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)

108. A Tale of Two Zaks

A/N: Morning, everybody! Yep, another Saturday upload, and honestly, I kinda expected that. Crunching out the previous chapter last week definitely skewed my writing schedule a bit on this one, but I still think this chapter turned out rather well. That said, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get back on track next Friday with Transformers MHA, so hopefully this won't be a trend. But yeah, I'm also breaking my pattern with this chapter, but like I said last time; my chapter scheduling was thrown off so I've gotta make it so that I've got an extra chapter to work with for the season finale. Don't worry, though, we'll get back on track soon enough.

For now, though, let's dive into this chapter, shall we? …And judging by the title, you guys can probably guess what's gonna happen. Regardless, this is…

Chapter 107: A Tale of Two Zaks

…..

Deep within Plumber HQ, Sun Wukong began to stir. At first, he wasn't sure where he was or what had happened that made him fall asleep in the first place. But then, all at once, everything came crashing back to him with full force. Rome, the medals, the Ministry of Monsters and… turning himself into a monster. His last memory before things went completely blank for him… was pushing Blake to the ground in his greedy hunger. His eyes opened in a flash and he let out a horrified yell, snapping up to a seated position. However, that would prove to be a poor decision as he immediately felt lightheaded afterward. "BLA—uuugh…"

He would've fallen out of bed if someone weren't there to catch him. "Woah, woah, hold on there, bro." Neptune said as soothingly as possible. "I've gotcha…"

"N…N-Neptune?"

"Welcome back, bud. You were out for a while."

As the blue-haired boy settled Sun back into bed, the monkey boy blinked groggily and asked; "Hmph… how long is "a while"?" It was only then that he noticed as well… he wasn't in his usual clothes. Instead, he was in a grey sweatshirt and sweatpants, no doubt provided by the Plumbers. "…And what happened to my clothes?"

Neptune shrugged to his friend. "Well, you've been out for three hours or so. As for your clothes, though… they were destroyed when you became that thing. You really overdid it, dude." He furrowed his brows before rephrasing. "Actually, you know what? I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. You screwed up BIG time, man."

"…Yeah, I figured that out for myself." Taking in a deep breath, Sun let the reality if his decision sink in with him, clutching his sheets with remorse and frustration toward himself. However, there were also several other questions going through his mind at the moment. "How... how did we end up back at base? A-And what happened in Rome? Did… did we…"

Clearing his throat, Neptune clarified; "Well, we won… but probably not in the way you'd have expected. Ya might wanna settle in, this is gonna be a long story." And so, over the next several minutes, Neptune explained to his partner exactly what had happened after the greed had taken over his mind. From Decade's arrival to Argost's revival and the revelation that Zak had a demon inside him.

And needless to say, Sun was in complete and utter disbelief the entire , he could tell that his best friend wasn't lying. "…Dude, that all sounds insane."

"I know, right?" Neptune rubbed his neck. "But it's all true."

Sun sank back down into his pillow, letting the events settle with him. "Man… I'd ask who would've thought something like all of THAT could happen, but… with our lives, it'd be pointless to say that." He received a nod from his partner, only to then go back to dwelling on his own mistake. "Gah, but dammit, what the hell was I thinking?"

"I dunno, but you might wanna remember quick before—"

*SLAM*

"SUN?!"

"Oh… too late." Neptune craned his head back to see the door to the room swung hard against the wall. The perpetrator? One Blake Belladona.

The cat girl was accompanied by Ben and Max, the two Tennysons wearing rather stern expressions as Blake charged in first. Blake made it to the bed and immediately pulled him into a hug, relieved that he was okay. "Hah, thank the gods, you're awake!"

Sun gasped, the painful memories of his monstrous self flashing in his mind all at once. But even so, he didn't hesitate to return the embrace. "B-Blake! You're okay!"

"Hah, of course I am, you big dork!" Blake pulled away, inspecting his body for any aberrations. "But what about you? Are you hurt?"

"N-No… not physically, at least." Sun lowered his eyes in shame. "The only pain I'm feeling right now is emotional. Neptune told me everything… I screwed up."

Blinking up at him, Blake was surprised… and disappointed. "So, Neptune already told you, huh?" She shifted her gaze toward him with narrowed eyes. "Neptune, would you please give us a moment? This conversation doesn't concern you."

The blue-haired boy seemed hurt by her bluntness. "Hah, wow… getting right to the point, huh? What if I wanna have my dude's back in all of this?"

Ben came up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Dude, I know it seems like we're being harsh right now, but we're being serious about this."

"Right. Supporting your friend can wait." Max asserted as well. "You and the others will be informed about what happens here later. But right now…" His attention shifted back to the monkey boy. "He needs to know that what we have to say is crucial to him at the moment. No one else."

"…Hah, I get ya." Neptune relented, sending his best friend a sympathetic gaze. "Sorry, dude. I guess I can't help ya right now."

Sun pursed his lips, knowing what was coming next. "Yeah, I understand. Go ahead… I'll see ya later." Once Neptune had left, Sun saw the remaining trio's demeanors all change in an instant. He could feel their glares were boring holes through his very soul. Seeing Blake glower at him hurt most of all. Though even he could tell that they weren't angry… just disappointed. He lowered his head… and welcome the scolding he would receive. "…Go ahead. Tell me how much I screwed up."

"…Well, the fact that you already know that you made a mistake kind of takes away from the riot act we were about to read you." Ben admitted with a shake of his head. "But still, Sun, what you did was something that I cannot tolerate. You stooped to the villain's level to try and defeat them. And, from what Neptune's told us, it sounds like you tried to play it off like some noble sacrifice, which makes it an even dumber move." He placed a hand on his chest. "And that's coming from someone who's made his fair share of sacrifices."

Max all but agreed with the sentiment. "He's right, Sun. Sacrifices aren't something to be taken lightly, and what you did could've just as easily NOT have been done."

Sun's head lowered even further, his shame weighing down on him. "I-I'm sorry… in that moment, I… I felt so desperate. I heard that Yang got seriously hurt and… I couldn't bare the thought of the same thing happening to Blake if those monsters got a hold of her." He clutched his knee as his frustration grew. "They just… seemed so unbeatable. I thought… m-maybe if I could harness that power, then I'd be on their level. That I could—"

"Stop." Blake halted her boyfriend's explanation, her impatience starting to boil over. "Stop making this about yourself."

The blonde's head whipped up in shock. "W-What?! Blake, I just said that—"

"I didn't need saving!" the cat girl insisted. "I was fine, Sun. By the time that I sent you that message, Ben had come back and was dealing with Mercury." She pointed back toward the door. "And even then, Team JNPR was back, too. With a dragon. We probably would've been fine even IF Decade hadn't come in to wrap things up."

"B-But Raven! Even she was having trouble holding her own!" Sun insisted. "These guys were draining our aura, there was no way we could've beaten them without—"

*SLAP*

Things came to an abrupt stop at that moment. Blake had just smacked Sun right across the face, leaving the Tennysons and the monkey boy himself completely stunned silent. Blake herself was trembling with anger, internally dismayed that she even had to do that. "…Are you even listening to yourself right now?" Not wanting to stop herself, she reached down and grabbed the collar of his sweatshirt, making sure that he didn't have anywhere to look but her own eyes. "We could've found ANY other way to defeat them. Ben could've become ANY alien to beat them. Apollo would've shown back up eventually. But no, you just HAD to be the big hero and resort to the worst possible decision ever!"

Sun's heart sank hearing that. "B-Blake, I swear, this was never about me! I just didn't any of you to get killed!"

Blake's eyes narrowed even further. "…Then why did you say "TaToBa" after your transformed? Conveniently after Zak JUST got done explaining how Kamen Rider OOO worked?"

"…Oh."

"Yeah "OH"." Blake shoved Sun away, continuing to scowl at him disappointedly. "Admit it, Sun. Even if it didn't cross your mind at the time… you wanted to feel like a Kamen Rider in that moment, didn't you?"

Sucking in his lips, the weight on Sun's shoulders became increasingly more oppressive, knowing what she said was undeniable. "…Yeah, okay. I'll admit it; the idea of becoming a Rider WAS on my mind at the time."

Ben sighed and shook his head. "Well, you took the WRONG way of doing it, that's for sure. You're lucky that a REAL Kamen Rider managed to get you out of the hole you dug for yourself."

"I know… and trust me, I've learned my lesson." Sun asserted. "No risk is worth taking if there's another way to fix a situation. I see that now."

"Maybe… but that doesn't mean you won't be punished for your actions, Sun." Max stated, sharing a nod between Ben and Blake. "As of now, you're going to be sidelined from any missions until further notice. Is that clear?"

"…Hah. How long are we talking?"

Blake folded her arms across her chest. "Until I think you're ready. Are. We. Clear?"

With a solemn nod, Sun agreed to the terms. "…Clear."

"Good." Blake turned around and started making her way toward the door, leaving a confused Sun behind.

"W-Wait, hold on, is that it?" Sun swung his legs over the side of the bed, shakily standing up to try and catch up to her. "Blake, hold on, I—"

But Blake spun around and held her hand up with a declarative; "STOP." The monkey boy followed her command, his heart sinking further when he saw her beautiful features twisted in emotional pain. "I… I think we need some time to ourselves, Sun."

And just like that, Sun lost all strength in his legs, falling to his knees before her. "Blake… p-please, tell me this isn't—"

"It's not, Sun." Blake insisted. "I'm not breaking up with you… I'd be an idiot if I let it go that far." She did her best to smile at him, even if it was a weak one. "I still love you, that will never change…" But then, her smile faded. "But I after what happened… I think we need some time to ourselves." She clutched her hand over her chest. "To reevaluate some things about ourselves before we move forward. This isn't a breakup, just… a small break."

"…Okay." Sun accepted, taking a deep breath. "Take however long you need. I… I probably need some time to think about what I did anyways."

Blake nodded down to him, grateful for his acceptance on the matter. "Thanks. I'll let you know when I'm ready."

"Same here. Until then, I'll… see you around, I guess."

Her features twinging dejectedly, Blake turned back to the door. "…Yeah. See you around." And on that note, she left, leaving the Tennysons and a despondent Sun inside.

Even though he had agreed to her terms, though, Sun found himself in emotional agony, with tears silently falling from his eyes as he hung his head low. "…What have I done?" He whipped around to Ben, hoping he had the answers. "Ben, WHAT HAVE I DONE?!"

At this point, the hero's gaze became more sympathetic, and he knelt down to place a hand on Sun's back. "Dude, take it from someone who's been in this position several times. You didn't just screw up… you fucked up."

"Ah, while I wouldn't use the exact same language, I honestly don't know any better way to describe it." Max admitted, rubbing his neck.

Clutching his head in despair, Sun let out a pained wail that would've been heard through the whole base if the room weren't soundproof. "GYAAAAAAHH! WHY?! Why the FUCK did I have to mess up THIS bad?! I made the one person I care most about in my life HATE me!"

"Kid, she doesn't hate you." a voice suddenly piped in from out of nowhere, causing the three men to jump. A small buzzing sound then alerted them to a fly in the room… one that had a noticeable monkey tail. One shimmer of light later and the bug transformed into his true form; the Monkey King, who stood before Sun with a stern countenance. "…She's just disappointed in you. Kinda like how I am right now."

Sun's eyes widened in fear, and he immediately began kowtowing to his teacher for forgiveness. "M-Master! I'm so sorry for doing what I did! Please don't stop teaching me, I-I have to learn my lesson for what happened—MMPH!"

Wu Kong pinched his fingers over Sun's lips, stopping him from his rambles. "Woah, woah, Pilgrim, slow down. I'm not gonna stop teaching you because of this." He pulled his fingers away, causing Sun's lips to smack against his teeth painfully. "But what I WILL do is give you some advice." He pointed his staff at Sun, prodding it against his chest so that he sat down on the floor. "Taking short cuts to gain power isn't something to be proud of. If you want to BE powerful, then you have to earn it."

His shoulders slumping, Sun's eyes drifted down, knowing his words to be true. "…Yeah, I realize that now." But the more he thought about it, the more he realized something, which made him raise a skeptic brow to Wu Kong. "Wait… what about you? Didn't you kinda cheat your way to immortality?"

"Ha! Is that how you see it?" Wu Kong sat cross-legged in front of his pupil, explaining to the contrary. "No, no I didn't. I had to WORK to get my way to immortality. At least the first and last times. I first studied under a Taoist master to achieve my first layer of immortality, mastering the art of the Seventy-Two Earthly Transformations and such in the process. …And then came my rampage through Heaven where I did basically take all of my other layers of immortality. But even still, it wasn't easy."

"I'll bet." Ben folded his arms. "But is there a point to all of this?"

Wu Kong wagged his finger at the hero. "Ah, I'm not done yet. Have patience, Ben." He then winked to Sun and tapped a finger to the side of his head. "Because I DID pay for it in the end. I got too cocky, was trapped under a mountain for five hundred years, and that led me to following the path of Buddhism that gave me my final layer of immortality. Proving once again that earning something is a lot more satisfying than cheating your way to victory."

Nodding his head, Sun was following what his master said. "Yeah, you're right. …I guess I'll have to earn Blake's trust back if that's the case."

"Oh! Uh, I was actually more referring to you wanting to be a Kamen Rider." Wu Kong clarified with a sheepish grin. "Can't really help ya much on the relationship side of things."

"…Gee, thanks."

"That actually brings up a good question." Ben interjected again, peering curiously down at his friend. "Where DID this sudden want to become a Kamen Rider come from, Sun?"

Sun sighed and brought a hand to his forehead, exasperated at everything going on. "Hah, I dunno… I think I was just letting the hype get to me is all." He reached over to the nearest table, hoisting himself back to his feet. "I guess I thought… maybe if I got some of those cool Rider powers, I'd help close the power gap a bit more. The Ministry just keep finding new ways of getting stronger, so…" He trailed off before waving the idea away entirely. "Ah, what does it matter? If becoming a Rider means pissing off my girlfriend, then I'd rather not have it."

Ben deadpanned at that rationale and argued; "Dude, the way you tried to make it happen is what pissed her off." He grinned and gave him a wink. "Now, if you'd done it the proper way and had an epic moment… I guarantee that she would've had the exact opposite reaction."

"Well, too late to find THAT out." Sun rolled his eyes. "I'm officially in the dog house now."

Seeing the young man's dejected state, Max came up and put an arm across his shoulders. "Sun, as someone who's been in the game for a long time, let me tell you something I've learned. When it comes to women, it's important to understand how they operate, especially in the game of love."

"Heh, easier said than done."

"Never said it was easy." The old man chortled. "Heh, trust me, I've fumbled so many times in my life, I lost count. But when I was able to hit home runs, you know for damn sure that I made it my mission NOT to fumble. And whenever I did, I felt so rotten about it." He raised a finger and brought it to Sun's chest. "But, so long as you and your significant other have a connection that runs deep through here, believe me when I say that you WILL work things out. It may not be today, may not even be tomorrow, but the key to having a long and healthy relationship is understanding one another. And you and Blake? I think you two understand each other better than any other couple here… besides Gwen and Kevin."

Ben was quick to approve his grandfather's statement. "He's right, Sun. All you've gotta do is—wha—HEY!" …But then he did a doubletake when he realized what that meant. "Grandpa, are you saying that me and Yang don't have that strong of an understanding?! We get along great!"

"Oh, I don't doubt that, Ben." Max assured. "It's impressive how much you two have grown in the time you've been together, without a doubt. But take it from me, there's still plenty more for the two of you to experience."

The Omnitrix bearer groaned into his hands. "Ugh, I can't believe I'm hearing this…"

The scene was enough to make the Monkey King let out a hooping laugh. "Hoohoo! Boy, I'm seriously glad that I chose to stick around. You kids are a riot." He went over to Sun and draped an arm across his shoulders. "But if I were you, Pilgrim, I'd follow the old man's wisdom and do everything in your power to reestablish your understanding with Blake. She's a good girl, and it'd be a real shame if you two fell out for good."

"…Yeah, it would." Sun agreed, his features etched with determination. "Thanks, guys. I'll do what it takes to earn Blake's trust again… I just need to figure out how to do that."

"Ah, well, ya got me on that one." Ben shrugged. "For that, you'd have to go to Gwen. Or Yang. I'm sure she'd be willing to help."

Sun's eyes shifted to the side. "Provided she doesn't punch me for hurting Blake's feelings first…"

"I'll talk with her before that, don't worry."

*WHAM*

All of a sudden, the door flew open again, and the topic of conversation came into the room. "BEN!" Yang exclaimed, hobbling into the room on a crunch as she hastily tried to explain. "Y-You've gotta come quick! It's about—oh." Her countenance went from frantic to unimpressed as she saw Sun standing upright in the corner. "…Well, if it isn't the feeling smasher himself?"

"Aaaaand there it is." Sun hit his forehead against the desk.

Shaking his head, Ben tried to get things back on track. "Goldie Locks, can we please not bash Sun any further? Blake already read him the riot act anyway." He got a begrudging yet affirming grumble from his girlfriend before he asked further; "Okay, so what's going on now?"

Yang cleared her throat and continued. "Er, right. What I was about to say was that… Zak's showing signs of waking up." That caught everyone's notice immediately, to which the Blonde Brawler ushered them to follow her. "Yeah, so you guys might wanna come over and see how he's doing."

…..

It wasn't a long trek to Zak's room, thankfully, just a few doors down from Sun's. When they got there, however, the group were met with a surprise as a bright pink flash of light came out of nowhere, heralding the return of Charmcaster. "Hah, THERE you guys are!" the young mage smiled as she approached them. "Glad to see that everything seems to be taken care of. No sign of the Ministry at all from what I've seen." Her focus moved over to Sun, happy to see that he was awake. "And Sun, glad that you're up again. How're you feeling? Any nasty side-effects from… well, that?"

"…No, not really." Sun said glumly. "The only thing I'm feeling right now is disappointment in myself."

"As you should." Yang shot accusingly.

Hope's brow furrowed confusedly, though Ben came over and whispered an explanation; "Sun's in the dog house with Blake over what happened. Yang's obviously not happy about it."

"Ah, gotcha." Hope nodded. But even so, one glance around and she could see that something else was amiss. "But I'm sensing that's not the only problem." All she received was silence, which all but confirmed her worry. "Hah… what happened while I was gone?"

"Long story short, V. V. Argost was revived from the dead." Ben continued on. "Which led to whatever was inside Zak… finally coming out in his anger." The hero winced as he finished. "And that thing… turned out to be a demon."

With wide eyes, Hope gasped, her hand flying over her mouth. "Y-You're kidding… Zak's got a demon living inside him? H-How did I not sense it the first time I tried reading his aura?"

Wu Kong was the one to answer that. "'Cause the demon had been lying dormant inside of the kid for a long time. And demons are notorious for being able to mask their presence inside of someone REALLY well. Only my eyes were able to detect it… and even then, it was only when the demon was just about to come out of hibernation." Wu Kong shook his head dejectedly. "Gah, damn it all, I wish I'd seen it sooner! We would've been able to DO something then."

Sun went up and tried to reassure his master. "It's okay, Monkey King. I don't think any of us would've been able to guess it. What's done is done, so now—"

Just then, the door opened, and Gwen stuck her head out. Her eyes immediately found Hope and she sighed in relief, reached out to take her hand. "Ah! I knew it was you! Come on, I need some help in here." Without any further explanation, she yanked Hope into the room, making the silver-haired sorceress yelp in surprise.

"…I guess we should take that as our cue to go in, then." Max figured, leading the group into the medical room.

There, the rest of the Omni-Hunters were all gathered around, which was surprising since there was only barely enough space for all of them in that room. Of course, they left plenty of space around the bed that Zak was in, which was occupied mainly by his parents, his uncle and his cryptid siblings. Standing close by were, Gwen, Hope and Ruby, the latter visibly antsy as she waited for something to happen. The team were quick to notice the others file in, and many were relieved to see that Sun was okay. "Hah, dude!" Jaune went up and gave his shoulder a shove. "You had us worried, man!"

"Yeah, maybe don't do that again." Nora advised, placing her hands on her hips. "Those medals are anything BUT good for your health."

Sun cleared his throat and swiftly agreed with them. "Ahem, y-yeah, I realize that now…" His gaze drifted until he found Blake… who was purposely avoiding direct eye contact with him. …But Ilia wasn't, the chameleon girl glaring daggers at him. Once Yang had joined their little group, he took the hint immediately and changed the subject. "Ah—b-but we can talk about that later. How's Zak?"

Up at the front, Drew was the one who answered that. "He's stable, thank god."

"And his heart rate is increasing." Doc added. "We think he's coming to."

Pyrrha, though, was wondering what Gwen had in mind. "But what do you plan on doing, Gwen? And why do you need Hope's help for it?"

"I'll need her help incase that demon decides to show itself." the Anodite explained. "Only Monkey King and I could see it, along with Argost and Princess Iron Fan. That leads me to believe that only the mystically inclined are able to see this demon."

"So, I suppose you plan on making it visible to everyone else, then." Weiss concluded.

"Precisely." Gwen affirmed, her eyes shifting toward the celestial simian. "Because then, if it's visible, then Monkey King can maybe do something about it."

Doyle tightened his lips in uncertainty. "You sure? I mean, I know how good he is at killing demons, but…"

The Great Sage was equally hesitant, though he was still ready for anything. "Well, we'll see. We do still have to discern what KIND of demon this is." He came over next to Zak's bedside, peering down to the boy as he began to stir. "Because depending on how dangerous this demon is, he could do a LOT of damage to the kid if we go about this the wrong way. …Might wanna give him some space." he recommended to the family, to which they backed away slightly.

Eventually, Zak's twitching gave way to his eyes fluttering open, a soft groan passing his lips in the process. "Mmm… w-wha… where…" As he came to, though, his mind was flooded with recent events, remembering what had happened on the roof not too long ago. And, most prominently among them, was the masked yeti that had somehow returned from the dead. "A…ARGOST!" In a panic, Zak shot up out of bed, almost flinging the blanket off of him. Wu Kong had to hold him back as he flailed about, shouting; "W-Where is he?! Where?! I-I need to—"

"Woah, kid, calm down!" Wu Kong asserted, pushing the boy back down to the mattress firmly. "Relax… he's not here."

"Hah… hah… w-what?" Zak's eyes darted around the room, only now realizing where he was. "H-How… how did I get here?"

Doc and Drew steadily approached, with the Monkey King stepping aside, deeming it safe. "You passed out, son." The Saturday patriarch answered, placing his good hand on Zak's shoulder. "You… had a really worrisome episode. One worse than all the past ones combined."

"We were so scared for you, sweetie." Drew pulled her son into a soft embrace. "But you're okay… thank the gods."

"I… I don't remember that." Zak shook his head. "All I remember is seeing…"

"Argost." Doyle stated, crossing his arms in aggravation. "Yeah, he's back."

Swallowing hard, Zak reached a hand out and grasped one of the support struts of his bed. "So that wasn't a dream, then." He received several head shakes, confirming his fears. "…God damn it, I can just never get rid of him, can I?" He fell back on his pillow, staring up at the ceiling. "Every time it seems like he's gone, he just keeps coming back. And this time, he came back FROM THE DEAD! HOW?!"

Fiskerton and Smokey whined while Zon and Komodo gave frustrated grumbles, empathizing with their brother. Ruby, meanwhile, stepped up to the bed and sat on the edge next to him. "Honestly, I couldn't tell you. I'm no expert in mystical stuff like that." She managed to get Zak's attention and continued; "But if I had to guess, it might be similar to the spell that Gwen used to revive Penny a while ago."

"Probably, yes." Gwen agreed. "Though obviously, the variant of the spell that Iron Fan used was much darker and utilized a lot of black magic." She gestured over to Penny. "The one that I used to bring Penny back was more conventional magic."

Neptune scratched his head in confusion. "Which I honestly still don't get. I mean, sure, Iron Fan's a demon, so she's gonna use black magic, but is there really that much of a difference?"

"There is if you factor in that Argost's soul was probably damned for all eternity before being brought back to life." Charmcaster elaborated. "Evil souls are more likely to respond to the dark arts than the orthodox magics that most mages practice. Trust me, as someone who's dabbled in those darker magics, I would know…"

Zak gave a deep sigh at that. "Well, that's just great. Argost's back, he's got Munya with him, and now the Ministry has gained ANOTHER two members. How can this possibly get any worse?"

"Eh, I dunno. You could have a new roommate in your noggin."

"Oh, trust me, that'd be the sludge icing on top of this garbage ca—wait a second." Zak's eyes widened and he sat up again, searching around the room for the source of the voice. "Did anybody else hear that?"

A sense of dread wafted over the entire room all at once. "Uh… heard what, Zak?" Ren asked.

"I… I-I thought I heard a voice just now…"

"Eh, nah, you're probably just losin' your marbles."

Zak shrieked and practically fell out of bed, much to his family's shock. "Ah! Th-There it is again! I-If this is payback for being a dumb nerd to Rex earlier, I'm sorry!"

Rex went to help him up, showing no ill will for the previous barb while trying to console him. "Dude, apology accepted, but… lo siento, this has nothing to do with this."

As he got to his feet, Zak kept his guard up, not wanting whatever this voice was to get the drop on him. "Th-Then what IS it?!" His brows furrowed at his friends and family, scared and confused. "You say that like you know what's happening, so WHAT is it?!" But just then, at that moment… the entire atmosphere of the room changed. Zak saw a shift in demeanor from Gwen, Charmcaster and the Monkey King, the three of them suddenly going on guard and forming a protective wall in front of the others. The team and the Saturday family gasped as they were forced to back away, all while Ben's hand went to the Omnitrix. And, whatever they were looking at… it was behind him

"Psh, come on, really?" The voice piped up once again, leading Zak to whip around and see… a dark, shadowy apparition with a pair of blue orbs staring back at him. "If you want answers, I'm right here, man."

"GAH!" Zak hollered, falling right on his rear as he tried scrambling away. "Wh-Who are you?!"

"Wow still jumpy after all these years." The specter mused. "Then again, I should've seen this coming. I HAVE been living with you this whole time, after all. Or, should I say, living IN you! Hahaha!"

As Zak screamed frightfully, Gwen and Charmcaster shared a look and nodded. "Ready?" the former asked. Giving a single nod, Hope gave her redheaded companion the okay and they began to create one big magic circle with their hands, one that would encompass the demon upon casting the spell. Then, simultaneously, the two called out; "Revelare Daemonium!" before thrusting their palms out and unleashing a wave of magical energy upon the demon, catching it off guard.

"W-What the—GAAAAH!" All at once, the mana burned away the shadowy cloak that enveloped the demon's body, and in the process, gave him a corporeal form. Within the span of a few seconds, the less magically inclined of the team could see the demon for what he really was… and many were considering making him invisible again.

The humanoid creature's body was covered from head to toe in thick, black scales… and nothing else. No clothes to his name, not an inch of fabric on him. Thankfully, he didn't have any visible… "bits" on him, so that was of no concern. But still, the sight of him was truly jarring. His feet were mostly human-shaped aside from the toes. There were only three on each foot, armed with a sharp, black claw at the tip. The same could be said for his hands which, while having five fingers, still had sharp claws as well. He also had a long, slender tail that had a sharpened tip at the end, giving him more animal-like features

But undoubtedly, his facial features were probably the most distinct. His face was mostly blue with a black, domino mask-like pattern around his eyes that made the glowing blue orbs stand out more. His blue ears were long and pointy, and he had long, slicked back white hair that reached the nape of his neck, flattened down against his head. At the very front of his forehead were two, prominent, jagged horns that jutted out, went straight up, and then angled back again before ending with sharp tips. His mouth was also filled with serrated white teeth that gleamed in the bright light of the room.

"GYAH! Woah! What the hell?!" the demon exclaimed, having fallen against the bed after the spell was cast. "Jeez, ya know, I dunno if I'm a fan of your new friends Za—" But the demon cut himself off when he realized… everyone was focused directly on him now. Their fear, their caution, their anger was now all directed to him. "…Oh my god, ya'll can see me."

"Uh, yeah, NOW we can see you." Ilia affirmed, taking out her Lightning Lash as everyone followed suit with their own weapons. "Who the hell are you, monster? And why have you possessed our friend Zak?"

Before he could even answer, Ruby rushed in and SLAMMED Crescent Rose directly next to him against the bed, essentially pinning him in place. And all the while, she stared at him with her Silver Eyes, which he could swear he saw shimmer a little. "Choose your answer wisely, whoever you are. I'm not exactly happy with what you've done to my friend."

The demon's glowing eyes widened fearfully… but only for a moment as he recognized the girl before him. "Wait… you're Ruby, ain't ya?"

Blinking in surprise, the Silver Eyed girl didn't make any moves to back off. "Uh… I-I'm asking the questions here, buster! Now tell me who you are or else!"

"Woah-ho-ho, let's not fly off the handle here." The demon raised his hands, showing signs of surrender. "I ain't about to hurt anyone, ya know. 'Specially you, given what I've seen in Zakie's head." He glanced over to "Zakie", flashing a knowing smirk. "After all, if I DID hurt ya, he'd stop at nothing to hurt me, and we can't have that, now can we, Zakie?"

The nickname made Zak sneer, an uncomfortable feeling washing over him. But there was something… unnervingly familiar about it, too. "Wait…" His eyes narrowed at the demon as he approached, ushering for Ruby to back away and allowing the demon to stand up. The Hooded Huntress abided, but kept her scythe out, even as Zak and the demon locked eyes. After a moment of them staring at one another, though, things suddenly clicked for Zak. The demon's skin might've been bright azure… but even he recognized his own face. "WAIT! You're—"

"Finally figured it out, huh?" the demon's grin widened.

"B-But that's impossible! You were—"

"Yeah, well, surprises DO happen." The blue and black creature knocked his hand against Zak's shoulder. "And c'mon, you've seen weirder."

At this point, the rest of the group were left completely baffled. "Uh… dude, what's he talkin' about?" Kevin folded his arms over his chest. "You know him?"

Pursing his lips, Zak gave an irritated sigh. "Yeah… well, more accurately, I AM him."

"Ha! You WISH you were me." the demon cackled, only to see that the rest of the group were still utterly confused. He lifted his fingers, summoning a bright blue flame at their tips. "Well, maybe we should give 'em a clue, then."

*SNAP*

All at once, the demon was enveloped by a vortex of blue fire, which everyone but Zak was taken aback by. The young Secret Scientist, though, stood unflinching in the face of the spectacle, knowing that it wasn't hot in the slightest and it wouldn't burn him. Eventually, the fire died down… and the demon had changed his appearance entirely.

Standing there, still staring at his host… was Zak. A weirdly inverted version of Zak. Rather than having black hair with white bangs, his hair was mostly white with black bangs. He wore a similar hoodie to Zak as well, though it was mainly black with an orange, backwards "S" on the opposite side of where his doppelgangers was. His undershirt was orange while his pants were black as well, giving an overall darker vibe compared to the real Zak. The only remaining aspect of his demon form were his blue eyes, which appeared more human-like now.

A series of gasps rang throughout the room, namely from the Saturdays themselves. Fiskerton, Komodo, Zon and Smokey, however, went immediately on the defensive, growling at the demon wearing their brother's face. Drew, however, found it VERY hard to accept what she was seeing. "I… I don't believe it."

"It's… him?" Doc uttered.

"I-I don't understand." Penny scratched her head, trying to comprehend what was going on. "What or… who is this?"

Doyle was the one to answer that, though even HE couldn't believe it. "You're probably not gonna believe me, but… that's Zak's mirror world counterpart. His evil counterpart."

The Omni-Hunters only grew more wide-eyed by the revelation as Zak's fist tightened, glowering at his dark counterpart. "…Zak Monday."

"Nice to see you, too, Zakie." Zak Monday smirked, placing his hands on his hips with all the confidence in the world. "Now… I think a little chat is in order."

…..

Meanwhile, in the Land of Darkness, Salem was waiting patiently in her castle's meeting hall, anticipating the arrival of their newest members. She had been pleased when Animo told her that he'd be able to recuperate their recent losses, if only by a slight margin. Two new additions might not have seemed like much of an improvement on the surface, but from what she had heard of one particular individual, her interest had been piqued. 'A man who once held the power of a god within his body… and was destroyed because of it.' Salem pondered to herself, her intrigue growing by the minute. 'And yet he was somehow able to be revived thanks to this contingency plan of his. Quite the plan he laid out for himself.'

Sitting around the table with her were Watts, Eon, Albedo and of course, Viktor, who stood by her side as he always did. The Transylian couldn't help but notice her silence and leaned down to check up on her. "Salem, dearest, does something bother you?"

"Hm? Oh, it's nothing, Viktor, dear." The witch waved off, bringing her hand up to caress his arm. "I'm simply thinking of what these new additions to our cause will bring to the table."

To her left, Watts hummed ponderously. "Hmm… yes. Normally, I'd say that Animo is on the right track with most of his ideas, but… a three-year plan to bring back an intelligent sub humanoid being was something that even I couldn't believe." His gaze directed itself across the table to Albedo. "Tell me, do you perhaps know of this "Argost", Albedo?"

"Only from the records I have overlooked during my time on Earth." The Galvan-turned-human replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "Apparently, this "Argost" was the pseudonym for a beast known as the yeti, who educated himself to try and overthrow humanity, believing that monsters should rule the world." This caught Salem's attention, which Albedo noticed as he continued. "He also hosted a show called "Weird World" as a cover for his acts of wickedness, using it as an excuse to travel the world and find the key to unlocking the power of the ancient Sumerian god, Kur."

"Correct." Eon confirmed. "He had hoped to harness the Kur power to control cryptids all across the globe, which he'd use to topple humanity and rule the world."

Judging by Salem's raised brows, her focus was all but garnered. "Is that so? Tell me, what is this "Kur" the god of?"

Eon raised a hand for emphasis. "The God of the Underworld, the one who guarded its gates and made sure that no departed soul left. Many also say that he was the first dragon to ever come into existence." He clenched his fist with finality. "It's also said that he is the enemy of the goddess Ishtar, who rebuked his authority and escaped the underworld when she went there. She's also said to have slain him with the help of the ancient hero, Gilgamesh."

"Hm, I see." Salem steepled her fingers together as a sickened sneer came to her lips. "It seems that, even in ancient times, no matter what world, there are always heroes who get in the way." She shook her head, getting back on track. "But, even so, thank you for the enlightening information, both of you. I can see now that Argost may yet be a good asset to have…"

*click-click*

Just as she said that, the door to the meeting hall opened and in came Princess Iron Fan, the demoness floating her way to the table. "Salem." she greeted with a slight bow of the head. "Our esteemed guest is ready to see you."

"Excellent. Bring him in."

At Salem's word, Iron Fan waved her plantain fan and the doors flung open with a gust of wind, revealing their guests on the other side. Standing behind them were Animo, Hog and Skull, who allowed the yeti to make his way in first. Argost had his cloak raised to cover the lower half of his face as he walked in, only to then flagrantly fling his arm out and make his cloak fan out in the breeze as he introduced himself. "Greetings and Bienvenue, one and all!" he said with a theatrical bow, his attention fixated directly on the witch. "I take it that I am in the presence of the illustrious Madame Salem, hm?"

'…He has a way with words.' Salem noted. 'Mustn't let him get TOO full of himself.' Standing up, Salem walked around the table to meet him. "You are, indeed. Mr. Argost, I presume?" Once she reached him, she extended her hand. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Argost accepted the handshake without a second thought. "Oh, but the pleasure is all mind, wicked one. I must say, your abode is appropriately sinister. I once had a castle like this once… hah, but that was long ago."

Salem nodded up to him. "Well, I hope you make yourself at home, then. I've been informed of your previous feats and I am quite eager for you to get started."

"As am I." Argost concurred. "However, that begs the question; where am I to get started, precisely? I am curious as to what my role in your… Ministry of Darkness is."

"Well, for one thing, you are the nemesis of the Saturday family, are you not?"

Straightening his back, Argost chortled at the assumption. "Hmhmhm, well, I suppose you could put it that way, yes." He absentmindedly stroked a hand through his long hair as he mused. "Though in the past, I merely viewed them as an obstruction that constantly got in my way of seeking out Kur's power…" His eyes narrowed crossly before clenching his hand in ire. "But now, with that power lost… my only focus now is revenge. So yes, they are my personal nemeses. In particular, one Zak Saturday."

"The boy." Salem deduced. "Well, if you want vengeance upon him, then I believe working with me would be the best course of action for you." She craned her head toward the nearest window, regarding her desolate Grimm kingdom. "Those children are my own personal obstacle to my takeover of this world, and I could certainly use more aid in achieving that goal." Her gaze then shifted back to Argost. "And by proxy, since the Saturdays are associated with them, it would help to have someone who knows them well."

Argost smiled beneath his mask. "Then it would seem that we are in agreement! Though I doubt that you need me ONLY to handle the Saturdays."

Salem nodded once more. "Correct. You see, I've recently found a certain fascination with the beasts from your universe that you call "Cryptids". To make it brief; I wish to employ your expertise so that I may make Grimm versions of them."

Tilting his head, the yeti was perplexed by the term. "Er, I'm sorry… Grimm?" Wordlessly, Salem gestured outside, to which Argost stared through the window. What he saw made his jaw drop, eliciting a gasp from his throat. Across the desolate field below were countless numbers of dark beasts with skeletal armor, all resembling certain animals. There were wolves, bears, lizards, gorillas, among many others. In all his years, Argost had never seen such things. "My word… Madame Salem, I doubt you need my expertise given the kinds of beasts that you seem to have full mastery over."

"True… but I would still like to open up new avenues for the types of Grimm I can create." Salem reasoned, peering down upon the beasts as well. "It is why I have been wanting to create Alien Grimm as well. Anything to aid in the hostile takeover of this world is all but an asset to me."

"Ah, and that would explain why you are after the Omnitrix as well." Argost deduced. "Animo told me of its great power…" Tapping his chin, the yeti mulled over the proposition before quickly coming to a final decision. "Very well! I shall aid you with my knowledge of Cryptids in your endeavors. I take it that you will need DNA samples if you wish to create Grimm versions of them, correct?"

"Yes, the more, the better." Salem smiled sinisterly.

With one final bow, Argost accepted the terms. "Then I will be more than happy to oblige." He raised his hands, clapping them together to get his servant's attention. "Munya!" With a groan of acknowledgement, Munya lumbered over, lowering his head to Argost. "Be prepared, old chap. It will be soon time for us to return to work." He glanced back down to Salem hopefully. "Though, of course, I likely would need some help in acquiring these DNA samples…"

The witch didn't hesitate to approve. "And you shall have it. Cinder, if you would be… hm?" But one quick scan of the room and Salem saw that her Fall Maiden was nowhere to be found, leaving her perplexed. "…Iron Fan, did Cinder not return with you?"

"Oh, she's here, alright…" The princess rolled her eyes, tapping her fan against her shoulder. "But ever since she regained consciousness, she's been—" *CHA-BOOM* Nearly the entire room gasped as a pillar of flame suddenly erupted from outside the castle, signaling the whereabouts of the Maiden. "…venting her anger." Iron Fan finished. "The arrival of that new Kamen Rider has her on edge."

Salem's jaw clenched at that. "Ah… yes. I witnessed that through the Seer I sent." Her hand went up to her chin ponderously. "So… Kamen Rider Decade, hm?"

Eon's head snapped up when he heard that. "What? Did you just say DECADE is here?"

"So you know of him, then?"

"Yes…" Eon stood up and began marching out of the room, intent on confronting Cinder on the matter himself. "And if that's the case, then we might all be in HUGE trouble…"

As the multidimensional traveler left, though, Iron Fan came up to her witchy ally once again. "Salem, a moment of your time, please?" She received a questioning eye from Salem, but a single nod encouraged her to go on. "I believe with the heroes' forces continuing to grow, it would be prudent to begin our assault on my husband's resting place. The Demon Bull King's return… should be soon to come."

Much to the princess' delight, Salem smiled in agreement. "…Go on, dear."

…..

Right outside of the castle, Cinder was… "GYAAAAAAUUUUGHH!" *CHA-BOOM* …Trying to keep a level head. Something that was proving hard to do with the universe seemed dead set on screwing her over. Sure, their mission in reviving Argost was a success, but the humiliation she had suffered was proving more than she could bare. She could accept a loss against Gwen, if only because each loss strove her to improve herself more and more. …But being defeated by her AND her loser brother who only just recently got powers? That managed to make her break.

"I can't BELIEVE this!" she screamed, clutching at her hair as flames flew off her body. "How?! How, how, HOW could that upstart even STAND to go against me?! Have… have I gotten weaker? Have my powers not improved enough?! Am I—"

"C-Cinder?" The young woman's self-loathing was brought to a halt when she heard a familiar voice pipe up from behind. She whirled around and gasped at the sight of Emerald, Mercury and Rojo all hobbling toward her from the front door, with Neo and Red Son bringing up the rear. The latter two seemed none the worse for wear, aside from a few scratches, but the other three looked like they had gone through hell. They weren't even wearing their usual clothes, just a set of matching black sweat shirts and pants. "A-Are you okay?" Emerald asked nervously.

All at once, Cinder's rage was replaced with something that she was still getting used to feeling; concern for her team. "Am I okay? What about all of you?!" Her eyes darted between them as she approached, hoping for answers. "What in the world happened?"

The team, aside from Red Son, all shared guilty glances before coming clean. "Well… hah, we got our asses handed to us, that's what." Rojo explained with a grimace. "We had the medals right in our hands… we all became something more powerful than we are now. But then… it was all taken from us by a man in pink."

Upon hearing that, Cinder's jaw clenched, a snarl appearing on her lips. "…The Kamen Rider I saw. He did this to you?"

"Psh, yeah." Mercury scoffed. "And right when we had those assholes on the ropes, too." He put his thumb and forefinger at centimeter length for emphasis. "We were this close to finally beating the Omni-Hunters! …But then Mr. Decade just HAD to drop in unannounced."

"Decade… so that's his name." Cinder concluded. "Which one of the heroes is it?"

Red Son shook his head. "None of them. He's the genuine article."

Cinder blinked, her brow furrowing in disbelief. "What? …How is that possible? If that were the case, then he'd be a TV character come to life!"

"It's actually much more complex than that." The team all whirled around at the arrival of Eon, who was making his way down the castle steps. "Are you familiar with the term "Modal Realism"? It's a theory that is often bounced around which says that all universes, whether they be from a book, a game, a TV show or the like, are all real." Stopping before them, the dimensional traveler proceeded with the truth. "Well… that is much more than just a theory."

Of course, the very idea took the group a moment to process, leading Rojo to question; "So… the kinda stuff we see on TV… it's all real out there in the multiverse?"

"Correct… and Kamen Rider Decade is, like myself, a multidimensional traveler." Eon snapped his fingers and made a rather large portal appear, one that showed what seemed to be Earth. …Which then expanded out to show multiple Earths in a line with one another, which made their jaws drop. "Through the use of his Aurora Curtains, Decade is able to cross through to Another Rider's world, adapting to these universes as he sees fit. In order to blend in better. And whenever he shows up, it's usually because he's needed."

Mercury rolled his eyes and rebuked their helmeted ally. "Thanks for the lesson, professor, but we need USEFUL info on this guy. Like, ya know, how to beat him?"

Eon narrowed his eyes at the silver-haired assassin, closing his portal with a sigh. "Easier said than done, I'm afraid. Decade is able to use the powers of every Heisei-era Kamen Rider, lending him a wide range of abilities." He craned his head around toward the group. "He isn't an easy foe to beat, so if you want ANY chance against him, then I suggest that you either increase your training regimens… or find a way for yourself to become Riders."

Emerald deadpanned, placing a hand on her hip. "Uh, what was that you said at the start? Oh, yeah; easier said than done." Next to her, Neo nodded vehemently.

"Yeah, like, what do you expect us to do? Try and nab one of those Drivers when none of them will work for us?" Rojo added, throwing her hands into the air. "Or heck, maybe just create one of our own!"

"Ahem, I am in the process of working on that, actually." Red Son cleared his throat, giving them all a pointed look. "Though it WOULD be going faster if Blood Stalk would hurry up with that plan of his—AH!" But just then, he let out a gasp as he caught sight of something lowering down to their location. …Or rather, someone. "M-Mother!" the redheaded demon exclaimed, leading everyone to bring their sights to the princess. "What brings you here?"

Iron Fan floated in closer to her son, her gaze locked with his own. "My child… the time is almost here." Seeing her boy's eyes light up, hints of a smile tugged at the demoness' lips. "I trust that everything has been properly prepared?"

Red Son dutifully saluted. "Y-Yes, mother, very soon! Everything is on schedule, right as planned. Have you discussed the upcoming siege with Salem yet?"

"I have, yes. And she says that we should go immediately once arrangements are complete." The princess' gaze moved out to the others. "With our adversaries gaining new allies by the day, it's more important than ever that we free the Demon Bull King from the confines of the mountain he is trapped under. When everything is ready… you will be asked to give everything that you have in order to accomplish this." She made sure to glare at the young mortals, which managed to get her point across. "Because if we don't and my husband remains trapped… you shall all know my wrath. Is that clear?"

"C-Crystal, Your Highness!" Rojo saluted, with the others following suit.

"Excellent. Now…" Stamping her weapon upon the ground, Iron Fan's fan emitted a golden glow that shot out and lifted Rojo, Emerald and Mercury off the ground slightly. As this happened, the fabric of their simple clothes began rearranging around them, changing their attire completely. "Let's get you three in some proper gear again, shall we?"

…..

"And that, young Riders, is how you managed to connect your universes with the Rider Worlds."

Cooper and Kenny were left in complete and utter awe. Not just at the fact that they were listening and speaking with a living Legend Rider, but by what said legendary hero had just told them. "…So you're saying that just because Caesar and I were able to successfully replicate the Build Driver, that was enough to qualify our universes as Rider Worlds?" the young genius asked. "That… it almost seems too good to be true!"

"Well, believe it, kid." Tsukasa said, knocking his hand against Cooper's shoulder. "You're another Build, and I have a feeling that the real Build would be quite proud of your success." His words managed to leave Cooper starry-eyed at the prospect, so much that he almost fell over right in the middle of the hallway.

They, along with Winter and Team CFVY, were on their way down to the medical bay, intent on seeing what their friends' conditions were. Before Cooper could fall flat on his face, Coco came in and yanked him back to his feet. "Woah-ho, don't topple on me now, babe!"

"Ah! S-Sorry!" Cooper apologized, snapping out of his trance. "It's just that… that just felt so good to hear coming from THE Kamen Rider Decade!"

"Dude, I know!" Kenny offered a high-five, which Cooper reciprocated without question. "This means we're NOT pale imitations, but genuine Kamen Riders! Haha, this is fantastic!"

Winter couldn't help but smile at her boyfriend's exuberance. "It's quite the surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. Though I am a bit confused on what it means to be "another Rider" if you're the genuine article."

Thankfully, Tsukasa was happy to elaborate. "Well, that's actually fairly easy to explain. You see, it works in the same vein as multiverse counterparts do. You have the main canon Rider, and then there's another version of them that exists in a parallel world. Sometimes they're the same person, only with slight differences. And other times, they're different people all together." He pointed over to Cooper. "So, while Sento Kiryu is the main Kamen Rider Build, Cooper Daniels here is another version of Build."

"Oh, I see…" Yatsu nodded in understanding. "That makes for an interesting take on alternate world counterparts."

Velvet tilted her head toward Kenny. "So then that would mean your Cross-Z counterpart would be… what was his name again?"

"Banjo Ryuga." Kenny replied with a slight chuckle. "Hehe, though… I like to think that I'm less monkey-brained than he is."

"And I'm certainly glad for that." Winter remarked, leaning her shoulder against his. "But we can discuss more about this whole situation later when we meet up with the others." As the group strolled through the medical wing, however, they took notice of an open door, all while the sound of chatter came from the other side. "Hm, that's odd. What's going on there?"

Tsukasa took the lead and ushered them to follow. "Only one way to find out, hm?" On that note, the veteran Rider entered the room, only to be met with a sea of people who were all staring straight ahead. It wasn't until his spoke up that people noticed their presence. "Ahem, excuse me, but what is going on here?"

"O-Oh! Mr. Decade!" Penny piped up, with many others sparing their group a glance. "You're right on time… we just witnessed something truly bewildering." She pointed toward the other end of the room. "The demon living within Zak… is himself!"

At that, the group parted down the middle, revealing the confrontation between the same-faced duo. Needless to say, the Riders, Team CFVY and Winter were all taken aback… though Tsukasa didn't seem as surprised. "…Huh. Well, not the first time I've seen this happen."

Ben did a doubletake when he heard that. "You've seen this before?"

"Four times, as a matter of fact. And one of them didn't end well." Tsukasa had an inkling as to what was really going on, though he made a point to keep that to himself. 'They're going to have to figure that part out for themselves.' he resolved. 'But until then, I'd better make sure this little meeting goes smoothly.' Making his way forward, Tsukasa snapped his fingers, garnering the two Zak's attention. "Oi, oi, what's going on over here?"

The pair of doppelgangers whirled their head around to him, the real Zak smiling in relief. "Hah, Decade! You're here!" His grin became a grimace as he pointed back to his dark counterpart. "Mind getting rid of this guy for me? Trust me, he's nothing but trouble!"

Zak Monday feigned a pained expression, placing a hand over his chest. "Oh, Zakie! I'm hurt! I haven't been back for a day and already you're accusing me of stuff I haven't done yet!"

Zak Saturday's scowl didn't let up. "Yeah, "yet" being the keyword." He closed the distance between them and thrust his finger at his double's chest. "You think, after all these years, I'm gonna believe anything you have to say? Keep dreaming."

"…Eh, fair enough." Monday shrugged. "After all the crap I put you through, I can't blame ya." But then, he got serious for a moment. "But you gotta believe me on this one, man. I ain't here to hurt you or your family. Honestly, I couldn't care less about that anymore." Monday clenched a fist and growled; "The only thing I want is revenge on Argost for what he did to get his hands on my Anti-Kur power… and leavin' me to rot."

"Oh…" Zak's eyes widened in realization. "…That's right. Nobody picked your body up after you died, huh?"

Monday clenched his teeth at him. "Grrr, yeah, THANKS for that, by the way." he shot back sarcastically.

"Hey, I thought you were dead, man! Don't pin this all on me!"

"STOP IT!" Much to the duo's shock, Ruby came between them and shoved them away from each other, shifting her eyes between them. "Listen, it's pretty obvious that whatever is going on between you two is pretty serious, but please, for the love of everything, could you please explain what EXACTLY is going on for those who aren't as in the know here?" She thrust her hand out to the rest of the team, who were all equally baffled. "Because a lot of us are just plain LOST over here!"

The two Zaks shared an awkward glance before the mirror counterpart cleared his throat. "Ahem, uh… yeah, right. Guess that should've been the first thing I did, huh?"

Real Zak narrowed his eyes at his dark reflection. "Yeah, that would've been helpful from the beginning. So start talking, would ya?"

"Zak, let's not be rude about this." Drew advised, walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder. "What the Mondays did to us in the past was horrible, to be sure, but right now… the circumstances of his presence take priority over our past squabbles."

"Your mother's right, son." Doc reinforced, with Doyle and the Cryptids watching on from further back. "Let's listen to what he has to say."

As much as it frustrated Zak to admit, they DID need Monday's help to figure this all out. And one look at Ruby was all he needed to adjust his attitude, because she was giving him a pout that told him to shape up or ship out. "…Yeah, I gotcha."

Zak Monday pumped a celebratory fist. "Woo! Thank you, mom and dad!" He received a questioning glance from Doc and Drew at his words, which made him calm down and correct himself. "Er, um, I mean… Zak's mom and dad. Sorry, livin' in his head's kinda got me used to seeing you as… gah, never mind. Probably not the best time to talk about that."

Despite herself, Drew did her best to offer him a supportive smile. "That's fine. We could talk about it later if you like. But first… how did you end up in Zak's body?"

"Well, we're gonna have to go WAY back for that one." Monday hopped onto the bed, crossing his legs as he leaned back on his hands. "So, I'm assuming you remember how Argost died the first time, right?"

"Yeah, he blew hell up." Doyle recollected. "Couldn't handle both the Kur and Anti-Kur powers in his body all at once."

Monday winked and pointed to him. "Right on the money, unc! But here's the thing; the Anti-Kur power wasn't the ONLY think he took from me before I died." A hint of regret etched along his expression as he focused back on Zak. "Which, uh… sorry for not believing you on that in the first place." He rubbed his neck awkwardly. "I probably should've known not to trust Argost in the first place, but I was so obsessed about getting my revenge on you that... ya know."

"Oh, um… it's okay." Zak shrugged. "I get it. But what was the other thing that Argost took from you?"

"Well, I shouldn't say he took it from me… just my body." Monday placed a hand over his chest. "Just like your soul was tied to Kur, mine was tied to the Anti-Kur. So by proxy, he absorbed me into himself, too." He scoffed at the reminder. "Psh, an' trust me, you don't wanna KNOW what it's like bein' in that dude's head."

"I can only imagine." Gwen commented. "But I assume that your soul was freed when Argost was destroyed, right? Zak's Kur powers ended up going back to him, after all, so… I guess you tried going back to your body, too?"

The demon winced, still rubbing his neck. "Well… 'bout that. My body had been LONG gone at that point. Us people from the mirror world don't last long in the real world when we die. We just… dissolve into smoke." He sighed and shook his head. "I DID try to go back to my world, hopin' I'd reconstitute there… but the Smoke Mirror of Tezcatlipoca was LONG gone."

Hearing that, Charmcaster's memory was jogged. "Oh, that's right. You did mention finding that mirror…" She tilted her head toward the Saturdays. "Though how you managed to find it—let alone use it—is still beyond me."

The family shared an awkward stare before Drew said; "Would you believe… blind luck?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Hope sighed and shook her head. "Given what I've witnessed since I've become a part of this team, I'm not surprised by that in the least."

"Okay, so I can safely guess that you probably went back to Zak in a desperate bid to survive." Ben concluded, still fixated on Monday's story. "And once the remains of your Anti-Kur powers mixed with his Kur powers, they managed to mix together into a new whole, right?"

"Woo, you're smart, Hero Boy." Monday nodded. "Got it in one…" Hopping back to his feet, he spread his arms out as a smirk made its way to his lips. "Though, uh, as you can tell, the results of that had some… interesting side effects." Once more, the pillar of blue fire erupted from Monday's feet, transforming him back into his demonic form. "Pretty slick, huh?"

However, Zak was still perplexed about something. "Yeah, uh, question though; where'd the whole blue color come from? Your Anti-Kur powers were green, weren't they?"

"Ah, yeah, but I lost the green glow along with control over my powers." Monday pointed at Zak again. "They're all yours now, man. Congrats. Oh, and don't worry 'bout the headaches. They shouldn't be botherin' ya anymore."

Zak blinked at how nonchalant he was. "You… don't seem too torn up about it." But then, he did a doubletake. "W-Wait, that was YOU who was causing those headaches?"

"Heh, yeah, guilty." Monday admitted. "Bit of a side-effect of me reconstituting inside of ya for so long. But now that I'm out, you should be pain free now. And besides, I got the best end of this deal!" Monday gestured down to his body. "I mean, seriously, I'm freakin' awesome! I bet I could kill Argost with my own two hands with THESE babies!" He flashed his sharpened nails, which made a scraping sound as they rubbed against one another.

Cooper, however, had his concerns. "Uh, doesn't this guy seem like a bit of a loose cannon?" he whispered to Ben.

The Omnitrix bearer quickly agreed. "I was just thinking the same thing." He stepped forward and addressed Monday directly. "Sorry, Mr. Demon Dude, but that kind of behavior isn't abided by the Omni-Hunters. Argost coming back to life is an issue, but we don't—"

"Oh, don't gimme that crap!" Monday rebuked, shoving his finger right against Ben's nose. "I can see right through you, Tennyson, an' that whole "no killing" policy is a load of BS. You'll ABSOLUTELY go for a killin' blow if it's necessary."

Ben was taken aback by the demon's petulance. "H-How would you—"

"I'm an Inner Demon. It's kinda my job to read someone like a book."

Hearing that, the Monkey King stood rigid in the corner. "…I'm sorry, but… what kind of demon did you say you were?"

Monday tilted his head to the celestial simian. "An Inner Demon. That a problem?"

"Wait… aren't "inner demons" supposed to refer to emotions that someone represses because they are unsightly?" Pyrrha inquired.

"Yeah, but they can also be quite literal." Wu Kong elaborated, moving his sights between the two Zaks. "They can either be created when a person feels extremely strong negative emotions… or they can take form when a less powerful demon attaches itself to someone and then feeds off of normal negative emotions."

Monday's grin grew wide, cheekily eyeing Zak. "Yup! And lemme tell ya, puberty for this boy was a BITCH!"

"Sh-Shut up!" Zak snapped, his cheeks lighting up a bright shade of red. "S-So I had some unpleasant thoughts while I was going through all that! Doesn't EVERYBODY?"

Monday put his hands behind his head, glancing away indifferently. "True… but I'm pretty sure that breakup with Wadi was the last—GYAOWW!"

Without warning, Zak stomped on Monday's foot, shooting him a glare. "We don't have to TALK about that." he said through gritted teeth.

"Zak!" Drew chided, firmly pushing her son away to scold him. "That's enough. I understand that's still a sore spot, but you don't have to go doing that."

Wu Kong came over as well, nodding down to Zak. "She's right, kid. Besides, you're gonna have to get used to dealing with him." The Saturday Family and the Omni-Hunters were quite visibly confused by his words, leading him to explain; "You see, once an Inner Demon takes form… you and he are connected by the soul. So if he dies… then so do you."

The news made Zak's jaw drop, the revelation hitting him like a ton of bricks. "So you mean… I'm stuck with him FOREVER?! GAH!"

By contrast, Monday was very excited. "And it's a pleasure to be here, roomie! Man, this is gonna be SWEET!" He practically slung himself over Zak's shoulders before giving him a noogie. "Killin' Argost all over again, you and me! He'll get what's comin' to him and THEN some!"

"H-Hey! Hold on just a sec!" Zak shoved Monday off and whirled around on him, thrusting a finger to his chest. "I haven't agreed to ANY of this yet!"

"Gah, didn't you just HEAR the Monkey Man? Ya don't exactly have a choice!" Monday gestured between himself and Zak. "We've got a connection, man. And bein' straight forward here, I ain't exactly a hundred percent hyped about the situation either."

Just then, both of them felt a pair of heavy hands on their shoulders, bringing their eyes up to see Doc by their side. "Well then, I suppose you boys are just gonna have to get used to one another, won't you?

Of course, Zak was absolutely galled by the idea. "What?! B-But dad—"

"Zak, I know this is a tough ask, but if we can't separate Monday from you, then we might as well try to be accommodating, shouldn't we?" Drew furthered, her voice filled with sympathy toward the demon. "After all, he has no way to get back to his world… or his own family."

Monday glanced off to the side. "Well… that could be a bad or good thing dependin' on your viewpoint. You remember how the other Mondays were, don't ya?"

All at once, Doc, Drew, Fisk, Komodo and Zon gave out collective groans at the reminder. "We're… well aware." the Saturday patriarch assured. "But all the same, you've been on your own in this world for… what, five years? That's still a long time without a real place to stay."

"…Hah, okay." Zak sighed, giving Monday a serious look. "Now listen; so long as you don't make a total jackass out of yourself or me, I'll be willing to give you a chance." He pointed a stern finger at the demon before he could get too excited. "BUT… slip up too many times and we WILL search for a way to separate ourselves. Got it?"

Monday straightened up and saluted. "Gotcha, big man! 'Sides, I'd be stupid as hell if I wanted to piss off the guy I share a soul with."

Ruby approached the two and smiled at them. "Great! Glad that's settled, then. …Though what do we call you, exactly?" She eyed Monday curiously, who wasn't prepared for the question. "I mean, calling you "Zak" would just get confusing and "Monday" is kinda awkward."

"Yeah, true." Yang pondered for a moment before snapping her fingers. "Oh! I know! How about "Kaz"?"

The suggestion made the two Zaks blink in unison. "…Kaz?" the demon repeated.

"Hey, yeah, that actually makes sense." Ilia approved. "I mean, you ARE a dark reflection, so why not go all the way with it? And "Zak" spelled backwards is…"

"Kaz… huh, you know what? That honestly doesn't sound too bad." The newly renamed doppelganger placed his hands on his hips confidently. "Alright, Kaz it is, then!" He then smacked his hands together, rubbing them eagerly. "So, what's next?"

"Well, next should be figuring out what Salem will probably want Argost for." Cooper interjected while scratching his chin. "Because being honest here, I'm not sure what use he'd be to her at this moment. He's a strong yeti, sure, but outside of that…"

"Hah, that's an easy one." Doyle piped up. "I'll bet you anything she wants him for his expertise on Cryptids. You guys DID say that this lady can make Grimm out of any sort of living thing, right? So, if she were to ask him to lead her to a strong Cryptid or two…"

The idea made everyone in the room wince uncomfortably. "Oh… god, I would NOT want to know what a Cryptid Grimm would be like." Weiss remarked with a shudder.

"No kidding." Rex began counting off on his fingers; "The Jersey Devil, Loch Ness Monster, El Chupacabra, all of those would be BAD NEWS if Salem made Grimm versions of 'em."

"Plus more that are lesser known but no less dangerous." Drew affirmed. "We'll need to discuss this with the other Secret Scientists, make sure they keep an eye out in case Argost shows up in their neck of the woods."

Zak couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Psh, just like the good ol' days, am I right?"

Kaz smacked his fist into his palm eagerly. "Only this time, you've got ME on your side. Just lemme lose and I'll make sure Argost regrets siding with 'em."

"Er, you might have a hard time with that, dude." Jaune pointed downward. "I mean, you're looking pretty ghostly to me, so I don't think you'd be able to hurt him much."

Sure enough, almost everyone else saw that Kaz was starting to fade from view as well, though a select few could still see him quite clearly. "Ah, the spell must be wearing off, then." Gwen concluded. "I can still see him fine."

"Yeah, same here." Zak said, raising his brow to his counterpart. "Though I've got a feeling that's because of our connection, right?"

"Correctomundo, Zakie." Kaz gave a thumbs up. "But don't worry, I'll still be around. I'm a part of you, remember? I'll probably pop up every now and then, see if I can give ya any support."

Zak narrowed his eyes at his Inner Demon. "Sure, just… don't pull any of that during private moments, please. Like while I'm in the bathroom or something?"

The idea got a laugh out of Kaz, but he obliged. "Hahaha! Fine, fine. As funny as that'd be, I'll let ya have your space. Till next time, buddy." On that note, Kaz's legs vanished, a ghostly tail attaching itself to Zak before the rest of him went back into Zak entirely.

"Gah!" Zak went stiff for a moment, feeling a chill go through him. "Ugh, I'm gonna have to get used to that, aren't I?"

Ruby reached up and gave him a supportive pat on his shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll figure all this out… in time." She made sure to shoot him a knowing grin as well. "And hey, if he starts being a pain in the butt, tell me and I'll chew him out, even if I can't see him!"

"I heard that!"

Zak flinched and his head snapped up. "Quiet you! And be nice to the lady!" He looked back down to see Ruby's stunned face, though he still expressed his gratitude. "Hah, thanks. I'm gonna need all the help I can get."

"Right… well, all that can come in time." Kevin resolved. "For now, we should focus on some other important stuff—AGH!"

"Exactly!" Nora chirped, bouncing up on Kevin's shoulders. "Like finding a home for Titan!" After playing Leap Frog over the Osmosian, she launched her question out into the open; "So, anyone know where I can fit a big, girthy dragon?"

…No one in the room had an answer for that, though Coco, Yang and even Drew were desperately trying to hold back their laughter. Winter, Pyrrha, and many others, meanwhile were absolutely galled and had flushed a deep shade of red, while the boys in the room simply gawked at her. And Ren… appeared ready to pass out at any moment. Doc seemed the most perturbed of them all, clearing his throat as he went to leave. "Ahem, okay, well, I'm just gonna let you all figure that one out. I think I'll head back to the Airship and do some more analysis on the Ishtar Tablet."

"R-Right behind you…" Drew managed to get out, keeping her hand over her mouth all the while to suppress her giggles.

Nora was just oblivious to the whole thing, however. "What? What'd I say?"

"Something that you probably should NEVER repeat." Gwen asserted, taking her fellow redhead by the shoulders while trying to keep composed. "Come on, I'll help you find a good place for Titan. I actually think I know just the right spot."

"Hehehe… w-we'll come with!" Yang snickered, ushering for the girls to follow. "C'mon ladies… let's help that big, girthy dragon settle in! HAHAHAHA!" At that point, neither her nor Coco could hold their laughter back, though the others just kept their heads down on the way out. Many of the boys left soon after, though they went off toward the training facilities to try and forget what they'd just heard.

And Zak and Ruby were also keen on doing the same. "Ugh, I need to get that outta my head." the young scientist trembled.

"Tell me about it." Kaz concurred. "She always this unhinged?"

"Oh, you have NO idea." Zak glanced down to his hooded companion hopefully. "Wanna do some training with your Silver Eyes to get our minds off of… that?"

"Yes, please." Ruby said before reaching into her pocket… to take out the Fang. Upon seeing it, her eyes widened as she was reminded of something. "Oh, that's right… this used to belong to Kaz, didn't it?"

Inside Zak's head, the demon seemed delighted to see his old weapon. "Ha! Sure was! But, uh, it's fine if you keep it. I don't have a use for it anymore."

Zak gave Ruby a thumbs up. "Don't worry, he's cool with you using it. So, shall we be off?"

With their departure, that left only Ilia, Blake, Sun, Wu Kong, Hope, Cooper, Kenny and Tsukasa, all still a fair bit perturbed by what they'd heard. Ilia's spots were visibly pink, though she was less amused by the whole thing. "Ugh, I can't believe this…" She eyed her best friend and nudged her head out the door. "You wanna follow the immature children or…"

"I'd rather just go home, honestly." Blake grimaced. "It's been a long day."

"Can't argue on that one." The chameleon girl proceeded to escort Blake out… though not before shooting Sun one last glare over her shoulder. She made sure that Blake was out of earshot before whispering; "And you… we're talking later. Is that clear?"

Swallowing hard, the monkey boy nodded. "Y-Yes ma'am." On that note, Ilia left, leaving Sun to place his head in his hands. "Uuuugh, I am so screwed!"

"Understatement of the century there." Wu Kong remarked, giving Sun a smack on the shoulder. "But don't worry, kid. You'll figure it out… somehow."

Sun gave a deadpan stare at the simian's encouragement. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, master…" With that, the two monkeys departed, likely to go off and train as well.

Kenny was about to leave, too, only to then notice Cooper. His Rider partner was clearly deep in thought, staring at a nearby wall. "Uh… yo, Coop! You thinkin' 'bout something over there?"

The young genius was jarred from his thought process, whipping his head to the others. "Oh, uh, yeah! Sorry about that, it's just… Zak's new predicament has given me an idea…" He went over to the bedside table, opening its drawer to procure a notepad and pencil. And then… he began to doodle. "Because let me tell you something, a guy dealing with a literal Inner Demon is something that I'm VERY familiar with."

Tsukasa, however, knew exactly where from. "Ah, so you finally made the connection, eh? I was wondering when you would."

"Right!" Cooper said, tossing the pencil to the table and spinning back around to his audience. "And with Project Build being such a success, I've been wanting to see if I could branch out to try and create another Rider System."

Kenny did a doubletake at that. "Woah, seriously? Already?"

"Yep." Cooper confirmed. "An opportunity has presented itself, and I intend on taking it." He nodded over to the sorceress as well. "And Hope, I'm gonna need your help on this one. There's gonna be a lot of research, development and quite a bit of magic going into this when we get to it, but I promise, it'll all be worth it."

Hope's hands went to her hips, raising an inquisitive brow. "Okay… so what's this new project going to be called, then?"

"Our next project… will be THIS!" Cooper dynamically lifted the notepad and revealed his drawing. It was a symbol of some sort, one that consisted of a square shape with rounded edges, within which was a rather monstrous face that wouldn't seem too out of place on a jack-o'-lantern. Its eyes were large and jagged with an open maw of sharp teeth… though interestingly, there seemed to be a second set of eyes INSIDE of that mouth as well.

Kenny recognized the symbol immediately, realizing what it meant. "Wait, a-are you seriously considering—"

Tsukasa nodded in approval. "He is, and I'd say it's more than fitting for those two."

"That's right. I present to all of you, thought up completely on pure impulse…" Cooper grabbed the pencil again, writing the name of the project under the symbol. "…Project Revice."

…..

A/N: Yeah, this one was pretty easy to guess, wasn't it? The revelation of Zak having a demon living in him in the last chapter definitely got a lot of you buzzing about him becoming Revice, but I'm pretty sure that only ONE of you called that it was Zak Monday who was the demon, so hey, two birds with one stone, am I right?

But on that note, yeah, a LOT of crazy developments this time, huh? We got the return of Zak Monday—or "Kaz" as he's now going to be called—having changed into the form of an Inner Demon upon his and Zak's souls fusing along with their respective Kur powers. Who would've guessed? Honestly, though, I kinda DID just want an excuse to bring back Monday and give him an interesting dynamic with Zak, because I thought that avenue would be an interesting one to explore, with or without future Rider Powers. Though that said, do NOT expect Zak and Kaz to become Revice right off the bat. There's gonna be a LOT of big developments happening before then, so keep an eye out.

But on a less exciting note… man, Sun's not having a good day. His plan backfired, he nearly hurt the people he cares about, his team's disappointed in him for it, and worst of all, his girlfriend has officially put him in the dog house as well. Well, if anything, this'll at least teach him not to take shortcuts to gain power and that becoming a Rider isn't as easy as he thinks it is. Still, though, how WILL he make up for all of this? It probably won't be easy, but we'll see.

And of course, we also got the chance to catch up with Salem and see her first meeting with Argost… which raises the idea of them creating Grimm Cryptids. …That's a terrifying mental image, for sure. But we also find out that, apparently, Eon knows who Decade is as well. Makes sense given that he's a dimension hopper, though the fact that even HE acknowledges how powerful Tsukasa is… that's pretty telling.

However, there's a much more pressing matter. The Demon Bull Family are finishing their preparations to storm the mountain that DBK is trapped under… and, of course, achieve their goal of freeing him. So NEXT TIME… it's the first part of the big season finale; "Bull Family Ties"! Will our heroes be able to both defend the mountain from the Ministry WHILE dealing with relationship drama? Stay tuned to find out, but until then, thanks for reading, everybody! And of course, as always, stay safe out there!