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)

91. Enter: Red Son

A/N: Morning, everyone! Welcome back to Ben 10 RWBY and today, we've got another interesting case on our hands. For anyone who's watched Omniverse, you can probably tell that this chapter was based on the episode "Rules of Engagement". However, for this story, I've pretty much thrown out an entire chunk of that episode and then repurposed it to introduce a NEW villain into the story. Of course, I'm not making it a big secret of who it is since his name is in the freaking title, so let's get right down to it, shall we? This is…

Chapter 90: Enter: Red Son

…..

Ben Tennyson… was exhausted. Every ounce of anger and rage he had was effectively burnt up over the course of three straight hours of going through nearly every program the Hazard Chamber could run. And he crushed every single one of their set-ups. He even beat the Vilgax scenario TWICE just to prove a point! 'Even then, that's just a simulation. Can't compare to the real deal.' His legs felt like heavy weights as he trudged from the chamber's control room and toward the elevator, ready to head back up to the main hub of the Plumber HQ. "Thanks for sticking around, Luhley. It was a big help. I'll see ya later."

All Luhley could do was stare after him in disbelief at what he'd done. The Hazard Chamber was in SHAMBLES. As the door closed behind Ben, the young Galvan couldn't help but vent her frustrations a bit. "…Oh yeah, SURE! No problem! And please, feel free to just leave me here with a LOAD of repairs to make!" Luhley slumped forward groaned, all while her robot assistant, Ro-Bucket, gave her a pat on the back. "I don't get paid enough for this."

As the Omnitrix-bearer road up on the elevator, though, he still couldn't get what had happened out of his mind. Nesmith had somehow escaped from jail again, and this time, there was no remorse in him whatsoever for what he'd done. '…He must've put on an act the last time.' Ben deduced. 'He wasn't sympathetic to Jennifer's situation in the LEAST.' Taking a deep breath, Ben steadied himself. '…But I won't let him get away with it again. Next time I see him, he's going to jail and I'll make sure he STAYS there.'

Once he made it up to the hub, he was greeted immediately by his grandfather, along with Rex, Six, Bobo and Holiday as well. "Ben. Good to see you out." Max stepped up and put a hand to Ben's shoulder. "You doing alright?"

"Phew… I am now, yeah." Ben affirmed. "Just… had to get all of that outta my system. So, I'm guessing everyone took my advice when I said not to wait up?"

"Yeah, they all went home a while ago." Rex nodded. "We figured we wouldn't see you again for a bit. …But there was someone who stayed behind."

It didn't take long for Ben to figure out who that person was as a pair of arms encircled him from behind, and he felt a warm body press against his back. He smiled and reached down, placing his hands over Yang's before peering down to her past his shoulder. "Hey."

"Hey." Yang muffled out into his jacket. "How was your "enthusiastic walk"?"

With a light chuckle, Ben moved around in her grasp so he could properly return the embrace. "Hehe, it was… satiating, to say the least. Pretty sure I used almost every alien form I had in the Omnitrix. I didn't even go Ultimate or anything, I just cut loose and… I'm pretty sure I broke the Hazard Chamber in the process."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Six muttered, raising a brow at the boy. "You're lucky I'm giving you kids the day off from training tomorrow, Tennyson."

"You're being pretty generous with those days of, Six." Rex noted with a smirk. "Goin' soft?"

"Not on your life." the agent said bluntly. "It just seems that every other day around here just has something major going on, and I'd rather not overload you kids if something else comes up. Which it likely will."

Holiday wore a cheeky grin and nudged her fiancé in the arm. "It's okay, darling. You don't HAVE to hide your true feelings from us around here." That got a laugh out of Bobo, but one quick glare from Six shut him up quite fast. Holiday brushed it off, though, as she gave Ben a serious look. "All the same, though… Gwen told us everything about what Nesmith's responsible for… and to say that his actions were heinous would be an understatement."

Yang's features were etched with disgust. "MORE than just heinous. I think a better word for what that asshole did would be monstrous. Manipulating an already mentally unstable girl like that… it's disgusting."

"…And now I can see why he'd wanna ally himself with Van Kleiss." Rex folded his arms over his chest. "It's horrendous that they've got something like THAT in common, really. Neither Breach or Jennifer deserved something like that."

"No, they didn't." Ben clenched a fist. "Which is why when it comes to Nesmith, it's on sight. He's to be taken down with extreme prejudice, no if's, and's or but's." Another sigh escaped his lips as he brought a hand to his forehead. "For right now, though, I feel like I'm gonna crash. Time to go home."

Beaming up to him, Yang pulled out her scroll and winked. "Way ahead of ya, Green Boy." After typing and sending a quick message… a red portal opened up directly next to them, the Blonde Brawler giving her boyfriend a wink. "We thought you'd appreciate having an express trip back home. We already brought your car back for ya, by the way."

"Heh, thanks, Goldie Locks." After sharing a short kiss, the couple bid farewell to their friends and strolled toward the portal. "By the way, while I was beating down simulations in the Hazard Room, I've been thinking over something I've been wanting to with you guys do for a while; a SPACE vacation."

Hearing that made Yang's eyes light up. "Ooh, do tell."

"Soon. Let's discuss it with the team tomorrow first. Then we'll decide."

"Well, it sounds like a great idea to me, Ben." Max vouched, placing a hand on his grandson's shoulder. "But all the same, I want you to take the whole day to yourself tomorrow, for the sake of your mental health. And that's an order, understood?"

Ben and Yang smiled to the old man, the former giving him a brief salute before they went through the portal. "Heh, yes sir, grandpa. Will do."

…..

The next day came much quicker than Ben had expected, though that might've had something to do with the fact that he power-slept for another good eight hours. 'I don't think I've slept THIS hard ever!' Still, he didn't let that bother him. After all, after the rampage he went on in the Hazard Chamber, he NEEDED that rest. And besides, he was going to need it for today… because Ruby had decided that THIS was the day that all of the dogs would be gathering together to meet Zed. For Zwei, Romulus and Rema, it would the first time, so they decided to all meet up at the local dog park for the occasion.

…Granted, there were some concerns with the idea, namely involving the biggest dog among them. "I dunno, Ruby, you sure having Zak bring Smokey along is a good idea?" Blake asked as she walked Rema along. "I mean, I know he's calm around the pups and Zwei, but from what we've seen, he doesn't seem too keen on Zed."

"Well, that's why we're doing this, right?" Ruby countered as she kept a hold of Zwei's leash. "So that they ARE chill with one another."

"Yes, obviously." Weiss concurred. "But don't you think those two freaking out in front of the pups would be a bit… unsafe?" The heiress raised a finger to add another point. "And don't forget, Zak can't use his powers a lot right now. If Smokey goes ballistic, things might not end well… for the other dogs at the park."

Ruby pursed her lips in thought. "Hm… yeah, I guess you've got a point. W-Well, then why don't we let THEM get to check each other out first? I'm sure Kevin can get Zed out of there before anything MAJORLY wrong happens right?"

"We can only hope…" Ben pointed ahead of them. "Because here they come."

Down the road, the five teens could see two more groups closing in. From the left, Kevin, Ilia, Penny and Team SN were walking along the sidewalk, the Osmosian keeping a firm grip on Zed's leash. She was also outfitted with a new collar, one that was black and had small, silver spikes going around it. Then, from the right… was quite the surprising sight. Zak was indeed bringing Smokey, but he was also accompanied by Rex, Helen, Manny… and Looma. Immediately, Yang's eyes flared up. "…Who invited her?"

Ben didn't waste a second in attempting to calm her down. "G-Goldie Locks, we're in a public place, remember? Let's not get into any fights, please?"

"Grr… fine." Yang's eyes went back to normal and she crossed her arms in a huff. "Still don't get why SHE'S suddenly hanging out with us."

"Well, if she's staying on Earth for a while, then it's probably something you have to get used to." Blake gave her partner a stern look. "And preferably, something that WON'T get us in trouble with the authorities."

Weiss nodded at that. "She's right, Yang. If you want to settle your beef with her, then you should slug it out in the Hazard Chamber. …When it's fixed."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." the Blonde Brawler grumbled. "I won't hit Manny's fiancé right now."

"Great!" Ruby clapped. "Now let's go meet up with 'em!" Right at that moment, though, something else caught the group's attention. Pulling up beside them was Natalie's mini-van, and of course, that only made the Hooded Huntress even more excited. "Ooh! And everyone else is right on time!"

The van doors slid open, and Team JNPR, Gwen, Winter and Kenny all disembarked. "Morning, everyone!" Pyrrha greeted cheerily as she lowered an excited and squirming Romulus down to the sidewalk… only to get dragged by the pup so that he could greet Zwei his sister. "AH! Rommy, you little—gah, yes, yes, say hello, get your zoomies out."

Blake let out a slight giggle as the pups all bouncily greeted one another, already springing around to try and start playing. All the same, the cat girl and her friends kept a tight grip on their leashes. "Haha, yes, Rema, it's your brother! We're not at the dog park yet, though, so you need to be patient."

Peering down the road, Gwen spotted her boyfriend's group along with Zak's, the two beginning to close in on one another. "Well… I see we're not late for the show."

"This oughta be interesting." Jaune placed his hands to his hips, keeping an eye on Zed and Smokey. "Last I remember, those two didn't get along too well back on Galvan."

"Well, that was a pretty tense situation." Ren said, scratching his chin as he focused on the canines as well. "I think I can sense that they're at least a lot calmer right now."

Nora poked her head up over his shoulder, clearly intrigued. "Really? How can ya tell, Renny?"

"I… honestly don't know. Just a hunch, I think."

Kenny and Winter eyed the situation warily. "I hope so." the redheaded boy said. "Otherwise… I don't think the other dogs at the park could survive THOSE two getting into a fight."

The elder Schnee hummed in agreement. "Hm, let's wait and see how this plays out."

…..

Further away, meanwhile, Looma was doing something that neither of the others could've guessed; she was complimenting Zak's dog. "I must say, er… Zak Saturday, what it? Your beast is quite unique. Fierce and cunning yet loyal and friendly. A Tetramand could only hope to tame the native Quadceratops of our planet in the same way as you have trained your hound."

"Oh, uh… thanks!" Zak bowed his head slightly. "I'm honored by your compliment, princess. Smokey took a while to get… fully trained, but I'm pretty sure it was worth it." He reached up and scratched his Smoke Wolf behind the ears, which made him pant heavily. "Isn't that right boy? Who's a good wolf?"

"…I-I'm sorry, but did you say QUADceratops?" Manny piped up.

"Of course, don't you—ah, oh, but wait…" Looma was suddenly reminded of something important. "You likely have never seen a Quadceratops in your life, have you, Manny? …AH! IDEA!" Reaching around, Looma hooked a set of arms around her fiancé as a bright smile came to her features. "When you visit Khoros, you should work to try and tame your own Quadceratops! It's tradition for a Tetramand husband to ride one to the wedding, after all."

Manny blinked in shock. "…I-It is? I've gotta tame some alien dinosaur if I wanna do this weddin' all proper-like?" He received an enthusiastic nod from Looma, making him let out a shaky sigh. "H-Hah… well, here's hopin' I don't get gored."

Helen raised a curious brow up to the Tetramand Princess. "Which reminds me, you still haven't fully explained why you came to Earth to plan out your wedding, princess. Is there something you need here?"

"Oh, I'm so glad that you asked!" Looma stopped in place, causing everyone else to halt as she explained. "It's Tetramandian custom that the bride to be must collect four items." She raised a finger on each hand as she counted off; "Something conquered, something bruised, something severed and something blue."

The others all stared at her incredulously, with Rex sweating nervously a little. "Eh… I think only one of those is really easy."

"Pfft, not with THAT attitude." Looma scoffed, balling her hands into fists. "Anything can be possible for a Tetramand if they search hard enough for what they seek, and that's when I had a stellar idea!" She smiled happily toward her husband to be. "At any wedding, there should be something from the groom's side, correct? So I thought conquering the Earth would be really ostentatious!" That's when EVERYONE broke out into a nervous sweat, but then, Looma put on a more thoughtful expression. "But after the experience yesterday, I realized something else; this planet already HAS several problems going for it. Rampant villainy being one of them."

The nervousness began to disperse from the group as Zak gave a shrug. "Well, that's not inaccurate."

Clapping her hands together, Looma went on. "So, upon further reflection, I think it'd be more prudent to aid in conquering these potential wedding-crashers before they can ruin OUR special day." Once more, she reached for Manny and pulled him into an embrace. "Right, beloved? I'm sure our combined might would CRUSH them!"

As much as Manny didn't want to admit it… she was speaking his language verbatim. "…I-I like crushing things."

"EEEEEEEEEEE!" Looma squealed in delight. "An excellent response!"

"…Who's gonna be the one to tell her that Salem might not be that easy to beat?" Rex whispered.

Helen and Zak quickly shook their heads. "Not it." they echoed.

On the opposite end of the block, Kevin and his group were nearing the dog park as well. And while they were plenty excited to get there… they were also baffled by a certain monkey boy's choice in breakfast. "Dude, I'm no stranger to cravings." the Osmosian narrowed his eyes at the white box that Sun was holding… along with the pair of chopsticks. "But noodles for breakfast?"

"Hmph, don't knock it 'til ya try it, dude." Sun countered after slurping up a bunch of noodles. "Used to eat 'em ALL the time back when I lived in Vacuo." After swallowing, though, the blond let out a wistful sigh, staring at the box in his hand with a bit of sadness in his gaze. "…But compared to this, the noodles made by my old landlord were WAY better."

That managed to pique Ilia and Penny's curiosity. "Landlord?" the chameleon girl asked. "You rented on someone else's property when you lived in Vacuo?"

"Yeah, I actually bunked at his live-in restaurant at the time. Me and my cousin, Starr, BOTH did." A chuckle passed his lips as he reminisced. "Hehe, he was quite the character, too. His name's Wilbur Rosenbaum, but the locals called him Pigs—"

"RAUF! RRRR…RAUF-RAUF!" The conversation was interrupted as Zed suddenly started barking up a storm, her red eyes concentrated down the block… toward Smokey. It didn't take long to get the Smoke Wolf's attention and before anyone knew it, they were barking up a storm at one another.

Neptune grimaced at the scene and went to hide behind a nearby bench. "Guys, I know this should go without saying, but can we PLEASE not get in the way of those two?!"

As she analyzed the situation, however, Penny came to a conclusion. "Hm, don't worry." she smiled, as if there wasn't a care in the world. "I predict that these two will do no harm to one another."

Ilia and the boys couldn't help but be baffled by that. …And it only got worse when Smokey darted toward them out of nowhere, dragging Zak along behind him. "I beg to DIFFER!" Ilia screamed, all while she and Sun joined Neptune behind the bench.

"AAAAHH! SMOKEY! DOWN! HEEL!" Zak shouted as he was practically lifted off the ground with how fast his wolf was going.

"Nonononono!" Kevin's grip was lost as Zed managed to pull herself free. "Goddamn it! Zed, DON'T!" Within moments, the two canines met in the middle of the block…

…But then something strange happened. They both suddenly stopped on a dime, causing Zak to faceplant on the sidewalk. The Smoke Wolf and Anubian Baskurr eyed one another for a while, circling around one another warily. And then… they began sniffing each other's butts. "…Huh?" Kevin uttered, causing Ilia and Team SN to peak out from behind the bench.

"Are they… doing what I think they're doing?" Neptune gawked.

"Better question; should we be looking at this?" Sun added.

Penny's confident smile grew as she explained. "Like I said; no need to worry! It's a customary ritual between canids to sniff each other's behinds so that they can get a feel for one another." She continued to explain as Helen, Rex, Manny and Looma joined them. "In fact, did you know that a canine's rear scent glands contain SEVERAL different factors that help them identify one another? From the food they eat right down to their own genetic material. One whiff and they can tell male from female."

The group could only stare at her as she exposited to them, only for Manny to utter; "That is both really interesting… and REALLY nasty."

"Yeah, I could've gone my whole life without knowing that." Neptune agreed as he cautiously stepped around the predatory dogs and closer to Helen, giving her a smile. "So, have a good sleep?"

Helen chuckled and nudged him in the arm. "Heh, only once you stopped texting me at ten-thirty."

"W-What can I say? I, uh… I get bored and you're a great conversationalist."

At that point, Smokey and Zed actually stopped sniffing one another and sat down, the two canines facing one another while their tails wagged. "Oh, their tails!" Ilia pointed out. "That's a good sign, right?"

Standing up on wobbly feet and with his face covered in scratches, Zak rubbed his head and groaned. "Ugh… I hope so. Because I NEVER wanna go through that again." Out the corner of his eye, something else caught the young man's attention; the rest of their friends had arrived. "Ah, h-hey, guys! Over here!" he waved.

"Morning, Zak!" Ruby waved back. "Everything all good? We saw… er, well, that and…"

"I-I'm good, I'm good." Zak insisted, his eyes drifting down in embarrassment… only to then be greeted by the pups and Zwei. The three smaller dogs were staring intently at the bigger ones… and it didn't take the duo long to notice them as well. Smokey was the first to get up and bound over, letting out a couple of friendly barks that the trio reciprocated. Zed stayed where she was, hesitant to make her way over.

"Hehe, well, seems someone's excited." Yang said as Smokey slid to a halt and lowered himself down, allowing the pups to start climbing on him. "God, to think that this one was hunting us down a couple weeks ago."

Weiss placed her hands on her hips. "Hm, well, it's safe to say that he's VASTLY improved since then. We owe that to you, Zak, so thanks."

If anything, that only made the young Secret Scientist more bashful. "Gah, jeez, you guys. What, are you trying to butter me up or something?"

"Nah, just pointing out how much of a responsible dog owner you are." Blake insisted. "Speaking of which…" She peered past Smokey and set her eyes on Kevin. "How's Zed been at your place, Kevin?"

"Yeah, how'd you convince your mom to let you keep her, anyway?" Jaune piped up as well. "Can't imagine it was easy."

At that, Kevin wore a sly grin. "Oh… you'd be surprised."

…..

~2 Days Prior~

"…And that's basically the story." Kevin concluded, having just wrapped up the circumstances behind his and Zed's meeting. Qrow and Evelyn had immediately confronted him about the situation when he and the others got home, and the reception had been… mixed. All the same, it was his mother who had the final word on the matter, so he knew he had to sell her on it. …But he had a feeling that wouldn't be hard. "I'd ask if we can keep her, but… I think I already know the answer.

On the floor, Evelyn was practically already embracing the alien dog as it licked her face, laughing all the while. "Ahahaha! Are you kidding?! Of course we can!" she assured, scratching behind Zed's ear and getting an immediate positive result. "Such a well-behaved puppy!" the woman cooed. "AND she's hypoallergenic! I won't have to worry about my sinuses flaring up!"

The huntsman, however, wasn't as convinced. "I dunno…" Qrow scratched his chin. "Havin' a dog is a big responsibility. Ya sure you can handle it, kid?"

"Oh, Qrow, don't be such a stick in the mud!" Evelyn asserted, rising to her feet to give him a light push to the chest. "Kevin knows ALL about responsibility, you've seen what he does! And besides, she'd make for a great guard dog, I'm sure."

Qrow pursed his lips, his eyes darting between the two Levins and Zed. "…Hah, well, I guess when ya put it that way, that wouldn't be SO bad." He thrust a finger toward Kevin, though. "But she'd better keep her paws offa my stuff, understood, kid?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get ya, old man." Kevin assured. "I'm sure she'll keep her paws to herse—"

*CHOMP*

…And just like that, Zed bit down on Qrow's ankle. There was silence for but a moment before a bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout the house. "GYAAAAAAAHH!"

…..

~Present~

By the time Kevin had finished his story, they arrived at the dog park proper, and Zed was still by his side. "…She's since bit Qrow's ankles at least four times." The Osmosian finished, which Zed seemed to smile at a little.

The Omni-Hunters simply gawked after hearing Kevin's story, though Looma was the only one who seemed to be enjoying it. "Hahahaha! Oh, now THAT is quite hilarious. Not surprising for an Anubian Baskurr. They say that if they don't like the smell of someone, they bite them constantly."

Ruby tapped her chin at that. "Huh, weird. Uncle Qrow hasn't smelled like cheap booze since he quit drinking."

"Yeah, but he still smells like cigarette smoke, cologne and aftershave had a mutant baby." Kevin shuddered. "Ugh, can't you convince him to break MORE bad habits?" Ruby raised her hands defensively, which was probably the best answer that Kevin was going to get on that. "Oy, well, I'll tell him and maybe he'll get the idea."

"Maybe, though I wouldn't expect a miracle." Pyrrha said, only to hear the sound of a jet engine coming their way. Craning their heads up, the team were met by the Proto-TRUK lowering down to their location, and hopping out of the cab were none other than Rook and Cooper. "Oh, well this is certainly a surprise." the redhead smiled.

Nora bounced up over to the fence to say hi first. "Heya, guys! What brings YOU here?"

"And where's Team CFVY?" Ren noticed.

Once the two crossed over into the park, Cooper gave a short laugh and explained. "Hehe, well… they're all preoccupied today. My mom's taken Coco and Velvet out for a "ladies day", and dad's got Yatsu and Fox helping around the family's sandwich shop. So, it's just me today." He nudged his head toward Rook. "As for why we're here, I told Rook about your little get together out here and he offered to fly me to your location."

The Revonnahgander bowed his head in affirmation. "Indeed. I thought it would be enjoyable to spend some time with you all in this way before I depart in a couple of days."

Hearing this managed to garner everyone's attention. "Woah, wait, you're leaving?" Sun asked, setting his noodles down briefly.

"Yes, though not on a permanent basis." Rook elaborated. "My planet's annual harvest festival is happening soon, and I would like to join in the festivities…" He glanced off to the side with a slightly irritant look. "…And perhaps explain to my father that my Plumber duties are not making me lose my sense of tradition."

"Ooh, a yearly festival?! Sounds SUPER fun! AH!" Nora's eyes brightened up as she whipped her head toward Ben, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Can we go, can we go, can we go?! Maybe then we could have a BETTER experience in space this time!"

However, Rook quickly interjected with a rare stammer in his voice. "I-I do not think you would enjoy this particular type of festival, Nora. The celebration does not exempt everyone from the labor of the harvest itself. You would have to work if you wish to be involved."

If anything, though, that only made Nora more determined. "Eh, doesn't sound TOO bad! After all, any food ya have to work hard for makes it even BETTER, doesn't it?"

The Revonnahgander went to counter… but could not come up with a sound argument. "…For once, it would seem that my planet and yours share similar idioms."

"Hehe, Rook, I understand where you're coming from." Ben stood up from the bench he was sitting on and went over to his alien friend. "You're afraid that we'll scare your parents, right?"

"N-No! Of course not!" Rook vehemently rebuked. "What would ever give you that idea?"

Yang crossed her arms with a knowing smirk. "Aside from the fact that our resident pink chaos tornado was the one to bring up the idea? We can be a pretty rowdy group altogether." She saw Rook wince and snickered a little. "Hehe, yeah, I had a feeling."

Ren went up to Rook himself, placing a hand over his own chest. "Rook, I promise you, if we were to go on this excursion, I'll make sure that Nora's on her best behavior and DOESN'T cause the festival to go up in flames or anything." He peered over his shoulder, giving his best friend a stern gaze. "After all, we KNOW how important it is that your family has a good impression about what you do, right?"

"Uh, yeah! Of course I do!" Nora retaliated matter-of-factually, giving the green ninja a narrow-eyed look of her own. "I CAN control myself, Ren."

"I'm just making sure to emphasize just how important this is to Rook. That's all."

"Really?" Nora planted herself directly in front of her best friend, her hands firmly on her hips. "'Cause from what I'm hearing, it sounds like you don't have faith that I can be on my best behavior!" She was practically squinting at Ren at this point. "And just HOW long have we traveled together, Renny?"

The team and other bystanders were beginning to get nervous, wondering how far this would escalate. …And of course, it seemed Looma was all for it. "Oh-ho, a lover's quarrel?" she whispered to her fiancé. "How exciting!"

Manny grimaced worriedly, though. "Er… I think the last thing anyone wants is for THOSE two to go at it out here…"

"Please, everyone, let us not get into an argument here." Rook insisted, moving around so that he was between the duo. "Ren, I appreciate you vouching for me, and Nora, I am happy that you are excited about the festival…" He put on a serious expression. "But this is a public space, and as a Plumber, it is my duty to insist that this no place for the two of you to fight."

Like clockwork, the duo whipped their heads around and shouted; "We're NOT fighting!"

Ben huffed and stood up, making his way over to his conflicting friends. "Okay, okay, let's not fly off the handle. To be completely honest… I HAVE been thinking a little." His words garnered everybody's attention and curiosity in a split second. "I've been thinking… about us taking a vacation. And I'm talking like a REAL vacation, something that lasts a week at least."

Needless to say, many were interested. "Ooh, you serious?" Weiss perked up, lacing her hands together. "Could this vacation perhaps involve a spa or a resort? OH! Or maybe both at ONCE?!"

"Hehe, maybe." Ben laughed. "All depends on what planet we go to." This earned a slew of shocked expressions from the team as Ben lifted his finger straight up to the sky. "That's right, I wanna take you guys on… a SPACE vacation!"

"A space vacation?" Ilia tilted her head. "Is that even possible? No offense, Ben, but… space doesn't exactly sound like a great place to take a vacation."

Neptune rubbed his neck with a wince. "Yeah… and our last experience didn't exactly leave a good impression…"

"Well, that's because you guys were brought there against your will." Ben reasoned. "Trust me, not EVERY alien world is like Galvan Prime. There's TONS out there that make great vacation destinations." The hero craned his head down guiltily. "And… well, after everything that we've had to deal with since we got here, I wanna make it up to you guys by taking you somewhere amazing."

Jaune's face scrunched in confusion. "What? Ben, you didn't do anything wrong."

He got a shrug from the Omnitrix bearer in return. "Maybe not directly, but I still feel kinda responsible for a lot of what's going on. This IS my universe, after all. I wanted to bring you guys here so you could see how awesome it was, but it's really just been Hero Time ALL the time."

That got a knowing smile out of Gwen. "Funny, considering that you said that was the best thing about that one summer vacation where you got that watch."

"Yeah, well, sometimes heroes gotta relax, too." Placing his hands on his hips, Ben called out to his Omni-Hunters; "So, whoever wants to go on this vacation, feel free to raise your hand. And if you need time to think about it or just don't wanna go, that's fine, too. Not gonna force ya to do something you don't want, after all."

Several hands immediately went up; Gwen, Weiss, Yang and Nora chief among them. …And almost like clockwork, Kevin, Rex and Ren followed suit. "Wow, predictable much?" Blake deadpanned.

"Hey, we're not just gonna let 'em go on their own." Kevin noted. "Especially if you guys are goin' to some beach resort planet with a buncha alien dudes who think they're hot shit."

Gwen narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend, along with Weiss and the other girls. "What, you guys think we can't defend ourselves?"

"Of course not!" Rex denied. "You chicas can kick any pendejo's ass easily…" The EVO powered up his Smack Hands and BASHED them together. "We just wanna join in if somethin' like that happens."

Weiss smiled brightly, happy with that answer. "And THAT is why you're the most thoughtful person I know, Robo-dolt." However, at that moment… a strange noise greeted Weiss' ears, leading her to dart her eyes upward. It sounded rather… springy, and it seemed to get louder with each passing second. *boing* *Boing* *BOING*On last bounce, Weiss could see something come falling down toward them from the nearest building, making her rapidly warn the others. "AH! Incoming!"

*CRASH*

After clearing the way, the team bore witness as whatever came in from above creating a MASSIVE crater in the ground, sending normal civilians and their dogs running away in the process. Everyone took defensive positions… except for Looma, who went to the very front of the group. "Prepare for combat!" she shouted.

"H-Hey! Since when do YOU give orders?!" Yang snapped, getting directly in Looma's path. "We don't even know what it is yet!"

"Hak-hak! Excuse me, but…" Everyone's sights went to the cloud of debris… and were surprised when a familiar face came out, waving the dust away from her face. Her light lavender skin and pink, spikey hair were unmistakable, as was the purple parka she wore. "But "it" is a "she", thank you very much." the Kraaho hybrid finished.

Ruby gasped and smiled, using her Semblance to rush over and meet her. "AH! Ester!" Appearing in a burst of petals before her, Ruby practically bounced in excitement. "It's so good to see you! It's been a while since we last saw you, hasn't it?"

Letting out a breathy laugh, Ester confirmed her words. "Hehe, yeah, a couple weeks, actually. It's good to see you too, Ruby, but sorry to say, I'm not here to… oh." It was only then that Ester noticed that, among the rest of the group, there were a few faces that she didn't recognize. Along with several dogs. "…A-Am I interrupting something?"

"Oh, sorry!" Gwen apologized. "We wanted to take our pets out for our day off." She approached the Kraaho girl and offered a smile. "You must be Ester. Ben's told me a lot about you. I'm his cousin, Gwen." She gestured over to the others. "This is my boyfriend, Kevin, and our friends Cooper, Manny, Helen, Zak and Looma."

Yang grumbled under her breath; "Hesitate to call Looma a "friend", but whatever."

Ester scanned her eyes across the group and hesitantly raised a hand, feeling a little unnerved as Looma peered down at her. "Uh… h-hi?"

"Hmph, you lack confidence, girl." Looma sneered. "Now explain why you insisted on crashing our outing."

The Kraaho hybrid backed away nervously, stammering as Looma glared at her. "I-I'm sorry, but I had no where else I could go to! I-It all happened so fast, a-and I couldn't do anything to—"

"ESTER." Yang intervened, pressing her hands firmly on the alien girl's shoulders to snap her out of it. "Calm. Down. Take a deep breath. In…" In unison, Yang and Ester did as she instructed. "…And out." After exhaling, the Blonde Brawler encouraged her former rival to continue. "Now, tell us what's going on. Slowly."

"Hah… okay." Ester breathed out as Yang helped her over to a park bench. "It all started about half an hour ago. Everything was going as it usually does down in the Hot Spot, but then… we were suddenly under attack from ALL sides." She stretched her arms up and explained; "They were these big, bipedal bull robots that had to be at LEAST eight feet tall, a-and they practically came pouring out of the walls!"

"Did you say… bull robots?" Blake scowled immediately. "Already I don't like the sound of this."

"But that's not all!" Ester went on, her brows knitted together as she recalled what happened. "They were being led by this… absolute JERKWAD of a guy. I was wondering if he was an enemy of yours."

Ben raised a brow. "Well, what'd he look like?"

That was something that Ester could recall all too well. "He looked like a total tool, that's what. His dumb, red jacket, that smug grin on his face and those dinky glasses!" Each detail she used to describe him only seemed to make her angrier, which made some of the team back away just in case. "Also, his hair was red. And I'm talking PYRRHA red." Ester nudged her head over to the Invincible Girl. "He even had it in a ponytail, too, though his was shorter and spikier. Kinda resembled fire… which is fitting since he used fire quite a bit."

"Wait a minute." Jaune interjected. "Aren't your people GOOD with the heat, though?"

The purple girl nodded to him. "Yeah, but he didn't use his fire on us directly. He just used it to make sure we couldn't escape." Ester's features were etched in sadness and frustration as her hands gripped her knees, her teeth clenched with rage. "Then… then he had his bull robots use electricity to round up my people. He said that he wanted to turn the Hot Spot into his own personal foundry, and that the Kraaho were going to help him do it."

"He's talking slave labor." Ben said, wasting no time in getting up. "Okay, so whoever this guy is, we go down there and take him—"

"Woah, hold on there, Watch Boy." All of a sudden, a large bird of prey came swooping down from above… while speaking to them. Ester gasped in shock, but that was nothing compared to the utter bafflement she'd feel just a split second later. The eagle did a midair flip and was briefly engulfed in a golden light, where it transformed and revealed itself to be none other than the Monkey King. "Might wanna pump the breaks there until you know exactly what you're getting into." Wu Kong raised his staff at Ben. "Besides, you were ordered to take the day off, remember?"

Ben's hand went to the back of his neck, only now just recalling that direct order from his grandfather. "Ah… right."

The Great Sage winked and raised a finger. "But don't worry, because that's what you've got your team for!" He nudged his chin over to Sun in particular. "Pilgrim, gonna need you to bring you're A-game on this one. From what Stretchy Girl said, it sounds like we might be dealing with an old… er, "acquaintance" of mine."

Sun and many others were taken aback by the information. "W-Woah, seriously, Monkey King?! You think this fire guy is someone you know?"

"Could be, but I'd have to confirm it myself." Wu Kong's brow furrowed. "But when I hear "fire" and "bull", there's really only one person who came to mind…" His eyes trailed down to Ester, who was still staring at him completely slack-jawed. "Young lady, you just gonna mimic a dead fish all day or are you gonna take us down to your home so we can excommunicate this brat?"

"Wh-Who… who are you?" Ester uttered.

"Ah, right, you haven't met HIM either." Ben cleared his throat. "Ahem, Ester, allow me to introduce you to the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, the Monkey King himself. Though you may know him better as Sun Wu Kong."

If anything, that only made Ester more confused as she pointed between the two Suns. "B-But isn't he—"

"Yeah, kind of a long story." Sun interjected, stepping up next to the Monkey King. "But he's right, there's no time to lose… question, though." He craned his head back to the team. "Who's gonna lead this mission if Ben's sticking behind?"

The question made Ben smile, knowing exactly who to assign to that job. "Actually, I know the perfect people for it." He shifted his gaze over to Ruby and Cooper, both of whom weren't expecting it. "You guys, you up for leading this operation?"

Ruby, to say the least, was the most surprised out of the two. "U-Us?!"

"Of course! Ruby, from what Gwen told me, you led the team exceptionally well in my absence yesterday." Ben complimented.

The Hooded Huntress shuffled her foot bashfully. "W-Well, I don't know if I did exceptional…"

Gwen vehemently shook her head. "No, Ruby, you DID. You kept a level head, took control of the situation, and figured out exactly what we needed to do." She gave a thumbs up in approval. "I think you're ready to REALLY prove yourself on a FULL mission, in my opinion. And besides, you won't be alone. You'll have Cooper to help you if you need it."

Strolling up behind the Hooded Huntress, Cooper set a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Exactly! Don't worry, Ruby, you're not the only one who's gonna shoulder this responsibility. I'll be with you, and trust me, there's no one you want more as your wingman…" Reaching behind his back, he pulled out the Build Driver, which made Ruby beam with excitement. "…than Kamen Rider Build." As Cooper secured the Driver to his waist and shook up the Rabbit and Tank Fullbottles, Ruby stepped out of the way, giving him the room he needed. "So… shall we begin the experiment?"

Rabbit! Tank!

BEST MATCH!

Ester could only watch on in utter bafflement as Cooper cranked the Driver, making the Snap Ride Builder appear and creating the two halves of his signature red and blue base form. "W-What the heck is going on?!" she exclaimed

Are You Ready?!

"Henshin!" The two halves of the suit snapped over Cooper and expelled the pressurized air from inside, securing it to his body.

Hagane no Moonsault! RabbitTank!

YEAH!

Not wasting a moment, Kamen Rider Build pulled out his Build Phone from subspace and took off the Lion FullBottle from his hip, giving the latter a shake before inserting it into the device. "Now, let's get this train a-moving!" Tossing the phone into the air, the team watched in awe as it grew in size and changed shape, transforming into his Machine Builder motorcycle. Cooper mounted the bike and revved it up, all while giving Ester a salute. "Lead the way, Miss Ester!"

But the Kraaho hybrid had absolutely NO idea to make of what she'd just saw. Between her home getting invaded, the shapeshifting Monkey King and now THIS, it was all so overwhelming. "Th-this HAS to be a dream? I AM dreaming, aren't I?" Ester was resorting to pinching her rubbery skin, hoping to wake up. But of course, nothing happened. "…Oh god, this is real."

"Yep!" Nora popped in next to her, already wielding her hammer. "Now lead us to those bull dummies so we can WRECK HOUSE!"

…..

As it would turn out, only about half the team ended up going on the mission. Yang, Gwen, Kevin, Weiss, Rex, Jaune, Pyrrha and Zak would stay behind with Ben to watch the dogs back up top, while everyone else would go in the Proto-TRUK. …Well, everyone aside from Manny, whom Looma insisted ride with her in her own hot rod of a hover car. And of course, Cooper was getting there via his own motorcycle, which he was NOT afraid to drive straight down into the Undertown entrance. Apparently, there was large concrete hole on the outskirts of Bellwood was a "shortcut" to the Hot Spot, a secret entrance that only the Kraaho knew about. And without even hesitating, Build drove straight off the edge and began descending around its circumference in a perfect spiral, somehow keeping his balance along the wall.

"Dang, your friend's bike skills are crazy." Ester said in the VERY cramped Proto-TRUK. She, along with Sun, Neptune, Helen, Penny, Ilia, Nora and Ren were all smushed in the back, while Rook and Ruby were up front. Wu Kong was also in the back, but he had shapeshifted into a fly to save on space.

"Yeah, apparently being a Kamen Rider makes you insanely good at that stuff." Ilia noted as well. "So, anyone got an attack plan? We're dealing with a fire user in a hot place, so we're gonna be at a disadvantage right from the get go."

Ruby turned her head back and nodded to her Faunus friend. "Exactly. Which is why I'm betting on Looma and Manny making a good first impression."

Helen tilted her head. "Um… no offense, Ruby, but having two Tetramands go gung-ho right off the bat doesn't really sound all that wise."

Shaking her head, the Hooded Huntress made a counter argument; "Ah, but see, I think it's actually the BEST move we could make. Not only are Tetramands fairly heatproof, but odds are that those robots probably won't stand a chance against them either!"

"Okay, but what about the electricity weapons?" Neptune noted. "Looma and Manny are heatproof, but not shockproof."

"Don't worry, I thought of that, too!" Ruby winked. "Remember how Cooper beat Team JNPR in the Hazard Chamber yesterday?"

"Vividly, yes." Red deadpanned, only for his eyes to widen in realization. "Oh. Ooohh…"

Nora let out a loud cackle when she realized it herself. "HA! Okay Ruby, that's a seriously awesome idea!" The Pink Dynamo raised a fist. "And whatever electricity's left, I'll just take that for myself!"

Ruby winked to her redheaded friend. "I thought you would! Now, we all clear on the plan?" The team all affirmed it right as they entered the tunnel toward the Hot Spot, where they witnessed Build land perfectly on the ground and zoom straight for their destination. "Follow that Rider, Rook! Let's—"

*SLURP*

And just like that, all tension went out the window as everyone's heads snapped toward a certain noodle-swigging monkey boy. "…What?" Sun shrugged.

"Sun, did you REALLY need to bring those?" Ilia grimaced.

"Ha! I'd be a dummy not to let good food go to waste!" the blonde held his chin up high. "What, did you expect me NOT to finish them?"

A collective groan went through the ship, only for Rook to get things back on track. "Look alive. We are closing in." He pointed to the tunnel's exit as it came up, to which he lowered the Proto-TRUK to the ground and transformed it into its repair truck mode. The Revonnahgander reached for his radio and contacted Manny and Cooper over the Plumber channels. "Gentlemen, this is where we must take utmost caution. We know very little about our enemy, so I suggest we stop here and proceed on foot."

"Read ya loud an' clear, man." Manny replied.

Up ahead, Build skidded to a halt and propped his Machine Builder up, removing the bottle from the rear and transforming it back into its phone mode. "Alright, let's do it." he spoke into his Plumber's badge before putting both back into the Driver's subspace.

Once the team regrouped proper, they proceeded forward… which was when they noticed Looma had a new accessory. "Uh… did you just have that hammer stored in your hovercar?" Neptune whispered.

The hammer in question was about as tall as Looma herself, equipped with two large, curved heads on either end. "Of course." the Princess said, raising a brow down at them. "You speak as if you do not carry your weapons on you all the time. You expect a Tetramandian Princess to NOT have a proper… insurance policy?"

"…Eh, fair point." the blue-haired boy relented. The team came to a stop at the tunnel's exit and peered their heads into the Hot Spot, already feeling the incredibly heat BLAST them in their faces. "Ugh… really wish we didn't have to come down HERE again."

"Is it… hotter than last time?" Ruby tugged on her hood, already feeling a bit TOO warm.

Ester furrowed her brow. "That idiot is making it WAY too hot down here. He's up to something—AH! Get back!" The Kraaho hybrid pulled them all flat against the wall as a series of footsteps came past… and what they saw left them all astonished.

Passing by was a group of eight-foot-tall robots, all barrel-chested and burley with somewhat hunched dispositions. They all shared a dark grey color scheme, with purple accents in their abdomens, arms and—most prominently—the dual curved horns on their helmets. Said helmets were designed to resemble bull heads, complete with a gold nose ring at the end of their mechanical muzzles. Their bright orange visors were the result of the burning energy cores inside of their furnace-like bodies, which kept them running efficiently.

There had to be at least a dozen or so of these bull robots… and they were escorting a line of chained up Kraaho toward the center of the Hot Spot. "Oh no!" Penny gasped. "We're too late!"

"He… he's chained them up." Ester clenched her jaw. "Like cattle!"

"Who could've made these things, though?" Helen wondered out loud, only for the Monkey King to come buzzing in and land on top of her head.

"Take a closer look." The disguised simian pointed one of his tiny insect legs at the robots… and the kids noticed a detail they hadn't seen before. In the center of the bots' chests was a glowing orange symbol. It consisted of a straight vertical line with a shorter horizonal one near the bottom, and then above that were two angled lines sticking up on either side, which again resembled horns. "It's just like I thought." Wu Kong flew off of Helen's head and transformed back into his normal self. "That symbol… is the crest of the Demon Bull Family."

Most of the Remnant natives and Looma were confused by that, but it didn't take long for Sun to figure it out. "W-Wait, the Demon Bull Family? As in the Demon Bull King's family?"

Wu Kong gave a grim nod. "Yep… and there's only ONE member of that family that likes playing with fire." After taking a brief glance around the place, Wu Kong took out his Ruyi Jingu Bang and summoned a teleportation glyph under them. "Alright, Ruby, once we're in the thick of things, it's all on you. If I'm right, then you guys should have no trouble here."

"W-Wait, really?" Ruby did a doubletake. "But… if you know this guy, shouldn't he be dangerous?"

"Oh, he is, but he used to be a LOT more dangerous in the past." Wu Kong winked. "I'm at least ninety percent sure you can take him. Just make sure your plan's ready to go, alright?"

Hastily facing Cooper, Ruby hummed in acknowledgment. "Hm, right! Cooper, you got OctopusLight in the back pocket?"

No sooner had she said that did Build produced the Octopus and Light FullBottles from his hip holster, giving them a little shake. "Sure do! Let's take this dude out."

…..

Inside of the main area, meanwhile, the line of Kraaho were being led to their destination. Thankfully, not all of them had been captured, so there was a chance that they would be saved… at least, that was Sebik was hoping for. "Damned surface dweller." the former Kraaho leader said through clenched teeth as he was driven before the young man who had blindsided them and taken over the Hot Spot within mere minutes. "I knew I should have destroyed the topside when I had the—ACH!"

"Keep moving." the bull robot ordered. "You will be put to work as soon as possible."

Sebik rounded about on the robot and went to stretch his neck, going for a headbutt. "Not if I have anything to say about—AAAUUUGGH!" And just like that, he was dealt a powerful shock straight into his body, his rubber skin retracting and forcing him to the ground.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk… pathetic mortals, always thinking they can resist the will of a demon." A foot stamped down in front of Sebik's face, one donned with a black, steel-toed boot. The Kraaho glared up at the young man, taking in every single detail so he knew who to despise.

He wore a long, crimson jacket and wore a silver medallion with the Demon Bull Family crest engraved upon it over his neck. His lower half sported a pair of deep violet pants which was kept secured by a purple belt, the slack hanging loosely down the front along with a pair of red straps on his hips. He also wore silver knee pads that matched the jagged steel toes of his boots, and on his face, he wore a pair of round-lensed glasses that were more just for show, sitting more toward the edge of his nose.

The boy himself had a wild-eyed glare that belied his young features. His skin was olivine, but it was marred by a large scar that was on his left cheek, and his hair was just as red as his jacket, pulled back into a fiery ponytail as a single lock in his windswept bangs was died orange. There was also a single red dot in the middle of his forehead, though Sebik had no idea what its significance was. The young man knelt down in front of him, his lips curled into a twisted smirk. "Enjoying the show, mortal?"

"You… you drive my people as if they are Earthen CATTLE!" Sebik snapped. "What do you think?!"

"Oh-ho-ho, cattle?" the young man chortled with a wave of his hand. "Please, that is an insult… to cattle." He stood to his full height, placing his hands behind his back. "You are much more akin to slaves, peasant. And that's exactly what you will be." He thrust an arm out to the Hot Spot around them. "Because henceforth, you and your people will be reconfiguring your old home into a NEW Flaming Foundry, so that I may continue to produce my robots!"

Sebik was beside himself at this point. "THAT is what this is all for?! So you may build your damned machines?!"

The young man brushed his knuckles against his chest. "Hmhm, indeed! How else do you think I intend on taking over the world? My family's rise back to power shall be one for the history books!" He clenched his hand into a fist, igniting it into a ball of fire. "And once the Demon Bull Family is reestablished as the dominant force it SHOULD be, no one will forget the name… of Red Son! AHAHAHA!"

"Hehehe… thanks for just spountin' your plan out to the rest of us, Red Boy."

All at once, Red Son's ceased his laughter, the sound of his OLD name being used to taunt him taking him off guard. "W-What?! Who goes there?!" With a stomp of his foot, he demanded; "SHOW YOURSELF!"

"Gladly." *BONG* The loud sound alerted Red Son to a massive golden light suddenly erupting from the ground in front of him, forcing him, his robots and the Kraaho to back away. Once the light died down, he was met with… a battalion of children. And with them was… was… "Hiya, nephew!" Wu Kong greeted cheerily. "It's been a couple centuries! How've ya been?"

"You… YOU?!" All at once, Red Son's hair erupted into a column of raging fire, his eyes wide with fury before shooting his fireball at the celestial simian. Wu Kong was able to masterfully dodge, however, though the others had to dive off to the side. "You DARE show your face to ME after what you did?!"

"Uh, a simple "thank you" would've sufficed." Wu Kong summoned his cloud and reclined on it, crossing his legs with a disappointed look. "Sheesh, I help save your life and THIS is what I get? Ya gotta calm down, nephew. Maybe take some self-help classes, drink some chamomile tea…"

"ENOUGH!" Smashing his fist into the ground, Red Son cracked the floor and sent up a burst of magma toward the Monkey King, only for him to casually whip his staff around and bat it away. "You may have saved my life, but the INJUSTICE you brought unto my family before and afterward is TOO great! Tricking me into the goddess' servitude, making my mother lose faith in her demonhood, TRAPPING MY FATHER! Do you have ANY idea how long it took to undo the things you've done?!"

Wu Kong mockingly checked his wrist as if there was a watch on it. "Eh, guess a pretty long time since only two outta three of those things are undone." He stood up on his cloud as his countenance grew more serious. "But really… I'm not all that impressed, nephew. I tried to help you and your family find the enlightened path, but your bitterness and anger has only led you back to your demonic ways." The Monkey King shook his head. "Such a shame."

Red Son only balked at the Great Sage's words. "HA! Well, you know what's TRULY a pity?" He pointed toward the Omni-Hunters. "Bringing a bunch of children, a gaggle of alien freaks and… someone in a frankly absurd costume… to a battle between immortals!"

"Hey!" Build pointed at the demon. "My costume may be absurd, but at least I'm not going around wearing purple pants! My girlfriend would have a heart attack looking at your getup!"

"AH! How DARE you?!"

Wu Kong rolled his eyes at the exchange, getting back on track. "Ugh, you're not immortal, Red Boy. Demons are just long-lived, remember?"

"That's RED SON!" the young demon corrected, his eyes beginning to burn at this point. "I am no BOY anymore!"

That only made Ruby scoff. "Psh, you certainly ACT like one, though. Now can we get to the fighting already?!"

Red Son rounded about on her, his eyes wide with anger. "Insolent WENCH! You dare to interrupt me?! Well, if it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you shall have!" He pointed to the heroes, giving his machines their next order; "Iron Bull robots, DESTROY these peasants!"

All at once, the Iron Bulls charged forward, armed with their arm-mounted electro-prods. Nora grinned eagerly as she also charged in, going straight for the lead bull. "This one's mine!" She grabbed it by the arm and took the attack straight on, her Semblance kicking into high gear. "AHAHAHA! Woo! Just what I needed! Aaaand HYUP ya go!" In one fell swoop, Nora pulled the Iron Bull backward into a powerful suplex, slamming it straight into its head.

"W-What the?!" Red Son shook his head in disbelief, even as his Iron Bull got back to its feet. "Did she… absorb that attack?!"

"Huh, tough guy, eh?" Her body crackling with electricity, Nora pulled out Magnhild as a manic grin plastered itself across her features. "Then let's see how ya like THIS!" She leapt up and grabbed its arm as it went to strike her down, getting as close to its face as she could before pulling the trigger. *BOOM* The robot staggered back, its helmet blown to pieces and yet somehow still standing. "Now for the piece de resistance! HYAH!" Shifting Magnhild into hammer mode, Nora SMASHED its head off completely, finally rendering it immobile.

Red Son's jaw fell open. One of his robots was fallen… by a crazed whelp. "H-How… how is this—"

Octopus! Light!

BEST MATCH!

Are you ready?!

The young demon was taken off guard by the unexpected noise, and he whirled around just in time to see Cooper about to change his forms. "Build Up!" On his command, the Snap Ride Builder clasped over him once again, changing him into…

Inazuma Technician! OctopusLight!

YEAH!

Now in his magenta and yellow form, Build immediately lashed out all eight of the tentacles hanging from his octopus shoulder pad, which wrapped around the arms of the incoming Iron Bulls. He then cranked away on the driver again as the electricity from their prods was absorbed and transferred over to the light side of his suit, making the bulb on his other shoulder shine brightly. "Let's see how you handle THIS!" Vortex Finish! YEAH! Raising his spotlight gauntlet, Build let loose a powerful beam of energy from it, cleanly slicing through several of the Iron Bulls while damaging many others. "Everyone, go! Their weapons should be disabled, so START SMASHING!"

"Hahaha! NOW you're speaking my language!" Looma brought her double-headed war hammer out and leapt into the fray, grabbing one of the Bull bots' arms and bashing it clean off at the shoulder. "Haha! Something severed!" She proceeded to wail on the other incoming bots WITH the arm she'd taken as her trophy. "Making excellent progress!"

Shifting back to RabbitTank, Build gave Ester a nod. "Now c'mon, let's go free your people!" Ester nodded back and the two were off, leaving the others to fight.

As the Omni-Hunters went into battle, though, Helen couldn't help but notice Manny staring after his bride to be, earning him a smile from her. "Hm, I guess you're starting to come around to the whole "engagement" thing?"

"U-Uh, sh-shut up!" Manny quickly punched a hole through another Bull bot's chest, grabbing its power core and crushing it by hand. "Just focus up and fight!"

"Hmhm, not a problem."

From there, the team went wild on the robots, with Ruby, Penny and Ilia forming up on one another to slice and dice through them. Ren, Neptune and Rook, meanwhile, went for more of a ranged approach, and of course, Looma and Manny were right in the thick of it with close-quarters combat, all while Helen provided quick support for everyone with rapid hit-and-runs. However, there were still a significant number of Bulls, and a certain member of the team was notably absent from the conflict. "Sun! Form up on me!" Neptune called out… only to get no answer. "…Sun?!"

*SLURP* It only took that single loud slurp to let everyone know what the monkey Faunus was doing, and the team wasn't too impressed. "ACH! Sun!" Ilia snapped as she kicked another Iron Bull. "Would you forget about the damn NOODLES?!"

"Ah, don't worry!" Sun assured as he produced one last roll of noodles from the box with his chopsticks. "I've been saving the BEST bite for la—" *FWOOSH* "AAAGH!" But Sun was forced to the ground as a burst of fire erupted in his face… and he could only watch in horror as his noodles hit the ground… and burned to a crisp. "NOOOO!"

A sinister laugh escaped Red Son's throat as he approached Sun from behind, snapping his fingers to summon another fireball in his hand. "AHAHAHA! How pathetic, Wu Kong! You brought a pitiful Noodle Boy who cares more about food than fighting for his life! This shouldn't take but a—"

"You…" The demon's speech was cut off when Sun spoke, his voice low and with a new edge to it. His fists were shaking at his sides, but that didn't stop him from taking out his own staff. His hair glowed a bright gold as did his eyes, his Semblance activating and bringing forth three Via Sun clones. "YOU! I was gonna FINISH THAT!"

All at once, the Via Sun clones rushed Red Son and latched on, bringing him straight to the floor. "W-Wha—" *BOOM* *BOOM* BOOM* "ACH!" The light clones exploded one by one, leaving Red Son in a crater that only got deeper and deeper each time. "Augh! You insolent Noodle Boy! I will—huh?" he sat up… and was met with Sun's abs in his face. 'By the Jade Emperor, you could grind meat on tho—AUGH!'

But one kick to the jaw later and Red Son was out of the hole, though he was quick to his feet to intercept another punch from Sun. "Do you have ANY idea what you've just done, peasant?!"

"Do YOU?!" Sun barked back. "You've just committed a cardinal SIN!" He gripped Red Son's hand as hard as he could and twisted, hearing a sickening crack and making the demon shout in pain. "You wasted food. And now, I'm going to break you…"

"W-What—"

"Like a Kit Kat bar."

Red Son had to do a doubletake. "…WHAT?!" Sun went to punch him with his other fist, but Red Son avoided it, circling around the monkey boy to get him into a choke hold. "Hah! You fight like a wild animal! Whereas I—HOOOUGH!"

"Kidney shot!" Sun elbowed Red Son in the abdomen several times. "Kidney shot! Kidney shot! And pause…" Whirling around, Sun delivered a powerful blow right under the demon's sternum. "STOMACH PUNCH!"

Just like that, Red Son doubled over in pain, coughing up some very red spit. "Gonna whiz red…AUGH!" But he didn't even get a second's reprieve as Sun slapped him across the face.

"Now say you're sorry!" *WHAP-WHAP-WHAP* "ARE YOU SORRY YET?!"

'I think I peed a little…' *CRACK* And just like that, Red Son was sent sprawling backward, slamming straight into a rock wall.

Further away from the absolute beatdown that was happening, Build and Ester had made it to where her people were huddling, the Kraaho relieved to see their tribe leader. "Ester!" one little Kraaho girl beamed, her eyes filled with hope. "You came back!"

Ester knelt down and put a hand on the girl's head. "Hmhm, I said I would, didn't I? And I brought help."

Standing up, Sebik narrowed his eyes suspiciously toward the Rider. "Ester, what is the meaning of this… strangely-dressed person?"

"Honestly, Sebik, I'm not sure if I fully understand either." Ester shrugged. "But he says that he's got a way to free all of you in one fell swoop…" She peered back over her shoulder toward Cooper with a questioning eye. "R-Right?"

"You bet I do." Reaching down, the Rider produced another yellow bottle off of his holster… and this one had a padlock molded into it. "And it lies in this little baby right here." Taking the Tank FullBottle out of the Driver, he replaced it with the other one. Lock! There was no further announcement from the device as Cooper started cranking away, with the Snap Ride Builder only creating ONE Halfbody instead of two. Are You READY?! "Build Up!" The new Halfbody snapped over Cooper, doing away with the Tank half and giving him something new to pair with the Rabbit half, complete with a jazzy little jingle.

The new, shiny gold parts of the suit were on the right side of the helmet, the left arm and right leg, with the eyepiece for it resembling a padlock as well. On the left pectoral, there was a set of shudder-like armor that was locked up tight, as was the shoulder pad that resembled a heavy safe with a silver key sticking out of it. There was also a long, silver chain that hung down from his shoulder and attached to a large key weapon mounted on his arm, which shimmered even in the Hot Spot's dim red light.

Ester was left even more confused at the lack of fanfare for… whatever this was. "…What? That's it? What happened to the whole "Best Match" thing you had going for ya?"

"Oh, RabbitLock isn't a Best Match." Cooper explained. "RabbitTank is. Lock matches with something else. This is what's called a "Trial Form", for when I need a certain bottle's abilities on the fly."

The Kraaho hybrid tilted her head. "Okay, so what DOES "Lock" match best with?"

"…That's something we probably shouldn't get into right now." Build clenched his left fist, the large key weapon beginning to glow with a golden sheen. "Right now, the Lock is all I need…" Raising his arm into the air, a burst of energy expelled from the key and made the chains around the Kraaho turn into sand, freeing them all in an instant.

Several surprised gasps went through the crowd, with many of them smiling at their newfound freedom. "H-He did it!" the girl from before exclaimed. "You freed us—"

"Shh! It's not save to announce something like that." Build whispered as he knelt down to the girl, giving her a nod. "But you're welcome. Please, make sure you stay safe, okay?" The girl nodded before returning to whom Cooper presumed to be her mother, only to then turn to Ester with a curt nod. "Ester, I think you should escort your people out of the Hot Spot for the time being. I've got an idea on how to get Red Son and his robots outta here."

"Okay…" Ester said warily. "What're you going to do?"

Beneath his mask, Cooper couldn't help but smirk. "Fire doesn't play well with water, right? Well…" From his holster, the Rider pulled out yet another red bottle… though this one had a fire engine on it. "Let's just say things are about to get wet."

Back at the battle, things had… stopped for the most part. The Omni-Hunters, Wu Kong, and even the Iron Bull robots themselves were all now transfixed on the conflict happening between the monkey Faunus and the fiery demon, to the point where even Ilia was enjoying the show. The chameleon girl had pulled out her scroll to record the whole thing, especially since Sun was dominating the battle. 'Blake's totally gonna want to see this.' she thought with a cheeky grin.

Even Looma was impressed by what she was seeing. "I have to say, I think I misjudged Earthlings' combat ability. Your friend Sun is quite impressive… if a bit savage in his approach."

"Yeah, well, that's what happens when ya mess with someone's food." Manny shrugged.

"Agreed. Food on Khoros is VERY much regarded in the same light."

Sun and Red were mostly fixated on one another, though, trading blows at a VERY high-speed pace. "Would you just PISS OFF already?!" Red Son snapped.

"I DON'T HAVE TO USE THE BATHROOM!" Sun retorted before slamming his leg into Red's gut, making him stumble back.

"Augh! This is POINTLESS!" Red Son another barrage of fireballs at Sun, who managed to successfully dodge every single one. "Do you have ANY idea how much trouble you've gotten yourself into, Noodle Boy?!"

As he deftly maneuvered around Red's fire, Sun refuted that claim. "Hah, please, I've been through worse." He jumped up and grabbed hold of a metal pipe that was sticking out of the wall, hanging there for a second to catch his breath. "I mean, back when I was at Haven one time, I walked into a gym full of sweaty, oiled up dudes who tried to wrestle me, so that was a weird day."

An awkward pause followed, everyone including Red Son himself left baffled by the statement. "…Are you real?" the demon uttered.

"I dunno, is THIS real?!" *BANG-BANG-BANG* After separating his staff into its gun-chuck mode, Sun wasted little time in shooting at Red, leaping through the air and back down to make sure he didn't get away. Amazingly, though, Red Son deflected all of the shots with little bursts of flame, which frustrated the monkey boy a bit. "Grr… it's obvious that we're getting nowhere with this, but I'm not about to let you kill these people!"

Red Son merely rolled his eyes. "Oh please, killing them would be a kindness." He snapped his fingers and made a little ember appear at his fingertip. "I could retract that kindness if you wish… but then who's the villain?"

"…I-It's still you."

"N-No, that was a rhetorical question."

"And I gave you a rhetorical answer."

Right then and there was when Red Son came to a harrowing realization; "By the Jade Emperor, I traded Wu Kong for this."

Said Monkey King was still floating overhead, observing the battle intently. He had to admit, he wasn't expecting THIS much intensity from his pupil, but if there was one thing he agreed with, it was his motivation. 'Ya don't waste perfectly good food, even if it's just the last bite.' Out the corner of his eye, Wu Kong spotted Build returning to the battle, and his interest was piqued once again. 'Ooh, we might just be seeing the end to this fight soon…'

Skidding to a halt, Cooper raised his FullBottles up, ready to get into the fight. "Sun! I'm here to help out! Let's take this guy out together!"

"Haha! Yes!" Ruby cheered. "Our plan's coming together! Go get 'em, Coop!"

But shockingly, Sun wasn't having any of it. "Huh?! No way! Dude, this is between ME and him. I've got this!" His glare directed straight back to Red Son. "The guy WASTED my noodles. He doesn't get off scot-free."

A series of groans echoed amongst the team, including Wu Kong himself. "Ugh, kid, I appreciate the hustle, but LET HIM HELP."

"Ah, I see!" Red Son's toothy grin widened. "You're sending your friends away so you can find me all on your own. How gutless."

"How is THAT gutless?" Sun questioned.

"Because… you've chosen the coward's way out."

Sun grimaced impatiently. "Can we fight now?"

And just like that, Red Son's smile switched to a sneer. "Oh, son of a—YES!" The duo leapt back into battle, leaving Build behind just to stand and watch.

Cooper himself, though, didn't seem to worry. "…I give it two minutes before he needs help." Taking out the Rabbit and Lock FullBottles from the Driver, he exchanged them for the white and dark red ones in his hand. "Might as well get set up for that first."

Harenezumi! Shoubousha!

BEST MATCH!

From there, he just let the Driver make its standby sound as the two boys did battle, exchanging rapid blows that were so quick that the team could only barely keep track of them. At one point, though, Red Son jumped straight into the air and created a rather large fireball over his fist, one the size of a bowling ball. Red then came back down and went for a massive punch… only instead of hitting Sun, he instead SMASHED his fist through the floor just a few feet away from him. "Ha! You missed!" the monkey boy gloated.

"…Or did I?" Red Son shot his opponent a sinister grin.

"Yeah, ya did!"

"Well, no, I really didn—"

Sun spread his arms out. "See? Not a scratch on me!"

Red Son snarled and stomped at the blonde. "I wasn't TRYING to—"

"You should really work on your aim."

Seeing Sun cross his arms and shake his head in disappointment, Red decided it'd just be best to wait and see the smug monkey get what was coming to him. "…You know what? I'm not going to say anything. I'll just let this next part be a surprise."

"What pa—" *FWOOM* "WHAHBABABAH!" A pillar of magma suddenly shot up directly underneath Sun, literally lighting a fire under his ass.

"HA!" Red Son boasted. "Now what do you have to say to that?!"

The only thing that Sun could think of as he shot into the air, though, was how much pain he was in. …And it came out of his mouth horribly wrong. "MY BUTT IS FLAMING!"

Everyone simultaneously deadpanned, Monkey King included. Red Son, however, smacked his hand to his forehead at the utter absurdity. "…I've had enough of today."

"Yeah, I think I have, too." Cooper said as he finally cranked up his Driver, bringing forth the Snap Ride Builder once more to create his new suit. Are You Ready?! "Build Up!" Clasping over his body, Kamen Rider Build was now in a new white and metallic red form, accompanied by guitar music mixed with a loud siren.

The white half had a hedgehog-shaped eyepiece on the left side, its long needles serving as the antenna. On the right torso, meanwhile, he had a rather spikey shoulder pad that extended down from his shoulder to his elbow, and his hand was covered by a round, mace-like weapon that had a hole so he could still grip the Build Driver's crank.

On the metallic red side, meanwhile, the left eyepiece was the front end of a fire truck, with its ladder serving as the antenna. The left arm also had a shoulder pad that resembled the cab section of a fire engine, while the arm itself had a mounted watercannon that resembled an extendable ladder apparatus.

Rescue Kenzan!

FIREHEDGEHOG!

YEAH!

"W-What in the—ROBOTS!" Red Son thrust a finger toward Build, the Iron Bulls all standing at attention. "Destroy… w-whatever that person is!"

The remaining bull bots—six in total—immediately charged down at Cooper, but the young genius simply wore a confident smile as he brought his left hand up to run a finger across his antenna. "The winning formula… is decided!" With that, Build ran right into the thick of it, bringing his right arm back as the spikes on his hedgehog mace sharpened and grew out to at least five times their length. With several mighty swings, Cooper started bludgeoning through the Iron Bulls, the spikes being so sharp that they managed to dismember the robots with little effort. He finished many of them off with a hard PUNCH right into their chests, exploding their power cores as the spikes stabbed through.

After tearing through them all, he raised his left arm, aiming his water cannon at Sun and putting out the fire on his rear. "HAH… hah… phew, thanks Coop!" Sun wiped his brow. "That was a close one. I was almost outta the frying pan and into the… magma."

"…How do you function?!" Red Son exclaimed, stunned that there didn't seem to be any burns on the damned Noodle Boy.

"Hey, I'm just like any regular guy." Sun shrugged. "I pay my rent one leg at a time."

Red Son's eye twitched. "I'm going to drown you. I'm going to drown you in the hottest pool of boiling water I can find."

"Oh, you mean like this?" Build raised the watercannon again and the apparatus actually extended out, blasting Red Son at point blank range with a deluge of water.

"AAAHH—BLBLBLBL!" The young demon, now soaked to the bone, felt his features contort in unbridled rage. "This… this will NOT stand! I will NOT be defeated by a couple of low-class wretches!" He then saw one remaining Iron Bull that was still functional. It was down an arm, but it would have to do. "YOU! Earn your keep and help me DEFEAT these fools!"

The bull bot let out a metallic "MMMOOOOO!" and lowered its head, charging straight toward the duo.

Cooper tilted his head to Sun and asked; "Mind if I have this one?"

"Eh, sure." Sun relented, propping his staff against his shoulder. "I think I've proven my point by now. Get Red Boy outta here, dude."

"Gladly. Everyone! Get to higher ground!" With that order, the rest of the team rushed off as the Iron Bull closed the distance between itself and Build… only for the Rider to use his extendable watercannon as a makeshift pole vault, hurdling himself over the bull bot's head. As he sailed through the air, Cooper reached down and cranked the Build Driver, and by the time he landed, he was ready for his final attack. "HYAH!" He swung his arm-mounted apparatus around and STABBED it directly into the Iron Bull's gut, filling the robot up with gallons upon gallons of water. Then, just as it seemed like it was about to burst, Build once more vaulted up above the robot's head, his mace's spikes growing longer again as he dropped straight down.

VORTEX FINISH! YEAH!

*BWOOOOOSSHHH*

The moment Cooper punched the Iron Bull, it exploded into a MASSIVE wave of water that washed out through the whole Hot Spot… and made Red Son start running to get away. "No! No, no, no, NOT AGAI—" *SMACK* From out of nowhere, Sun came careening back down and kicked off of Red's face, sending him sprawling into the current.

Sun landed along side the rest of the Omni-Hunters, waving the demon off as he was sucked down the nearest sewage pipe. "Have a nice swim, Red! Hope to NOT see ya soon!"

"BAH! NOODLE BOY!" Red Son screamed as the water dragged him down into the sewers. "This will NOT be the last you hear from me! I SWEAR IT—BLBLBLBLBL!" But his angry tirade was cut off as he was pulled under the water's surface, and disappeared altogether down the drain.

Once all the water had drained out, the Omni-Hunters and the Kraaho all cheered at their victory, with Ruby coming over to give both of her friends high fives. "Haha! Nice job, guys! The plan was a total success!"

"…Wait, you mean washing out the Hot Spot was the plan all along?" Sun asked.

"Uh, yeah." Cooper affirmed as he took the FullBottles out of his Driver. "Ruby discussed it with me before we went into battle. It was probably the best option we could come with, actually, considering the whole fire thing he had going on." He nudged his head over to the drainage pipe. "That and he's definitely not gonna have a fun time in those sewers. So much methane down there that if he even THINKS of lighting a flame, he'll just blow himself up."

Sun placed his hands on his hips. "Okay, so why wasn't I told about it?"

Ruby and Cooper both deadpanned at him. "…Dude, you were eating your noodles." the Hooded Huntress grumbled.

"…Oh, right."

Eventually, Ester came forward to congratulate the heroes as well. "Woo! That was AMAZING!" She smiled at Ruby, Cooper and Sun, taking the former by their wrists and raising their arms in celebration. "Hear me, Kraaho! The Omni-Hunters have proven to be the good neighbors they promised they'd be! They've successfully driven that demon OUT of our home! This calls for a celebration!"

More cheers erupted from the Kraaho as the Omni-Hunters regrouped, though Ilia raised a concerning point before any celebrations could start. "Shouldn't we go after Red Son, though? He could prove to be a danger in the future, after all."

"Indeed!" Looma smashed her fist into her palm. "I was only getting warmed up! Let us track him down and make him spill all the details on his operation!"

"Eh… I wouldn't chance that." From above, the Monkey King leapt down, rejoining the team with a serious countenance. "Capturing a demon's a pretty tricky task, and even if you did… you'd instantly have the attention of his mom, and we don't need that right now. Besides, if what goes through with what he said, I'm sure we'll see him again soon…" All the same, Wu Kong gave his pupil a smile and ruffled his hair. "Gotta say, though, you guys did REALLY well. Especially you, bud. That ferocity in your fighting is exactly what I was hoping to see."

"Th-Thank you, Monkey King!" Sun and the others bowed graciously.

Nora, however, was a bit peeved. "Kinda wish we got to do more, though." she muttered to Ren, who only offered a shrug. "Roughing up robots ain't all that satisfying."

Wu Kong stamped his staff on the floor, ready to announce a definitive decision. "In fact, I think I've finally settled on a little choice I've been goin' back and forth on for a while now."

This garnered the attention of the team in seconds. "Huh? And what's that?" Neptune asked, only for Wu Kong to swing his staff up and point directly at Sun.

"Pilgrim! I want you to come to my home on Flower Fruit Mountain… and do some one-on-one training under my watch!"

Understandably, the announcement left everyone gawking at the Great Sage, Sun most of all. "Y-You… you want ME to come to YOUR place?! To… to Flower Fruit Mountain?!" He received a single nod from the Monkey King… and an excited smile came to the monkey boy's face. "I might have to consult Blake on this, but… I'd be SUPER honored."

A hum passed Wu Kong's lips and he scratched his chin. "Hm, I getcha. Gotta refer to the lady first, I can respect that. Well, until you reach the final verdict on my request, you know where to find me. For now, though…" The celestial simian raised his staff up high. "LET'S PARTY!" From there, the team joined the Kraaho in their celebrations. Even if they couldn't stay TOO long due to the heat, they still made sure to have a fun time before they left.

…..

~Downtown Bellwood~

Several miles away back topside, in a small, secluded alleyway, a manhole cover suddenly BURST up into the air and landed… on top of the nearest roof. From down below, Red Son crawled his way out of the sewer system, sputtering and spitting out anything and everything that had gotten into his mouth. His clothes were fairly worse for wear as well, covered in gunk and scum. Needless to say, he was NOT happy about it. "Damn those… those BRATS!" He propped himself against a brick wall, the aches and pains coursing through his body making it hard to even walk. "When I get my hands on them AND the Monkey King, I'll make certain that they are—"

*FWOOM*

"Hah!" Red Son gasped as a stream of flame flew by his head, causing him to whip around to see… an open door at the end of the alley, where a young, dark-haired woman was peeking her head out and had a hand full of fire at the ready. "W-Who dares?!"

"Ah, my apologies." the woman said as she sauntered out, revealing her red and gold ensemble. Her amber eyes glowed with power, which managed to render the demon silently astonished. "But I couldn't help but overhear your rather… nefarious plotting for revenge from my humble abode. You say you were bested by a bunch of brats who're friends with the Monkey King?"

Furrowing his brow, Red Son gave her a scrutinizing stare. "Yes… do you know them?"

The woman sneered repulsively. "Unfortunately, yes. We're very much in the same boat." She smiled to him and placed a hand over her chest. "Ah, but where are my manners? I've yet to introduce myself. My name is Cinder Fall."

"I go by Red Son." the young demon snapped his fingers, summoning his own fire. "And it seems we have MUCH in common, Miss Fall."

"Indeed, but I have more to offer than just firepower…" Cinder shoved open the door to her apartment, revealing Rojo, Neo, Mercury and Emerald on the other side, all of them grinning eagerly at their potential new ally. "MUCH more. Ahahahaha!"

It didn't take long for Red Son to join in the revelries, along with the rest of the Ministry as well. And once the laughter died down, the young demon locked eyes with Cinder, the two sharing a wicked smirk. "Oh… this will be fun."

…..

A/N: …Uh oh. And right off the bat, Red Son just so happens to stumble upon the Ministry after his first defeat at the hands of the Omni-Hunters. This might not bode well, especially given who he's related to.

But let's pull back a bit and recount what else happened in this chapter first, hm? Of course, we saw Ben go on his "Enthusiastic Walk" and then go on a completely DIFFERENT walk with his team the next day to help him relax a bit.

And what better way to do that than bringing dogs along? Thankfully (after a good sniffing session), Zed and Smokey seem to be getting along amicably. …Though the same probably can't be said about Zed and Qrow if that brief flashback is anything to go by. Just his luck, eh?

That said, this also presented the opportunity for Ben to discuss what he's been thinking about doing with the others; taking a vacation IN SPACE! And hey, it sounds like Rook heading off to his home planet to take part in a festival seems like the perfect excuse to head out soon. THAT should be an interesting experience… though the fact that Nora wants to go is no doubt setting off some warning signals for some of them.

But now, let's get into the REAL interesting part of the chapter; Red Son himself! To make it perfectly clear, yes, he's not JUST based on the character from Journey to the West, but also his counterpart from Lego Monkie Kid, right down to his voice and personality. The only difference here is… he's an actual person and NOT a Minifig. From the sounds of it, though, he wants to build a factory to produce his Iron Bull robots, and he's not afraid to fight to get what he wants. …Unfortunately for him, he picked a fight with the wrong monkey Faunus. Ya don't waste good noodles, Red Son, otherwise you end up on the receiving end of various Team Four Star shenanigans (you guys can probably tell that I had fun with this chapter). And of course, this allowed Cooper to flex more of his awesome Rider System technology. Hedgehogs and Fire Engines, quite the unexpected Best Match, but hey, it's pretty effective!

But yes, Red Son has now met up with the Ministry, and NEXT TIME, we'll be seeing the results of that as they take him right to Salem to meet with her. Though during that visit, we also see what ended up happening with Psychobos… and hear what he has to say for himself for attacking Khyber. Back on Earth, though, the team (or at least half of them), get ready to head out on vacation, their first destination; Revonnah! …Though it isn't exactly the warmest of welcomes, as they'll soon see. Not only does Rook's father give them the cold shoulder, but something… odd is happening with the local fauna that feed off of the crop. They're getting smarter… perhaps a bit TOO smart. Next time; Bros in Space. Thanks for reading everybody, and I'll catch you all next time. Stay safe out there!