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)

102. Grandma's Home!

A/N: Morning, everybody! Well, it's October once again, and you know what that means! It's time for Ben 10 RWBY Month to get started in earnest! We're gonna be starting off with something a bit more casual, though, something to get us settled after the big 100 Chapter special we had last time. After all, while certain characters are getting shelved for a while, we have a new arrival to greet now as well! Verdona's now in the picture and it's time we get her acquainted with everyone. So with that said, this is…

Chapter 102: Grandma's Home!

…..

Far away from the town of Bellwood, a certain passing-through photographer stood upon a sizeable hill, having observed everything as it happened. The battle had been bombastic, to say the least, and in the end, it seemed like the heroes would be at least somewhat victorious in their fight. Granted, he was certain that there were still some loose ends to tie up, but with the arrival of the glowing, pink energy being, the battle was decidedly in the Omni-Hunters' favor. "Helps to have good allies where you can get them." Kadoya mused to himself before reaching toward his belt.

He pulled up a rather large touch-screen phone, one that was colored silver and magenta with thick, black stripes going down the entire length. Above the screen was the word "K-Touch", and he wasted no time in dialing up the number of a certain colleague of his. "Might as well see how he's doing with his assignment…"

After a couple rings, the call was picked up. "Yes, hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Ah, senpai, I had a feeling you'd be calling soon." The man paused for a moment to reconsider. "Or… should I call you "kouhai" since I've technically been at this longer than you? It's honestly quite confusing."

"Does it really matter?" Kadoya rolled his eyes. 'These newbies, always so cocksure.' Shaking off the caller's backtalk, he got back to business quick. "How goes the mission I asked of you?"

A soft chuckle came from his colleague. "Pretty well so far. The young man with the green hair you asked me to watch over has been progressing fairly quickly. He may indeed have the capabilities needed to become one of us."

Kadoya hummed thoughtfully at that. "Hm… very good. If he's developing quickly, then maybe he'll stand a chance at what's to come…"

"There you go again with this whole "incoming threat" thing. What about you, then? You're still watching over that boy with the alien watch and his team, right? And you said that they have a Rider among them?"

With an amused grin, Kadoya replied; "Two now, actually. It's been a fairly eventful day here."

"Ah, I see. Question, though… why assign me to watch over this boy? I would've thought you'd ask your little golden boy to do it since he seems like such a big fan…"

That got a chuckle out of Kadoya. "Hah… Kaguya's still fairly inexperienced, despite his demeanor. And besides, he'd be a bit… much for that boy to handle if he were to encounter him. That's why I think you'd be a much better fit." There was another momentary pause before he went on. "So, can I count on you to continue keeping watch over him?"

"Hm… sure, why not? …Though don't be surprised if I bring some friends to help out, in case I get bored."

Once again, Kadoya rolled his eyes, but accepted the terms. "Hah, sure, because of course a deity like you would get easily bored. …I've got to go now. I think it's almost time that I reveal my presence to the team."

"Ah, good luck with that. See you."

With that, the caller hung up and Kadoya placed his phone back onto his belt, giving Bellwood one last look as the Aurora Curtain appeared behind him. "Ben Tennyson… Build… Cross-Z… I'll see you all very soon." And with that, he backed into the veil of silvery light, disappearing from the scene all together.

…..

Back in Bellwood, Jaune and Coco were frantically making their way back out of the base in order to rejoin the battle. Winter's condition had steadied and her aura was back up to stable levels so, after assuring them she was fine, she ordered them to head back up top and finish this with the others. However, the moment they exited Max's Plumbing store… they were met with an awe-inspiring sight. For one, all of the mutants, along with Bashmouth, had been successfully incapacitated and restrained, which was a good thing. …But what WASN'T so good was the fact that Cinder, Hog, Skull, Macaque, Eon and Salem were all RIGHT THERE, and Eon's portal was wide open.

Even then, however, their presence was completely overshadowed… or rather over-brightened by an immense pink light that washed over the entire area. And it didn't take a genius to figure out where that light was emanating from. High in the sky floated an Anodite, her long, hair-like tendrils flaring out over the whole area as she glared daggers down at Salem.

Seeing this, Jaune and Coco could only make one conclusion; "…We missed out on the good shit, didn't we?" the latter asked.

"Apparently." Jaune deadpanned. "My guess is Salem tried to take her mutants back, but Gwen wasn't having any of it."

"Sounds accurate, but there's one hiccup." Coco pointed straight forward. "Gwen's right there."

Jaune did a doubletake as, indeed, there stood Gwen Tennyson, who was smiling widely up at the Anodite as she floated down to seemingly confront Salem. "Uh… okay. So who's that?"

"My guess?" Coco smirked knowingly. "Ben and Gwen's grandma come by for a visit."

If possible, Jaune's eyes widened even further. "H-Hold on, you think that's Ben and Gwen's grandmother?!"

Coco nodded affirmably. "Pretty sure. And if so…" The brunette lowered her sunglasses, taking in the entire sight of the mature Anodite's form. "…Granny's got gyatt!"

The blonde knight pursed his lips at the verbiage used. "…I'm not about to deny that, but the more I hang out with you, the more I realize that you are horrendously down bad."

"Oh, baby boy, you can thank Tech Head for that." Coco winked, which only left Jaune even more stunned. "Hehe, he's told me that he seriously doesn't mind me expressing my immense love for the ladies since he loves 'em just as much." And just like that, Jaune's jaw dropped like a hunk of lead. "Haha! C'mon, don't act so surprised. Now let's go see what's goin' on over there, shall we?"

"Uh… I guess." Jaune said, breaking out into a nervous sweat. 'Jeez, Coop, how in the world did you land her?'

Back with the main group, Verdona had just arrived at ground level, her gaze leveled with that of Salem's. Her voice was filled with disdain as she spoke to the witch. "So, tell me… to whom do I have the dishonor of addressing?"

"You address Salem. Queen of the Grimm and future ruler of the World of Remnant." Her lips curling with disgust, Salem spat at Verdona. "And you… are these two's grandmother?"

A slight grin appeared on Verdona's lips. "And proud of it. Now, I believe you were just leaving."

Salem scoffed at the suggestion. "Ah-ah… no. I was collecting my followers and then we were going to depart—"

"Your chances of doing that are null and void, hag." Verdona cut her off without remorse, pointing down to Bashmouth for good measure. "Which is exactly where that one will be going. He has committed SEVERAL crimes throughout the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies, including many in Anodyne's solar system. It is time that he face proper judgement." She waved her hand toward the other former mutants strewn across the ground. "The rest will be left to the Plumbers, but for now, you can take whatever is left of your forces and leave… NOW."

"…You… did NOT… just call me a "hag"." Salem's voice dripped with venom, stepping as close to the edge of the portal as she could without incurring the wrath of the Thunder God.

Verdona wore a self-assured smirk, seeing the witch purposefully keeping herself behind enemy lines. "Oh, what's wrong, sweetie? Afraid to come across? Did you piss off the wrong deity?"

Gwen was left reeling at the language her grandmother was using. "G-Grandma Verdona!"

"Oh, Gwen, darling, don't be such a square." Verdona shook her head, briefly smiling to her granddaughter. "You should know by now that the elderly swear, too."

The redhead folded her arms over her chest. "Uh-huh. Easy for you to say when you don't act your age."

"Semantics, my dear. Now, please, let grandma handle the riffraff."

By this point, Salem was nearly at the end of her rope. This "grandmother" was trying her patience and she wasn't about to take it anymore. "I don't think so, Miss Verdona. I made it very clear; I will be taking my mutants back, and there's nothing you can do to stop—" *FLASH* "GYAAAH!" Without any warning, Verdona suddenly let out a powerful burst of light from her body and Salem recoiled, along with the other villains.

Verdona gave them a stern glare. "Do I need repeat myself? Leave now or I promise that my next attack will be far more excruciating."

Cinder's eyes began to flare up again, threatening to let her Maiden power loose. "That's IT! I have had it up to HERE with you—"

"No!" Before she could even think of attacking the Anodite, Cinder was pulled back by a gnarled Grimm arm, which brought her through the portal and back to Salem. "Cinder, that is enough… I will concede to the alien's demands."

"W-What?!" Cinder exclaimed. "But the mission—"

"Is. Over." Salem stressed. "It's time that we regroup and plan our next move. Macaque, Thaddeus, Farkas, that goes for you three as well."

The Six-Eared Macaque scoffed, but obliged to her demands. "Psh… very well." As he followed Hog and Skull through the portal, he gave Wu Kong one last look over his shoulder. "But trust me, bud, I don't plan on holding back when next we meet."

Returning the glare, Wu Kong shook his head. "I don't expect you to. Now get outta here."

With the remainder of the Ministry going through the portal, Salem took one final moment to glare at Verdona. As angry as she was at the alien's impudence, she had just about reached her boiling point, and that greatly influenced her decision. 'Honestly, it's not worth it to continue being here right now. Not if I want to calm down later.' She took a deep breath, collecting herself and accepting the terms. "Now then, we'll be leaving. But rest assured, when I need my mutants, I will be back for them."

"Perhaps you will… but you won't get them." Verdona countered.

"We shall see…" Just as Salem turned her back, though, the Anodite called out to her.

"Oh, and Miss Salem… I recommend you try some better skincare techniques." Verdona smirked seeing the witch stop in her tracks. "Your complexion is so pale and I can see your veins, darling!"

In a split second, Salem's eyes snapped open and she whirled around, belting out a scream that sent chills through almost everyone as multiple Grimm arms lashed out toward Verdona. Gwen and Hope practically crumpled, but the elder Anodite was unflinching, raising her arm to counter the attack. But before it could even make contact, a burst of smoke erupted from out of nowhere, followed by a large blast of purple energy… that was shaped like a snake.

Steam Break! Cobra!

To everyone's surprise, Blood Stalk appeared between Verdona and Salem… and repelled the latter's attack with his own. Still slung under his arm was the unconscious Yuma, though Blood Stalk seemed to carry him with little issue. Salem didn't seem too pleased with his arrival. "B-Blood Stalk! What is the meaning of—"

"Hmph… you said it yourself, Miss Salem, it's best if we leave." Making his way through the portal, Blood Stalk glanced back to Cooper and Kenny over his shoulder. "It's been fun, Kamen Riders Build and Cross-Z. I anticipate our next meeting. But until then…" He saluted with his Transteam Gun as he continued on his way. "…Ciao." Once he was next to Salem, he leaned in slightly and whispered; "I retrieved the information you requested."

That managed to improve her mood slightly. "Hm… good." Salem's gaze landed on Eon. "Close the gate." Without any argument, Eon did just that, leaving the heroes and their allies to pick up the pieces left behind.

…Right after they all fell to the ground, completely exhausted. "HAH! H-Holy crap, I thought that would end a LOT worse!" Neptune exclaimed.

"Yeah…" Sun huffed as Blake draped herself over his body. "I feel like I just got done running a marathon… full of people who wanna kill me."

"Ah, c'mon, Pilgrim." Wu Kong teased, kneeling next to his student's head. "Was it really worse than the training I put you through?"

"…Ya know, what? Fair enough."

Gwen and Hope, conversely, were more than happy to stand to their feet, feeling completely relieved now that Salem was gone. "Phew… well, no matter how it went, at least we DID come away with a success today." She set her sights upon Dominique, Fistrick, and their respective gangs, as well as Bashmouth, being carted away into the Plumber Base. "We've put a significant dent into Salem's Ministry, even if the likes of Red Son, Albedo and the Macaque are filling some of those spots now."

Ben cleared his throat, garnering her attention. "Uh, might wanna add another head to that list." His sights shifted to Wu Kong, gravely serious. "When Salem came to pick Albedo up, we encountered another new ally of hers. Monkey King… it seems Princess Iron Fan has joined the Ministry with her son."

Wu Kong's expression softened at the news, becoming visibly downcast. "She… has? A-Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure." Ben placed a hand over his chest. "That fan of hers certainly felt real."

"Gah… by the Jade Emperor's beard." Wu Kong ran a hand through his hair, trying to process the whole thing.

Just then, though, a certain someone cleared their throat, garnering the others' attention. "Ahem…" Verdona floated over between her grandchildren. "My apologies for interrupting an important conversation, but I didn't come all the way to Earth just to be ignored, did I?"

Gwen gasped when she realized the error. "O-Oh my gosh, Grandma Verdona, I'm so sorry, we just—"

"Ahaha! Gwen, dearest, no need to be so flustered!" Verdona's hair tendril wrapped its way around the redhead and pulled her into the Anodite's arms, making for an exceptionally warm hug. "You know me, I always like pressing buttons. How have you been, sweetie?"

A smile appeared on Gwen's lips as she reciprocated the embrace. "Hah… I've been doing well, grandma. My mana and magic training's been making good progress, too."

"Good to hear, but I'm mainly referring to yourself, child. Have you been eating well? How've your college classes been treating you? Any progress with Connor?"

The black-haired Osmosian in question grimaced. "Uh, that's Kevin, Verdona."

Verdona just laughed it off. "Oh, haha! That's right, silly me! Nevertheless, it's good to see you, dear." Her attention was redirected toward her other grandchild, who seemed to be keeping to himself about the whole thing until he caught sight of his grandmother's gaze. "And don't think I've forgotten about you, Ben. Come over here…"

"O-Oh, well I—ah!" Without any warning, Verdona did the job herself and hugged her grandson, taking him by surprise. He slowly but surely hugged her back, but was still baffled. "Uh… please don't take this the wrong way, grandma, but… this is kinda weird." Ben saw her tilt her head up at him, to which he explained; "It's just… I don't usually see this kinda treatment from you, so…"

"Hm, yes… well, after the whole incident with Sunny, I've learned that I need to stop playing favorites with my grandchildren." Verdona became crestfallen as she recounted. "As you know, she's still very much grounded… but I feel like I could've prevented that if I hadn't showed so much favoritism to Gwen and loved ALL of you equally." She sent her grandson a small smile. "And while you don't have the spark, Ben, just like your grandfather, you have one all your own." She reached up and tenderly touched his cheek. "Hmhm… it's almost astonishing. Every time I see you, you remind me more of him. Brings back such fond memories."

Despite himself, Ben couldn't help but blush. "Aw, thanks… oh! That reminds me, there's someone that I want you to meet."

Verdona glanced out toward the Omni-Hunters knowingly… and she could swear that she saw a flash of yellow suddenly vanish behind one of the teens. "Oh, I'm certain that you have PLENTY of people that you want to introduce me to. But before that… I do have one more grandchild to see." She floated her way up to Kamen Rider Cross-Z, who became quite sheepish under her gaze. "Kenneth, I know that's you under there."

The Rider lowered his head, slowly reaching for his belt to take out the Cross-Z Dragon. One the mechanical beast was out, it unfurled its neck and tail and took flight, all while the suit dissipated. In a flash of blue light, Kenny was back to his true self. "Heh… h-hi, grandma…"

"Oh, don't be so nervous, child." Verdona insisted, closing the gap between them with another hug. "I know that we haven't spoken much since I came back to Earth two years ago, but right now, words cannot describe how proud I am of you."

Kenny almost did a doubletake at that. "R-Really?"

"Of course, I am! You've done it!" Verdona pulled away to look up at him, poking his chest with her finger. "I sensed it just as I was passing by Mars. You've found your spark, and it's something that must be celebrated!"

"She's right, Kenny." Gwen asserted, coming forward to give her brother a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "All this time, we thought that I was the only Anodite in the family… but now look at you! You've got so much potential now, no joke." She pointed down at his hand. "I mean, that dragon claw thing you did? Hah, I don't think I've seen anything like it!"

Her words made Verdona's eyes widen. "Ah! So that's what else I sensed. I had a feeling that Kenny's awakening was quite unique, and not just because I could sense it from space." She beamed proudly toward her elder grandson. "Manipulating dragon energy of all things to begin your training… how in the WORLD did you manage that?"

Raising his hand with his palm up, Kenny allowed the Cross-Z Dragon to land and he pulled out the Dragon Fullbottle from its back. "Heh… with this, actually."

"Oh?" Verdona peered closer to the bottle as Kenny shook it, and in an instant, it began glowing and her eyes widened. "That is… condensed dragon energy in liquid form! Where in the world did you GET such an item?!"

Build cleared his throat and stepped forward, ushering for Hope to join him as he took out the bottles from his own belt. "Ahem, that would be courtesy of us, ma'am." In another flash, Cooper changed back to his normal self, with Hope stiffly standing next to him and bowing her head to the Anodite. "Cooper Daniels, Plumber scientist, prodigal genius and Kamen Rider Build, at your service." He nudged his head toward Hope, who seemed to be shaking like a leaf. "Me and this young woman, Hope, created the Fullbottles through the use of organic and inorganic matter essences and combining them with a substance known as "Dust" from the world of Remnant." He gestured toward the Dragon bottle. "And as you can see, the Dragon one is one of the more powerful ones, which I believe kickstarted your grandson's "spark"."

"Is that so?" Verdona peered closer to the Fullbottles in Cooper's hand. "And I suppose that you use these little trinkets inside of that belt of yours to… become those armored warriors?"

Cooper nodded to her. "Yep. We call those forms of ours "Kamen Riders"."

It was then that things suddenly clicked for the Anodite. "Oh! So that means that you must be the masked hero that the tesserbursts have been mentioning." She smiled toward her eldest grandson. "And thanks to you, dear Kenny has become one himself AND has found his potential! Ah, it seems I have so much to thank you for, Mr. Daniels…" She trailed off as she directed her attention to Hope next. "As well as you, young lady. …Miss? Are you alright?"

Abruptly standing up straight, Hope put on her best smile, trying to not appear nervous. "A-Ah, yes! I'm doing fine, thank you for asking." She took a deep breath and placed a hand over her chest. "Though I can't take all of the credit. Gwen and I worked hard on infusing that Dust liquid with the essences of those materials together."

"Oh, how delightful! That means that BOTH of you are proficient in the mystic arts. Remind me, what was your name, girl?"

"My name is Hope, though I'm more commonly known as "Charmcaster"." All of a sudden, Verdona's eyes widened. "H-Huh? Is there something wrong?"

The Anodite's eyes moved back and forth between Hope and her granddaughter, eventually asking the latter; "Gwen… is this the same Charmcaster that you told me about during my last visit?"

It was then that Gwen realized why her grandmother was so confused. "U-Um… yep, haha… that's her."

Verdona studied Charmcaster's features further before making a conclusion. "Well… it seems that you two managed to work out your differences. Because this girl is nothing like how you described her before."

"…Oh?" Hope sent an accusatory glance to Gwen, whose face was scrunched up like she had just eaten a lemon. "How DID she describe me, then?"

"Th-That's not important!" Gwen insisted, trying to get between the two… only for Hope to push against the shorter girl's forehead. "My opinion on you has DRASTICALLY changed since then! I swear, the conversation we had is inconsequential now!"

Hope raised her eyebrows, though she was clearly still unimpressed. "Maybe so, but if you're so confident in that, then why not let me hear it? Honesty is the best policy, after all."

"But I don't want you to be maaaad!"

Ben rolled his eyes as the display, stepping forward to try and clear the air. "Uh, ladies, while this all sounds very fascinating, I'd like to remind everyone that there's still TONS of introductions to go through."

Happy to change the subject, Verdona agreed with her grandson's thinking. "Of course, Ben! I've heard many things about this team of yours over the tesserbursts, so I would certainly like to meet them…" She gave one last brief glance toward her granddaughter, though. "But Gwen… if Hope is truly your friend… be honest with her later."

"…Yes, grandma." Gwen accepted, to which hope pulled her hand away… only to then drape it over the redhead's shoulders. "Huh?"

Gwen looked up and was met with a genuine smile from her silver-haired friend. "Honestly, though… I won't be mad. I've owned up to how much of a little annoyance I was back then, so hearing it from you won't be too bad." She was immediately hugged for her words. "Hah… still gotta get used to this, though."

Verdona, meanwhile, was floating her way toward the multitude of new people she was presented with, wondering where to start. "Okay! It certainly seems I've got my work cut out for me when it comes to introductions, doesn't it? So many new faces. Some excited, some nervous, some… er…" She trailed off as she passed by Nora… who was practically vibrating with the widest smile imaginable plastered over her features. "…Ready to explode?"

Pressing down on her head like he was stopping an alarm clock, Ren took hold of his best friend by the shoulders, containing her for the time being. "S-Sorry, ma'am. She just gets really enthusiastic when she meets new people."

"Indeed." Pyrrha awkwardly rubbed her neck. "Especially since… well, to be quite frank, none of us thought we'd ever get to meet you. And if we were to be so lucky, it'd only be briefly."

"Ah, of course. Given my previously fleeting visits, I suppose that would be a reasonable conclusion to make."

Once again, Ben entered the conversation. "U-Um, actually grandma, there IS someone that I'd like to introduce you to first, if you don't mind."

The Anodite's focus went to her grandson. "Really? …Ooh, is it someone special?" Seeing the her grandson's nervous grin, Verdona clasped her hands together eagerly. "Ah! It is! Ben, show me this person now, please!"

"Heh, of course. Grandma Verdona, I'd like you to meet my—huh?" But the Omnitrix bearer was taken aback, seeing as his girlfriend was nowhere in sight. "Um, guys? Where's Yang?"

Blake rolled her eyes, moving to side-step. "Oh, you mean the coward? She's right he—huh?" But the very second that she took that step, Yang moved with her, intent on staying hidden. "Oh for the love of—YANG! Come out right now!"

"Don't wanna." Yang muttered.

"Are you seri—it's JUST his grandmother!"

"Exactly!"

Facepalming, Blake asked her teammates for help. "Weiss, Ruby, you know what to do." She raised her leg to take another step, only this time, Ruby rushed in and took a hold of her sister, successfully trapping Yang out in the open.

The Blonde Brawler immediately gasped at the betrayal. "R-Ruby! How could you?!"

"It's for your own good, sis!" Ruby insisted, letting go when Yang flexed her arms. "You've known Max for a while now, you've met his parents not long ago, now you get to meet his grandma!"

Yang immediately tried to book it… only to find that her legs didn't move thanks to the gravity glyph keeping her in place. "AGH! You too, Weiss?!"

"Hmph, we wouldn't have to do this if you weren't being such a coward." the white-haired girl asserted.

Ben was more concerned than anything when he approached his struggling girlfriend, telling Weiss to undo the trap. "Weiss, let her go. I've got her from here." Once his hands were placed firmly on her shoulders, the gravity glyph disappeared, allowing him to try and calm her down. "Yang, what's wrong? Why're you suddenly so scared of my grandma?"

Trying to gulp down the lump in her throat, Yang explained as best she could. "I-I just… I'm not sure if she'll… be as accepting as your parents were. I-I need time to make a good first impression—"

"Oh, nonsense!" Yang almost leapt out of her skin when Verdona appeared directly next to her, the Anodite wearing a knowing smirk as she floated around the couple. "Dear, I judge someone based on their character, not on whether you can impress me or not." The Anodite folded her arms over her chest. "So, young lady, what is your name, if I may ask?"

Yang winced at the question. "I… I-I…"

"Why don't we start over?" Ben suggested.

Blake, Weiss and Ruby all deadpanned at that. "You didn't even start to begin with." said the cat girl."

"ANYWAYS…" Ben raised his voice, prompting the three girls to start whistling nonchalantly. The Omnitrix bearer sighed in exasperation before doing a proper introduction. "Yang… this is my grandmother, Verdona. And grandma, this is Yang Xiao Long. She's been my girlfriend for almost three months now."

"Oh… such a short time, yet I can tell that you're already quite serious." Floating around the couple, Verdona inspected Yang's demeanor, the girl still visibly quite nervous. But then, she stopped directly in front of the blonde, gazing straight into her eyes. Yang's violet orbs met the alien's blank white stare, a sudden sense of calm beginning to overtake her. One second later, and Verdona was all smiles once more. "…Goodness, Benjamin, if I didn't already think you took after your grandfather before, now my opinion's only been reinforced."

Her statement took the couple by surprise. "W-Wait, what do you mean by that?" Ben asked.

Verdona chuckled and glided further toward Yang, beaming at the young blonde. "Young lady, I can tell just by your eyes… you're a bit of a free spirit, aren't you?"

Yang blinked, astonished by the energy being's accurate reading. "Oh, uh… I-I mean, yeah. I like to do things my own way a lot of the time." As she kept speaking, her lips slowly curled into a smile of her own. "Sun at my back, wind in my hair… that's the kinda life I dream about when I become a huntress. But at the same time…" Yang leaned her head against Ben's arm. "I never would've expected this one to show up in my life when I had those dreams. I still want to do it, for sure, but… I want to share that life now."

"Just as I suspected! We are so very much alike, you and I." Verdona spoke, her voice wistful with nostalgia. "When I first met Max, I had that same idea. I so badly wanted to take him into space with me when he saved my life, to share the stars with him… but he had his own aspirations at the time. And I was not about to stand in his way." She placed a hand over her chest. "We eventually did meet again… but that time, I was the one who chose to stay. That was for twenty-five good years and I don't regret a single second of it."

"Really?" Yang wondered. "Then… why leave Earth?"

A sigh passed Verdona's lips, her expression becoming slightly sadder. "Well, when the kids were grown and out of the house, I felt the need to reconnect with my Anodite heritage. And since Max was off saving the universe with the Plumbers, he was already incredibly busy. We agreed to part ways… but I never forgot the time we had together." She reached her hand out to Yang's shoulder. "But you, Yang… you and Ben have the chance to be something incredible together. If it's that serious between you two, then be good to one another… and don't let each other go for a second."

"…I'd say that's a pretty powerful sign of approval if ever I heard it." Ben concluded. "Feel better now?"

A relieved sigh passed Yang's lips and she nodded. "Yeah… yeah, I honestly do. You've got a nice grandma, Green Boy."

Verdona winked to the young girl. "I think you mean an awesome grandma, hon."

"After that trick you pulled wiping out those Grimm, I'd say so." Raven spoke up, entering the conversation. "In all my days have I seen someone wipe out that many of the beasts in one fell swoop aside from Ben." She smiled to the Anodite and bowed her head. "I can see that being powerful runs in the family."

"You're too kind…" With one look at the Spring Maiden's features, Verdona came to a swift conclusion. "And I'm assuming that you must be Yang's mother, correct?"

"Correct. My name is Raven Branwen." She extended her hand. "It's a pleasure, Verdona."

Verdona accepted the handshake, but quickly caught onto something odd. "…Different last name?"

"Hah… well, yes. Her father, Tai, and I haven't been officially married." Raven admitted awkwardly. "But we are happily together again."

"Again?" Verdona pointed over to Ruby. "But she said that she was Yang's sister, correct?"

All of this served to give Yang, Raven and Ruby similarly winced faces, knowing that this would be fairly strange to explain. "Ah, yeah, hehe…" Ruby came forward and saluted. "I'm Ruby Rose. Daughter of Taiyang Xiao Long and Summer Rose."

Seeing the baffled expression on Verdona's face, Qrow came in and decided to rib on Raven a little. "Yeah, my sister's love life is kinda a mess." the huntsman leaned against his twin's shoulder, much to her irritation. "But she's been workin' her ass off to make up for everythin' she missed out on, even if some efforts aren't as successful as others…"

"Oh, buzz off, Qrow!" Raven pushed against her brother, taking a deep breath to calm down before turning back to Verdona. "I… think some explanations are in order."

…..

Thankfully, as it turned out, Verdona wasn't too plussed about the Branwen-Xiao Long-Rose family history, choosing to accept the matter and move on to more introductions. "After all, it's not like I'm exactly the perfect role model for a present parent-figure myself." she had reasoned, much to her grandchildren's chagrin. But once all that was out of the way, Verdona made her way through the rest of the team, meeting Weiss, Rex, Blake, Ilia, Penny, and the others all one by one until she finally got to the Saturdays. "Oh my… your family is adorably color-coordinated." she complimented before deciding to make a quip. "Though I must say, orange and black… Halloween is still months away, is it not?"

Drew couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You'd be surprised how many comments we get about that, actually."

"Ah, well, with us, everyday might as well be Halloween." Doc shrugged before offering a handshake, to which Verdona accepted. "Doc Saturday. This is my wife, Drew, and my boys, Zak, Fiskerton and Smokey. We're Secret Scientists, specifically, cryptid researchers."

"Is that so? Then you MUST have a knack for the paranormal."

Zak gave a nod at that. "Yeah, we're pretty much the complete opposite of normal. Ain't that right, guys?" Fisk babbled an agreement while Smokey huffed out his nose, letting out a puff of smoke.

Verdona raised her head, seeing the masked man behind them leaning against a building. "Speaking of Halloween, though, who's the chap in the helmet?"

"Hm? Oh, hah, right. Probably don't need this now since the fight's over." Taking off his helmet, Doyle revealed his face, giving the Anodite a salute. "Doyle Blackwell, at your service." He walked up and placed a hand on Zak's shoulder. "Also known as the coolest uncle in existence."

"HA!" Qrow guffawed. "Willin' to bet?"

Doyle locked eyes with the other prominent uncle. "Any day, any time, old man."

Ben's eyes widened a bit at the exchange. "Woah, hold it, that's Zak's uncle?" He raised a questioning brow to Ruby. "When'd you meet HIM?"

"Down in Undertown a few days ago." Ruby answered. "He helped us bring down a big smuggler's auction and we even saved a unicorn out of it!"

"A WHAT NOW?!" Gwen and Nora exclaimed, getting right in Ruby's face. "Ruby, answer me very clearly; who was the person who smuggled a goddamn unicorn?" the former insisted. "Because I will make sure to find them and string them up by their—"

"Gwendolyn." At the sound of her grandmother's voice, the redhead immediately backed off, though Nora was still keen to know more. "While I realize that taking such a magnificent creature is a vile offense, you simply cannot dispense punishment… at least, not by yourself." Verdona clenched a fist as an eager grin spread across her lips. "Now, Ruby, where is this dreadful creature that calls itself a human being?"

The Hooded Huntress grumbled irritably. "Hmph… she got away, unfortunately. But we DID save the unicorn! After all…" Ruby thrust her arm out toward Pyrrha, who became very bashful in that moment. "We HAD to! Especially after the goddess Artemis asked Pyrrha to accomplish that as a quest to prove herself!"

As if the group of vacationers couldn't be any more astonished, they were when they heard that. "HUUUH?!" they all echoed, their attention now squarely on Pyrrha. "…GIRL, WHAT?!" Nora exclaimed, zipping over from Ruby to her teammate. "Tell me you at least got to RIDE the Unicorn as a reward or something! PLEASE I've GOT to know!"

"Ah… hehe, w-well, I actually got to ride it when I broke it out of its restraints…" Pyrrha curled a lock of hair around her finger shyly. "So… yes, I did get to ride it, though being recognized by Artemis is more than reward enough for me" She bobbed her head over to Cooper. "Well, that and Cooper asked for a lock of the Unicorn's mane, so there was that, too."

Gwen stared at her genius friend incredulously. "You asked for a lock of its mane… and Artemis LET you?!"

"W-With the Unicorn's permission, mind you!" Cooper clarified. "I'd never ask for something without making sure it was okay with all parties involved." He puffed his chest out with pride. "Besides, we also lucked out by retrieving a dwarf star during that raid, so whether I got the Unicorn hair or not, we still basically won that day."

"To say the least…" Verdona muttered, impressed with the children's accomplishments. "Though I must say, I HAVE missed quite a lot if you kids are interacting with gods of all things."

Neptune gave an affirming nod. "Oh yeah, we've met TONS of 'em." He started counting on his fingers. "We've met Hercules, Thor, Quetzalcoatl, I had a conversation with Poseidon… and of course there's that guy over there." The blue-haired boy jerked his thumb toward Wu Kong, who was still hanging out toward the back. "He tends to stick around, though, unlike the others."

Clearing his throat, Wu Kong came forward. "Ah-heh, well that might have to do with the fact that I ain't a god, kid. Like I told ya; I'm a deity. Specifically, a Buddha. BIG difference."

"The Victorious Fighting Buddha, at that." Floating herself across the way, Verdona approached the enlightened one, giving a polite curtsey to him. "Sun Wu Kong, the Monkey King. I've read of your tales quite a fair bit, and I must say, it is a true honor to meet one as astoundingly powerful as yourself."

"The pleasure's all mine." Wu Kong pounded on his chest. "I've heard how powerful the Anodites are, and gotta say, it makes sense that you're these three's grandma." He glanced over to the Tennysons. "Probably some of the bravest souls I've met in my time, and that's saying a lot." He reached over and pulled Sun over to him. "Though of course, you'll forgive me if I have my biases."

"Haha! Clearly, you do…" Verdona's joyful attitude took a serious turn briefly. "Though I will say… just a few moments ago, you acted quite shaken when you were informed that Princess Iron Fan was with this Ministry. And if I recall the stories, then you have good reason to be concerned, correct?"

Ben furrowed his brow toward the Monkey King as well. "Yeah… and when Iron Fan spoke to us, she said that we… shouldn't trust you."

At that point, Sun was beginning to grow concerned. "…Master, what is going on? Between Iron Fan and Macaque, they really seem to be making you out to be the bad guy here."

Pursing his lips, Wu Kong eventually let out a melancholic sigh, his hand moving to his forehead as if a familiar pain had just cropped up. "Kids… I've made some choices that aren't all that popular… some of 'em, I even regret. But back in the day, after my Journey to the West had been completed, things seemed to be… I made a decision that'd have HUGE repercussions afterward."

"Mind enlightening us on that, then?" Gwen requested.

"Honestly, I've got no choice at this point." Stamping his staff into the road, Wu Kong sat himself down on the curb cross-legged, ready to recount his tale. "Gather 'round, kids, it's Monkey King Story Time. So, here's the deal; it had been a few years since the journey ended, and for a while, it seemed like things were settling into a new normal. At least… that's what we all thought." The celestial simian closed his eyes, remembering that day hundreds of years back. "But then… I got an urgent call for help from the goddess, Guanyin. She said that her realm had erupted into a fiery hellscape that not even she could get under control…"

Hearing that, many of the teens leaned in, eager to hear more. "Woah, what happened, exactly?" Ilia inquired.

Wu Kong let a puff of air out through his nostrils. "Well, in case you don't know, back in the day, Red Boy—or "Red Son" as he likes to call himself now—actually held a pretty powerful weapon within him… the Great Fire of Samadhi. It was a flame unlike any other, unable to be put out by almost anything… and one of the only things that could hurt me." That garnered plenty of shocked faces from the group. "I know, right? Unbelievable… but it's true. And Red Boy was pretty much born with this ability, so he was pretty OP. He was still a little tyke back then, though, so his unruly temper combined with the Samadhi Fire equaled…"

"A kid's temper tantrum times a million." Coco concluded.

"Exactly. So, when Red Boy got in the way of me, my master, and my cohorts, I asked Guanyin to help out. Fortunately, she had this basin that held an entire ocean's worth of water, and that was what helped put out Red Boy's fire for a while." A sinister grin worked its way to Wu Kong's lips. "Hehe… then she tricked him onto her sacred lotus platform… before she turned it into a thousand swords! HAHAHA! Oh… oh boy, he couldn't sit down for weeks… AND he was put under her servitude for his impetuous behavior!"

Ruby's eyes widened at that. "Woah, Red Son actually served a goddess at the time?"

"Yep, and she even said that she could help him find enlightenment… but unfortunately, that wouldn't come to pass." Wu Kong's features once more grew quite grim. "Because just a few years after, before he could be properly enlightened… the Samadhi Fire came back. And it was MUCH more powerful than it had been before."

Yang pointed two fingers at the Monkey King. "So… bad thing."

"The fact that it melted through the restraining crown that Guanyin put on the kid… yeah, VERY bad." Wu Kong shook his head. "And unfortunately, not even Guanyin's basin could help us at that point. The ocean just… evaporated."

Blake brought a hand to her chin, enraptured in the story. "So… what did you do? Obviously you must've contained it somehow if you're still here to tell the tale."

The Monkey King resumed his usual smirk. "Hehe… well, you know the old saying; "when times are tough, you go to your friends to lean on." And that's exactly what we did. My fellow pilgrims, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, along with our master, Tang Sanzang, and his trusty steed, Ao Lie, got back together one last time to confront this threat. But we wouldn't be doing so alone. The one who got us together, Nezha, would help us out, too."

"Oh, I've heard of him!" Penny piped up. "He's the boy god with the flaming wheels on his feet, correct?"

"Hah, yep, that's the one… though he's technically not a "boy" in the traditional sense." Wu Kong waved his hands. "All that art depicting him as a kid is only capturing one of his many forms… but more to the point, we all gathered together to seal the Samadhi Fire away with a special ceremony, where we would combine our powers to separate it from Red Boy entirely… but we needed one more person to help us out."

Seeing the saddened expression upon the celestial simian, Sun could only come to one conclusion. "…The Demon Bull King, right?"

"Hit the nail right on the head, there, kid." Wu Kong confirmed. "Bull King was willing to help out, too. He may have been many things… but he loved his son all the same. We gathered together and, using our combined strength, we got the Samadhi Fire out of Red Boy and sealed it into four separate rings, which we all took with us to hide away so that they'd never be reunited."

"Okay… and then what happened?" Ben inquired.

"Well… during that time, Iron Fan had heard what had happened, too. And she was keen on helping her son in any way that he could." A small smile worked its way to Wu Kong's face. "Honestly… it was kinda nice, seeing her and DBK reconcile after all that time. If it weren't for… certain circumstances, things might've been different."

Sun could feel a lump in his stomach, already knowing what was coming next. "Yeah… since you sealed DBK away and all, I'm guessing that the happy times didn't last long."

His shoulders slumping, Wu Kong all but confirmed his student's suspicions. "Hit the nail right on the head, kid. Unfortunately, Bull King's lust for power was too much even for Iron Fan to try and abstain. He went on a rampage that saw the entire countryside torn asunder. And the Jade Emperor gave ME of all people the job to put him down." He scoffed and waved his hand. "And while I don't particularly care for what that blow-hard calls "merits", I unfortunately didn't have a choice in the matter. The Buddha's hands were tied and I was saddled with the baggage."

"Oh my… not even the Buddha himself could aid in this situation." Verdona said, quite astonished by the news. "And usually he's so generous with second chances."

Her comment made Wu Kong wince a little. "…Sure, "generous" is a good term… if your definition of that is being saddled under a mountain for about five hundred years and THEN you get your chance at redemption." He stood up and took his staff once more. "But eh, semantics. The Big B and I are on good terms nowadays, anyway."

"So we know that you sealed DBK away." Blake continued. "But then what?"

"Then… well, Iron Fan and Red Boy found me. They cursed my name and then went into hiding when the godly realms became… inert for a while." Wu Kong raised his hand to the group. "As I'm sure you all know by now, a lot of pantheons went into deep slumber thanks to mortals losing their belief in us over the eons, which has only now started to return. My guess is that they've taken this opportunity to try and get their revenge at last."

Ben couldn't help but draw to one conclusion after hearing all of that. "And considering they're convinced Salem to work with them, my guess is that they must have something BIG in mind. And I can only think of one thing that'd be big enough."

Wu Kong nodded grimly. "Yeah… freeing the Demon Bull King."

Weiss placed a hand over her chest, leaning toward Rex as she felt a sudden chill come over her. "Is… is that even possible, though? Do they know where the Bull King is even sealed?"

"They shouldn't… but even then, they've got Macaque with them, and as you've seen, he can be pretty crafty… so it wouldn't surprise me if he sussed out where Bull King is." Gritting his teeth, Wu Kong gripped the Ruyi Jingu Bang until his knuckles turned white. "If the Bureaucracy of Heaven finds out about this… it could get ugly. We'll need to stop them before this information can slip up to them."

"Okay… how?" Yang questioned.

Ruby agreed with her sister. "Yeah, we've basically got no idea on how they even plan on freeing him. Is it something they could easily do?"

"Not a chance." Wu Kong shook his head. "The only way they could free him is by removing a Pillar of Heaven, and that's something that only someone deigned by Buddha himself can do."

Sun put a smile on at that, even if it was a bit forced. "Okay, hey, that's actually some good news, then! There's no way that any of them would be consented by Buddha to do it. There's some hope in this, right?"

Despite the grim situation, Wu Kong couldn't help but grin at his student's enthusiasm. "Heh, you're right about that, Pilgrim. Still, we shouldn't let our guard down about this. We're headed into some dangerous territory here, and I need to know that I can count on all of you to give it your all." The Monkey King narrowed his eyes seriously at the Omni-Hunters. "So… will you?"

Without a moment's hesitation, his response came; "Oh, hell yeah!" Sun raised a fist.

"Like we're going to let a couple of demons get the better of us."

"They won't know what hit 'em."

"LET'S BREAK THEIR LEGS!"

And just like that, all eyes were instantly on the resident Pink Dynamo. "…Why is that your immediate solution for everything, Nora?" Kevin asked, very concerned.

The redhead responded with a roll of her eyes and an innocent smile. "Aw, c'mon, wouldn't YOU wanna break some legs after all the terrible crap the Ministry's put us through?"

"…I mean, fair, but still." Kevin shook his head. "W-Whatever, right now, we should focus on what's goin' on right now. The Mutants have been taken in, Bashmouth is gettin' sent to the Null Void, and with that, we've already dealt a significant blow to the Ministry and its forces." The Osmosian couldn't help but cross his arms, though, an itchy feeling in the back of his mind nagging at him. "Still, it… feels like we're forgettin' something. Almost like we're missin' someone…"

Right that moment, Kenny suddenly remembered something, eliciting a gasp from him. "HAH! WINTER!"

In turn, Weiss gasped as well. "AH! That's right, sis! W-Where is she? Is she okay? She's not seriously hurt, is she?!"

Thankfully, Jaune gave the duo some reassurance. "Woah, woah, guys, calm down. Winter's doing alright. She's down in the med bay resting up. The poison that Blood Stalk injected into her is completely out of her system and her aura should be back up to full strength." He nudged his chin toward the storefront. "You should go to her, though. I'm sure she'll want to see you both… I think I recall she was asking for you specifically, Kenny."

Hearing that, Kenny went from being relieved to incredibly nervous. He knew that Gwen was still a bit upset with him for pulling the reckless stunt he did to get there… but after everything else, he still wasn't sure how Winter would be. But even more so… a certain Anodite made it all the more awkward. "Oh? And who is this Winter, Kenny?" Verdona asked, floating around to give her eldest grandson a knowing smile. "I must say, I didn't think I'd come to Earth to see BOTH of my grandsons off the market. Hmhm, definitely don't regret coming now!"

"A-Ahem, uh… yeah, I should probably introduce you to her, too." Kenny muttered. "C'mon, let's go see Winter…"

As the Tennysons led the way into the base, the Saturday family brought up the rear, conversing amongst themselves about the battle. However, before they could get too deep into the conversation… *bleep-bleep* *bleep-bleep* "Hm?" Doc brought up his gauntlet, seeing what the disturbance was.

"Something wrong, hon?" Drew asked.

"It's an incoming transmission on the Airship." Doc revealed, his eyes widening at who the Caller ID belonged to. "And it's… from Juliette?"

Zak and Fisk brightened up at the news. "Hah! No way! Maybe she's got an update on how her investigation's doing? Let's go see!"

"Eh, I don't see why not." Drew shrugged, noting just how tightly knit the Tennysons seemed at the moment. "Let's let them have some time to themselves."

…..

Down in the Med Bay, General Ironwood was standing by the bedside of his highest-ranking officer, having arrived just a few moments ago. Of course, he had been worried about her wellbeing having seen her go down on the battlefield, but with all the chaos going on, he hadn't been able to do much. Thankfully, Jaune and Coco had gotten to her and brought her into the base just as Kenny had achieved his transformation, and once he had helped bring in the former mutants, he made sure to go down and see her first thing.

"So… how're you feeling?"

Winter's shoulders slumped forward, still not feeling one-hundred percent. "Ugh… my stomach's in knots. But thankfully, I know it could've been far worse if that poison hadn't gotten out of me sooner."

Ironwood smiled and nodded to her. "Yes. I imagine that wasn't pleasant… but hey, on the bright side, your boyfriend pulled off one hell of a trick back there."

"Hm, indeed he did." Winter smiled fondly. "It was incredibly reckless and foolhardy… but in a way, what else am I to expect from a Tennyson?"

"They CAN be quite the handful, I will say." James concurred. "But all the same… I think you knew he had that potential in him, didn't you?"

"Oh, without question… but I didn't think he'd be progressing THIS fast." the specialist admitted.

Her superior could only offer a shrug. "Well, in my experience, certain soldiers DO progress a lot faster than others, and given that Kenny's got that much energy in him, I'd say that's also a factor." Ironwood saluted to her in approval. "I'm very impressed with how you trained him, though, Winter. I saw those moves he was using on that "Blood Stalk" character. That's Atlesian Military fighting techniques if I've ever seen them."

Winter chuckled and saluted back. "I learned from the best, sir." However, at that moment, the Med Bay door practically flew open, causing the two to snap their heads around. But thankfully, they were put at ease when they saw who it was. "Ken—AH!"

The redhead practically sprinted into the room and hugged Winter with everything he had, though he made sure to not put too much pressure on her. "WINTER! H-How are you doing? Do you need anything? Whatever it is, I can go get it—"

"Kenny, p-please, slow down!" Winter stressed, pushing against his shoulders so she could look him straight in the eye. "I'm doing well. Jaune made sure that my aura was replenished before he went back outside."

"I-I know, but… I was just… just so…"

Reaching to cup his cheek, Winter reassured her boyfriend with a smile. "Scared, I know. I can imagine. But believe me, I'm doing alright now."

"…I'm sorry." Kenny lowered his head in shame. "I was such an idiot, coming to this battle. Even though you told me not to, I just—mph!" All of a sudden, Winter put an end to his self-loathing… by pressing her lips against his. Needless to say, Kenny's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. Their first kiss as a couple… and it felt amazing. Before long, he leaned into it, allowing Winter to snake her arms over his shoulders while he brought his down by her waist. It was at that point that Ironwood excused himself, though they only barely noticed. They just became lost in each other for about fifteen seconds before Winter ended it.

Because as good as that feeling felt, there was something that she needed to get across. "Don't feel bad about yourself, Kenny. What you did was completely reckless, without a doubt… but I've figured out that's one of the things you Tennysons are good at." She furrowed her brow at him slightly. "Now, that's not me saying you should do it ALL the time, but… in the end, THIS time, it was worth it."

"Da-da-dan-DANGYAAAH!"

As if on cue, the Cross-Z Dragon came flying into the scene and perched atop Kenny's shoulder, which made Winter smile. "Ah, and there's your new partner now." She used her finger to give the mechanical beast some scritches on the head. "Thank you so much for getting the poison out of me, little one. I owe you my life." With another roar, the Cross-Z Dragon shook its head and flew once again, circling around the couple's heads while making a heart shape in the air.

Despite themselves, they couldn't help but blush at the act. "Hahaha… well, I guess he's trying to say… our happiness is all the thanks he needs." Kenny concluded.

"Hmhm, well then, I'm glad that's the case." Winter chuckled before putting on a more serious face. "Ironwood told me about what happened out there, though."

"Yeah, really glad that the mutants were taken in. One less thing about the Ministry we have to worry about."

The white-haired woman pursed her lips. "I am, too, but… that isn't exactly what I was talking about." Kenny grew a bit worried when he saw her swallow nervously, only for her to ask; "Is… is she really here? Y-Your… grandmother?"

Before Kenny could even reply, the topic of their conversation did so for him. "Why yes, I am." The couple whipped their heads up, seeing Verdona peer over her grandson's shoulder. "You must be Winter, then! Such a pleasure."

Winter's response was… not what Kenny had expected. She let out a fearful gasp and buried her head in his chest, much to his surprise. "Ah! W-Winter, what's—"

"Oh god, oh god, oh god, I am NOT ready! P-Please, I-I just need time to—"

"For heaven's sake, what is it with your girlfriends and being so frightened of me?" Verdona reached down and caressed her hand through Winter's hair soothingly, which made the specialist flinch. "Winter, dear, you needn't be scared. I was told that you were a strong and powerful young woman who takes pride in her work. Tell me, where is that confidence at?"

Winter was left astonished by her question. "Y-You… how do you…"

"My grandson couldn't stop talking about you all the way here." Verdona winked knowingly. "And seeing you in person… hmhm, yep, I can definitely see why he's attracted to you." She turned her head toward Ben and Yang, who were standing in the doorway with Gwen, Kevin, and the rest of Team RWBY. "Carl's boy goes after a go-getter like his father… while Frank's boy follows in HIS father's footsteps, going after a calm, collected and responsible young woman."

Feeling suddenly quite bashful, Winter fidgeted against her boyfriend with an awkward wince. "I… I-I have to say, I wasn't expecting this."

Verdona wore a knowing smile, cocking her head to the side. "Then I'm assuming that you've heard most about me from Natalie, then. Something along the lines of you being unable to impress me?" Winter gave a sheepish nod. "Hah… Winter, sweetheart, just because Natalie and I aren't on the best of terms doesn't mean that I disapprove of her marriage to my son. She and I just happen to be polar opposites in every way. Did you ever think to ask Sandra her opinion of me?"

"Well… no." After her admittance, Winter felt a glimmer of hope as she met Verdona's eyes. "So… I'm guessing that we're okay?"

Verdona gave a wink. "You make my grandson happy. Of course, we're okay."

With a bow of her head, Winter expressed her gratitude. "Thank you, Verdona. I'm sorry that I was so quick to judge."

"No apologies necessary, child. Now, I think a certain someone else wants to see you, too."

On cue, Weiss took the hint and came into the room, stepping up next to Winter's bed, "Hey, sis. How're you doing."

"Hah, doing far better, Weiss, believe me." Winter assured, squirming her way out from under the covers. "In fact, I think it's time I get up. Kenny, if you'd please…" The redhead wasted no time in standing up, taking Winter by the hand as she climbed out of bed. She and her sister then embraced, happy to see one another. "And here I thought I'd have to wait until tomorrow to see you."

"Yeah, well, you know what they say; "no rest for heroes"." Weiss rolled her eyes.

That got a small chortle from the elder Schnee before she asked; "In all seriousness, though, how was your vacation? Did you enjoy it?"

"Oh, it was fabulous. We have SO many pictures to show you of our time on X'Nelli."

"It was freaking wild, girl." Yang asserted. "Oh! And the car show on Khoros was pretty fun, too."

Verdona, however, was quite surprised to hear the news. "Wait, all of you just came back from a vacation in deep space?" Her hand flew to her forehead in remorse. "Oh, darn it all! If I had known, I would've met you all up there! I bet we would've had a hoot and a half on X'Nelli."

"Ah, don't worry, grandma." Ben gave an assuring wave. "You're here now, and honestly, that's an awesome surprise to come home to… though I have to ask, what DOES bring you to Earth?"

Gwen furrowed her brow inquisitively. "Yeah, I was going to ask the same thing. Don't get me wrong, it's great to see you and all, but your visits are so rare that I can't help but ask."

Once again all smiles, Verdona was quick to give her answer. "Hmhm, I suppose I do owe you kids an explanation." She sat herself down on the bed as she told them. "You see, children, every twenty or so Earth years, Anodyne celebrates a planet-wide holiday known as the Mana Festival. It's where young Anodites are free to get truly creative with their abilities, and where they flourish into more mature members of the species."

Kevin snapped his fingers in realization. "Ah, so THAT'S what you meant when you said you were "home for the holidays"."

"That all sounds pretty fascinating, actually." Blake mused. "How long does the festival last?"

"In human time… about five Earth years."

That made everyone do a double take. "FIVE years?!" they echoed, before Ben went further. "And… you decided to come to Earth? I mean, not that I'm complaining, but I would've thought taking part in something that big would be important to you."

"It is, Ben. But this time, things felt… different." The Anodite's expression saddened. "With Sunny still grounded and unable to take part, I am without someone to guide in this festival. It was there that I found myself yearning for a change of pace… and by chance, I heard of your disappearance over the tesserbursts a few months ago. I had feared the worst initially, but thankfully, that professor friend of yours had told me that you were merely stuck in an alternate dimension." She smiled softly to her grandchildren. "I knew you'd find some way home eventually. Then, once you made your return, I kept hearing of all the adventures you were having, and I thought to myself; "I should go home and see what they're up to"." Floating off the bed, Verdona spread her arms out. "And thus, here I am."

Hearing her story in full, the Tennyson grandkids couldn't help but feel excitement beginning to bubble up inside of them. "So… does that mean that you'll be staying for a while?" Gwen asked hopefully.

Verdona's smile widened and she winked to them. "Kids…" *FLASH* In a bright burst of pink, the room was lit up and the group were briefly blinded… though when their vision cleared, something had taken Verdona's place. Standing on the floor was an elderly yet beautiful woman who appeared to be in her mid-sixties, with shoulder-length grey hair and deep blue eyes. She was dressed in a dark blue V-neck t-shirt and white slacks, with matching high-top sneakers. Though, of course, the Tennyson kids knew that this was, indeed, still their grandmother. "…I'm here to stay for as long as I like." Verdona said, her voice now fitting for her appearance.

At the news, Gwen practically jumped into her grandmother's arms while Ben and Kenny both laughed and hugged her. "AAH! This is so amazing! We're gonna have SUCH a great time, I promise!" Gwen assured.

"Hahaha! I'm quite certain it will, dear." Verdona laughed, running a hand through her granddaughter's hair. "And ooh boy, wait until your parents all hear about this. I'm sure the boys will be thrilled."

"…While mom grumbles in the corner." Kenny concluded, causing them all to laugh.

Just then, a knock came at the door, wherein Rex and Cooper peeked their heads in. "Hey guys!" the EVO called out, garnering their attention. "Six wanted us to let you know that the Rustbucket IV just pulled into the hangar bay. He said we should probably head down and get our luggage."

"Oh, sweet! That means grandpa's back. Le—" Ben abruptly cut himself off when he realized what he just said. "Wait… grandpa's back." Slowly, his, Gwen's and Kenny's eyes all drifted back to Verdona… who didn't seem as shellshocked as they were.

In fact, she was raring to go. "Well, we'd better not keep the old man waiting, hm? Come on, let's go." With that, Verdona walked out of the room past the others, who were confused as to what was going on.

"Wait… what's up with you guys?" Ruby raised a brow. "What's the big deal?"

"…This is gonna be the first time we've seen our grandmother and grandfather in the same place." Gwen answered. "…Ever."

There was a short pause before Yang decided to state the obvious. "So… big deal then. Got it."

…..

Further down, the Rustbucket IV had just touched down into the hangar only minutes ago, and the ship's occupants were already working on unloading it. One by one, vehicles were being rolled out, with Ben and Kevin's cars rolling out first before finally, Vernal's new set of wheels came to a halt next to them. Max and Rook stepped out of the green and black cars, smiling at the former bandit as she practically hopped out of hers. "You enjoying your new wheels, I take it." Max assumed, seeing as she was currently hugging the hood of her car.

"Yes sir!" Vernal stated proudly. "She's my baby and I'm gonna take VERY good care of her."

Rook heartily approved. "I should hope so, Vernal. You are lucky to have been gifted such a fine vehicle…" He trailed off as his eyes went up to his poor Proto-Truk, which was still stuck in the Rustbucket's cargo hold… completely destroyed. "Meanwhile… I must begin repairs on my own effective immediately."

Max gave the young Plumber a supportive pat on the back. "Don't worry, Rook. We'll get our best and brightest to help you out. Right now, though, we should go and check on the kids to see if they're doing okay."

"Well, that won't be hard!" The trio perked up at the sound of Ben's voice calling out from across the room, the hero waving to his grandfather as he, Gwen, Kevin, Rex, Cooper, Kenny and Team RWBY approached. "What took you guys so long, huh? The fight's been over and done with for about half an hour now."

Max wore a guilty grin, rubbing his neck with a short laugh. "Haha… well, turns out using the Nanoshift Transformer eats up a LOT of BUS's energy… and because of that, we couldn't kick the lightspeed engine into gear until we were at least a quarter of the way here."

At that, Blake once again tilted her head. "Hm? What's he talking about?"

"Oh, yeah, we're gonna have to fill ya in on that later." Yang nudged her sister with a wink. "Trust me, our time on Khoros was AWESOME."

It was then that Ruby took notice of Vernal's new car, and she let out a massive gasp. "AAAHH! To say the LEAST!" She took off in a burst of petals and got right up next to the vehicle, her eyes shining in admiration. "This is so COOL! Did you guys BUY this car or something?!"

"Hehe, nope." Vernal grinned to her adoptive little sister. "Ruby, you are currently gazing upon the rewards of saving an entire car show from a talking trash can."

"YOU GOT THIS FOR FREE?!" After screaming at the top of her lungs, Ruby opened the passenger door and buckled herself in almost at the speed of light. "I wanna ride! Please, please, PLEASE!"

Vernal wasn't about to have it, though, at least not yet. "Woah-ho-ho, slow down there, Rubes." She opened the door and picked Ruby up out of the seat, hoisting her by the armpits like a large doll. "At least let us get settled in first, okay? We literally JUST got back."

Ruby crossed her arms, clearly upset, but still understood where her sister was coming from. "Oh… alright. You got me there. …Can you put me down, now?"

Meanwhile, Max was conversing with the others about the battle that had taken place. "So, I'm assuming things went well? When I got your text, Ben, I'll admit, I was worried about what Albedo might do."

"Ah, well… he did end up getting away." Ben grimaced. "He's with the Ministry now… as are a few others. We'll fill you in on the details later, but on the bright side, we DID pretty much round up all the Ministry's mutants AND Bashmouth, so we cut their forces down to size pretty significantly today."

"Oh, well that certainly is good news." Max said, feeling relief that his and Devin's old enemy had been brought down once again. "Great job, kids."

Gwen took a deep breath, knowing what was coming next. "Yeah, though… we can't take ALL the credit for fending them off. We have a certain someone else to thank for giving Salem one final shove back to where she came from."

"Really? And who would that… be…" Max trailed off as the group parted down the middle… revealing Verdona behind the tallest boys. And just like that, Max was completely lost for words. Stand across from him was the alien woman he had fallen in love with all fifty years back. And the last time they had seen each other in person was nearly twenty years ago. His throat suddenly felt very dry, having no idea what to say. "V…Verdona."

Verdona approached him, not breaking eye contact for a second. "Max… you're looking well."

Her touching his arm was what knocked him back to his senses. "Hah… and as always, you're looking absolutely stunning."

Vernal and Rook had made their way back to the group, though they not once took their eyes off the scene happening before them. "Don't tell me…" the former bandit muttered. "Is that…"

"Yep, our grandma." Kenny confirmed.

"Well, this is certainly an unexpected surprise." Rook said, glancing down to Ben and Gwen. "I did not think that we would get to meet your grandmother, considering what has been said about her sporadic appearances."

The grandkids in question were feeling giddy and apprehensive all at once, their stomachs churning over how the conversation might go. "Tell me about it. I seriously can't believe this is happening." Gwen whispered, her voice on the verge of breaking over sheer emotion.

"I know, it's so surreal." Ben agreed. "But also REALLY exciting."

"So, I hear you had quite the vacation on X'Nelli." Verdona continued, giving Max a knowing smirk while raising a brow. "See any pretty young thangs around?" In the back, the teens collectively felt their jaws drop at the question.

Max, however, simply laughed in amusement. "Haha! Ah, well… a few, yes, but my main goal was rest and relaxation. And besides…" He reached up and brushed Verdona's grey hair away from her face. "Your beauty is timeless compared to theirs."

"Ah! There it is, that Tennyson charm." Verdona cooed as she leaned into the touch. "After all these years, you still know how to put it on. …Practicing with Xylene, maybe?"

"Mmm… maybe, but things have cooled down between us. You, on the other hand, I'll always hold a candle for."

The mention of that name took many of the audience off guard. "…Uh, who's this "Xylene" person?" Blake questioned.

"Uh… hehe… we'll tell you later." Gwen replied awkwardly.

Verdona, on the other hand, was ready to throw caution to the wind after Max's remark. "Oh, for the love of—come here." She cupped his cheek and went up on her tiptoes to close the gap between them with a kiss, which left everyone feeling utterly jubilant at the sight. It didn't last long, but it was obvious that the two old flames were satisfied by their shared smiles. "Ah… now there's something I haven't felt in quite a while. Are you sure you haven't been practicing?"

"Haha, well… I may have had one or two, but really, I also haven't felt like this in some time." Taking one of her hands in his and bringing his other arm around her waist, Max pulled Verdona into a pseudo waltz, spinning them both around as they laughed joyously. "Hahaha! Say, do the boys know you're here?"

"Hmhm, not yet." Verdona winked. "I was saving that as a surprise for them later on." She craned her head toward her grandchildren and called out to them. "Hey, kiddos! Who wants to help pull a big surprise on your fathers?" The three Tennyson children wasted no time in agreeing to the idea… but then…

*bleep-bleep* *bleep-bleep*

Ruby's eyebrows shot up, realizing that her scroll was going off again. "Oh, sorry! That's me…" Without even looking at the Caller ID, she picked it up, knowing who it was immediately. "Yes, Zak? What is it now?"

"…Wow, wasn't expecting that kinda response." Zak replied.

Realizing her snappy tone, Ruby tried to salvage the conversation. "Ah… hehe… well, we're kinda in the middle of a wholesome family moment and after today, I'm a bit tired. Sorry if I came of as crabby there. So, what's up?"

"Okay, so I'm gonna need you to put me on speaker again, because this is actually pretty big and everyone needs to hear this."

"Oh, well, I don't have EVERYBODY here with me…"

"Is Ben at least with you? Because if so, that'll do fine."

"Ah, sure!" Ruby pressed the button on her scroll, putting Zak on speaker. "Alright, you're good to go, Zak!"

"Great! Everyone, listen up…" The group gathered around Ruby, their focus directly on her scroll as Zak explained. "You guys remember Juliette? The Secret Scientist who helped us retrieve the second piece of Ishtar's tablet?"

Yang and the others brightened up at that. "Oh yeah! She was the alchemy researcher, right? The one who found those medals and said she'd be going to search for the rest that her ancestor left behind."

Zak affirmed Yang's deduction. "Yep, that's her! She just gave us a call, and you'll never believe this; she says she might've just found the hiding place that Nicolas Flamel put them!" The information made those in the know do a doubletake, while Max, Verdona, Cooper and Kenny were left intrigued. "She actually just gave us a call to tell us that… and she was wondering if we'd be up to accompanying her in a little expedition."

"You're serious?" Weiss leaned in, feeling a sense of excitement was over her. "Hah, that sounds fantastic! Where would we be going?"

"This time? The city of Rome. Hope you guys are feeling historical… I mean, if you're up to it. Ben, I know you guys have your grandma to think about now that she's here, but—"

"Oh, don't let me step on any toes!" Verdona insisted, voicing her approval. "If you kids want to head out on an adventure, don't say no on my account." She gave her grandkids a wink. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, remember?"

Ben smiled and nodded to her gratefully. "Thanks, grandma. Zak, tell your parents that I'll bring this up to the others soon. We'll let you know who's coming."

"Great! Talk to you soon, guys." With that, Zak hung up, leading Ben to clap his hands together.

"So… who's up for a trip to Italy?"

…..

Meanwhile, back in the Land of Darkness, Salem was silently fuming to herself at the head of her table, internalizing the spike in anger that had overcome her. Not since Ozpin had there been someone that could so easily push her buttons… but this Verdona… Ben Tennyson's grandmother of all things… she was different. She was cocky, arrogant, and had the skills and power to back all of that up. It infuriated her so much. 'I'm starting to see where HE gets it from.' Salem thought to herself, now understanding Ben's demeanor better. Even so, she couldn't afford to lose her cool now. Not during such a critical stage of their operation.

Cinder, on the other hand… "I can't BELIEVE this!" the Fall Maiden raged as she paced back and forth throughout the room, flames practically blasting off of her body. "Not only did this operation go up in smoke, and not only did those fools gain yet ANOTHER Kamen Rider, but we also LOST several of our heavy hitters!"

"Our gains in this mission outweigh our losses substantially, Cinder." Salem chastised lightly, her brows furrowed at her maiden. "And you know that."

"They may be true, Salem, but we must not allow the arrival of Ben's grandmother to boost their egos! Or else… we may be on the backfoot again."

Just then, the doors to the room opened and another voice entered the conversation. "Oh, I don't think you'll have to worry about that." Through the door, Blood Stalk strolled his way in, with a scroll in hand. "Because thanks to this operation, we now have something invaluable…" He set the scroll on the table and pressed a button before sliding it toward the middle. There, the device began projecting several images for the two women to look at, consisting mainly of the Omni-Hunter's allies.

Cinder couldn't help but be perplexed as she gazed at the pictures, recognizing the likes of Six, Tetrax, some of the Alpha Squad Plumbers, and even Bobo. "What… is this?"

"Exactly what I wanted, Cinder." Salem explained as her lips curled into an insidious smirk. "You've done well, Blood Stalk. I was admittedly cautious at first, thinking that a full-scale attack would be a bit much… but you performed your role very well."

"I live to serve, Lady Salem." Blood Stalk bowed before answering Cinder's question. "As for what this is, Miss Fall Maiden, these… are our potential targets." He walked over to another image; a picture of Caesar Salazar. "Or more accurately, they are our candidates… for a potential mole we'll be putting into the Plumber ranks." When she heard that, a sinister smile of Cinder's own worked its way to her features, and she couldn't help but join Blood Stalk in his nefarious laughter. "Hehehe… hahaha… AHAHAHAA!"

…..

A/N: Well… that's ominous. So this was Blood Stalk and Salem's plan all along, lure out the Plumbers during the attack and stalk out which would be the best candidates to turn into a mole for their purposes. This… may not end well. Just who will they decide to pick for the job… and more importantly, how will they make them into the mole they need? Well, we'll just have to wait and find out, won't we?

But for now, let's focus on happier times, because Verdona's here and she's met pretty much everybody now… including Salem, who she's made instant enemies with. Yeah, that's gonna be fun. Though she's also now met the girlfriends of her two grandsons! Of course, as expected, both Yang and Winter were a bundle of nerves, but thankfully Verdona was able to easily calm them down. And hey, she's even sticking around for a while, it seems! Apparently, there's just so much excitement on Earth that she's even passing up an Anodite holiday of all things to be here, so hooray for that! …Though that probably means that Kenny might get a double dose of training from both his sister AND grandma, so… yeah, our new Rider might be put through his paces.

But of course, we couldn't have Verdona here without the reunion that we WISHED we got in the actual show. Her and Max, seeing each other after such a long time apart. And honestly, I knew I wanted Verdona to know about Max's other past relationships since I'm sure she WOULD know, but wouldn't mind. She IS a free spirit, after all. But even so, both of them still hold that candle for one another so it's easy for them to pick up where they left off. Now we just gotta see how Frank, Carl, Sandra and Natalie will react to all of this, hehe…

But of course, that's not the ONLY think we have to look forward to Next Time! Because indeed, Dr. Juliette Garnier has reentered the scene and she's might've located the big vault that Nicolas Flamel talked about in his letter! NEXT TIME: When in Rome. The Omni-Hunters are off to make new discoveries… but they may want to be careful not to attract the wrong attention. Thanks for reading, everyone, and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there!