Chapter 9: Gas Fight!

Omarnosian10: Hey, readers. Sorry for updating a story late.

Ben: The author's mother is sick with a bad liver.

Kurumu: Because of the liver, she has yellow skin.

Yukari: As yellow as Kurumu's jacket vest.

Kurumu: HEY!

Omarnosian10: It's been that way for weeks. Now she's yellowish-brown, and because of that resembling a muffin's color, I can't eat those for weeks!

Moka: Aren't you getting off topic?

Omarnosian10: On the contrary, Miss Akashiya, I just switched. I apologize to readers from all of my stories for a late update. Now then, ON WITH THE SHOW!

(Ben's room)

"I'm so glad Gwen made me take all those foreign language classes. Thanks to her, and Grandpa Max, I'm able to understand all this stuff." muttered Ben as he does his homework with the group (not including Gin). Though, he did have some opinions on the Japanese writing. Really, it all looked like chicken scratches to him when he started and now none of it looks like chicken scratches.

"You always mention Gwen and your grandfather, but never told me much about them. How come?" asked Moka as she looks up from her work.

"Moka, don't change the subject if you want Ben to fail his homework!" threatened Mizore.

"I agree with Mizore. After all, he did tell us pieces of his past, but we never even told each other an inch of our past." agreed Yukari. For a moment, Zack could've sworn he saw Moka's eyes turn black for a second while she grit her teeth in anger.

"It's okay, girls. She's just curious about my family." defended Ben as Moka sighed in relief. Zack blinked as Moka's eyes returned to normal until he shrugged off the black eye thing, thinking he needs some sleep.

"I'll tell you and save all questions until the end. Gwen, as you know, is my cousin. She's a witch but unlike Yukari she wasn't born one and is an alien witch. Well, didn't know she was an alien witch until we met our Anodite grandma for the first time, anyway. She actually began to learn about magic after she became a super-heroine called Lucky Girl using some mystic charm. She lost the charm but then she got another magical artifact and became Lucky Girl again, also temporary. On one of our adventures, we met this witch named Charmcaster and Gwen took a book of spells from her and since then became a powerful witch. When our 13th birthday came and before you ask, we're not twins, we're just born on the same day, which is why when we hang out, people mistake us for siblings. Anyway, when our 13th birthday came, we met our grandma for the first time, and discovered our alien bloodline. The reason Gwen has powers and I don't that doesn't involve the Omnitrix is because she has the spark of the anodite. The anodite race are mostly female, which is another reason why Gwen has the spark. From what my grandpa told me, male anodites are extremely rare. (took out his wallet and took out a photo of his cousin.) This is Gwen, and this is Grandpa Max." explained Ben before he took out another photo. Moka could feel the warmth in the smiles of the people in the photo.

"Gwen's an alien witch as I told you and my Grandpa Max is a Plumber." informed Ben.

"So he fixes pipes." deadpanned Kurumu.

"That's just the cover story. Plumbers are intergalactic police officers. They recruit races from all over the galaxy. My Grandpa was one of their human officers but he's semi-retired." informed Ben.

"Wow. So, he told you he was one?" asked Yukari as the listeners' eyes widened in wonder.

"Well, it was after something happened that he had to tell us. You see I told you I got the Omnitrix when I was ten, right? Well, what I never told you was that it was meant to go to my grandpa. An alien friend of his named Xylene had it sent to him but I was the one who found it and well this thing made me really popular with an alien named Vilgax."

"Who's Vilgax?" asked Moka.

"An alien warlord who wanted to take over the universe. He was after my Omnitrix and wanted to mass-produce it to make an army of shape-shifting aliens. The aliens in the Omnitrix mostly have combat capabilities so that's why Vilgax wanted it. With it, he could become any alien he wanted. He even went so far as try and cut off my hand just to get it, several times. (the listeners gasp.) Well, he never succeeded but those were close calls. Well, Grandpa Max then told us he tangled with Vilgax a few years back and sent him flying into space via rocket. He was my grandpa's enemy and then he became mine." explained Ben.

"So fighting Vilgax is like a family tradition for you?" asked Kurumu.

"Yeah, similar to your mission to save the succubus race, Kurumu." answered Ben.

"What is Vilgax like?" asked Zack.

"Evil, and ugly too. Let me show you. (his right arm turns into Fasttrack's as he drew on a blank sheet of paper a picture of Vilgax from what he recalled in his memory.) This is Vilgax." informed Ben as the listeners were looking at a depiction of a green humanoid creature with crimson armor and a beard of tentacles. The girls grimaced. Indeed, Vilgax was hideous.

"Grandpa Max warned me not to fight him, but I did anyway and beat him too." added Ben.

"So, where is Vilgax now?" asked Moka.

"The last time I saw him was before I sent him into the Null Void." answered Ben.

"Null Void? What's that?" asked Yukari.

"It's this dimension where dangerous alien criminals are put in. It's one scary place, scarier than Youkai Academy. Big and dangerous aliens lurk in that place and call it home. It's a huge red space with grayish-purple floating rocks." answered Ben. Moka and Yukari found all this fascinating while the others were beyond impressed. Even though Ben was mostly human, he had fought possibly hundreds of battles with the aid of the Omnitrix.

"So, the Null Void is inescapable." concluded Zack.

"Supposedly, but Vilgax actually managed to get out. I don't know how, but something in my gut tells me I haven't seen the last of him. (He looked at his Omnitrix.) And this time I'll be ready for him. He won't know what hit him." grinned Ben.

"Ben. If you do face him again, be careful." warned Moka.

"Moka, you're forgetting who I am. I'm Ben 10!" grinned Ben.

"I agree with Big Bro here. With the limb transformation function and his large roster of aliens, he can beat Vilgax in his sleep." exaggerated Yukari.

"By the way, Ben, how strong is Vilgax?" asked Zack cautiously.

"Imagine the Inner Moka. (points at Moka's rosario.) Multiply the size by 3, and there's your answer." shrugged Ben, making the listeners pale. If Ben had that much trouble fighting someone with the power of 3 vampires, they wouldn't stand a chance, let alone lay even a fingerprint on him. The only one who didn't pale was Inner Moka as the rosario faintly glows while she scoffed.

"How dare Ben compares me to that hideous alien! I bet I could beat this Vilgax with one arm tied behind my back." gloated Inner Moka, making Moka sweat-drop. Whenever the dual personalities talk to each other, it was mostly about how Inner Moka wanted to fight and how Ben's fights would've ended if she did it instead. Now she has another reason to want to be normal. So her pride won't get in the way of stuff.

(Next Day, the Newspaper Clubroom)

"Stupid peace of junk! Work already!" grumbled Gin as he tried to get the computer to work. In the Newspaper Clubroom, the group was with Gin. They were on a deadline too. A week had passed since the incident involving Ishigami-sensei. Knowing villains like her, it wouldn't be long before she reared her head again.

"Why not let me try and fix it?" offered Ben.

"OK, fix it." dared Gin as Ben activated the Omnitrix.

"Are you going to use Upgrade to fix the computer, Big Bro?" asked Yukari as Ben shook his head.

"No, I've been using him every time I need to fix something. I don't want to overuse only one of my forms, Yukari. I've learned that the hard way." grimaced Ben, remembering his loss of Feedback. Ben found the form he needed and slammed the Omnitrix, bathing himself in green light. When the light died down, everyone gawked at Ben's form. Standing in Ben's place is a small, red, devil-like alien who bears a close resemblance to a Gremlin/Imp. He also seems to be a little taller than Grey Matter, but smaller than Upchuck. He wears the Omnitrix symbol on his chest.

"JURY RIGG! cried the red alien.

FLASHBACK OF HOW HE OBTAINED THIS FORM

Grandpa Max is currently staring at the nearly disassembled Rustbucket while 12-year-old Gwen is flipping through her spell-book and 12-year-old Ben is looking for Upgrade or XLR8 in the Omnitrix. The cause of the Rustbucket's condition is that Clancy returned and launched an ambush on the Tennysons by 'borrowing' some of Animo's mutated termites, making a whole swarm of them disassemble the RV. Ben and Gwen perked up when they found what they needed.

"Got it!" nodded the cousins as Ben stepped in front of Max while Gwen chanted her spell quietly before her hand glowed pink and she fired a pink mana orb above Ben. Ben lifted his hand as the pink mana orb hit it and coated it in pink electricity.

"Ben, wait!" warned Max and Gwen too late as Ben slammed the Omnitrix, bathing himself in green light and pink electricity, causing Gwen and Max to close their eyes in worry. When the flash died down, Max and Gwen opened one eye in worry until they gawked at what they're seeing. Standing in Ben's place is Jury Rigg, only now he is wearing a black/white jumpsuit that covers everything but the green eyes (that now has a black pupil) fingers, mouth and tail.

"What... is... that?" gawked Gwen before Jury Rigg's eyes began twitching as he looked at the disassembled RV. Max put his arm in front of Gwen as they both step back.

"FIX!FIX!FIX!FIX!FIX!FIX!" cried Jury Rigg as he began re-assembling the RV in a dust cloud. A few minutes later, the RV is repaired while Jury Rigg stood triumphantly on the top.

"RV fixed." smirked Jury Rigg as Gwen and Max enter the RV and examine the inside, which is intact.

"Wow, I thought only Upgrade could fix machinery." admitted Gwen as Jury Rigg hopped on Gwen's head while laughing hysterically.

"Half true, but Jury Rigg can do it faster." laughed Jury Rigg.

FLASHBACK END

"BREAK!BREAK!BREAK!BREAK!BREAK!" cried Jury Rigg as he jumps at the computer while the students stepped away from it as the gremlin alien took apart the computer in a matter of seconds, making the students gasp.

"Hey! I told you to fix the computer, not tear it apart!" snapped Gin as a slight glimpse of his wolf fangs are shown. Jury Rigg ignored the pervert werewolf and wandered his eyes around the wires and metals.

"FIX!FIX!FIX!FIX!FIX!FIX!FIX!FIX!" cried Jury Rigg as he jumped toward the computer pieces and put the computer back together as fast as he took it apart. Jury Rigg leaned against the hard-drive with a smirk on his face.

"Check it out." dared Jury Rigg. Gin looked to the computer and found it in working order. Heck, it was performing better than it had originally.

"OK, you win." sighed Gin. As much as he resented Ben for his numerous talents, ability to attract girls, and fight on par with him, the American was an OK kid in his book. Gin then drooled as he pulled up a picture of a girl from his collection before Jury Rigg motioned for the others to turn around as the girls and Zack did what he said.

"Nice…" sighed Gin before his eyes bulged as a scary pop-up (not telling you what it is) appeared over his picture before he screamed girlishly and quickly turned off the computer. The sound of maniacal laughing drawn everyone's attention toward Jury Rigg as he laughed uncontrollably while holding his stomach.

"I forgot to warn you, it has one SCARY difference!" laughed Jury Rigg as Moka sweat-dropped.

'He kind of reminds me of Ishigami.' thought Moka nervously before Jury Rigg jumped off the desk and changed back to Ben.

"Hello, everyone! Working hard, I see!" said Nekonome cheerfully as she entered.

"Most of us." said Ben, eyeing Gin who is recovering from the fright.

"Well, why don't you all take a break? I've brought snacks." asked Ms. Nekonome as she handed them all snacks.

"Nekonome, this fish is raw!" exclaimed Zack.

"It tastes best fresh! Oh, Kurumu-chan, this letter was left in front of the classroom for you." informed Nekonome as she hands Kurumu a note. Kurumu took the letter and read the envelope.

"Wonder who'd send me a love letter?" wondered Kurumu. It was from someone calling himself her secret admirer. What she found, however, was a set of photos of her…dirty pictures. Some of them showed her in her underwear.

'What!?' mentally gasped Kurumu. She also found a note telling her to meet the sender at the Monster Tree in the main schoolyard. Kurumu quickly disposed of the items in the trash.

"Hey, what's wrong, Kurumu?" asked Ben.

"Oh, nothing! Anyway, guys, I gotta go! I just remembered I have something to do!" lied Kurumu as she made a rush out of the clubroom.

"Wait, but the deadline!" yelled Moka.

"She's already gone." sighed Ben.

"Hey, let's just finish without her! We don't need a ditcher!" snapped Yukari.

Ben flinched when he heard that, recalling the things he'd done in the past. He ditched out on numerous things before simply because he thought they were boring or not any fun. He tended to abuse the Omnitrix now and then when he was a kid. One such instance led to him meeting Kevin Eleven and their heated and downright malicious battles which followed up to Kevin's imprisonment inside the Null Void. Last he heard the guy had managed to escape and even get his human form back. What he was up to since then, no one knew. That comment also reminded him of... it. Ben shook his head to avoid remembering that.

"Kurumu-chan… I wonder if…she really does consider us friends." murmured Moka as she recalled her encounter with the succubus.

"What are you saying?" growled Ben.

"I mean the only reason she joined the club is to be close to you, Ben. I doubt Kurumu even does consider me a friend. Maybe…" trailed off Moka.

"That's the only reason you, Mizore, and Kurumu ever joined the club!" frowned Zack as Moka glared at him with a slight glimpse of black eyes.

"Zack, Moka, you shouldn't be quick to distrust your friends without reason. I've met my share of people who didn't seem like much or definitely not friend material, but in the end they're some of the people I'd trust my life with." argued Ben.

"Oh? Like who?" asked Yukari.

"Well, let me tell you about Tetrax…" began Ben.

(Monster Tree)

Kurumu followed the directions to the Monster Tree. The piece of foliage had definitely earned the name since it looked like an actual monster rather than just a simple tree which grew to look somewhat strange. Not many people went near it most days since there was a rumor going around that it actually was a monster who was just sleeping. Others say they had stepped inside its mouth and nothing happened. However, in a school where nothing was as it appeared, lots of people didn't like to take chances.

"Come on out, creep!" yelled Kurumu.

"Oh, how mean, Kurumu." whined a voice. Kurumu looked up to see a teen with brown hair that covered over one eye and freckles with a camera in hand. He looked like one of those greasy types who you never wanted to talk to because you knew something wasn't right about them. The creepy grin the guy had on his face certainly amplified the effect. Kurumu felt dirty just by how he was looking down on her.

"Who are you!?" demanded Kurumu, ready to pounce and attack.

"Forgotten about me, already? I'm Nagare, one of your fans. You once asked me to take photos of you." snickered Nagare.

"Oh, yeah!" remembered Kurumu. Back when she had her harem plot going on, she asked the guy to do a photo shoot for her so she could get her image going around and boys would try to meet her in person so she could charm them. Now that she had met Ben, she didn't need that anymore and had simply forgotten about him. Apparently he hadn't forgotten about her though.

"So, it was you who took those pictures!?" snapped Kurumu.

"Yup, and if you don't want me to spread them all over school, you'll spend the day with me!" threatened Nagare. Kurumu scowled. She really didn't want those dirty pictures to be spread. She'd be having perverts from all over the school coming after her. Not to mention all of the girls would think she was some kind of call girl. What else would everyone think if someone spread photos of her in her underwear all over the school? She already spread sexy photos of herself once already.

"O…OK." sighed Kurumu in defeat.

"Now, all you have to do is dress up in any cosplay of my choice and pose for pictures. First the gym clothes, then a school swimsuit, then a maid and…" listed Nagare.

(Newspaper Clubroom)

Eventually Kurumu returned to the club room, but she never felt so humiliated in her life. Nagare had a whole wardrobe of cosplay outfits ready to be used. Apparently he had been putting a lot of thought into his little plot. She didn't mind dressing up…so long as Ben was there to appreciate the view, but Nagare's perversely grinning face made her feel sick and dirty. She was just glad that he was done with his stupid photos and she could get back to work.

"I'm back." sighed Kurumu as she entered the room, trying to look like nothing was wrong, but the stares she was receiving certainly weren't making her feel better (except Ben, who had a neutral look).

"And just where were you?" frowned Yukari, her hands on her hips like a scolding mother.

"I was…dealing with something important I…I'm sorry it too so long." apologized Kurumu

"That's okay. We got most of the work done already." sighed Mizore.

"Oh…okay." nodded Kurumu.

"Just try not to get tangled up next time." warned Ben as he and the rest of the group headed for the door, hoping to relax in the dorms for a while.

"We need everyone on this and we're getting close to the deadline." informed Ben.

"Got it." nodded Kurumu solemnly. As Ben walked by Kurumu, he notice the sad look on her face, but not an apologetic look. It's much worse. As bad as... that. Ben shook his head and moved on. As everyone left, Kurumu walked over to the final draft of the school newspaper.

"They really did get it all done." awed Kurumu. There wasn't much left to do but select which articles would go where and put the paper together. Now Kurumu felt even worse. She had at least hoped that something would be left for her to do, so she could make up for some of the time she had wasted dealing with that slimy jerk and his perverse photography. Now she really wished she could have punched his lights out, but then he would have just spread those damn photos.

"Why so glum Kurumu-chan?" asked an unwanted voice. Kurumu whirled around to see Nagare grinning with that stupid grin and leaning on the side of the door frame. He looked as smug as ever.

"You! Thanks to you now everyone thinks I ditched work!"" snapped Kurumu, staring daggers at her fellow student.

"Hey, you're the one who decided to leave so to protect your own reputations. Pretty selfish if you ask me." shrugged Nagare guiltless.

"You were the one who snuck to my window so you could take those photos!" shrieked Kurumu, just itching to beat that smug grin off of his face.

"Maybe, but no one's gonna believe that considering your little harem plot in the past." laughed Nagare. Gripping his camera, his grin became a little wider.

"Now, about tomorrow…" trailed off Nagare.

"Woah, hold on! There's not gonna be tomorrow! I posed for your stupid photos already! Deal's over!" hissed Kurumu

"Well, for those photos anyway. But you know, these cosplay shots I got are pretty good. It would be a shame if I lost some, but I made lots of copies so I can afford to lose them anyway. But I'm just so clumsy so I might drop some again and again and never know where they might end up." shrugged Nagare.

"Nnnnnn! Fine! Just don't you dare spread those photos! I'll be back at the Monster Tree so you can take more." hissed Kurumu.

"Clever girl." laughed Nagare as the blue-haired girl stomped past in her anger and shame. Gazing around the room, his eyes landed on the final draft of the school paper done up in an envelope. Seeing it brought another sinister smirk across his face as an idea came to him. Walking across the room, he grabbed the envelope and began to examine it.

"Final draft huh?" guessed Nagare.

(The Next Day)

"It's gone, it's all gone!" panicked Moka.

"All the data's been deleted! And the backup disks are gone! Ew, and my keyboard's all slimy!" added Yukari as she checks the computer.

"And we worked all day on it yesterday too!" growled Ben.

"How unfair…" frowned Mizore.

"You have got to be kidding me!" complained Zack. The group had returned to their clubroom, ready to put the paper together for submission to Miss Nekonome who was in charge of printing them up for distribution. However, arriving at the clubroom, they discovered their final draft missing along with the backup disk and all of the data on the computer to be deleted. Everyone had put a lot of work into getting the work done on time and the feeling of despair was pretty heavy in the room. They didn't want all their hard work to have gone to waste, but that's what it looked like.

"We got to get a password on the computer." face-palmed Yukari as the others nod in agreement.

"We've got no choice people! We're working on a deadline now so all we gotta do is to do it all over again!" ordered Gin. Ever since he had joined the newspaper club since he first came to the school, he had never missed a deadline. Sure, he slacked off now and then, especially since he became the president, but you could always count on him to get the paper done on time and ready to print. He hadn't missed a deadline before, and he wasn't going to do so now! Kurumu knew, of course, who was behind this.

'Nagare! That jerk!' thought Kurumu angrily. That slimebag wasn't content to just mess with her alone and blackmail her into getting his perverted photos. Now he seemed to be drawing pleasure from messing with her fellow club members too. Enough was enough! She might have been willing to go through with the photos, but her pride and reputation wasn't worth letting all of their hard work go to waste. Snarling, she dashed for the door, leaving a trail of dust.

"Kurumu, where are you going!?" shouted Moka, but Kurumu did not answer.

"Forget her, that ditcher! We have work to do and we have to do it fast!" snapped Yukari.

"Something's not right." growled Ben. Kurumu had left them last night for something she claimed to be important, but leaving again means there might be a connection to these things. Ben shuddered as it reminded him of... that.

(Monster Tree)

"Nagare, you slimy imbecile! Come on out!" shouted Kurumu as she showed up at the Monster Tree again. As expected, Nagare was sitting on one of the branches with that stupid grin on his face. In one hand he was holding his camera, all polished and ready for use. In the other, he was holding the final draft of the school paper. His grin just bragged how he thought he had her right where he wanted her. It wasn't too hard to figure what he wanted with that stupid look on his face.

"Looking for this?" smirked Nagare, waving the envelope around carelessly.

"Give that back!" demanded Kurumu.

"Oh, and why should I? Unless of course you're willing to do something for me in return…" said Nagare lecherously. Kurumu trembled.

"Just…give it back." begged Kurumu.

"Why don't you get on your knees and beg? How about you do it naked too?" asked Nagare. His finger was already going to his shutter button, thinking she would submit like she did for his photos. However, he then quickly produced a lighter instead, bringing it close to the envelope as he began playing with the igniter.

"Now, off with your clothes Kurumu!" laughed Nagare.

"What?!" cried out Kurumu.

"Off with your clothes, Kurumu-chan! Or say bye-bye to this piece of garbage. Honestly, I could write better articles in my sleep! And this photography? Shameful!" laughed Nagare. That did it.

"It's not garbage! It's something me and my friends worked so hard together to make!" admitted Kurumu. She let loose her wings and flew straight at Nagare. He was taken by surprise as she snatched the draft out of his hands.

"Yahoo! Got it!" cheered Kurumu.

"Oh…now you've done it…(a sort of tendril came out from his neck.) Take this!" cried Nagare. He started to pump out some sort of weird gas. Kurumu coughed.

"W-what is this!?" shouted Kurumu.

"I was just going to take photos, but maybe I'll just take the whole thing! And when you're unconscious, you can't stop me!" drooled Nagare, his teeth becoming spread apart as his whole body began to sag and droop like there weren't any bones in it.

"No…" moaned Kurumu.

(Newspaper Clubroom)

"WHAT!" cried Yukari.

"What is it?" asked Ben. Yukari was just tossing out some melon bread wrappers which Moka had gotten from some vending machines so everyone could have something to eat. Apparently something had shocked her, something fierce.

"Look at these!" cried Yukari, bringing over several…candid photos of Kurumu in varies sets of underwear. She seemed to be totally unaware that she was being photographed. Ben snatched the pictures in shock before the witch showed a letter.

"There was a letter too!" added Yukari as she handed Zack the letter as he picked up the letter and scanned over the words, his eyes widening in shock as he finished.

"I don't believe this. Someone was blackmailing Kurumu! He was going to pass these all over school if she didn't meet up with him!" cried Zack.

"WHAT?!" cried out everyone (except Ben), scrambling to read over Zack's shoulder. Sure enough, the threat was written on the paper. Everyone quickly began to feel disgusted that someone was willing to do such a terrible thing to their friend. Even Gin. He may have been a pervert, but what he saw or what photos he collected stayed with him alone. He never passed photos along and he never told anyone anything about what he may have seen.

"Do you think that's why Kurumu ran out like she did? She knew who stole the draft of the paper?" asked Moka before everyone felt an increase in heat from Ben's direction. They turned to see Ben with Heatblast's arm holding the pictures while burning them. Mizore backed away in fear before everyone noticed the look on Ben's face. The normal cheerful but serious look Ben always had has been replaced by pure raw anger as he thinks of... that.

'NO! Never again!' mentally growled Ben as he finished burning the pictures before returning his arms to normal as he changed his head into Wildmutt's. He let out an angry roar before he rammed through the door and broke it as he uses his enhanced smelling to find Kurumu.

"Ben, wait! You don't know where Kurumu is!" yelled Mizore at the door. Ben ignored her as he ran off.

"Don't worry, Mizore. Wildmutt's sense of smell rivals that of a vampire or werewolf." informed Yukari.

"Plus, did you see the look in his face? Ben seems angry, but it also looks like he experienced this before." exclaimed Zack as the others prepare to leave before Gin blocked the door.

"Sorry. I'm all for helping Kurumu, but we need to get this done! If that guy did steal it, he may have destroyed it just to make Kurumu listen to him. If he still has it and we can get it back, then we can finish up later. Right now, we have to be prepared for the worst!" explained Gin.

"I would take his advice. (Moka's rosario glows, drawing everyone's attention to it.) If what Zack said is true about Ben's anger, then he might blindly attack us and can't tell the difference between friend or foe." advised Inner Moka as the glowed died down, making everyone look down sadly before looking at the door.

(Monster Tree)

Kurumu felt like she was in a nightmare. At the moment, she had locked herself inside of the equipment shed, huddled in a corner with the draft of the school paper in her arms. The gas that Nagare produced was definitely potent. Her wings felt like lead so she couldn't fly and her vision was swimming slightly. If she had inhaled any more of the gas then she would have been out cold and at Nagare's mercy. Last she checked, the boy seemed pretty damn determined to take her in every way possible.

"Darn it… Ben…everyone…help me…" sobbed Kurumu as she felt weak and helpless.

"Nowhere to run, Kurumu…" laughed an unwanted voice. Kurumu's eyes widened as she scrambled away. She saw slime coming in through under the door and saw a pair of eye-stalks and a scary grin. The organism alone looked like a pile of snot and Kurumu thought she might gag at the sight of him.

"Here I am…Kurumu…" laughed the snot monster.

"W-what are you!?" demanded Kurumu. She didn't want to sound afraid, to at least show courage despite the fact that her odds didn't seem so good at the moment. She wouldn't give the freak the satisfaction in making her look weak and himself look powerful.

"Oh, just a slimy slug monster. Now, don't be shy. Let me a give you a hug!" said Nagare, and he really did look like a huge monster of a slug with his grin as he left slime as a trail. His eye stalks easily scraped the ceiling of the shed and the grin filled with large rectangular teeth made him look like a nightmare to her. Kurumu's courage failed as she let loose a scream. Normally madslugs weren't all that scary…if you were prepared. They specialized in terrifying people and loved to do it as often as they could. Needless to say Nagare was doing quite well with his people's favorite pastime.

"RATH!" cried an animal voice as the door was smashed off its hinges with the item in question slamming into Nagare and dropping him flat underneath it. Kurumu looked up to see an orange and white bipedal tiger about 9 feet tall with one claw coming out of each wrist. He has no tail. He is also muscular and has green eyes. He has stripes on his shoulders, head, legs and upper body. He has a white jaw, neck, chest plates, hands and feet. The Omnitrix is located in the center of his chest.

FLASHBACK OF HOW HE OBTAINED THIS FORM

13-year-old Ben is currently behind a car, watching Thumbskull causing a rampage around the block while police tried to fire guns at him, resulting with the bullets bouncing off his skin. Without looking, Ben activated the Omnitrix until it obtained the Vaxasaurian silhouette. Ben slammed the Omnitrix as Thumbskull threw a car over his direction.

"I should've went solo years ago!" laughed Thumbskull before he heard a roar as he turned around to see Rath, now wearing clothes like Fourarms', except it doesn't have the finger-less gloves and his eyes are yellow.

"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, THUMBSKULL THE THUMBNAIL-HEADED CIRCUS FREAK! I'M NOT HUMUNGOUSAUR, BUT YOU ARE GOING TO BE HUMUNGO-SORRY!" yelled Rath as he charged at Thumbskull. Thumbskull shrugged and charged at Rath. The two powerhouses punched each others' fists, creating a shock-wave that sent cars flying away and windows shattering. Thumbskull spun around Rath and sweep kicked Rath's legs, making him face=plant the ground as Thumbskull grabbed Rath's arms and pinned him down while laughing.

"I can't believe how easy it was to beat you. You're nothing but a loud kitty." insulted Thumbskull as Rath's eyes widened in anger.

"KITTY?!" growled Rath as he freed himself from Thumbskull and elbowed him in the face. Thumbskull covered his face in pain as Rath ran away before turning around and charging at Thumbskull while skidding his knuckle claw on the ground.

"VAXASAURIAN UPPERCUT!" cried Rath as he used his lowered arm to uppercut Thumbskull, sending him flying away as Rath ran in front of him before rearing back his leg.

"SIRIUS BUTT-KICKING!" cried Rath as he kicked Thumbskull's gut, sending him to a lamppost and hitting his head on the light-bulb, sending him to near unconsciousness as he lands on the ground. Thumbskull weakly raised his head and finger.

"Was that Sirius like the star, or serious like important?" asked Thumbskull weakly.

"LIKE THE STAR!" cried Rath. Thumbskull weakly nodded before dropping his head and finger in unconsciousness. Rath roared at the sky in victory.

"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, BAD GUYS THAT MAY BE WATCHING THIS! LET THAT BE A LESSON TO YOU, OR FEEL MY RATH!" roared Rath.

FLASHBACK END

Rath's eyes instantly went to Kurumu, seeing her huddled in a corner.

"Kurumu, are you alright?" asked Rath, his green eyes showing relief. Over the couple of years Ben had used Rath, he learned to control his anger when talking to his friends. The first few times didn't work well when Rath was used and ended up with a few buildings destroyed. Luckily, no one was in those buildings and he had Clockwork during the time.

"Ben…" smiled Kurumu, almost not recognizing Ben. That was when the door shifted as the organism underneath it groaned, dealing with the sudden impact. Suddenly the slug slid out from under the door and left behind a trail. Nagare slid out from under the door and managed to turn himself around, glaring at Rath with his crooked teeth and extended eyes.

"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, POLYMORPH (Goop's species) LOOK-ALIKE SLUG MONSTER WHO REMINDS ME OF ONE OF MY INSANE FEMALE ENEMIES! NO ONE, AND I MEAN NO ONE BLACKMAILS MY FRIENDS TO DO DIRTY THINGS AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!" cried Rath. Ignoring his rant, Nagare lunged at Rath, wrapping around the Appoplexian's body. However, it was quickly proven that while Nagare was tall in his true form, it was only because he was standing on tip-toe figuratively speaking. Rath was proving himself much taller as he tried to pry the slug off his body. However, he was revealing himself to be just as sticky as he was slimy as Rath tried to get a good grip on the monster. When Rath got a good grip, he smirked as he slowly pries the slug off.

"KINECELERAN BODY TOSS!" cried Rath as he pries off Nagare and tosses him far away from him and Kurumu. Rath quickly ran toward Kurumu and helped her up before changing back.

"Are you okay?" asked Ben concerned as he noticed Kurumu's heavy breathing.

"I don't know. That creep used some kind of gas on me and now my wings feel heavy." answered Kurumu as Ben scrolled through the Omnitrix.

"Gas, huh? Well, I think I have the solution." smirked Ben as he slammed the Omnitrix, bathing himself in green light before transforming into a mechanical humanoid in a green outfit, with the exception of his head and shoulders being a lavender color. He has four fingers on each hand, which are apparently gloved. He has nozzles/openings. He has two on both of his arms, one on each of his shoulders, three on the rim in between his shoulders, three on his head, one on his back and one in the center of his posterior. He has a belt with a window on his stomach so that the green gas can be seen. He wears the Omnitrix symbol on what appears to be some kind of gas mask in front of his mouth.

"GUTROT!" cried the chemistry-based alien.

FLASHBACK ON HOW HE OBTAINED THIS FORM

Ben is currently sitting on a wood bench waiting for the bus to take him to Youkai Academy.

"Ah, nothing but peace and quiet. Nothing ca- (covers mouth while looking around before uncovering mouth) Phew, for a moment there, I thought I jinxed this." sighed Ben in relief before the sound of missile launching can be heard. Ben barrel rolled away from the bench as missiles destroyed it. Ben stood up and looked behind him to see the Vreedle brothers (AF/UA appearance) holding missile blasters.

(A/N: Ben has encountered some villains from the other series when he was younger, not counting Malware, since he became a villain between the original series and Alien Force.)

"The Vreedle Brothers? What do you guys want?" asked Ben annoyed since he faced them many times when he was 14.

"We're here for what ya call, revenge." answered Octagon.

"In the morning?! What kind of simpletons do that?" snapped Ben.

"Uhhhh, we don't know what simpletons are, buuuut, we do sleep early at night and get up early." replied Rhomboid dumbly before Octagon noticed Ben's attire.

"Tennyson, what's up with the what ya call, attire ya wearing?" asked Octagon curiously.

"I'm going to a school for non-human species." answered Ben as Octagon's eyes widened.

"Boid, dun' ya know what this means? (Rhomboid shook his head) It means that this could be our last chance to have our revenge on Tennyson." realized Octagon as Rhomboid's eyes narrowed at Ben before switching his missile blaster to laser blaster.

"Then let's take it." declared Rhomboid as he and Octagon repeatedly fired lasers around Ben as he activates the Omnitrix and quickly slams the dial down as the laser smoke covers him.

"Did we get him?" asked Rhomboid as the smoke disappears, revealing Gutrot looking at his hands.

"Okay, who's this?" asked Gutrot as he looks at himself.

"Octagon, I believe Tennyson has transformed into a (snaps fingers repeatedly) I dun' remember the name of the species, but I do recall their ability to mix up the chemicals in their bodies and expel them as gas." informed Rhomboid as Octagon glares at him.

"Boid, do ya have any idea what ya done?! Ya told Tennyson here what his current form can do!" snapped Octagon at his brother before Gutrot expelled green gas from his arm nozzles directly at the Vreedle brothers. They gasp before their eyes rolled backwards and they fell unconscious.

"How do you like that fluoromethyl-hexafluoro-isopropyl-ether? (shakes head) I have no idea how I know about that. Now to think of a name for this guy." noted Gutrot as he walked over to the unconscious Vreedles before picking up one of their weapons and looking at the reflection.

"Gasman? No, I'm not legally an adult, and it sounds like my power is farting. Jade Mist? No, I create gases, not become one. I got it. (snaps fingers) Since I don't have internal organs inside me, I'll call this guy, Gutrot." nodded Gutrot before he heard a bus horn as he quickly changed back.

FLASHBACK END

"What can this form do?" asked Kurumu as Gutrot expelled gas from his arm nozzles at Kurumu. Kurumu quickly inhaled the gas in fear, thinking Gutrot was going to knock her out until she blinked in confusion while flapping her wings repeatedly. Kurumu smiled before Nagare groaned while getting up. The slug noticed Kurumu's condition and glared at Gutrot.

"What happened to my gas?" glared Nagare.

"It's nothing but some carbonated hydroxide, which cancels the desired effect of any poisonous chemicals. (Kurumu and Nagare looks at him confused.) You have no idea what I said, didn't you? (sigh while Kurumu and Nagare nod) It's basically the gas version of sugar, which cures poison." explained Gutrot while Nagare clenched his fists.

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU CAN CURE CANCER! NO ONE WILL KEEP ME FROM MY KURUMU, ESPECIALLY A FREAK LIKE YOU, BEN TENNYSON!" roared Nagare as he slowly charges at Gutrot. Gutrot narrowed his eyes dangerously before he expelled gas from his arm nozzles toward Nagare. The gas surrounded Nagare in a light-blue cloud. Out of curiosity, Kurumu flapped her wings and blew the gas away to reveal Nagare covered in extremely thin ice. Nagare glared at Gutrot as he tried to pump his gas, but nothing came out.

"WHAT?!" cried Nagare.

"Hey, what's the matter? Out of gas?" joked Gutrot as he laughs, along with Kurumu.

"My turn." smirked Kurumu as she clawed around Nagare, leaving slash marks leaking what appears to be green blood. Nagare weakly groaned before he fell back weakly.

"That'll teach ya." muttered Gutrot before he slammed the Omnitrix symbol on his gas mask, changing back to human. Kurumu approached him before the sound of maniacal laughing is heard as they turn to see Nagare in his human form holding a phone, surprising Ben since he never thought that the students here have phones.

"This isn't over yet!" laughed Nagare.

"Give it up, Nagare! You can't use your knockout gas anymore!" stated Kurumu.

"On the contrary, my Kurumu, it hasn't even begun! Before I printed my photos, I also uploaded them to my phone, and if you don't kill Tennyson, I'll post them all over the Youkai Web." threatened Nagare as Kurumu gasped in horror. Ben's eyes narrowed at Nagare before they became slits, but not vampire or reptile slits, more like a beast. Nagare continued his maniacal laughing until a green/black/blue blur passed him and snatched his phone.

"WHAT?! Where'd my phone go?!" wondered Nagare until a brown/black rocky arm uppercut punched him and sent him flying until he suddenly stopped in mid-air, courtesy of Ben's raised Gravattack arm. Ben put his Gravattack arm down and increased Nagare's gravity, making him hit the ground and create a small crater. Ben decreased the gravity as Nagare rises in mid-air with a few bruises. Nagare sighed in pained relief before being slammed into the ground again, deepening the crater. Nagare pushed his arms against the ground until he felt the gravity return to normal. Nagare stood up with more bruises and tears on his uniform before being clawed on his chest by an orange beast arm, tearing more of the uniform and leaking green blood. Nagare coughed up green blood before being punched in the face by a diamond fist, making him fall on the floor unconscious. Kurumu looked to see Ben in front of Nagare with his right arm replaced by Diamondhead's and his left arm replaced by Wildmutt's. Kurumu sighed in relief before gasping in shock as Ben's arms turn into Heatblast's as he raised them high while a massive fireball forms above him.

"Ben, what are you doing?!" gasped Kurumu scared. Ben didn't hear Kurumu as he looks at Nagare in pure rage and sees a certain Navajo girl instead. Ben's pupils shrunk in anger as his fireball became hotter from his rage.

"BURN OUT OF EXISTENCE AND NEVER COME BACK ALIVE, KAI!" roared Ben as he rears back the fireball before feeling a pair of arms around his waist, pulling him back. Ben turned his head to see Kurumu holding him while sweating, no doubt from the massive heat.

"Ben! Don't kill Nagare! He's already unconscious and he can't blackmail me anymore! He got what he deserved, so there's no need to kill him, please." begged Kurumu, surprising Ben that even though Nagare blackmailed her, she still doesn't want him dead. Ben looked at Kurumu's violet eyes and his fireball disappeared before his arms turned back to normal. Ben's forehead sweated from exhaustion before he fell into Kurumu's arms and fell unconscious.

(Newspaper Clubroom)

The aftermath hadn't been pretty. Nagare was immediately turned in for what he tried to do and Miss Nekonome reported that he would definitely be expelled. The headmaster did not take kindly to someone blackmailing his students or trying to rape them. What happened to Nagare after that depended on what the madslug leaders decided. Although they reassured them that despite of their fondness for scaring humans, not all madslugs were as horrible as Nagare was. Kurumu was accepted back into the club with open arms. However, even with the return of their draft, the club had to work like crazy to get the copy of the paper ready. Miss Nekonome had come to get the paper ready for printing and found most of the club all asleep with the finished copy ready to be handed over. Gin was slumped over on his desk, drooling much like a dog would. Zack was leaning back on his chair with Yukari burrowing into his sides. Moka and Mizore were leaning against each other's backs. When Kurumu told them that Ben was exhausted, Nekonome excused her and Ben from the club, despite Moka and Mizore's protests.

"It seems their friendship was as strong as it ever was. They've all earned this break." smiled Nekonome as she collected the original copy of the paper.

(Ben's room)

Ben began to stir as he felt something wet on his forehead, most likely a wet towelette. Ben opened his eyes and realized that he's back in his room, laying on his bed without his shoes, socks or uniform jacket.

"You're awake!" cheered Kurumu as Ben sat up while taking off the moist towelette. Ben turned his head to see Kurumu sitting on his bed.

"Why are you in my room?" asked Ben.

"You fell unconscious after beating Nagare, remember?" reminded Kurumu, confusing Ben for a while until he remembered everything. Ben sprung up from his bed and landed in front of Kurumu before his arms turned into ice blades.

"Where is that slug-thing? I'm not done with him yet!" growled Ben while looking around.

"Don't worry. The Headmaster expelled him and the madslug leaders are going to decide his punishment. (Ben sighs in relief as his arms turn back to normal.) Ben, when you were going to kill Nagare, you called him Kai. What made you snap like that?" asked Kurumu curiously. Ben looked down sadly before sitting beside Kurumu.

"It's something I wanted to forget since... that." grimaced Ben.

"You don't have to tell me if it's that bad a memory." assured Kurumu.

"No, you deserve to know, the others don't. Remember Blitzwolfer? (Kurumu nods) Well, the first time I turned into him was around the first time I had a crush. (Kurumu hissed) When me, Gwen and Grandpa went to a Navajo village during the summer I got the Omnitrix, I had a crush on Grandpa's friend's granddaughter, Kai Green. During our time there, we encountered a Loboan, Blitzwolfer's species. When I fought him, he scratched the Omnitrix after it timed out. When I came back to the village, I started transforming into Blitzwolfer, but slowly. When the transformation completed, I found out about the Omnitrix's ability to scan DNA. The next morning, Kai told me that she only cared about Blitzwolfer instead of me." explained Ben.

"But, aren't you and Blitzwolfer the same person?" asked Kurumu with clenched fists.

"Kai either doesn't know that, or doesn't care. Since then, she had a crush on Blitzwolfer. I thought she would let go, but instead, she became obsessed with Blitzwolfer. I found that out a year ago. When I used Blitzwolfer to stop a robbery, Kai secretly caught footage of me turning into Blitzwolfer and changing back. She used that to blackmail me into secretly dating her as Blitzwolfer. At first, I had to because of my secret identity, but when I finally had the courage to deny her, she had a back-up plan. She also had footage of Gwen using her mana spells and threatened to post it online so the government would take her away for experimenting. I had to accept that. It continued for a few days until Wes found out about it. Before he could call Max, (tears appear in his eyes as he begins to sob) Kai killed him with one of his old Plumber blasters and hit the heart. I finally had it! I changed from Blitzwolfer into Rath and gave her a massive beat-down. I called Grandpa and erased the footage so she wouldn't blackmail me anymore. The Plumbers arrested her for attempted sexual harassment, blackmail and murder. Her last words were exactly 'I don't care how long it takes and I don't care how many people I have to kill! Blitzwolfer will be mine!' The Plumbers had a funeral in the Navajo village where Wes lived. All of the Plumbers attended it, along with Kai's parents and grandma. I stayed the longest and knew that it was my fault! If I hadn't let the Yenaldooshi scratch the Omnitrix, then Kai wouldn't be so obsessed and Wes would still be alive!" sobbed Ben as Kurumu puts his head in her chest, but not in an attempt to seduce him, but to comfort him. Ben couldn't take it and hugged Kurumu tightly as he cried in her chest. Kurumu petted Ben's hair soothingly while gritting her teeth in anger.

'If I ever see Kai's face, I'm going to make her unrecognizable for blackmailing my Destined One!' mentally swore Kurumu as she continued to comfort Ben.

Ben: Wow!

Kurumu: That hasn't happened in any other stories.

Moka: You really hate Kai, do you?

Omarnosian10: Yep!

Yukari: So what's the next chapter?

Omarnosian10: From now on, I'm telling the title of the next chapter. The next chapter will be my own version of the Ruby arc.

Ben: So you're not following the manga?

Omarnosian10: Not exactly. I'm mixing up the two. The next chapter is called 'The Witch's Storm'. Until next time and please rate and review!