A/N (Please Read): Hey everybody! It's that time of the week again! Sorry that the past couple of chapters have been a bit later than usual. Over the past week, I've been called back into work after the past couple of months of it being quiet. Oh, and for those of you who have STILL been at work throughout this time, I wanna say a big thank you to all of you! Still though, I'm pressing on with the story either way! If you've read the title already, then you probably know what's gonna be happening in this chapter. But that's not ALL that'll be going on of course, so let's just jump into it, shall we? This is…

Chapter 93: My Wrestling Academia

…..

"Fear not, Beacon students! Hope has arrived!" With his fearless smile, Ben declared out into the room with his hands spread wide; "Because WE are here!" Almost all at once, the dining hall broke out into a fervor of uproarious cheers, with some students even crying with joy. 'Man, how is it that a few words of heroic encouragement seem to make some people turn into tear fountains?' Ben wondered to himself.

It was then that Kevin leaned over and pulled his friend out of his thoughts. "Uh, dude? Don't ya think the bit's run dry at this point?"

Ben sighed and raised a brow to his best friend. "C'mon, Kev, at least have a LITTLE fun. I mean, even YOU have fans here." The Omnitrix bearer nudged his head toward the crowd with an encouraging grin. "Go on, try speaking to them. Get 'em rallied up!"

Yang pumped a fist in support. "Yeah, Kev, go for it!"

Kevin glanced between the two before setting his sights back out to the dining hall, swallowing slightly in apprehension as all of the students eyes were on then. 'Damn, is THIS really what it's like to be the center of attention?' He balled his fists and furrowed his brow, his sense of duty overshadowing his fear. 'Focus, Levin, you've got a job to do.'

The Osmosian ran in front of Ben, bringing everyone's focus solely to him. "Alright, people, listen up! There's a bunch of Grimm headed right for your school as we speak! Let Ben and Team RWBY handle the big furry guy! They've got this." He jerked his thumb over to the door. "The rest of you, follow me and Rex. We're gonna go and defend your school! How's that sound, huh?!" Another cheer burst through the room and the students began making a mad dash to the door, eager to get away from Bashmouth and focus their efforts on something more familiar; the Grimm. Kevin, however, was left utterly stunned by this. "They… they actually listened to me?!"

"Hell yeah, they did!" Coco shouted as she, Yatsu and Fox approached Kevin, with most of Team CRDL, Sun, Neptune and Ilia joining them as well. The only exceptions were Velvet and Cardin, the latter having ran over to help the bunny girl up. "You got right to the point and didn't kid around! That's what a real leader should do, Kev."

Kevin's hand went to the back of his head sheepishly. "Heh, thanks Coco." His eyes then moved over to Velvet and Cardin, the two seemingly bantering back and forth. "I'm just glad we got here in time to save HIS ass… again."

"I CANNOT believe you threw yourself in again to save me!" Velvet berated the young man, giving his shoulder a slap. "I appreciate the lengths you're willing to go, Cardin, but please think before you act from now on. Furthermore, I can also take care of my own wellbeing, so please don't sacrifice yourself for me on a weekly basis."

Cardin rubbed his neck, a sigh escaping his lips. "I'm sorry, Velvet. I just… couldn't think of any better option at that moment. I'll try to do better though, I promise." It was then that he noticed Kevin's gaze on them, meeting it with a small grin. "Oh, hey, Levin! Nice work rallying the students! I should take a few leadership pointers from you."

Kevin blinked in bewilderment at that. "Uh… thanks, Winchester."

Sun shifted his eyes back over to Bashmouth, the Metallikanine slowly getting up from his place on the ground. "So… how do you guys plan on handling him?"

"No matter what we did, we couldn't even land a scratch on him!" Neptune added. "The closest we got was Cardin and Ilia's double team on him, and even then, he got right back up!"

"He IS pretty resilient." Blake affirmed. "But he's not indestructible. He CAN be hurt." She nudged her head over to Ben. "He proved that very recently, didn't you, Ben?"

"With a pretty powerful punch, might I add." Weiss furthered.

Ilia tilted her head. "Wait… how powerful?"

Ruby wore a knowing grin while quirking a brow to the hero. "Powerful enough that it sent Bashmouth flying ALL the way up here from the ruins in the Emerald Forest."

"Are you SERIOUS?!" Velvet exclaimed. "That's… that's—"

"A serious case of "what the hell"." Cardin finished.

Coco's eyes widened in realization. "Hold up, YOU'RE the reason why he's here, Tennyson?!"

"Uh, hehe, yeah." Ben confirmed before quickly defending himself. "But to be fair… I did NOT know that punch would be that powerful." He gave Coco a shrug. "I just thought it'd be enough to knock him out or something. I didn't think it'd send him THIS far from where we were at."

The fashionable girl gave Ben a skeptical stare before sighing, shaking her head at the hero. "Alright, if you insist." She then pointed a finger right at him. "But I hope this doesn't begin to become a regular thing, Tennyson. You're starting to cause as many problems as you solve."

"Trust me, this is gonna be a one-time-only thing." Ben promised, his brows furrowing when he saw Bashmouth finally rise to his feet. "Because we're gonna take Bashmouth down and bring him in once and for all."

"I hope so." Coco nodded before waving her hand over to her team, Cardin's team, and the others. "Well, you heard Kev, guys! Let's get out there and do what we do best!"

Rex grinned eagerly at her words. "Now THAT'S what I was hoping to here! C'mon, people, andele!" With that, the whole group filed out of the dining hall, following Kevin and Rex out to intercept the Grimm.

That left only Team RWBY and Ben alone in the dining hall to face Bashmouth, the Metallikanine still somewhat getting his bearings about him. "So… what's the plan, Green Boy?" Yang asked, the blonde balling her fists in preparation.

Ben smiled to her and lifted the Omnitrix. "Oh, that's easy. Now that I got a part of him with me, I'm gonna beat him at his own game."

Blake's ears shrunk back at what he was insinuating. "Wait… are you saying you're going to transform into one of him? No offense, Ben, but that doesn't seem like a good idea." She pointed out toward the Emerald Forest. "You saw how fierce he was back out in the forest. If you transform into a Metallikanine and you two go head to head…"

"You both could end up wrecking the entire dining hall." Weiss concluded.

Ruby piped up with; "Or worse, the whole campus. Professor Goodwitch would NOT be happy with you."

"Well… that IS a possibility. But for all we know, it could be the only way to beat him." Ben glanced down to his right hand, clenching it in frustration. "The Double Bellwood Smash SHOULD have taken him out, but he was quicker to the draw than I was with that armor of his. This guy's tough, no doubt about it." He gave the ladies a thumbs up. "But don't worry, I'm sure I'll have a good grip on my actions when I transform. After all, I can control pretty much most of my other aliens. I don't think this new guy will be much of a—"

"HEY!" The hero was cut off when Bashmouth shouted at him, the dog alien glowering in their direction. "I thought you runts were still down in the woods! How the hell didja get up here so fast?!"

Yang crossed her arms at him. "We've got a friend with a space ship. He's pretty quick, if ya hadn't noticed."

Bashmouth clenched his metallic teeth. "Hmph, well then, where's the Tetramand?!" He whirled his head around to try and locate the four-armed alien. "I've gotta get back at 'im fer sendin' me all the way up here! An' let me tell ya somethin', he's gonna be in for a WORLD of hurt!"

Ben smirked and raised his hand. "Ahem, I think you might wanna stop searching. Because I was the Tetramand."

There was a brief pause for a few good seconds before Bashmouth belted out; "WHAT?!"

The hero pointed toward the Omnitrix. "That's right! This watch here is actually a little device that lets me turn into any alien I want. I'm sure you've heard of the Omnitrix?"

"Only rumors, kid." Bashmouth answered. "I didn't think it was real." He began taking huge whiffs of the air, with Ben's scent hitting his nose soon after. Sure enough, it was an exact match with the Tetramand's. "Holy shit, ya weren't kiddin', kid! How the hell didja get yer hands on that thing?"

"Would you believe a stroke of luck?" Ben countered. "But here's the best part; you remember how I scanned you at the start of our fight? Well, I managed to add your species' DNA to my watch…" He reached up and brought up the holo-ring, finding his new transformation's icon pretty easily. It was of a large, furry dog-like head. Kind of hard to miss. "And that means I'm gonna give YOU a fight with one of your own. I have a feeling it'll be the only way to beat you."

Bashmouth let out a scoff at that. "HA! Well, I can't blame ya fer thinkin' that. But while you MIGHT be right, there's also the little itsy-bitsy fact that fights between Metallikanines can last for DAYS." He pointed between himself and Ben. "If you an' I get into a fight like that… then who knows HOW long it'll last? Plus, I'm guessin' that thing don't have unlimited power. You'll time out before you even get a chance to pin me once."

Ben shifted his eyes between Bashmouth and the Omnitrix. 'Maybe… but right now, we don't have any other options.' But then, he remembered he wasn't alone, and a determined grin quickly took over his face. "Well, maybe… but you forget, it's not JUST me you're fighting." He craned his head over to Team RWBY and said; "Right, guys?!"

Yang gave her boyfriend a thumbs up. "You're goddamned right! We're behind you, Ben, all the way!"

"Yeah, let's take this bad dog down!" Ruby supported, with Weiss and Blake giving resolute nods next to her.

"Alright then." Ben nodded back, turning back to Bashmouth with renewed vigor. "Let's do this." He made his selection and the Omnitrix faceplate pulled back, the core popping up and ready to go. "It's hero time!" Ben slammed the core down and a bright green flash covered the area, the young hero seemingly transforming into his new alien.

…At least, that's what everyone thought. Because when the light died down, the form Ben transformed into was revealed to be NOT a Metallikanine at all. Rather, it was a very familiar alien that made the four girls of Team RWBY go deadpan. "Gah, crap!" Yang exclaimed, throwing her head back while clutching her forehead. "Not again!"

There, in all of his rage-filled, feline glory, was none other than… "RAAAAAATH!"

The entirety of Team RWBY facepalmed at the transformation, but Bashmouth seemed all too happy to see the striped alien. "An Appoplexian? Oh-ho-ho… this outta be fun."

…..

Kevin had to admit, the fact that other people were starting to follow HIS lead was kind of surreal. He had been so used to Ben taking the charge over the past three years of their friendship that he just usually deferred to him… at least whenever he didn't go rogue. But now, as he and the Beacon students were facing the incoming horde of Grimm, he couldn't help but notice that all eyes were on HIM now to make the big choices, and it did make him a bit apprehensive. But he also knew that he couldn't choke here. It was too pivotal of a moment for them to back down now. And, with Sun, Neptune, Ilia and Teams CFVY and CRDL firmly in his corner, he knew he had a solid support group.

"Alright, here's how things are gonna go down!" Kevin announced to the crowd. "We're all gonna go out there and show THOSE things that we ain't about to let them screw Beacon over a second time!" He pointed a rigid finger at the on-lookers. "I want you guys to defend your school like you mean it! So take up your weapons AND GIVE THEM HELL!" Another cheer echoed through the school grounds and all of the students did as Kevin had wanted, charging into battle with the Grimm in an instant. The whole calvary of teens began taking out Grimm left and right, leaving Kevin and the rest of his group to plan their next course of action.

Many of his teammates were impressed, needless to say. "Damn, Kev. You got 'em really riled up!" Rex complimented before giving a thumbs up. "Not bad, dude!"

Kevin nodded toward him. "Thanks, but there's still a few things that even these students can't take care of on their own." He pointed up into the sky, indicating the multiple Nevermore that were beginning to circle around the school. There had to be at least five… and they all appeared to be hungry. "Not unless they can fly, that is."

Rex folded his arms. "And lemme guess, you want me to take care of the bird boys, right?"

"If you wouldn't mind."

"I'm on it, dude." Rex saluted.

But just then, Velvet jumped in to offer her own help. "Wait! Rex, I think I have a plan!" She pointed two fingers right at him. "Remember yesterday when I was able to copy your sword?"

Rex blinked before replying. "…Yeah, why?"

"I think I can do the same thing again…" She jerked a thumb up to the circling Nevermore. "But I also want you to take me up there with you."

Many of the teens there were shocked, most of all, Coco and Cardin. "What?!" the redheaded knight exclaimed. "Velvet, that's crazy!"

"Hard to admit, but I agree with your boyfriend on this, Vel." Coco supported, mentally smirking when she saw Velvet and Cardin's faces heat up at her choice of words. "You gotta be pretty confident to wanna fly all the way up there to take the fight to them. Are you absolutely sure you want that?"

Velvet pursed her lips and spoke with resolve. "First of all, he is NOT my boyfriend…" Under her breath, she murmured; "…yet." If possible, that just made them both blush more furiously. "And secondly, I know that Rex won't let anything bad happen to me up there, Coco. And I have a fairly solid plan." Velvet shifted her eyes to Cardin and gave him a stern look, which managed to bring both of them out of their embarrassment. "And Cardin, I know you're worried about me, but like I said before, I'm able to take care of myself." She reached forward and grasped his hand gently. "Just trust me on this, please?"

Cardin took in a deep breath and gave her a single nod. "Alright, I can tell that you're serious about this." He then sent a supportive smile her way. "If you think you've got a shot at this, Velvet, then go for it!"

Coco grinned as well, lowering her glasses so she made eye-contact with Velvet. "Yeah, Vel, show us what you're made of."

"Thank you." Velvet bowed her head to them before directing her attention back to Rex. "Now, Rex, could I please see a build?"

"¡Por Supuesto!" Rex happily exclaimed in Spanish before activating his Bad Axes. "So, will these work for ya?"

Velvet took out Anesidora and took a picture of the massive weapons, smiling to Rex in appreciation. "Yes, thank you. Now…" She put her camera back into its box and raised her fists. "Let's take down those buzzards!"

"That's the spirit!" In a flash, Rex switched his Bad Axes for his Boogie Pack, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "Alright, hop on… no pun intended." With a slight roll of her eyes, Velvet did as Rex asked and the two of them blasted off into the sky, ready to confront the Nevermores head on.

As the two flew up, Yatsu raised his hand. "Um, pardon me, but there's still something that concerns me."

Sun tilted his head to the tall swordsman. "Whaddya mean, Yatsu?"

Fox cleared his throat and pointed across the way. "Ahem, uh, I think he's talking about them." The group craned their heads around to see a bunch of Death Stalkers, who had tripled in number from the initial stampede. The giant scorpions were making their way through the skirmish of Grimm and students, all while trying to get a hit in themselves.

Neptune wore a deadpan expression at this. "Oh… how wonderful. More Death Stalkers."

"…Yeah, those are gonna be a bit harder to deal with." Ilia surmised.

Suddenly, from behind them, a familiar voice called out; "Not if we all work together!" The group turned to see Cooper, the blonde genius coming toward them with his laser pistol at the ready. "Hey guys! Did I miss anything major?"

"Tech Head!" Coco hollered, running over and practically tackling her boyfriend in a hug. "You are JUST in time! We were about to stomp some Grimm head in! Think you can join in?"

"Heh, I'll take you up on that offer." Cooper happily agreed. "Though since I don't have my armor, I'm probably not gonna be the heavy hitter in this scenario." The genius shifted his eyes over to his Osmosian friend. "So, Kev, what's our game plan?"

Without a moment to spare, Kevin gave his answer. "Simple, we split into teams and take on those things one-on-four. Team CRDL will take on one while Cooper, Coco, Yatsu and Fox take on another." He spun around and pointed to the three people he knew he wanted on his squad. "And Sun, Neptune, and Ilia? You guys are with me."

Cardin shouldered his Executioner mace while his team all prepped their blades. "Sounds good to me. You ready, boys?" Behind him, Russel, Dove and Sky all raised their swords and belted out a loud battle cry, to which Cardin raised his own mace up into the air. "Then let's do it!" All at once, the four boys charged forth to the nearest Death Stalker, ready to take it on.

As they watched the quartet leave, Ilia couldn't help but sigh to herself. "Ugh, I cannot believe so much testosterone managed to coagulate into one entire team."

"Tell me about it." Coco agreed.

But Kevin gave then a wave. "Ah, let 'em have their fun. Remember, we're all in this together, and that MEANS everyone." The Osmosian bent down and absorbed the concrete sidewalk before reaching into one of his Dust pouches, pulling out a whole Lightning Dust crystal. He absorbed the bright yellow crystal and shifted his right hand into a hammer, all while raising a fist up to his remaining seven compatriots. "So, why don't we get in there and show those Death Stalker's who REALLY runs this place, huh?!"

Sun pulled out Ryui Jingu Bang while Neptune readied Tri-Hard, the two boys smirking eagerly at Kevin's words. "No problem, dude. Let's do this!" Sun exclaimed

Ilia withdrew her Lightning Lash and extended its blade, which quickly fell into its whip mode. "NOW we're getting somewhere. I've been hoping for some action all day."

Coco popped a few muscles in her neck as Yatsu and Fox prepped themselves as well. "Alright, boys, time to go to work." She nudged Cooper in the side. "And armor or not, that means you too, Tech Head."

"Oh, I don't plan on backing out, babe." Cooper promised. "That, I can assure you."

"Alright then!" Kevin proclaimed, slamming his hammer hand into his open palm. All at once, the impact activated the internal energy within the Dust Crystal in his arms, manifesting in the form of bright yellow lightning. With this, Kevin's eyes shifted from brown to a brilliant gold, the Osmosian smirking in anticipation. He shifted his remaining hand into an axe and shouted; "Let's go!" before charging to another Death Stalker, with his teammates close behind.

…..

After the initial charge, the group split off into their respective teams, with Coco, Cooper, Yatsu and Fox taking the nearer Death Stalker while Kevin and his team went off toward the father one. From their position, Cooper could see Team CRDL having intercepted their own giant scorpion Grimm. And from what he could see, they were handling themselves surprisingly well. Dove and Sky were working on the legs while Cardin was keeping its attention, firing off blasts of fire from his mace. Russel had somehow managed to work his way to the very top of the tail and was working on slicing it off, which Cooper had to admit was rather impressive. "Sheesh, those guys are going to town on that thing." he commented.

"Worry about the lunk heads later, Tech Head!" Coco hollered as they all began to close in on their Death Stalker. "Focus on the here and now!"

Cooper snapped out of it and furrowed his brow at their Death Stalker. "Right! You wanna take this, babe?"

Coco smirked back at him. "As much as I wanna, I'm feelin' like a bit more effort today." She pat her handbag for emphasis. "Plus, I JUST filled her back up with ammo and I'd rather not waste it all in one go. Let's do this the hard way, shall we?"

"Fine by me." Cooper scanned the Grimm with his eyes, taking note of the creatures two main forms of attack. "First, we gotta deal with that tail and those pincers."

"Hm." Coco nodded before glancing off to her redheaded partner. "Fox! You and Cooper circle around either side of it and draw its attention!" She then snapped her head over to her taller teammate. "And Yatsu, make sure those pincers aren't a problem for us."

Yatsu gave her a nod. "Understood, Coco."

"On it." Fox confirmed through his telepathy. "C'mon, Cooper, let's move!"

"Right!" Cooper answered back before taking aim with his pistol, focusing directly onto the Death Stalker's face. Fox did the same with his Sharp Retribution and the duo open fired onto the giant scorpion, making in roar in anger. The arthropod Grimm moved his head left and right before scuttling around on its large legs toward Fox, snapping its large pincers at him with a vengeance. "Fox, watch out!"

"I know, Coop!" Fox answered before performing an impressive backflip into the air, avoiding the sharp appendage with ease. Though he also took this as an opportunity to mentally call out to his friend; "Anytime, Yatsu!"

But at that moment, Yatsu actually ran directly under Fox as he did his backflip, charging straight at the Death Stalker without hesitation. "I am way ahead of you!" Yatsu swung Fulcrum around once… twice… and finally a third time before bringing it down onto one of the Death Stalker's arms, cutting it off with ease. This, understandably, made the Grimm screech in pain before slamming its remaining pincer into Yatsuhashi, sending him careening backward. However, Yatsu was able to land on his feet, a frustrated expression forming on his face. "Cooper! I need another good opening! Can you draw its attention your way?!"

"Kind of unorthodox since I don't have ANY armor, but sure, what the hell?!" With that, Cooper exchanged his regular pistol for the Techadorian Multiblaster he kept strapped to his back, taking aim and firing right at the Death Stalker's leg. Like a knife through butter, the laser blasted right through the leg, taking it off and making the creature scream again. "Hey, over here ya overgrown… er… what's a good scorpion insult?" But Cooper didn't have much time to think that over as the Death Stalker reared itself around and scuttled rapidly toward him, snapping its remaining pincer. "Oh, not good."

Just as it was about to close the distance, though Yatsu came up from behind and sliced off its large claw, making it scream even louder than before. "Alright, there it goes! Fox, now!"

"Right behind ya!" Fox mentally spoke before Yastu bent forward, the former using his friend's back as a spring board like he had done yesterday. With one powerful swipe, Fox sliced through the Death Stalker's tail, making the large, yellow stinger fall directly into the creature's back. "Alright, now what?!"

Back over with Coco, the fashionable girl smirked at the scene and ran forward. "Now, it's my turn! Tech Head, give me a boost and get ready with that gun of yours!"

Cooper lowered himself and cupped his hands. "Right!" In one fluid movement, Coco stepped onto her boyfriend's hands and he threw her right at the Death Stalker, the blonde genius watching as Coco did a midair spin and flip before landing feet first onto the Death Stalker's back. Her landing was so powerful that it made the Grimm fall flat on its belly, making Cooper's jaw drop. "Humina humina."

Coco lowered her glasses at the Death Stalker writhing beneath her, making sure to drive her heel into its back. "Think of this as a little punishment, okay?" With a quick wink, Coco quickly spun around and slammed her hand bag into the Death Stalker's stinger, driving it into the Grimm's back even more. As the creature cried out in agony, Coco jumped off and yelled out to her boyfriend; "Cooper, finish it!"

"Gotcha!" Not wasting a moment, Cooper shoved his Techadorian Multiblaster into the Death Stalker's face and clenched his teeth, glowering into the Grimm's eyes. "Later days, asshat!" He pulled the trigger and shot through the beast's head, finally killing it. As the Death Stalker dissipated, Cooper let out a breath he didn't know he was holding before landing on his rear, a laugh escaping his throat. "Whoo! That was sweet!"

"Haha! I'll say!" Coco ran over and fell into Cooper in an instant, the couple falling to the ground in a heap. "Now THAT is what I call an awesome take down."

Yatsu and Fox came over as well, the tall swordsman sheathing his blade. "Indeed. Quite successful if I do say so myself."

However, Fox was quick to point something out. "It's not over yet. How're Kevin and Cardin doing with their Death Stalkers?"

Coco craned her head over to Team CRDL to see that they were successfully cutting their scorpion Grimm down to size. Dove and Sky had successfully sliced off one four of its legs on one side and were presently working on finishing the other while Russel had also cut off the stinger, though unlike theirs, it didn't impale into the creature's back. Cardin was bashing the Grimm's large pincers down, breaking them in one swing of his mighty mace. Finally, once all its legs were taken out, Cardin landed the finishing blow; an explosive hit to the Death Stalker's cranium.

The beast dissipated and Coco nodded. "Team CRDL's taken theirs out." She then shifted her gaze over to Kevin and the others. "And as for Kevin… I'd say they're doin' pretty good so far."

…..

As Coco and her team fought their Death Stalker, Kevin and his squad were just closing in on their own. The Osmosian came to a stop, prompting his teammates to do the same before he turned to face them. They were just far enough away from the Death Stalker to avoid its line of sight, allowing Kevin to start formulating a plan. "Alright, here's what I'm thinking;" He pointed to Sun first. "Sun, I want you do hold that thing off with your Semblance long enough so that Neptune and I can circle around and take care of its pincers."

Sun gave him a thumbs up. "You got it, dude. I'm all over it."

"W-Wait, how are we gonna get close to those claws without them snapping us in half?" Neptune asked. "I mean, I know YOU probably don't have to worry about it, Kev, but…"

"Don't worry, Sun's clones can take care of that too." Kevin assured. "Like I said, they'll buy us enough time to get close and take them out." A smirk then came to his face. "And if worse comes to worse, Sun can just blow 'em up and maybe even blind the thing."

Ilia raised her hand. "Alright, so what about me?"

Kevin pointed to her the moment she spoke up. "Ilia, you're gonna make your way behind the thing while we're distracting it." he explained. "Then, you're gonna use that lash of yours to cut its tail clean off. Once you do, that'll give us ALL the perfect opening to finish it off."

The chameleon girl smiled in approval. "Alright, sounds great!"

"Good!" Kevin exclaimed while raising his lightning hammer up into the air. "Then let's do it! Sun?"

"Gotcha." The monkey boy put his bo staff on his back and went into a meditative position on the ground, his hair glowing a bright golden color as he focused on his Semblance. All at once, three Via Sun clones burst out from his body and rushed forward, catching the Death Stalker's attention. The mighty scorpion made to snap its pincers and thrust its tail at the clones, but instead, the Via Suns caught all three appendages in their hands, holding them at bay. The action made Sun grit his teeth. While he had gotten better with making multiple clones, it was still a struggle to have them all do something simultaneously. "Gah, alright, go!" Sun hollered. "I'm not sure how long I can keep this up!"

"On it!" Kevin replied. "Neptune, let's move!"

Though the blue-haired boy was still somewhat apprehensive, he knew he HAD to do it. His best friend was visibly straining to keep the Death Stalker at bay, so he had to get this done quickly. Neptune lowered his goggles and shifted Tri-Hard into its rifle mode, giving Kevin a nod. "Right behind ya!" The two boys began to circle around either side of the beast, both shooting lightning at it as they did. Though while Neptune only shot Lightning Dust rounds, Kevin was throwing bolts of bright yellow electricity at the Death Stalker, making it shriek in pain.

Once the duo had made it toward the back of the beast, they quickly saw their chance. Kevin pulled his axe arm back and yelled; "NOW!" All at once, the Osmosian rushed toward the Death Stalker's right pincer and brough his arm down, his Lightning Axe slicing cleanly through it like a hot butter knife. As the Death Stalker continued to scream, Kevin called out to his compatriot; "Neptune!"

"I hear ya, dude!" Neptune assured as he sprinted to the left pincer. With a single hand, Neptune spun his rifle around and shifted it into its guandao mode, with electric energy flowing right into its blade. In a nice, clean swing, Neptune cleaved through the appendage without fail, making the Death Stalker screech even more. "Ha! See? I got your back, dude!"

"Glad to hear it. Ilia, your… turn?" But the moment Kevin's eyes went to where Ilia last was, he saw that she was gone, almost as if she was never there to begin with. "Uh… where is she—"

Just then, he heard Ilia call out to him; "Kevin!" This made his head snap up just in time to see that the chameleon girl had actually ran up to the Death Stalker head on and jumped onto its tail, which Sun's clone was still holding in place. Ilia ran along the tail while extending her Lightning Lash to its maximum length, the whip already sparking. "Get ready for this!"

Kevin couldn't help but grin eagerly for what would come next. "Oh, HELL yeah! Do it!"

As Ilia was about to come to the very back of the tail, she jumped up and did a midair front flip, whipping her Lightning Lash the moment she went upside down. The lash wrapped itself around the Death Stalker's tail and Ilia twisted herself around so that she would land on her feet. The moment she touched the ground, she pulled her arm back, allowing the bladed lash to slice through the tail effortlessly. It had been cut off almost at the base, and sufficed to say, the Grimm's wails only grew louder. "Alright, Sun!" Ilia signaled to her friend. "Let's finish this up!"

Sun smirked from his meditative stance. "I'd thought you'd never ask!" Seeing as his Via Sun clones were still holding onto the amputated Death Stalker body parts, Sun decided that it'd only be right to use them to his advantage. So, he commanded his clones to slam their respective detached appendages into the Grimm, making it fall down. Then, for an added bonus, he made all three of them blow up in its face, blinding it while also blowing off its white, boney armor. Sun fell onto his back, exhausted after pushing his Semblance to its limit. "Alright, Kev, it's your show now, dude!"

"Thanks man!" Kevin called back before running right for the Death Stalker's head. He raised his Lightning Hammer and, with a mighty yell, slammed it right into the beast's face. The impact practically obliterated the head, making it explode. The rest of the scorpion's body began to evaporate into black mist as always. With a victorious smile, Kevin raised his hammer hand high, with Neptune and Ilia quickly joining him. "Haha! Thor ain't got nothin' on me, guys!"

Neptune furrowed his brows in confusion. "Uh… who's Thor?"

Within a second, Kevin's grin was replaced with a deadpan expression. "Ugh, we really HAVE been skimping out on you guys when it comes to pop-culture recently."

Ilia gave him a shrug. "Eh, no biggie. If anything, we've actually been pretty patient when it comes to waiting for those."

Sun stood up and brushed off his jeans before walking over to his friends. "Yeah, and it's always awesome when ya do, so no harm done." He then raised a hand up to the Osmosian. "But hey, great job, man."

"Ha, I should be sayin' that about you!" Kevin smirked while clasping Sun's hand with his own. "Dude, you freakin' nailed it with those clones of yours. I was impressed you were able to keep it up for so long."

"Heh, yeah, I HAVE been getting better at it." Sun rubbed the back of his head before glancing over to Neptune and Ilia. "And hey, you guys were pretty great over there, too! You dismembered it without breaking a sweat!"

Neptune stuck Tri-Hard down blade-first into the pavement and leaned up against it, a proud grin on his face. "Yeah, it WAS pretty sweet, wasn't it?"

Ilia rolled her eyes and nudged Neptune in the side. "Oh please, don't get TOO proud of yourself, Neptune." She pointed over to the rest of the Grimm horde, which many of the students were still fighting against. "Besides, we've still got work to do."

"You're damn right, we do!" The quartet's heads snapped around to see Coco, Cooper, Yatsu, Fox and Team CRDL running right toward them, the former giving them a thumbs up. "Sweet kill, guys!" Coco congratulated. "That puts us at three for three!"

Kevin's eyes widened at that. "Wait, guys already took down yours, too?"

"Just." Cardin confirmed, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "Let's regroup and try to—"

EEEEAAARRK! Everyone's eyes widened and their heads whipped up toward the sky to see two Nevermore crash into each other, taking them all by surprise. "Woah!" Ilia exclaimed. "What the hell was—" But she cut herself off when she saw none other than Velvet riding on the back of one of the Nevermore, a pair of hard-light axes on her arms and embedded into the giant bird's wings. Everyone couldn't help but stare at the scene in utter disbelief. "Oh… I see." Ilia muttered. 'And I have to admit… that's kinda hot.'

'Oh my god, that is SO hot.' Cardin thought as well.

…..

Velvet had no time to second guess her actions. The moment she and Rex were off the ground, there was no going back. The bunny girl furrowed her brows as they drew closer to the Nevermores, the giant birds still circling around the campus, searching for their first target. 'I suppose WE are that target now.' Velvet surmised before shaking her head. 'Let's not think about that right now, shall we? I have to focus…' Her grip slightly tightened around Rex's neck. 'I CAN do this.' she assured herself.

However, this action was noticed by her carrier immediately. "Hey, you okay, Vel?" Rex piped up. "You tensed up a bit."

"O-Oh, yes! I'm fine." Velvet replied quickly.

"You're sure?" The young EVO asked again. "Because we can always turn back if you want."

Velvet's eyes widened at his proposal. "NO!" she hastily yelled before realizing she was right next to Rex's ear, making him wince. "Oh! I'm so sorry! But… no, I don't want to turn back." Her eyes went back to the Nevermore above them, a determined gaze fixating straight on them. "We're already so close. We have a job to do, so we cannot go back now!"

Rex glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before a smirk came to his face. "I like your attitude, Vel. Let's go for it!" With a burst of speed from his Boogie Pack, Rex jetted up to the Nevermore even faster, which finally prompted the giant birds to look down upon them. "They've spotted us. What do ya wanna do from here?"

"Launch me up to those two over there!" Velvet replied, pointing out the two Nevermore that were further away from them. "Then you can take on the closest one freely while I distract those other ones from you. I'll handle them from there."

The EVO couldn't help but be bewildered… yet slightly impressed. 'Jeez, this sounds like a plan I'D come up with.' But still, he saw the determination in Velvet's eyes, so he knew he wouldn't be able to talk her out of it. "Well… if you insist!" Rex stopped in mid-flight and lifted his arm up, activating his Slam Cannon. "But if you wanna do it, ya gotta do it right!"

Velvet saw the maw near the back of the Slam Cannon open up, making her eyebrows shoot up. "Wait… you can actually launch me out of that thing?!"

"Only if ya want to." Rex smirked back. "So, what's it gonna be?"

After a few moments, Velvet smiled back before crawling up across the Boogie Pack's wing and into the Slam Cannon's maw, the hatch closing as soon as she did. "Alright, ready!" she called from the inside.

Rex took aim and spoke back to her. "Okay, on three! One… two… THREE!" Without wasting a second, Rex fired Velvet out of the cannon and directly at the two Nevermore she wanted, which visibly managed to take the birds by surprise. "Ha! You see that, ya dumb cuervos?" Rex insulted. "That girl has more guts than all of you combined!" He directed his gaze up to the nearest Nevermore and shifted his Slam Cannon for his BFS, which he swiftly changed into its Battle Saw mode. "Now, let's clip YOUR wings, shall we?!"

As Rex easily took care of his Nevermore, Velvet found herself speeding through the air toward her own, her ears rushing through the wind. 'Oh my… this is MUCH faster than I anticipated!' she thought to herself as the wind whipped against her eyes. She reached behind her and pressed a button on Anesidora, activating it. All at once, hard light began forming around her arms, taking the form of the Bad Axes. 'But I won't falter! I MUST do this!' With a sharp battle cry, Velvet twisted herself around in midair and slammed herself feet-first into the first Nevermore, the beast having tried to fly upward to avoid the hit.

Velvet smirked and murmured; "Gotcha." before slamming one of her Bad Axes into the Nevermore's chest, embedding it and allowing her to hang from the creature without falling. The giant bird let out a screech and began flapping rapidly, hoping to shake her off. But Velvet wasn't about to let that happen. With another swing of her free arm, the bunny girl was able to slice off one of its wings, making it screech again in pain. She then pulled her other Bad Axe out of its chest and sliced off its head, the lifeless body dissipating into black mist.

"One down…" Velvet said before immediately landing on the back of the second Nevermore, just as she had intended. "And another to go!" Beneath her, the giant bird Grimm was flying hastily about, bobbing, weaving and even doing a few barrel rolls in hopes of tossing Velvet off of its back. "Sorry, mate!" Velvet shouted before slamming both of her Bad Axes into its back, giving her a firm hold of it. "But I'm in control here!" If anything, though, this just made the beast jerk around even more, only now it was in pain. At that moment, she saw a third Nevermore enter her field of vision, which quickly gave her an idea. 'Jackpot!'

Velvet wretched her arms to the right and pushed downward with all she had, which made the Nevermore lurch in the same direction. The large bird began descending down toward the other Nevermore, which made both creature's eyes widen in panic. The lower Nevermore attempted to fly out of the way, but it was too late. Velvet made her Nevermore crash into the other one, which had the added effect of stabbing its beak into the other's neck. The two stuck birds plummeted toward the ground, with Velvet hanging on for dear life and waiting for the opportunity to jump off.

'Almost… almost… NOW!' The duo of Grimm birds made impact with the earth and Velvet leapt off of them as they tumbled across the pavement. The bunny girl tuck and rolled before jumping into a sprint, following after the Nevermores. Once the creatures came to a halt, Velvet held no hesitation in lobbing off both of their heads with her Bad Axes, making them dissipate into black smoke. Once their bodies were gone, Velvet's Bad Axes also began dissipating, a sigh escaping her lips soon after. "Hah, well… that was certainly something."

"VELVET!" The bunny girl's head whirled around to see Cardin, her team, and the others sprinting toward her, with Rex flying down as well to join them. The redheaded knight sprinted over and grasped her shoulders, a bright smile overtaking his face. "That was AMAZING! You just took down THREE of those things in a row!"

"No kidding, Vel." Cooper concurred. "That was simply phenomenal!"

Rex put a hand to his head in awe. "I gotta admit… I'm surprised you know how to use my weapons, Vel. It was almost like seeing myself fight out there!"

Velvet smiled back to the two, tapping the side of her head. "All a part of my Semblance, Rex. It helps that I've seen you fight often." Her eyes then went up to Cardin. "So, what's the situation down here like?"

"Well, we just cleared out three Death Stalkers." Cardin answered. "And I think the other students are startin' to whittle down the Grimm's numbers. We just gotta—"

EEEEAAARRK! Another loud screech suddenly cut Cardin off, prompting everyone to set their eyes skyward. There, diving down at them, was another Nevermore, and it appeared to be quite angry. "WATCH OUT!" Coco suddenly shouted, prompting everyone to either duck or aim their weapons at it. However, before the creature could even make it to them, a fast, green blur suddenly zoomed past them, whipping up a strong wind before plowing right into the Nevermore's midsection. All at once, the green blur managed to split the Grimm in half, its body falling before dispersing like all the others.

The group at ground level barely had time to comprehend what they had just seen. "…What the hell was THAT?!" Neptune exclaimed.

"I-I don't know!" Sun stuttered. "But whatever it was, it was FAST!"

After searching around for whatever the speeding object was, Kevin's eyes moved up again… and it was there that he saw a flying object quickly swooping down at them. He was about to warn the others about it, but when it, or rather she, came into view, he quickly relaxed. "Uh, guys? Here comes your answer."

Everyone craned their heads up as well, and immediately, happy smiles took to their faces as the familiar figure came flying toward them. "Sal… u…" WHAM! Penny landed directly in front of them with a cheery grin of her own… but not without blowing them all off their feet. "TATIONS!" she finished with a salute. But then, she saw what she had done and her eyes widened, giving her friends a wave. "Oh, my apologies!"

Ilia chuckled as she sat up, rubbing her head slightly. "Hehe, no, no, you're fine, Penny!" But then, the chameleon girl's eyebrows rose up at Penny's new attire, which she couldn't help but marvel at. "Oh my god, Penny! That outfit looks so good on you!"

After everyone collected themselves, they were able to see Penny's new clothes as well, and they were all quick to agree with Ilia. The redheaded android was now sporting an entirely new ensemble, with almost nothing from her old one remaining. Instead of a single pink bow, she now had two; a black fabric one, and another pink one that was entirely made of metal, her symbol having been placed directly in the middle of it. She was in a new green and black dress with suspenders and gold buttons, the hem of it being black with emerald green stripes. Beneath the dress, she wore a white blouse with poofy shoulders and flared cuffs, complete with black gloves that had gold studs on the knuckles.

At her neck, Penny now wore a new neck piece that was much less constrictive than her last one, complete with another black bow that had a power symbol in its center. Her legs though were where things got a bit odd. At first, the group thought they were normal black leggings that were stylized to look like mechanical boots. But upon closer inspection, they saw that they WERE actually metallic armor pieces that were connected to her boots. At their sides were two green circles; a large one on the upper thigh and a smaller one near her ankle, both edged with gold detailing while a single green line went between the two.

Coco lowered her sunglasses and let out an impressed whistle. "Woo! Color Girl's right, Pen! You're rockin' that outfit big time!"

Penny grinned eagerly and deactivated her Air Heart jetpack before wrapping both girls into a hug. "Oh, thank you! I REALLY love them and I'm very glad that you guys do as well!"

Kevin couldn't help but raise a brow at Penny's new clothes, though. "Huh, she looks like one of those German waitresses you'd see at an Oktoberfest.' He shook the thought away before giving the redhead a smile as well. "Well, I know one thing, you sure saved our bacon back there, Penny. Thanks for that."

Penny gave him her signature salute. "No problem, Kevin! All in a day's work!" She then sent Velvet a thumbs up. "And Velvet, excellent work on taking those Nevermores down! Truly sensational!"

Velvet giggled and tilted her head to the side. "Thank you, Penny. Though your entry take-down was also quite spectacular."

"Everyone!" The groups heads whipped around to see Winter heading their way as well, the military specialist bringing even more students with her. "We came as quickly as we could! What's the situa—Kevin?!" The elder Schnee's eyes widened when she saw the Osmosian as well as Rex standing in front of her. "And Rex? What are you two doing up here? Shouldn't you both be in the forest searching for the criminal?"

Rex and Kevin glanced toward each other awkwardly before the EVO gave Winter a shrug. "Would you believe… that Four Arms punched the guy so hard that he flew up here and crashed into the dining hall?"

Winter blinked as she took that information in. "Hm… so THAT is what caused all this commotion. I simply thought that it was a Grimm attack by itself—WAIT, he punched the criminal up here?!"

"Yup." Kevin jerked his thumb toward the dining hall. "Ben went all-out All Might on that one."

"All who?"

"Never mind." Kevin waved off. "Save it for later. Right now, we have more to worry about—huh?!" All of a sudden, the earth beneath their feet began to rumble and the concrete started splitting and cracking apart. Everyone's eyes widened and Kevin hollered; "Everybody MOVE!" The whole group were quick to oblige and they all dove off in separate directions, the ground finally erupting as soon as they did.

Dust and debris were thrown all over the place as the teens and Winter landed, though the military specialist herself was the only one to land on her feet. Winter narrowed her eyes, attempting to see through the dust. It was only when she saw something large slithering out of the ground did she speak up; "Be ready everyone! We have a King Taijitu!"

Sure enough, a giant, two-headed black and white snake Grimm moved its head out from the dust cloud, its long fangs bared and its two tongues hissing at the group in contempt. Coco sneered back at the King Taijitu before activating Gianduja, the barrel already beginning to spin. "Well, guess it's gonna be the easy way for this one."

"Save your ammo, Coco!" Penny objected, the android putting an arm out in front of her friend. She sent Coco a reassuring smile and stated her signature catchphrase; "I'm combat ready, as you know." Penny planted her feet as the nanites within her began to power up, resulting in her shoulder mounted Bash Blasters bursting out.

Coco was taken aback for a split second before smirking, putting Gianduja away right after. "Okay, it's your show, Pen! Go for it!"

"Thank you!" Penny nodded back before glaring up at the King Taijitu. Without any warning, the dual-headed snake beast suddenly lunged forward, its mouths open wide and ready to tear Penny in two. "Besides… this is going to be a real BLAST!" The Bash Blasters began glowing intensely before firing their two big, green energy beams, blasting straight through both of the King Taijitu's mouths. When the cannons stopped, the snake Grimm was left headless and its body went limp before dissipating into black mist. When the Grimm was gone, Penny went back to being her chipper self, almost as if nothing had happened. "And that takes care of that!"

The group were left somewhat stunned for a moment, but quickly divulged into cheers shortly after. The only exceptions were the Team CRDL boys, who had NOT seen Penny's abilities before. They simply stared at where the King Taijitu once was before Cardin snapped out of it, shaking his head back to reality. "Did… did that girl just blast that thing into oblivion?!"

"Goes to show to not judge a book by its cover." Dove commented.

However, after getting a good look at her face, Sky realized that the girl was indeed familiar. "Wait! That's the girl who was sliced up by Nikos during the Vytal Tournament!" he exclaimed. "The robot girl!"

"Hey yeah!" Russel shifted his eyes over to Penny, who now appeared to be somewhat uncomfortable at the reminder. "I thought you were… well, can robots even die?"

Penny furrowed her brows at him. "THIS one can." she answered simply. "But then again, I suppose that makes me more than JUST a robot."

"Well yeah." Cardin agreed. "You're name's Penny, right? From what I heard, you're pretty good friends with Ruby." He crossed his arms and sent her a small smile. "Anyone who's friends with that girl is probably a good person, even if they're an artificial person."

This made Penny's brows rise right back up in surprise. "Oh! Well, thank you, I suppose."

Just then, Fox and Yatsu stepped up, the forming clearing his throat while the latter readied his sword. "AHEM! I don't mean to interrupt the happy times here…" He pointed off to the group's right. "But we've got more company!" The teens did an about-face to see a bunch of Grimm begin to make their way toward them, specifically; Boarbatusks.

Winter grit her teeth as two particular Boarbatusks sped up and began rolling toward them, the elder Schnee reaching for her blade. "Everyone, prepare for battle!" With a single swipe, Winter sliced both of the pig-like Grimm in half, destroying them immediately. However, this only prompted the other Boarbatusks to speed up as well, their spinning bodies all closing in quickly.

"Yatsu!" Coco hollered.

"On it!" Yatsuhashi dashed forward before spinning Fulcrum around and slamming it into the pavement, causing it to shatter and send the incoming Boarbatusks up into the air. The beasts were then pelted by the debris, forcing them to uncurl and fall down, leaving them open to attack. "Now, everyone! Let's—"

But just then, a new voice entered the scene. "Stand down for now, children!" Everyone whipped their heads around to see none other than Professor Goodwitch coming toward them, strutting with confidence as she kept her Disciplinarian gripped firmly in hand. Walking along either side of her were Doctor Holiday, Max, and Jessie Jameson, the latter with a strange green cast on her right arm. Glynda set her gaze onto the Boarbatusks as they all steadily got back up. "I will take it from here."

With a wave of her riding crop, the headmistress of Beacon Academy willed all of the debris from the pavement up into the air with her telekinetic Semblance. Before the Boarbatusks could even realize what was happening, they were all suddenly pelted with the debris again, only this time MUCH harder. So hard in fact that many of the chunks went right through them. Whether it was in the head, stomach or back, every Boarbatusk there was utterly decimated by Goodwitch's onslaught. Once all of them were dead, Glynda willed the debris to reform back into the pavement, almost as if it had never been destroyed by Yatsu's attack.

As Goodwitch took a breath, the whole group simply stared at her, with Kevin uttering; "Wow… she's good."

"Like, REALLY good." Rex agreed.

Cooper smirked and nodded his head. "That's Goodwitch for ya. Always keeps a cool head in combat…" But it was at that moment that the genius saw the professor's eyes widen in shock, her teeth gritting as her eyes went straight up to the roof of the dining hall. Specifically; right toward the hole that Bashmouth had left in it. "…That said, I don't think she's all that calm and collected now."

"What happened to the dining hall?!" Glynda shouted, her eyes snapping right over toward the group. "And what in the WORLD is going on here?!"

Kevin chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his head. "Uh, hehe, funny story, Prof! See, we were fighting the perp in the forest when—"

"Oh, I already know that part, Kevin." Goodwitch assured before her arm whipped up and pointed toward the dining hall itself. "What I want to know is why you left Ben of all people in there to take of it when he's the one responsible for sending this Bashmouth character up here in the first place!"

Rex nervously raised his hands up to Glynda, hoping to calm her down. "Hey, it's really not THAT bad. I mean, it's not like he transformed into Rath or anything this time—"

BAM! All of a sudden, a large chunk of the dining hall's wall burst out at the group, creating another new hole. And in said hole, was Rath's head, the Appoplexian snarling in rage as he stared out at them. "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', RATH'S FRIENDS! YOU HAD ALL BETTER STAY CLEAR! BECAUSE WHEN RATH IS THROUGH WITH BASHMOUTH, THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF CLEANING UP TO DO!" But then, his eyes widened, almost as if he remembered something important. "ALSO, DON'T LOOK AT ME, I'M—" But before he could finish, Rath's head was pulled back in, almost as if by force.

Needless to say, this left the group stunned. "…Or he could have transformed into Rath." Rex said with a facepalm. "Because of course he did."

Glynda's eye began twitching again and her lips turned up into a frustrated sneer, her self-control beginning to wane. Before her tirade could continue though, Holiday came forward and placed both hands on Glynda's shoulders, hoping to calm her down. "Okay, Glynda, let's slow down for a second and breath here, okay? In…" Holiday took in a deep breath, prompting Glynda to do the same. "…And out." Both ladies exhaled, though Glynda's hand went right to her forehead as she did. "There, better?"

"No, but at least I'm calmer now." Glynda's hand went through her hair, her eyes glaring right toward the dining hall. "But let me just say this right now; Benjamin Tennyson is going to be facing a HARSH punishment when this is all over."

From behind her, Max stepped up and tried to make an appeal for his grandson. "Professor, I am SO sorry about what Ben has done. He doesn't mean any of it, really, he doesn't. This HAS to be all just one big accident." The old man glanced off to the side. "After all, MOST of his transformations into Rath usually are."

Jessie stepped up as well and gave Glynda a reassuring smile. "Yeah, things'll be okay, Glynda. If anythin' I reckon he'll be more than happy to patch up whatever he ends up breakin'."

At this, Sun decided to speak up, pointing to Jessie's green cast. "Speaking of which, Jess, what happened to your arm?"

Neptune furrowed his brows at it. "Yeah, did that Bashmouth guy bust it up back in the Emerald Forest or something?"

Jessie wore a sheepish grin before raising the arm. "Yeah, that varmint got the drop on me… quite literally, as a matter of fact. Ended up sprainin' my arm. But Ben transformed into… I think he said his name was Swampfire?" The cowgirl shook her head. "Anyways, he patched me up an' gave me some o' his healin' spores. He said I should be as good as new by the end o' the day." The Vacuoan Huntress spun her shotgun around with one hand before pointing it at a horde of incoming Creeps. "But a little injury like this ain't gonna stop ME! C'mon ya'll, let's get back into this fight!"

Glynda sighed and nodded her head, taking her firm grip back onto her Disciplinarian. "Indeed. Benjamin's fate will have to wait." She pointed her riding crop forward and called her charges to action. "Come, students! It's time to seize victory!" With an uproarious cry of agreement, the whole group charged forth, ready to put an end to the incursion of Grimm once and for all.

…..

While the battle outside had been waging between Kevin's squad and the Death Stalkers, Team RWBY had found themselves in quite the predicament. Under normal circumstances, they would've been glad to see Ben's Appoplexian transformation. The way Rath was somehow able to be so comically angry while still being a good guy was a sight to behold, after all. However, in recent times, the large tiger-like alien had a knack for rearing his head at somewhat inopportune times. "First the White Fang palace and now this." Blake facepalmed. "How could this situation get any worse?"

"I don't know, Blake." Weiss sighed as she watched Rath and Bashmouth stare down one another. "But I think we're about to find out."

Ruby glanced over to her older sister. "Yang, as the leader of this team… I think it'd be wise for us to stay out of this." Her silver eyes shifted back worriedly toward the two large aliens. "Something tells me that if we got into the middle of THIS fight… we wouldn't be spared."

"Good point, sis." Yang agreed, though she kept her gaze locked onto her boyfriend. "Let's see how this plays out. …Hopefully we won't all get destroyed."

The aforementioned Metallikanine was laughing up a storm, pleased by the outcome of Ben's transformation. "AHAHA! FINALLY! An actual challenge!" He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "When I was out on the lamb, every single Appoplexian I met was able to give me a GREAT battle! …None of 'em won o' course, but I at least wasn't bored." He pointed one of his claws to Rath with a big, toothy grin. "So whaddya say, "Rath"? You ready to come get yer ass whupped?!"

Rath, his teeth grit and his eyes in their permanent glare, raised a single finger back to Bashmouth. "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', BASHMOUTH… HOLD THAT THOUGHT!" Rath then began whipping his head around the room with his arms held up, almost as if he were ready to intercept an attack. Bashmouth and Team RWBY could only stare on in confusion as the Appoplexian began searching the dining hall for something, lifting tables and debris and checking beneath them thoroughly.

After about thirty seconds of this, Yang finally decided to ask; "Uh… Ben? What're you doing?"

"I'M MAKIN' SURE THAT TIGER LADY, SIENNA KHAN, ISN'T HERE!" Rath replied before tossing away a hunk of debris. "RATH DOESN'T WANT HER TO CHEW HIM OUT AGAIN!" he clarified.

If anything, this just made the whole team deadpan at him again. "Ben, Sienna isn't here!" Blake reprimanded. "I have no idea why you would even think she WAS here."

"LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', BLAKE BELLADONNA!" Rath snapped back. "YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO CAREFUL!"

"…Yep, we're doomed." Weiss concluded.

Bashmouth, meanwhile, was standing with his arms crossed and his head tilted to the side, a confused look on his face. "Man… I've met some DUMB Appoplexians, but ya'll've gotta be THE dumbest yet!"

This proved to be the insult that pulled Rath's attention back to the Metallikanine, his lips turning back up into a snarl. With his signature finger point, Rath countered; "REALLY?! WELL LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', BASHMOUTH! RATH MAY NOT BE THE SHARPEST TOOL IN THE SHED, BUT HE'S THE SHARPEST TOOL THAT'S GONNA TEND TO YOUR BODY WHEN WE GO HEAD TO HEAD!" He jabbed two thumbs to himself. "RATH IS THE MAGIC RAKE THAT WILL REND YOUR SOUL ASUNDER! NO PIG DEMONS ATTACHED!"

Despite themselves, the girls of Team RWBY couldn't help but burst into laughter at both Rath's statement AND the bewildered expression on Bashmouth's face. The dog-like alien stared at Rath for a good few seconds before shouting; "The FUCK is all this gobbledygook about?!" He faced the laughing girls and pointed at Rath. "Do you know what the hell he's yammerin' on about?!"

"Haha! Not a clue!" Yang guffawed. "But we DO know that whenever get gets going like this, it means he's hyped to fight!"

"AND ANOTHER THING!" Rath shouted. "YOU MAY TALK BIG ABOUT BEATING OTHER APPOPLEXIANS, BUT RATH IS UNLIKE ANY APPOPLEXIAN YOU'VE FACED SO FAR!"

Bashmouth's eager grin returned. "Oh, really?! Then how 'bout we prove that in a traditional extraterrestrial wrestlin' match?! No holds barred with everything we have?!"

"SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN TO ME!" Rath raised his arms and began flexing them in a variety of unique poses. "BECAUSE TODAY… RATHAMANIA IS GONNA RUN WILD, BROTHER!" For his final pose, he flexed his arms downward, his fists moving in toward his chest. "SO WHATCHA GONNA DO WHEN THESE TWENTY-SIX-INCH PYTHONS COME GUNNIN' FOR YOU, BASHMOUTH?!"

"I'd say I have a clear advantage!" Bashmouth retorted. "After all, ya had to have help to even try an' beat me back in the woods. You've got NO help in this here fight."

"THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE WRONG!" Rath gestured over to Team RWBY. "YOU SEE THEM?! THEY ARE ONLY A FEW OF RATH'S SUPPORTERS, BUT THEY'RE ALSO HIS MOST IMPORTANT ONES!" He moved around and gave them a thumbs up. "SO LONG AS THEY'VE GOT MY BACK, THEN THAT'S ALL THE HELP RATH NEEDS!"

Ruby pumped a fist into the air in support. "Yeah, you tell 'em, Ben! We're right here for you all the way!"

"For better or for worse." Weiss muttered sarcastically under her breath.

But Bashmouth just saw this as another opportunity to insult his opponent. "Oh, I see! They're yer own personal little squad o' cheerleaders!" He crossed his arms and let out another laugh. "HA! Well I'll give 'em one thing; they're pretty feisty considerin' the stuff they did to me back in the woods!"

Both Blake and Yang gave the dog alien similarly angry glared. "Oh, we are NOT cheerleaders!" the cat girl rebuked. "And you'll be damn sorry you ever called us that!"

Yang jerked a thumb to her chest. "Yeah! The butt-kicking we gave you should be evidence enough!"

"Oh, I know, blondie." Bashmouth confirmed. "Which is why I'M glad that ya'll aren't participatin' this time!" He extended a clawed finger over to them. "If you even THINK of steppin' into the ring with me an' him, I won't hesitate to break your bones this time… or eat them either."

Ruby and Weiss' faced both became quite pale while Blake grit her teeth, her pupils shifting into cat-like slits at Bashmouth's words. Yang's eyes flared red, her fists balling up in frustration as her gaze snapped up to Rath. "Ben, baby? I only ask one thing of you; pummel this guy into the ground for us, please."

Rath craned his head toward her and calmly nodded. "Rath is happy to oblige, Yang Xiao Long. Now you guys had better get back… this is gonna be ugly." Team RWBY hastily moved back toward the front entrance, getting as far away from the two aliens as possible. Rath balled his fists and extended his claws, ready to get into the action. "ALRIGHT, BASHMOUTH, LET'S DO THIS—"

"Hold on!" Bashmouth raised a paw up to Rath, stopping him in midsentence. "If we wanna do this, we gotta do it right!" All of a sudden, Bashmouth reached for one of the cafeteria tables and threw it up in the air, making it spin around horizontally before it finally landed on its side. He did this at least eight more times, confusing Rath even more until the Appoplexian began to realize the shape he was setting the tables up in. Soon enough, there was a twenty-by-twenty-foot square set up around the duo, the exact dimensions of a standard wrestling ring. "There! NOW it's a wrestlin' match!"

"Huh, not bad…" Rath murmured before a grin came to his face. "But I think you're forgettin' somethin'! WE DON'T HAVE A REF!"

Bashmouth growled and put a hand to his chin. "Hmph, guess yer right… hang on a sec." The dog alien leapt up to the top of the tables edges and glowered at the four Team RWBY members, scanning them all over until his eyes landed on Ruby. He remembered how fast she could move back in their battle, which meant she'd be perfect for staying out of the way. "YOU!" He jabbed a finger toward the Hooded Huntress, making her jump in place. "Yer gonna be our referee! Got a problem with that?!"

"W-Well, I—" Ruby uttered.

"An' I want yer calls to be unbiased!" Bashmouth roared. "An' put that scythe o' yours away, too, ya got that?!"

Weiss had a dumbfounded look on her face at that. "Are you crazy?! You can't just—"

"Weiss, hold on." Ruby interrupted, taking Crescent Rose off her back as she did. "This fight won't happen any other way. If we don't comply, Bashmouth could just go on a rampage and destroy the entire school. We can't let that happen." She went over to Yang and handed Crescent Rose to her. "Watch over her for me?"

Yang gave her sister a nod. "Sure. Just be careful in there."

Bashmouth laughed as Ruby flew over the ring made of tables, his excitement growing ever more. "Excellent! Now blondie, ring that bell over there an' we can get started!"

Yang was confused until Blake went over and picked up the fire bell that had once hung on the wall of the dining hall, which had been bent out of shape during the attack. "I think he means this one." Blake clarified.

With a shrug of her shoulders, Yang raised her Ember Celica up, ready to get this whole thing started. "Well, okay then." She craned her head up to the ring where Rath, Bashmouth and Ruby were standing, calling out to them; "Is everybody clear on the rules?!" She got sounds of confirmation from all three of them, ushering her to continue. "Well then… LET'S GET IT ON!" She hit her Ember Celica against the bell twice, making it let out a ring and signaling for the match to start.

With a few neck pops, Rath went into a battle stance. "ALRIGHT, BASHMOUTH… LLLLLET'S GET READY TO RUMBLLLLLE!" With that, the Appoplexian charged forward and began grappling with the Metallikanine, the duo moving right into a corner at the very start. Ruby quickly followed after them, keeping a close eye on their movements.

However, Bashmouth merely grinned at the approach that Rath was taking. "Not bad, kid! Startin' out strong…" Just then, the claws on his feet began changing into metal ones, allowing him to dig into the floor and slow him down. "But yer forgettin' who yer dealin' with!" Bashmouth forced them to a stop just before they could get into a corner, quickly pushing back against Rath. "After all, I didn't say powers were off-limits, did I?"

"NOPE! YOU SAID NO HOLDS BARRED!" Rath confirmed. "AND I'M FINE WITH THAT! MAKES IT MORE INTERESTING!" With all the strength he could muster, Rath lifted Bashmouth and threw him high up into the air, catching the dog alien off guard. "SIRIUS BUTTKICKING!" With a powerful leap of his own, Rath jumped high above Bashmouth and did a flip kick, slamming his opponent back into the ground. Immediately, Rath grabbed Bashmouth's leg and pulled it back, his head whipping over to Ruby. "RUBY ROSE! THREE-COUNT, NOW!"

Ruby's eyes widened in a panic and she hastily ran over. "R-Right! Sorry!" The silver-eyed girl slid to her hands and knees down next to the two and began smacking her hand down to the floor, all while her friends watched on in apprehension.

"One, two—d'oh!" Yang winced when Bashmouth broke out of the leg hold, reaching up to pull Rath off of his back. He threw Rath right into one of the tables, resulting in the Appoplexian making impact in an upside-down position. "Gah, that was a just two-count!"

Back in the ring, Bashmouth grabbed his opponent by the ankles and shouted; "MONOCEROS MUDHOLE STOMP!" He began stomping on Rath's face, not letting up for a second as his opponent hollered down below him. The girls could only stare in utter horror as Bashmouth laughed up a storm, continuing his onslaught. "AHAHA! Whatcha gonna do NOW, Stripes?! Where are those twenty-six-inch pythons you were goin' on about?!"

Rath growled before snapping his arms forward, grabbing Bashmouth's stomping leg as well as his other leg in quick succession. "RIGHT HERE!" With one good pull, Rath pulled Bashmouth off balance, causing both of them to come tumbling down. However, Rath had to take a second to get back up, which meant Bashmouth was quick to get back to his feet.

"Pathetic!" With a strong kick, Bashmouth slammed his foot into Rath's gut, making the tiger fly back several feet before landing on the other side of the arena. With a mighty leap, Bashmouth then made a cover over Rath, pinning him to the floor. "Ya think a little pull like that is gonna take down BASHMOUTH?!" he roared as Ruby began smacking her hand on the ground again. "You never stood a chance, little man—GAH!" All of a sudden, Rath kicked out of the pin, pushing Bashmouth off of him successfully. As the Appoplexian stood up, a low growl escaped the Bashmouth's throat. "You've gotta be kiddin'! How many was—"

"That was a two-count, Bashmouth!" Ruby stated, holding up two fingers. "Not enough!"

Bashmouth clenched his big, furry hands. "Shit! You've gotta be kiddin' me!" His red eyes bore into Rath, the hatred in them very evident. "This novice ain't WORTHY to last in the ring this long with BASHMOUTH! Hell, I've got sisters from my own litter who can take this pussy-cat out in ten seconds!"

If anything, this only got the girls on the sidelines more irritated. "HEY! What's that supposed to mean?!" Weiss hollered.

"Yeah, wanna come out here and say that to our faces?!" Yang challenged.

"Don't worry, ladies, ya'll will have yer chance!" Bashmouth waved. "Besides, you should take that as a compliment…" He moved his gaze back down to Rath, who was just starting to regain his composure. "After all, yer ALL better than this runt of an Appoplexian."

Rath's eyes snapped open and he screamed to the heavens; "I'LL SHOW YOU WHO THE RUNT IS! AAAAAUUURRGH!" With an angry roar, Rath went to all fours and began sprinting at Bashmouth, just as the Metallikanine had done earlier. He then leapt up into the air, sailing right toward his opponent.

But Bashmouth wasn't deterred. He smirked and pulled his hand back in preparation. "A head-long attack?! Not gonna happen, little man! TRIANGULUM THROAT—" But right at that moment, Rath extended his arms and grabbed Bashmouth's head, using it at leverage to flip over him. "…Chop?!"

"THINK AGAIN! FLYING OPHIUCHUS SUPLEX!" Rath's body moved over Bashmouth in a solid arc before he landed behind his bigger opponent. But for as big as Bashmouth was, the force of Rath's pull was even greater, resulting in the dog alien being thrown head-over-heels over Rath's shoulder. With a great big slam, Bashmouth hit the table-wall of the ring, with Rath standing over him proudly as he fell to the floor. "HA! NOT SO TOUGH NOW, HUH?!"

Bashmouth wiped at his lips, which, to his surprise, were now beginning to bleed slightly. "Huh… not bad, kid." He stood up and popped his neck muscles. "I'll admit, I wasn't expectin' that…" He scanned Rath up and down with his eyes before noticing something that he could take advantage of; the hero's self-esteem. "But now, I AM!" Bashmouth charged forward once more and began grappling with Rath again, the two aliens not letting up on either of their ends. The two then proceeded to strike each other repeatedly with their arms, both hoping to tire the other out. "I have to say, fer an Appoplexian who don't have no shame, you ain't too bad, kid!"

"WELL, I—wait." Rath furrowed his brows at Bashmouth, but he still kept his eyes glued to his opponent as he grappled with him. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

He received a small shrug from Bashmouth. "Well, I'm just sayin', all the Appoplexians I faced in the past had at least a pair o' pants on, so…"

"WAIT, Appoplexians wear CLOTHES?!" Rath exclaimed.

Ruby's eyes widened at this and her eyes slowly trailed over to Rath's body, but she quickly covered her eyes before she could go any further. "Oh gosh, you can't be serious!"

Blake and Weiss were both aghast as well, though Yang didn't seem to be bothered all that much. "So? Not every alien Ben changes into has clothes either." The Blonde Brawler tilted her head. "So what's the point?"

Weiss whipped her head around to Yang in shock. "Yang, you're missing the point! Sure, not every alien Ben has wears clothes, but I think the ones that do have a good reason for wearing them!" the heiress explained. "So if Appoplexians wear clothes, then that means… that all this time… Rath has been… has been…"

"…Buck-Ass Naked." Blake finished.

The very second Blake finished that statement, Rath's eyes snapped open wide, the part of him that was still Ben Tennyson now thoroughly freaking out. 'AAAAAAAGH!' he screamed internally as his face became beet red. 'This has to be THE worst possible thing!'

Bashmouth could only smirk as his plan came to fruition. 'An' there's my door!' Taking advantage of Rath's shocked state, Bashmouth broke out of their grappling position and twisted himself around so that he now held Rath in a three-quarters headlock, much to the Appoplexian's surprise. "Get ready for my signature… THE SERPENS STUNNER!" With a full-on drop, Bashmouth slammed himself onto his rear, taking Rath's head down with him and bashing his chin into his shoulder. The forceful impact left Rath utterly stunned, falling flat on his back in an instant.

"BEN!" Yang cried out. "No! Please get up!"

"Sorry, girly!" Bashmouth grinned from ear to ear. "But THIS kitty's gettin' de-clawed!" The Metallikanine grabbed Rath by the legs and hoisted them up onto his shoulders, picking him up quickly. "PORRIMA POWER SLAM!" Bashmouth tossed Rath back down onto the hard floor, slamming him back-first into the floor once again. He then grabbed Rath by the arm and picked him up again, only to take a hold of his legs and lift him up above his head. "From high above… HAEDUS OVER-HEAD THROW!" With that, Bashmouth tossed Rath straight out of the ring and into a nearby wall, resulting in the Appoplexian's head ramming right through it.

Ruby, who had uncovered her face by this point, was surprised by what had just happened. "Hey! Can you even toss him out of the ring like that?!"

Bashmouth sent her a hard glare. "No holds barred, remember? So long as the pin gets a three count, it don't matter where we go. The ring's just for show." He whipped his head down to her and shouted in her face; "NOW GET BACK TO DOIN' YOUR JOB!"

As the dog alien leapt out of the ring, Ruby folded her arms in a huff. "Hmph, well that wasn't very nice to say to the ref!" Nevertheless, she still followed him out of the ring, hoping against everything that Rath was still okay.

On the other side of the ring, Yang ushered Weiss and Blake to follow her over to where the action was going as well. "Come on, we have to get a better angle!"

After landing outside of the ring, Bashmouth stomped over to Rath and pulled his head out of the wall… before moving them both down to the floor. "PHERKAD FACE PLANT!" Bashmouth began driving Rath's face into the concrete floor multiple times, leaving it bloodied and bruised by the time he finally stopped. "Well, naked man? You done?"

"I… I REALLY wish you hadn't brought that up." Rath said weakly, wincing as Bashmouth's grip tightened. He saw Yang and the others approaching out of the corner of his eye, which only made his face even redder than it already was. "I CAN'T believe Rath's been NAKED this whole time! In front of my FRIENDS, my FAMILY… and even my own GIRLFRIEND!" Quickly losing his spirit, Rath craned his head down so that Yang couldn't see how humiliated he was. "I'm… so ashamed."

Yang's eyes widened when she saw the state her boyfriend was in. "BEN!" She made to run forward but was held back by Blake and Weiss, much to her dismay. "Girls, stop! Screw the rules! I'm gonna help him!"

"Yang, NO!" Blake refused. "You heard Bashmouth, he'll EAT you if you do!"

"If it helps Ben get away from that monster, I DON'T CARE!"

Bashmouth perked his head up at Yang's voice, glowering straight at her. "You'd best do what yer friends say, blondie." He picked Rath's head up to force him to make eye contact with her, the shamed Appoplexian's spirit now visibly broken. "Or would you rather me snap his neck here an' now?"

It was there that Yang stopped struggling, with Weiss placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Yang, the best we can do is stand down for now." She offered her blonde friend a smile. "Keep cheering for Ben, okay? Get him hyped back up somehow."

However, the more that Yang gazed upon her boyfriend's broken expression, she couldn't help but wonder; '…What do I say to a face like that?'

"Haha, good!" Bashmouth laughed. "Glad we understand each other." He lowered his head down to Rath. "An' as fer you… at least now you'll know of yer shame before I beat the livin' shit outta you." Bashmouth slammed Rath's head into the pavement one more time before putting him into a sitting position. The dog alien got down to one knee and proceeded to put Rath into a sleeper hold, which the giant tiger immediately began struggling to get out of. "Try all you want, pal! Nobody's EVER escaped my Solaris Sleeper Hold! Ref, get over here!"

Ruby hustled over as her eyes switched between Rath and Bashmouth, though she was careful not to get too close the former's thrashing. "Wh-What do I do here?!" she asked.

With a roll of his eyes, Bashmouth nudged his head to Rath's arm. "When he starts to stop thrashin', yer gonna lift his arm up three times. If he can't lift it on his own, he loses automatically. Got it?!"

"R-Right." Ruby continued to watch in horror as Rath was slowly but surely being choked out, his thrashing de-escalating to a mere struggle. Oddly enough, throughout the struggle, Rath kept his legs crossed, and Ruby had a feeling she knew why. 'I can't believe that RATH of all aliens is embarrassed about something like that. And what's worse, it's effecting his performance…' After a few more minutes, Rath began to fall limp, his head lolling off as his grunts and yells began to subside. Reluctantly, Ruby reached out and pulled Rath's arm up, which immediately fell limp to his side the moment she let go. "One!"

"NO!" Yang screamed, her teeth clenched in worry. "Ben, please, don't stop fighting!" But the more she stared into his eyes, the more she realized how defeated Rath was feeling, his shame having taken a firm hold on his mind. As Ruby gave the second count, Yang scanned over Rath once more, wracking her mind for something to raise his spirits. It was then that she saw the Appoplexian's legs still crossed… and an idea immediately popped into her head. With a big smile on her face, Yang called out to him; "BEN! I don't care that you're naked!"

At that moment, Ruby raised Rath's arm up for the final time, and Bashmouth grinned eagerly. "Haha! Looks like I win—WHAT?!" But right when Ruby let go, Rath's arm stayed right where it was, shakily keeping itself aloft. "What in the Andromeda Galaxy is—AAAAUGH!" Without warning, Rath pulled his arms up and stabbed into Bashmouth's arms with his claws, making the Metallikanine howl in pain.

With all the force he could muster, Rath let out a huge roar and tossed Bashmouth off of his back, flinging him back into the ring. "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN' BASHMOUTH! YOU THINK YOU CAN PLAY MINDGAMES WITH RATH?! WELL THE ONLY GAME YOU'RE GONNA BE PLAYING WITH YOUR MIND IS "HOW THE FUCK DID RATH BEAT ME?"!"

"Ben!" Rath's attention was immediately pulled away from the match when Yang ran over and latched onto him, giving him a hug. "You broke out!"

"Y-Yeah, I did!" the Appoplexian confirmed, his face turning red again briefly. "Yang Xiao Long… do you really not care that I'm… you know?"

Yang shook her head. "No, of course not! I mean, I can't exactly see your junk or anything, so what's the difference?"

From the sidelines, Weiss hollered; "AWKWARD!"

Rath placed a hand behind his head. "Well… yeah, I guess you got a point. Still, this is a little embarrassing, to be honest."

"Aw, it's alright!" Yang waved off. "Just think of being naked as an alien and naked as a human as two completely different things."

"Hmm, sounds good to me." Rath nodded. "So… you REALLY don't care that I'm naked?"

Yang laughed before a sly smirk worked its way to her face. "Well, that depends… would YOU care if you saw ME naked?"

"REALLY awkward now!" Blake hollered.

"Yeah, could we PLEASE not continue this conversation?!" Ruby requested, her voice now very high-pitched at the uncomfortable situation. "We need to get this show back on the road before I die of embarrassment!"

Their friend's reactions sent both Rath and Yang into a laughing fit, the former waving his hand up to Ruby. "HA! Okay, okay! LET'S GET BACK TO IT!" Rath bent his knees to jump back into the ring, but not before giving Yang one last smile. "Wish me luck?"

Yang gave him a thumbs up. "You've had it since the match started, Green Boy. Now get in there and kick his furry ass!"

Rath's toothy grin reappeared. "WITH PLEASURE!" He then leapt up on top of one of the table's edges, crouching into his landing so that he didn't fall into the ring. There, he saw Bashmouth, the Metallikanine just getting up. "THAT WAS A LOW BLOW, BASHMOUTH! AND RATH DOESN'T LIKE LOW BLOWS!"

"Anything to win, Stripes!" Bashmouth retorted. "That's the Metallikanine way!"

"YEAH?! WELL LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', BASHMOUTH!" Rath pointed his finger in ire. "APPOPLEXIANS MAY BE ANGRY, AND THEY'RE NOT BE ALL THAT SMART, BUT THEY AT LEAST HAVE A SENSE OF HONOR!" He stood up and pumped a fist into the air while facing away from Bashmouth. "AND I'M GONNA PROVE IT! FROM THE TOP ROPE!" Rath jumped up and backflipped, his legs impacting Bashmouth without fail. "LUNAR MOONSAULT!"

The moment Bashmouth's back hit the ground though, he grabbed Rath's feet and pushed him off, allowing him to stand again. "You think you can beat me just 'cause yer girl's okay with seein' yer bare ass?! You've got another thing comin', boy!" He pulled both of Rath's legs up into his arms and pivoted to his right, swinging the tiger alien around effortlessly. "ORION GIANT SWING!" At the peak of his swing, Bashmouth let Rath go and sent him toward one of the tables. But shockingly, Rath somersaulted in midair and landed on his feet, taking Bashmouth by surprise. "WHAT?! But how—"

"COSMIC CLOTHESLINE!" Rath struck Bashmouth across the face with his arm, sending him right back down to the floor. "HOW'D YOU LIKE THAT, BIG GUY?! NOW TRY THIS ON FOR SIZE!"

Bashmouth shook the daze from his eyes, rubbing his head in confusion. "Uh… wha—HEY!" Before he could even realize what had happened, Rath did a high back flip over his head, the Appoplexian locking his legs around Bashmouth's neck as he did so. "What in the hell is—"

"HERCULES HURRICANRANA!" Without slowing down, Rath continued to fall backwards, bringing Bashmouth with him, the resulting throw was so powerful that it made Bashmouth crash straight through the tables he had set up, effectively destroying the ring. Rath landed on his stomach with a smirk before springing up onto his feet, running over to Bashmouth as quick as he could. "ALRIGHT, LET'S FINISH THIS!"

"W-wait, what're you—" Bashmouth was cut off when Rath lifted his legs up, stepping over them with his own left leg. "NO! You can't use that move! Not even the BEST Appoplexians were able to—"

"SCORPIUS SHARPSHOOTER!" Without hesitation, Rath wrapped Bashmouth's legs around his own before spinning himself around, throwing his right leg over Bashmouth's body. The movement caused Bashmouth to flip around onto his stomach while Rath pulled his legs back, yanking them up above the Metallikanine's back. Rath crouched down while keeping a firm hold on the large, furry legs, all while Bashmouth screamed and cussed in instant pain. "HOW'S THIS FOR A RUNT'S MOVESET, BASHY?!"

"GRAAAUUGH!" Bashmouth belted out a loud roar, pounding his fists against the ground to try and break out of the submission hold. But Rath's grip was as solid as steel, and it was evident he was NOT about to let go. "You gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me! How were ya able to—AUGH—pull this off?!"

"PRACTICE!" Rath answered bluntly. "NOW TAP OUT!"

At that same moment, Ruby came rushing over and slid down next to Bashmouth, pointing at him with a serious face. "Bashmouth! Can you keep going, or do you wanna tap out?! Answer me! Are you through?!"

"FUCK YOU!" Bashmouth growled. "Bashmouth don't tap out! Do ya hear me?!" He began pummeling both fists against the ground, almost as if he were an impetuous child who wasn't getting his way. "BASHMOUTH DON'T TAP OUT!" Gritting his teeth through the pain, Bashmouth summoned enough strength to roll himself back around, freeing himself from the submission hold while forcing Rath off of him. He made to stand up, but his knee buckled, a result of it being twisted. "Gah! Dammit!"

Rath narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. "Okay, guess we're doin' this the hard way." he mumbled under his breath. "ALPHA LYNCIS LARIAT!" With a rush of speed, Rath slammed his arm into Bashmouth's face again, this time managing to knock the dog alien back several feet and onto his back. "YOU BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELF, BASHMOUTH!" Rath ran back over and jumped up, stretching out his leg for his final blow. "LEO LEG DROP!" With a loud, echoing SLAM,Rath brought his leg down on Bashmouth's neck, hurting his opponent's throat. But the tiger alien wasn't done yet. "AND ANOTHER!" He got up and performed yet another leg drop, only to then get up and perform more in quick succession. "AND ANOTHER, AND ANOTHER!"

By the time he was done, Bashmouth was dazed and gasping for hair. He barely had time to comprehend what was happening, so much so that he couldn't harden his fur in time before the blows struck him. Finally, though, Rath pulled Bashmouth's leg up toward his chin while reaching around his shoulders with his other arm, the Appoplexian locking his hands together and pulling the Metallikanine back into a successful cradle pin. 'No… this can't be happening!' He attempted to kick out, but his dazed state made him weak, so much so that his strength had partially left him. 'This wasn't how it was supposed to end!'

Without hesitation, Ruby ran over and smacked her hand against the floor; "ONE!" SMACK! "TWO!" SMACK! "THREE!" SMACK! "IT'S OVER!"

At Ruby's words, Yang rang the busted-up fire bell again, very enthusiastically so at her sister's call. "WOO! Ben won!"

Blake tossed the broken bell over her shoulder after Yang was done, folding her arms with pride. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

"Easy for you to say." Weiss said as she kept a hand covering her chest. "I can't tell you how many times I held my breath during that fight!"

Once Rath broke the pin, Ruby went over and lifted his arm up, declaring to her teammates; "The winner, and NEW Beacon Wrestling Champion… RAAAAATH!"

Rath could practically hear the 80's rock music blasting in his mind, the Appoplexian grinning from ear to ear at his victory. "AHAHA! YES! I TOLD YA RATHAMANIA WAS RUNNING WILD!" He spun his hand around before cupping it to his ear, leaning toward Yang, Blake and Weiss. "CAN I GET A HELL YEAH?!" The three girls and Ruby all obliged, the whole group devolving into cheers of triumph. "HA! THAT'S RIGHT, WE WON—"

"You… You… YOOOOUUU!" Everyone snapped their heads around when they heard Bashmouth yelling at the top of his lungs, the whole group astonished to see him get back up so quick. "That was supposed to be MY victory! AND YOU TOOK IT FROM ME!" All at once, Bashmouth's metal teeth burst out of his gums again, a snarl taking over his face. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

The moment Bashmouth lunged at them, Rath and Ruby both dashed out of the way, heading off into opposite directions. "Oh, come on, Bashmouth!" Ruby berated. "Nobody likes a sore loser!"

"YEAH! AND BESIDES…" Rath rushed forward as well and landed an uppercut to Bashmouth's jaw, effectively shutting his mouth. "BITING IS ILLEGAL IN WRESTLING!"

"Does it look like I give a damn at this point?!" Bashmouth's metal claws reattracted once again. "I am DONE with all of ya!"

As Rath began bobbing and weaving away from Bashmouth's movements, he began thinking of what he could do to put an end to this fight. However, it was during one of these dodges that his eyes caught sight of his hand again, and his mind went back to his Double Bellwood Smash from earlier. 'Well, it worked before… a bit TOO well. Maybe a SINGLE Bellwood Smash could do the trick this time. I just need a running start.' After one final dodge, Rath leapt away from Bashmouth and called out to his girlfriend; "YANG XIAO LONG! I NEED HIM OFF ME FOR A SEC!"

"On it!" Yang answered before cocking her Ember Celica and blasting a Fire Dust round at Bashmouth's face, garnering his attention immediately. "Now! Do whatever you gotta do!"

"RIGHT!" Rath set his gaze down to the Omnitrix and pointed to it. "Lemme tell ya somethin', Omnitrix, you'd better give me XLR8, or else we're gonna have a few select words later on." With a slap to the hourglass symbol, Rath was replaced with XLR8 in a flash of green light, much to the Kineceleran's relief. "Oh, thank god! Well, time to run!"

With a burst of speed, XLR8 began rushing around the entire room, running not just along the floor, but the walls and ceiling as well. He was careful to avoid Team RWBY, though, the quartet simply marveling at how fast he was going. The rush of wind served to confuse Bashmouth, making his anger subside for just a brief moment. "Huh?! What the heck—ACK!" As he sped around the room, XLR8 began striking Bashmouth with quick, succeeding blows, all while building up significant speed for his final attack. "Gah! Oof! Hey, this is—AUGH! No fair!"

"You're one to talk about that, Bashmouth!" XLR8 countered as his hits continued. "You weren't willing to be a good sport, so I think it's only fair that you learn your lesson from that!" With one final loop around the dining hall's ceiling, XLR8 made one last speech; "Now, for a lesson! I know that neither you or the girls have heard these words before, but I figure now's a perfect time to say them, and teach you what they REALLY mean!" Right when he sped back to the floor, XLR8 leapt forward at full speed behind Bashmouth and slammed the Omnitrix again, changing back into Rath.

Bashmouth only had time to spin his head around, seeing the Appoplexian flying right toward him at near-blinding speed with his fist reared back. With his teeth grit and his brows furrowed, Rath belted out four words that he had been eager to say all day; "GO BEYOND! PLUS…" WHAM! With all his might, Rath socked Bashmouth straight in a face with a Bellwood Smash. "ULLTRAAAAA!"

The force of the blow was so strong, it ended up sending Bashmouth straight through the dining hall's front doors, blowing both of them off of their hinges. The Metallikanine made impact with the ground and plowed right through the pavement, his upper torso taking the brunt of the damage. But in the end, he slowed to a stop about forty feet after he struck the ground, leaving a long trench that was a good five feet deep. With his consciousness finally leaving him, Bashmouth couldn't help but grin at what had just happened. 'Heh, nice punch, kid.' With that, Bashmouth slumped over, now thoroughly beaten.

Back inside the dining hall, Team RWBY couldn't help but once again stare dumbfoundedly at the amazing punch that their friend had pulled off. Sure, it wasn't as powerful as the one he had pulled off in the woods, but still, it was impressive. "Oh… my god." Weiss uttered. "What even IS that attack?!"

"That's what I'd like to know." Yang concurred before craning her head over to Rath, who thankfully had his hand still in one piece. "Ben, what show did you get that attack from again?"

Rath chuckled as he flexed his hand, which was only a bit sore from the hit. "Heh, remind me to show it to you guys later, Yang Xiao Long!" In another flash of green light, Ben was back to his normal self, now smiling from ear to ear. "But right now, I think this calls for a celebration!"

"Heck yeah, it does!" Ruby agreed. "Let's go find the others and tell 'em about this!"

"No need!" The group of five perked their heads up at the new voice in the room, only to turn around and see their friends already standing at the back entrance. Penny, Ilia, Team SN, Cooper and Team CFVY were all there, and they were all wearing the same astonished expression after seeing what Rath had just pulled off. Kevin and Rex were standing in front of them, the former smirking at his friends before nudging his chin at them. "I gotta admit, that was one crazy finisher."

Rex was yet again wearing quite possibly the biggest grin on his face as their group walked in. "DUDE! You pulled off another SMASH! That was amazing!"

"You bet it was." Yang said with a thumbs up. "And I think we might've finally gotten him!"

"After that punch, I'd hope so!" Ilia said as she slowly moved toward Blake with slight trepidation. It was almost as if she were afraid the whole building would come crashing down on her head. "Blake, how were you able to even stay in here with that fight going on?"

Blake gave her friend a small shrug. "Well, it looked a bit hairy for a little while, Ilia. But Ben managed to pull through just fine."

Sun went over and put his arm around Blake's shoulders, greeting her with a kiss. "No kidding! But right now, I'm just glad you're safe." The monkey boy spotted Bashmouth out on the other end of the court yard. "But jeez, what a punch! I practically felt the force of that impact. It was NUTS!"

"To say the FUCKING least!" Coco exclaimed. "I don't think I've ever seen a punch like that in my entire life!"

"Yeah, I think I felt my entire soul rattle a bit!" Neptune added.

"I'll say." Cooper concurred before raising a brow at Ben. "Just how much anime have you been watching lately?"

Ben gave him a lop-sided grin. "Believe it or not, not much! I haven't even SHOWN these guys MHA yet!" He quirked a brow to the whole group. "But I've got a feeling that needs to be rectified." However, when he was scanning the group with his eyes, he took notice of Penny's new attire almost immediately. "Oh! Hey, Penny, nice new threads!"

Ruby gasped as she finally noticed her friend's new wardrobe as well. "AH! Oh. My. GOSH!" She zipped over to Penny's side and immediately began gushing over the close. "Penny, you look so cute in that outfit! Was THIS the surprise that your dad wanted to give you?!"

"Hehe, indeed it is!" Penny giggled, though her hand went to her neck afterwards. "But… there IS another part of the surprise, but I'll save that for later." She reached over and grasped Ruby by the shoulders, a smile beaming from ear to ear on her face. "Right now, I want to hear what happened in the Emerald Forest and the events that transpired in here, please!"

Rex went over and nudged Weiss' shoulder. "Hey yeah, what DID happen in here? We saw Rath's head smash through the wall a little while ago, but he was pulled back in before we even knew what happened."

Weiss sighed and a hand went to her forehead. "Well, Robo-dolt, I think it's safe to say that we just witnessed the craziest wrestling match I've ever seen. …Then again, it's the only wrestling match I've ever seen, but that should be a given."

"HA! Nice one, Ice Princess." Rex laughed before a hand went to his chin. "But there's still something that doesn't make sense to me. Rath was about to tell us something before he got pulled back in. It was along the lines of "Don't look at me, I'm—" something."

Ben's eyes widened when he heard what Rex was saying and he made eye contact with Weiss, a worried look plastered all over his face. The heiress quickly picked up on the message and gave Rex a shrug. "Well… that's something that should be best left alone right now." she answered. "Let's just say we had a little… revelation during the fight and leave it at that."

"Well… okay." Rex scratched his head in confusion, but he decided he'd comply with her wishes, even if things still didn't add up. "If you say so, Ice Princess."

Meanwhile, Velvet, Fox and Yatsu were simply gazing all across the dining hall, taking in the further damage that had been caused thanks to Rath and Bashmouth's match. "My word… this is quite bad." Velvet uttered. "We were making such good progress in here, too."

"Hm, the damage is extensive." Yatsu added with Fox nodding silently.

Ben gave them a reassuring wave. "Hey, don't worry, guys. I can get this place back into shape in no time. Heck, by the time I'm done, Professor Goodwitch probably won't even notice what happened—"

"AHEM." The hero's blood suddenly went cold, his eyes widening in fear as he turned his head around. There, standing in the back doorway were the adults; his grandfather, Dr. Holiday, Winter, Jessie, and Professor Goodwitch right in the middle. Team CRDL were also standing behind them, the four boys still shellshocked after witnessing Rath's Bellwood Smash. However, Goodwitch was less than impressed. "What was that about me not noticing, Mr. Tennyson?"

"…I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"Oh, yes." Goodwitch said with a stern glare. "Very much so."

…..

A/N: And there you have it! The end of Bashmouth's reign of terror… or is it? But man, what a match, am I right? Blake was right, it looked a bit hairy for a bit there, but things pulled through alright! Can't go wrong with another Bellwood Smash! Though, uh… something tells me that Ben's not gonna try and transform into Rath for a little while, if only to keep his self-esteem intact. But that's not all we got! We also saw a pretty big battle between students and Grimm, with Velvet in particular being a real MVP with those Nevermores! Plus, there was Penny with the insta-kill on the King Taijitu, that was a blast! Speaking of Penny though, yes, she is now in her Volume 7 attire… sans the longer hair. Because I'll be honest, I'm not really a fan of any of the new hairstyles the main characters got in Volume 7. None of them really feel right, you know?

But, in any case, NEXT TIME! After using Diamondhead to create a crystalline prison for Bashmouth, Ben pleads his case to Goodwitch, saying that he has an idea that can fix the dining hall up super-fast. However, after that whole debacle is settled, the time for Caesar's arrival finally comes around. Gwen and Team JNPR quickly arrive just in time to witness the event… but a certain Metallikanine is able to escape his temporary prison. What will happen, exactly? Well, stay tuned to find out. Thanks for reading guys, and I'll see you next time! Stay safe out there, and… alright, all together now:

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!