Chapter 2: A Trip to Japan
—
And here is the second (yet first official) chapter of Fibers of the Universe! I am writing this shortly after the Prologue Chapter in order to give anyone checking this story out a bit more to invest in rather than a simple 2,000 word beginner.
I should probably point out that although this story takes places after the events of 'Ben 10: Omniverse', Ben still possesses the Ultimatrix instead of the new Omnitrix. I mean come on, we all know that he's going to need several of his Evolved Aliens to survive at Honnouji Academy!
I would also like to mention that this story was inspired by "To My Death I Fight" by BahamutReishiki, which is without a doubt the best Kill La Kill story I have ever seen, crossover or otherwise.
This chapter will begin the main story, and will portray Ben's introduction to Honnouji Academy.
Also, in response to OMNI-GOD: Yes the Ultimatrix is broken in the prologue, and its very possible to damage it/cause it to malfunction since we've seen it happen before. Hell, Ben did it himself when he was ten-years-old with a screwdriver. But to answer your question, if you want to find out how it happened you'll just have to wait and see.
And so, without further ado, let's get on with the show!
AlucardsBro OUT!
Ben 10 is owned by ManOfAction and Kill la Kill is owned by Studio Trigger
—
Seventeen-year-old Ben Tennyson blearily opened his eyes as his alarm clock continued to ring annoyingly from its place on his bedside table. Reaching out to slam down on the off switch, Ben let out a groan and swung his legs to the side of his bed before fully rising to prepare for the day.
Shuffling into the bathroom, Ben turned on the shower and washed up before drying off and proceeded to lazily brush his teeth.
Moving over to his closet, the teenage hero pulled out his signature green jacket and pulled it over his black undershirt before putting his jeans on as well. After making sure that he'd done everything in his morning routine, Ben grabbed his backpack from off the foot of his bed.
Making his way downstairs, Ben was greeted with the scent of whatever organic concoction his mother, Sandra, had cooked up for breakfast. Deciding to risk a potential tongue-lashing when he got back home, the Ultimatrix-wielder quietly tip-toed his way past the kitchen and slipped out the front door unnoticed.
Sighing in relief once he was finally outside, Ben took a moment before realizing that there was an extremely familiar RV parked directly in front of his house. Smiling as he walked up to his Grandpa Max's mobile home, Ben couldn't help but think back fondly of that first summer with Max and Gwen that had changed his life forever.
Knowing that whatever reason Max had decided was important enough to show up himself was worth entering the Rust Bucket without knocking first, Ben grinned as he flung open the screen door and spotted his grandfather sitting in the driver's seat while apparently going over some official Plumber information on a tricked out alien data pad.
"Hey, Grandpa Max! What's up?"
Max returned Ben's smile instantly and stored away the tablet before standing up to greet his grandson with a hug. "Ben, I can still hardly believe how fast you're growing these days! Seems like just yesterday that you and Gwen were sitting in the backseat of this old RV squabbling over who knows what."
Both Tennyson men laughed in unison at the vivid memories of years past before calming back down.
"So, I'm guessing that there's something pretty important going on if you thought it was worth coming all the way out here yourself on a school day," Ben grinned, slinging his backpack into the nearest chair before sitting down himself; Max soon following his lead.
"Oh come on now, there's no trouble at all for an old man like me to come visit his grandkids," Max chuckled before becoming more serious. "You're right though, there IS a reason that I'm here."
"All right, now that's what I'm talking about! What is it this time? Vilgax? The Incursions? The Tetramands?" Ben asked excitedly, happy to finally have some action after the past few months of peace. That wasn't to say that he wasn't glad that there was nothing world-threatening going on, but the life of a hero could get pretty boring when there weren't any bad guys to thrash. Especially when said hero had to go to high school when there wasn't anything heroic to do…
Max chuckled again before pressing a button underneath the table between them, bringing up a holographic screen with a map of the entire world on it.
"Well, for one thing there's not exactly any kind of invasion happening right this second…"
He chuckled again when Ben slumped slightly in his seat.
"Even so, this IS an extraterrestrial issue," Max reassured his grandson, before cycling through the map and zooming in on the island of Japan. As he did so, another holographic screen appeared to the side, with a single bright red line displayed on the console.
"Before I explain the current situation to you Ben, I think it would be best if I give you a little background information on the topic at hand." Ben blinked in surprise, never having seen his grandfather so serious except when discussing Alpha-Level Plumber threats such as Vilgax and Zs'skayr. Sitting up, the brown-haired teen attempted to get in a more serious mindset while giving Max his undivided attention.
Letting out a sigh, the older Tennyson leaned back and adopted an expression of deep thought, as if though he were reliving a particularly hard memory.
"When I was a young man, only several years older than you in fact, I was part of a team assigned a mission by the Plumbers to investigate an asteroid with a highly unusual energy signature that had inexplicably entered our Solar System…" he began gravely, looking Ben directly in the eye and wordlessly commanding an air of seriousness and focus.
Ben nodded, indicating that he understood and was following along so far.
"I was only a cadet at the time, and was relatively new to the whole idea of fighting aliens; all of our missions up to this point had ended in complete success, so as you can probably imagine, my team and I were all still cocky and arrogant. We thought that we could handle anything that was thrown our way…" Max paused again, and let out another sigh and rubbed a hand over his face.
Ben had never seen his grandpa like this, and was starting to get worried. "Grandpa Max, you don't have to tell me this if it's too-"
Max held up a hand to signal for him to stop talking.
"No Ben; while I truly appreciate your concern, this is something that you need to hear, if only so you can understand what exactly you might run into." The Veteran Plumber took a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing on with his story.
"When our shuttle landed on the asteroid, we initially didn't find anything out of the ordinary in the physical sense, but the energy signature was still as strong as it was on the sensors back on Earth."
"After about half an hour of walking, we eventually came upon a cave that led deeper into the asteroid itself. We weren't even going to investigate it originally, but our field commander, Captain Morrison, pointed out a faint glow coming from further in the tunnel…"
Ben remained silent; already getting a sense of foreboding from the story, even though he had a feeling it wasn't even at the bad part yet.
"As we explored the cave, and the glow became more intense, we all started to feel some kind of presence prickling at the edge of our senses; almost as if something was trying to influence our very thoughts."
"Mind control?" Ben inquired quietly. Max only nodded grimly.
"It didn't get too bad until one of our men, Private Salazar, started screaming bloody murder and began shooting his plasma rifle in random directions. One of the stray blasts hit one of our other squad mates in the head, killing him instantly. Captain Morrison shot Salazar shortly after a brief confrontation…"
"We decided to leave their bodies propped up against the wall of the cavern and collect them on the way back, so then we went further into the cave." Max gave Ben a look that told the story of a man who had seen too much for his already lengthy lifetime. "What we found at the center of that asteroid was worse than anything you have ever faced before, and anything I have ever faced since."
Ben blinked in shock.
"Hold on a minute! Worse than Vilgax?!"
Max nodded.
"Worse than Ghostfreak!?"
Another nod.
"Worse than the Incursion invasion where Doctor Psychobos created all those evil WayBads?!"
Max nodded grimly once more. "The only two enemies you have ever faced that could even possibly match the severity of the threat we encountered would be Diagon and Ultimate Aggregor at his absolute strongest…"
Ben felt himself become a slightly sick to his stomach and he sank into the seat in wordless disbelief. Ultimate Aggregor and Diagon were the two strongest enemies he had ever faced, and even then he hadn't defeated them on his own.
"Even so, this being…this ENTITY….was not necessarily physically powerful, but it was still one of the most dangerous things I have ever encountered in all of my years with the Plumbers."
Ben stared at his grandfather with wide eyes. He hadn't even been there to witness the event, but even so he could feel beads of sweat running down his forehead and he was subconsciously shaking in his chair. "W-What was it…?"
"It was a redish-orange glowing ball of yarn the size of about three football fields."
"H-huh?"
"We didn't have a name for it at the time, we were too terrified to even think of anything call it," Max explained. "Several of our men approached it cautiously, but as soon as they got within one-hundred feet of the thing, glowing red wires shot out of it and snatched them up. The blasts from their plasma rifles didn't even do a thing as they were wrapped in chrysalises of the string."
"What did you do?"
"We ran Ben. It was the only thing we could even think to do that could save our lives," Max replied; not an ounce of shame in his voice. Not that Ben could blame him…without the Ultimatrix, he probably would have run too.
"We ran as fast as we could to get out of there, but we were pursued by tall white humanoids that resembled suits of all things. I still find it ridiculous and terrifying at the same time to this very day…and in the end I was the only one who made it back to the transport…"
Ben had a feeling that was the case, but it was still rough to hear it in reality.
"I made it back to Earth, and immediately reported everything we had seen to the Magister in charge of the operation. He in turn, deciding that it was serious enough, told the President of the United States. The ultimate solution that was reached was a nuclear missile, which admittedly did the job, but only in altering the course of the asteroid so that it flew into the nearest star."
"Wait, so it wasn't the freaking NUCLEAR BOMB that destroyed this thing?!" Ben asked incredulously. The thought of something surviving a nuclear explosion, even Vilgax, was enough to render him near speechless.
"No, it wasn't. And further analysis of the remaining debris suggested that even if the asteroid's path hadn't been changed towards the star, the bomb would have no effect on the organism itself."
Ben's continued silence prompted Max to continue with his lengthy explanation.
"Years later, we designated these organisms as 'Life Fibers'; literal living fibers of cloth that consume and absorb anything in their path, living or otherwise."
Ben regained enough of his senses to look up at his grandfather and ask the question that was weighing heavily on his mind.
"So…what does all of this have to do with my new mission…?"
Max gave his grandson a reassuring half-smile and reached over to pat Ben on the shoulder gently. "Don't worry Ben, the assignment we're giving you might be related to this story, but it is nowhere near the scale of what we encountered."
Ben let out a subconscious sigh of relief before quickly cursing his cowardice. Hell, he was a hero! And heroes don't back down from anything, even giant man-eating balls of glowing yarn.
"The Plumbers haven't seen any sign of Life Fibers for nearly sixty years, but then for some inexplicable reason they started popping up in small trace amounts of clothing all over the world almost two decades ago. It was barely noticeable at first, which was why we didn't pick up on it until so recently." Max informed him, gesturing to the holo-screen, which was currently displaying what appeared to be some kind of
Company logo.
"I know you don't really keep up with the more popular fashion trends of all the other kids these days," Max smirked, gesturing to Ben's typical Green jacket and jeans. The Ultimatrix-wielder rolled his eyes and snorted. Who needed fashion when he rocked such a signature look?
"ANYWAY…" Max rolled his eyes as well. "Gwen has several products from this company, all of which have been confiscated for examination of course. REVOCS is apparently one of the most prestigious fashion designers in the entire world, and interestingly enough, ALL of the clothing that contains Life Fibers has come from their manufacturers…"
"Soooooo you want me to investigate a fashion tycoon?" Ben asked more than a little warily.
Max's widening grin did absolutely nothing to assuage his fears.
"Not quite; The CEO of REVOCS, Ragyo Kiryuin, has a daughter only a year older than you who is the Student Council President of Honnouji Academy in Japan. It seems as through Ragyo supplies her daughter with quite a bit of her Life-Fiber infused clothing, as the greatest concentration of Life Fiber energy seems to be originating from Honnouji Academy, which itself is also funded exclusively by REVOCS."
"Wait…so when Gwen was so insistent on teaching me Japanese…"
Max smirked once again.
"Pack your bags kiddo, you're going to Japan!"
—
The flight from Bellwood to Hawaii, and then from Hawaii to Japan, was one of the
LONGEST experiences of Ben's life.
One would think that after fighting alien warlords and inter-dimensional demons, Ben would enjoy the simpler things life had to offer. Personally, Ben would rather take a sucker punch from Vilgax on steroids in human form than endure the multiple hours of sitting motionless on an airplane again.
Luckily enough, Grandpa Max had called ahead to schedule a car to take the young hero from Narita International Airport to Honnou City.
The drive was mostly quiet, though Ben was slightly curious as to why there was a massive desert just outside of Tokyo. He became even more concerned when the cab driver offered him what looked like a truly pitying look before speeding off down the highway back the way they came.
Ben frowned when he realized just how nervous he was about this whole operation, even though Max had assured him that this was simply an observational mission. The only reason he had been the one chosen to come here was because he fit the age requirements to blend in as a high school student; being the one who wore one of the most powerful devices existence on his wrist was just an added bonus of protection.
He had fought against aliens since he was ten-years-old for God's sake! What the hell did HE have to be so scared of? It was just high school.
…
Okay, he'd be the first to admit that high school could be pretty damn terrifying at times…
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Ben adjusted the stuffy collar of the Honnouji Academy uniform he'd been forced to wear. Oh but that didn't stop him from packing his lucky green jacket though.
The green of the Ultimatrix stood out strikingly against the white uniform, but as long as he was careful, the most people would assume was that it was just fancy watch.
Chuckling to himself, Ben shook his head again and hefted his bag onto his shoulder and dragged his suitcase behind him.
What could possibly force him to use the Ultimatrix at a simple high school?
—
After walking through the streets of Honnou City for about forty minutes, Ben quickly came to the conclusion that perhaps he had jumped the gun in calling this place ordinary…
It wasn't that there was anything particularly outstanding about the city itself, aside from the obvious fact that he hadn't expected the residents here to be so POOR. After walking for such a long time and not seeing anything other than slums, Ben sighed and decided to actually try and ask someone for directions.
The green-eyed teenager was brought out of his thoughts at feeling something tugging on his left wrist.
"Grrrrrr…what the hell kind of watch is this?!"
Looking down, Ben stared in bewilderment at the small boy brazenly trying to pull the Ultimatrix off of his wrist. Despite the fact that this kid was trying to rob him, the teenager could only watch in shocked surprise, as he realized that in all of the time he had possessed both the Omnitrix and Ultimatrix, nobody had ever tried to actually mug him for it…
…it was actually kind of surreal to be honest…
"Uh, hey kid?"
"GAH!" The boy yelled, as if utterly surprised that he'd been caught in the act of his thievery. Falling back onto his backside, the kid rubbed his head in pain before glaring up at the taller male.
"Hey what's the big idea man?! Can't a guy try to make a living without being interrupted?!"
"Weren't you just robbing me though…?"
The boy growled and spit off to the side. "That doesn't matter! Now gimme that fancy wristwatch of yours, it looks like it's worth a fortune!"
Ben stared blankly at the showboating boy for several moments before simply turning around and continuing to look for directions to the school.
"H-hey! Nobody ignores Mataro Mankanshoku and gets away with it!"
The now-identified Mataro drew a small pocketknife from his shorts before lunging at the older male. Years of battle instincts alerted Ben to the admittedly pathetic attack, and he almost lazily stepped to the side, which caused Mataro to stumble forward uncontrollably and face-plant into the concrete.
"Look kid, take my advice and try to find another way to live your life. Oh, and maybe find a band-aid while you're at it." Ben waved at the groaning little boy over his shoulder and continued on his merry way.
By the time Mataro had stood back up his sidekicks had finally caught up with him, but unfortunately for them Ben was long gone.
The young boy growled again and waved his fist in the direction Ben has disappeared towards. "GRRRRRRRR! Damn that asshole! If I ever see that jerk again I'll give him the beating of a lifetime!"
Sulking loudly, Mataro perked up at spotting a black-haired girl with a red streak carrying a guitar case walking further down the road. The gang of punks chuckled 'menacingly' before slowly advancing towards their next unsuspecting victim.
—
After about another thirty minutes of searching, Ben was finally able to locate a map which provided him with directions to Honnouji Academy. However, upon finding said directions, he had felt pretty stupid for missing what was obviously the school.
How could he have missed that thing?! It was freaking huge!
When he finally reached the entrance to the Academy, Ben was immediately met with the sight of dozens upon dozens of similarly dressed students standing in an organized formation. When he had asked one of them where to sign in, he had promptly been ignored.
And so, after giving the random student the finger, he wandered among the masses aimlessly until finally reaching what appeared to be a sign-in table.
But what drew Ben's attention the most was the utter MONSTER of a young man standing in front of said table. He was easily seven feet tall, maybe more, with gray eyes and short cropped blonde hair. The guy was literally rippling with muscles, and the spikes on his uniform didn't do anything to make him seem more friendly. Based on looks alone, the guy looked like he could give even FOURARMS trouble!
The guy must have noticed Ben looking at him, for he abruptly turned to face the young hero and gave him the sternest look he had ever seen. Seriously, not even Gwen could pull off 'stern' like this man.
"YOU THERE!" The blonde shouted in what was obviously a disciplinary tone. "What is your name?"
Ben looked around to make sure he was the one being addressed, and when none of the other students replied he decided to speak up. "Uh…Ben Tennyson."
The blonde pulled a tiny clipboard seemingly out of nowhere and began flipping through it at a speed almost similar to XLR8. "AH Yes! BENJAMIN KIRBY TENNYSON! Age: Seventeen! Height: Six feet! Rank: High school student!" The tank of a man made his clipboard disappear into thin air, causing Ben to begin questioning his sanity. "You have recently transferred to Honnouji Academy from America! Is that correct?"
"Um, yes sir?"
The man nodded, seemingly in appreciation. "It is good that you appear to know how to address superiors with respect Benjamin Tennyson! Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Ira Gamagori, and I am the head of the Disciplinary Chair here at Honnouji Academy!"
The way Gamagori introduced himself was filled with such pride that Ben didn't know whether to laugh, clap, or start outright crying.
Either way Gamagori didn't bother to wait for a response as he gestured for Ben to take a stance in the front row among the other students. "I have been informed that you will be provided with on-campus housing Mr. Tennyson! That is a privilege that no No-Star students have been able to afford until now! When the time comes, you must show Lady Satsuki the proper gratitude!"
Ben only nodded dumbly, idly remembering that Satsuki was the name of Ragyo's daughter.
"Alright students, listen up! Now that everyone is accounted for you will each be directed towards your individual homerooms for the semester!" Gamagori proclaimed loudly. "Listen to all of the instructions you are given, and there should be no unnecessary issues! Now, move out!"
—
After being introduced to his homeroom teacher, Aikuro Mikisugi, Ben sat through the remainder of the class period in almost catatonic shock. It seemed as though life for Ben Tennyson would never be normal, even when something as simple as high school was concerned.
Despite being slightly out of it, the young hero was able to pay attention to the lesson well enough even though there was some girl in the back of the class snoring like a chainsaw.
After the first class ended, the students were offered a brief period of free time, which the Ultimatrix-wielder made sure to take full advantage of. It wasn't until an almost blindingly bright light started to shine from the top of the Academy that Ben was caught up in a sea of students and somehow lined up with everyone else.
Attempting to see what all of the fuss was about, Ben looked up to see Gamagori and three other brightly colored teenagers descending an enormous staircase. They seemed to be preceding another individual, who themselves appeared to be distinctly feminine.
If he was a betting man, Ben was willing to assume that this girl was Satsuki Kiryuin.
The rows of students all randomly bowed as one towards the oncoming entourage, and the American transfer student could only watch in utter confusion as everyone seemed to treat them as some form of royalty.
A teenage girl with dark, shoulder-length hair and a guitar case slung around her shoulders inexplicably broke the uniformity of the student body. Leaping directly the path of the oncoming student council, the girl grinned arrogantly and addressed those before her, much to the shock of the others surrounding her.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I hear that you're kinda the queen-bee at this school! And if you are I've got a question for ya."
Several indignant students attempted to subdue the girl, but they were quickly and easily put down with almost embarrassing ease. Opening her guitar case, the girl withdrew an oversized red Scissor Blade and spun it around her wrists before pointing it directly at Satsuki.
"This is half of a pair of giant scissors, and I've been looking for the person who owns the other half for a long time!" The girl's tone contained a strange mix of both arrogance and anger. "And ya know what? You look kind of surprised to see it prez! Seen it before?"
"And what if I have?"
Satsuki's tone was so careless that it surprised even Ben. Was she used to admittedly cute girls pointing giant scissors at her?! The other girl only seemed to get more angry at the Student Council President's reply.
"You have seen the other half haven't you?! You have the other half of my scissors!"
The girl lunged at Satsuki, and for a second Ben was convinced he was about to see a teenage girl get decapitated before a giant red boxing glove seemingly came out of nowhere and impacted the short-haired aggressor directly in her right cheek.
A series of consecutive strikes littered the girl's body ruthlessly before she was sent careening into the crowd of nearby students.
"Ah, Fukuroda…"
Satsuki's tone still hadn't changed in the slightest, however her gaze turned slightly towards the newcomer she had addressed.
"Yes Ma'am. Takaharu Fukuroda, Captain of the Boxing Club; at your service. I'll happily beat this insolent wretch into a bloody pulp, with your permission of course." The self-proclaimed Captain of the Boxing Club was a rather short individual with an all but shaved head of hair and a white uniform befitting all of the students of Honnouji Academy.
However, it was his GLOWING BOXING GLOVES and the illuminated stars decorating his uniform that really drew Ben's attention. 'This must be what they're using the Life Fibers for,' The American teen thought to himself. Satsuki's response snapped him out of his inner monologue.
"She's all yours."
Just then, the other girl burst back through the crowd of students and charged towards her attackers with an angry howl. The strike from her Scissor Blade was easily deflected by Fukuroda's boxing gloves, and a resounding metallic clang echoed through the air.
"What the hell? Are those gloves made of iron or somethin'?"
The Club Captain laughed condescendingly and gave his opponent a cocky smirk. "Are you an idiot? Don't you know a Goku Uniform when you see one? This Two-Star Athleticism Augmented uniform makes my boxing gloves harder than steel! Your dumb Scissor Blade can't do shit to me!"
The girl simply smirked in response and hefted her blade onto her shoulder. "That means I can stop pulling my punches right?"
Fukuroda growled in response before launching a devastating punch towards her. Which was followed by another. And another. And another. "And now! A right uppercut to finish you off!" The short teen socked his opponent directly in her lower jaw, sending her careening into the air before crashing back down into the pavement.
Ben winced. It seemed that although she could definitely talk a tough game, she lacked the skill to back it up. The sight of the girl's bloody and bruised body made his right hand instinctively reach for the Ultimatrix, but as much as he wished to intervene he had been expressly forbidden from doing so.
"I was hoping you'd prove to be more amusing, but you have no idea how to wield your weapon…what a fool." Satsuki's cruel remark brought a snarl to even Ben's face, but it wouldn't have been the first time he'd heard such a statement.
"J-Just a damn minute….you better tell me what you know or else!" The downed girl attempted to rise to her feet, but Fukuroda was upon her within a split-second and had a boxing glove wrapped around her throat.
"No one gets to speak to Lady Satsuki like that!"
The girl pulled away and attempted to slash weakly at the Club Captain, who in return avoided her attacks with almost pathetic ease. It seemed that she realized that she was in no condition to fight, as she quickly dashed away and commandeered a random civilian's moped before speeding away.
The Student Council watched her retreat with varying reactions, but Satsuki only spared her a fleeting glance before spinning on her heel and ascending the staircase back up to her private quarters, quickly followed by her entourage.
Ben could only watch in disbelief, shock, anger, and disgust as the crowd dispersed and everyone returned to their usual classes. One thing was definitely for sure…
…He wasn't in Bellwood anymore.
—
All right, so there's the second chapter! Next time, Ben will finally come into conflict with with a member of the Honnouji Academy clubs. And Let Me Tell Ya Somethin'! You definitely won't want to miss it.
As previously stated, constructive criticism is always appreciated.
AlucardsBro OUT!
