Chapter 4 — The Exile

The three brothers ventured through the Mojave Desert, with Las Vegas within a few miles from their position. Even before getting to the desert, Slowpoke and Bongo were even more concerned for Mooch because they always knew him as the Great Hero's calm son. Mooch's calmness was gone right now.

"Hey..." called Slowpoke, sounding tired from all the foot travel. Mooch stopped, seeing that he was being talked to. "I know you're upset, but why Wrinkle? Sceptilius was the one who—"

Mooch suddenly jumped to Legendary Power, which was a bad thing to do, being near the enemy base. "Okay. Let me fill in the blanks for you two. He made Scaly come to him. He turned Scaly into Sceptilius! Sceptilius, under order of him, practically mutilated my best friend!" Mooch angered.

With the three of them thrown off guard by Mooch's tirade, someone was given the opportunity to ambush them. Unaware, Mooch got hit several yards backwards. Slowpoke and Bongo looked to see the culprit, and they too ascended to Legendary when they saw that it was Wrinkle himself.

"Mind my manners, Mooch... but allow me to clarify." the bulldog boss said, while Mooch struggled to get up. "Scaly came to me on his own... I only made him think about the option of being around Sly. The only thing you're right about is the the fact that he wanted more power, so I fused him with Reptilius. Don't worry, it's not permanent, since Reptilius can get out at anytime he wants; seeing as though he hasn't, I'd say Scaly is impressing him. However, the immortality deal was necessary to add to him."

"Why?" Mooch wanted to know.

"No!" backtalked Wrinkle, not wanting to explain the circumstances of the "deal" made with the Acolytes. "I have to ask you. If you're so anxious to get revenge, why seek me out? Sceptilius is the one you want."

Mooch walked until he stood in between his brothers. "Look here, Wrinkle. No one, no Titan whatsoever, wants to get Scaly back anymore because you turned him into a monster. I want you because your "experiment" probably killed Sly!"

Unlike Slowpoke and Bongo, Wrinkle was unmoved by Mooch's rising spiritual pressure. "Well then, enough talk. You should've asked for Sceptilius!" Wrinkle told them, instantly kicking Mooch into the air.

"Let's go!" Bongo cried, as he and Slowpoke began to double team Wrinkle. Sadly, their moves were being stopped in their tracks; Wrinkle blocked their moves like they were nothing.

"Is that all?" Wrinkle questioned the two of them, while Mooch was now descending on Wrinkle with his Five-Edged Star—a technique in which he curls up and spreads open his arms, legs and tail, each shooting an energy blade at the target. Wrinkle used Sonido to avoid it and counterattack, hammering Mooch down to the ground.

"I guess physical moves won't work on him so much..." Slowpoke thought. "Bongo, let's kick it up a notch!"

"Gotcha. Fire Spin!" shouted Bongo, spinning rapidly until a spiral of fire appeared, before sending it at Wrinkle.

"The fun begins." Wrinkle murmured, avoiding the flaming tower.

"Tunneling Fang!" called Slowpoke, transforming into his lethal earth-withering pod. He hit Wrinkle, sending him downward.

"Not good enough..." uttered Wrinkle, before he span around in a circle. "Death Wave!" He fired two powerful arc waves of life-strickening energy.

Sensing the power behind them, both brothers defended themselves; Slowpoke called his Armor of the Mantle, while Bongo put up his Helio Shield—a circular forcefield of fire with "solid" qualities. Despite their defenses, both were still hurt by the Death Wave. Dismantled, Slowpoke was driven to the ground by Wrinkle's fist, colliding with Bongo. They both ended up where Mooch was trying to get up.

"You must be wondering now..." Wrinkle figured, as he descended.

"About what?" Mooch inquired.

"About how we've gotten stronger in a few weeks in what takes you three months."

Mooch gnarled, but Slowpoke and Bongo braced him back.

"Chill out, man!" Bongo advised him.

"Just listen! This isn't like you." Slowpoke added.

"Good." Wrinkle said. "Where was I? Oh, yes. Did you think that I, along with the rest of my Syndicate, got powerful completely on our own? Not only are the Acolytes our acquaintances... they're also good gifters as well. I can't explain the whole story, but I will say this: we receive a small amount of power from each Acolyte alive today. There are... 27 of them now, am I right?"

"No... that's insane..." Bongo fearfully marveled.

"Wait a sec... if I remember right, whatever happened to BFP's Gang? They were brought back on their power caliber." Slowpoke said.

"They were sacrificed before we struck the immortality deal. They used their power to grant us power. Do you see now?"

"That's... too much." Slowpoke responded.

"What's wrong, Mooch? Can't beat me without your sword? Though you were a worthy adversary, I'd say you were showing off the last time... so if you have your own moves, show me."

"The Triple, bros... let's do it." Mooch said, calling a offensive manuver to play. Slowpoke and Bongo stood by him.

All three of them took the same stance. "Ka... me... ha... me...ha!" they said, firing three Kamehameha Waves at Wrinkle.

Wrinkle was still unphased. "I'd hate to break it to ya..." he said, before instantly taking Bongo and Slowpoke down by Sonido movement, also evading their onslaught. "...but that's not going to beat me anymore. I'll say it again: show me your moves, Mooch."

"Fine. X-Strike!" shouted Mooch, using his slicing illusion technique on Wrinkle, who then (somehow) grasped Mooch's arms before he could get a chance to pass through him. Wrinkle punched him in the gut, sending him back a few feet.

"You're losing it, Captain Summers. Is that all?"

"Not even close!" Mooch replied abruptly, getting into the Kamehameha stance again, but this time, he reassumed all of his Legendary power for this one. It was his Super Kamehameha, which was five times as strong as the normal one.

"Again? Fine, but this time, I'll counter to see if it's worthy enough." Wrinkle said, preparing to use his Galick Gun.

Mooch powered up enough, that his voice echoed when he used this. "Ka... me..." By then, Wrinkle could hear the fearsome blast generating. "...Ha...ME... HAAA!"

"Galick Gun!" Wrinkle yelled, unleashing his powerful beam.

On the clash, Mooch's Kamehameha clearly overpowered the Galick Gun, steadily withering it away. Mooch appeared to have won the blast struggle, as he did not see or sense Wrinkle in sight afterwards.

"How's that?" Mooch managed to say, after powering down. Unfortunately, the battle was not over, for at the last second, he could sense Wrinkle behind him.

"You disappoint me. Say goodbye!" Wrinkle uproared, grasping that "hidden" Acolyte power he spoke of and hitting Mooch with Banishment Fist. Wrinkle's whole left arm glowed dark red and, by striking Mooch with it, left a trail as the gibbon flew at the speed of light out of Earth's atmosphere, and even further than that. Wrinkle was not kidding when he said goodbye. Wherever Mooch landed did not matter; he would be knocked out of consciousness.

Wrinkle turned to the other two Bean Titans. "As for you two... I spare your lives. My work here is done." he announced, before taking his leave.

Unable to go after either one of them, Slowpoke and Bongo only looked up in sorrow, wondering where Mooch was exiled to.

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Sly and Mooch have been put out of commission, out of the Acolytes' way... and now, the New 12 is that much weaker without their captain or lieutenant. What treachery could they have festered against our heroes now?

Only the future holds the answers.