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)

90. Pack Mentality, Part 2

A/N: What's good, everybody? Welcome back to Ben 10 RWBY and the second part of this Pack/Collective 2-Parter! I'm not gonna waste much time up here since there's a LOT to this chapter, so I think it's best we just get right into it! Let's kick some EVO butt! This is…

Chapter 89: Pack Mentality, Part 2

…..

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH—"

*CRAAAAASH*

"Uuuugh…" As his head throbbed in pain and his friends were left groaning after their rough landing, Rex had quickly come to one conclusion; "Gah, definitely NOT one of my better entrances." However, it was then that he noticed something else… he was being crushed. *thud* "ACH! Dude, your foot!"

"Ah! Sorry!" Swampfire immediately hopped up off of the friend pile, followed by Cooper rolling off of Rex and onto his back.

Still in RocketPanda form, Kamen Rider Build raised his right arm and gave a thumbs up. "Hah! Infiltration… successful!"

Rex stood up, rubbing his head as he took stock of the environment around them. Turns out, they had landed in an abandoned and very dilapidated house. There was dust everywhere, having been kicked up by their crash, and strewn around the living room were some… very creepy mannequins with various missing body parts. If it weren't for the slimmest bit of light coming through the windows, he would've mistaken this for a house of horrors. However, he knew this place all too well. It might not have been the school he'd woken up in the first time, but there was no mistaking it; this was Breach's pocket dimension.

"Yeah… we're here." Rex affirmed, his eyes shifting around the place. "But, uh… anyone else notice the distinct lack of cultists?"

Swampfire was just as confused as Rex on that part. "Yeah, I was just about to say, where'd we even end up? Doesn't seem like anyone's here, but we DID follow Powerclaw and Fenix." He craned his head down toward Build, who was just picking himself up. "Any idea why?"

Cooper gave a ponderous hum as he reached down and took the bottles out of the Build Driver, changing back to normal. "Well… if I had to take a guess, I'd say Breach might've sensed us coming through her portal and managed to send us somewhere more secluded." The blonde genius glanced over to Rex. "At least, that's what I'm assuming."

The EVO sent him an affirming nod. "Yeah, she has that level of control over her powers. Pretty sure she can sense everyone who comes through her portals." His sights went to the nearest window, peering cautiously outside. "Which means… she's somewhere in this place."

"And we're gonna get her out." Swampfire assured, giving Rex a pat on the shoulder. "We'll need to do some searching, but I'll bet we can—"

"Over here!" The conversation was cut short when an unfamiliar voice piped up from the hallway, alerting the trio to a series of footsteps coming toward them quickly. "I heard the noise from this house!"

An annoyed sneer creeped onto the Methanosian's features. "Gah, crap baskets. One sec…" Sure enough, around five cultists came dashing into the house through the back door… and were immediately met by Swampfire towering over them. "Hey guys, how 'bout a nice nap?" He raised his palms and unleashed a potent stench upon their nostrils, which left all of them out cold within seconds. "Heh, no muss, no fuss."

However, that's when the Methanosian began doing something unexpected. He crouched down and immediately started taking off the cultist's robes. "W-Woah, woah! Ben, hold on, what're you doing?" Rex asked.

"What's it look like?" Swampfire sent them a smirk, lifting up the first robe. "I'm getting us some disguises."

"Ah-ha! Excellent idea!" Cooper strode over and started taking his own robe. "We'll be able to slip by pretty easily if we wear these."

Rex was a bit less enthusiastic about the move, though. "Eh, I don't know… Biowolf has a pretty strong sense of smell. Not sure if we can fool him like this."

"Hm… fair point. Hold on a sec." Sticking his hands up, Swampfire let loose another strong stench, though this one was a lot less pungent than the last one. In a flash of green light, Ben returned to his normal form and allowed the green smog to fall over him. "Guys, I know it's not pleasant, but this'll mask our scent from Biowolf. Make sure to get nice and stinky, 'kay?"

The duo were left flabbergasted by just how far Ben was willing to go for this mission. "Damn, dude." Rex stepped into the stench, as did Cooper, all while plugging their noses. "Gotta admit, you're super dedicated to this."

Ben grinned and nodded to the EVO. "Well yeah, I'm tryin' to help out a friend with HIS friend, aren't I?" That got Rex to smile back and the two shared a fist-bump, before Rex then knelt down to procure his robe. "Of course, we'll have to make sure we don't draw TOO much attention to ourselves." Ben continued, pulling his robe over his head. "Or else Van Kleiss could spot us coming from a mile away. If anyone spots us or questions us, just play it cool and they don't see your face directly."

Cooper and Rex put on their robes as well. "Of course. But let's stick to the shadows as much as we can. Better to not get spotted at all."

"Right. …But before we head out, Coop, I want a word with you." Ben's gaze shifted back to Rex. "Preferably in private."

"Oh… uh, sure." Rex nodded. "Go ahead, amigo. I'll scout ahead and see what outside is like."

The Omnitrix bearer gave him a thumbs up. "Great idea, Rex. We'll meet you out there." Once Rex had left, Ben's attention shifted back to Cooper, a chuckle passing his lips. "Hehe, Cooper, I've gotta say, I'm thoroughly impressed by what I've seen so far."

"Erm… of this place?" the genius asked.

"No, dude!" Ben thrust his hands out to him. "From you! I'll admit, a part of me was a bit hesitant when you first took on the whole Kamen Rider thing, but so far, it's been nothing short of impressive. You're the reason we managed to get here at all." He gave Cooper a friendly jab to the shoulder. "If it hadn't been for that quick form change, we would've been out of luck."

Cooper let out a chortle of his own, rubbing his arm sheepishly. "Hah… jeez, ya don't have to lay it on THAT thick, Ben. I was just doing what any hero would. You're the one who taught me that thinking on the fly and without hesitation is what makes a good hero."

Ben raised a brow to Cooper. "Did I teach you that?"

"Well… I learn by example."

The two shared a laugh at that before Ben went on. "Haha… Coop, I'll be straight up with you. I'm thinking of taking the gang on vacation." The blonde's eyes widened at the news. "And I don't just mean a day or even a weekend away. I want to take the team around space on a week-long vacation. …But I haven't gotten the chance to do that since my hero duties tend to keep me Earth-bound."

"Yeah, I can see how that'd be a problem…" Cooper tightened his lips. "But… are you implying what I think you are?"

A knowing smirk came to Ben's features. "If you mean "leaving Kamen Rider Build in charge of Earth while most of us are gone", then yes, yes I am." He raised a hand before Cooper could even respond. "Now, I know that it's a REALLY big ask, but with your level of intelligence, the powers at your disposal and how many allies you have here, I have no doubt you'll be able to pull it off." Ben gave a shrug, adding; "Heck, who knows? Maybe not ALL of the team will be up for a space vacation and some might stay on Earth. Either way, you'll have plenty of people here to back you up if need be. But if anyone is up to the task…" He reached out and clasped Cooper's shoulder. "I know it's you… Kamen Rider Build."

Taking a moment to let that all settle in, Cooper took a deep breath and replied. "Phew… well, that was quite the vote of confidence, Ben. I'm… honestly glad that you have that much faith in me." Reaching behind him, Cooper pulled out the Build Driver. "Honestly, when Caesar and I were creating this, I knew that it probably wouldn't be able to even get NEAR the level of power the Omnitrix had. But I also knew that, no matter what, my first and foremost duty would be to HELP people with this."

"And you have." Ben assured. "You certainly made a good first impression, that's for sure. Having the entire country of Japan at your back is pretty big."

"Yeah… and while being famous is awesome, I know that's not what it means to be a hero." Cooper put the Build Driver back and gave Ben a nod. "It's about doing the right thing, and to me, the right thing is preserving the people's freedom. Dispensing justice is one thing, but making sure the people come first is my top priority as a Kamen Rider."

Reaching out, Ben pressed a finger directly in the center of Cooper's chest. "And THAT, my friend, is how I know you're taking this seriously. I know you'll do an amazing job, so… do you accept my offer?"

Cooper nodded back and raised a fist up to the hero. "Heh, yeah, man. It's a deal."

Ben brightened up and reciprocated the fistbump. "Haha, awesome! Thanks, Coop, I promise that you won't regret it. If there's anything YOU need after this, I'll help you out in any way I can, promise." Ben jerked his head toward the door. "Now c'mon, Rex's probably wondering where the hell we are."

"Right… and Ben?" Cooper rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Thanks for… well, having faith in me. I was afraid no one would take me seriously with my Rider System, but I'm glad you guys are."

"Hm, no problem, my friend." The two heroes shook hands, sharing a resolute gaze. "Now c'mon, let's go kicks some Collective ass."

…..

Back in Bellwood, thinks were much less positive. The Omni-Hunters were left reeling after what they'd just saw, their three friends having just flown straight into enemy territory with no way for them to follow. Granted, Ruby taking control of the situation had settled things somewhat… but now they had ANOTHER problem. A big, four-armed problem. "MMMMM! Beloved, it's been so long!" Looma squealed in delight, a very odd thing to hear from the towering Tetramand princess. She had finally loosened up on her crushing embrace on Manny and set him down on the ground, though he didn't leave her grasp for a second. "Please tell me you were surprised!"

"Hak-hak! If by "surprised", ya mean "shocked the hell outta my life", then yeah, I guess I am." Manny said in between breaths.

Out of everyone there, it was Neptune who decided to comment. "Well, honestly, that's pretty close to the definition of "surprised", so…"

But Manny thrust a finger at him with a threatening glare. "Shut the HELL up, man! Don't need the peanut gallery right now!"

Off to the side, Zak and Team CFVY were staring at the scene in astonishment, the former leaning over to Ruby and asking; "So… this is Manny's blushing bride to be?"

"Yep, pretty crazy, huh?" Ruby affirmed. "She can be… kinda extra." However, that's when she noticed that, out of every Team CFVY member… Coco was the only one whose mouth was completely agape, and it didn't take long for Ruby to figure out why. The Hooded Huntress deadpanned and rolled her eyes. 'No amount of opacity in those sunglasses can help her disguise THAT.'

Apparently, though, Zak didn't pick up on that. "Yo, Coco, you okay? Something wrong?"

"Oh, no, no, no, something is… very right." Coco said in a light whisper, still gazing at the Tetramand princess. "It's like a dream I don't wanna wake up from."

"…W-Wha—"

"I'd let her step on me."

Those within hearing range all groaned and facepalmed, mainly to hide their blushes. "Dear god, when did she go from being so cool to so down bad?" Blake wondered out loud.

Back at the scene, however, Helen let out a sigh and stepped forward, gently grabbing Manny's wrist and pulling it back down. "Firstly, please don't point at my boyfriend." Her sights then directed up to Looma. "And second of all, what brings you back to Earth, princess? I thought the wedding wasn't for another three years?"

"Oh, it isn't!" Looma affirmed with a bright smile. "However, there is still MUCH to prepare for in the meantime, and I've decided to take FULL advantage of it." She reached around her fiancé's shoulders, bringing him in very close whilst giving him a sultry gaze. "And to start with, I thought I'd come to Earth first. That way, we could get some… quality time. Hmhm!"

Somehow, that came off as both intimidating AND seductive to Manny, leaving him emotionally confused. 'Am… am I scare-roused right now?' he wondered before shaking his head to get his mind back on track. He managed to squirm his way out of Looma's grasp and collect himself. "Ah-Ahem, well, uh, that's REALLY thoughtful of you, princess, b-but uh… things ain't exactly goin' so well right now."

"Hm? Well, why ever not, beloved? HAH!" Looma's expression hardened and she slammed her fists together. "Did some hussy make a pass at you?! Just point me in their direction and I'll—"

"N-No! It's DEFINITELY not somethin' like that!" Manny assured, raising his arms to calm her down. "It's just… my friends are in a TON of trouble. They've just punched a one-way ticket to a pocket dimension an' we've got NO idea how to get to 'em."

Looma's eyes widened in intrigue. "Huh… you know, I wondered why my ship was picking up several more life forms just a minute ago before they all disappeared." The warrior princess tilted her head. "I assume they got sucked into this "pocket dimension" as well?"

"Exactly." Gwen piped up. "And Ben, Rex and Cooper went right after them."

"They're a dangerous cult, princess." Ruby stepped forward, catching the Tetramand's attention. "One that's lead by someone who might as well be a tyrant, and a majority of its followers are made up of alien-hating dummies." The silver-eyed girl wore a hopeful smile, though. "But you coming here is actually awesome!"

The verbiage made Looma smile back, though hers was much more prideful as she puffed out her chest. "Hm! Well, I'm well aware of my prodigiousness, but please, continue."

Her boasting DID throw Ruby off a bit, but she wasn't about to let this opportunity slip through her fingers. "Princess Looma of the House of Red Wind, I beseech you!" Within seconds, Looma took on a stunned expression as Ruby lowered her head to her, and after using her full royal title to boot. "Would you please help us in our fight against these villains?" Looma blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting that. But, just as she was about to give her answer…

"WAIT JUST A GODDAMN SECOND!"

All at once, all heads snapped over to a certain Blonde Brawler… who was currently on fire and her eyes burning red with rage. Ruby herself grimaced with her head down, having forgotten one important detail; her sister nearly had her arm broken by the Tetramand princess. '…Crap baskets. So close!'

Yang stormed forward as her hair kept blazing, glaring up at Looma with complete disdain. "I am NOT about to team up with THIS bull of a woman!" she shouted while snapping a finger up to Looma. "You'll sooner catch me fighting alongside MERCURY than this bitch!"

Her teammates were left reeling, to say the least. "Y-Yang!" Blake cried out. "We don't have time for this!"

"Please, calm down!" Weiss said, trying to get between the two before something could start.

"Wait a moment… I believe recognize you." Looma scratched her chin ponderously, only to snap her fingers a second later. "Ah, right! You're the little girl who couldn't last a minute with me the last time I was here! HAHAHA!" The flames burned brighter around Yang, her fists clenching as Ember Celica activated on her wrists. "So, how's the arm doing?"

Yang narrowed her eyes up at Looma. "Doin' good. I want a rematch."

Looma hummed in consideration, but shook her head. "Hmm, sorry, but I'm afraid that's not possible. Once you've fought a royal Tetramand and lost, it takes quite some time before you're seen as a worthy opponent again. Haha!" With every word that Yang heard, she only grew more frustrated, her hands shaking at her sides. "Why don't you try training that arm properly first and THEN we'll talk? Hahaha—"

*BOOM*

"AUGH!" *CRASH* In the blink of an eye, Yang punched Looma in the gut so fast that not even the princess had time to react to it. The team could only watch as she was sent careening across the room, wrecking several pieces of old equipment before crashing through the opposite wall.

"Hah… hah… HOW'S THAT FOR TRAINING, HUH?!" Yang screamed.

The Omni-Hunters were quick to back off. "H-Holy shit!" Sun ran straight over to Blake, standing side by side with her. "Yang, what the hell?!"

"Yang!" Six snapped. "Stand down at once!" But she didn't do that. Instead, Yang pumped her arms and propelled herself straight toward the hole, intent on getting her rematch.

"Little late fer that, dontcha think?" Bobo commented. "Might wanna stay as FAR away from that as possible."

But Ruby wasn't about to let that happen. "No! We need to stop them! There's far too much at stake that's more important than a dumb rivalry!" Using her Semblance, Ruby rushed toward the hole and back outside, with Weiss and Blake following right after.

Despite his hesitancy, Sun followed as well, ushering the others to do so, too. "Come on! Before they wreck the whole town!" Zak, Ilia, Neptune and Penny pursued their monkey Faunus friend and arrived outside… where things had quickly devolved into chaos. Yang was sending out a flurry of punches, shooting out Dust rounds at Looma at a pace that none of them thought she could. However, the bullets didn't seem to do much to the Tetramand female, seemingly bouncing off her skin harmlessly.

In fact… she seemed to be enjoying it. "Hehehe! Stop! That tickles!" Lifting one foot, Looma SLAMMED it down on the concrete and a large chunk of it flew up into her hands, becoming a makeshift shield. "Heat doesn't affect me, you know! I live on a DESERT planet! RAH!" She tossed the slab at Yang but, much to her surprise, the blonde didn't make any attempt to dodge. If anything, she actually TOOK the hit on purpose, which sent her back-first into a nearby streetlight. "W-Wait, no, you're supposed to avoid it and then come at me! This goes against the flow of battle!"

"Hmph, not my flow, sister. GRAAAAAHH!" Her Semblance activating, Yang's strength increased so much that it reduced the slab to mere pebbles, which made Looma's eyes widen.

"Oh… oh, I see." Rules of combat aside, Looma had to admit, she was getting pumped. She could tell that her opponent's power had increased, and her natural affinity for battle was overriding any rules she had set. "Perhaps I was too quickly to judge you, blondie."

"No amount of praise is gonna save you now!" Yang snarled.

Looma's grin grew wild upon hearing that. "I don't expect it to! Enough pleasantries! LET'S FIGHT!" With two equally loud battle cries, the duo sprinted forward and SLAMMED their fists against one another, creating a tremor with them as the epicenter.

It was enough to deter the rest of the team from getting any closer, that was for sure. "Good lord!" Zak shouted, feeling the reverberations from where he was standing. "It's like their punches are making the AIR ripple!"

"That's because they are!" Kevin shouted. "And it won't stop until either one of 'em wins!"

Rook took out his Proto-Tool, preparing himself to intervene. "We must stop them as soon as possible, even if we must force our way in between them."

"Oh yeah, sure." Ilia rolled her eyes. "Good luck with that. You'd have to be either insane or invincible to get between THOSE two—" *WOOSH* "H-Huh?!"

*TOOOONNGGG*

In a split second, Yang and Looma were blown away from each other thanks to the intervention of a certain staff plunging into the pavement between them, its power surging out and breaking up their fight. High above, still sitting on his cloud, Sun Wu Kong wore a face that spoke at least six words; he was done with this foolishness. "Hey, hey, hey! What in the name of Yema is goin' on here?!" He retracted his staff as he floated down to ground level, his sights moving between the two women. "I WAS gonna stay outta this whole thing, but I think the two of you need a reminder about what's REALLY important here."

The Tetramand princess, however, wasn't about to hear it. "Gah! Stay out of this, you… w-whatever you are!" Looma thrust a finger out at Yang. "SHE is the one who started this whole thing in the first place, anyway!"

Wu Kong shook his head. "Sure, I'm not gonna deny that, but you're not guiltless in this either. After all, you teased and provoked her further." Looma only gave a grumble, turning away from the Monkey King. "Listen, as much as I like a good fight, squabbling among yourselves isn't gonna solve anything." He switched his attention to Yang and raised his staff to point at her. "And you, Spitfire, need to keep your head on straight. Remember; your boyfriend and his pals need to be saved from that pocket dimension place." He nudged his head back toward Looma. "You really think taking out your frustration on her is gonna make things better?"

"I… n…no." Yang's fire burned out and her hair went back down, lowering her fists down to her sides as she hung her head in shame. "Monkey King, I… I'm sorry." She turned to her sister and the rest of her team as well. "And I'm sorry to you guys, too. I shouldn't have flown off the handle like that, but… I-I just was so frustrated by everything happening and…"

"Yang, we understand." Weiss moved closer and placed a comforting hand on her back. "This whole thing is frustrating for all of us."

Coco moved up to the duo as well, giving Yang a light nudge with her elbow. "Yeah, we totally get it. Trust me, we're worried about our boys just as much as you are. We'll get 'em back, though, but fighting Muscle Mommy over there isn't gonna do us any good."

A sigh passed the Blonde Brawler's lips. "Yeah, you're right, Coco. I need to just stay focused on what's import—HOLD ON, what did you just call her?!"

"Oh, was the fashionably-dressed one referring to me?" Looma inquired, having approached the three from behind. Coco visibly flinched and tried to hide under her barrette, but by that point, it was too late. "Well, I cannot argue with the "muscle" part, but I am FAR from a mother…" Though she made a point to bite her lip as her yellow-eyes found Manny once again, leaving him petrified. "At least, not yet."

Now in full-on panic mode, Manny shouted; "COCO! Why'd ya have to open this can of worms?!"

"I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking!" Lifting the scarf around her neck over her eyes, the fashionista kept turtling herself up. "Agh, goddamn it, Tech Head! How has YOUR nervousness rubbed off on ME?!"

"AHEM!" Ruby cleared her throat loudly, bringing everyone's attention back to her. "Could we PLEASE get back on track here? We need to find a way to get into Breach's pocket dimension so we can back Ben and the others up." She craned her head back up to Looma, though now her gaze was much more serious. "Listen, I would've preferred it if you DIDN'T goad my sister into fighting you, but my request still stands. Will you help us fight these cultists?"

Looma glared harshly down to the hooded girl. Granted, she was still itching for a fight, but now it was for all the wrong reasons. Her combat with the blonde one had been interrupted, and her irritation was still lingering from that. She was about to refuse… but then Manny stepped in again. "Hey, um… Looma, look, this mission is REALLY important to everyone. If we don't stop these cultists, they could take over the world. And if THAT happens, the aliens on this planet will be in even MORE danger, and I can't let that slide." He took a deep breath and reached a gentle hand out to grasp her own. A light gasp escaped Looma's throat as her fist opened to allow him in. "I know it might not be your scene, but… it'd mean a lot to ME if you joined in."

His word left Looma breathless, hearing just how dedicated he was to the task at hand. Then, a thought crossed her mind; if he was THIS devoted to his job as a Plumber… 'Then perhaps… he could be the most devoted husband and KING that Khoros has ever seen!' Looma brightened up instantly at the prospect, clasping all eight of hers and Manny's hands together. "Oh, beloved! Your commitment is incredibly admirable! Very well, I will join you in this endeavor."

"Hah… y-you will?!" Manny smiled. "Sweet! That's awesome!"

"BUT… there is one thing I would request in return."

"Oh… o-okay, sure. Name it." Seeing her smile widen, Manny began to fear he had made a terrible mistake.

But then, he was left surprised by what Looma said next; "I wish to go on what you humans refer to as… a "date"."

Manny and everyone else blinked, the group left shocked by what they heard. "Y-You… you wanna go on a date?" the Tetramand hybrid asked.

"Yes!" Looma nodded joyously. "I've been studying Earthing courtship practices and I discovered that "dating" is what is customary on this planet." She leaned in, hoping for a positive answer with a radiant smile upon her lips. "So, beloved, I ask again; will you go out on a date with me once this is over?"

It was times like these that Manny was glad that no one could tell he was blushing. 'Damn, this is the LAST thing I expected. Still… I guess an actual date with her may not be TOO bad.' As he took her in more, he found his mind wandering to other things about her as well. 'Didn't expect her to be this… bubbly, either. …Am I seriously startin' to think this terrifying warrior woman's freakin' cute?' He shook his head free of those thoughts and gave his answer. "U-Um, sure! W-We could do that."

"AH! Joyous day!" Once more, Manny found himself in Looma's embrace, picked up off the ground by her tremendous strength. "I promise you, beloved, I will make this the best date you have ever been on!"

'…Just gonna leave the fact that this is the FIRST date I've ever been on out of the conversation.' With that choice soundly made, Manny choked out; "G-Great! Now, uh… w-we need to make a plan! Ruby, Ben left you in charge. What should we do?"

Everyone's attention went squarely back to Ruby, who went back to her own thoughts. "Hmm, well… before he disappeared into the portal, Ben was about to say something to me, but he got cut off. It seemed like he had an idea, but…"

"U-Um, everybody?" All at once, everyone's heads perked up and they craned back to see Jimmy approaching them sheepishly with his cellphone in hand. "I-I think I might be able to help."

"Jimmy?!" Weiss exclaimed. "What are you still doing here?!"

The young boy immediately shrunk back, thinking that they'd be upset with him. But thankfully, he had someone to vouch for him. "Hey, now, don't be too harsh on the kid." Wu Kong said as he leapt back over and knelt next to him. "I was keepin' a close eye on 'im the whole time. Even gave him the best seat in the house."

Hearing that, Yang couldn't help but grin down to the boy. "Heh, honestly, not surprised. Even if Monkey King WASN'T here, I had a feeling you'd stick around to see the fight." She winked down and gave Jimmy a thumbs up. "I know I would."

His cheeks flushing beet red, Jimmy managed to swallow his fear, happy to hear the confidence that Yang had in him. "Y-Yeah, sorry if I worried any of you. But you've gotta see this!" Jimmy lifted his phone to the group, making them all lean in curiously. "I caught the whole fight on my phone, and with the noise cancellation software, I can isolate certain things like voices so they can be heard clearly."

"Oh! So we could use THAT to hear what Ben could've said!" Sun pointed down to the boy. "Nice thinking there, kid!"

"Hah, thanks. Just give me a quick second…" After quickly reconfiguring the audio, Jimmy held the phone up for everyone to hear. "Okay, listen closely now." The group leaned in, with Ben's voice repeating the same line over and over;

"Ruby! You're in charge! Call Ra—"

The audio replayed a few more times afterward, leaving them all to ponder upon it. "He wanted us to call someone." Penny mused. "But who?"

"Likely someone who may be able to help." Six concluded. "Though I'm not certain we know anyone who has the capability of reaching that pocket dimension."

However, it didn't take long for Ruby to figure it out. "AH! Wait!" she gasped. "That's it! I know the person he wanted us to call!" She spun around to her sister, winking to her knowingly. "After all, there IS only one other person we know who can create portals, right?"

At that point, Yang gasped as well, her smile widening even further. "HA! You're right! Mom! He was going to say "Call Raven"!"

"Raven?" Rook tilted his head. "Hm… I am aware that she is capable of creating portals, but…"

"But… only to the people she has a close bond with." Blake finished, her eyebrows raising at the revelation. "Wait… so do you think Ben had the idea that Raven could potentially make a portal to Breach's dimension just because he'd be there?"

"I mean, it stands to reason." Ilia concluded. "After all, Raven's been able to go wherever she wants depending on if her conduit, or "bond" in this case, is there as well. And she has one with Yang, Tai, Qrow and Ben."

Toward the back of the group, Velvet had some concerns. "Yes, but still, Ben's somewhere on a different plane of existence. Getting to him would involve Raven's portals breaking through the fabric of space, something that only a Dimensional Doorway has been able to do so far." The bunny girl's brow furrowed. "My point being; could Raven's Semblance be THAT strong?"

However, a certain Anodite wore a smirk. "Well, between her Fall Maiden powers…" Gwen lit up her hand with purplish-pink energy. "And me giving her a boost, I think we should be able to manage it. I say we should give it a shot."

"Yeah, let's do it!" Yang pumped a fist into the air. "For Ben!"

"For Rex!" Weiss added.

"And Cooper, too!" Coco balled her hand into a fist. "Okay, let's get Raven on the horn!"

Ruby already had her Scroll out and at the ready. "Way ahead of you!" With that, the Hooded Huntress input Raven's number, waiting as it rang. 'Hold on, guys. We're coming for ya.'

…..

Meanwhile, back in the pocket dimension itself, Ben and Cooper were left… quite surprised by the place. Not in the sense that it was creepy, they expected it to be that way from the start. No, what they were most surprised about was… well, just the overall TYPE of creepiness the place exuded. The town was lit, but there wasn't a sun. It was more like a dim, ambient light was shining in from the endless, grey void surrounding them, resulting in an almost entirely grey atmosphere. What's more, there was fog everywhere, though how the void was creating that was also a mystery. Still, between the fog, the lack of natural light, and the mostly empty streets, it made for a chilling image.

Ben, however, noticed something about the place that he just couldn't shake when he took it all in. He glanced up to Cooper and asked; "Dude, you picking up the same vibe I'm getting from this place?"

"…Silent Hill?" Cooper guessed.

"Yeah, VERY Silent Hill."

Rex stopped in mid-step, his eyes almost bugging out of his head. '…How the HELL did I not put that together the first time I was here?! Gah! Estupido!' He shook those thoughts away from his mind, getting back on track. "Ahem, video games aside, we need to find out where Kleiss is hiding out."

"Right, and it'd be impractical to search EVERY single building in this town." Cooper agreed, craning his head around to scope the place. "Still, I can't believe this is all just… here. Was this an actual town, or did Breach somehow make it?"

"Oh, it's a real town alright." Rex answered. "…Or, rather was. This place used to be Greenville, Ohio, but Breach portaled the entire place here."

"Damn… her powers must be pretty strong to do that." Ben noted. "But—and I hesitate to ask—why did she steal an entire town?"

A grimace came to Rex at the question, remembering the exact reason. "Well, let's just say that Breach wasn't exactly the most stable person back then. She took the town so she could… have a living doll house for all of her favorite things."

Ben and Cooper both shuddered at the idea. "Oof… damn, would hate to have been dragged into—wait." Cooper pointed up at Rex. "Didn't you say that YOU got dragged here by Breach once?" All Rex had to offer was a cough into his hand and turning away from his friends, causing them both to send him a questioning look. "Dude… what sort of implications does THAT have?"

"Should we be worried if Weiss finds out?" Ben asked.

At that, Rex immediately spun around and pointed at the two. "Do NOT tell Breach about her, whatever you do! I'm serious, guys!"

"O-Okay, okay, we get the picture, man." Cooper raised his hands defensively. "We won't tell her about Weiss… though I imagine she'll find out eventually anyway."

Rex sighed and put a hand to his forehead, his mind going to that very inevitability. "Yeah, yeah… I know. I mean, I think of Breach as a close friend, but… I'm not sure if she sees me as MORE than that or not. She's said that she likes me before, but I don't know if that's LIKE-like or…" He pursed his lips in frustration. "Hah… I'd just hate to be the one to break her heart like that if she does, especially since she's counting on ME to get her out of this mess."

Ben went up and gave the EVO a pat on the shoulder. "Dude, trust me, I've been there a LOT. It's never easy when it comes to dealing with feelings like this, but it's something that's gotta be done. Both for Weiss AND Breach's sake. Otherwise, well… you're gonna end up with a big mess, and there's no telling who's gonna get hurt."

"Trust me, I realize that." Rex huffed. "I just wish there were an easier way."

"Well…" Cooper scratched his cheek. "Have you considered mindwiping?" He received dual deadpan glares as an answer from his friends, making him retract his statement. "O-Okay, yeah, that's dumb. Hm… well, there is ONE other option, but… I've got the feeling that you're strictly a one-woman man."

"Uh, of course, why would I—" But Rex cut himself off as he realized the implications of what Cooper just said. "You know what? I'm not even gonna bother asking."

The blonde genius quickly spun around, facing away from his friends. "Yeah, that's probably for the best. At any rate, let's move on before we get totally off track. We need to find out where the hell Van Kleiss is keeping Breach and get her out of his clutches. Rex, any idea where their main base of operations might be?"

Despite his skepticism, Rex also got back on track. "Yeah, that's pretty easy, actually. They're probably all holed up in the largest building." He pointed across toward the other side of town. "That'd be the school. I'm pretty sure it's off in that direction."

"Great, so we head there, sneak our way in, get Breach and, if necessary, fight through an entire cult to get out." Ben laid out the plan of attack in rapid succession, to which the other two nodded in agreement. Still, the hero couldn't help but worry slightly. "I only hope Ruby managed to figure out my plan. I don't think she was able to hear me before we went through the portal…"

"Ah, I wouldn't worry about that." Cooper shook his head. "Ruby's a smart girl, I'm sure she'll figure it out somehow. Besides, she's got everyone back there supporting her. She'll be fine." Craning his head around, the Rider set his gaze off toward the other side of town. "Right now, though, we gotta get to that school."

Rex sent a serious gaze toward the two. "Word of warning, guys; that school's a house of horrors. Breach likes to keep things she finds "pretty", but trust me, it's anything BUT pretty in there. Just… be careful which doors you open."

"Hm, noted." Ben nodded. "Let's go."

Fortunately, it didn't take them long to get to their destination, though it did involve several detours as many cultists were traversing the abandoned streets. But eventually, they DID manage to make it to Greenville High School, the decrepit and semi-wrecked building appearing to loom over the rest of the town. But that's when things began to become a bit harder for the trio. "Damn, White Robes everywhere." Ben said, watching from a secluded alley as the cultists roamed about the school grounds.

"Yeah, definitely gonna have to take the stealth approach." Cooper concluded.

Rex nudged his chin toward the back of the school. "C'mon, let's sneak 'round back and go in that way. Pretty sure not many of these guys would be back there." From there, the three of them integrated themselves into the robed cultists with thankfully relative ease before then moving around the rear of the building. There, they happened upon the library entrance… and they quickly had to duck down as they saw someone who they did NOT want seeing them.

Standing in the center of the room, Biowolf was… conducting lessons of some sort to a bunch of people, all of whom seemed intently focused on him. "And that is how the Nanite Event changed the course of history on our world as we know it." The EVO wolf concluded, earning some intrigued "ooh's" and "ah's'" from the crowd. "Next, we'll be going over understanding how to control EVO powers…"

"…This is one weird as hell class for them to be taking." Ben whispered as the three continued on, crawling on their hands and knees to get past the library windows.

"Not if they all plan on becoming EVOs." Rex rebutted. "And if that happens, then Kleiss will get what he always wanted; an army of his own design to help him take over the world."

"Well, then we'll have to make sure that doesn't happen." Cooper approached the nearest vent great and removed it, ready to head inside. "Let's see if we can't find out HOW Kleiss is getting those new Nanites he's so proud of, and if possible, we stop it."

Activating the Omnitrix, Ben voiced his own approval. "Right, great idea." In a flash of green light, the hero had assumed the form of… "ChamAlien! Alright, here's how things vill go." The Merlinisapien jerked a thumb to himself. "I'll head in to find Van Kleiss vhile ze two of you search for Breach. Rex, she trusts you ze most, so she vill listen to you vhile Cooper vorks to get her control collar off, right?"

"Right, sounds like a plan." Rex concurred, heading into the vent first. "Now c'mon, let's pull the rug out from under Kleiss' operation."

…..

After splitting off from Ben, Rex had to admit, while he was confident in his plan, he had overlooked one crucial detail; he had no idea where he was going. Sure, he'd been in the school before, but never the vent system. The layout was much different, and the dust that had accumulated in the place was almost unbearable. But he had to push on, for Breach's sake. 'Still, kinda wish I had SOME clue to where she is.'

"Hrmph! Hmrph! Gah, damn it…" Cooper coughed behind him as silently as he could, fighting the urge to hack louder. "As someone who used to deal with asthma, this might not be the best thing for my lungs."

"Dude, you should've said something!" Rex whispered harshly. "We should've found a different way in!"

But Cooper shook his head. "And risk getting spotted and questioned? No way, this is our best—wait." The blonde promptly shut his mouth and opened his ears, listening carefully. "I hear something…"

Rex started listening, too, and what he heard was both relieving and worrying all at once. "You're CERTAIN that none of those heroes followed us in?!" Powerclaw spoke harshly, his voice clicking in a threatening tone through the vents. Rex could clearly hear it coming from the next intersection ahead, so he crawled up to it and listened again.

"…Yes. I'm very sure." came a meek yet familiar voice in response.

Opening his eyes, Rex broke out into a hopeful smile as his head whirled around toward the left tunnel. 'Bingo!' Peering over his shoulder, the EVO signaled for Cooper to follow him, the two proceeding down the shaft as quietly as they could.

"They better have not!" Powerclaw shouted, his pincer audibly snapping. "Because if not, then it won't look good for—"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" The loud scream, unmistakably from Fenix, was enough to get Rex and Cooper to stop briefly. They heard a brief scuffle before Fenix continued berating her teammate. "Do NOT treat her like that, Powerclaw! You know how the Exalted One feels about—"

But her chiding was met only with a scoff. "Pfft! Please! You think the Exalted One actually CARES about this sub-EVO trash? She's a meal ticket and nothing more! A way to ensure our escapes. If she didn't have her uses, he wouldn't keep her around and you know it!"

Despite Rex's increasing anger at his words, he was at least thankful that Fenix continued to defend her. "…That doesn't change the fact that, if you hurt her, Van Kleiss will NOT tolerate it. You're right, he NEEDS her, so I suggest you take into account how expendable YOU are compared to her, Mitchell." Her response from him was a series of angry clicks before he scurried out of the room, leaving her to sigh in frustration. "Breach, I… I'm so sorry."

"…Please leave." Breach's voice was even weaker than before, no doubt disheartened by the threat. "I'd… like to be alone right now."

Fenix hesitated in her response, but eventually complied. "Very well. But if you need to talk—"

"Just go." Breach said bluntly, leading Fenix to leave the room.

Rex's fists tightened as they waited, making sure neither Fenix or Powerclaw were at risk of coming back. "…I freaking hate that guy." he growled.

"Yeah, seems like such a pleasant arachnid to be around." Cooper agreed before passing something up to the EVO. "Anyway, take this. It'll get that vent grate off."

"Sure, I—woah!" Rex was stunned when he was presented with the Drill Crusher itself, nearly dropping it as it was handed to him. "D-Dude, seriously? You can just whip that thing out even when you're not transformed?"

Cooper gave a shrug. "I mean, yeah, it's just a subspace storage unit. So long as I've got the Driver on me, I can… ahem, take it out whenever I need to." He nudged his head toward the weapon. "All you need to do is wedge the business end into the grate and then pull the trigger. The Drill Crusher will handle the rest."

Taking the advice, Rex pulled back and then jammed the Drill Crusher's tip in between the metal strips, which got a gasp from Breach on the other side. He pressed firmly on the trigger and the drill immediately spun, reducing the grate to a mangled piece of scrap metal. "HA! Got it!" Crawling forward, Rex tossed the weapon into the room before pulling himself the rest of the way out, thankful for the better air. "Hah, hak-hak! Glad we're outta that mess."

"Hmrph! Yeah, and our clothes didn't even get that dirty." Cooper added, taking off his now VERY dirty robe. "No need for these anymore."

Following suit, Rex discarded his as well. "Heh, yeah. Now on to phase—"

"R…Rex…"

And just like that, the EVO hero put everything regarding the plan to one side for now. His features were etched with concern as he spun around, seeing the cloaked, seemingly hunch-backed figure in the center of the room. But of course, he knew better. That was no hunch, but a pair of large arms that were forced behind his friend's back, leaving her smaller arms to dangle uselessly from under the ragged, brown cape. He carefully stepped toward the young woman, not wanting to scare her before kneeling down so that he was directly in front of her. Reaching up, he pulled the hood back, revealing her appearance.

Her hair was much longer than when last he saw her, probably because no one in the damned cult took care of her. Even more concerning, though, was her sunken in cheeks and the heavy bags under her eyes, indicating malnutrition and a lack of decent sleep. Otherwise, though, she was almost exactly how he remembered her. Her pale grey skin, dark eyes and deep crimson lips were all incredibly familiar, and despite her rough state, he couldn't help but give her a smile. "…Hey, Breach."

All at once, a flurry of emotions flashed through Breach's face; sadness, relief, and happiness, all while her eyes welled up with tears of joy. She choked back a sob, but couldn't stop the waterworks from flowing as she fell into his chest, resulting in a somewhat awkward embrace. Still, it wasn't one that Rex was about to deny. "Hic—Y-You came! You really came!"

"Yeah… took me a while, but I'm here." Rex rubbed her back comfortingly before pulling back, gazing at her with complete remorse. "Breach, I… I'm so sorry. I wish I had gotten here sooner. That I could GET you out of here sooner. But every time I tried, I—"

"Snf, I know." Breach sniffled, using her skinny hands to wipe her tears away. "Van Kleiss has been forcing me to help in his escapes. It makes me sick." She shook her head, lowering herself back into his chest. "But… I should be the one saying sorry. I was the one who helped him escape in the first place. A-And I still don't know WHY I did it! I wanted to be free of him so bad, but… s-something just TOLD me to get him out, I—"

"Shh, shh… it's okay." Rex assured, knowing that his friend would break out into tears again if she kept beating herself up. "You're not the one to blame, Breach. Kleiss' hold on you was just too strong. But I'm going to break that hold permanently, along with HIM, too." He pulled her away from his chest, using his thumb to wipe her tears away. "I'm going to free you, no matter what. Or, rather…" He craned his head back to Cooper, the two sharing a nod. "WE'RE gonna free you."

Breach furrowed her brow hesitantly. "Who… who is that?"

Cooper offered a friendly grin and a wave. "Uh, yeah, hi! I'm Cooper, a friend. Rex's brother and I have been working on lots of projects together, so I've gotten to know THIS guy pretty well."

"He's right, Breach." Rex reassured as well. "You don't have anything to worry about with him. Now c'mon, let's get this hood off of you so we can see what we're working with." Silently nodding, Breach allowed them to do so, revealing her white and red school uniform… as well as her two MUCH larger arms. The appendages had been clamped behind her back, with two long metal rods connecting the heavy wrist locks to the large shock collar around her neck. "Jeez… where the hell did Kleiss even get this?"

Activating his technopath powers, Cooper began analyzing the device. "No idea, but that doesn't matter right now. What does is finding out how many security applications it has. Because if we go about this the wrong way… we're ALL hosed." After a few more seconds, though, he had his answer. "Okay… so this thing has traps here, here and… here." He pointed to the front of the collar, where a large red light was, the back of the collar, where the rods connected, and finally the wrist clamps themselves. "So we're gonna have to work in tandem if we wanna free her from this thing."

"Right, gotcha." Rex nodded to him before giving Breach a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. With the two of us, we'll get ya out of here in no time."

Breach merely hummed in response, but before either of them could start working, she asked; "Wait, what about your other friend? I felt three of you come in."

A knowing smile came to both boys. "Oh… he's around." Cooper glanced toward the door. "Let's just say that Kleiss may be in for a rude awakening sooner than he thought."

…..

Further into the school, ChamAlien had emerged from the ventilation shaft and began working his way through the halls, sticking to the ceilings so that no one would find him. Even while invisible to most, he still had to be mindful of his surroundings, after all. Still, with how much creepy stuff there was strewn about the building, he was surprised that ANYONE could stand to be here for long periods of time. The mannequins, the creepy dolls, it was enough to give anyone the creeps. And with every door he opened, it just led to a classroom filled with even MORE of that stuff.

…Until he came upon one in particular. Instead of a classroom, it led to a long, dark hallway… which had sharp knifes sticking up from the floor. And, directly in the center of this hall under the single solitary light… was an empty, pink bunny suit with no eyes in the mask, which made the Omnitrix bearer feel like he was staring into two black voids. ChamAlien quickly slammed the door and went; "Nope! Not dealing vith ZAT analogue horror bullshit."

"I assure you, my generous friends, things are going just at the intended pace."

Right at that moment, ChamAlien heard the distinct sound of a voice further down the hall… originating from the principal's office. '…Of course, zat should've been ze FIRST place I checked!' Frustrations aside, the Merlinisapien climbed back onto the ceiling and hustled his way over, noticing the door was slightly ajar and getting as close as he could to it.

"Of course, Ben and Rex's group of heroes HAVE caused a couple of minor setbacks, but it's nothing that we can't bounce back from." Van Kleiss assured.

"It better, Kleiss." came a low, gruff voice from what sounded like a communication device of some sort. "Otherwise, it's gonna be YOUR ass."

"Now, now, let's not go pointing fingers." said a different voice, this one much lighter than the other one… though there was also something sinister about it. Something… sly and devious about its tone. And strangely enough, the hero could SWEAR he recognized both of them. "After all, let's not forget who brought us all together in the first place, hm? Besides, if anything, we WANT Tennyson and his team of hormonal idiots to keep coming. That way we can finally get OUR revenge, right?"

That only managed to tip ChamAlien off even more. 'Revenge? Van Kleiss is vorking vith old enemies of mine?' His three eyes narrowed in suspicion. 'I should keep listening… but vait, if he's talking to zem… then does zat mean radio waves can pass through into zis pocket dimension? Hm, I suppose it must be similar to ze Null Void… I should keep zat in mind.'

Remaining silent, ChamAlien just kept listening, the growly man grumbling at his accomplice. "Hmph… yeah, I guess. Still, we NEED this plan to succeed totally if we wanna get what we want. Kleiss, I trust you got the latest shipment of Nanites?"

"Oh, I have. And I think this is your best batch yet, gentlemen." The statement made the hero do a doubletake outside. They were MANUFACTURING Nanites?! "I can tell that you've been working our asset to the bone… or whatever it is they have."

"Hm, you'd be surprised what a little "persuasion" can accomplish." the sly-sounding man continued. "It won't be long until the next batch either, so I trust you know how you're gonna use 'em, right?"

"Of course. And I intend on using them right away." And it was at that moment that Van Kleiss finally slipped up. "However, I'll need the two of you to aid in this next step. Mr. Nesmith, Mr. North, I'll be counting on you to…"

Everything after that, though, was fuzzy in ChamAlien's mind as he zeroed in on the two names. North… and Nesmith. '…No. No, no, it can't be!' In spite of his cover, the hero swung the door open, its creakiness and the noise it made catching Van Kleiss' attention. Inside the room, ChamAlien saw a small laptop with a pair of call screens on it, and while neither showed the faces of the conspirators, his thoughts were all but confirmed by the letters in their place; K for "Kane" and C for "Carl".

In that moment, Ben Tennyson's temper flared up, specifically at seeing the latter name come up. "Carl Nesmith" was someone who the hero had hoped he would NEVER have to hear about ever again, and the fact that HE was conspiring with Van Kleiss… it solidified something vital in Ben's mind. And that was; these people NEEDED to be stopped. "GRAAAH!" Swinging into the room, ChamAlien leapt at Van Kleiss… before slamming the Omnitrix again and KICKING him with all his might. "CRASHHOPPER!" The insectoid alien narrowed his eyes at the EVO leader in complete disdain. "You… have NO idea what kind of mistake you just made!"

"T-Tennyson?! Here?!" Kleiss exclaimed, climbing his way out of the desk he'd been kicked into.

"WHAT?!" the gruff voice, which belonged to Kane, shouted. "Tennyson's there?! How?!"

A laugh suddenly sounded off from Nesmith's screen, along with the sound of his condescending applause. "Haha! How amusing! Well, guess this means all pretense can be thrown out the window." All of a sudden, the "C" screen switched to a live feed, displaying Carl Nesmith's thin-mustached, slicked-back hair visage for Crashhopper to see. "Tennyson! Been quite a while, hasn't it? You seem… well, a bit buggier than usual."

Ben fixed that quickly, slapping the Omnitrix again and becoming Four Arms. "NESMITH! You BASTARD!" He stormed up to the laptop, resisting the urge to punch the smug face, otherwise he'd break it. "Where the hell are you?! TELL ME!"

"Ah-ah, THAT would be telling." Nesmith wagged his finger. "But don't worry, Tennyson, it won't be long before you see me in the flesh again. Just give me another three to four weeks and—"

"NOW!" Four Arms slammed his fists down on another desk, breaking it effortlessly.

On the other call, the "K" image switched as well, revealing a man in his late forties with dark, slicked-back hair and a bushy mustache-goatee combo, both of which were greying in certain parts. "Bah, for god's sake, Tennyson, show SOME restraint." Kane balked.

But the Tetramand wasn't hearing it. "YOU stay out of this, North! You're just lucky your brother's making a comeback otherwise I'd be MORE pissed at you!" His four eyes narrowed back at Nesmith. "But STILL not as much as THIS piece of garbage for what HE'S done! Jennifer Nocturn's still in a mental hospital because of your manipulative bullshit! Also, couldn't help but notice ya got your old, slimey face back. How much did it cost ya to get THAT fixed?"

Nesmith put a hand over his heart, though his features showed little remorse. "My heart bleeds for the poor girl, truly… but ultimately, she knew what she was getting into." He heard a growl from Tennyson, but continued by placing a hand upon his face. "As for getting my old appearance back, it was a simple matter of finding my old doctor again. But reversing the procedure is mere child's play in comparison to what WE have in store for you. Which reminds me, you might want to watch out."

*WHAM*

"Oh, too late."

From his blind spot, Four Arms was tossed into a wall by Van Kleiss, the cult leader's metal arm extending out and swinging him around the room. Kleiss pinned Four Arms to the wall by the neck and, to the Tetramand's shock, several metal tendrils came out and pinned him further by all four wrists and his ankles. Van Kleiss himself approaching the hero with a… surprisingly calm demeanor. "Hmhm, well, I suppose this was an inevitability." the man shrugged. "Not even THIS place could remain safe for long." He set his sights over to the laptop. "Apologies, gentlemen, but we'll have to cut our meeting short today."

Nesmith nodded in understanding. "Oh, it's no problem. I'm sure you can deal with this riff-raff, my friend. But for now…" He put on a smug grin, which only made Four Arms thrash about even more. "Until we meet again, Tennyson." Thus, the screen went black, making the Omnitrix bearer roar in righteous fury.

Still, Van Kleiss kept him pinned, his expression hardening up at the Tetramand as several footfalls came rushing toward them from the hallway. "But I must say, I'm disappointed that it was YOU who found me first and not Rex."

"Heh, sorry." Four Arms choked out, forcing on a smirk. "But he's currently working on liberating your getaway driver."

"Getaway driver? What do you—" But Van Kleiss cut himself off, realizing what that must have meant. "No… NO!"

By that point, Biowolf, Skalamander, Powerclaw and Fenix all entered the room with several armed cultists, the robed followers all aiming their guns at Four Arms. "Sir! We heard the commotion and—TENNYSON?!" Biowolf and the others did a doubletake at the sight. "H-How did he get in here?!"

"GRAH! I KNEW it!" Powerclaw snapped his claw in rage. "That little witch was lying! They DID make it through!"

Skalamander hit Powerclaw upside the head, starting a confrontation between the two. "Ya shoulda been more careful, newbie! Makin' a clean getaway is

Van Kleiss craned his head over his shoulder, glaring at Powerclaw and Fenix. "We will discuss this later. Right now, you two need to get to Breach and STOP Rex from freeing her!" He reached into his pocket and took out a remote control, tossing it their way. "Take this as well. If anything happens, you know what to do."

Fenix caught the remote, staring at it hesitantly. "B-But sir, wouldn't that—"

"Are you questioning my orders?"

"…N-No, Exalted One." Fenix lowered her head and ushered a swathe of cultists to follow her. "Come on! We need to stop Salazar!"

Four Arms clenched his teeth, struggling in Van Kleiss' surprisingly strong grasp. He was starting to lose air as well, leaving him at the mercy of Kleiss' villainous rambling. "You know, I was willing to let you off with a warning, perhaps even a couple weeks of peace to yourselves." the cult leader snarled. "But attempting to free Breach? Now, you have only served to raise my temper, and believe you me, that is NOT something you would wish upon anyone."

"H-HA! You think THAT'S bad?" Four Arms retorted. "You're—hak—lucky I'm holding back right now. Hak-hak! O-Otherwise this whole building would be brought to the ground. But since my friends are—hak—in here, I can't exactly take MY anger out just yet."

"Nor will you get the chance to." Kleiss said as Biowolf, Skalamander and the remaining cultists closed in. From under his arm, a hidden blade came out and began steadily making its way toward Four Arms' sternum, prepared to pierce through. "THIS will be your final resting place, Ben Tennyso—"

*CHYOOM*

But the cult leader was cut off when, on his left, he saw a black and red vortex appear out of thin air. At first, he panicked, thinking he was too late and Breach had been freed. But, upon further inspection, this portal had a slightly different appearance than Breach's. "W-What?! What is—" *CRACK*

Flying through the portal at incredible speeds, Yang socked Van Kleiss right in the jaw, with Raven, Blake, Weiss, Ruby and Yatsu rushing in after her. The latter five wasted little time in cleaving their blades through the metal bindings, Yatsu in particular severing Van Kleiss' arm clean off. Four Arms broke out of his bindings and simply watched in satisfaction as Yang pummeled Kleiss into the wall, much to the cultists' astonishment "Heh… surprise."

"GET! YOUR! GREASY! HAND! OFF! MY! BOYFRIEND!" With every word, Yang laid into Van Kleiss with blow after blow, the last one being particularly potent as it sent him straight through a window into the outside. Taking a deep breath, Yang calmed herself down and gave a hearty laugh. "Haha! Oh man, I needed that!" The Blonde Brawler regrouped with her team, her eyes settling on the Tetramand in relief. "Seems we made it just in time."

"You betcha, Goldie Locks." Four Arms rubbed his throat. "Kleiss has quite the grip, I'll admit."

Yatsu lifted up the broken arm, blade and all. "I think you mean "HAD" a grip. Now, he doesn't."

Ruby rolled her eyes, but praised him nonetheless. "Hehe, yeah, nice work there, Yatsu." She went up to the hero and gave a salute. "Sir, good to see you're okay."

Four Arms reciprocated the gesture with a chuckle. "Heh, same here. Really happy that you got what I was trying to say." He sent an apologetic smile over to Raven and bowed his head. "Sorry we had to get you involved again. Was hoping we'd at least give you ONE mission off."

"Oh, don't worry about it." Raven brushed off. "Believe me, once I heard what happened, I was just itching to get into this. Speaking of…" She reached down and pulled out her scroll, speaking into it directly; "Infiltration team, fall in." From the portal, the remainder of Team CFVY came through, along with Gwen, Six, Bobo and… a surprising duo.

"What the…" Four Arms had to do a double take as he stood eye-to-eye with not one, but TWO Tetramands. He was expecting Manny, sure… but not the Princess of Khoros herself. "P-Princess Looma?! What the heck are you doing here?!"

"Er, long story, man." Manny said. "We'll fill ya in when we get outta here."

Looma, however, raised her chin to the hero, placing a pair of hands on her hips. "Ben Tennyson. I must say, I'm surprised and disappointed that we've come to your rescue while you're in THIS form of all things." She took a look at the cultists, who were all just staring in shock, before tightening a fist and furrowing her brow at Four Arms. "With your Tetramand form, you should've been able to CRUSH these weaklings without hesitation!"

"I have to say, I'm quite surprised myself." Gwen said, sending her cousin a curious gaze. "I would've expected half of this place to be wrecked by now."

The Omnitrix bearer's name soured at that, a short scoff passing his lips before he explained. "Yeah, well… I kinda got distracted by some bad news." The redhead was met by a grave expression from Four Arms as he told her; "Gwen… Van Kleiss' benefactors are Kane North and… Carl Nesmith."

The Anodite's eyes widened immediately, only to then form a harsh glare. "…What?"

"Nesmith?" Weiss piped up. "Isn't that the guy whose building was bought by Edwin? I thought you said he was gone?"

Gwen's lips tightened as her scowl shifted up to the crowd of cultists, Biowolf and Skalamander included. "We HOPED he was gone for good… but apparently you can't keep an asshole like him down for long. Kane North is surprising, but Nesmith? This sounds exactly like the type of thing he'd do to get back at us."

Four Arms peered over his shoulder to the others. "We'll fill you in on everything later, but right now, we've gotta get Breach and out of here. Ruby, what's the play?"

The question came so fast that Ruby had no idea how to respond. "W-Wait, ME?!"

"I didn't say you were done being in charge, did I?" Four Arms sent her an encouraging smirk. "Now, we've got bad guys headed to Rex and Cooper's location AND a bunch of idiots to handle here. Whaddya think we should do?"

Ruby's eyes darted around the room, thinking over the information quickly before something lit up in her mind. "Ah, I've got it! Weiss!" The former heiress' head snapped to her partner in an instant. "Use your time dilation glyphs to get you and Team CFVY to Rex's location as fast as you can. The rest of us will handle things here."

"Sounds like a good plan to me!" Weiss affirmed before raising Myrtenaster and focusing on her Semblance. "Coco, everyone, gather up on me."

"On it, Weiss-cream!" Coco affirmed as she, Fox, Velvet and Yatsu followed her lead.

Finally snapping out of his stupor, Biowolf thrust out a finger and ordered their followers; "Stop them! Do NOT let them escape!" However, by the time the cultists leveled their guns, it was far too late. Weiss had already brought up five time dilation glyphs under her and Team CFVY's feet, increasing their speed tenfold and allowing them to effectively blow through the crowd, even bowling some of them over in the process. "GRRAAAH! You imbeciles!" Biowolf reached up to a commlink in his ear, contacting the other team. "Powerclaw, Fenix, they're headed your way! If you lose Breach, you will NOT hear the end of it—ACH!"

The wolf EVO was cut off when Raven entered the fray, slashing Omen at him only for his claws to counter the attack. "I suggest you focus on what's in front of you instead of worrying about the girl, Fido. Either way, she's coming with us." She glanced back toward Six briefly. "Mind helping me with this one?"

"Gladly." Six produced his blades from his sleeves and jumped into the skirmish, performing a quick succession of upward and downward slices to drive Biowolf off. "This has been a long time coming."

"I couldn't agree more! GRAH!" Biowolf roared and dove at the two, slashing at them relentlessly with his long claws. However, the two experienced combatants were able to counter every hit, with one strike even igniting Omen's blade and catching Biowolf's fur aflame. "Ah! AGH! Son of a—URK!" One quick kick to the gut from Six sent Biowolf tumbling down the hall, with the agent and Spring Maiden going after him.

"Guh… Look alive, you knuckleheads!" Skalamander thrust out his larger arm, shooting off a barrage of crystals at the team. "GET THEM!" Upon his orders, the cultists opened fire as well, forcing the team to scatter.

Bobo, however, wore a smile as the carnage began. "Hah, 'bout time!" He took out his own laser pistols, aiming them at the enemy. "I was gettin' REAL bored 'ere!" The laserfire from the chimp EVO's pistols made instant contact with the incoming blasts, creating an explosion that rocked the school's foundation and sent smoke billowing throughout the room.

Even so, the fire fight continued, and Ruby used her Semblance to bounce around the room, making herself moving target. "Hah! Everyone, focus on disarmament! Destroy their weapons!" After leaping off another wall, Ruby sliced Crescent Rose cleanly through several of the cultists' blasters, leaving them to do nothing but run away.

Deeper within the smoke, Blake and Ilia had taken the opportunity to sneak up on several armed cultists herself, and with several rapid slices, the two minced their guns in record time. The Faunus girls scowled at the cultists with golden-eyed glares, with Ilia even changing her colors to blood red and bright yellow to inflict even more fear into them. "We suggest you run." Blake advised.

"Otherwise, this could end VERY badly for you." Ilia added. The cultists prominently spun around to run away… but were immediately met by Yang. "Oh, spoke too soon."

"Hi! Name's Yang! Let's FIGHT!" No shots were fired from Ember Celica after that, but that didn't mean that Yang's punches didn't hurt less. One by one, the cult followers fell at her feet, knocked unconscious in a single strike. "Not so tough when ya don't have any blasters, are ya—" *WHAM* "AUGH!" Unfortunately, the Blonde Brawler wasn't paying attention, resulting in Skalamander coming through the smog and SMASHING his crystalline arm into her back, careening her through the wall.

"Hahaha! Oh, I think YOU'RE the one who's not so tough, lil' missy! HAHA… huh?" Just then, Skalamander noticed three looming shadows that seemed to be coming from behind him, and just like that all of his bravado was lost. …Namely because he already knew who was behind him thanks to his head being sideways. The EVO trembled as Four Arms, Looma and Manny grimaced at him loathingly, with all four of their fists already reeled back. "Oh, uh… hey, I remember you, don't I?" Skalamander pointed at Manny. "From Niagara Falls, right?"

Manny wasn't amused by the memory in the slightest. "Yeah, I remember. You're the asshole who got a cowardly cheap shot on me and I haven't forgotten about it since."

Hearing that, Looma's anger was sparked. "You did WHAT?! You disgrace my future husband with your very presence, reptile! Prepare to face our wrath!" With that, Looma tackled Skalamander to the floor, much to the other two's surprise.

"Oh-ho, okay, NOW we're talkin'!" Manny smirked before joining in on the beatdown. "Looma! Save some for me!"

Four Arms was about to join in as well, however, the Omnitrix bearer wouldn't get to do much of anything as something yanked him away. "AUGH! Hey, what the—ACK!" He was brought outside and SLAMMED into the dead grass, and it was there that he saw Van Kleiss having emerged from the rubble, his metal arm having reconstructed itself.

"Hmph, so, where were we, Tennyson?" Kleiss asked, spitting out some blood that was trickling from his mouth.

"Ugh, good question… oh, right, I remember!" Twisting the Omnitrix and slapping it down, Four Arms evolved into his Ultimate Form, the bulky, blue alien glowering down at Kleiss with gritted teeth and rocket fists at the ready. "Ultimate Four Arms was just about to kick your ass! …With a little bit of help, too."

Van Kleiss merely scoffed. "Bah, no matter how many of your little friends you bring, you will still not be able to defeat—AH!" Dodging a fiery blast just in the nick of time, Kleiss was forced to back off as Yang came rocketing into the scene, her hair blazing again as her red-eyed glare locked onto the villain.

"Ah, so… ready to kick his ass, babe?" Yang asked, popping her neck a few times for emphasis.

Ultimate Four Arms cracked his knuckles as well. "MORE than ready! LET'S GO!" Raising an arm, Four Arms waited as Yang hopped onto the massive fist. Then, in one fell swoop, he launched the fist off his arm as Yang RODE on it all the way to Van Kleiss, preparing an incredibly strong blow of her own.

Kleiss attempted to use his metal arm to stop the incoming rocket punch… but it was only further reduced to scrap. "…Bollocks."

…..

*KA-POW*

That was probably the third or forth loud sound that Rex, Cooper and Breach had heard in the past ten minutes, but that one in particular actually managed to get their attention. The boys had figured that Ben had taken action, so the noise didn't come off as a surprise to them. But that last one… that was definitely an explosion. "W-What was that?" Breach asked.

"My guess? Ben's finally done messing around." Rex figured before he and Cooper went back to work. "Kinda wish I was there with him, kicking Van Kleiss' ass."

"We can join in once we're done." Cooper assured. "Just a little bit more and—"

*BAM*

All of a sudden, the door was blown straight open, causing the three to gasp and duck as it flew over their heads. After it fell to the floor, several armed cultists came running in and aimed their blasters at the trio… with Powerclaw leading the charge. "GRAH! You little lying witch!" the scorpion EVO growled at Breach, making her flinch and fall back into Rex's arms. "I knew I should've questioned you more!" He opened his claw and took aim at Cooper first. "Don't forget, you brought this upon yourse—"

"STAND DOWN, Powerclaw!" Fenix ordered as she flew in, standing in the way of her partner.

"F-Fenix, what the hell?! Let me blast 'em!"

But Fenix shook her head. "No, violence doesn't HAVE to be the answer here! We can end this without anyone getting hurt." She turned around to face the intruders, giving them a serious look. "Listen up, you two have a lot of nerve doing this… but, while I don't exactly agree with what Van Kleiss is doing to her, Breach needs to stay here."

Rex stood up defiantly, though he was gentle in the way he set Breach down. "Over my dead body, bird lady." Rex went to power up… but stopped short when he saw Fenix lift a remote.

"I wouldn't if I were you. This is the controller for Breach's collar."

The EVO hero's lips curled into a sneer. "Oh, so you don't agree with what Kleiss is doing, but you're gonna shock her anyway?!"

But Fenix shook her head. "No… the collar has a built-in self-destruct function. Just one press and it goes boom, no countdown, no waiting." Her eyes narrowed, as if challenging them to do anything. "Make one wrong move… and I blow us ALL sky-high."

Powerclaw was incredulous at her play, but it was Cooper who questioned her. "You're really willing to DIE for this man's cause?"

"I am a solemn believer in what we're doing. We ALL took an oath, swearing our lives to Van Kleiss and the Collective." Fenix's gaze shifted around the room, being met with affirming nods from the other cultists, Powerclaw included. "If that means having to give up our lives for the greater good, then so be it. So, either step away from Breach and leave this place… or we all die. Your choice."

Cooper and Rex narrowed their eyes at the group, knowing full well that there was no easy way to get out of this. Glancing down to Breach, Rex could see the worry in her gaze, and he was left in an even tighter spot than before. 'There's no time to finish getting her out of that collar. What the heck do we—'

*CHINK* "AGH!" At that moment, though, something unexpected flew into the room… and skewered the control remote, impaling it onto the wall behind Rex and Cooper. They and Breach spun their heads around… and Rex immediately beamed in excitement. It was Myrtenaster. And that could only mean…

"GRAAAGHH!" From behind, two summoned Grimm came in and bowled over the two EVOs; a Beowolf and a Boarbatusk, which only confirmed Rex's hopes… and his worst fears, the more he thought about it.

"Stay away from him, bird bitch!" Weiss snapped as she and Team CFVY stormed into the room, weapons armed and ready for battle.

Neither of the boys could believe it, and Breach was left stunned into silence at the sight. "HAHA! No way!" Cooper rushed up and instantly had Coco in an embrace, which she was more than happy to return even with Gianduja in between them. "Coco! Guys! Haha, that was some awesome timing!"

Coco pulled her sunglasses down and sent a wink up to her man. "Would you expect anything less from us, Tech Head? Now, let's grab the girl and—oh." It was then that Coco actually saw Breach herself, and she was left aghast by the state she was in. "Ah! O-Oh my god, honey… sorry to say, but you look awful."

Breach craned her head down sheepishly. "I know…"

"Well, we're going to change that." Weiss came over and knelt down next to the girl, offering a soft smile. "So you're Breach, huh? Rex has told us a lot about you." That made Breach lift her head, surprised by the news. "It's nice to finally meet you." The heiress' countenance grew more serious as her attention went back to Rex. "So, how far along were you in getting this off?"

"Almost there." Rex assured. "I think I can finish it myself… if Cooper wants to deal with them."

The group's attention went back to Fenix and Powerclaw, the former letting out a loud, bird-like screech as she spread out her wings and lit them ablaze. "GYAAAAAH! That's IT! No more games! I'm through playing! Breach stays HERE!"

Powerclaw whipped up his pincer, pointing it at Cooper. "And you're gonna be the FIRST to go down, Kamen Rider."

Cooper scowled at the duo and pulled out the Build Driver, placing it upon his waist. "Sure, I'm game if you are. Just so you know, though, I've been saving my personal favorite form for a special occasion. And right now…" Materializing from subspace in his hands, Cooper now held two Fullbottles; a purple one with a shuriken, and a yellow one with a comic book page molded into them. "…I think this definitely applies." After giving them a quick shake, he slotted the two bottles into the Driver.

Ninja! Comic!

Best Match!

As she watched him turn the crank, Breach was left mesmerized as some sort of hydraulic system appeared out of nowhere at his feet, extending out in front and behind him as hard light pipes appeared from the driver, pumping purple and yellow liquid through them. The liquid then solidified into the two halves of Cooper's suit, and the Driver exclaimed;

ARE YOU READY?!

"Henshin!" Cooper struck a quick pose and then stood perfectly straight as the two halves snapped over him, creating the new form. The purple parts of the suit were clearly stylized after ninja garb, with the right arm having a long, purple scarf hanging down from the back while the shoulder and bicep armor had a pattern that resembled mesh. The left leg had layered armor on the thigh with a large knee pad, along with more mesh patterning around the shin. His boot resembled that of a split-toed shoe, one that was typically worn by ninjas. Finally, the left side of his helmet had an eyepiece that looked like a shuriken, one with an extended point to serve as the antenna.

The yellow side, however… was much more jarring in certain places. The helmet's right eyepiece was clearly a comic book page with a pen sticking out as the antenna, but what's more, the left torso had comic panels printed on the pectoral, and the shoulder pad resembled an open comic book itself. Further down the arm, the armor around the wrist was molded into the shape of a fountain pen's tip… which was also present on the Build's right boot. With the transformation complete, the Driver played some rather jazzy music and announced;

Shinobi no Entertainer!

NINNINCOMIC!

YEAH!

"…NinninComic?" Breach asked, having no idea what was going on. But she DID know one thing; whatever this was, it RADIATED color, even in the dimmed lighting of her world. She had never seen such a POP in color before, and it left her almost entranced. "What… what IS he?"

"He's Build." Rex answered. "Kamen Rider Build."

Thrusting his right hand out, Cooper summoned a new weapon out from the Driver's subspace… and it was just as crazy as the form he'd just taken. It had a black handle with a trigger in it and a purple handguard, and from that point up, it only got stranger. The blade was bright yellow and had comic panels molded into it, depicting various ninjutsu techniques, real and fictional. The first and largest panel presented a ninja duplicating himself, the next up was tht of a ninja blowing fire while shouting "FIRE SKILL!", the next had a ninja swinging his sword and whipping up a gust of wind in the process, and the last one before the tip was that of a ninja disappearing in a puff of smoke. Finally, though, the tip was a shiny silver… and again, molded to resemble a fountain pen.

Yonkoma Ninpoutou!

Once the sword declared itself, Build raised his left hand up and trailed his across the shuriken eyepiece. "The winning formula… is decided!"

"Whatever! ATTACK!" Powerclaw lashed his arm-mounted stinger at the Rider, but Build simply slashed his blade in a counter move, before then charging straight into the battle. "Don't just stand there, people! SHOOT him! He can't take us all!" At the scorpion EVO's orders, the cultists raised their blasters and shot at Cooper… but one pull of the trigger made the first panel in his sword light up, and no one could've predicted what happened next.

Bushin no Justu!

All at once, several hard light copies of the Rider went rushing out all over the place, likely created from the Driver itself. The duplicates dashed around the room while Cooper himself kept running toward the two EVOs, allowing him to focus on them while his copies disarmed the other cultists with ease.

"O-Oh my gosh!" Velvet exclaimed. "Are you seeing this?!"

"Not entirely, but if I could, I'd be very impressed." Fox quipped back.

"HAHA! YES!" Coco cheered. "Get 'em, Tech Head!"

Both Fenix and Powerclaw went in for the attack on Cooper, but found that, no matter what they did, he always seemed to be able to get out of reach before they could land a hit. And it only got worse when he landed EVERY strike that he swung at them, riddling Fenix with several slash wounds while Powerclaw just grew more annoyed. "GRAH! Stop taking cheap shots and fight like a MAN!"

Build popped up from behind the EVO, retorting; "Funny that's coming from you since you AREN'T one anymore." Hitting the trigger on his sword twice, the second panel lit up… and so did the rest of the Yonkoma Ninpoutou in a fiery blaze.

Katan no Jutsu! Kaen Giri!

With an angry growl, Powerclaw lashed his stinger out again… but that was exactly what Cooper was hoping for. Like a hot knife through butter, the fiery blade cut straight through the EVO's arm-mounted "tail" with ease, sending him reeling in pain. And with that, Build took the opportunity to rush in and… *SHINK* He slashed cleanly across Powerclaw's chest. Once the Yonkoma Ninpoutou stopped burning, Powerclaw fell to the ground, unconscious from the searing pain.

"AH! NO!" Fenix cried out, spreading her wings and letting lose a fiery blast at Build. However, she'd be disappointed as he once again pulled the trigger thrice this time…

Fuutan no Jutsu! Tatsumaki Giri!

Swinging his sword up, Build whipped up a MASSIVE gust of wind that not only dispelled the flames, but sent Fenix flying straight back into the wall, putting out her own fire in the process. "Agh! N-No! This can't be possible!" Prying herself free, Fenix took flight once again, intent on clawing her opponent's eyes out. Still, Cooper managed to counter her attack, leading the two in a struggle against one another. "You're… you're just a guy in a STUPID SUIT!"

"I won't argue ever argue how silly all of this is…" Cooper replied with a small shrug. "But there is ONE thing I'll always defend about this stuff."

"And that is?"

Beneath his mask, Cooper smirked and hit the trigger four times. "…It's a FUN kind of silliness."

Kakuremi no Jutsu!

DORON!

*Poof* A puff of smoke erupted in Fenix's eyes, making her reel back. "AGH! Hak-hak! W-What the—" *clunk* Her eyes widened as she peered down to the floor… and where once the Rider stood was now a short log with a piece of paper on it, complete with a crude drawing of person sticking their tongue out. "…How does this make ANY sense?!"

She was so beside herself that she didn't even notice the rhythmic clanging coming from seemingly nowhere… only for Build to appear behind her a second later. "That's the thing, isn't it?" Fenix rounded about and was about to strike him, but Cooper lifted a leg and countered her with a high kick. "It's science and magic. It shouldn't work, and yet…"

Ready? GO!

VORTEX FINISH! YEAH!

Spinning at high speeds that no one could see with the naked eye, Build disappeared in a tornado of purple and yellow, the colors flashing at speeds so fast that it made it seem gold for a moment. He dashed in and struck Fenix hard, sending her through a wall and into a set of lockers in the other room, finally rendering her unconscious.

"Hah… it does." Build finished with a sigh of relief.

All anyone could do was stare while absolutely dumbfounded at what just happened. Breach was pretty much the only one to voice their thoughts; "How… did you do that?"

"Oh, that? I just jumped up, kicked back, flipped around and spun my way to victory."

Rex deadpanned at the answer Cooper gave. "I don't know if I should give you props for that reference or just feel old because I get it. But either way…" *cher-clunk* At the very next second, Breach's collar and restraints all fell off her body, allowing her to move once again. "Hah, mission accomplished. Breach, you okay?"

Bringing her larger arms close to her chest, Breach rubbed her wrists, trying to dispel the tingly feeling as she got used to moving them again. "Yeah… I think so." She moved her hair back and smiled up to Rex and the others in gratitude. "Rex… thank you. A-And you too, um… Build?"

"Heh, you can just call me Cooper." Taking the FullBottles out of his belt, the suit disappeared from Build and Cooper was back to normal. "So, what's next for you now that you're free?"

"Now… this." Breach's brow furrowed as she focused on her powers, creating portals everywhere throughout her town. "It's time to take the trash out."

…..

Back outside, Van Kleiss was getting absolutely steamrolled by Yang and Ultimate Four Arms, the evolved Tetramand in particular not pulling his rocket punches. However, the apparent final blow came when he launched an open hand straight at the cult leader, pinning him directly to a wall before he came in and reconnected his fist to his arm. He towered over Van Kleiss and scowled down at him, getting right in his face. "Now, I want answers! Where is Nesmith?! How did you get in league with him?!"

"And where the hell are you even getting all these Nanites?!" Yang added.

"Hak-hak! Hahaha! Oh, foolish children, even if you defeat me here, I'm not about to sell my associates out just like—" *chyoom* "Hm?" Just then, a portal appeared directly behind Kleiss, which he started sinking into instantly. He smiled confidently as glanced back at the stunned hero. "Well, that's my cue to leave. Farewell, Tennyson!"

"NO! Van Kleiss you—" But it was too late. The portal shut the moment Van Kleiss was gone, leaving Four Arms with no answers… and a LOT of rage. "GRAAAAHH!" He felt Yang's hand on his shoulder, but it did little to make him feel better as he changed back to normal. "Yang… this just became very personal."

The Blonde Brawler knelt down, cupping Ben's cheek. "Why, though? Who IS this Nesmith guy anyway?" However, before Ben could give an answer, the couple gasped as they and the rest of their team were all scooped up by portals as well, leaving no evidence of their presence aside from the destruction wrought unto the school building.

…..

Back on Earth, Van Kleiss emerged from the portal in a… less than flattering way. He fell straight down into a pile of mud, much to his chagrin. "Gah pfft! Ugh, w-what in the world is…" But he lost his voice when he picked his head up, seeing that ALL of his followers had suffered the same fate… and they were INCREDIBLY far from civilization. A vast savannah as far as the eye could see was all Van Kleiss was surrounded by… that and a herd of elephants. Very ANGRY elephants who were protecting their young. The last thing that Van Kleiss could think to yell before the leader of the herd charged him down… was the name of the one who dropped him there.

"BREEEAACHH!"

…..

Said girl let out a relieved sigh, thankful that all of the riff-raff was out of her special place. "Hah… it's done." Breach lowered her arms, only to give Rex, Weiss, Cooper and Team CFVY a nod as well. "Now, it's your turn to go back with your friends as well."

"Come with us." Weiss spoke up, reaching a hand out to her. "Please. You'd be more than welcome to stay in Plumber HQ."

"Yeah, and girl, you need some serious TLC." Coco added. "You look like hell."

Despite herself, Breach wore a soft smile at their offer. "That's very kind, but… I have some things I need to think about for a while… by myself." She noticed Rex's concern and gave him a stern glance. "I'll be fine here… at least for a while. I have been for a long time, after all."

"I know, but… we just want you to live in a good place, Breach." Rex reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder. "To not have to worry about anything anymore."

But Breach shook her head. "You know that's not true, Rex. Not yet, anyway. Even if I dumped him off somewhere random, Van Kleiss will always find a way to come back." She leaned into his arm, allowing him to give her a small hug. "I'd definitely like to live in a world where I don't have to worry about anything, but we're a long way off from something like that. So until then…" With a wave of her hand, she sent the others away through one portal, before making another appear behind Rex. She gave him one last smile before saying; "Be sure to keep fighting. I'll see you sometime soon. Oh, and make sure she stays happy."

Rex gasped and reached forward, but one of Breach's large hands took him by the shoulder. "B-Breach, wait!" But then, in a flash of red light, Rex was back on Earth, collapsed in the center of the other Omni-Hunters just outside of the abandoned garage once again. "NO!"

"Rex!" Holiday exclaimed as the rest of the team grouped up around the others. "W-What happened? Where's Breach?"

"Ugh… did Kleiss boot us out or somethin'?" Bobo rubbed his head.

Looma gave a huff as she crossed all four of her arms. "Hmph, and just when it was starting to get GOOD." She turned to her fiancé with a raised brow. "Do fights usually end this abruptly for you all?"

"Nah, not really." Manny grumbled. "Though honestly, I'm kinda bummed myself. Rex, what's the deal, man?"

Rex shook his head. "Well, we… we freed Breach, but…"

"She said she wanted to be alone for a while." Weiss finished, placing a hand on Rex's shoulder. "Though she also booted Kleiss and the rest of the Pack out of her dimension with us."

The Omni-Hunters were all surprised to hear the news, with Sun scratching his head in confusion. "So… does that mean she's on our side now, or what?"

Cooper offered a shrug. "From where I stand, it's likely that we at least have an ally in her, but who knows when she'll actually come back?" He craned his head down sadly. "She seemed… almost broken in a way. Like she was clinging on to that last bit of hope she had for so long that it's taken a toll on her not just mentally, but physically as well."

Coco pursed her lips, feeling bad as well. "You guys wouldn't believe how… gaunt she was. That girl NEEDS our help."

"And she'll get it." Ben asserted, stepping into the center of the crowd while keeping his eyes on Rex. "When she decides she wants to come back, I'll make sure that she has a place ready at Plumber HQ. That's a promise." Gradually, Rex's smile returned, giving Ben a thankful nod. "That said… we got some crucial information out of this raid… and it's the identities of Van Kleiss' benefactors. Kane North… and Carl Nesmith."

Hearing that name, Kevin snapped to attention. "Hold on, Captain Nemesis is supportin' Kleiss?! How?! I thought that bastard was in jail!"

"So did all of us." Gwen grimaced. "But apparently, he somehow got out without us knowing about it. We'll have to look into that soon."

"Okay, but who exactly IS Carl Nesmith… or "Nemesis" or whatever?" Yang questioned again. "And why do you guys sound so pissed whenever he's brought up?"

Blake tilted her head as well. "And Kane North… isn't that the one who tried ruining his brother's career? What does he have to do with this?"

By this point, the other Omni-Hunters were curious as well, and the Alien Trio could tell that they had some explaining to do. "I… couldn't tell you with that last question." Ben admitted. "Kane's probably just in it to get revenge on me, same with Nesmith. As for "Captain Nemesis" himself… that is a long and VERY ugly story." He ushered the team to follow him. "But I think that's a conversation we should have back at base. And then after that… I'm gonna go have a walk in the Hazard Chamber for a while." Ben could feel his teeth clench just thinking about how he'd have to tell his friends about everything Nesmith did. "…A very enthusiastic walk."

…..

A/N: And a MUCH-needed walk, at that. Let's just say that Ben might need a bit of rest once he's done in the chamber… which might also need a few repairs afterward. Because let's be real it; Carl Nesmith is a character whose despicability is VERY much deserved for his actions. And you'd best believe that once he's found, Ben's going to kick his ass HARD.

But, to focus on what was primarily accomplished this chapter; HUZZAH! The Omni-Hunters finally have a win over the Collective and Breach has been freed! No longer can Van Kleiss' crew make clean getaways with ease and now the heroes have a much better chance at fighting them on even ground. Though of course, the issue of Breach remaining in her pocket dimension for a while is still a thing, but I'm sure we'll see her sometime down the line.

And indeed, Looma's gonna here for a while, too! It might be… a bit of an adjustment to make for some more than others *cough*Yang*cough*, but I'm sure that things won't get TOO out of hand… hopefully. And hey, Ruby managed to take charge of the situation pretty effectively, with a little helping hand from Wu Kong and Jimmy, of course.

Oh, and of course, the debut of another new Build form, and Cooper's personal favorite; NinninComic! …It's because it's purple and yellow. Literally it's his color combo made into a cool ninja-like form, so it's only natural that he'd like it. …And yes, that sword IS accurate to the source material, I swear it.

For now, though, NEXT TIME! As Ben juggles with the idea of taking a vacation while taking a mental break, our heroes are met with something… unusual happening below the surface. Ester makes a reappearance, saying that the Kraaho's home is being overrun by… a battalion of cybernetic bull robots being led by an annoying, redheaded dude who has an affinity for FIRE. And when even the MONKEY KING is taking that news seriously, you know things have gotten real. Can the Omni-Hunters and Kamen Rider Build dispel this threat before he transforms the Kraaho's domain into a foundry to produce his bull robots?!

Next Time, "Enter: Red Son".

Thanks for reading, everybody, and I'll catch you all next time! Stay safe out there!