A/N: Morning, one and all! Welcome back to Ben 10 RWBY Month and this time… well, this is where things are REALLY going to start ramping up. Our villains are about to get involved in the proceedings and lemme tell ya, it's gonna be pretty wild when they do. However, there's also something else that's afoot… and it's about time we address it. So, without further delay, let's get started! This is…

Chapter 103: Medals, Gods and Monsters

…..

~Undertown, One Day Ago~

Rojo couldn't help but feel jibbed at what had transpired only twenty-four hours ago. All this time, they had been kept in the dark on the REAL reason they had staged a near full-scale assault on Bellwood's Plumber base and the Omni-Hunters, and it was leaving her SUPER frustrated. They had risked their necks splitting the heroes up, only for them not only to succeed, but also gain a new member… while taking out HALF of their ranks in one fell swoop. Now they were without their mutant army—as small as it was—and all they had to show for it was the new white-haired jerk that had Ben Tennyson's face. Now, granted, that was a pretty big boon since he also had a transformation watch of his own… but Rojo still felt incredibly bitter about the whole thing. Especially since her friends were among those taken.

"Dominique… I'm sorry." she said to herself in hushed tones, keeping to a secluded corner of Animo's Undertown hideout. "I promise, I'm gonna free you and the girls again someday. Once I get a good opportunity."

"Hey." The redhead gasped slightly and whipped her head around, seeing Cinder standing just down the hall. "Oh, apologies if I scared you, Rojo." the Fall Maiden lowered her head. "I was just coming to see how you were doing."

The bounty hunter offered her partner a simple shrug. "Eh, about as good as I can be. Ya know, since my old friends ain't around anymore." She gave a heavy sigh, her shoulders slumping forward. "And just when we were getting back on the same page, too."

"I'm… I'm sorry about them, Rojo." Cinder muttered as she approached. "If we had an advantage, I wouldn't have left them there. They were powerful assets for Salem's cause… but also incredible confidants."

Her words managed to get Rojo to smile a little. "Wow, coming from you, Cindy, that's quite the compliment. Ya don't hand those out too often, after all."

A grin of her own made its way to Cinder's lips. "Hm, what can I say? I'm hard to impress."

"And yet with such a soft exterior." Rojo poked her partner's shoulder.

"Pfft, you wish."

"Oh come on, you know you've been softening up around us lately." Rojo encouraged. "Merc, Em and I have all seen it. Heck, you're even being pretty amicable with Neo."

That caused the Fall Maiden to flinch and quickly spin away, hiding her blush. "Th-That's because you four have earned it. It's not like I'm friendly with anyone else, after all."

Rojo rolled her eyes and pulled an arm over Cinder's shoulders, bringing her in close. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Cindy. Now c'mon, let's go see what the doc's been cooking up." With that, the duo made their way across the premises… with Cinder notably sticking under Rojo's arm the whole way. Once they arrived outside of Animo's main laboratory, they found the rest of their squad waiting for them. "Yo, guys. What's goin' on?"

"Not much." Mercury shrugged, with Neo mimicking his movements. "Just waitin' for the doc and the guys to show." He rolled his eyes and groaned. "Mph, and still kinda fuming over our little pointless parade the other day."

Cinder waved those concerns away. "Yes, well, that cannot be helped. What's done is done, and now all we need to do is wait for Salem to announce her next move to us." Her nefarious smile returned, shooting a knowing eye to the assassin. "And rest assured, next time, things WILL be different."

Mercury and Neo both deadpanned at the Fall Maiden. "Don't you say that like, EVERY time, though? When's it ACTUALLY gonna be different?" He saw Cinder narrow her eyes at him, which he took as his cue to change the subject. "Er, uh… I mean… oh! You know what's REALLY different, actually?" He sent a smirk toward the duo and pointed at them. "You gals have been gettin' awful comfy with one another." Neo brightened up and nodded exuberantly, causing Cinder and Rojo to grow wide-eyed. "Something you'd like to tell us?"

An intense blush crept its way across Cinder's face, especially when she realized that Rojo still had her arm around her. "J-Just do as your told and—EEP!"

"That's none of your concern, Merc." Rojo stated firmly, having doubled down and pulled Cinder closer while puffing her chest out in defiance. "Something wrong with two ladies displaying comfortableness for one another?"

If Cinder could drop her jaw, she would've. However, she was currently being squished into Rojo's right side, so she couldn't without… '…Dear Salem, her chest is right there.' All at once, the normally composed Maiden became a sweaty, blushing mess as panic overtook her thoughts. 'Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods, OH GODS! WHAT DO I DO?!'

"Er, uh… no, not at all." Thankfully, Mercury managed to take the hint and dropped the subject all together, his own cheeks slightly pink as he turned away slightly. Neo, though, still wore a cheeky smile, though she too turned away from the duo.

"W-Wha…" At that moment, Rojo brought her finger in and booped the shocked Cinder on the nose, making her eyes dart up to her.

She was given a wink from the redhead, who then leaned down and whispered; "You're welcome." into her ear.

But that only made things worse, with Rojo's husky tone only reducing Cinder into an even hotter mess. '…There is no way I can deny it any more, is there?' she thought to herself, knowing that the signs were all too obvious. 'I… am infatuated with this woman. …And I like it.' Even so, she knew that there was no way she would admit that out loud, especially not at THIS juncture. So, composing herself as much as she could, Cinder simply pulled herself out from Rojo's side, cleared her throat and whispered back; "Th-Thank you…"

"No prob, Cindy." Rojo allowed her partner to step away, knowing that this REALLY needed to be explored further. 'We've been dancing around the matter for months and nothing's come out of it. Maybe it's time I try taking things to the next level. But before that…' Something had been bugging Rojo since they had met up with their squad, and it took the form of a certain thief with her nose buried in a book. "Yo, Em! You with us?"

"H-Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry 'bout that." Emerald brought her attention back to her comrades, placing her bookmarker in the page she was on. "I've just been doing more research."

"Research? On what, exactly?"

Emerald showed off the book which, of course, was Journey to the West. "Sun Wu Kong, of course. We may have a lot of his own enemies on our side now, but it's still good to know what sort of weaknesses he has."

That made Cinder do a doubletake. "Wait, he has weaknesses?"

"…Yeah. If ya read the book, then maybe you'd know that." Emerald deadpanned before skimming her way through the parts she'd already read. "For instance, he CAN be blinded if there's a strong enough force. He also can't swim since he's a stone monkey, and he has a vulnerability to something called—"

"The Samadhi Fire?" The conversation was brought to a halt when, from down the hall, a certain red-clothed demon came walking in. "I couldn't help but overhear." Red Son said, his hands in his pockets and wearing a serious expression. "You were discussing ways on besting Wu Kong, I take it?"

Emerald wore a hopeful smile and nodded to him. "Yeah! And dude, why didn't you tell us that you had such a power?! We could've used it to hurt Wu Kong—"

"No, we couldn't have." With a regretful scowl, Red Son snapped his fingers, summoning an ordinary flame in his hand. "Because unfortunately, I do not wield the Samadhi Fire anymore. …And it's best that it remain that way."

The group was understandably confused, with Cinder being defiant. "Explain yourself, Red Son. What do you mean you don't have it anymore?"

Sighing irritably, the young demon explained. "Because it became too powerful while in my possession. Apparently, puberty triggered its overwhelming increase in potency, and as a result, I literally became a walking wildfire that couldn't be put out. …It was incredibly painful." He clenched his fist, dissipating the flame he had conjured. "Thankfully, my father was able to remove the Samadhi Fire from my body… with the help of Wu Kong, Nezha and the Tang Monk, long ago."

"Your dad worked with his own worst enemy… to save you?" Mercury said in disbelief.

"That's… actually very sweet." Rojo admitted. "Wish most of OUR dads could've been like that."

Red Son smirked and gave a chuckle, pushing his glasses up on his face. "My father may be strict, but I at least know that his affection is genuine… when he chooses to display it." He cleared his throat and placing his hands back in his pockets. "But the point is that we shouldn't even attempt to find the Samadhi Fire. Its power is too great for any one person to wield, and could bring about the destruction of everything, including yourselves."

"Duly noted." Cinder accepted, though she made sure to store the information in the back of her mind for the time being. "In any event, we at least know that the Monkey King DOES have some vulnerabilities to him."

"Indeed!" Red Son clenched his fist. "He may be immortal, but like every living being, Sun Wu Kong has his weaknesses. They simply need to be exploited."

"Which is why you've got ME around." The group, aside from Red Son, gasped as a dark voice came seemingly from out of nowhere… only for its owner to reveal himself hiding within Emerald's own shadow. Taking form as a dark shape on the wall before stepping off of it entirely, the Six-Eared Macaque took to his physical body once again, looming over the green-haired thief with an arrogant grin. "And young lady, you can just forget about reading that dumb book. None of you have the capability of going toe-to-toe with Wu Kong anyway."

Emerald pouted, hugging the book close to her chest. "Hey, I paid good money for this thing. I'm gonna read it till the end."

Macaque simply shrugged. "Eh, suit yourself. You're not gonna find much in there we don't already know."

"Says the guy who dies halfway through." In a split second, Emerald nearly regretted saying that thought out loud, seeing Macaque's eyes glow a threatening shade of violet.

Thankfully, though, Red Son came to her aid. "A-Ah, let's not fly off the handle, shall we, uncle? Why waste energy on an argument when there's so much more to be done?"

"Tch… you're lucky, Red." Macaque scoffed before turning around, his scarf flowing behind him as he walked away. "The brotherhood pact between the Bull King and I still stands, yes… but don't get too comfortable calling me "uncle", ya hear?"

"Er, um… o-of course, sir." With that, the Macaque disappeared, literally walking through the wall into Animo's laboratory. "Hah… you should be more CAREFUL of what you say to him." he scolded Emerald. "That could've gone SO badly, you have no idea."

Swallowing, Emerald suddenly found her throat very dry. "I-I… I'll keep that in mind." Just then, from down the hall, she spotted some familiar faces approaching, much to her relief. "O-Oh, doc! Guys, there you are!"

Sure enough, coming toward them was Animo himself, along with Subdora and… a rather downtrodden Hog and Skull. "Ah, hello my sweets!" Subdora greeted as she slinked toward the group, offering a sly smile. "It has certainly been a while, has it not?"

"No kidding." Rojo fist-bumped the Merlinisapien. "Where've you been, girl?"

"Oh, Lady Salem has had me going ALL over the place." With a swipe of her hand, Subdora recounted her misadventures. "Trekking all across Vacuo with Hazel has been an arduous, yet incredibly enlightening experience."

"Ah, the desert, eh?" Mercury placed his hands on his hips. "Lemme guess, it was hellish out there for ya, wasn't it?"

However, Subdora simply gave a shrug. "While our travels saw some inherent difficulties—wild Grimm and all—it wasn't entirely bad, if I will be honest. My species actually thrives in hot, arid environments…" She shifted her body to briefly camouflage with the environment around her. "Plenty of sand to blend into, you know."

Emerald nodded at her point. "Yeah, sounds about right. But uh… what's up with them?" She nudged her chin over to Hog and Skull, who still had their heads lowered gloomily.

"Hah… I am afraid that they are still upset over what happened to you all the other day." Subdora revealed before walking over to her beloved rhino man. "Farkas, please, I detest seeing you like this. I am here for you, you know that."

With a heavy sigh, Exo-Skull reached his hand up, gently taking her petite one. "Thanks, babe, but… it just sucks, you know?"

"Yeah. Here we finally get more mutants like us to hang around, form a big sub-faction WITHIN the bigger faction… and we lose 'em as fast as we get 'em." Thunderhog bemoaned, leaning against the wall with a grumble. "No thanks to those stupid heroes…"

"Gentlemen, I understand your frustrations!" Animo announced, raising a hand in ire. "Believe you me, I myself am the most upset about this development. However, Salem has assured us that we WILL be getting them back… perhaps not anytime soon, but we WILL." He pointed at the duo, whipping his finger between them. "But until that day comes, you two—the ORIGINAL mutants—must step up and carry the Mutanimals name until they return. Do them proud, and once they rejoin our ranks, the faction will be bigger and better than ever. Blood Stalk himself has promised me so."

Skull and Hog furrowed their brows at the mention of their mysterious new member. "Blood Stalk?! That snake's half the reason the gang's locked up right now!" Hog lambasted. "Salem could've freed 'em easy if he hadn't—"

However, Cinder got into the middle of the exchange, shooting them a glare. "No… she couldn't have." Her eyes narrowed at the two mutants. "You couldn't sense it, but I could. That woman… Ben and Gwen Tennyson's grandmother… she is immensely powerful. Not as much as Wu Kong, to be sure, but her mastery over energy is obvious. If we were to attempt to free them there and then… we would've been completely outmatched."

"How DO we handle this "Verdona", anyway?" Emerald questioned. "And what about Blood Stalk's whole plan? The one about planting a mole in Plumber HQ?"

"We're still planning out the latter." the Fall Maiden assured. "However, it does seem that Blood Stalk at least knows what he's doing, so I have faith that he can pull it off. As for Verdona…" Her eyes trailed over to Red Son. "What do you think? Think your father can overpower her if he's freed?"

Red Son's eyebrows wrinkled crossly. "I believe you mean WHEN he is freed. …But yes, I have faith that he can." His lips curled back into a smirk. "Especially with the upgrades I have in mind for his arsenal."

"Hm, I like the sound of that." Cinder approved. "But now, I think it's time to get on to business proper." She set her attention onto their resident intelligence gatherer with two-toned hair. "Neo has been keeping a sharp eye on the heroes for the past day since our attack." With a resolute nod, Neo stood at attention, though she kept her sly grin about her. "And… when she wasn't passing the time ogling the blind one…" All at once, Neo's self-confidence left her body, replaced by an irritated glare and pursed lips. "…she found that most of the Omni-Hunters would be taking an excursion to Rome tomorrow."

"Rome?" Rojo raised a brow. "Why there?"

Shaking her head, Cinder wasn't too sure herself. "Their motive remains unclear. Though apparently it has something to do with "finding medals" in a hidden chamber."

Mercury, Emerald and the others all looked to one another confusedly. "Medals? What's so special about some dumb coins?"

"If they're hidden in a chamber, then they must have SOME kind of importance." Emerald deduced.

"Okay, so what do WE care?" Hog piped up. "They ain't part of Salem's plan, so would there be any need to go fetch 'em?"

With an audible groan, Cinder tried to make sense of the situation to them. "Don't you understand? If what Emerald and I believe is true, then these medals could hold GREAT POWER. Power which, in the hands of the Omni-Hunters, would lend them yet ANOTHER advantage over us." She clenched her fist and declared; "We must NOT allow that to happen. Not when they're already capable of so much already."

Rojo voiced her own agreement. "I'm with Cindy. Last thing we need is them finding out those medals can be used to transform them into… I dunno, Power Rangers or something."

"Ugh, yeah, you've got a point." Exo-Skull concurred. "Those Riders are already SUPER annoying. If we got even more dorks in suits to deal with out of them finding those medals, then we'd be screwed." He slammed a fist into his open palm. "Okay, so we know where they're goin', and we know WHEN they're goin'. We should tail 'em right from the moment we leave so—"

*bang*

All of a sudden, a noise from out of nowhere caught the group off guard, and they all huddled together in a circle, taking combat positions. Cinder and Red Son's hands lit aflame while the others readied their weapons, all as Animo stood in the middle of the ring. Not a moment later, the noises continued… and they were growing closer. *bang* *Bang* BANG* On the final impact, their sights were brought up to the ceiling as it shook. "W-What was that?!" Subdora exclaimed. "An intruder?!"

"Impossible! My security system should've detected them!" Animo asserted.

However, at that moment, Macaque emerged from the shadows again, his arms crossed and his sights narrowed at the ceiling. "We've got company." Taking out his cudgel, he let out an exerting grunt and thrust it straight up, smashing it through into the ventilation system. Instead of taking the target out, though, the intruder merely fell and landed in a crouch among the dust and debris, which shrouded their form from the others. "There!"

Everyone's aim was concentrated on the unwanted visitor as it stood up, revealing it to be a bipedal being with broad shoulders and a looming figure. Eventually, the dust settled… and Animo let out a gasp. It was a man with pale skin, rather wrinkly, sunken-in features, and thin, messy red hair. He only had one eye visible as well, the other covered up by a large monocle. He wore a purple and gold suit that resembled a hotel bellhop's, contrasting with his unsightly appearance. …And apparently, Animo knew him, much to the others' surprise.

"M-Munya?!"

The group gave a collective "Huh?!" as they rounded about on the scientist. "Doc, you know this… creepy caveman butler thing?" Emerald asked.

"Indeed… he is one of my finest creations!" Stepping out from the group, Animo raised his arms as he approached the man called "Munya". "And one of my first ventures in the field of genetic mutation, infusing animal DNA into that of a human. …Though granted, the side effects robbed him of his ability to speak."

"Hmmmpph…" Munya grumbled, narrowing his eyes at the doctor.

Animo caught on quickly and changed the subject. "Ahem, b-but um, that was a long time ago. And even so, it was at the behest of his master—ah! WAIT!" He whipped his head up to Munya, quite visibly astonished. "Is… is that why you've arrived?" Munya gave another groan and raised his arm, pointing at a certain room across the hall. "…We cannot waist time then! Everyone, come with me!"

Before anyone knew it, Animo was dashing off toward the room, which Rojo recognized as the one that they had accidentally stumbled into nearly a month ago. Munya followed behind with slow, heavy footsteps, while everyone else hesitantly did the same. "W-Woah, doc, what's the fire here?" the bounty hunter asked.

"Yeah, I thought you said we shouldn't go back in here." Mercury pointed out.

"That was then, this is now!" Putting in an access code, Animo unlocked the adjacent lab and switched on the lights, where they were once again met with the large tube full of green liquid inside. And, still floating within it, was the hulking body that the group had been so curious about before. With a mad sprint, Animo went to the control panel at the base of the tube, analyzing the vitals of the tube's occupant. Sure enough, the completion bar was at 100%. "Hm, let's see… a steady heartbeat, brainwave activity is normal… and it seems that his muscular and nervous system are completely functional." With a wide, snaggle-toothed grin, Animo proudly declared; "He's very nearly ready."

"What do you mean, "nearly ready"?" Emerald indicated the screen. "It says he's one-hundred percent. For that matter, who IS he anyway?"

Animo tapped his fingertips in anticipation. "Oh, you shall find out soon enough, child. However, there is still one necessary step we need to take. His physical body is indeed prepared to go… but without the proper amount of lifeforce energy, he will not be complete. Right now, he is merely in a coma-like state. He needs a proper soul to function, otherwise, he will be a mindless monster." The doctor spun around and pointed to the resident dark-furred monkey demon. "You there, six-eared one! Are you familiar with resurrection spells?!"

Macaque seemed to flinch at the question, seemingly put-off. "Wh-Who, me?! N-Nuh-uh, I don't mess with that kinda stuff."

"Then perhaps you know someone who does. After all, you said that you were dead before, weren't you? Someone HAD to have brought you back."

The monkey demon started growing increasingly frustrated with Animo's questions, growling before he flippantly replied. "Y-Yeah, but… you wouldn't wanna get their help. Besides, they're long gone anyway, so we wouldn't even be able to. That said…" Macaque craned his head toward Red Son. "Hey, kid, does your mom happen to dabble in resurrection magic?"

"M-My mother?" Red Son stammered, only to give a curt nod. "Y-Yes, she does. Her first attempt to try and bring father back was through resurrection magic, but… well, obviously, he wasn't dead, so that didn't work." He sneered and added under his breath; "Despite all of the warnings I gave her…"

Macaque hummed and nodded. "Okay, good, then we'll get Iron Fan to help bring back… whoever this guy is."

"This "guy" is more influential than you could ever comprehend, monkey!" Animo snapped, with Munya giving a low grumble next to him. "Soon enough, the Ministry will have yet another new ally to make up for the ones we've lost… and believe me, he will be quite the powerful one to have." He thrust a hand out toward those he'd need assistance from. "Thaddeus, Farkas, Cinder, Neopolitan, I will require your assistance in this matter!"

The two mutants, the mute, and the Maiden were clearly taken off guard. "What? Us, work with them?!" Cinder jerked a thumb toward the two numbskulls, clearly off-put by the suggestion. Neo seemed equally perplexed as well, though much less disgusted. "Why?"

"Because we will be performing this little ritual while most of the Omni-Hunters are out of town, of course." Animo explained. "And we can't very well allow the ones remaining in Bellwood to interfere. It will be your jobs to keep them at bay while this happens." He spun toward the rest of the Ministry at present. "And as for the rest of you, feel free to head to Rome and handle the others, if you would please. Procuring some of those medals may indeed aid in the Ministry's mission, after all."

"Ah, Roma!" Subdora cooed as she brought her hands together wistfully. "It has been such a long time since I have been to Italy. I would be happy to be your guide on this excursion, if you would let me."

Rojo mulled over the suggestion, finding that it was actually a sound idea. "Honestly, having you around WOULD be pretty handy, Dora. But if we're down Cindy and Neo, we're gonna have to make up for it with some heavy hitters…"

Subdora snapped her fingers, another idea popping into her head. "Ah, I know exactly what to do! Bring in Hazel! I'm certain that he would be more than willing to lend a hand in this situation, now that his schedule is freed up."

"And if Wu Kong is goin' with 'em, I might as well tag along, too." Macaque shrugged. "I'll keep him busy while the rest of you go for those medals."

Cinder gave a short sigh, knowing that the cobbled together plan wasn't at all what she had initially wanted. However, with Munya and this mysterious new player being thrown into the mix all at once… it was an opportunity that they couldn't afford to lose, not after what had happened just the day before. "…Very well. I'll run this by Salem, though I have no doubt that she'll approve it. Make sure that preparations to carry out this plan are ready by tomorrow, though, is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am." Mercury approved with a salute.

"We won't let you down, Cinder." Emerald vowed.

Cinder hummed to her team before looking up at Rojo, reaching out to place a hand on her arm. "Lead them well in Rome, okay?"

The redhead chuckled and placed her hand over hers. "Heh, will do. You can count on it."

…..

~Colosseum Underground, Present~

"…Apollo." Ben uttered, staring the Sun God directly in the eye. He wasn't too worried since the guy had just said that the wasn't going to smite them or anything, but even so, he was prepared for this eventuality. Coming to Rome, he had a feeling that something like this would happen. Even still, he kept his guard up. "Guess it was only inevitable that we'd run into a god, but out of all of them, I didn't expect it to be you."

With a short chuckle, Apollo put away his guitar and stepped forward, keen on picking at the hero's mind. "And why would that be, young Tennyson?"

"Well, honestly, I thought we'd have to deal with someone like… I dunno, your dad or something."

"Psh, nah, pops is WAY too busy dealing with other stuff right now." A shaky smile appeared on the God of Prophesy's face. "And honestly, be glad you're NOT dealing with my dad right now. Be it as Zeus or Jupiter, he's not exactly having that good of a time right now. With all these monsters popping up everywhere, he's sending every warrior he can to put the kibosh on 'em before they run rampant."

That piqued Jaune's interest immediately. "Oh, you mean like Hercules?"

Snapping his fingers, Apollo pointed to his fellow blonde. "Right you are, my dude. My little bro's been working up a sweat recently. Gotta say, though, I personally think this wouldn't be much of a problem if you mortals hadn't upscaled EVERYTHING in the past five hundred years." He raised his hands up above his head. "I mean, look at what Rome's become! Bigger than it was in its heyday… and yet STILL doesn't seem as impressive, oddly enough."

"Ugh, tell me about it." Weiss rolled her eyes. "Modern architecture can be so boring sometimes…"

"Says the girl who comes from probably THE most over-stylized city ever." Blake jabbed with a playful smirk. Weiss opened her mouth to retaliate… but quickly realized that her catgirl teammate had a point, so she rescinded the comment.

Letting out a laugh, Apollo gave the group a thumbs up. "Haha! You kids are a riot. Man, am I glad I came down here…" He trailed off, however, when he spotted a certain redheaded ponytail sticking out amongst the crowd. And, upon second glance, saw it belonged to a golden-armored warrior wearing the pelt of the Nemean Lion. His eyes lit up immediately and he thrust a finger toward her. "HAH! It's you!"

Pyrrha was startled to attention, suddenly very fearful of what the god had to say to her. "M-Me?" she said, pointing to herself.

"Yes, YOU, Champion Girl!" Apollo approached her, careful not to seem too exuberant so he wouldn't scare her off. "You're the one who impressed my sister recently after accomplishing her quest! Haha, excellent work! It takes a LOT to impress her, ya know."

Blinking a couple times, Pyrrha let that information sink in. "Your sister… wait." Her eyes widened at the revelation. "Artemis is your SISTER?!"

"…Ya know, it's only now that I realize that this common knowledge is probably lost on you guys." Ben rubbed his neck. "I should REALLY get around to telling you more myths and legends about our world's gods."

Pyrrha sent a glance the hero's way. "Yes, that would help, thank you." Her attention swiftly went back to the golden god before her, taking out her spear so that she may bow before him. "But, Lord Apollo, it is an honor to make your acquaintance, just as it was to complete your Lady Artemis' quest. Might I ask, though… are these quests related to whatever's causing these stirs throughout the godly realms?"

Apollo nodded and gave Pyrrha a pat on the shoulder. "They are, indeed. Sharp girl. But no need to bend the head to me. That's so last epoch." The redheaded warrior perked her head up, prompting Apollo to explain further. "Trust me, I'm not my dad. I don't give a crap whether you bow or not just so long as there's a mutual respect between us. So, we cool?"

"Um… yes, I suppose we're cool."

"Then allow me to shed some light on what's happening here. But first…" Whirling around, Apollo raised his arms toward Wu Kong with a bright smile on his face. "MONKEY MAAAAAN!"

"APOLLOOOOO!" To the mortals' surprise, the two deities laughed and clasped their hands together, bumping their chests together as if they were two frat boys reuniting after college. "Ahahaha! I thought that was your lock you set on that door. What gives with the roadblock?"

Shaking his head, Apollo waved it off. "Ah, you know how it is, Wu Kong. Gotta answer a mortal's prayer every once and a while to get some energy." He gestured around to the cave surrounding them. "And just so happened that Flamel man wanted me to keep this place under lock and key. Made sure to make the lock nice and sturdy so that no mortal could break through… of course, I didn't expect YOU of all people to be the one to break through, but the old man DID say that he expected someone accompanied by an immortal to come around and find this place one day."

From behind, Juliette's interest was piqued. "W-Wait, he did?" Reaching into her pocket, she procured an old yet familiar parchment, along with the lockbox that contained the first six medals. "Did he mention something about leaving behind a letter?"

"That he did… and it seems that you're the lucky one to have found it." Apollo hummed and eyed the young Frenchwoman carefully, inspecting her features for a moment before his eyebrows shot up. "Huh… and would ya look at yourself. You're one of his descendants, aren't you?"

Juliette gasped at his correct guess. "Y-You know? How—"

"Hehe, for a god such as myself, it's easy to see. You share quite a few features with him, after all." Stroking his chin, Apollo smiled to her… almost with an infatuated gaze. "Though in my opinion, you are MUCH prettier than he."

A blush appeared on Juliette's cheeks… but then she quickly collected herself, furrowing her brows to the god. "Ahem, I should hope so. But with all due respect, Lord Apollo, I am a woman here on business, NOT searching for a good time." Her eyes narrowed at him slightly. "And if what I have heard from your legends is true… I think I would rather not become one of your many lovers, lest I meet an unfortunate fate."

With a wince, Apollo backed away, knowing that he wouldn't get very far in this pursuit. "Ah… fair enough, I guess. Honestly, I can't blame you in that regard."

Yang sneered at the god, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "…This dude isn't some dirty cheater, is he?"

"Or worse?" Blake asked, knowing full well what it was like to be on the other end of the type of "relationship" she was thinking about.

"Oh, no, not at all." Ben assured. "It's just… Apollo's lovers have a tendency to die in some of the most haphazard ways imaginable. All accidents…" He grimaced, though, as he added under his breath; "…And all in some way Apollo's fault."

However, the golden god heard that and slumped his shoulders. "Yes… that ends up happening more often than not. Trust me, I don't know why it happens either… but let's not talk about that stuff right now, eh?" He clapped his hands in an attempt to steer the conversation back on track. "Besides, I'm sure you'd much rather learn WHY Flamel had these locked up tight in the first place, right?"

"Well, he did mention something about them transforming people into monsters, right?" Rex recalled. "He said so in his letter."

Apollo nodded to the young EVO. "Ah, so he took care to explain it, huh? Well, that makes things easier for me. But he did also mention that he believed that there would be someone who'd be able to finish the work that he couldn't perfect in the modern day. And I think that someone could very well be in this room… YOU!" Spinning around, he pointed straight at Charmcaster, making her jump and gasp. "You're a mage, aren't you?"

Standing up straight, Hope stammered a reply. "O-Oh, well yes, I am!"

"Good, then you might just be the mortal that Monsieur Flamel was hoping for." Reaching down, Apollo grabbed the bucket and rope, lowering it down into the pit full of medals. "You see, while the gods do hold the secret to alchemy, we aren't exactly allowed to share it with mortals. You've gotta figure that out on your own." He shot the group a knowing smile. "That said, pops never said that we couldn't give ya a little nudge."

Drew was completely fascinated to hear such a thing. "You mean to say that you know alchemy?"

"Well, not me personally. But my son does! He uses it to make his medicines all the time." After scooping up some of the medals, Apollo brought the bucket back up and set it down before the team, extending a hand toward it. "That said, the kind of alchemy you'll need for these babies is gonna be slightly different than the stuff he uses. Metal alchemy is a distinct beast compared to herbal alchemy, after all."

Hope approached the bucket, with everyone else intriguingly gathering around as well. "You can say that again. Let's see…" Conjuring a levitation spell, Hope made all of the medals in the bucket float out and spread them across the floor, revealing them to have a litany of different colored animals etched into them. The main colors were red, orange, yellow, green, blue and black, just like the first six medals that they'd found. However, there was MUCH more variety when it came to the animals.

Throughout the collection, the teens spotted thirty-six different ones in total, and they were all just as described in Flamel's latter. There were the red Avian set, consisting of the hawk, peacock and condor medals. The yellow Feline set, which had the Lion, Tiger and Cheetah medals. The green Insect set, made up of the Stag Beetle, Praying Mantis and Grasshopper medals. The blue Ocean set, with the Orca, Eel and Octopus medals. The orange Reptile set where the Cobra, Turtle and Crocodile medals resided. And finally, the black Heavyweight set, built up from the Rhino, Gorilla and Elephant medals.

Once hope had separated the different medals into their proper groups, she was able to confidently say that these types were all there were. "The rest in the bucket are all repeats." she concluded. "I'm pretty sure there's no other types to match up."

"All the same, this is a pretty eclectic collection." Ironwood commented, moving to reach for the Rhino medal. "How do you think they made—" *smack* "Ow! Gah, what was—"

Shooting him a stern eye, Hope made sure to let him know that would be a BIG mistake. "Sir, with all due respect, haven't you been paying attention? These medals can fuse with and transform you into a monster if you're not careful. One that's induced with intense greed that makes you crave MORE medals."

"She's right, general." Doc asserted. "We nearly saw it happen with Sun. The last thing we want is for you to be overtaken by this affliction."

Ironwood tightened his lips, though he nodded in understanding. "R-Right, I apologize. I wasn't thinking straight…" It was only then, however, that he noticed that Zak was staring straight at the medals with a slack jaw and wide eyes, almost as if he was in a trance. "…You alright there, Zak? …Hello?" He snapped his fingers in front of the young man's eyes, which managed to snap him out of it.

"W-Wha—OH! J-Jeez, general, what's—"

"You were staring pretty intently at those medals, young man." Ironwood explained. "Don't tell me you're already being overcome by the greed, are you?"

Vehemently shaking his head, Zak denied the claim. "N-No, it's nothing like that. It's just… this is either the BIGGEST coincidence I've ever seen, or it's not a coincidence at all." His focus diverted back to the medals. "And if it's the last one… then I think I know exactly what's going on here with the whole "medals turning people into greedy monsters" thing."

The team were all left surprised by his statement, but none more so than his own parents. "W-What? Honey, what do you mean?" Drew approached her son, placing a hand on his shoulder. "This doesn't have anything to do with Kur, does it?"

Once again, Zak refuted. "No, not Kur… Kamen Rider." And just like that, everyone was lost, and Zak could tell just by looking at their faces. "O-Okay, so hear me out. In the series "Kamen Rider OOO", the main character would transform using animal-based medals that the villains—monsters named "Greeed"—would use to increase their power. And the thing is…" He pointed down to the many groups of medals before them. "ALL of these medals are an exact match for the ones that were seen on the show."

"Wow… seriously?" Ruby scratched her head. "That honestly sounds too good to be just a coincidence, then."

"Tell me about it. Also, Dr. Garnier, could I see that box of medals real quick?"

Juliette wasn't expecting such a question, but she complied. "O-Of course…" She took the box out and opened it up, allowing Zak to see the medals inside.

"Yeah, just as I thought." Zak pointed at the top row of medals, which consisted of the hawk, tiger and grasshopper medals. "Even some of the first medals we FOUND are in reference to OOO and his main form combo. "Hawk, Tiger, Grasshopper". …Or in Japanese; "Taka, Tora, Batta". "TaToBa"."

Sun couldn't help but give a slight laugh at the incredible alignment of all this. "Hah… well how d'ya like that. Either these alchemists had incredible foresight or whoever was directing them on this project could see the future or something."

"Eh, not sure about either of those." Apollo folded his arms over his chest. "By this time, all of my mortal oracles were long gone, so that couldn't be it. It probably is all just one big coincidence, kid."

Even so, Zak couldn't help but think to the contrary. "But… it just lines up so perfectly! I don't see how it could JUST be a coincidence…"

Before the conversation could continue in that direction, though, Nora cleared her throat, garnering their attention. "Ahem, not that I don't find all of this INCREDIBLY interesting, trust me, I do, but there's one other thing that I've been wondering about since we got here…" She spun around and thrust her arms toward the large sphere of hardened magma that was sitting on the other side of the medal pit. "Just what in the HELL is THAT thing?!"

Apollo furrowed his brow, confused for a moment as well… but then his eyes widened when he realized what it must've been. "Oh! HA! That, young lady, is this chamber's guard dog." He placed a hand on his hip while the other went to his neck. "Haha! Guess he must've reached his next stage of metamorphosis and he cocooned himself up in there! Ha!"

"A… guard dog?" Ren tilted his head. "What kind of guard dog goes through metamorphosis?"

"Er… the big, scaly kind." Apollo sheepishly answered while making gestures with his hands as a visual aid. "The ones that have claws, teeth, horns and generally just have the most unpleasant demeanor imaginable."

"…A dragon." Ben deduced. "You're describing a dragon."

With a cheeky nod, Apollo relished in the mortals' reaction as they all snapped their heads to the cocoon and shouted; "HUUUUUH?!" Ilia's hands went to her head in disbelief. "There's a dragon in there?!"

Nora's eyes were suddenly shining brightly with excitement. "That is SO COOL! How do we wake it up?!"

"You want to do WHAT now?!" Neptune exclaimed. "Nuh-uh, no way are we doing anything to wake that dragon up!"

"I must agree." Raven voiced as well. "Doing so underneath the city would put many lives at risk, no doubt." Her red eyes glared at the golden god. "But how exactly did you even get a dragon down here in the first place? And what made you think it was a good idea?"

Apollo raised his hands defensively to the Maiden. "Woah, woah, it wasn't entirely my idea. Flamel wanted this place to be as safeguarded as possible, so I went to some of my fellow Olympians for advice." He jerked a thumb up toward the sky. "You can thank my big bro, Hephaestus, for giving me the dragon idea. …Though granted, he gave it to me while he was still half asleep, so dunno if he was in his right mind or not…"

The entire team deadpanned at the god's reasoning, leading Wu Kong to shake his head. "Apollo, bud…" He placed an advising hand on his friend's shoulder. "I know that Rome wasn't THIS populated, hundreds of years back, but ya still gotta factor in the human populace when it comes to these things."

"Ah… yeah, you've got a point." Apollo admitted, nudging his head toward his car. "Sorry, but between fulfilling some prayers and still having to drive my chariot through the sky, I never really got as much of a break as the other gods… guess my judgement took a dip in recent years."

"Wait, THAT is a chariot?" Penny analyzed the car, only to find that her optics were betraying her. The object seemed to shift between a red Ferrari to a golden chariot and back again, leaving her completely perplexed. "W-Wait… what is this?"

Placing his hand on the hood, Apollo reiterated; "It's just as I said! It's my chariot." He ran his fingertips across the hood and, much to everyone's astonishment, the vehicle changed into a horse-drawn, golden carriage made entirely out of metal, with the horses themselves being entirely red with burning manes and eyes. Flames spewed from their nostrils as they whinnied and reared back, revealing astonishingly sharp teeth within their mouths. "…Just with a little disguise thrown on it."

The mortals all staggered back, both in fear and amazement at what they were seeing. Wu Kong, however, was a lot less fearful of the fire-spewing animals. "Hahaha! Wow, disguising the horses as an engine. That's a new one." He made a few clicking outs with his tongue and that managed to calm the beasts down, extending his hand and allowing them to sniff at it. "Ya know, while I hated being the stable boy for the Celestial Court, I always had a thing for horses."

"E-Even fire-breathing ones, master?" Sun uttered.

"Oh, they're the best kind!" The Monkey King assured. "You'll want these on your side in a heartbeat in the middle of a battle. C'mon, give 'em a pet! They're harmless."

Ilia, though, wasn't keen on taking up his offer. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass…" Amazingly, though, Yang and Nora showed no fear in coming up and petting them, much to the chameleon girl's bafflement. "…Why am I not surprised?" With a short sigh, Ilia placed her hands together, intent on gathering up what they knew so far. "Okay, so we've got a pit full of powerful medals which may or may not coincidentally match up with those of a Kamen Rider. We have a hibernating dragon in that magma cocoon over there. And now we've got the God of Prophesy letting us pet his sun horses."

"…Sounds like a pretty normal day for us." Ben concluded.

"Oh, no question. But here's what I'm wondering…" Craning her head toward Doc and the other adults, she asked; "What comes next?"

Placing a hand on his chin, the Secret Scientist pondered her question. "Hm… what indeed. Well, Flamel's letter was hoping that these medals WOULD be completed one day. So, to that end…" Doc shifted his sights over to Charmcaster. "Think you'd be able to pull that off, Hope?"

Taking a deep breath, the silver-haired girl contemplated that question herself. "Well… I can certainly try. Magic and alchemy aren't too far apart on the spectrum, but I'd have to gather some necessary materials in order to even get started." She began counting off on her fingers; "I'd need some alchemical metals, some additional elements just in case… hm, maybe Dust would work… oh, and I'd also need a brazier to smelt them all in." Hope jerked her thumb over to Wu Kong. "You know, like the one he was trapped in."

The Monkey King laughed at the suggestion. "HA! Best of luck there, Witch Girl. Lao Tzu ain't exactly about to give up his Nine Trigram Brazier for anything."

"I didn't say we needed HIS, Wu Kong." Charmcaster insisted, peering back over to Apollo. "But… maybe someone ELSE would know where we could get one?"

"Ooh… now you're gettin' smart here, missy." Apollo chortled as he tapped his chariot again, transforming it back into the Ferrari from before. "It's true, I DO know the whereabouts of an alchemist's oven… but here's the thing." He leaned forward and stated; "A god doesn't just GIVE freebies. I'll need something in return."

Neptune rolled his eyes and groaned. "Ugh, I had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy. Alright, how much is it gonna take—"

"Ha, n-no, you misunderstand." The blond god waved off. "I don't need monetary compensation, I'm richer than that cartoon duck you mentioned before." He shook his head and explained further. "No, what I would like… is a favor. Nothing right now, but in the future. The need for gods to give out quests to young heroes IS coming back into fashion after all. And, after hearing about a certain someone's excellent performance for my sister's sake…" He turned and bowed to Pyrrha, extending a hand. "I would be honored if you would take a quest for me in the future, Pyrrha Nikos."

With all eyes on her, Pyrrha took in the offer, pondering it over in her mind. "Well… given that I've undertaken many trials already, I suppose it stands to reason that I should continue." She reached out and shook hands with Apollo, accepting the offer. "If it gets us an alchemist's stove, then yes, I agree to your terms, Lord Apollo."

A golden light shined between their hands, sealing the deal as Apollo laughed joyously. "Haha! Excellent! You won't regret your choice today, Pyrrha Nikos. I promise, this will ensure you a place in modern Greek myth, as well as a place in Elysium… provided I can cut a deal with Uncle Hades." He took his hand away and opened his car door, climbing into the driver's seat. "Now, sit tight! I'll find that brazier quick and be back before you know it! …Oh, and you might wanna blink right about… now!"

*VRRRROOOOMM*

*FLASH*

Thankfully, everyone followed the god's advice and closed their eyes, just in time to avoid the blinding light that emanated from his car as he left. But once he was gone, the group suddenly found themselves with… nothing to do until he got back. "So… how long do you think he'll be?" Yang inquired.

"Honestly, can't be sure on that one." Wu Kong shrugged. "Apollo's a reliable god, but he can be a bit pokey sometimes." As such, the Monkey King planted his staff into the ground and perched atop it. "So, guess we'll have to wait and see."

Ironwood let out a hefty sigh. "Well, that was certainly an experience. Is it always like that when you meet a god?"

"Not always." Ruby shook her head. "Sometimes we're in the middle of a life-or-death situation when they show up!" She got an acknowledging hum from Ironwood before she made a suggestion. "But, seeing as we're stuck here until Apollo gets back, why not just… talk for a bit?" The Hooded Huntress' idea was better than nothing, so that's exactly what they did; talk amongst themselves for a while. Ruby was glad that they had taken her suggestion, too, because it finally lent her the opportunity she'd been wanting. "Hey, Zak…"

Perking his head up, Zak smiled as she approached. "Hm? Yeah, what's up, Ruby?"

"I've been meaning to ask, but I haven't had a good time for it until now… how's the whole thing with your powers doing?"

"Oh, not too bad, actually." Zak gave her a reassuring wave. "I haven't been using them at all since France, and the headaches haven't been as bad."

Even though he tried to comfort her worries, Ruby still couldn't help but be concerned. "That's good to hear, but… have you been able to figure out what exactly is inside of you? What's causing all of this in the first place?"

"Eh… not much luck on that front." Zak admitted. "Mom's been doing as much research as she can, but she hasn't been able to find much." He nudged his head over to Charmcaster, who was having a chat with Ben and Yang. "And Hope's been so busy helping Cooper out that I haven't gotten the chance to ask her for more help…"

Ruby's eyes shifted between him and the sorceress. "Well, she is right there. You could ask her now, ya know."

Zak rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, probably should… it's just kinda embarrassing, ya know?" He saw Ruby raise a brow, bidding him to go on. "It's just… usually situations that involve my Kur power like this normally sort themselves out by now. I've… never really had to ask someone ELSE for help with them outside of my immediate family."

"Oh, Zak…" Ruby rolled her eyes and nudged her hand against his arm. "You know that we're here to help you out if you need it. We're your friends, even if you're not technically part of the Omni-Hunters."

Her words made the young man smile, and he nudged her back. "Heh, thanks, Ruby. I'm glad to hear it. …But now I've got a question for you."

"Sure! What's on your mind?"

"How're things with you going? I mean, when it comes to you training with the Fang, I mean."

And just like that, Ruby's beaming expression turned sour and she let out an aggravated groan. "UUUUGH, it's going nowhere." She reached into one of her belt pouches and pulled out the tri-clawed weapon, glaring at it as if it were the most stubborn thing on Earth. "This thing doesn't seem to want to connect with me at all, no matter how much I meditate! I'm starting to wonder if these Silver Eyes are even worth learning how to use. I haven't gotten anywhere with them…"

Zak pondered that, humming to himself in thought. "Hm… well, maybe it's less of a focus thing and more… tied to your emotions?"

"He makes a good point, honey." Drew piped up, having overheard the conversation. Raven was also with her, the two women having been chatting just moments before. "You told us before that your Silver Eyes' power was unlocked when you saw your uncle get seriously hurt, right?

"I mean, yeah, but… I don't really know how I can replicate something like that. Or if I even WANT to." Ruby grimaced. "I sure as heck don't want any of my friends or family to get hurt every time I want to use my eyes."

Raven shook her head. "Well, of course not. We're not saying the key to harnessing your powers is to see those close to you get hurt." She reached out and touched a finger to the center of Ruby's chest. "Rather, you should remember how you felt in that moment, and then try to harness your Silver Eyes through that."

"You… think that might work?"

The Spring Maiden gave a reassuring smile, moving her hand to Ruby's shoulder. "It's worth a try, isn't it? Summer told me once that the Silver Eyes aren't something you command, it's something you work with. I never really understood what she meant by that, but the more we try to help you, the more I think I'm beginning to understand." She saw her step-daughter's smile slowly but surely return… and then Raven found herself in a grateful embrace.

"…Thanks, Raven." Ruby muttered.

A small chuckle passed Raven's lips as she reciprocated the hug, which Drew gave a big thumbs up. "Hmhm, you're welcome, sweetheart." But then, a strange sound greeted Raven's ears…

*clinkity-clink-clink-clinkity-clinkity-clink-clink*

It was evident that the others heard it too, because everyone's heads perked up as the sound echoed through the chamber. And it didn't take long to find the origin as, on the floor, they could see the medals they had brought up moving around on their own, bouncing along the rocky surface and making noise like no one's business. And eventually…

*RUM-RUM-RUM-RUMBLE*

The source of their movement was made clear as the entire place began to shake, a loud, quaking sound overtaking the metallic clinks within seconds. "W-W-W-What the heck is g-g-going on?!" Neptune stammered, bracing himself against the nearest wall.

"A-An earthquake?!" Weiss shrieked, clutching onto Rex for added security.

"No! …Something's comin'!" Wu Kong warned, hopping off his staff and taking it up as he spun toward the western wall. "Get ready! It's almost here!" And, just a couple seconds later…

*CRASH*

The wall came crumbling down as a MASSIVE golden drill pierced through, along with two smaller drills above it. The massive vehicle then came trampling through on massive treads, revealing itself to be a tunnel-boring machine. It was mostly black with purple accents throughout, with three drills to its name; the massive primary one at the center-front, and then two smaller ones that jutted out from the top of the machine… which were made to resemble bull horns. There was yellow and black caution striping around these drills as well, as if them being big, sharp and spinning wasn't warning enough.

"…Okay, I give, what the hell is this?" Jaune uttered.

Nora, meanwhile, had the biggest grin imaginable on her lips as she brought out her hammer. "I'll tell ya what it is! An opportunity to SMASH something!"

Just as she said that, the top hatch of the drill tank opened up, and out jumped none other than Red Son himself. "Haha! Think again, peasant! For it will be US who smashes YOU to smithereens!"

Upon seeing the demon child, Sun pulled out his own staff and called out; "Red Son? How'd you find us here?!"

Rubbing his chin, Red Son let out a confident snicker. "Hehehe, never underestimate the capabilities of the prince of the Demon Bull Family! I have to thank Neo for keeping an eye on you brats for the past couple days…"

"Ugh! Of COURSE that little nosy…" Yang fumed, punching her fists together and igniting a spark between them with Ember Celica. "The next time I see her, I'm gonna whup her scrawny little ass so hard that she'll—"

"Yang, why make threats to people who aren't here?" Blake questioned.

"…Ya know what? You're right. Let's kick the Red Boy's ass instead!"

And just like that, the young demon's eyes burst into flames, along with his hair. "That's Red SON! Must I spell it out for you?! S-O-N! I am no BOY anymore!"

Wu Kong smirked and settled his staff across his shoulders. "You sure, kid? Cause you sure are acting like one, hehe…"

"Oh, I wouldn't be so quick to laugh if I were you…" A collective gasp rang out at the sudden new voice as the Monkey King spun around, raising his staff just in time to intercept Macaque, who leapt out from the shadows. "Ha! Good. Glad to see your senses haven't dulled after all these years!"

"MACAQUE!" Wu Kong roared, swiping the Jingu Bang straight into his adversary to push him away. "Back so soon?! Here I thought you'd want a break from the ass-kicking I was givin' ya!"

The six-eared simian chortled as he summoned his own cudgel, eager to resume where they had left off. "Oh, believe me, I was just getting started back then. Shall we start Round 2 now, or does the Great Sage need a little nap first?" His taunts seemed to light a fire under Wu Kong as he practically plowed Macaque through the entry tunnel, the team hearing a concussive *SLAM* before dust and debris billowed out from it.

"Master!" Sun went to follow after the two, but before he could…

*POW*

A red laser beam shot past him, only just narrowly missing his head by a few centimeters. He spun around just as the blast impacted the wall, and it became all too apparent who had shot at him. "Hold your horses there, Sunny boy!" Rojo teased as she stood tall next to Red Son, all while Emerald and Mercury emerged from the drill tank as well. "You're goin' the wrong way! The party's over here!"

"Grr, Rojo!" Ben snapped, the Ministry's appearance prompting the rest of the Omni-Hunters to arm themselves. "Not surprised that you guys are here…" However, he then saw two more figures emerge from the tank as well… and they were two faces that he was NOT expecting to see. "Wait… Hazel?"

"And Subdora?" Ilia said incredulously, staring up at the unforeseen duo. "What are you two doing here? Where's Cinder and Neo?"

Subdora gave a haughty laugh, bringing her hand up next to her mouth. "Oh-ho-ho! Well, my dears, it wouldn't be a trip to Italy without yours truly coming along for the ride, now would it? After all, THIS country is where my Earth thieving spree began! And it seems…" She peered down toward the pit full of medals, her eyes already glistening at the sight of the shiny baubles. "…That I missed a treasure on my first go-around."

Hazel was a bit more focused, however. "So… these are the medals that Neo informed us about." He sent a skeptical gaze down to the bit. "They don't appear to be all that special."

"Ah, but appearances can be deceiving, Mr. Rainart." Red Son asserted, wearing an determined grin as he rubbed his hands together. "And rest assured, whatever powers those medals possess, they WILL belong to us soon enough!"

"Uh, I would not recommend that, hombre." Rex advised. "Trust me, as they are now, those medals are a BIG no-no."

Doc, Drew and Zak all stood their ground as well, with Juliette pleading her case to the villains in the process. "Yes, please! Do not touch the medals! If you do, you will be overcome with intense greed and will be transformed into gluttonous beasts! They are cursed!"

"…Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?!" Mercury snapped back, taking the woman off guard. "Man, how superstitious can you get?"

"Yeah, honey, take it from someone who's dealt with that kinda talk about "curses" like that." Emerald insisted, placing a hand on her hip. "It's all just a buncha malarky that people make up to try and dissuade you from taking what you want. And guess what? It never works!"

Sun, though, was vehement in their stance. "No, guys, you don't understand! These things ARE dangerous! One almost fused with me, and—AUGH!" Without warning, Red Son shot a ball of fire straight into Sun's chest, blowing him straight into the nearest wall.

"AH! Sun!" Blake screamed out, rushing to his side.

Red Son, meanwhile, simply shook the fire away from his hand with a huff. "Hmph! That will be enough out of you, Noodle Boy. While Miss Sustrai's words are… somewhat inaccurate considering cursed objects DO exist, I believe you'll find that we'll be MORE than capable of handling whatever side effects these medals have." He craned his head around to the Ministry squad, seeing if they were all ready. "Shall we, ladies and gents?"

"Hell yeah!" Rojo holstered her weapon and began limbering herself up. "I've been waitin' for this! Let's dive in!"

"DON'T!" Ironwood warned, bringing out his gun and taking aim.

Raven's eyes ignited as she unsheathed Omen, ready to unleash her Maiden Powers. "Everyone, stand back!" Powerful flaming energy began coursing through her blade before swiping the weapon out at the Ministry, unleashing a powerful wave of fire upon them.

However, the villains all managed to leap directly over the incoming attack before it could make contact, the fiery wave hitting the wall instead as they dove into the pit. However, Ben had a plan already in place. He activated the Omnitrix and transformed into… "BLOXX!" The Segmentisapien then extended his rock-like body outward, forming it into a giant disk that covered the entire pit. "Ha! Try to get in now, suckers—AGH!"

However, Hazel was already prepared, bringing out a Gravity Dust crystal from one of his pouches and stabbing it into his arm. With his power now boosted, he belted out a mighty yell and SLAMMED his fists into the center of Bloxx's body, blowing him apart completely in several directions. The heroes were forced to duck out of the way while the Ministry fell into the pit below, much to their horror. "NO! Ben!" Yang cried out.

"I'm on it!" Bloxx assured, even though at the moment, he was but a severed head. He reconstituted his body in mere seconds and went to jump after the villains… but then…

*CRA-CHOOM*

An incredible burst of light erupted from the pit, followed by the screams of their enemies. "AAAGGH! W-What's going on?!" they heard Mercury shout.

"I don't know!" Emerald shrieked as well. "But it HURTS! It hurts so… so… GOOD!"

Pained yells quickly shifted to ones that could almost be described as "euphoric" as the heroes could practically hear their bodies changing. "Oh, yes… YES! Gimme more!" Rojo growled hungrily. "I want MORE of this feeling!"

"Such power… such incredible POWER!" Red Son agreed.

Drew immediately recognized the danger of the situation as the light began to become more intense, glowing six different colors in the process. "Everybody, GET BACK!" Taking Zak by the shoulders, she moved him around and led her family away, which the Omni-Hunters, Juliette, Raven and Ironwood followed suit. Eventually, the colors reconstituted back into the light and the edge of the pit exploded with energy… which enveloped the magma cocoon in the process.

The eruption managed to take everyone off their feet, but thankfully, they were none the worse for wear. "Hah… is everybody alright?!" Jaune called out.

"I believe so." Pyrrha affirmed, touching her boyfriend's arm. "But… what about them?"

"They… are probably going to kill us." Juliette fretted, clutching into the general's arm worriedly.

Ironwood was quick to deny that, though. "Don't worry, Dr. Garnier. We won't let anything bad happen to you or anyone else." He furrowed his brow to the pit as smoke billowed out… all while six figures began to climb out from it. "…Whatever they've become, we'll make sure to take them out."

The first to emerge from the smoke was a tall, bird-like homunculus, one with red feathers covering the top of his head, with a plume of yellow feathers sticking out the right side of his forehead. Said forehead was actually covered in hardened armor that was shaped like a beak, as was the rest of his face. The only exception were his eyes—which had fused into a black visor—and his mouth, which was a shade of darker red. His shoulder pads were hard and stone-like, carved to resemble feathers as a white down went around his collar. The rest of his body, meanwhile, had transformed into a natural armor, colored red and black with accents of gold and green. There were peacock feather patterns strewn along his torso and upper legs, while his gauntlets and boots all had wing-like details that stared red but faded into a vibrant green. To top it off, the tips of his boots had bird talons on them.

"Hmm…" With a snap of his fingers, the bird creature summoned a multi-colored flame in his hand. "So, it seems that they were right." he said, speaking with the voice of Red Son. "We truly HAVE become monsters…"

"AHAHAHA!" Out of the smoke after him leapt a black, silver and gold-colored feline homunculus, one with several silver spikes sticking out all across his body. His head most resembled that of a cheetah, though the dreads hanging down from his head added some lion-like features as well. On the right side of his body, he had gold and black tiger striping, bringing in the third big cat style into things. On his arms, he wore a pair of paw-shaped gauntlets that had five silver claws on each, curved and very deadly. "Yeah, but WHO CARES?!" Mercury's voice hissed out with glee. "We look SO COOL!" He spun around and knelt down, helping the next monster out from the pit. "Hey, Em, how d'ya feel?"

The being that was once Emerald had completely changed into a green and black insectoid creature, one who had layered armor over her chest and long bug legs hanging off her shoulders. She also had bug legs wrapping around her torso from her ribcage as well. Her head was the most insect-like out of everything, though, with bulbous green eyes, a pair of antennae sticking out of her forehead, and a set of stag beetle horns coming out toward the back of her head as well. Her right gauntlet was also armed with dual silver claws that were each about a foot long. "I feel… alive." Emerald said, clenching her fists as she writhed in ecstasy. "AH! I've never FELT this powerful before!"

"I must admit… it DOES feel incredible." Hazel's voice concurred, though what came out from the pit was not the man he was before. Instead, he had become a silver, black and white monstrosity, towering over the other four. He had the broad shoulders of a gorilla, though the rest of his body was as heavily armored as a rhino's and as stocky as an elephant, complete with the feet of one to boot. His facial features had also become a mixture of the two, with a short trunk, two little tusks, and a central horn sticking out of his forehead. There were also tusks and horns scattered across the rest of his body, too, with one even sticking straight out of his right wrist. The left wrist, meanwhile… was armed with a double-barreled blaster made entirely of keratin. No one knew what it fired, though they weren't keen on finding out.

Another laugh came from the pit, a familiarly haughty one. "Oh-ho-ho-ho! Now THIS is what I call an upgrade!" Subdora proclaimed, though rather than her usual, salamander-like appearance… she had become much more aquatic. Her entire head resembled an orca whale, complete with two fins at the side of her head, one at the top, and an entire tail sticking out the back. She had an eel tail wrapped around her neck and hanging down the front of her chest, and hanging from her shoulders was a cape-like membrane that was tipped with tentacles. Her legs also seemed to have suction cups dotting them, which only added to the octopus features. "Quite a drastic change, if I do say so myself…" Subdora trailed off as the final homunculus emerged from the pit. "Rojo… how do you feel?"

The last monster that came out might have been the most grotesque to the rest of the heroes. Rojo had become a lizard-like being with scales of bronze, purple and green, with a golden armor hardening along the center of her body, including her head. She was entirely featureless save for a maw of sharp teeth, her eyes having been covered by the royal crest-like headpiece that stuck up from her head. The same golden armor was over her chest, protecting a green jewel that had solidified in the center. And, over her shoulders, she had a cobra hood-like membrane that had long spikes running along the edges. Overall, she looked horrific…

…And yet she was just as happy about it as the rest of them. "HOOO BOY, I feel like a QUEEN, Dora!" Rojo rubbed her hands together, her finger nails having extended into long, silver blades on each digit. "Now, how's about we REALLY get this party started? Let's beat these idiots to a pulp, take our medals and… um…"

"Yeah, and THEN what?" Mercury questioned. "Bring them back to Salem for HER to use? No way! This should be OUR power to use!"

"Mercury's right!" Emerald insisted, pinching her fingers together. "With the power of these medals, we won't even NEED Salem anymore! All we'd have to do is convince Cinder and Neo to betray her…"

Hazel slammed his massive arms together. "YES! Then I may finally have my revenge upon Ozpin! WHEREVER HE IS!"

Subdora raised her arms up high in jubilation. "Indeed! With these powers, every precious treasure in the world will be MINE for the taking! Then, I shall retire with Farkas and we won't have a care in the word!"

As the villains all laughed at their seemingly imminent victory, the heroes couldn't help but stare on in bafflement. "Uh… are they okay?" Ilia asked.

"Most likely not." Penny shook her head. "The medals have affected their minds, increasing their greedy ways tenfold." At that point, however, the redheaded android quickly took notice of Zak, who was exhibiting a sudden change in behavior. …Namely because he was twitching and stuttering as he stared at the homunculi in disbelief. "Um, Zak, are you… well?"

"I… I-I… I'VE BEEN VINDICATED!" Zak screamed at the top of his lungs, taking everyone off guard. "I knew it, I KNEW it couldn't have been a coincidence! They've straight up been turned into GREEED!"

His exclamation left the group more confused and put off than anything. "Uh… yeah, they're greedy." Ruby deduced. "So what?"

"Gah, no, I mean Greeed, with three "E's"." Zak thrust a finger toward the villains. "They look one-for-one the same as the main villains from Kamen Rider OOO!"

There was a short pause as everyone took that in, with Bloxx scratching his head at the revelation. "Wow… I honestly have no idea what to say to that." the Segmentisapien relented. "What's next? Are REAL Riders gonna show up now?"

Just then, a rather frightened Weiss spoke up. "Um, I don't know about that… but I think something else might enter the picture soon…" Her eyes were locked directly onto the hardened magma cocoon… which had begun to crack and glow with a bright orange light beneath its surface.

Everyone's guts sank as they backed away, leaving the Ministry of Monsters confused. "Oh… you've gotta be kidding me." Yang uttered as the cocoon began to break open.

"Huh? What's that thing?" Rojo questioned, somehow still able to see even without her eyes. "Is it up for grabs? Can I have it?!"

"Er, I would advise against it, actually." Red Son waved, ushering his teammates to fall back.

"Yeah, you really wouldn't want it." Blake asserted. "In fact, I vote we all run." But no sooner had she made her suggestion did the cocoon finally break open with a powerful blast from within, sending a wave of heat out through the entire room. The hardened magma melted as the creature within SLAMMED down on the ground… leaving the rest of the chamber's occupants all stunned.

Just as Apollo had said, it was a dragon. A big, black and gold one that was about the size of an elephant and built like a bulldog, its upper half being stockier than its rear. Its for stout legs were planted firmly upon the ground, its two-clawed feet digging into the rock like it was nothing. Its head, meanwhile, was rather short, covered in rugged black scales on the upper half while its lower jaw was gold and had a spike jutting out its chin. Its eyes were bright yellow, with cracks along its face emanating an orangey glow. Most impressively, though, on either side of its head were a pair of massive keratin horns that curved forward to the end of its snout.

Its back was huge and ridged, with several protrusions sticking out that all ended with a massive spike. There was also a row of smaller spikes that went down its spine and ended at the base of its tail… which had a massive club at its tip that had two more long spikes sticking out, giving it extra length. What's more, the sides of its belly were glowing similarly to the cracks on its head, while the entirety of its underbelly was just completely orange. And the same could be said for… the comparatively small wings that it had on its front forelegs, which didn't appear to make it capable of flight. Even so, the dragon had them, and it wasn't afraid to flare them out as it let out a loud, guttural roar.

GRRRAAAAOOOOOORR!

The bellow managed to make the entire chamber tremble, which the same could be said for everyone else staring at the beast. In the end, there was only only one conclusion that could be made… and it was Nora that made it; "…Yeah, we're screwed."

…..

A/N: …Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree with Nora here. Between the Ministry getting turned into medal greedy monsters and a freaking DRAGON waking up from its hibernation, things have only gotten MUCH more difficult for the team to handle. By the way, yes, that IS an Earth Dragon, and it's actually based on one of the more recent Ninjago dragons that they've released. Specifically, "Cole's Earth Dragon EVO", though it's more based on the animation model that's seen in the Dragon's Rising show. Honestly, it's a REALLY cool design that I thought would be cool to use so that's why it's here!

But as for the homunculi that the Ministry have transformed into, they are indeed based directly off the Greeed monster suits from Kamen Rider OOO. Just for reference for those who don't know, the monstrous forms that the Ministry have taken on are as follows;

Red Son – Ankh

Mercury – Kazari

Emerald – Uva

Hazel – Gamel

Subdora – Mezool

Rojo – Gara

So just in case anyone needs extra references for what these forms look like, search up these names with "Kamen Rider OOO" and you'll likely find them. That said, though, BEFORE all of this happened… we got to see a certain someone arrive at Animo's lab and surprise everyone with their appearance; Munya! Indeed, the long awaited return for what is likely the most anticipated villain aside from Vilgax is near, and his manservant has come to herald his imminent revival. Hope you guys are looking forward to that, because it's gonna be appropriately momentous.

And of course, we got Apollo! And he's here to shed some light on why exactly he helped Flamel keep this chamber locked away for all these years. And, surprisingly, he's intent on actually helping the crew discover a way to NOT make these medals so harmful… in return for asking Pyrrha to do a quest for him in the future. Ah, gods… always gotta be SOMETHING that they ask for in exchange for their help. But hey, here's hoping he can get back with that brazier… otherwise things are gonna be looking hairy for our heroes.

On that note, NEXT TIME! The streets of Rome suddenly find themselves thrown into chaos as the Earth Dragon and the Ministry of Monsters emerge from underground to wreak havoc! Can the team subdue them on their own… or will one of them have to give in and fight fire with fire? Meanwhile, things back home are looking iffy as Gwen, Kevin, Cooper and Kenny are informed of Animo, Cinder and Neo carting a certain pod up to the top of a tall building for an unknown reason. What will they find when they get there? Well, find out next time with… Roman Rampage! Thanks for reading, everybody, and I'll catch you all next time. And of course, as always, stay safe out there!