A/N: Morning one and all! Welcome back to the story, hope you're all doing well. It's new chapter time once again, and astoundingly enough, we've actually got a bit of a shorter one on the cards today! Yeah, surprised me too, but hey, we're still in for quite a bit of action with today's chapter, so let's not waste any time getting to it! Time for things to get HOT, this is…

Chapter 39: Near Meltdown

…..

Gwen had never felt this utterly tense before. Not even in some of the most world-ending scenarios she's been in with her cousin has the sheer feeling of anxiousness just overtaken her like this. The worst part of it was that she wasn't even in any danger, but she knew she was still in it big. And why was that? Because the Sixth Deadliest Man in the World was sitting across from her, his unrelenting gaze boring into her and judging her even as she simply looked back at him. 'Okay, now I definitely know how Rex feels.'

Since she had entered his office, Six had barely said a word to her and just kept staring at her, putting her under his scrutiny. Outside of offering her a seat, he didn't say anything as he analyzed her silently. Keeping his hands lanced and elbows propped on the desk in front of him, Six's sunglasses gleamed in the light, making Gwen all the more apprehensive as to what exactly he wanted. "Six, I—" Gwen quickly silenced herself as she saw his brows furrow, worried that she had upset him. "Eep!"

After a few more moments of silence, Six pulled his hands back, setting them on the table. "Gwen, do you know why I called you in here? Why I pulled you from today's mission?"

"Because of what happened last night. At least, that's what I'm assuming."

"Correct, but that's only part of the reason." Six stood up, placing his hands behind his back as he went over to the nearby caulk board. The agent stared at the board, which had several wanted posters with many different alien criminals, as well as a few Earth ones. "I called you hear because I wanted to try to understand why you did what you did. Why you would just so willingly let a known felon walk."

Gwen bit her lip, wondering why he'd be curious about this since she had already told him. "I… I already said why. Hope might've done some bad things in the past, but I can see that she has the potential for change." She set her eyes down to the floor. "I just… wanted her to be able to trust me."

"And you think that trust could've been earned by setting her free." Six nodded. "That, I understand. But what I don't understand is why you didn't think that getting her the help she REALLY needs would be the more beneficial option."

His words made Gwen blink in surprise. "W-Wait, what?"

Six faced her again as he continued. "Gwen, think about it; if what Charmcaster said about her search for runes is true, then she may have good intentions. But just because that's the case, that doesn't just erase what she's done in the past. Or even what she's doing now with this breaking and entering business." He saw the redhead glance away, feeling guilty, no doubt. "A crime is still a crime, no matter how one spins it."

As much as Gwen didn't want to admit it, Six WAS right. Still, with what Charmcaster told her in her room the night before, she still felt the need to vouch for her. "But… if what she's saying IS true, about the fate of the world being at stake, then it'd be better to have her help in this situation." She shook her head at the green-clad man. "And I doubt she'd be much help in a cell or the Null Void. Plus, even if we DID catch her, she'd easily be able to escape by magic."

"That's also true." Six affirmed. "But I'm not suggesting that she'd be put in a cell." This caught Gwen's attention as he explained. "The more practical solution would've been putting her on probation, like Swift. As I said, the Plumbers would be able to get her the help she needs if she does want to turn a new leaf." He pulled another chair up and directly in front of Gwen, making sure they didn't break eye contact. "I'm talking about therapy, rehabilitation, the kinds of things that people like her need to become a functioning member of society."

"What makes you so sure she'd go through that, though?" Gwen pressed further. "Swift was a juvenile delinquent. Hope is—" Six suddenly reached over to his desk and took up a yellow folder, handing it over to Gwen on the spot. "W-What?"

"Look inside." Six said simply. Gwen was perplexed, but wasn't about to say no to him, so she opened it up. What she found inside made her brows raise up in shock. It was a file, a juvenile detention hall file on none other than Charmcaster herself. "I did some digging on Charmcaster and her past crimes." Six pointed to the small picture of the sorceress' younger self, who didn't seem very happy. "And this file came up. Apparently she did time in a juvie hall near Salem, Massachusetts eight years ago. Even made an escape before being brought back." He raised a single brow at Gwen. "Sound familiar?"

"I… good god." The memories came flooding back to Gwen at that moment. That was the day when she and Charmcaster switched bodies. She had been the one to be taken to that juvie hall the first time, and was the one to make that escape before they were switched back. "So… that means…"

Six nodded to her. "Charmcaster WAS a juvenile delinquent. A criminal. No matter how you try to spin it, Gwen, I'm afraid that the evidence speaks for itself. And I get it, Charmcaster must have many regrets and mental scars from everything she's been through."

Gwen swallowed hard, her grip on the folder tightening a little. "She saw her people get wiped out. Had to live with her evil uncle for most of her life." She closed her eyes as she remembered those tough girls that she met in the juvie hall, and how they were angry at "Charmcaster" for leaving them behind when they helped her escape. "And living in a detention center like that… I can't imagine the kind of abuse she got there."

The agent nodded and extended a hand, placing it on Gwen's shoulder. "Which is why I say that she needs proper help. Making amends and earning her trust is a good first step, but there are several better ways you could've handled it, Gwen." He pulled his hand back and stood up. "And something tells me you know that, too."

Slowly but surely, Gwen nodded in agreement. "…You're right. I could have."

"But what's in the past is in the past." Six extended his hand down, offering a small smile. "So let's make sure to do better going forward, hm?"

Gwen was somewhat stunned for a second, but she quickly reciprocated the gesture, shaking Six's hand. "Right. Of course. Next time we see Charmcaster, we'll bring her in and explain the situation to her." Meanwhile, she thought to herself; 'And hopefully by then, she'll allow me to spill the beans about the little secret we've been keeping.' She bowed her head up to the man. "Thanks for the talk, Six." There was a momentary pause before Gwen smiled up to him nervously. "…Though I suppose this means we're not getting out of our punishment."

"Oh, no, you're ALL still going to be feeling the retrocessions from last night's fiasco." Six assured, getting serious again.

"Hah, yeah, figured as much. I—huh? Woah!" Just then, the floor beneath their feet started to tremble, forcing Six to sit back down and brace himself in his chair. Just as soon as it began, though… it mysteriously stopped, leaving both of them confused. "W-What just happened?"

Not a second later, the door burst open and Winter came barreling in, concern etched across her features. "Agent Six! We have an emergency situation." She shifted her eyes between him and Gwen, urging them to follow her. "You two need to come and see this."

Kevin poked his head into the room and shouted; "Trust me, it's bad. Bellwood's about to be ROASTED!"

…..

As that was happening, back in the suburban area of Bellwood, the Kineceleran kids were laughing and having fun playing Magna Street Hockey, passing along a bright orange puck across the road using their Magna Sticks. But, just as they were about to get to one of the trash can goals, they were blindsided by a flurry of flower petals, making them stop in their tracks. And just like that, the puck was now in possession of one Ruby Rose.

Ruby spun her magnetic metal pole in her hands with a confident grin. "Hehe, nice try, guys! But something tells me none of ya are faster than me! Catch me if you can!" The Kinecelerans bolted after her as she started rushing around, pushing the puck across the street with flurrying speeds. "Nora, heads up!"

With a precise strike, the puck was passed to Nora, who ran as fast as her legs could carry her toward their own goal. The Pink Dynamo wasn't as fast as Ruby, but she made up for that with her wide strides and how far she could jump from one point to another while keeping the puck in play. "Wa-hoo! Haha! WOO! Sorry guys, but I'm SUPER slippery!" She performed a cartwheel away from two of the Kineceleran boys, making them run right into each other before passing the puck along again. "Penny, your turn!"

"Oh no, you don't!" K8-E said as she rushed in to intercept. "This one's in the—" SHOOM! "Huh?! AH!" Before she could even blink, a black and green blur zoomed past K8-E and left her to stumble and fall to the pavement, much to her shock. "Wha—No way!"

"Yes, way!" Penny assured, the bottoms of her boots now sporting a set of green blades that glowed while zipping her along. "Haha, this is fun!"

Off to the side, the rest of the team were watching as the game went on, some frustrated, some confused, and a few were actually somewhat invested in what was going on. In particular, Rex was a bit shocked by what just happened. "Woah! Penny, when did you learn to do that?!"

"Hehe, I've been practicing!" Penny winked as she kept her guard up, not allowing any of the Kineceleran teens to get to the puck. "I've come to find out that my Mechamorph abilities apparently allow me to replicate any internal parts on my person at any point on my body." She came to a brief stop to show off the blades on her feet, which somewhat resembled her Floating Array. "And the same applies to my weapons, but in this case… hah!" With a good swing, she passed the back to Ruby, who flew toward the goal. "I'm using them as skates!"

"Heh, man, you just keep surprising me, don't ya?" Rex chuckles.

"I am surprised that we have not done anything yet." Rook muttered, still slightly irritated.

Vernal nodded in agreement. "Yeah, same here. Why're we just letting the girls play again?"

Ben raised a reassuring hand to them. "Hey, don't worry, you two. We'll get down to business soon. Let's just let them finish this game and we'll start with the questions." He received a hum of acknowledgement from Rook and Vernal, though he knew the Revonnahgander and bandit were trying to keep themselves restrained.

Back with the game, Ruby was closing in on the goal as quick as she could, with Ester acting as its goalie. The Kraaho girl smiled eagerly and help her Magna Stick at the ready. "You're good, Ruby, but not good enough! Prepare to—huh?!"

Ester was caught off guard, however, when Ruby's semblance burst out, causing a storm of flower petals that obscured Ester's vision. This allowed Ruby to give the puck a hearty smack and sent it right into the trash bin. CLANG! The Kinecelerans and Ester were left stunned as Ruby stood tall, planting her Magna Stick firmly onto the pavement in victory. "Haha! That's it! Point goes to the Red Team! Game, set and match!"

"Woo-hoo! Nice work there, Ruby!" Nora cheered as she and Penny zipped over, the trio sharing a high five. "You really sent that puck flyin'!"

"Indeed, you were "the bomb", as it were." Penny agreed before quickly adding; "Just please, don't explode."

"Haha! Don't worry, Penny, I don't plan to." Ruby laughed before reaching down to Ester, offering her hand. "Hey, great game back there, Ester. You and the others really gave it your best shot!"

A bright smile came to Ester as she accepted the hand, hoisting herself up as the Kinecelerans gathered up as well. "Haha, you were pretty good yourself, Ruby. Especially for a first-timer." She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Being honest, I really wasn't expecting that. You've all got some crazy powers!"

Nora started punching the air enthusiastically. "You betcha! And together with our Semblances, we're lean, mean, Grimm-fighting machines!"

Ester tilted her head at that. "…Uh, and Grimm are what exactly?"

"Dark creatures from our world." Penny explained. "Ones who thrive on destruction and causing great strife for the beings in our world. They are not to be trifled with."

"Exactly." Ruby craned her head up, putting her hand up over her eyes as she observed the sun. "Thankfully, your sun's bright enough so that Grimm can't inhabit your world, at least not in the day time. And even if they're okay at night, they'd still all probably die out when the sun rises, so there's that, too!" She saw the shocked expression that Ester was making and gave her a shrug. "Heh, I know. Crazy right? …But Ester, you know, there IS something I've been meaning to ask you."

The Kraaho girl's smile came back and she nodded to her new friend. "Sure! Fire away."

Ruby raised a brow at her curiously. "Just how are you out here and okay? If all the Kraaho think that weather like this is freezing cold, then you must be too, right?"

Ester gave a small chuckle and shook her head. "Hehe, no, not really, actually." She pointed to her face, namely her nose and jawline. "I'm only half Kraaho, see? My mom's human, so for me, it's just a little nippy out."

"Woah, seriously?" The three girls were quite surprised by this, but Ruby's smile somehow became even bigger than before. "That's so cool! AH! You should come with us to meet our friends, Helen, Alan, Manny and Swift! All of them are half-alien, half-human, too! I bet you they'd be happy to meet them."

"So who's your dad, then?" Nora followed up. "It's not Sebik, is it?"

Ester winced and quickly denied that. "Ew, no, of course not. If Sebik WAS my dad, I wouldn't be able to stand him. …But no, my dad is… well he—huh?! W-What the?!"

All of a sudden, the ground began to tremble and shake violently, making everyone stumble and fall. The rest of the team were the most taken off guard, with some even trying to stand up, but to no avail. "W-W-What's going on?!" Jaune exclaimed, holding onto Pyrrha as things kept shaking. "W-W-Where's this all coming from?!"

"N-N-No clue!" Yang tried to stand, but immediately tripped over on Ben, who held her securely in his arms. "G-G-Green B-Boy, does your city get earthquakes l-l-like this?!"

"N-No, we're not on a fault line!" Ben answered. But then, right as he did, the shaking stopped, leaving everyone effectively dazed. "Woah… okay, I think it's over now. How that happened, I don't know, but—"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" A blood-curdling shriek suddenly echoed throughout the area, the team snapping at attention and setting their sights down the road. What they saw next made their jaws collectively drop in shock. Further up the street and on Bellwood's higher elevation over the ridge, the team bore witness as bursts of magma began shooting out from the ground, almost like dangerously hot geysers. The magma started to flow down the streets of Bellwood, forcing bystanders to abandon their vehicles before they got melted down into molten slag. At one point, the magma even blasted out from an old, abandoned business building, which was quickly demolished in no time flat.

As the carnage continued and the magma started flowing toward them, the team were left aghast while the Kinecelerans began running away as fast as they could. Ruby couldn't believe what she was seeing… but she had a feeling she knew how this was happening. "Ester!" her incredulous gaze went over to the half-Kraaho girl, who was just as stunned. "W-What is this?!"

"Oh gee, it sure seems like SOMEONE is making use of the fusion engine, huh?!" Yang belted out, sending an accusing glare to Ester. "NOW do you see why giving that thing to them was a bad idea?!"

"I… I-I swear, I didn't know!" Ester asserted, shaking her head. "None of this was supposed to happen!"

Rook stepped up, wearing a serious expression. "So you mean to tell us that you had absolutely no inkling that the Kraaho would use the fusion engine to try and mold the city to suit their needs?"

Ester shrunk away, her guilt showing across her features. "They're responsible for this, aren't they?" Vernal pressed. "You KNOW it has to be them, right?"

As Ester screwed her eyes shut, mentally berating herself for everything that was happening, Ben stepped up and made Rook, Vernal and Yang move away, giving her space. "Guys, now isn't the time for this." he placated to the two. "We're past the blame stage. Right now, I think you know what time it is."

The three shared a glance before Yang sighed, letting go of her frustration for now. "Right. Hero Time. We'll get the civilians to a safe distance."

"Good. In the meantime…" Ben craned his head over to the former heiress. "Weiss, you're with me. We're going to freeze that magma before it does any more damage."

"Right behind you, Ben." Weiss obliged, spinning the barrel in Myrtenaster's hilt to the Ice Dust setting. The two ran toward the magma as the rest of the team started escorting people away, with Weiss creating several glyphs for them to safely stand on. The moment they were standing over the magma flow, they nodded to one another and got to work. Weiss waved Myrtenaster in the air and created several Ice Glyphs, all of them spinning at high speed and ready to blast the magma.

As she did that, Ben activated the Omnitrix and searched for the nearest ice alien he could find. "Ah, you'll do." The faceplate pulled back and he pushed the core down, transforming himself into a certain icy blue lizard. "Arctiguana!" He peered down to the magma below before calling out to Weiss; "Ready?!"

"And waiting!"

"Great! Fire!" Arctiguana opened his mouth and shot a huge blast of cold energy down to the magma below, flash freezing and solidifying it in an instant. Weiss did the same with her glyphs, but in several areas all at once, while Arctiguana handled the front of the magma flow. By the time they were done, the magma had solidified and even some parts had crystalized, making the street below glisten brightly in the sun.

The duo jumped down to the ground and Ben transformed back to normal, offering Weiss a fist bump. "Great work, Weiss, thanks for the help."

The white-haired girl returned the gesture as their teammates came running back. "Of course. You're very welcome." She faced her friends and scanned the street for any more civilians. "Everyone been cleared out?"

Blake sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "Pretty much, but we're not out of the woods yet. We—"

"Ester!" The team did a double take as they saw ML-E come zipping over, wrapping her arms around the Kraaho girl. The other Kineceleran kids came rushing back as well, much to the team's surprise. ML-E also gave Ren and Nora a smile as well. "Nora, Ren! Thank goodness you guys are all okay."

"Well, for now, at least." Ren said before pointing up to the ridge, where more magma was flowing down from the upper city level. "Look, the magma is still coming. What'll happen if it flows not just through Bellwood, but into Undertown, too?"

ML-E gasped in horror. "Ah! No, my parents!"

Ester's gut fell further at that, a worried frown making its home across her lips. Nora came over and placed a hand on her shoulder, the Pink Dynamo putting on a more serious demeanor. "Ester, listen, we need to get to that fusion engine back. If we don't, people could die."

"The Kraaho are just using you!" Penny added desperately. "Can't you see that?"

The guilt was overwhelming for Ester at that point, her knees almost giving out from under her. "They… they said they just wanted to make it warmer down in the Hot Spot!" She shook her head vehemently, wanting this all to be a bad dream. "They didn't say anything about this!"

"Well then, we'll just have to get down there and stop them." Sun resolved.

"You're asking me to betray my people." Ester reminded.

Ben came up to her again, his expression desparate as he placed a hand to his chest. "I'm not asking you, Ester. I'm begging you." He extended his other hand out across the city, as well as all of the carnage being caused. "You know what's happening isn't right. So please, do the right thing here and help us put a stop to this."

Ester bit her lip, internally struggling with the decision. But, before she could even answer, something else caught the teams' attention. "Everyone!" They all craned their heads up to the sky and were surprised to see Winter, Six and Grandpa Max flying down toward them on the back the former's Manticore summon. The beast landed with a massive THUD and bellowed a brief roar, giving Ester, ML-E, and the other Kinecelerans a scare.

"AAAH! W-What is that thing?!" K8-E exclaimed.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt you!" Ilia assured as the Plumber, Providence agent and military specialist dismounted the beast. With a confused look, Ilia did an about-face and asked; "Okay, guys, what's the deal with the big entrance?"

"Yeah, we didn't call for backup." Ben stated, stepping up to Six and his grandpa while locking eyes with the agent. "We've got this handled."

Six furrowed his brows in response. "Really? Because I beg to differ." He thrust his hand out to the city. "How in the world could you have let it get this bad?"

"Uh, heh… Ben?" Rex, with a worried grimace, tried to interject as Ben got right in Six's face. "Not a good idea to get up in Six's grill like that, trust me."

Ben, however, just narrowed his eyes back at the older man. "Oh, you think THIS is bad? Agent Six, I know you're concerned about collateral damage, but believe me, I've had to deal with FAR worse than this." He nudged his head toward his grandfather. "Ask Grandpa Max, he'll tell ya. Right, grandpa?"

Max replied with a shrug. "Well, I won't argue with you, Ben. We HAVE been in worse situations, but still, this is a pretty significant emergency." It was then, however, that he noticed Ester, and his eyes widened. "…And apparently, you've already caught the thief."

"Eh… "caught" is a strong word." Neptune muttered. "More like "made friends with", at least in Ruby, Nora and Penny's case."

Six's glare went straight to the three girls in question, all of whom flinched the second he did so. "What?"

Ruby frowned over to Neptune, who raised his hands and backed off. "Thanks a lot, Neptune." She swallowed her fear and tried to appeal to the agent, which she knew wouldn't be easy. "Okay, Agent Six, I know that this mission hasn't exactly gone to plan, but you HAVE to believe us when we say that Ester is an innocent party in all of this." Ruby went over and placed her hands on Ester's shoulders, showing her support as Nora and Penny gathered around as well. "She was tricked by her Kraaho leaders into doing this for their own gain. She had absolutely no idea that they would do this!"

Winter raised a brow, folding her arms over her chest. "Is that so? Well, Miss Ester, you probably should've thought the situation through." Ester flinched as Winter threw a hand up. "I mean, really, why would you knowingly steal a device with THAT much dangerous potential and NOT think that the people you're stealing it for would use it for nefarious purposes?"

Winter took note of how the young woman started to cry at this point, her eyes screwed shut as tears started to trail down her cheeks. "I-I'm sorry, okay?! I feel so bad about this already! You don't have to keep rubbing it in!" She fell to her knees, much to everyone's shock. "I screwed up, okay?! I SCREWED UP! Are all of you HAPPY now?!"

Ester's hands covered her eyes as her sobs continued, leaving the team stunned… and fairly guilty themselves. "Dammit, what the hell did we do?" Yang winced. "We're supposed to be the good guys and we made this girl cry."

"You're right, Yang." Weiss agreed, giving Winter and Six a bit of a stink eye. "We let the mission take precedence over what should REALLY be important to us; making people feel safe."

"Between all of this and the Charmcaster situation, we just got so riled up that we lost sight of that." Ben added as came up and knelt down in front of Ester, removing her hands and wiping her tears away. "But starting now, that all changes. I distrusted you for no good reason, Ester, and for that, I'm so sorry." He bowed his head to her. "Please, forgive me."

"Forgive all of us." Blake added as she and the rest of the Omni-Hunters all bowed their heads as well. "Please."

Rook was hesitant for a moment, but bowed his head as well. "Miss, you may have stolen a dangerous device, but considering your alibi, I am certain the Plumbers will be amicable to you." He locked eyes with her, pleadingly so. "But please, we MUST get to Sebik before he turns Bellwood into a crater."

Ester was bewildered by all of the sudden apologies, but in truth, she was admittedly quite touched. "I… I-I really don't know what to say." She stood up, putting on a small smile. "But I guess… "thank you" would be a good place to start. And to do that, I'll take you to the Hot Spot." She balled up a determined fist, her brows furrowed. "Let's put a stop to whatever Sebik's doing."

"…Very well, I'll allow it." Six conceded, going up to Ester once again. "But, after this, I would like to at least like to bring you in for questioning."

"If it helps make amends, then that's fine by me."

Ben clapped his hands together, happy to hear that everyone was on the same page. "Alright, so now that the air's been cleared, we're gonna need to keep that magma flow contained up here." He turned Wiess, Winter, Rex and Six, pointing to the four of them. "Guys, we'll need all of you up here. Weiss and Winter, you guys can solidify that magma easily, so make sure that flow gets stopped." The Schnee sisters gave an affirming nod as Ben went to Rex next. "And Rex, I want you to take Vernal, Nora, Ren, Penny and Ilia and help out with getting as many citizens to safety as you can."

"Gotcha, boss man." Rex saluted, activating his Boogie Pack while Penny rose to the air with her Air Heart jetpack. "We'll make sure the people are safe and sound."

The Omnitrix bearer saluted them as he went to his grandfather next. "And grandpa, we might need some Plumber reinforcements, just in case."

Max gave him a thumbs up. "Of course, Ben, I'm on it."

Vernal placed her hands to her hips, raising a brow at Ben, Ruby, Yang, Rook, Jaune, Pyrrha and Team SN. "And the rest of you guys are just gonna head down to this "Hot Spot" with Ester then? What exactly are you gonna do when you get down there?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. I've got a plan." Ben tapped the side of his head with a knowing smirk. "But you guys worry about your part of the mission, we'll take care of the fusion engine." He turned to his squad, who was grouped up with Ester and ready to roll. "Okay guys, we get one shot at this, so let's make it count." His eyes went to Ester with an approving nod. "Ester, lead the way."

…..

Several minutes later, back down in the Hot Spot, the Kraaho were all basking in the nice, warm weather that they had created, thankful that there wasn't a hint of cold anywhere in the cavern. Some of the aliens, however, were also preparing their weapons, getting ready for anything that might put their leader's plan at risk. Lakno went up to Sebik, praising him on his success. "It's a miracle, Sebik! You've turned this frozen wasteland into an oasis!"

Sebik nodded in satisfaction. "Hm, as soon as New Bellwood is warmed and the stragglers are dealt with… how does the name "New Earth" strike you?"

"SEBIK!" The Kraaho leader was taken off guard as a certain voice echoed through the chamber, leading him and the rest of his people to see Ester coming toward him. And she did NOT look too happy. The young half-Kraaho wore a furious sneer as she marched up, getting right in Sebik's space. "You lied to me!"

For his part, though, Sebik was undaunted by the young one's anger, and simply began to make his case for his plan. "How long can we last in this cavern?" he asked as he raised his hand up toward the high ceiling. "A generation? Two, maybe? We need a world, Ester."

"But this world doesn't belong to you!" Ester argued back. "It belongs to the humans. You can't just roast it AND them along with it!"

Sebik, unperturbed, simply lowered himself down to her eye level. "This is not up for debate! My word is LAW!"

As the two Kraaho argued, however, no one else but Ester knew about the eight others who were observing them. In a nearby tunnel entrance, Ben, Rook, Ruby, Yang, Jaune, Pyrrha, Blake and Team SN all stood at the ready. The group kept their hands close to their weapons, ready in case Ester needed help. Although, for a few of them, it was a bit overwhelming to even be in the Hot Spot. "Hah… dear god, maybe this wasn't such a good idea." Neptune said as he shed his jacket for the time being.

"Don't worry, if we play this right, we can get this done quickly." Ben assured before reaching for the Omnitrix, scrolling until he found the icon that he wanted. He pressed the core down and, in a flash of green light, he transformed into NRG without much fanfare. "Alright, here's the plan; I am the only one of us who can handle that fusion engine, so I will go retrieve it." He pointed to the rest of his team. "Meanwhile, you guys must distract the Kraaho and keep them from getting to me."

"Sounds simple enough." Jaune affirmed as he tugged at his hoodie, already feeling his clothes stick to him. "We'll get it done, Ben." He glanced toward the team, wondering exactly how they'd go about this. "Anyone got any good distraction ideas?"

The group pondered for a bit before an idea suddenly popped into Rook's head. "I have one. I will get the Kraaho's attention. Everyone else, remain here until I give the signal." He raised both hands into the air. "Once you see this, that will be your cue to engage, understand?" The teens all nodded to him and Rook gave them a thumbs up… before then heading right down into the open for all the Kraaho to see.

Ruby was slightly worried, but still trusted the Revonnahgander to do what needed to be done. "What do you think he's got planned?"

"Dunno." Yang shrugged. "But hopefully it's good."

Before long, Rook had climbed up onto a flattened out stone crag and started waving at the Kraaho with one hand. "Hey! Hey! Eyes on me!" All at once, the alien people set their sights on him and he started putting his plan into motion. "Today, we will be learning about an Earth game called "Tag"!" The Kraaho were all perplexed, but didn't have long to process what was going on before Rook suddenly jumped right down in front of one and poked their chest. "Tag! You are "it"!" Wasting no time, Rook started running as fast as his legs could carry him, all while whooping and hollering it up as the Kraaho men took chase.

The Omni-Hunters… were left completely baffled by what they just saw. "…Did Rook seriously just do that?" Sun uttered.

"He did, and I have no idea what to think about it." Blake shook her head.

"Well, I know one thing; I am WAY better at distractions." NRG said as he saw Rook shoot both arms up high into the air, all while leading the Kraaho over to a bunch of metal storage containers. "There's the signal, guys! Let's do this!"

As the team moved out and the Kraaho kept chasing Rook, Sebik wore a disgusted grimace as he glared down to Ester. "You brought the Cold Cuts here?! Your father would be ashamed of you!"

Ester wasn't one to back down, pointing up at him in ire. "Don't you DARE say what my father would feel about this! You do not, nor have you EVER spoken on his behalf!"

While the argument between them continued, Rook found himself leading all of the Kraaho warriors over to several heavy pieces of machinery, where space was limited and allowed for the perfect ambush. He did find himself cornered, however, trapped between fully armed warriors who were all pointing their weapons directly at him, the machines, and the massive wall of the cavern itself. What's worse was that he was starting to sweat already, which he knew was not good for him. "Um… hah… very good! N-Now who wants to learn the Electric Slide?!"

Just as one Kraaho stormed forward to strike him with his weapon, Neptune slid right into the fray and brought up Tri-Hard in its guandao form, striking the weapon and sending a burst of electricity through it. The Kraaho shouted painfully as it was brought down, twitching from the intense shock. "Ha! How's THAT for an "Electric Slide"?!"

From over the storage units, the rest of the Omni-Hunters came flying in, with Ruby leading the charge. "Take no prisoners!" She cried out, landing in front of a bunch of Kraaho warriors as she spun her scythe rapidly. In the blink of an eye, several of their weapons had been reduced to mere pieces, falling apart in their hands. "Hmhm! Sorry, but guns with blades on them are just so basic." She shifted her scythe into sniper rifle mode and cocked it, ready to fire. "Now blades that can TRANFORM into guns? Now that's where it's at!"

Blake and Sun, meanwhile, were charging straight into enemy fire, the two avoiding energy blasts with expert agility and timing. The monkey boy gave his girlfriend a wink and jabbed a thumb over to them. "How's about we pull off our handy little trick, babe? Whaddya say?"

"I say it's a good idea… but let's put a little twist on it." Blake loaded in a vial of Blue Dust into Gambol Shroud and began focusing on her Semblance, giving Sun a nod. "Okay, do it!" Sun smiled back before closing his eyes, his hair glowing bright yellow as three light clones spawned from his body and started rushing toward the enemy, much to their surprise. Blake shut her eyes as she ran in and activated her own Semblance, creating two shadow clones of herself… that were made of water.

The Kraaho kept firing, but before any of them knew it, they got a face full of explosive light that blinded them… before Blake's own clones came splashing down onto all of them. Immediately, the aliens started howling in pain, their eyes searing while the rest of their bodies began to feel cold while steam wafted off of them. "Haha! Alright!" Sun laughed victoriously, giving Blake a high five as she came back. "Now that's how ya put a spin on an old trick!"

Jaune and Pyrrha, on the other hand, were fighting a more close quarters battle, standing back to back as they clashed their weapons with the Kraaho's own. Jaune was breathing hard as sweat tricked down his whole body, his hoodie starting to weigh him down more and more. And the fact that he was wearing armor didn't make things easier. "Grrr… AUGH! That's it! I can't take it!" He raised his shield and shot a round of Ice Dust at the Kraaho, making them gasp and shiver at the sudden cold blast. Jaune took this opportunity to throw his weapons to the ground… and start undoing the straps of his armor.

Pyrrha's eyes widened, shocked that her partner would just stop in the middle of battle. "J-Jaune, what are you… ohhh… my…"

She quickly got her answer as Jaune had effectively shed his armor, his hoodie and his undershirt all in the span of a few seconds, leaving him in nothing but his jeans and boots. The now topless knight picked up his sword and shield, bashing the blade against the Arc Family crest as he challenged the Kraaho. "C'mon you stretchy bastards! I'm not about to die from heatstroke before I take you down, so COME AT ME! GRAAAH!"

With that, he continued his assault, the still reeling Kraaho taken aback by the frustrated young man. Pyrrha was left speechless, seeing her boyfriend slice and dice through the enemy's weaponry… all while getting an absolutely superb view of his toned, muscular, and sweaty upper body. One Kraaho had actually gone to punch her in her blind spot, but he simply ducked and threw him to the ground, all while not taking her eyes off Jaune for a second. '…I want that.' the Invincible Girl thought, mentally berating her pervy thoughts while not regretting them at the same time. 'I want that all OVER me and I am ashamed that I do.'

"Honestly, I can't blame ya, P-Money."

"AH!" Pyrrha whipped around and saw Yang wearing a wily smirk, the Blonde Brawler's gaze half-lidded and knowing. "Y-Yang! H-How did you—"

"You were whispering your thoughts out loud." Pyrrha became utterly mortified in a split second, flushing red not from the heat, but from the sheer embarrassment of her dirty thoughts escaping her mouth. Yang laughed as she raised her fist, punching a Kraaho over her shoulder as he barreled toward her. "Pyrrha, relax. I seriously don't blame you for wanting to get down and dirty with the Lady Killer there. On your six, by the way."

Pyrrha immediately extended her leg and socked an incoming Kraaho in the gut, making them double over. The two girls kept fending off the aliens as they chatted. "Hmph, it's just so frustrating! We're finally together and… I-I just never…"

Yang uppercut another Kraaho before guessing; "Had dirty thoughts about someone before?" Pyrrha bit on her own lips as she glanced over to Jaune briefly, telling Yang all she needed to know. "Yeah, been there. Once I discovered those thoughts, I had plenty of them about a lotta people."

Without warning, Ruby suddenly rushed by, knocking down a bunch of Kraaho while yelling; "FITHLY!"

"Yeah, well tell me that in another two years, sis!" Yang shouted back, rolling her eyes at her sister's remark before dodging two Kraaho's stretchy punches, causing them to hit one another in their noses. "Point is, you really shouldn't feel bad about it. Lust is just one of the MANY parts of being in a relationship."

Pyrrha aimed Milo at a group of Kraaho and shot a round of Gravity Dust at them, blowing them all away as it impacted the ground. "Hah, I know… but considering what house we're living in, it might be a while before—"

"My advice?" Yang winked. "When you both feel the time is right, rent a hotel room and spend a night or two there. That's what I plan on doing with Ben."

The redhead raised an inquisitive brow. "Does he know about that?"

"Hehe, not yet, he doesn't." Yang giggled.

Pyrrha sighed as she dodged another stretching punch. "Yang, you are incorrigible."

Yang moved her head to the side, letting another Kraaho arm wiz past her. "Yeah, I know. So, wanna… wrap this up?" She grabbed her assailant's arm while smirking at Pyrrha once again, laughing at her own joke.

"Hm, if you insist." Pyrrha grabbed the hand that tried to punch her and then, without fail, they tied up the two Kraaho warriors' arms, making them shout in anger. "…Thank you for the talk, Yang."

"No prob!" Yang winked as the duo fist bumped one another.

As all of that was going on, Neptune and Rook stood side-by-side as the Kraaho closed in on them, though the two were still fighting even as they just kept coming. Neptune shot round after round of Electric Dust at them, which managed to stop a lot of them in their tracks. Rook, meanwhile, had brought out his Proto-Tool in its bladed tonfa mode and was fending off most of the Kraaho in close-quarters combat. He punched, kicked, and even sliced his way out of sticky situations, even dicing up on Kraaho's weapon into several pieces.

But while the two were doing well, Neptune couldn't help but notice that Rook seemed to be growing exhausted, and rather quickly at that. "Uh, Rook? You okay, bro? You're sweating pretty bad there…"

"I am alright, Neptune." Rook assured, taking deep breaths. "It is just… hotter than I expected." He glanced back to him as more Kraaho kept coming. "Perhaps we should relocate to a more open arena."

"Good idea, I was getting claustrophobic anyway." He shifted Tri-Hard back into Guandao form and threw it at one of the big machines, lodging the blade into it before jumping up and grabbing the handle. "Guys, c'mon! The fight's comin' this way!" The team had heard him just in time as he vaulted back out into the open, with Rook leaping after him and herding several Kraaho away.

The Omni-Hunters followed them and before long, the brawl had practically doubled in size as more Kraaho warriors joined the fray. …And the Kraaho leader quickly decided that it was time HE got involved as well. Sebik stepped away from Ester as two Kraaho guards came up and took her by the arms, assuring that she wouldn't go anywhere. "ENOUGH!" With a mighty leap, Sebik leaped up and came crashing down feet-first, stretching his legs to make his stomp more effective. He was going for Rook, but the Revonnahgander evaded him just in time. "You all came in here looking for a fight?" Sebik cracked his knuckles, glowering at the teens. "Well, you have found one."

Rook grit his teeth and went in, using his combat skills to get up close and personal with Sebik. But, as it happened, the Kraaho leader managed to fend off Rook expertly, redirecting or simply catching any hits that the Plumber tried to get in. It all culminated in Sebik catching Rook's fist with his hand, a wicked grin coming to the man's face before stretching his arm out and slinging Rook backward. And, with a mighty flex, he sent his arm all the way around the battlefield, swinging Rook into Yang, Jaune, Ruby, and everyone else all at once before slamming the Revonnahgander into the opposite wall.

"NO! Rook! Everyone!" Ester grit her teeth in rage, summoning every ounce of strength she had for what she had to pull off. She stretched her arms up and lifted both Kraaho men straight up onto the air, bringing them down straight onto Sebik's head. Sebik managed to stand up after this, but Ester quickly snapped herself forward, flying toward him with fists raised and ready to throw down.

The Omni-Hunters all stood up and regrouped around Rook, with Yang coming over to help him up. "Rook, you okay?"

"Hah… I-I believe so." Rook said as he took up his Proto-Tool again. "But we cannot falter! Come, we must finish the mission."

As the Plumber went back into the fray, fending off Kraaho left and right, Yang craned her head up and called to her boyfriend; "Ben, hurry! I don't know how much longer we can—AH! Rook!" Yang couldn't help but gasp as Rook, after falling several more Kraaho… actually fell to his knees and collapsed, sweating profusely. "Oh god, no, no! What the hell is going on?!"

Blake rushed over and gently flipped Rook onto his back, putting his head in her lap as the others gathered around. "Good god, his fur is making him overheat! BEN! Now would be a good time to get that engine!"

Up near the top of the Kraaho's laser tunneling machine, NRG was climbing up to where the fusion engine was. And while it was obvious to him that the situation had gotten more severe, he still wasn't close to getting it out of there. "I am TRYING, Blake! I'm nearly there!"

That proved to be a mistake, though, as Sebik noticed him almost immediately. "Keep that Cold Cut away from the engine!"

"Oh, crap." NRG had just made it up to the glass container with the fusion engine inside… and the very next moment, he felt a pair of hands grab onto his back and a body was pulled up right after, with another Kraaho stretching themselves up across from him. "Agh! Get off me!" But the warriors didn't listen as the other one dropkicked him down off the tall machine, bringing him straight down to the ground as two others came over to help hold him down. Another Kraaho had also jumped onto him and began prying at his helmet… and it was then that NRG got an idea.

"N-No! No, please! Don't open me up! That will end NRG!" The second he saw the warriors' expressions, NRG knew they had taken the bait. The Kraaho got more leverage and gave a particularly strong yank, taking off the alien's helmet. What came next wasn't what they, nor the other Omni-Hunters had expected. From out of the metal suit flew a glowing, orange being made almost entirely of pure fusion energy, its eyes bright green and its mouth in a zig-zag pattern. It also wore a special black and green harness, which had the Omnitrix symbol around its belt buckle. "HA! Psyche!"

"Ben?!" Ruby exclaimed. "W-Wait… is that what NRG really looks like?"

"Yep, and it's time that NRG finishes this!" Wasting no time, NRG flew up to the top of the tunneling machine and shot a thin laser blast at the glass container, slicing the top of it off so he could get to the fusion engine. He grabbed the glowing red orb… and then opened his mouth.

Seeing this, Sebik shoved Ester away and rushed over to the machine, his eyes set straight on NRG. "Warriors!" he called out. "Don't let him—" But he stopped the very second NRG chomped down on the engine, eating it in one big bite. "…Do that."

After swallowing it, NRG let out an absolutely MASSIVE belch, blasting fire out of his mouth as a result. The whole cavern lit up briefly from that, before he let out a satisfied laugh. "Ahhh-haha… that is GOOD fusion engine!" He then snapped his arm down and started shooting bursts of fire down at the tunneling machine, destroying it and stopping the magma pump in the process. As the machine collapsed, NRG flew back down and got back into his containment suit, transforming back into Ben in no time. "And THAT is how the cookie crumbles, ladies and gentlemen."

Yang ran up to him and instantly wrapped her arms around his neck in celebration, all while he spun her around victoriously. "Hahaha! You absolute mad man! You ATE the freaking thing?!"

"Heh, what can I say? I thought it looked pretty—URP!" Ben covered his mouth as a puff of smoke came out of it, leaving the couple surprised. "…Good."

"You know I'm not kissing you until you brush your teeth, right?"

"Oh, agreed." Out the corner of his eye, Ben saw Ester coming up to them as well, and he offered her a smile. "Well, glad all of that's over, right?"

Ester returned it, but meekly, still feeling somewhat guilty. "Yeah… but if I hadn't stolen it in the first place—"

Yang raised her hand, halting the girl. "Let's not think about all that, huh? What's done is done, and the important thing is the day's been saved. We're cool, 'kay?"

The half-Kraaho girl's smile widened considerably, but only for a moment as Sebik stepped up to them as well. He was considerably less pleased about all of this. "Well, you've won. Happy?"

"You haven't exactly lost either, you know." Jaune piped up, raising his hands up to the cavern around him. "I mean, this place is still pretty freaking hot."

"And so are you." Pyrrha whispered before smacking herself. 'Gah! No, Pyrrha, stop it!'

"Jaune's right, Sebik." Ester agreed, facing the older Kraaho optimistically. "We'll do just fine in the Hot Spot."

Ben gave a shrug and jerked his thumb back to a nearby magma pool. "It IS basically another part of Undertown. You guys even got your own hot spring!"

Sebik furrowed his brow. "Coexistence… living next to a city of Cold Cuts? That's not the Kraaho way."

Ester simply shook her head. "No, Sebik, it's not your way." She pursed her lips, garnering the confidence within herself to stand firm. "But… it WAS my father's way."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" Ruby exclaimed, moving up next to Ester curiously. "You never did answer our question on who your father was."

"…You're right, I didn't." Ester took a deep breath, bringing a hand up to hug her arm close to herself. "You see, my father was the leader of the Kraaho before Sebik. But a few years ago, he… well…" Ester trailed off, biting her lip as everyone quickly picked up on what she was trying to say. The half-Kraaho took a deep breath, steeling herself. "It was an accident. A freak accident that took my father away from us. At the time, I wasn't able to take leadership of the Kraaho, because I wasn't the appropriate age. So Sebik challenged for the position, and he won."

"Indeed… but now, you are eighteen." Sebik uttered, lowering himself down to one knee before bowing his head. "And, you have bested me." At that, the rest of the Kraaho also bowed before Ester, much to her and the others' shock. "As such, we shall now do whatever you say."

Ester may have been taken aback, but she recognized that she couldn't let this opportunity go to waste. "And?"

Sebik shut his eyes, slightly frustrated that he had to say this. "…And the Kraaho way is whatever you say it is."

The young woman smiled at that and raised a fist, declaring; "Coexistence."

In the crowd, Latko raised his head, his sights locked onto Ben and the Omni-Hunters. "And you would allow this?"

"As long as you don't step out of line, yes." Ben affirmed, putting on a knowing smirk as he pointed to the Omnitrix. "But if you do, well… you probably know what'll be in your future." The rest of the team all showed off their own weapons, showing that they weren't afraid of another fight.

"And as leader of the Kraaho," Ester began raising her hands into the air, "I declare that on this day forth…" She sent a smile to the Omni-Hunters and bowed her head to them respectfully. "That I promise I'll always be a good neighbor to you guys. Thank you, for helping me see a whole lot more clearly. …And I hope that we can be friends."

In the blink of an eye, Ruby had zipped right over to Ester with a high-pitched cry of joy. "AAAH! Yes, yes, YES!" She wrapped her arms around Ester in a big hug, leaving her taking her aback slightly. "I'm ALWAYS up for making a new friend! You're alright in my book, Ester! Heehee!"

It was then that Ester brightened up and laughed as well, wrapping her arms all the way around Ruby in a hug of equal strength. "Haha, thanks Ruby. Of course, there's still one more thing that I have to do…" Just then, however, the group heard haggard coughing coming from not too far away… and their attention was drawn straight to Rook, who had regained consciousness. "Er… make that two things."

Rook yanked the collar of his Proto-Tech Armor, desperately trying to get the heat regulators in his suit to work again. "W-Water… please."

…..

"Well, it's not exactly water, but lemonade should do the trick."

The gang had made their way back up to the surface, and the moment they got there, they discovered a lemonade stand not too far away. Before any of them could think to purchase a glass, however, Rook went straight at it, grabbing a cup and downing its contents in one gulp. …And then another. And then he just took the whole pitcher and started chugging it as if it life depended on it. The Omni-Hunters and Ester were left dumbstruck by the feat as Rook sighed in relief. "Hah… thank you."

Ben deadpanned and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill, handing it to the little girl behind the stand. "Here ya go, kid, get yourself something nice." After the young lady thanked him and ran off to get more lemonade, he looked up the street to see Six, Winter and the other returning as well, walking along the now hardened magma. "Hey there! You guys get the magma under control?"

"Indeed." Winter affirmed as Rex and Penny came in for a landing. "And all of the civilians have been taken to safety."

"Man, talk about a CRAZY morning." Nora said as she and Ren went over to their other teammates. "I seriously can't believe it's only noon, I—er…" She trailed off when she noticed that Jaune wasn't wearing his armor… or his hoodie. He had the garment slung over his shoulder, carrying his armor like it was in a knapsack. "…I'd ask, but I think I already know the answer."

Jaune shook his head. "Yeah, no, I was cooking down there, Nora. I've gotta find some better summer clothes, because lemme tell ya; Earth summers? WAY hotter than Remnant summers."

"Yeah, we've noticed." Nora grinned before nudging Pyrrha's arm knowingly. "But hey, at least someone got a good view today, eh? Haha—MMPH!"

But Pyrrha clasped a hand over Nora's mouth, her cheeks almost as red as her hair as her eyebrow twitched irritably. "Nora, I REALLY don't want to talk about it."

Ren rolled his eyes at his friend's usual antics, wiping his brow before seeing the empty lemonade stand. "Um… I don't suppose there's…"

"The little girl's bringing back more, don't worry." Yang assured, jerking her thumb to Rook with a smirk. "Rook here drank pretty much ALL of it in like, five or six gulps." She gave Rook a hearty smack on the back, making him double over. "Can't blame him, though. Nearly died of heatstroke a little while ago."

Rook stood up and cleared his throat. "Ahem, y-yes, it was not a pleasant experience, I can assure you."

Weiss tilted her head to her compatriots. "And the Kraaho? What about them?"

"Under new leadership." Ester answers, stepping up with a serious expression. "Since we defeated him, Sebik's abdicated the role of leader to me." She put a hand to her chest, clenching it somewhat nervously. "I'll admit… I'm glad that I'm finally able to bring the Kraaho back to the ways that my father led the tribe, but… I'm still not so sure if I'll be a good leader." She furrowed her brow and set her eyes on Six. "But, I at least know how I'm going to start being a better leader for my people."

Ester started forward and stopped in front of Six, presenting her hands to him. Ruby immediately understood what she was doing and went up to try and stop her. "W-Wait, Ester, you don't need to turn yourself in! What you did, i-it wasn't your fault. Same with everything else that happened. Sebik just tricked you."

"Maybe so, Ruby." Ester nodded solemnly. "But as the new leader, I have to take full responsibility for my people's actions." She locked eyes with Six and bowed her head to him. "And sir, I plan on keeping my promise. Take me in, do whatever you have to do. Just… please don't hold all of this against my people. All they want is a place to live, and I promise, we won't be a bother to the topside world ever again."

Six waited a few moments, glancing between Ester's face and her hands. Then, to her surprise, he put a hand over her own and pushed them back to her. "We don't plan on cuffing you, miss. All we want is to ask some questions, which I think you'll be able to help us with." He gave her a smile and a nod of approval. "And given everything you've just told me, I think you'll be a leader that your people can be proud of."

The Omni-Hunters brightened up at Six's words, with Ruby, Nora and Penny gathering around Ester in celebration. "Haha! Sensational!" Penny exclaimed. "Ester, you won't be prosecuted! Isn't that fantastic?!"

"…Hah, y-yes! That IS great news!" Ester stammered as she bowed to Six again. "Thank you, sir. I won't waste this chance, you can count on that."

"Good, now heads up." Six pointed down the road to see a Plumber transport come pulling up to the curb, its rear hatch opening up to reveal Max inside of it. "Our ride back to base is here. Ester, I suggest you accompany Winter back there. She'll be the one asking you questions on what exactly happened today."

Winter offered a small grin to Ester, offering her a hand. "I can assure you that you'll be safe with me, Ester. Now, shall we?"

Ester shook the woman's hand gladly. "Of course, thank you." She followed Winter onto the transport vehicle, giving the team one final wave before getting on. "It's been nice getting to know all of you!"

"Likewise!" Blake waved back, along with the rest of the team as well. "Hope we get to see you again soon!"

"Hmhm, same here!" Ester made her way onto the transport as the Omni-Hunters watched on, though the vehicle still stayed parked for just a bit longer.

Six came up and got the team's attention. "Well, I suppose today's mission was a success." He craned his head down toward the street, which was now paved entirely in hardened magma. "…More or less." The agent set his gaze up to the team, who all awkwardly looked away from him. "Hmph, at this point, I'm wondering if worrying about collateral damage is pointless when it comes to you all."

"H-Hey, it's not like we don't care about things getting wrecked, Six." Rex tried to reason. "It's just… well, things DO kinda get out of hand a lot around here." The EVO gestured to his mentor. "Heck, you and I know ALL about that kinda stuff. Remember when we had to deal with EVO attacks 24/7 and all the buildings that got destroyed by them?"

Six had to admit, Rex had a good point, giving him a single nod. "You're right, Rex. I'll try to be more lenient on the collateral damage in the future. Just… make sure you all are aware of your surroundings before going into battle." He received a "YES SIR!" and a salute from the team. "Good, glad to hear it. Now, be sure to be back at base soon…" His eyes trailed over to Ben, Yang, Ruby, Ilia, Ren and Nora. "After all, that punishment you all asked for is still yet to happen. And since we've missed half of our usual training session because of this, I know exactly what it's going to be."

The six teens all winced at that. "Oh, yeah, guess that's still on, isn't it?" Ilia sighed. "Okay, so just what ARE we going to be doing?" A knowing smile came to Six's features, one that sent a chill up everybody's smile. "…S-Six?"

The agent turned away without acknowledging her, instead facing a certain former bandit. "Vernal, come with me, please. You'll be helping me set this up."

"Um… sure?" Vernal accepted, walking along with Six.

"W-Wait, Six, you didn't answer!" Ben called after him. "What the heck do you have in mind?!"

"That answer's simple, Ben. Like I said, we missed half of today's training session." He peered back over his shoulder to the Omni-Hunters, his glasses shining in the sunlight. "To make up for that, the six of you, along with Gwen and Kevin, will be in the Hazard Room today… facing me."

…..

A/N: To quote Scooby-Doo; "Ruh-roh". Yeah, so Six's punishment ain't nothing to sneeze at. We've seen the types of adversaries he's willing to take on in the past, so the fact that he's having eight of the Omni-Hunters take him on all at once is quite the indication; he ain't messing around when it comes to this punishment. Of course, he must have a plan against everyone involved in that fight, including Ben, so just what DOES he have in mind? Well, we'll just have to find out next week!

But as for THIS chapter, like I said, it was surprisingly a lot shorter than I thought it'd be, and I think that might have to do with how I've slowly but surely learned how to handle battle scenes. In the past, I've been known to draw fights out so that every team member could have a chance to shine. But as the cast has grown and such, I've learned that I'm going to have to condense things more as I go along, to prevent things from getting OVERLY drawn out and long. So while everyone who got some action here DID get a chance to shine, I made sure to not make them overstay their welcome as much as possible. …At least, that's what I HOPE I've been doing. Please, let me know how you guys are enjoying these fight scenes, as it'd really help with things going into the future.

In the end, though, the Omni-Hunters successfully helped Ester bring down Sebik's plan, and in the process, Ester has indeed become the new leader of the Kraaho. Plus, the team's gained a new ally in her as well, so there's another plus. But as for NEXT TIME… well, you guys pretty much already know. It's Six against eight in a training session that's sure to be quite the interesting time. …But whoever said that the Providence agent was one to fight fair? Thanks for reading, everyone and I'll see you all next time! And, as always, stay safe out there!