.

"Hah… I dunno, though." Ruby's shoulders slumped. "It kinda feels like… I've been referring to Ben so long that I don't know how good I'd actually do."

Kadoya hummed in thought before interjecting. "Well, Ruby, in a case like yours… I honestly don't know how much help I'd be personally. I'm mostly a solo act, so leadership isn't exactly something I have too much experience with." However, he raised a single finger. "But… I HAVE seen plenty of good leaders in action, and they all had one thing in common."

Her interest piqued, Ruby focused all of her attention straight on Kadoya. "Really? What's that?"

"They held the respect of their peers." Kadoya answered. "And they were able to command that respect without question. A leader must be able to give orders, and no one will follow those orders if they don't have your respect." He pointed a finger straight to Ruby. "So my question to you, Ruby Rose, is that do you think you have that respect?"

Ruby blinked a couple times, thinking the question over before looking to her friends. "Well… I think I do."

Ilia rolled her eyes and placed her hands on Ruby's shoulders. "Ruby, of course you do. We ALL respect you, don't we, Penny?"

"Most certainly!" Penny agreed, moving over to give Ruby a reassuring hug. "Ruby, you're my best friend, of course you have my utmost respect."

A smile came to the young Huntress' face when she heard that. "Thanks, guys… still, I hope that I can still be an effective leader these days. I'm… a bit out of practice."

"Well, if you need more pointers, I'm sure that Ben would help you if you ask." Ilia assured. "Gotta get that confidence back up, though."

"Listen well to your friends, Ruby." Kadoya piped up as he strolled past the three. "It'll get you far in the future, I'm sure." He raised two fingers in a farewell salute. "But, as for me, I've stuck around longer than planned. I need to get moving to my next destination, so… I guess I'll see you around."

"Oh!" Ruby bowed once again to the man before he left. "It was nice to meet you, Kadoya-san. And thanks for the advice!"

Kadoya smiled and nodded back to the three. "No problem. Perhaps we'll see each other again on the road. After all, like I said, I'm just a passing through so-and-so." He pointed a finger gun at the girls and winked. "Remember that." With that, Kadoya began making his way down the opposite end of the path, giving the three a final wave over his shoulder.

"Hm… there goes a really cool guy." Ruby mused as he left.

Ilia gave a small shrug. "Yeah, he was nice… though I couldn't help but get a weird vibe off of him." That earned her an enquiring glance from her friends. "I don't know, he seemed normal enough, but… it almost felt like he was a bit out of place."

Penny pondered on that a bit herself. "Hm… now that you mention it, he did seem to just appear out of nowhere…"

But Ruby shook her head. "Ah, you guys are being a buncha worry-warts." Starting her way down the path, the Hooded Huntress beckoned her friends to join her. "Now c'mon! The Capybara Café awaits!" Despite their lingering curiosity, Ilia and Penny couldn't help but smile from their friends infectious energy, following her down the path toward their next stop.

Behind a tree, meanwhile, Kadoya had hidden himself and watched as the girls ran off, his focus mainly on Ruby. "Miss Rose… I have a feeling your time as a true leader will come sooner than you think." Behind him, another silvery curtain appeared and he began to walk in. "Until then, keep your spirits up and your friends close. You'll never know when you'll need them most." Once he went through, the curtain disappeared, leaving no trace that Kadoya was ever there.

…..

Several miles away, in the city of Ikebukuro, Cooper's group had just arrived and were already walking along the busy streets, all of which were lined with clothing store after clothing store. To Coco and Weiss, this was like a dream come true. High fashion as far as they could see, it was almost overwhelming. To the point where they were literally at a loss for words, the two just staring and pointing out everything to each other.

It was enough to make some of the others concerned. "…Are they okay?" Helen asked.

"Yeah, Coco usually gets like this whenever fashion's involved." Cooper assured.

"And Weiss, too." Rex added. "I think this is the first time she's been shopping for fancy clothes in a while, actually."

Velvet started her way toward her teammate, hoping to snap her out of it. "Same with Coco, too. Still, if they stand here all day, we're never gonna get anywhere." She stood in front of the two and snapped her fingers in front of their eyes. "Oy! You two, snap out of it!"

Like clockwork, Weiss and Coco were jostled back to reality, the former heiress letting out a gasp. "Ah! V-Velvet, what was—"

"You two were basically in a trance." Velvet placed her hands on her hips. "If we don't get moving, we'll waste however much of the day we have left!"

Coco slapped her forehead, frustrated at herself. "Gah, dammit, you're right. Thanks, Vel." Turning back to the rest of the group, the leader of Team CFVY stomped her foot, bringing everyone's attention to her. "Alright, people, listen up! We've got until sundown to do as much shopping as we possibly can, so let's not waste anymore time! I think for an effective shopping experience, we should all split up and meet back at the train station by four o'clock. Sound good to you?"

Blake gave a single nod. "Yeah, sounds pretty reasonable. So, how should we split up?"

Weiss sent her teammate a knowing smile. "Oh, that's easy. Coco, Velvet, Cooper, Rex and I will be one group, then you, Helen and Team SN can be the other! Works out perfectly!"

Just then, however, a certain voice spoke up from a nearby alleyway. "Uh, might wanna put a moratorium on that kinda split, Weiss." The nine teens all whirled around in astonishment as, from out of the shadows, the Monkey King emerged, wearing a brown, frumpy cloak to hide his appearance. "See, I need to borrow the Pilgrim for a bit."

"M-Monkey King!" Sun exclaimed, only to be shushed by the celestial simian.

"Shh! Kid, I'm incognito."

"Oh, sorry!" the monkey boy apologized. "B-But where've you been? You just up and disappeared last night."

Wu Kong gave a guilty shrug. "Ah, yeah, I had some things I needed to take care of… and even more things to do today, actually." He extended a furry hand out to his pupil. "…And I was hoping you'd be able to tag along. I've got some pretty neat things to show ya that I think you'd get a kick out of."

Sun's eyes lit up immediately, though he made sure to keep his excitement as quiet as possible. "Woah, official Monkey King business? And you want ME to go?!"

At that moment, though, Blake interjected herself into the conversation. "Woah, woah, hold on there just a second." She crossed her arms and confronted the Monkey King, who was left surprised by her boldness. "Monkey King, I understand that Sun is your pupil and all, but we DID plan on spending the day together in Japan. So I don't exactly appreciate you trying to undermine those plans."

"…Oh, okay, I see what you're gettin' at." Wu Kong wore a smirk as he pointed his staff at Blake. "You wanna tag along, too, is that right?"

Blake's eyes widened at that, not expecting the offer. "O-Oh, um… not exactly what I meant, but… you'd really let me go, too?"

"Sure! The more the merrier! …Though the max I can bring is two people." He leaned in and whispered; "Don't want too many people knowing about this secret location, ya know?"

"I see…" Blake turned back to her friends. "Well… are you guys okay with it?"

After exchanging their own glances, the remaining teens gave their answer. "I mean, we're cool with it if you are." Neptune replied.

"Though hopefully it doesn't take TOO long." Weiss added. "After all, we don't want you to miss out on what we had planned at the beginning."

At that, Wu Kong raised a hand to them. "Oh, you won't have to worry about that. This'll only take, like, half an hour at most." He gave a thumbs up to the group. "We'll be there and back before ya know it! That's a promise from the Monkey King."

"Well… 'kay, I guess it's alright." Coco said. "Though I get the feeling that we won't be let in on any juicy deets when you get back."

Wu Kong shook his head. "Nah, sorry, but not yet. Gotta keep this place on the downlow and there are WAY too many people in Japan that could overhear." The simian winked to the group, though. "Don't worry, though. I'll make sure you guys are caught up once we get back home." Once everything was settled, he went back to the Faunus couple and readied his staff. "So, you both ready to go?"

"Yes, sir." the duo echoed… but Blake was faster on the draw. "Jinx, you owe me a soda."

"G-Gah! Dang, walked right into that one." Sun grumbled, even as Blake gave him a pat on the back.

The Monkey King chuckled and stepped between the two, stamping his staff upon the ground to create a golden glyph beneath their feet. "Alright, let's go! We can't keep a lady waiting!" Then, in the next instant, a blinding flash of golden light transported them to some place completely different. Instead of being surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the city, they were instead in the midst of tall trees, large, craggy rocks, and… a massive mountain that they couldn't even see the top of thanks to it being covered with clouds. "And here we are!" Wu Kong announced.

"Woah…" Sun and Blake's focus was squarely directed upon the mountain… though it didn't take them long to notice that there was a noticeable chill in the air, even with the sun beating down. "Oof… jeez, when'd it get so cold?"

"Well, going this far north WILL do that." Wu Kong spread his arms out across the area. "Welcome to Hokkaido, kids! We are now on the southern face of Mt. Yotei, also known as Fuji Ezo. The largest mountain of the Ezo mountain range."

Blake had to admit, it was an impressive sight. "Wow… so, wait a second." She tilted her head toward the Monkey King. "You said you were meeting a lady here? Please don't tell me we got dragged on some weird double date."

That got another laugh out of Wu Kong, who threw his head back in amusement. "HAHA! Oh, nice one, Blake. No, this ain't a date or nothin'. Just an annual check-in to see if what I left here is exactly the way I left it. Now c'mon, we've got a bit of a trek ahead of us."

The trio climbed up the mountain at a steady pace, though given their natural agility, they had less difficulty than some others would have. It wasn't long, however, until they came upon a mysterious tunnel in the mountain… that seemed to be caved in with rocks and boulders blocking the way. Wu Kong held up his staff and stopped the teens from going any farther. "Hold up, this is it."

"…This?" Blake scrunched her nose confusedly. "But it's blocked off."

"Hehe, that's the point. Gimme a sec." Planting his staff into the ground, Wu Kong sat atop it and began meditating, a golden aura appearing around him. With an intense focus that left Sun and Blake astonished, Wu Kong thrust his hand out and unleashed a powerful force into the tunnel, blasting away the rocks with a single strike. "Ah, and there we go." He hopped down from his staff and took it into his hand once more. "Shall we get going, then?"

The couple shared a look before following him in. "Y-Yeah, sure." Sun muttered.

"Just watch yourselves. The blockade will reset itself once we go in." Sure enough, once they all passed through the entrance, the rocks all glowed and returned to where they once were. The only light in the tunnel was Wu Kong's golden eyes, but even so, neither Blake or Sun had trouble seeing in the dark.

From there, they proceeded further into the tunnel, and after a few more minutes of walking, they reached a rather large, open grotto, a large hole in the ceiling allowing sunlight to shine in. In the center of the room, there was a small body of water in the shape of a ring, which surrounded a small, grass-covered peak that had a peach tree growing out of it. …And at the very top of that peak was, to Sun and Blake's surprise, a long staff that resembled Wu Kong's. The only difference was that this staff was black instead of red, but aside from that, it was nearly identical, golden clasps and all.

"Holy crap…" Sun whispered. "What is this place?"

Wu Kong came up and put a hand on Sun's shoulder. "This, Pilgrim… is the resting place of an old friend of mine." The Monkey King's eyes set upon the black and gold staff, letting out a short sigh. "Good. The Pillar of Heaven is still just as I left it."

"Pillar… of Heaven?" Blake repeated.

"Yep. Ya know how my staff was a, er… "gift" from the Dragon of the East's palace?" Wu Kong received a pair of deadpan stares at how he phrased "gift", but he moved on. "I'll take that as a "yes". Well, let's just say that this pillar is the same case. Only it originally came from the Jade Palace of Heaven itself. Heh, the Jade Emperor wasn't too happy that I had to use it, but I had no choice if I wanted to stop… my old pal."

That earned a raise brow from Sun. "Old pal? Monkey King, who're you talking about?"

Right at that moment, though, a new voice entered the conversation. "He speaks of the Demon Bull King." At first, neither Sun nor Blake could tell where the voice was coming from, but once Wu Kong craned his head up to the hole, it became obvious very quick. The two craned their heads up just in time to see a beam of bright light shine through the hole and into the center of the grotto, where a tall, beautiful Japanese woman stepped in. Her jet-black hair was done up in an ornate style, and her white robes with red and gold edging only made her radiate even more light. But nothing was brighter than the headpiece she wore upon her brow, which resembled a large, golden sun with rays of light shooting out all over. Her golden eyes set upon the Monkey King, regarding him with a calm demeanor. "Seiten Taisei. It has been quite a while."

"Hey-hey, Ama!" Wu Kong bowed to her in respect. "You're just as radiant as I saw you last."

"And I can see that you haven't changed much yourself, Great Sage. …Though I was unaware that you were bringing guests." The goddess' eyes trailed over to Sun and Blake, her gaze serious but also inquisitive. "I also did not take you as one for chaperoning children."

Blake couldn't help but furrow her brow at being called a child. "Hey, we're eighteen, miss. We're basically adults."

The goddess' expression changed to that of surprise, not expecting the young woman's bold retort. "Hm, I see. Well, I suppose since I'm thousands of years old, most mortals appear like children to me. Tell me, what are your names?"

Her comments didn't do much to improve Blake's mood, but the cat girl simply moved on to introduce herself. "My name is Blake Belladonna." She gestured over to her beloved blonde dork. "And this is my boyfriend… Sun Wukong."

"Heya." Sun saluted, all while the goddess stared at him incredulously.

"…Ah, I suppose that explains why you're accompanying Son Goku here." The woman eyed Wu Kong as she used his Japanese name, to which he simply gave a shrug. "But… now that you mention your names, they do sound familiar. You wouldn't happen to be part of those "Omni-Hunters" I've heard about?"

Giving a single nod, Blake confirmed the goddess' suspicions. "That's right."

"I thought so. Word has spread through the pantheons like wildfire about your achievements. It's all quite impressive." It was at that point that the goddess introduced herself. "In any case, I am Amaterasu, the Goddess of the Sun. Welcome to the Sealed Chamber, young ones."

Sun and Blake's eyes widened, as if the information allowed them to see her true radiance. "A Sun Goddess…" the monkey boy muttered. "Wow, that's so cool…" He trailed off as his eyes scanned the grotto. "So, the "Sealed Chamber", huh? Why exactly IS it sealed?"

"To keep a great evil trapped within its confines." Amaterasu gestured over to the iron staff sticking out of the small peak. "What you see there was once the top of Mt. Yotei, before The Great Sage Equal to Heaven planted the staff there… in order to seal away his great nemesis…"

It was then that Blake remembered what she said before; "The Demon Bull King. …Who exactly is that?"

"…Hah, someone who I once called brother." Wu Kong answered, returning to the conversation. "You see, kids, before I went on my journey to enlightenment, I was… not the best person. I mean, all the demons loved me, but I screwed around in heaven so much I might as well have started a rebellion. …Which I did. But not by myself." Shrinking his staff down to the size of a pen, Wu Kong knelt down onto the floor… and started drawing in the rock with it. "I made friends with six of the most powerful demons in the land, and together, we formed a brotherhood that was dead set on overthrowing the Jade Emperor. And we referred to ourselves as the Seven Great Sages."

Sun's eyebrows shot up in shock. "Woah, woah, hold on… is THAT where the whole "Great Sage Equal to Heaven" thing actually comes from?"

Wu Kong sighed as he stopped drawing, returning his staff to its regular size. "Yep. At first, it was all bluster, something to show that I was able of giving those in heaven a run for their money. But, as you can guess, there were six more of us." He pointed down to the floor, where he had etched seven drawings into the stone, depicting his sworn brotherhood. "First, there was the Azure Lion, the Great Sage who Drives Away Gods. Then, there's the Golden-Winged Peng, the Great Sage who Confuses Heaven. Next is Yellow Tusk Elephant, the Great Sage who Moves Mountains. These three have all been redeemed and now serve the Buddha with me."

Blake peered down at the trio of animal demons, very much interested in hearing more. "I see… and I'm guessing those other three weren't redeemed, then?"

"…No. They weren't." Wu Kong stated bluntly, moving on to the other half of the brotherhood. "Here we see the Flood Dragon King, the Great Sage who Overturns the Sea. Then…" The sage paused for a moment, his lips curling into a small snarl as the next name passed his lips. "…there's the Six-Eared Macaque, the "Great" Sage Informing the Wind."

The venom in Wu Kong's voice didn't go unnoticed by the couple, though. "Uh… M-Monkey King?" Sun stammered. "Y-You okay?"

"Hah… yeah, kid, I'm good." Wu Kong shook his head to move on. "Just… a really old and bad wound. Anyways, finally, we come to the one who's imprisoned here." He pointed his staff to the drawing of the bipedal bull who seemed to be wielding an axe. "The Great Sage who Pacifies Heaven, the Demon Bull King. He and I were once as close as you could get… which is ironic since my journey ended up screwing his family over the most."

"Really? How so?" Blake asked.

Wu Kong rubbed the back of his head with a small wince. "Well… I may have tricked his son into a life of servitude to the Boddhisattva Guanyin, killed some more relatives along the way and ended up helping his wife, Princess Iron Fan, achieve redemption." The teens could only stare silently at Wu Kong after his explanation, but even then, he wasn't done. "And if you could believe it, nearly all of that went out the window in one fell swoop!"

"Hm, indeed." Amaterasu said in disappointment. "That is part of the story that went untold in the book, correct? Because it happened FAR after the Journey's initial end."

The Monkey King pointed right at her. "On the money, Ama. Let's just say that… a little mishap with the Bull King's son's powers ended up bringing us together one last time. And once that was taken care of… Bull King and I had our final battle."

Amaterasu cleared her throat. "Ahem, which ended up spilling over into Hokkaido… or rather Ezo since it wasn't entirely part of Japan at the time. All the same, it was an event that caught the attention of several different pantheons, and by the time it was done, Seiten Taisei had sealed the Demon Bull King under this mountain…" Her sights went back to the Pillar of Heaven. "Though I'm still surprised that the Jade Emperor allowed you to use one of his palace's pillars to do it."

That made Wu Kong smirk. "Heh, well, he couldn't just ignore an order from the Buddha himself, could he?" Amaterasu rolled her eyes as the Monkey King focused back on his charges. "Anyway kids, that's pretty much the gist of my history with DBK…" He pointed straight to the heavenly staff. "And why THAT should under NO circumstances be removed. Because if it does… guess who's free to cause havoc again?"

"The Demon Bull King." Sun shook his head. "Yeah, that doesn't sound good AT ALL."

"Smart boy." Wu Kong encouraged. "Which is why you gotta make sure you can't tell the location of this place to anyone. If any demons were to get a hit on this place, especially the Demon Bull Family… well, you know what'll happen."

"Please, Blake, Sun, keep this location close to the chest." Amaterasu implored. "Only I and Wu Kong have access to this chamber, but should anyone manage to break through my protective barrier… we would see a dreadful power unleashed into this world, for sure."

Blake understood completely. "Got it. We'll make sure to keep our lips sealed about this place. …But question; would it be alright to inform our teammates about this whole deal with the Bull King? We won't share the location, we just want to make sure they know how important this is as well."

Amaterasu hummed in thought before giving her answer. "I don't see why not. Having the rest of the Omni-Hunters in the know would probably be helpful."

"Exactly." Wu Kong concurred, reaching his hands out to clasp the Faunus couple's shoulders. "Thanks for keeping this place secret, guys. I appreciate it." With a short sigh, the Great Sage grabbed his staff, preparing to bring forth another glyph. "Well, on that note, we should probably get you guys back to the others so you can actually ENJOY the rest of your day off."

"Heh, right." Sun chuckled, bowing to Amaterasu one last time. "It was an honor to meet you, Amaterasu."

"We hope to see you again." Blake added.

The Sun Goddess bowed her head back to them. "Yes, I hope so as well. And please, enjoy the rest of your time in my homeland. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed." Once everyone's goodbyes were said, Wu Kong created another glyph and transported them all out of there, leaving Amaterasu by herself. She narrowed her eyes at the black iron pillar one last time before she departed as well, thinking to herself; 'Demon Bull King… by the sun's radiance, I hope he stays buried under this mountain.'

But what she didn't see as she left, though… was a tall shadowy figure sticking around the outside of the mountain, one with glowing purple eyes, a long, prehensile tail… and six large flaps on the sides of his head, which seemed to actually be three sets of big ears. A small laugh escaped the figure's throat, and it was quite clear that the voice was male. "…Hehehe… I hear you~." he sang before disappearing into the forest.

…..

Once the Monkey King dropped Blake and Sun back off with the others, they picked right back up where they left off, beginning their shopping spree in earnest. By the end of it all, they were all very exhausted… but in a way that felt satisfying. Even Cooper and the other guys managed to find some shops that catered to their interests as well. And it wasn't just clothing stores either, but also stores that carried… certain merchandise. "Okay, how many Kamen Rider belt toys did you guys buy?" Weiss deadpanned, seeing all of the boxes they were holding.

"Hey, to be fair… these aren't ALL belts." Rex said as he and the others placed the boxes down on the picnic table they had met up at. He and Neptune proceeded to pull out two boxes, one depicting a white and red Rider with a helmet resembling a kitsune while the other was a shiny blue Rider with a pair of silver antenna, goggles on his head and orange, arrow-shaped eyes. The former was marked as "DX Desire Driver" while the latter was "DX Gotchardriver". "Only THESE boxes have the actual belts. The rest is all the gimmick toys that go WITH the belts." the EVO clarified.

Neptune then pulled out four small boxes that… seemed to resemble booster boxes for trading cards. "And cards! LOTS of cards for the Gotchardriver." Neptune pulled that box over to him and tapped a finger on the blue grasshopper Rider. "And yes, I picked this up solely because I vibe with this design. Blue, goggles, badass scarf? Kamen Rider Gotchard is like it was MADE for me to love."

"I can't believe they had so much Geats stuff on clearance." Cooper mused as he looked at the kitsune Rider box. "With how popular that show was, you'd think there'd be no Desire Drivers left to buy in Japan."

Weiss couldn't help but let out a sigh. "Hah, we come to Ikebukuro to do some actual shopping and yet we're still getting buried in nerdy stuff."

But in a snap, Coco pointed at her and chided; "Hey, you get no room to complain, missy. You were just as hyped up about Tech Head's little show last night as the rest of us."

The former heiress was about to retort… but realized that she couldn't deny it. "…Okay, yeah, you got me there. But still, don't you all think this is a bit much? I mean…" She reached into another bag and pulled out another box with what appeared to be a large mecha made of bugs on the front. "How many toys did you guys even BUY?"

"H-Hey, Blake and I agreed on these ones!" Sun said as he secured the box from her. "Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger is one of the BEST freaking shows ever."

"Yeah, no contest." Blake stood in solidarity with her boyfriend. "We've been watching it on our date nights and it is thoroughly entertaining." She tapped her finger on the box. "And honestly, all of the mecha on the show genuinely look cool, so we bought all of 'em."

Once again, Weiss found herself on the losing side of the argument. "Hah, alright. I'm not much into toys, but I guess I can get what you're saying. But on a different topic, we're meeting the others back in Shibuya soon, right?"

"Actually, I texted Julie and Penny earlier." Cooper spoke up. "I wanted all of us to make one last stop together here in Ikebukuro before we left Japan. Because honestly, I don't think there'd be anything more fitting for our final destination than what I've got in mind."

That piqued the group's interest immediately. "Really? And what's that, Cooper?" Velvet asked.

The blonde genius chuckled and gave her a wink. "Hehe, you'll see. It's a surprise. For now, let's just wait until everybody gets here."

And so, they did. For the next hour or so, the team patiently waited for Julie and Penny's groups to arrive, and once they did, the conversation immediately went to everything they did that day. Ben and his group recounted how their excursion to Harajuku went while Ruby and the others spoke of how fun the Capybara Café in Kichijoji was. "You should've see it!" the Hooded Huntress squeed in delight. "They were all so freaking adorable!"

"They WERE, oh my gosh, it was so cute." Gwen gushed as well.

"Hehe, well, glad you guys had a great time." Ben said as he glanced over to his girlfriend. "Guess we know where we've gotta go next time we come here, right?"

"Definitely." Yang approved. "But man, what a day…" She reached down to rub her sore knees. "My legs are runnin' on empty, lemme tell ya."

Julie leaned forward to look at the Blonde Brawler from her seat at the table. "Yeah, but it was worth it, right?"

"Oh, heck yeah." Reaching her arms above her head, Yang stretched her back out and gave a yawn. "Haaah… just hope whatever this last stop is that Coop has in mind is worth it."

Kevin shot Cooper an inquisitive eye at that. "Yeah, by the way, what IS this last stop you wanted to take us to anyway?"

A knowing smirk came to Cooper's face as he ushered for everyone to follow him. "Well guys, considering everything that happened last night, I think there's only one real way we can wrap up this experience in Japan. Everyone, follow me! It's time for lunch!"

And so, the entire team followed Cooper through the streets of Ikebukuro, all while he consulted the GPS on his phone for directions. Eventually, though, they made it… to a small storefront with a black and red outer wall. And, on a large sign above the doorway written in both English and Japanese, it read; "…Kamen Rider the Diner?" Ren said out loud, taking note of the various Kamen Rider decorations along the storefront.

"AH! No way!" Zak exclaimed, pumping his fists into the air. "I've always wanted to check this place out, but we never had the time when me and my family visit on business!"

"There's no way this place is a real diner… is it?" Hope piped up.

Gwen scratched the side of her head. "Well, it's right in front of us, so… I guess?"

"Oh, it IS an actual eatery." Cooper assured confidently. "It's one of many themed restaurants that Japan is so well known for. There's themed cafés for anime, pop idols, manga, and even animals." He raised an eyebrow to Hope. "After all, you guys went to one earlier today, right?"

"Ah… right." Hope affirmed, though she was still taken aback. "Still, I didn't think there'd be one based around Kamen Rider."

Nora, her excitement clear on her face, slid up to the door and almost went right in. "Well, I'm not surprised! Did you see how popular Coop was last night? It's obvious that Kamen Rider's a HUGE deal here. Now c'mon, let's go in and chow—"

"Woah, woah, hold your horses, Nora." Cooper halted. "Let me go in first." This earned him a slew of confused stares, but he quickly reminded them; "You said it yourself, I was pretty popular last night." He gazed into the window slightly to see many customers already inside. "And it seems like it's pretty busy in there, so… one second." The team could only watch as Cooper went inside, the door closing behind him. …Just a few seconds later, they heard loud, muffled ecstatic screaming coming from inside, causing a clamor which the Omni-Hunters could see through the window. Almost every customer had stood up and went straight to Cooper, and even the staff seemed to swarm him as well. After a few minutes of that, however, the door opened again and Cooper poked his head out… revealing his scuffed-up hair and face. "Hehe… we're good on seats. They're even bringing out a special menu just for us."

"…Alright, I'll admit, that's very impressive." Weiss conceded.

Ben smirked and raised a brow to Cooper. "Yeah, just make sure that fame doesn't go to your head, okay, Mr. Rider?"

"Oh, trust me, this is a one-time thing." Cooper asserted. "I just wanna make sure my friends have the best experience here that they can. Now c'mon, let's go… before I get trampled."

~Several Hours Later~

Later that night, the Omni-Hunters were treated to a banquet unlike any that most of them had experienced… after leaving the diner. "Note to self." A battered and bruised Cooper said as his friends enjoyed servings of sushi, meat, rice, curry and ramen around him. "Themed restaurants are good for the experience… not the food."

As she chewed on a piece of sushi, Coco gave her boyfriend a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Hey, at least you tried, babe. Now go on, eat your sushi." Cooper proceeded to fall headfirst into his plate, much to Coco's shock. "…Not exactly what I meant."

…..

A/N: Sorry, Cooper, ya tried. Yeah, even I'll admit, as cool as a place as "Kamen Rider the Diner" sounds, it also seems like the food is… less to be desired, unfortunately. Then again, that seems to be the norm for themed restaurants in Japan. Come for the atmosphere… not so much the food.

But aside from that, seems like the gang had a really awesome time in Japan! Julie led her group on a savory journey through Harajuku, complete with fluffy pancakes for Nora, Penny's team also had a tasty time while going to a Capybara café, and of course, Cooper's group went on a shopping spree. Overall, sounds like a pretty good time…

…However, as you can imagine, these excursions were FAR from normal. We've got Ruby, Penny and Ilia having an encounter with our new friend, Kadoya-san, for starters. And hm, seems like he was all too happy to lend some advice to Ruby about leadership, even if he doesn't seem like one. Still, who IS this mysterious man just passing through this world?

And then, of course, there's Blake and Sun's unexpected excursion all the way to Hokkaido and Mt. Yotei, where a secret chamber guarded by the Sun Goddess herself resides. …And it seems that Amaterasu herself is guarding the resting place… of the Demon Bull King. Yep, we're goin' there, people. And yes, like Lego Monkie Kid, I changed up the Seven Sages from the original book so that they're some of the more recognizable characters. However, I DID keep the Flood Dragon King, unlike the show which did away with him entirely. All the same, though… it seems that a certain six-eared simian was listening in on the conversation from the outside. He may not be able to get in… but could he be searching for a way to do so? And how did he go undetected by Wu Kong and Amaterasu? Quite the mystery indeed… we may have to brace ourselves going forward.

With that said, though, NEXT TIME! We've got a two-parter on our hands as our heroes deal with a reemerging threat. It seems that, with the Ministry going quiet, a certain cult of EVOs has decided to reemerge. Will the Omni-Hunters be able to get the upper hand on them this time? Well, we'll just have to wait and find out. Next time; Pack Mentality, Part 1. Thanks for reading, everybody, and I'll see you all later. And, of course, stay safe out there!