When Ben woke up he was lying on the sidewalk. He groaned again as he picked himself off of the ground and dusted himself down. But when he looked up and closely examined his surroundings he realized that he was no longer in Belwood. Tall skyscrapers, busy streets and bright lights were all that he could see. He fell onto his knees and then punched the ground with both of his fists. "Damn! I underestimated him! I was getting too cocky!" He yelled, ignoring the people that stared at him with looks of confusion and disgust. He slowly got to his feet again and sighed heavily. "Guess I better find out where I am…" He scanned the streets for someone who looked approachable. He noticed a man who was heading his way so he started to say, "Um, excuse me. I was wondering if you could-". The man pushed him out of the way and grumbled something about him being a stupid kid. "I guess not then." Ben said as he sighed again. He tried to ask a few more people. However he got the same reaction and even ended up on the floor after a very bulky guy pushed him out of the way. "This isn't the friendliest town is it?" Ben muttered as he shot a glare at the bulky guy.
"Pssst!" A voice hissed from the alley behind Ben.
"Huh? Who's there?" He looked around and saw a guy in a green suit standing beside a dumpster. He was masked and held a staff with what appeared to be a question mark on top.
"I heard that you wanted to know where you are." The man said. He had a mischievous tone to his voice and spoke with a sort of sing-song voice. "You're in Gotham City which is kind of a pity, for you of course. People aren't too open to strangers around here. Luckily I'm not that kinda person. That's why I helped you out." He smirked before backing into the shadows and disappearing from Ben's sight.
"Um…thanks?" Ben said as he got up again. "Now that I know where I am, I better find a way out." He began to walk along the pavement, looking for a sign of anything that seemed like it could be concealing a portal.
As he passed an old abandoned tower that was situated in what Ben figured was the less populated side of town, he heard some form of a commotion coming from above. "That sounds like a fight! I better go and help!" He ran through the broken door and began the ascent up what felt like a million flights of stairs. He paused when he arrived at the door on the highest floor to catch his breath. "I really should have used Fast Track to get up here…" He panted as he bent over and rested his hands on his knees. Once he had finally caught his breath, he grabbed the door knob, twisted it and pushed open the door.
The first thing Ben saw was a man dressed in what appeared to be a giant bat costume fighting another man dressed like a clown. He had to do a double-take just to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. As he watched the fight for a few minutes it became clear that the guy in the bat suit was the good guy and also that he needed some help. Ben twisted the dial on the Ultimatrix until the Spider Monkey icon appeared and then bashed it down to begin the transformation. Once he was ready he jumped into the fray to help the bat guy defeat the clown. It wasn't an easy fight. There was something disturbing and menacing in the air that made Ben's usual strength drop a considerable amount but with the aid of the bat man (who also seemed to be at the mercy of the mysterious force), Ben managed to defeat the clown. The clown yelled something about getting revenge before jumping out of the window, landing in his helicopter and flying off. Ben hit the icon on his chest and transformed into his human self before turning to face the bat man.
As the fight progressed, he was still stunned by the fact that he was being helped by an alien. Though as Joker finally retreated, he fell to his knees, suddenly exhausted, yet as he glanced up at the Monkey creature, he noticed a small glow then a- a human? "Thanks for the help kid, but before we get to introductions and everything else, I think it'd be best to get out of here, I don't know how much longer I can last under these conditions," he muttered to the brown-haired kid, alien boy, noticing that he seemed to be getting weaker as well.
Ben nodded at the bat man; helping him to his feet as he did. It was difficult because the air was still affecting them both but the bat man was soon on his feet again. "Do you have some kind of house or cave or something?" Ben asked, straightening out his jacket as he spoke. "I'd rather not take my chances out on the streets again. People here don't seem to be that welcoming to strangers." He frowned as he remembered the earlier events. However, his face lit up when he realized that the bat man could shed some light onto the question that was scratching at the back his mind: how did he get to Gotham City?
He simply shook his head as he placed two fingers against the side of his own head, trying to get in contact with his butler. "Yeah, just give me a second... Alfred, trace Joker's whereabouts and give us the quickest way back to the cave," was all he had to say, knowing the answer already.
"Already on it sir, though do you need any assistance getting back? Your vitals seem... different from earlier, and so do the boy's.."
"No, I'm fine enough to get back on my own."
"If you say so.. The most quickest way to get back to the manor, or should I say cave, is cutting through town unseen, there seems to be a lot of commotion lately about an unfamiliar face, which I suppose is the young boy at your side," the elder man finished, knowing that his assistance was no longer needed.
"Thanks. Hey kid, you better hold on once we get outside."
Ben watched in amazement as the bat man began to talk to 'Alfred' simply by placing his fingers on his head. That is so cool. He thought to himself. He was never one to admit when he found something cool; it was part of his nature. He listened to the rest of the conversation excitedly, trying to learn as much as he could about his new ally. Ben's eyebrows furrowed as he heard 'Alfred' mention him and the commotion he'd caused out in the streets but, then again he'd probably react in the same way if a random teenager fell from the sky and landed in the middle of the street.
"H-hold on? What you mean?" As they reached the bottom of tower, Ben had a feeling he was going to find out one way or another.
He chuckled softly as he held onto the boys waist tightly while pulling out his batclaw, pointing it at a nearby building, and was easily being pulled into the air.
Ash: Well, after a year long wait, here's chapter 2! As for my other stories, I don't think I'll be continuing them. But we both hoped you enjoyed this chapter, even if it was short.
Chloe: I'm not really sure what to say because I'm socially awkward ^^; But I'll second what Ash said, we hope you enjoy it~ Sorry for the wait x'D
Ash: So Chloe, when do you think chapter 3 will be up?
Chloe: Hmmm, well my Internet is back now so we can probably get it done soon I would say c:
Ash: Alright, so probably by the end of the week, if not next week.
Chloe: That sounds reasonable c: We definitely won't leave it as long as last time though xD
Ash: For sure. xD Anyways, thank you again for reading, it means a lot to us, and hope to see more Benman fans in the future~
Chloe: See you guys in the next chapter~
