Chapter 6: Aftermath
...
In the Valian hospital on the fifth floor, Ben, Gwen, Kevin, Team RWBY and Team JNPR were all gathered together as they explained the situation to Jaune, who seemed exasperated at the entire thing. Aliens? Energy beings? Interdimensional travel?! What in the world had happened while he was gone?! As the group finished telling him about how the Battle of Beacon went, he finally spoke. "Wow, that's... quite the story."
"Yeah, kinda heavy." Kevin said. "But, hey, not every day you get to hop around space and time like it's a trampoline."
Gwen rolled her eyes. "What Kevin means is that we now have no way home and very little clue as to how this place works, so for the time being, we're stuck here."
Yang shrugged. "Well that isn't so bad right? I mean, you guys are still alive. In fact, we all are. Shouldn't that count for something?"
Pyrrha, now in her own hospital bed, looked down in sadness. "Not... all of us are alive, Yang."
Realizing what she said as Ruby gave her a soft glare, Yang's immediately began to apologize. "O-oh my gosh, I totally forgot! Pyrrha, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean—"
"No Yang," the Invincible Girl interrupted, "its fine, I just... I really wish things could have turned out better."
Jaune put a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder. "Pyrrha, it wasn't your fault. It was a complete accident."
Ruby put her hand on the other shoulder. "Yeah, it's like I said before, I don't hold anything against you. We're still friends."
Pyrrha sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I know but... I saw it all you two. Her emotionless face, the mangled limbs," she covered her eyes with her hand, "her dead, lifeless eyes..." she trailed off before she began crying again. But this time, all of her friends were there to lend their support. They gathered around her as she cried, making a group hug. Even Kevin, at Gwen's behest, lent some comfort, though he wasn't all that sure what the warrior girl was talking about. When Pyrrha was able to calm down, Ben looked her right in the eye.
"Pyrrha, I promise that this won't ever happen again. Nobody should be put through what all of you have today."
"How can we make sure?" Jaune pointed out. "We weren't ready for something like this to happen."
"Exactly, and you know what? I wasn't ready either when I first got this thing." Ben lifted his right arm to reveal the Omnitrix. "When I first found the Omnitrix, I was ten."
"TEN?" shouted the collective voices from everyone in the room.
"Yeah, ten. And I was FAR from ready to wield it. I had to be taught by my cousin and grandfather how to handle it responsibly."
"Guilty as charged." Gwen added.
"And you know what? It worked... after a summer's worth of screw ups, but it still worked! But Jaune's right. What happened today was an orchestrated attack that you guys weren't ready for. I respect the hell out of all of you for stepping up to the plate and defending your school, but if we want to be ready for something like this again, we gotta do something about it."
"Ben what are you getting at?" Weiss asked.
"What I'm saying is that I want to help you guys with your training." The room was shocked by the statement, even Gwen and Kevin. "After what I've seen, I think that there's a lot we can all learn from each other. In addition, I'm going to help you find the people who did this so we can all bring them down."
"Ben," Blake intervened, "I get that this kind of stuff is your guy's thing, but we couldn't possibly ask you to do more than you've already done."
"I know, but it's like Gwen said, we're stuck here so there's probably nothing much else we can do. Besides, these people hurt not only an entire school, but my new friends. And when somebody hurts MY friends, they don't get away with it."
The entire room brightened up at his words, but Gwen had to bring some reality back. "Ben, I appreciate the active approach, really I couldn't be more proud of you, but what about Vilgax? Our families back home have no way to defend against him without us there."
"She's got a point, Tennyson." Kevin jumped in. "Vilgax ain't just gonna take a vacation. He's out, and he's got a bone to pick with the whole universe."
Ben sighed. "I know, but we can only deal with one problem at a time right now. Besides, I'm sure Azmuth already knows that the Omnitrix has disappeared and is trying to find a way to bring us back... probably... maybe... hopefully."
"Well, that's very reassuring." Ren stated bluntly.
"Aw, come on Renny!" Nora encouraged. "Ben's trying his best to help us out! I say we should all give him the benefit of the doubt! Besides, training with three super heroes sounds like the most AWESOME THING EVER!"
Jaune spoke again. "Yeah, sure, but I think you guys are forgetting something." He waved his hand to the window and at the nearly destroyed school. "Just where are we gonna train ourselves? It's going to be months before the school's ready to open again and we've got nowhere to really go. So does anyone have any ideas?"
"Well..." Yang said. "I may have some idea of where we can go... if we have the room."
"What do you mean, Yang?" Gwen asked.
"If we can all fit, my dad's place over on Patch may be the perfect place for us right now. He's even got his own training facility."
Ruby gasped. "A whole group of friends all living under OUR roof?! It'll be just like a giant sleep over! Only for a really long time and we get to train like in school!"
"Sound great!" Ben said. "And I wouldn't worry about space, my team and I can crash in the Rustbucket. So how far is it?"
"Just a short ferry ride away." Yang answered. "I'll call him and let him know we're coming." She took out her scroll and began dialing the number.
"Soooo, Ben, what's it like being a famous super hero?" Nora asked.
Ben groaned. "Quite honestly, I'd give anything to have my secret identity back. Making my superheroing public is really hard to balance because every single bystander wants to get in the way to see who I'm beating up. Basically, it's a lot less awesome than you think it is."
"Awww, c'mon, there has to be SOME perks to the job." Ruby pointed out.
"Well... there IS something. Though, I really wouldn't call it a perk. More like... a really nice sentiment." Ben took out his cell phone and went to his play list. He selected the first song and it began to play, a creepy 1950's alien sound playing before going right into the guitars.
It started when an alien device did what it did,
And stuck itself upon his wrist with secrets that it hid,
Now he's got super powers, he's no ordinary kid, he's Ben 10!
Everyone's jaw dropped and Yang looked up from her scroll with a big smile on her face. "You have your own THEME SONG?!"
"That is SO COOL!" Nora and Ruby exclaimed simultaneously.
"Yeah," Ben said with a smile, "a bunch of dedicated fans wanted to give me a theme song. Who am I to say no to something that thoughtful?" When the song ended, a knock came at the door and Ben went over to answer, revealing Coco and Cooper in the hallway, Cooper now on crutches with his legs bandaged up.
"Hey guys." Cooper greeted.
Gwen gasped. "Cooper! What happened to you?"
"Yeah man, you were standing just a while ago." Kevin pointed out.
"Yeah, so, turns out that forcing yourself to stand when you're hurt isn't exactly the best idea." Cooper explained.
Coco grinned. "Tech Head's gonna be laid up for a few days so my team and I are showing him around. So, what's up with you guys?"
"Well, Gwen said that they're going to be sticking around for a bit, so Ben's offered to help us train." Weiss clarified. "So that we can be ready in case something like this ever happens again."
"Ooh, sounds awesome."
"I know right?!" Nora shouted. "We get to see more awesome aliens, and we get to fight them and then we can—"
"Nora." Ren placed a hand on the Pink Dynamo's shoulder. "Calm down, this is a hospital, and I'm sure there are others trying to rest."
"Oh, sorry." she whispered.
Cooper was surprised. "Wow Ben, never figured you for traini—"
"Dad? DAD! Calm down I'm okay!" Yang was pacing on the other side of the room, apparently trying to get her dad to settle down on the other end of her scroll. "Yes, Ruby's okay too. Yeah? Yeah we'll be home soon, in fact that's why I called. How much space do we have?"
Cooper turned to Ben with a questioning look. "She's trying to get her dad to let us stay with them while we train." The hero explained.
"Ah, I see." Cooper said. "Well, I guess we'll just leave you to it then."
"Hold up Tech Head." Coco interjected. "Did you forget why we came here?"
"Oh! Yeah, right, forgot! Weiss, Pyrrha, you're needed downstairs. You two have calls."
The girl's eyes widened, Pyrrha's in shock and Weiss' in horror. "From who?" Weiss asked, already knowing the answer.
Coco answered. "We don't know who called Pyrrha, but Ironwood told us to come get you because... Weiss, your dad's on the line."
...
Weiss froze in place. 'No not him! Anyone but him!' Her father, the man she had come to loathe even more than when she'd first left home had called. That could only mean one thing... "He wants to take me home." Weiss said in dismay, an intense atmosphere having fallen over the room. "I haven't even gone down there yet and I already know that's what he wants."
"Weiss, I—" Ben began before Weiss cut him off.
"Ben, please. No amount of words is going to change this. Whatever my father wants... he gets. No matter what."
"What right does he have?" Gwen asked.
"He's the head of the largest Dust mining company in Remnant! He always gets what he wants! And now..." the heiress lowered her head, "now he wants me to come home."
"Well then, we'll just have to come up with a plan so that he DOESN'T take you home." Weiss' head shot up at the red-haired Anodite's words as she placed her hands on her shoulders. "Weiss, I know that we've only known each other a short time, but one friend to another, I can't just stand by while you get dragged around by your father."
"But I..."
"Weiss." Pyrrha had spoken up, gaining Weiss' attention. The warrior girl took a deep breath and exhaled. "After what happened today, I've come to realize something. And that is that we all shape our own destinies. Our own lives. If you wish to be out of your father's shadow, now might be the perfect time to do it. But... you have to be the one to make that decision."
Weiss stood shocked at what Pyrrha said to her. Never before did she feel so inspired to do something. And suddenly, an idea sprang into her head, a smile overtaking her features. "Guys, I think I have an idea."
"Okay, that being?" Gwen inquired.
"Here's the thing, the one thing that I know my father loves the most is having his ego fed. All we have to do is tell him not what we want to hear, but rather what he wants to hear."
"Sooo, you basically want to lie to your father right to his face?" Ben asked.
"I know it's not the best plan, but it's probably the one most likely to work." Weiss looked back over to the Invincible Girl with a look of determination. "Pyrrha, let's go take those calls!"
"Grand! But first... could one of you please help me into a wheelchair?"
...
Once Coco and Cooper had left and Pyrrha had been moved into a wheelchair, she along with Weiss, Ben, Gwen and Jaune were all headed down the hallway to the nearest elevator to the communication room on the first floor. Kevin shut the door behind him and he sighed. "Man, wouldn't wanna be Weiss right now."
"Yeah, having the world's biggest asshole as your dad isn't cool." Nora added.
"Who do you think called Pyrrha?" Blake asked.
"Probably her mother." Ren answered. "She mentioned that the two had a strong connection, so it's the most likely answer."
"Oh, hope she doesn't want to take Pyrrha away." Ruby said.
Ren shook his head. "Not likely, at least not by force. She'll probably just be concerned like any parent would be."
Yang handed her scroll to Ruby, who immediately began talking to her dad. The Blonde Brawler smiled. "Speaking of concerned 'rents, my dad said you're all welcome to stay with us. It's gonna be a tight fit, but we'll manage. There's a ferry leaving in the morning, so we should be able to get out of here in time for that."
"Great." Kevin said. "Can't wait."
"So Kevin, what else can you tell us about your world?" Nora inquired.
"Well, let's see. There's—" a knock-knock-knock came from the door. "Oh, what now?!" Kevin flung the door open to reveal a tall man in what seemed to be medieval armor. The metal was white, but it was rimmed with gold along the edges. The helmet was a type that Kevin recognized, a Kaldor Helmet, the crest and mouth plate donned with gold while the rest was stark white like the rest of the armor. He had a shield with a golden lion's head engraved on it strapped to his back and a sword in a golden sheath strapped to his side. Kevin could only guess that this was a Huntsman. "Oh, sorry sir. Can I help you?"
The man stared at him directly through the eye holes of the helmet. "Is this Team JNPR and Team RWBY's room?"
"Uh, yes, please come in." Kevin wasn't usually this polite to people who looked official, but if he wanted to stay on this world's good side, Gwen said he had to NOT be condescending to its Huntsmen. The knight gazed around and under his helmet, his lips pursed in slight apprehension.
"Which group here is Team JNPR?" he asked.
Nora waved. "Over here sir. Half of Team JNPR at your service."
"Good. I'm glad I can finally meet my son's team in person." The man removed his helmet to reveal a man in his late-forties with a crew cut of blonde hair and a short beard and mustache to match. He had brilliant blue eyes and he wore a serious expression, though the wrinkles around his eyes suggested he usually wore a smile. But most of all... he looked A LOT like Jaune.
"My name is Jonathan Arc. Please... is my son here?"
...
As the group of five teens walked out of the elevator, they made a left for the Comm Rooms. Unlike at Beacon where the screens were all in one open area, the computers were all in small separate rooms within the actual room so that patients could have their privacy. It was in front of one of these doors that General Ironwood was waiting, now in a clean suit. He nodded a greeting. "Hello everyone. I trust the hospital has accommodated you well?"
"As well as eight teenagers and three heroes can be accommodated." Ben answered.
"Hmm, I see." The General looked to the white haired girl. "Weiss..." he sighed. "Your father is waiting on the line."
Weiss' expression steeled. "Thank you General." She glanced over to Gwen who gave her an encouraging smile.
"You can do this Weiss. I know you can. I'll be out here if you need me." The Anodite said. Weiss smiled back and took a deep breath, Ironwood opening the door for her as she walked in, following her soon after. There, on the video screen, sitting behind his desk was her father, Jacques Schnee. He was currently doing some paper work, jotting down something on the dotted lines when he heard the door close. His brows rose as his daughter sat on the chair in front of the screen.
"Hello Father."
"Ah, Weiss, dearest! I am pleased to see that you're alright! General Ironwood just finished telling me what happened over there."
"I see, so you know about Beacon and Vale."
"Oh yes, simply dreadful! But, it could have been far worse. We're lucky the Transmit System is still operational."
Of course. Her wellbeing always came second. "Father... Professor Ozpin is dead."
"Yes, I am aware of that too. Shame really, he was a good man, I hear. I can only assume that his next in command will be taking over as the new Headmistress."
"Yes, Professor Goodwitch will be taking over soon."
"Indeed, now I hear that things seem a bit dour over there."
"Yes father, things are looking grim..." If possible, Weiss sat up even straighter, "but I feel it is my duty as a huntress in training to stay in Vale to help."
Her father's brows furrowed and he leaned forward in his chair. "Weiss, I am afraid that is out of the question. The city is simply far too dangerous for you to stay in."
Weiss didn't falter. "I'm not questioning your judgment father, but there is still so much to do here. Besides, I'm sure that my being here to oversee the reconstruction would be good for the company's image." 'Come on, take the bait' she thought. As much as she hated feeding her father's ego, it was the only way. She'd tell him off later. And when she did, she would have a few choice words for him. Jacques put a hand to his chin in contemplation.
"Hmm... you make a good point. But the city is very dangerous to be in at this time. Where will you stay?"Jacques pointed out.
"My team and I will be staying on the island of Patch where my teammates' father lives. He's agreed to let us stay there for the duration. I'll simply go back and forth when I'm needed in the city." In truth, she had no idea of the housing situation yet, but this HAD to work.
"Hmm... well..." Jacques stared at his daughters face and she had that look. The look of determination that a Schnee was famous for. "You're dead set on this aren't you?"
Weiss nodded. "I am."
Jacques sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Very well. In light of recent events, along with the fact that you helped bring in one of the leaders of the White Fang from what James has told me, I shall grant this request. But I expect at least a few visits from you before the school is finished rebuilding. Don't forget to uphold the Schnee name, understand?"
Weiss nodded. "I understand, father." In her head she thought; 'I understand that you can kiss Humungousaur's backside.'
"Very good. Well, I have business to attend to, so I will have to say goodbye."
Weiss nodded. "Goodbye father." When the screen went dark, Weiss slumped in her chair, exhausted from the conversation. 'That was one of the most stressful moments of my life.'
"Miss Schnee, are you okay?" the General asked.
"Oh sure, fine. It's not like I just convinced my father to let me stay or anything."
Ironwood sighed as he rubbed his right temple. "Yes, your father IS quite the detestable person. But I'm glad to see you stood your ground on the matter. I'm sure your team will be very proud of you."
"Thank you General... but... can I ask a favor of you?"
"Of course."
"I know this might sound selfish, but... could you maybe..."
"Miss Schnee, if this is about your sister." Ironwood smiled. "She's already on her way here."
Weiss gasped. "She IS?"
"Yes, the moment I contacted her, she told me she was already making preparations to leave Mistral. She'll be here in a day or so. Now, let's leave shall we?" Ironwood opened the door, Gwen still on the other side.
"So, how'd it go?" the redhead smiled.
Weiss smiled back. "I'm staying."
Gwen's smile grew. "That's great! How did you convince him?"
"It... was very stressful. He didn't say it directly... but I know that he's frustrated with me. But what do I care? I'm already with my real family. But I do have another bit of good news."
"And what would that be?"
Weiss brightened up. "You guys are going to meet my older sister."
...
When Weiss and Ironwood went into the first Comm Room, Pyrrha, Ben and Jaune were directed to another one just a few doors down, this one guarded by Professor Goodwitch. The woman grinned as the three made their way to her, though when she saw Pyrrha in the wheelchair, there was now a hint of sadness behind her smile as she greeted the trio. "Benjamin, Mr. Arc, Miss Nikos. I'm glad you could make it."
Ben nodded. "Of course Miss Goodwitch."
Glynda nodded back before redirecting her saddened gaze back to Pyrrha, who was decidedly looking away from her. It only served to make Glynda even more upset with herself. 'She is my best student. How could I have let this happen?' She took a deep breath and crouched down to eye level with Pyrrha.
"Miss Ni—Pyrrha, I want you to know that... I have so much regret for what happened today. I know that you might think that all of this is your fault, but it isn't. It was our fault. The faculty's fault. We should have been better prepared for something like this to happen. Please, don't blame yourself. We were the ones who pulled you into this... and now we're paying the price. I do not expect you to forgive me Pyrrha, but I want you to now that... I am so very sorry." Glynda closed her eyes in shame and awaited an answer. A moment passed before she got one.
"Do you mean that?" Glynda looked back up to see Pyrrha with a saddened gaze of her own.
"Of course. You are one of my best students. And believe it or not, I do care about ALL of you. More importantly you are still young. You didn't deserve what happened to you in that tower."
"And Ironwood? Qrow?"
Glynda sighed. "General Ironwood feels just as guilty as I do... Qrow I have no clue. Though I imagine that he's drowning his sorrows in whiskey as we speak, I can't exactly speak for him."
Another moment passed... and Pyrrha smiled. "Professor Goodwitch, thank you for your apology. It means very much to me. I do not know if I am ready to forgive just yet, but I am glad that you care about my wellbeing."
Glynda wore a relieved smile. "You are very welcome Pyrrha. That means very much to me as well." The professor stood back up. "Now, I believe that you have call waiting." Glynda twisted the knob to the door and pushed it open, revealing the screen inside. On that screen was a woman in her late thirties, a beautiful face over taken by intense worry, her lovely red hair disheveled and her vibrant green eyes had widened at the doors opening. Pyrrha's eyes widened as she took in the woman on the monitor.
"MOTHER?!"
"PYRRHA! Oh my darling child, you're ALIVE! Thank the gods!" As Ben and Jaune wheeled Pyrrha into the room, she took notice of her daughter's condition and gasped. "You're in a wheelchair?! How?! What happened to your foot?! Why is it—?"
Pyrrha cut her mom off before she could begin rambling. "Mom, it's okay. I am fine. I just... took an arrow in the ankle." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ben facepalming for some reason. "I can assure you that I'm alright, I should only be like this for a week or so."
"Oh, that is quite the relief, my dear. When I heard what was happening I was so worried about you that I almost put on my armor. Then I remembered that Vale is a day's flight away so I stopped myself. Oh! And I see that you aren't alone! Would these be your teammates?"
Pyrrha smiled and turned to Jaune, motioning for him to introduce himself. His eyes widened before looking back at the older woman. "Erm, yes Mrs. Nikos. I'm Jaune Arc."
The woman gasped with a smile. "So YOU are the one that Pyrrha keeps speaking about. Oh, It is such an honor to meet someone who has made my daughter feel so special! Please Jaune, call me Athena."
At the words, the two partners faces immediately became beat red. Jaune scratched the back of his head in nervousness while Pyrrha hid her hand behind her face as she begged her mother to stop. The two had still not sorted out what happened in the locker room. Jaune cleared his throat. "T-thank you Mrs. Ni—I-I mean Athena. I think."
Athena set her attention to Ben. "And that means you must be Ren! It is very nice to meet you!"
Ben's eyes widened as he tried to correct her. "Oh, no ma'am. My name's Ben. Ben Tennyson."
"Ben?" she turned back to her daughter. "But dear, I thought you said his name was Ren?"
Ben slapped his forehead and explained as best as he could. "His name IS Ren, but he is upstairs in the hospital room. My name is Ben. We're two separate people." Meanwhile the hero was thinking; 'For crap's sake, why do our names have to sound so similar? Doesn't help that we both wear green!'
Athena nodded in understanding. "Oh, I see, I apologize."She smiled at her daughter. "So dear, I believe we have some things to discuss about you being in Vale."
Pyrrha grew nervous. "M-mom, I do not think that I am ready to go back to Mistral, especially not in this condition. Besides... I would actually like to stay with my team."
"Oh, I completely understand my dear."
Pyrrha's brows rose in shock. "You do?"
"Indeed!" Athena pulled up what seemed (at least to Ben) like an Athenian helmet from beneath the table she was sitting behind. It was painted in garnet red and gold, complete with a gold crest and engraved with two golden owls on the sides. "And that is why I am coming to you!"
"WHAT?!" the three teens exclaimed. Pyrrha was flabbergasted. "Mom, are you seriously coming here?!"
"Indeed I am. My flight leaves in two days!"
"While I appreciate the thought mother, I don't think that is completely necessary. It's not very safe here and we might actually be moving ourselves to Patch soon."
"Oh, but it necessary! When a Huntress' beloved daughter can't come home to her, she will do everything in her power to reunite with her. This I vow! Besides, Patch sounds like the perfect place to meet up! Should be relatively peaceful on that island."
Sighing in defeat, Pyrrha smiled at her mother. "Well... I guess it would be good to see you mother. Then I could introduce you to everyone else!"
Athena smiled back. "There's that Nikos spirit. And don't worry about your ankle. I'm sure that you will be back on your feet before you know it my dear scarlet warrior."
"Thank you mom. I'll see you in a few days. Have a safe trip."
"I will. Jaune, Ben, please keep watch over my daughter.
The two young men nodded. "Yes ma'am." they said.
Athena smiled back to her daughter. "Goodbye dear. I love you."
"Love you too mom." The screen turned off and Pyrrha gave a heavy dramatic sigh as she leaned back in the wheelchair. "That was an ordeal."
Ben shrugged. "Well, at least she didn't ask about specifics to what happened. Otherwise, we'd be in a deeper rabbit hole than we already are."
"Right." Pyrrha looked up at Jaune, both gazing at each other in nervousness. "Um... listen Jaune, about what my mother said..."
Jaune held up a hand and smiled. "Hey, it's okay, I get it. I'm just glad that your mother doesn't think I'm a terrible person. But hey, I'm glad we can all meet her in person. I can't wait."
Pyrrha was worried. He was avoiding the subject, and she could tell. But they HAD to talk about it at some point... in private when Ben wasn't with them. Pyrrha forced a smile back. "I can't wait either. I know you all will love her." Ben opened the door and the trio exited the room, Gwen and Weiss waiting on the other side.
"So, who was it Pyrrha?" Weiss asked.
The Invincible Girl now wore a more honest smile. "It was my mother. She'll be arriving in Vale in a few days."
Weiss gasped. "She's not taking you home is she?"
"Quite the contrary. She's going to be meeting us on Patch so she can be with me while I heal my... heel."
"That's great to hear." Gwen said. "But we've got some more news for you." She addressed the blonde knight. "Jaune, I just got a message from Kevin. Your dad's here."
...
The four teens jogged down the hall with Ben pushing Pyrrha in her wheelchair, Jaune in front and in a panicked state of mind. In all the excitement, he had forgotten about his dad coming! 'How much of an idiot could I possibly be?!' He could only imagine what was going on in the hospital room as he slid to a halt in front of it. He quickly twisted the knob and flew the door open as the others stopped behind him... only to see his dad, Nora and Yang all laughing up a storm, Nora trying to force words out of her mouth as she guffawed.
"A-a-and so it turns out... HE'S ALLEGIC TO RED TREE SAP! HAHAHAA!"
Jonathan had to hold his midsection as he laughed. "HAHAHA! Oh, that boy's allergic to a lot of things. You have no idea how many types of medication he can't ta—" his eyes were drawn to the open door and his smiled widened. "JAUNE!" Everyone in the room turned to the blonde in question as Jonathan quickly got up and ran to his son and embraced him in a bear hug.
Jaune tried to return the unexpected hug, finding it difficult to wrap his arms around his father's armored frame. "ACK! Hi dad."
"Son, I can't tell you how happy I am to see that you're okay!" Jonathan released his son and grasped the boy's shoulders. "Do you know how worried your mother was when I left the house? Or how I had to calm down your sisters one by one? Including your older ones?"
"I'm sure they're all worried about me, dad." Jaune smiled.
"Jaune, your dad is AWESOME!" Nora exclaimed.
"Yeah." Yang reaffirmed. "He's been telling us ALL about his adventures. Both his Huntsman ones... and his adventures in raising you."
Jaune's face contorted in horror. "How much did you hear?!"
Yang smirked. "Enough Vomit Boy, enough."
Jaune groaned. He knew what the next several months were going to be like. He turned to his dad and smiled. "Potential embarrassment aside, I am glad to see you dad. And I'm glad you came all the way out here... but I guess you're going to take me home to see them now right?"
"Well, that WAS the initial plan, but Kevin tells me that you guys are taking a rather proactive approach to things here." Jonathan looked behind his son to the group of four still in the door way. "You must be Weiss, Ben and Gwen right? Pleasure to meet you. I'm Jonathan Arc." He introduced himself as he shook each one of their hands. He knelt down to Pyrrha. "And you must be Pyrrha Nikos."
"I am sir. It is an honor to meet you." Pyrrha shook his hand.
"No, please, the honor is completely mine. After all, I have you to thank for helping my son with his training. He's told me all about your training sessions and how much he feels he's improved since he started them. Again, thank you so much for being a good partner to my son."
Pyrrha felt herself blush, and she could see Jaune blushing behind his father. "Oh, it is no problem at all Mr. Arc."
Jonathan smiled. "Pyrrha please, call me Jonathan." Pyrrha smiled back and the knight rose back up to his full height, facing his son again. "Now, Yang tells me that you all can bunk over at her dad's place on Patch."
"Um... yeah." Jaune answered. "That's what we were hoping."
Jonathan took a deep breath and sighed. "Well... the best thing that I could ever hope for is your safety son. And if you feel safest with your friends at this point, then I guess I can't stop you from going."
"B-but what about mom and the girls?"
"Oh, they still want to see you, so you know what? Instead of taking you back to the Arc Family..." Jonathan grabbed his son's shoulder in an embrace and raised a fist to the sky. "We'll just bring the Arc Family... HEEEERE!"
"W-wait WHAT?! Dad, you can't seriously be considering bringing mom and ALL of my sisters here can you?!"
"Oh, but I am! See, when your mother wants to see you, she's going to see you. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Same goes for your sisters. I'll never hear the end of it if THEY don't see you. In a couple week's time, when your younger sisters are out of school for break, we're going to pay you guys a visit over on Patch, okay?"
"Well... I..." As Jaune gazed into the stern yet caring gaze of his father, he knew he wasn't going to win this. He sighed and smiled at his dad. "Okay, guess there's no other option it there?"
"Nope. Not when it comes to family, Jaune." Jonathan placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Now, I'm going to be staying the night, and tomorrow, I need to see if they can use my help here. Because let's face it, after today, things are going to be a bit hectic for a while."
"Yeah, I can tell."
"That said, I'm going to go turn in for the night." Jonathan looked around the room to everyone else. "Everyone, it has been an honor to meet you all. You have all been very brave today, and I hope to see such bravery shine in the future." He focused in on Ben. "And as for you Ben, I hope I can see one of those "alien transformations" that Kevin told me about sometime. Sounds pretty cool."
Ben shrugged. "Thanks, though I think I've done enough tricks for one day."
Jonathan nodded and turned to Team RWBY. "Girls, thank you for being there for my son. I'm very glad he has friends like you."
"Aw, it's no biggie." Ruby said.
"Yeah, we're just glad he survived the semester." Yang added which earned her a deadpan look from Jaune. She smirked back. "We'll tell our dad about your visit Mr. Arc."
"Thank you." The middle aged knight's eyes rested on the rest of Team JNPR. "And as for you three... thank you for being my son's family. As far as I'm concerned, every one of you is an Arc in your own right."
Ren nodded. "Thank you Mr. Arc. It's much appreciated."
"Yeah! And I can't wait to meet the rest of your family!" Nora exclaimed. "They all sound super fun!"
Pyrrha smiled at Jonathan nervously. As honored as she was to be considered an Arc... the fact that she had shoved Jaune in a rocket locker still weighed on her mind. But... the thought of being an honorary Arc... it made a part of her feel giddy. "Thank you Jonathan. That means very much."
Jonathan nodded. "Well, I'll see you all off tomorrow. Good night everybody." He made his way to the door and opened it. But before he went out, he paused and turned around. "Oh! Jaune, one last thing."
"Yeah dad?"
He gave Jaune an apologetic smile. "Son, hate to say it, but you gotta lose the Pumpkin Pete's hoodie. You've had it for almost three years now, it's getting too small for you."
Jaune went into panic mode again as Ruby gained a big grin. "Wait a second. Jaune, that's a Pumpkin Pete's hoodie?"
Yang smirked. "As in "send in a bunch of cereal box tops to get a prize" Pumpkin Pete's?
Before the blonde knight could deny the accusation, his dad beat him to the punch. "Oh yeah, it is. You can't see it, but it even has the little rabbit mascot underneath his breastplate. But seriously Jaune, keep it if you want to give it to any potential future children, but you gotta stop wearing it yourself. Good night!" Jonathan shut the door and the entire room was silent...
...For all of two seconds. The two sisters started laughing in an uproar as Weiss and Blake hid their chuckling behind their hands. Ben and Gwen looked to Jaune with amused yet apologetic faces while Kevin laughed, earning him a smack on the shoulder from Gwen. The rest of team JNPR were decidedly not saying anything. They had seen said bunny rabbit before and they had a good laugh about it... but they also swore to Jaune that they wouldn't tell anyone else about it. Well, they technically kept their promise...
As his shoulders slumped, Jaune promised to himself; "That's it, I'm sleeping in my armor from now on. Might as well sleep in a hole while I'm at it."
Ben sighed. "Jaune, I'm afraid the damage has been done. You might as well rip off the band aid and show it."
"Ben, you can't be serious!"
Gwen intervened. "Jaune, it'll save you a lot more embarrassment in the long run. Believe me."
Jaune groaned. "Alright, fine. If it'll get the hysterics to stop." He undid the straps of his breastplate and took it off, revealing the bunny logo. "There? Everyone happy?"
"Aawww, it's so cuuute!" Ruby fawned, making Jaune face palm with a groan.
Yang smiled. "So Jaune... how many?"
Jaune sighed. "Fifty."
The Blonde Brawler shrugged. "Eh, I've sent in more for weirder shit."
"So have I." Ben admitted. "You wouldn't believe the track record I had with cereal prizes when I was a kid." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Gwen smirking at him. She knew what he was talking about; she remembered the Sumo Slammer card incident.
"So Weiss, how'd things go with your dad?" Blake asked.
"He was reluctant," Weiss said, "and I'm pretty sure he's frustrated at me right now, but I'm staying!" the group cheered at Weiss' victory before looking to Pyrrha.
"And what about you P-Money?" Yang added. "Who called ya?"
"It was my mother." Pyrrha answered. "She is actually coming out here to Vale. But she isn't going to take me home. She just wishes to see me."
"Awesome, you tell her we're going to Patch?"
"Indeed. She will be headed there when she gets to Vale."
"Cool, then we're good to go on everything. Earliest ferry to Patch leaves at nine tomorrow morning."
Ben grinned. "Great. That means we have..." He brought up the holographic watch on the Omnitrix. It read nine o'clock. "About nine hours for sleep. Not saying we have to sleep for that long, but after today, I wouldn't be surprised if we did."
"Okay, so how are we going to sleep? There's only oneother hospital bed." Blake pointed out. As the teens started to work out the situation, another knock came at the door again, opening soon after to reveal Grandpa Max.
"Hey kids, how goes it?" the old Plumber asked.
After the others greeted the old man, Ben answered. "Everything's good Grandpa, just figuring out the sleeping situation."
"Oh, well it'll please you to know that I have just the answer." Max moved to the side and revealed four large hospital trollies full of cots, mattresses and blankets. Normally, not the most comfortable things in the world, but to the tired teens who didn't have their own hospital bed, they looked positively heavenly to sleep on. The group instantly made for the small beds and began unfolding them, the room just barely being big enough to house them all.
"Thanks Grandpa." Gwen said as she laid the mattress out over the cot.
"No problem sweetheart." Max looked over to Ruby. "Ruby, I have somebody here who wants to see you."
The Hooded Huntress was confused. "And who would that be?" Max moved to the side and a certain small corgi came running into the room, panting and barking. Ruby gasped with a smile. "ZWEI!" she picked up the little dog as he licked her face. "Oh, where have you been? I haven't seen you since we left Beacon!"
"Turns out the little guy stowed aboard the Rustbucket when we put it on the Bullhead." Max explained. "Found him on the top bunk bed."
"Thank you Mr. Tennyson!"
"Oh please Ruby, Mr. Tennyson is what my sons go by. Call me Max."
Nora spoke up. "Wow, lots of adults telling us to call them by their first names today huh?"
"I'll say." Jaune replied. "Kinda weird."
Max's attention returned to his grandson. "Ben, do you have a plan going forward?"
Ben nodded. "Yes actually, Yang and Ruby's dad said that we can all bunk over at his place on the island of Patch. Earliest ferry leaves tomorrow morning. You wanna come with, Grandpa?"
Max smiled. "Of course I will. Can't just let my family go without me now can I? But before you go to sleep, there's something else I need to tell you."
"That being?"
"General Ironwood was wondering if you wanted to hold off the discussion of what happened during the battle until tomorrow. Not only for you all to get some sleep, but also because Qrow just came back in a drunken stupor and he wants him to be sober for that talk."
At the mention of her uncle, Yang gave out an irritated groan. "Ugh, yeah, that sounds like Uncle Qrow alright."
Ben sighed as he answered his grandfather. "Don't worry Grandpa, it can wait till tomorrow."
Max nodded. "Okay then, I'll tell him that. Oh, and by the way, you left this in the Rustbucket during your last visit." Max pulled a DVD box out of his shirt pocket and handed it to Ben. It was a trilogy collection, and when the hero saw the titles, he smiled.
"Thanks Grandpa, goodnight." Ben and Gwen hugged Max and he left the room. Ben looked around the room and sure enough there was a big screen TV screwed to the wall, big enough for everyone to see. And it had a built-in DVD player. "Okay, question to the people of Remnant here... do you guys know what a dinosaur is?"
Weiss raised a brow. "The term doesn't sound familiar. Why, what is it?"
Ben strode over to the TV and put a DVD in it. "Well, dinosaurs are actually multiple different types of giant lizards that once roamed our planet, Earth, around sixty five million years ago. They're actually what inspired me to name Humungousaur after."
"Okay that actually sounds pretty cool." Yang said. "So why bring it up?"
Ben smiled. "'Cause we're going to be watching a movie about dinosaurs tonight. And I couldn't be happier that THIS movie is the first one from our dimension that you guys get to see, because it's one of my favorites. So sit back, relax..." he pressed Play on the TV. "And welcome... to Jurassic Park."