Chapter 7: Fairy Tale Secrets
...
Last night might have been crazy, but it ended on a high note. At least that's what Gwen thought. As the Anodite-human hybrid got up on instinct at 5:30 in the morning and began her stretches outside the hospital room, she thought back to how much Teams RWBY and JNPR had loved Jurassic Park. Everyone marveled at the Brachiosaurus and Triceratops, were excitedly scared by the Dilophosaurus and Velociraptor, and now Yang, Ruby, Nora, Jaune and Pyrrha were all in the club dedicated to Tyrannosaurus Rex. When Ben was about to pop in The Lost World, Gwen had to hold him off so that they could all get some rest. Her cousin relented, though not without a tiny pout.
Just as she finished stretching, there came an unexpected new presence as Blake exited the room. "Oh, there you are Gwen." The cat girl semi-whispered, gently closing the door behind her. "What're you doing up this early?"
"Good morning, Blake. I always get up at five thirty." The redhead explained. "What're you doing up this early?"
Blake's cheeks suddenly had a new shade of pink on them. "O-oh, well... you see... I'm just..."
Gwen smiled and crossed her arms. "Going to see Monkey Boy?"
Blake sighed. "Yes. I got a message from him on my scroll, and he said he wanted see me. So I thought I'd pay him and his team a visit."
Gwen chuckled. "Don't worry, I get it. Actually I'm glad you're up because I wanted to ask you something."
"Sure, what's up?"
"Well, do you remember how you and Yang took down Adam with that cool move yesterday and how I said I've never seen anyone fight like that before?"
"Yes actually, and again, thanks for that compliment."
"No problem. I was actually wondering if I could somehow study how you guys fight the way you do. I'm really intrigued by it."
"Well, there's really no easy way to put it into words but... oh! Wait a second." Blake took out her scroll and handed it to Gwen. "Our scrolls have all of our fights recorded on them, if you want to study, this is probably the best way."
"You guys record all your training sessions?"
"And our tournament fights. Mandatory by school rules. It helps us focus on what we have to work on. Trust me, you'll find a lot of stuff on there."
Gwen shrugged and smiled at her Faunus friend. "I guess I will. Thanks Blake, I'll make sure this gets back to you." she smiled. "Now, I believe Mr. Sun is waiting."
Blake's blush returned. "Heh, yeah. Tell me what you find and I'll see if I can help you out with anything, okay?"
Gwen gave a thumbs-up. "You got it."
...
After a short elevator ride, Blake and Gwen parted ways. The redhead went to the cafeteria on the bottom floor to get some food and begin her study session, while the Faunus girl only went a few floors down to the hospital room that held Team SSSN. She was curious to see what the Mistralian team's condition was, but she also had to tell Sun about the Patch arrangement. It meant a lot that Sun cared about her, and she couldn't lie, she was interested to see where things between them would go from here, but his position as leader had to come first.
Blake came to a halt in front of the room number Sun had messaged her and gently knocked on the door. A moment passed before it creaked open, Sun poking his head out with his face lighting up with a smile as he saw her. "Hey!" he whispered.
She smiled back. "Hey. So, how's your team doing?"
Sun sighed. "See for yourself." He moved the door open quietly and Blake peered inside, her eyes widening at the team's condition. Scarlet and Sage were both in hospital beds. While not in critical condition, they were both in casts, Scarlet with one arm in a sling, while Sage had a leg wrapped up and suspended. Neptune was the only one not in a bed, though he was not without injury, his shoulders wrapped in gauze. He was also the only other one awake, giving Blake a small smile and wave, to which she waved back. Neptune gave a nod to his leader and Sun smiled back, silently closing the door.
Blake was visibly worried. "Are they going to be okay?"
"Yeah, they'll be alright. Believe me, those guys are as tough as nails. They'll be laid up for a while though."
"So what are you guys going to do?"
"Not sure yet, we're hoping to stay and help out in the city a bit, but that's looking less likely for Scar and Sage, given their injuries. Neptune and I are hoping to stay at least."
Blake nodded. "I see."
"So, what're your plans?"
"Well, we've decided that we're all going out to Patch where Yang and Ruby's dad lives."
"Woah, all of you guys? Including Team JNPR and Ben's squad?"
"Yep, all of us... but Sun, I want you to remember what I said to you back at Beacon."
"You mean about... oh... you don't want me coming with you?"
"Well, of course I would, but you still have a responsibility to your team and—"
"Ahem." The two's attention was brought to the door where Neptune was standing. The blue haired boy walked out, a smile on his face. "Blake, I'm glad you're concerned for us, but really, the three of us are good here on our own. We don't need our leader here to baby sit us. Besides, once we're good to go, we'll just come out there to visit you guys anyway."
Blake's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Y-you're sure you're okay with that Neptune?"
Sun stepped in too. "Yeah Neptune, if you need me here I can..."
"Stop." Neptune raised his hand. "Look Sun, it's obvious you want to go with her. Trust me, I get it. And you know what? We don't have any right to keep you here." He put a hand on his leader's shoulder. "Do what you want to do man, we're not gonna stop you." Neptune looked over to Blake with a grin. "And Blake? I really appreciate your concern, but don't worry too much about it. We'll be alright here, trust me."
Blake blinked twice in shock. "Well... okay, if you say so."
"Great! Now, you guys have three hours before your boat leaves, so be ready for that okay? We'll be sure to see you soon. And Sun?" Neptune gave his leader a thumbs-up. "Good luck."
Sun did the same. "Thanks dude." Neptune went back into the room and silently closed the door behind him, leaving the two alone in the hall behind him.
Blake was in a little bit of disbelief. "Huh, well that happened." She smiled at Sun. "Looks like you're going with us after all."
"Yeah." Sun smiled back. "Neptune's cool like that. So... want to head to the cafeteria? We could get some breakfast and maybe talk over a cup of tea before we go?"
Blake let out a small laugh. "Sun, you know me too well."
...
Yang's eyes flittered open as the sun began to filter in through the window. She didn't want to get up, but then she remembered where she was; a hospital room. She sat up as the events of last night came surging back. Her eyes darted around the room, only to then settle upon another conscious body standing over by the window. 'Ah, there you are Green Boy.' She thought with a smile.
True to form, Ben was looking out the window, his signature green jacket slung over his shoulder. Yang's smile grew as she decided to have a little fun. She cupped her hands together and clenched her fingers to make it resemble a toothy maw of a beast. She quietly snuck over behind Ben and put her hands over his shoulder, moving them up and down as she quietly spoke in a raspy voice: "Rawr! I'm a T-Rex! Imma eat ya!"
Ben almost burst out in a fit of laughter but cupped his hand over his mouth to prevent anyone from waking up. He smiled as Yang stood next to him. "Yang, really? You're trying to make me laugh in a room full of sleeping people?"
Yang shrugged. "Hey, gotta entertain myself somehow. And you were ripe for the picking."
"I'm honored." Ben said with an eye roll. "So, I take it you liked the movie last night?"
"Um, try loved. How your world was graced with dinosaurs and not ours is beyond me. Plus it was just a really good movie."
"Heh, glad you think so. Well, we've got two hours before the first ferry leaves. I guess you're glad to be going home after all this?"
Yang sighed. "Yeah, a little bit." She gazed out the window and what remained of Vale. There was still a lot left standing, but there was still so much that had been destroyed. "Ben, if I told you that this city was once really beautiful, would you believe me?"
"Oh, definitely. Just from looking at it I could tell it was an awesome city. And I'm sure it will be again someday."
"Yeah, but that's going to take a while. You know, when we first came to Beacon, I told Ruby that it would be our new home away from home. I was so psyched to start becoming a proper Huntress... but I guess sometimes, life has a way of just pulling you out from the rug you're standing on huh?"
"I know the feeling. It's happened to me more times than I can really count. Heck, finding the Omnitrix was one of those times. But if there's one thing I've learned about life, it's that you roll with the punches it throws and then you punch it right back in the face."
Yang smirked. "You know Ben, I think you and I may be on the same wave length on this one. I like your logic."
Ben smiled back. "Thanks." Suddenly, both of their stomachs started rumbling. "And with that, I think it's time for breakfast."
Yang laughed. "Okay, now I know we're on the same wave length."
...
When Ben and Yang found their way to the cafeteria, they found it was actually pretty quiet. But the duo did see a few faces they recognized, namely; Cooper, who was sitting at a table with Team CFVY, the blonde boy's crutches propped up against the back of one of the seats. The two waved over to them and all five waved back, Cooper giving a two fingered salute to Ben.
The two then saw the table next to them was occupied by another familiar face; Gwen, whose attention had been gained by CFVY's hand waving. She looked over and a smile took over her features as she waved to Ben and Yang, giving a signal to come over. They obliged, but only after obtaining their meals.
"Morning Gwen." Ben said as he sat down.
"How's it going Red?" Yang asked she sat down next to him.
Gwen chuckled. "Good morning you guys. I'm doing fine, thank you."
"Great." Ben smiled to his technopath friend. "Coop, I see you made some friends."
Cooper smiled back and nodded. "Sure have. Ben, meet Team CFVY. You know Coco already, but let me introduce you to Fox Alistair, Velvet Scarlatina, and Yatsuhashi Daichi."
Fox waved. "Hey."
Yatsuhashi bowed his head. "It is an honor."
Velvet smiled. "Pleasure to meet you, Ben,"
Ben waved back. "Pleasure's all mine." He focused his attention to the team's leader. "I hope Cooper hasn't given you too much grief Coco, he can be quite the handful."
Cooper reeled back. "Oh c'mon Ben, what'd I ever do to you?!"
Coco put a hand on his shoulder. "Relax Tech Head, you're bud's just bustin' your chops a little." She turned to Ben. "But in all seriousness, he's been just fine. He's actually been telling us all about the world you guys come from."
Velvet's eyes lit up. "It sounds spectacular! I wish I could go there someday."
Fox leaned forward. "So Ben, is it true what Cooper's been telling us? About your watch?"
Ben raised his arm and showed the watch in question. "Every bit of it."
Fox ginned. "Cool."
"Could you show us?" Velvet asked.
Ben's eyes shifted around the room. "Not in here. You never know who might be watching. Besides, I'm trying to start fresh with my secret identity. But, I'll try to show you later."
Velvet nodded in understanding. "Oh, of course."
It was then that Yang noticed something odd. "Hey Gwen, why do you have Blake's scroll?"
The redhead looked up to the blonde. "Oh, she loaned it to me for a while. I wanted to get an idea of how you guys fight so that I could be ready for our training."
"Huh, neat." Yang said. "Speaking of, where IS Blake?"
Gwen smirked. "Oh, over there, having a little chat with you-know-who."
Yang whirled her head around to see Blake sitting at a two person table with Sun. They were having quite the conversation by the looks of it, and they both wore bright smiles, something that made Yang smile as well. "Ah, I see. 'Bout time those two actually enjoy themselves."
"They've been going like that for about an hour." Gwen explained. "Sun's coming with us by the way."
"Really?" Ben asked.
"Yep, he got special permission from his team." Gwen looked back over to the two conversing teens. "You know, I'm surprised those two aren't an item. They seem to get along so well."
"You're telling me." Yang said before taking a swig of her coffee. "Do you know how long I've been pushing for those two to get together? Five. Months. It's been ungodlyirritating to just see them beating around the bush for that long."
Gwen nodded. "I can imagine. Though that's a bit ironic coming from me. It took me and Kevin around the same amount of time for our relationship to really start."
Ben smirked as he sipped his own coffee. "And you two stillacted awkward around each other for another three months after."
Gwen narrowed her eyes. "Doofus."
Ben smiled back. "Dweeb."
Yang smirked as her eyes darted between the two cousins. "Am I missing something or is this just something you guys do?"
"It's just an old habit of ours, pay it no mind." Gwen waved off.
Yang shrugged. "Alright then. So Gwen, now that you've seen what we can do, what do you think?"
"Hmm..." Gwen closed the scroll. "Well, from what I've gone over, I can safely say this: Weiss is very disciplined and precise when she fights. Blake uses stealth to her advantage whenever she can. Ruby relies on Cresent Rose a little too much, but she's very good at using it. And you Yang, you're very hands on when it comes to how you fight, quite literally."
"Heh, yeah, my dad taught me how. He's a brawler like me." Her head tilted down slightly. "Though, after last night, I've realized that there's still a lot that I need to work on."
"Namely?"
Yang sighed. "Blake was right last night. I... I rushed in to help her without thinking. And..." she lifted her right arm, "I almost lost my arm as a result. I let my anger get the better of me... again."
Gwen nodded. "I know what it's like to be angry when fighting, Yang. I fought angrily when a bunch of aliens kidnapped not only Grandpa Max, but my brother too. Needless to say, I wasn't happy. Anger can be a powerful weapon, but it can also be one's downfall, just look at what we did to Adam last night."
Yang's face hardened. "Yeah, and I could have had worse happen to me. But... I don't want that to happen anymore. I want to be able to protect my team, my family, without losing my cool." She propped her chin up with her hand with a sigh. "I'm just not sure where to start."
Gwen smiled. "I might."
That got Yang's attention. "Huh?"
"Yang, I might not look it, but I'm actually quite experienced in multiple different forms of martial arts. I think I might be able to show you a few things."
"Sooo, you think showing me more ways to fight, will help me control my anger?"
"Well... kind of. You see, the kind of martial arts I practice not only focus the body, but also the mind." Gwen put her fingers to her temples for emphasis. "They involve many different techniques that help you find your center and put you in a more peaceful state... while also helping you improve your combat skills."
"And you think that'll help me?"
"Well, it's not an instant fix, but I'm sure it'll be beneficial for you. I know many people whose lives have improved after they learned these techniques, including myself. So, what do you say?"
After mulling it over in her head for a moment, Yang smiled and offered her hand to the redhead. "Well, I guess there's no harm in trying. You've got a deal, Red!"
Gwen smiled and accepted the handshake. "Great! We start tomorrow."
"Good. I just hope you can keep up with me if you decide you want to spar. 'Cause I won't go easy on ya!"
Gwen laughed. "Hehe, don't worry. If I can't keep up with you, I'm sure my darling cousin would be more than happy to be your punching bag."
That got Yang to laugh as Ben gave his cousin an incredulous look. "Hey! C'mon Gwen, I'm capable of fighting back!"
Yang put a hand on his shoulder. "Ben relax, Gwen's pulling your chain. Kind of what you were doing to Coop earlier." She smirked at him. "That said, I could totally take you on in a one-on-one fight."
After a second of stunned silence, Ben had a smirk of his own. "Oh, really? Is that a challenge Miss Xiao-Long?"
"Maaaybe." Yang said with a sly grin. "If you're willing to bet on it."
"Well, if that's the case then you are so on! What do you want to wager?"
"Well, you're going to be my guest for a while, so I guess it's only fair I let you choose how you lose a bet."
"Hmm..." Ben put a finger to his chin in thought before an idea came to his head. "How do you feel about smoothies?"
Yang smiled. "Ooh, I love me a good smoothie."
"Awesome. So whoever loses has to buy smoothies for both. Agreed?"
Yang nodded. "Sure, but only if the winner gets to choose the flavor."
Gwen's eyes widened in horror, 'Oh honey, you do NOT want to make that bet.' she thought. Before she could stop either of them, they both said; "Deal!" and shook each other's hand, sealing the bet. Gwen couldn't fathom the hole that Yang had dug herself into. 'I should have told her about Ben's addiction to weird smoothie flavors! She'd better hope she wins or else...'
However, as she observed the two, Gwen could see something in Ben's eyes as he looked at his blonde opponent, something that the redhead hadn't seen for a while; her cousin's jovial yet determined nature. It was what she had always seen when they were growing up, something that she initially thought was grating, yet grew to appreciate. But from all the ups and downs that life gave them, Ben would fluctuate with it. She could tell just from their talk over the phone yesterday that the break up with Julie had affected him a lot more than he'd let on. But now... it almost seemed like he was complete again.
Gwen glanced over to Yang and the Blonde Brawler had the same look in her eyes, though she seemed to have a bit more fire behind her gaze. It was obvious that Yang was just as fun loving as Ben was, even if she was a lot more bombastic about it. It was shocking to Gwen how the two just seemed to click. It made the redhead glad to see that her cousin had a kindred spirit in this dimension. Gwen wore a sly smile as the two future combatants went to their meals. 'This is going to be fun.'
...
Half an hour later, Kevin, Ruby, Weiss and Team JNPR all came down to the cafeteria, with Blake and Sun coming over to join them. As they ate, the teens began going over who was going to take which mode of transport to the ferry that morning. Ruby, Weiss and Blake agreed to ride along with Kevin and Gwen in the Osmosian's car again while Team JNPR said it would be easiest for Pyrrha if they took the Rustbucket with Max, since the RV had beds that the Invincible Girl could rest on to make things easier. Sun decided that he'd be going in the Rustbucket as well since it was the only option. As for Ben, turned to Yang and asked;
"I was actually hoping we could possibly take Bumblebee again?"
Yang smiled. "No problem! See? All you have to do is ask."
"Heh, yeah." Ben swore from the corner of his eye that Ruby was giving him a look of skepticism. He turned his head to her but she just glanced off to the side, sipping her hot cocoa. With that lingering in his mind, he decided to address his technopathic friend. "What about you Coop? What're you gonna do?"
Cooper gave a nervous smile. "Well... you see..."
"Funny you should mention that Benjamin." The group turned around at the new voice to see Professor Goodwitch approaching them, General Ironwood and Qrow not far behind. "You see, I've offered Cooper to stay here so that he could not only recover, but help us in the city. There's much rebuilding to be done and I have a feeling that his abilities will be most useful in that endeavor."
Gwen was surprised. "Is that true Cooper? You're staying?"
Cooper nodded. "Yeah, while I'd like nothing more to join you guys, I figured that my abilities are best suited here. Besides, Miss Goodwitch is offering to pay me for it, and since we're probably going to be here for a while, I might as well."
Ironwood approached the table. "Speaking of which," he pulled three gold and black credit cards out of his coat pocket with an odd symbol on them. "These cards contain Lien, our world's currency." The General passed one card each to Ben, Gwen and Kevin. "I've linked you three into a special account associated with the Atlesian Forces since I don't think you will be getting jobs here. But please, try not to drain it all in one place, am I clear?"
"Crystal." Ben said as he put the card in his wallet. "Now... about last night."
Ironwood nodded. "Right. If everyone would please follow me, we'll take this matter to somewhere more private." The entire group, Sun and Team CFVY included, got up and went back to the hospital room. The teens sat down on the cots as Ironwood took center stage.
"Alright, let's get started." Ironwood pulled back the sleeve off his bionic arm, a part of it sliding up to reveal a built-in keypad. "Now, since Mercury and Emerald claimed to be associated with Cinder Fall last night..." Ironwood typed into the keypad and a holographic screen popped up from his wrist. The screen showed a picture of four people. From left to right there was a girl with black hair in pigtails, Emerald, Mercury and Cinder. "Ben, Pyrrha, the girl on the far right, is she...?"
"Yep, that's her." Ben said immediately. "The one with the malicious grin."
Pyrrha nodded. "He is correct, that's Cinder"
Ironwood scowled at the picture. "I see, and I can only assume the other girl is associated with them as well."
Ruby's eyes widened. "Wait a second, I've seen Cinder before! I bumped into her one day at Beacon! She was with Emerald and Mercury too!"
Ironwood listened intently. "I see. Ruby, do you remember the night of the dance?"
"How could I not? I got trounced by that girl so bad... wait a second."
"Do you suppose that Cinder might have been the one who infiltrated the Comm Room?"
"It... it makes too much sense. Now that I have a good look at her, I guess she does resemble that girl a little."
Ironwood nodded and pulled back his sleeve, shutting the holo-screen off. "Right, then I'll put out an alert for these four. If anyone sees them, it is to be immediately reported."
"Good." Ben said. "Now, do we have a motive... other than the obvious?"
Ironwood sighed. "Well, if she purposefully went up into that tower, then she was most likely hoping to destroy the CCTS."
"The what?" Ben asked.
"The Cross-Continental Transmit System." Glynda explained. "It is what keeps the four kingdoms of Remnant connected in terms of communication and media."
"We're fortunate that the system is still up and running," Ironwood continued, "but there will be consequences of this, consequences that you all needn't worry about. This is our mess, and we need to clean it up."
Jaune leaned forward. "Okay, so where does the girl inside the tube in that vault fit into the equation? And what does Pyrrha have to do with all this?"
The question shocked and confused nearly everyone at the table except for the three adults, and to a lesser extent, Ben and Gwen. Qrow, who had been silent for a majority of the conversation, decided to speak up. "Listen kid, you all did good last night, but there are somethings in the world you're just not ready for ye—"
Ironwood raised a hand. "No Qrow, they deserve to know."
"Look Jimmy, I know things are crazy right now, but these kids—"
"Are not children anymore!" the General yelled with a swipe of his hand. "Not after last night." Ironwood redirected his attention to Pyrrha. "Miss Nikos, I know that this is much too soon, so if you wish to leave the room..."
"No, General." Pyrrha dismissed. "I will stay. In fact I owe it to my team to tell them myself. I have to make amends for my lies." The Invincible Girl turned to her team, Team RWBY, Ben, Gwen and Kevin, with Team CFVY, Cooper, and Sun also listening in. "Everyone... what is your favorite fairy tale?"
...
After a very long explanation of events, the sixteen teenagers were all in a state of stunned silence as Pyrrha sat with her head down. Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Cooper were a bit less shocked since they had experienced this kind of thing before; the concept of certain fairy tales having a grain of truth wasn't foreign to them. However, that didn't stop the others from speaking their minds about it.
"Well... damn." Yang said.
"Oookay," Coco spoke up. "That is... quite the story."
"That's putting it mildly." Weiss added.
"I... I never thought something like that could ever be real." Blake stated.
"Pyrrha... is this all true?" Ruby asked.
Pyrrha nodded with her head still down. "It is. Every word of it." She suddenly felt Jaune move a little closer next to her on the cot and she closed her eyes. "Jaune, I cannot begin to apologize enough for this. I..." She suddenly felt a pair of arms envelope her in a gentle hug, arms she knew belonged to Jaune. She felt him nestle his head into her shoulder, a sensation that felt nice, but also had a bit of grief behind it.
The blonde knight spoke softly. "Pyrrha, when you asked me if it was your destiny to save the world... is this what you meant? Taking on some weird powers from a fairy tale?"
Pyrrha could feel herself losing her composure. The most important person in her life was not angry at her. Instead, he was comforting her. She returned the embrace and silently cried into his shoulder, managing to choke out the words: "I'm sorry... I am so very sorry."
Jaune continued to soothe her. "Pyrrha, it's okay. You don't have to be sorry about anything."
"But I LIED to you! Why aren't you ANGRY?!"
"Because I could never be angry at you. Pyrrha, you're important to me, to all of us. If we lost you... I don't know what we'd do. All I care about right now is that you're still with us."
"You're... not upset?"
"No! Of course not. Why would I be?"
Pyrrha felt Nora's hand on her shoulder. "Pyrrha, we all do things that we regret. Some of us more than others. Trust me."
She then heard Ren's voice. "What Nora means is that when something like this happens, we cannot linger on it for too long or else it begins to eat away at our minds. The best thing we CAN do is learn from it."
Pyrrha let the words of her teammates sink in and she pulled herself off of Jaune's shoulder. She looked around to every team in the room, each of them all giving her friendly, supportive smiles, no ill will behind any gaze. Pyrrha's tears of pain quickly fled, now being replaced by tears of joy. "Thank you so much... all of you." she said as she wiped her tears away. "I am very glad that... that you do not hate me."
"Believe me Pyrrha," Glynda said as she rested a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, "nobody here hates you." The professor sat down next to her student on the cot. "Really, it's our own fault for not being prepared for all of this. Ozpin brought us together to help protect the world... but now..." Her gaze shifted down, her thoughts of regret taking over. "I am ashamed to call myself a teacher. I should have never let it come to this."
Pyrrha could tell that her professor was completely upset about all of this, and it broke her heart to see the woman so distraught. Pyrrha reached out her hand and softly grasped Glynda's. This got the woman's attention as she met her student's gaze. Pyrrha smiled. "Professor Goodwitch, I do not hold this against you. It's like Ren said, the best we can do is learn from situations like this. Even teachers need to learn a few things, correct?"
Glynda was shocked, but she smiled soon after. "I... I suppose so. Thank you, Pyrrha. That means very much."
"You're welcome. And I am sure you will make an excellent Headmistress." The Invincible Girl turned to her friends with a smile. "Am I right?"
The students in the room immediately erupted into cheers for Goodwitch, who couldn't feel any happier and relieved. The students who she helped to grow were now cheering her on, ready to support her in any way possible. "Thank you everyone." she said. "I promise, when Beacon reopens, I will make certain that this does not happen again." She smiled to Ben, Gwen, Kevin and Cooper. "And you four would be more than welcome to join us there."
Ben smiled back. "Thank you Miss Goodwitch, that sounds awesome."
"Correction: sounds more than awesome." Gwen added.
"Sure does." Kevin said. "Though, good luck finding an anagram for our team name."
Glynda chuckled. "Oh, I'm certain I can come up with something. We don't just use first names in our naming system you know."
"Alright then." Ben returned his attention to Ironwood. "One more thing, Cinder said that she had been "pushed in the right direction" by someone so she could get the Maiden powers. That's a red flag if ever I've heard one. Any idea who it might be?"
"Indeed." Ironwood said. "We are most definitely dealing with Salem, an old enemy of Ozpin's. She wishes to rule the world by snuffing out the hope in humanity. My guess is that she plans to do this by stealing the Maiden powers."
Qrow spoke up again. "Believe me kid, you do NOT want to run into this bitch in a dark alley. I've seen the shit she's created and it isn't for the lighthearted. They are fear incarnate."
"Wow, dark." Ben said.
"So what will happen next?" Weiss asked "They only have the Fall Maiden powers, and the CCTS is still up. Will they try to attack again?"
"Not likely." Goodwitch answered. "They know we'll be ready for them if they decide to attack again. Although they may try to target the other kingdom's communication towers, so we'll have to inform them. We've probably set their plans back by months, so we at least have some time."
"Well that's SOME good news at least." Blake said.
"Exactly. We'll begin forming a plan, but there's still much work to be done in this city, so we'd better get started on that first. When the time comes, we'll make sure to inform all of you on what we're going to do, but right now I believe you all have a boat to catch."
"You couldn't be anymore right, Miss Goodwitch." Everyone turned to the door to see that Max had entered the room. "Morning, kids! The ferry leaves in an hour, so everyone get in gear! We leave in thirty." The old man winked. "So don't be late."
...
After clearing out the cots, the group of teenagers now stood in the spacious hospital room. Sun had gone to say goodbye to his team before he left, but Team CFVY was still there, waiting for Ben to keep his word. They all watched with baited breath as the hero scrolled through his options, looking for a good alien to show the aforementioned team before they headed out. "Alright, everyone ready?" Ben asked as he looked around to everyone. They were all visibly excited, except for Gwen, Kevin and Cooper of course. "Okay, here goes!"
Ben slammed the core down and began to transform. The alien seemed to mostly resemble an iguana, though it also had the qualities of a fish, such as three large fins on its back and two sets of gills on its neck. The creature was blue and it had black markings going down the sides of its face and over its eyes. It only had three fingers and it wore a black open chested shirt with white pants. The eyes were green and the Omnitrix symbol was on its chest. "Arctiguana!"
The three teams from Beacon Academy were in awe, though Team CFVY seemed the most entranced, Coco less so since she saw Ben transform thrice already. Velvet had the biggest grin on her face, Yastuhashi was staring wide eyed at the creature and Fox was surprised, though he seemed to be the most questionable. "So what's this thing do anyway?"
Arctiguana smiled as best he could for a lizard. "Take a few steps back everyone." The group did as asked and made a large space for him. Arctiguana took a deep breath and forced it out, causing a beam of immense cold to fire from his mouth. The tiled floor in front of him now had a large spike of ice planted into it.
As the group looked on in awe, Ben stepped to the ice spike. "Now, for my next trick." He pressed the Omnitrix symbol and transformed into a different alien, this one made of rock and fire. "Heatblast!" Ben touched his hand to the ice and it immediately began to melt down into water. Following that, Heatblast increased his heat level so that the water condensed even further into steam, dissipating out of the open window. Ben changed back to normal and he took a bow. "Tada!"
A round of applause came from the entire room, the teens cheering for the performance. "Not bad Ben 10," Coco said, "not bad at all."
"Not bad?! Coco, it was amazing!" Velvet exclaimed.
"Indeed, most impressive." Yastuhashi added.
Fox shrugged. "Eh, I guess it is pretty cool."
"Thanks." Ben said. "But now I think we need to head out. Team CFVY, it's been a pleasure meeting you." He shook each of their hands. "And Coco, make sure Coop over there stays out of trouble. For us, okay?"
Coco chuckled. "I'll do my best, Tennyson."
Ben nodded and went back over to Cooper, who had just shook Kevin's hand had gotten a hug from Gwen. Ben smiled and gave the blonde a handshake of his own. "Coop, good luck with your new job. I hope you visit us over on Patch once and a while."
"Of course I will." The technopath reassured. "Trust me, going by what Goodwitch told me, I'm probably going to need a break once and a while."
"Right. And also..." Ben gave a sly wink, "good luck with you-know-who."
Cooper blushed as he gave quick glance over to Coco, moving his eyes back to Ben before she could notice. "You know, you're not making this any easier for me."
Ben's grin widened. "I know." The teens exited the room and the two groups went their separate ways, confident that they would all meet again.
...
A few minutes later outside the hospital, Kevin closed the trunk of his car and dusted off his hands. "Alright, think that's everything. What little we have anyway." The Osmosian glanced over his shoulder at Yang and Ben, the Blonde Brawler leaning on Bumblebee. "You guys all set?"
Yang put on her aviators. "Ready as I'll ever be. After all that talk about Maidens and junk, I'm just ready to go back home and see my dad."
Ben chuckled as he put on his helmet. "I'm sure he's eager to see you too. Hope he's ready though, he's gonna have quite a few mouths to feed."
Yang shrugged. "Eh, the Xiao-Long household's always had healthy appetites so it shouldn't be a problem."
Kevin looked over to the Rustbucket to see Team JNPR loading up, Jaune having to carry Pyrrha up the stairway as Sun brought in the wheelchair. He then turned around to see Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Gwen approaching, all ready to leave. "So we ready?" Blake asked.
"Yep." Kevin answered. "So, Monkey Boy's coming with us huh?"
"Apparently so." Weiss answered. "Although, I certainlycouldn't imagine why." She gave Blake a sly smile. "Would you happen to know, Blake?"
Blake blushed and looked off to the side. "I have no clue what you're talking about."
Weiss smirked. "Huh-uh."
"Well, in any case, we're almost ready." Kevin said as he opened the passenger side door and slid the front seat forward. "I just gotta check on something first." Kevin lifted the entire back seat up to reveal a secret compartment full of DVD cases, video games, gaming consoles, and most surprisingly, a bunch of books. Team RWBY's eyes widened at the reveal.
Yang tilted her sunglasses down and looked inside with a whistle. "Snazzy."
Gwen's eyebrows rose. "Oh yeah, forgot we had that."
"What IS it?!" Ruby asked.
"It's an emergency stash that Ben and I put together." Kevin explained. "It's so if we happen to be any place for a long time, we have some things to entertain ourselves."
Ben approached the compartment, picking through it. "Yep, we got DVD's of our favorite shows and movies, some of our game consoles, both portable AND stationary, and some of Gwen and mine's favorite book series."
That got Blake's attention. "Books from another dimension? Could I... possibly..."
Gwen smiled. "Yes Blake, you can read them. That goes for all of you by the way."
Weiss looked into the compartment with a skeptical look. "Is all this really necessary though?"
"Weiss, trust me," Kevin said as he lowered the seat back down, "you'd be surprised by the places this car goes. Besides, if Tennyson doesn't have anything Pokémon related for an extended period of time, he gets cranky."
"Hey! No I don't!" Ben argued. "My hobbies don't over take my life like that, Levin!"
"Um, excuse me," Ruby spoke up, "but what's Pokémon?"
The Alien Trio's eyes widened. They had genuinely never heard that question asked before. Ben snapped out of it, saying; "Oh wow, we really DO need to show you guys everything."
From behind the group came a sudden honk and they turned around to see Max pulling up next to them in the Rustbucket, giving them a thumbs-up to show he was ready to go. They could see Sun in the passenger seat as well as Ren and Nora peering out of the side windows. From the back window, they saw Pyrrha and Jaune waving to them.
Kevin turned back to the others. "Well, looks like that's our cue. Load up everyone, we're outta here!" Yang and Ben got on Bumblebee as Kevin, Gwen and the rest of Team RWBY entered his car. Kevin gave a thumbs-up back to Max and the three vehicles were off to the docks, ready to board the ferry that would take them to their new home for the foreseeable future.
...
Ironwood, Glynda and Qrow watched as the vehicles left the parking lot, the general sighing as they drove out of sight. "This is just one big mess."
"Tell me about it, Jimmy." Qrow replied. "But hey, at least you don't have to tell any life changing things to your fifteen-year-old niece about her mother."
"Right, I wish you luck with that by the way. When will you tell her?"
"When the time is right. I gotta make sure Tai is there for it. Ya can't just drop a bombshell that big on a girl like Ruby. It needs to be done right."
"I see." Goodwitch said. "So are you heading out with them?"
"Soon, but first, I need a drink."
"It's only eight thirty! For god's sake Qrow show somerestraint!"
Chapter 8: Homecoming
...
The normally busy streets of Vale were now mostly silent as the trio of Bumblebee, Kevin's car and the Rustbucket all drove to the docks, on their way to catch the next ferry to Patch. From inside the Osmosian's car, Ruby Rose looked out the window at all of the damage the city had sustained in the attack. Fortunately, military from both Atlas and Vale were cooperating with many Huntsmen and Huntresses in the rescue operations. From what she could see, there had been many casualties, but there were also many men, women and children being pulled from the wreckage alive. This had been a major hit, but even in all this chaos, the silver-eyed girl could still see a small glimmer of hope. Still, the events of yesterday weighed on her mind, and from what General Ironwood told them earlier, she knew just who to blame.
'How?' Ruby thought. 'How can a woman be so soulless to want to see hope be destroyed?'
She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard someone call out her name. "Ruby?" The Hooded Huntress looked up to see Gwen looking back to her from the passenger's seat with concern. "Hey, are you okay?" the redhead asked. "You've been like that since we left the hospital."
Ruby immediately put a smile on her face. "Oh! Yeah, I'm good Gwen, thanks for asking."
Weiss gave her partner a skeptic look. "Ruby, no offense, but I can tell that you are not one-hundred percent okay. If there's something bothering you, you can tell us."
Blake nodded. "She's right Ruby. Just because you're our leader doesn't mean you need to keep your emotions bottled up like that."
Ruby sighed as she hugged her arms. "I-I'm sorry, it's just... I can't begin to imagine someone being cruel enough to want to see hope itself die."
Gwen reached her hand back and grasped Ruby's "It's okay Ruby, trust me, hope isn't something that's easily killed. It'd take a lot to do something like that. So you know what? Let's make sure it doesn't happen."
Ruby smiled, her face filled with determination. "Thanks Gwen, sounds like a plan!"
"A very vague plan, but a plan nonetheless." Weiss pointed out.
Gwen smirked. "Thanks for the moral support, Weiss."
Blake shrugged. "Well, she has a point. We aren't experienced Huntresses, we're students with only one year of academy training under our belts. Where do we even start with something like this?"
Kevin spoke up, his eyes never leaving the road. "Well, let's see, you've got three ass-kicking world protectors and one experienced Plumber helping you train. I'd say that's a good start."
Ruby raised a brow in confusion. "And... what does plumbing have to do with fighting bad guys exactly?"
Gwen deadpanned. She was asked this question more times than she could count. "Not that kind of plumbing Ruby. In our world, there's an intergalactic law-enforcement organization known as the Plumbers. They're responsible for keeping the entire galaxy safe from alien threats. Our Grandpa Max is actually one of the best in the business."
"Oh, okay... so why do they call themselves the Plumbers?"
"I think it has something to do with "cleaning up the filth of space" or something like that. It's really weird, I know. By the way Ruby, where's your dog?"
"Oh, Zwei? I let him ride in the Rustbucket with your grandpa. I think he's taken a liking to him. Besides," Ruby glanced over to Blake with a sly grin, "better to have him in there than an enclosed space with Blake am I right?"
Gwen smiled at her Faunus friend. "Oh Blake, really? You're scared of dogs?"
Blake narrowed her eyes. "I am NOT scared of them. I just... don't like them is all."
Weiss smirked. "Says the girl who leaps over furniture just so she doesn't have to walk next to the little guy. Come on Blake, he's really friendly."
Blake crossed her arms. "Well, maybe I don't want to be friendly back."
"Okay, that's a little harsh." Gwen said. "Why don't we try to lighten the mood a bit?" She opened the glove compartment and pulled out a small purple rectangular device with a clam shell build. Gwen flipped it open, and at first Ruby couldn't' tell what it was, but as she got a closer look, she could tell it was a gaming device. It had a pair of screens, one on the top part, and one on the bottom. The bottom part had a circle pad and a D-pad on the left, four buttons marked A, B, X, and Y as well as a power button on the right. "Now Ruby, do you remember what you asked us before we left the hospital?"
Ruby nodded. "Yeah... so what exactly IS Pokémon?"
Gwen grinned as she turned the device on and placed it into Ruby's hand. "You're about to find out."
...
As Bumblebee zoomed through the city streets, Yang making sure to weave around any leftover debris, the two riders could see the docks coming into view, meaning their ride would have to end for now. But as they drew closer to the pier, Ben began to see another person waiting there looking out over the ocean, someone in very familiar white and gold armor.
"Hey! Isn't that Jaune's dad?!" Ben exclaimed over the revving engine.
Yang nodded. "Looks like it! Then again, who else would be wearing armor like that in the middle of the day?" The Blonde Brawler skidded to a halt behind the unsuspecting Arc patriarch, causing him to quickly turn around, a hand going to his sword in self-defense. But once he saw them, he returned the hand to his side and gave them a smile.
"Oh, morning you two. I thought I'd be seeing you all eventually." Jonathan said.
"Morning Mr. Arc." Ben waved. "How goes it?"
The knight sighed. "As well as it can go when you're aiding rescue efforts. Hey Yang, is that your motorcycle?"
Yang smiled and took off her sunglasses. "Yep! Her name's Bumblebee."
Jonathan seemed impressed. "I see. One of my eldest daughters has a bike too, but hers has a bit more of an... edge to it."
Yang's eyes lit up. "Ooh, what kind?"
"Chopper, black paint and chrome, lots of spikes and skulls."
Yang's eyebrows rose up. "Lemme guess, she's got a rebellious side."
Jonathan wore a proud smile. "Actually she's a police officer. Biking's just an off-work hobby of hers. Though yes, she was quite the rebel when she was a teenager, but that's another story. So, where's my boy?"
Ben pointed behind them to the Rustbucket, which had stopped behind Kevin's car. "Right in there, in my grandpa's RV with the rest of his team."
"Great, thank you Ben." Jonathan strode over to the RV, waving to Gwen, Kevin and the rest of Team RWBY in the Osmosian's car. He knocked on the door and it opened soon after, revealing... "Ah, you must be Ben's grandfather." He offered a handshake. "Jonathan Arc, Jaune's dad, pleased to meet you."
"Likewise. Max Tennyson." The old man introduced himself with a smile as he shook the armored hand. "You're son's right in the back." Max moved backward, allowing Jonathan to enter the Rustbucket. Once he did, the knight's eyes immediately found Team JNPR all gathered around a small bed that Pyrrha was resting on.
"Good morning Team JNPR, I hope you all had a good rest."
Jaune nodded as he walked over to his dad. "We did dad, at least as good as any rest on a hospital cot can be." The two hugged, their armor clunking against each other.
"Oh trust me Jaune, I've been there. Hell, sometimes I've had to sleep on the ground while on missions. It's just something you get used to in this business."
Nora waved frantically. "Hiya Mr. Arc! How's it goin'?"
Jonathan waved back. "Haha! There's that energy spike! I'm doin' good Nora how 'bout you?"
"Things are awesome! We've got some BIG plans for the next few months."
"I'm sure! You guys will certainly be preoccupied." The knight set his attention to the green ninja next to the Pink Dynamo. "Ren, how about you, what's up?"
"Not much." Ren bowed his head. "It's good to see you though, Jonathan."
"Good to see you as well." Jonathan then focused on the bed ridden warrior behind the three. "Hello Pyrrha."
Pyrrha smiled. "Hello again, Jonathan."
"Good to see that you're in good spirits. I'm sure you'll be glad to have your team with you as you heal, right?"
"Yes, I am very glad. But I still have more company on the way. My mother will be here in the coming days."
Jonathan smiled. "Ah, now that sounds excellent! I'm sure she'll be very happy to see you."
"Yes. I look forward to your family's visit in the coming weeks as well."
"And so do I. I called my wife last night and she's planning things out as we speak."
Jaune moved next to his father. "That's great to hear dad. Tell her I miss her and we'll see her soon, 'kay? Same for the girls?"
Jonathan patted his son on the shoulder. "Will do, son. Now, I think you guys have boat to get on." The father and son hugged again. "I'll see you in a couple weeks, Jaune. I love you."
"Love you too dad." The two separated with Jonathan ruffling his son's hair for good measure. The knightly huntsman strode over to the door and addressed everyone in the vehicle.
"Everyone, I wish you all good luck. I will see you again in two weeks' time. Until then..." Jonathan placed his helmet on his head. "Farewell!" The knight turned to the door and exited the Rustbucket with a salute, Team JNPR saluting back.
Once his dad left, Jaune looked up to the front seats. "Hey Sun, why the silent treatment? You were quiet for that whole thing. If you wanted to meet my dad, you could've said something."
From the passenger seat, Sun looked back to Team JNPR, with Zwei sitting in his lap. "Oh, it's okay dude. It just seemed like a personal moment so I didn't wanna interrupt."
Jaune shrugged. "It's cool man, my dad wouldn't have mind."
"If you say so. Now, why don't we get this show on the road huh? Or should I say... on the water?" The entire RV, baring Nora who let out a loud guffaw, groaned at Sun's bad joke.
...
Ben and Yang watched as Kevin's car and the Rustbucket pulled onto the ferry, them having already rolled Bumblebee onto the vessel minutes ago. Just as the green muscle car was put into park, the first passenger out was not the driver himself, but rather Ruby, and she settled her eyes on Ben. She moved past Gwen and marched right up to Ben, her gaze never letting up. She was also holding something in her hand, but Ben couldn't see what it was from her arms swinging as she walked.
The Omnitrix wielder was confused. "Huh, hey Ruby... what's up?"
Ruby stopped in front of him, a smile coming to her face. "Ben Tennyson, you have some explaining to do."
"What do I have to explain?"
Ruby's smile didn't falter as she showed him what she was holding; Gwen's Nintendo 3DS. "Why didn't you tell me about this AMAZING game sooner?! I've played many RPG's in my day but this is just too cool! How is it that your world has so many things that we don't have?!"
Yang was now just as confused as Ben. "Uh, Rubes, what are you talking about?"
Ben got a closer look at the screen and smiled. She was playing Pokémon. "Oh, looks like my cousin got to you before I could on that huh? So, which one did she give you?"
Ruby answered wholeheartedly; "Omega Ruby."
Ben rolled his eyes. "Of course." He shouted to his cousin; "Really clever Gwen! But I kinda wanted to be there to see how they'd react."
Gwen shrugged. "What can I say? It just seemed like the best time to do it."
Weiss got out of the car. "If it's any consolation Ben, I'm not really into video games, but I do think it looks rather cute."
Blake came out next. "It's definitely cute, but I'm more interested in reading your books, so I think I'll stick with those before trying it out."
Ben nodded. "Fair enough."
"Um, hello?" Yang said. "Still in the dark over here. Could somebody please tell me what I'm missing out on?"
Ruby's smile widened. "Yang, come with me to the Rustbucket and I'll show you. The others have to see this too." The group made their way over to the RV and Ruby opened the door, Zwei instantly rushing to her feet. Ruby pat his head. "Hi Zwei, hope you're enjoying the ride."
"Hey Ruby," Jaune greeted, "what's up?"
"Jaune, Gwen just showed me an amazing little video game that you HAVE to see."
Nora gasped. "You look excited. And when you're excited it usually means something good!"
"Trust me Nora, your mind will be blown." Ruby confirmed.
"Well don't keep us in suspense Ruby," Pyrrha called from her bed, "what is it?"
"Yeah," Yang said as she entered the RV, "kinda tired of not knowing."
"Okay, everyone gather around." Ruby sat beside Pyrrha's bed, everyone else grouping up around her. "Now Ben, care to explain what I'm about to show everyone?"
"I'd be glad to." Ben answered. "Alright everyone, what Ruby's about to show you guys is a game from my world called Pokémon, short for Pocket Monsters. It's an RPG that involves catching, training and battling these fantastic creatures on a journey to become the very best like no one ever was."
"That... actually sounds pretty cool." Jaune said. "So how does it work?"
"I think I'll let Ruby explain that."
"Certainly." Ruby flipped open the 3DS and the screen instantly turned on, revealing a brown-haired girl in the middle of a grassy field. "Okay, so the girl is the player avatar that I'm controlling." Ruby explained. "The story goes that you're a beginning trainer who's just gotten their starter Pokémon, one that you work with to catch other Pokémon to add to your team. To do that you just go into the tall grass and..." Ruby went into the grass and the character stopped. The screen went dark and the music picked up. There was a graphic of sweeping grass that revealed a small brown raccoon that made a growling sound before a prompt came up; "A wild Zigzagoon appeared!" Ruby's avatar threw a Pokéball, and out popped a small orange and yellow chicken, bobbing its head, with another prompt reading; "Go! Torchic!"
Sun tilted his head. "A chicken being sent out into battle, why does this sound familiar?"
Nora immediately started gushing. "Awww, they're so cute!"
Yang nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm diggin' it. I love how energetic it feels."
Jaune's eyes widened. "Gotta say, this music's something else. All this for a random encounter?"
"Trust me Jaune," Ben said, "the Pokémon franchise is home to some pretty good pieces of video game music."
Pyrrha looked to the screen intently. "Well, I am interested so far. So Ruby, after you send it out into battle what comes next?"
"Alight!" Ruby exclaimed. "It's time to show you how to catch and train these little guys..."
...
For the next hour, Ruby, with a little help from Ben, showed everyone the basics of Pokémon. Jaune, Pyrrha, Yang and Nora were definitely on board while Weiss, Ren and Blake politely declined. "Sorry Ben, maybe some other time." Weiss apologized.
"It's not that it doesn't look like fun," Ren explained, "it's just that we aren't very much into video games."
Ben smiled. "Hey, no worries, I get it. Everyone likes different things and that's fine. There's plenty of other stuff from our world that we can show you. How 'bout you Sun? You in?"
Sun shrugged. "Eh, sure, maybe some time, but I'm not in any hurry."
Nora grinned as she rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "Well then that just means more for us! Alright Tennyson, hook us up!"
But before Ben could do such a thing, Max interrupted. "Sorry Nora, but that will have to wait until later. The ferry's made land fall, time to roll out."
Yang's eyes widened. "Wow that went by fast."
Ben chuckled. "Yeah, did I forget to mention that Pokémon is also the perfect time killer? If anyone plans on doing multi-hour sessions, I ONLY recommend them on days off."
Yang shrugged. "Well, let's get going, don't wanna keep dad waiting." The teens returned to their respective vehicles, driving off of the ferry and onto the loading dock. Once they were on terra firma, Yang, with her and Ben on Bumblebee, led the group through a small seaside town and into a heavily wooded area, the Blonde Brawler confident in where she was going.
"So how far is your house from here?!" Ben asked from behind.
"Not far now! Just a bit further inland!" Yang answered. "Our dad might be a teacher, but he's also kind of a hermit!"
"Not the looney kind I hope!"
"Nah, he just likes the woods! Helps him get away from his crazy job!"
"Well sure, being a teacher is hard, but it can't be THAT bad, right?!"
"He teaches at a combat school, you'd be surprised how crazy it gets there!"
"Oh! I see!"
"You'll like him! Trust me!" A few minutes later, a large log house came into view. It was two stories tall, with a chimney on one side. There were also two large planters on either side, all filled with sunflowers. It had a very rustic feel to it, the entire place giving off the feeling that it was made by hand.
As Bumblebee slowed to a halt, Ben couldn't help to be impressed. "Wow, you live here? Cool!"
Yang rolled her eyes as she dismounted her bike. "Pfft, yeah if you like wood. But I grew up here so yeah, I love this place."
As the rest of the vehicles stopped and their passengers disembarked, Gwen couldn't help but ask. "So, where's your da—"
The front door of the house suddenly flew open and there stood a man in his early forties, a look of intense relief on his face. His skin was tanned and he had a messy head of greying blonde hair, with a soul patch under his lip and stubble around his jawline. He wore a pair of brown shorts, black shoes, and a tan dress shirt beneath a leather vest. A red bandana adorned his left arm with a single shoulder pad, leather vambrace and a fingerless glove on his right, said arm also having a tattoo of a heart. "Yang! Ruby! You're home!" The man said as he sprinted forward and wrapped his girls in a hug.
"Oof! Hi daddy." Ruby said as she returned the sudden hug.
"Hey dad." Yang sighed in exasperation. 'Jeez dad, still on that overprotective streak, huh?' she thought to herself.
"Do you two have any idea how worried I was about you?!" their father exclaimed. "When I saw what happened I wanted to get over there, but all transportation to the main land was stopped!"
"Dad, it's okay." Yang reassured. "We're alive, all in one peace, see?"
The man sighed and smiled. "I guess you're right. I'm just glad to have my girls back home."
Ruby nodded. "So are we dad." She turned to her large group of friends. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet our dad."
The man gave a two-fingered salute. "Hey everybody! Name's Taiyang Xiao-Long. But feel free to call me Tai." He looked over to his daughters' teammates. "And you two must be Weiss and Blake, right? My girls have told me about you. It's great to finally meet you both."
Blake nodded and shook his hand. "Likewise Mr. Xiao-Long."
Weiss smiled. "We've heard quite a few things about you as well."
"Oh really? And what did my darling girls have to say about me?" Tai asked sarcastically.
From behind the Xiao-Long patriarch, Weiss could see Yang doing a swiping motion across her neck, giving the heiress the message to cut it out. Weiss' smile grew. "Only that you're a bit of a jokester. So fair warning: I don't do practical jokes very well."
"Oh don't worry, I'd never dream of pranking my guests. Any friend of my daughter's is a friend of mine." Tai turned his head to the group from the Rustbucket, his eyes settling on the group of four that stood closest together. "You all must be Team JNPR, right?"
Jaune nodded and the two shook hands. "Yes sir, I'm Jaune Arc."
"And I hear from Ruby that you're the leader of this motley crew?"
"Yeah, though my leadership skills could still use some work."
"Oh, don't be silly Jaune," Pyrrha said as she rolled herself up next to the two, "you are a good leader, no matter what others may think." After the two teammates exchanged grins, Pyrrha turned to Tai. "My name is Pyrrha Nikos. It is a pleasure to meet you Tai."
"The pleasure is all mine, Pyrrha. I guess you took quite the hit here." Tai pointed to her ankle.
"Yes I did." Pyrrha answered. "But it should only be like this for a few days more."
"Great to hear. We'll just have to handle stairs a bit carefully until then." Tai looked to the two remaining team members. "And you must be..."
"Hi!" Nora waved in her frantic fashion. "I'm Nora, and this..." she put an arm around Ren, "is my best friend Ren."
Ren bowed respectfully. "Hello Tai, nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you both." Tai said. "Now, if I'm correct, Beacon's still has co-ed dorms right?"
"That's right." Jaune replied.
"Good, so you four won't have trouble sharing the guest room correct?"
"Shouldn't be a problem. We've figured out a system."
"Awesome." Tai turned his head over to Sun. "And what about you kid, what's your name?"
"Oh! I'm Sun Wukong, sir. I'm kind of a last minute addition." Sun explained.
"Hey, no problem Sun, I've got plenty of room in this place." Tai reassured while jutting a thumb to his house. "You can bunk in Qrow's guest room. He never uses it anyway, not even when he's here."
"Oh, um thanks, I think." Sun said with a nervous smile.
"You're welcome." Finally, Tai's eyes trained onto the Alien Trio and Grandpa Max. "And you all must be the Tennyson's." He pointed to them as he listed them off. "Ben, Gwen, Max and Kevin Levin, right?"
"Um yeah," Ben confirmed. "How'd you know?"
"Yang told me about you guys while we were on the phone last night."
"And how much did she tell you?" Gwen asked.
"Oh, I know everything. All that's left is to see the proof that's in the putting."
Kevin smirked. "Be happy to." He touched the Rustbucket and absorbed the metal, his entire body becoming the pale colored material. Gwen snapped her fingers and brought up a mana dome around her as well.
Tai's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Well, guess that settles that."
Ben brought up the Omnitrix. "Sure you don't want more proof?"
But Tai waved his hand. "Hold on a minute Ben, Yang also told me that you're quite the fighter, so I wanna see what your transformations can really do... in the arena."
Ben grinned. "Sounds like a plan."
Yang suddenly walked around her dad and grasped Ben's shoulder. "That sounds good dad, but just so you know, I'M taking first crack at him"
Tai's smile grew. "Ah, you and my sunny little dragon are gonna have a spar, Ben?"
Yang scowled. "Ugh, DAD really?! You have to use that nickname in front of everyone?"
Ben chuckled nervously. "Well Tai, let's just say that we have a bet to settle."
Tai laughed. "Haha, oh Ben, you're going to learn that making bets with Yang will NOT end well for you. Especially when it involves fighting in the ring."
"We'll see about that." Ben smirked.
"Oh yes we will." Yang smirked back.
Max cleared his throat to gain Tai's attention. "Well, in any case, thank you for opening your home to us Taiyang, it's much appreciated."
Max extended his hand, and Tai shook it with a grin. "It's no problem Max, trust me, being here is better than being in Vale right now anyway."
"Agreed. Now, in terms of living conditions, do you have room for all these kids in the house or do you want my group of three to stay in the Rustbucket with me?"
"Oh, don't worry about that, like I said, I've got plenty of space in my home. In fact..." he looked over to Ben, Gwen and Kevin, "let me show you three where you'll be staying. I'm sure you'll be quite surprised."
Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Um, dad, what are you talking about?"
Yang's eyes narrowed. "You didn't gut our room for more space did you?"
Tai waved it off. "No! Of course not. But while you girls were away, I did some... refurbishing. Come inside and I'll show you." The Alien Trio, Yang and Ruby followed Tai inside, through the entry way and into a narrow hallway. Off to one side, there was a small alcove that housed a lone door. Tai stepped into the alcove and spread his arms out. "Well, here it is!"
Yang was confused. "Uh, dad, this leads to the basement."
"The really old and decaying basement." Ruby added.
Tai smirked. "And like I said, I did some refurbishing." He opened the door to a wooden staircase surrounded by white walls, another door at the base of the steps. "Down we go!" The group descended the stair way and Tai opened the door, his daughters' jaws opening at what they saw next.
The walls of the basement were re-done with fresh wood paneling, the floor covered up by a white carpet. There was a flat screen television on top of a wooden TV stand, a stand which was painted black and had multiple storage spaces, a DVD player inside one of them already. There were two three-person couches, two chairs, a wooden coffee table and two end-tables each with one large lamp on them.
After a moment of silence, Yang spoke up. "Dad... what the hell is this?!"
"I like to call it our "second living room"." Tai explained. "This is what I've wanted to do with the basement for years, but was always too busy with everything else. So, when you guys went off to Beacon, I thought: Hey! Why not surprise them when they get back from school for winter break with this?! So, what do ya think?"
Ruby looked around the room in awe. "I think it's amazing! It's got a really cozy feeling to it."
Yang smiled. "Gotta say dad, I'm really impressed."
Kevin nodded as he looked around. "Yeah, pretty cool Tai. You must have committed to this thing super hard to get it done this fast."
"Oh, yeah." Tai agreed. "Months of hard work went into all this. Hell, I'm still technically working on it. But for the most part, it's done and it was worth it!"
"I agree it's pretty cool." Gwen said. "But just one thing: if we're sleeping here where are the beds?"
"You're lookin' at 'em." Tai went over to one of the couches, pulled the back cushions off and lifted the seat, unhinging a pair of large metal legs. Tai pulled and the couch unfolded into a bed, one that looked like it could sleep two. "See? Instant bed. Just in case someone decides to crash down here."
"Huh," Ben said, "You really spared no expense with this."
"Pretty much. I never like to feel unprepared for anything."
"I can see. Now, Yang told us that you have a training facility somewhere around here."
"Yep, sure do. It's where Qrow and I trained the girls on the weekends and vacations while they weren't in school."
"Cool, so where is it?"
"Well, if you look out that window right over there..." Tai pointed to a small rectangular window that was up near the ceiling, "you'll be able to see where it is."
Ben looked out the window to see a large imposing mountain peak in the distance. "Near the mountain?"
"Not near, inside." Tai clarified. "That's Patchwork Mountain, the highest peak on the island. About a decade ago, I found a small cave in the outcropping that lead into an enormous empty grotto. There were no wild animals living there, so I told Qrow it'd be the perfect place for a secret training facility. After we finished planning, we managed to get it built in a year."
"So, you had time to build a secret training facility inside a MOUNTAIN." Ben emphasized. "But you didn't have time to build this." he said as he gestured around the room.
Tai shrugged. "Hey, I had a teaching job and two girls to raise by myself. I just had different priorities at the time."
"Okay, fair enough." Ben relented. "Well, once we get settled in, could you drive us out and show it to us? I'd like to see it for myself."
"Of course, but we won't have to drive. The mountain's only a mile or so from the house, we can just hike there, it won't take long."
Ben blinked twice in shock. "A mile or so?" He turned to the Hooded Huntress. "Ruby, grab the 3DS, we're going to need it."
Ruby saluted with an eager smile. "Aye-aye, captain!"