"You're in a chipper mood," Ryuko noted, looking at Ben across the cafeteria table from the plastic bench seat she sat upon. She nibbled on a French fry, something Ben bought from McDonalds on his way to the school, and narrowed her eyes at him. "So you got laid, huh."

Ben, who at the moment was drinking from a plastic cup of Coke, almost coughed and had to beat his chest to control his breathing. "Y-you…" He shook his head in disbelief and took a white napkin from the paper bag to wipe the mess on his face and the table. "What the hell, Ryuko?"

And what was taking Mako so long? Their oddball friend went to the bathroom and hasn't come back.

"What?" Ryuko raised a brow. "That's what everyone does nowadays isn't it? You meet someone, go on a date and then do the devil's tango under the sheets."

"Devil's tango?" Ben scoffed. "Anyway, what I do with my date is none of your business."

"Whatever." Ryuko finished her fry and pulled another. "If this girl keeps you happy maybe you should see more of her. So long as you don't forget to help me look for my father's killer, that is."

"Ryuko." Ben frowned. "I would never forget."

She nodded. "I know."

They had finished Aikuro Mikisugi's class before going to the cafeteria to eat. He was a boring teacher at the best of times and the most intriguing he's been was when he claimed he was a member of the terrorist faction Nudist Beach.

"Who knew there was a terrorist group in Japan?" Ben asked. "It boggles the mind."

"What? It's not something unique to the Middle East or Ireland," Ryuko said. "There was that doomsday cult founded by Shoko Asahara in nineteen-eighty-four. Aum Shinrikyo or something. They attacked Tokyo Metro with sarin and killed twelve people. Nudist Beach just seems like the next bad thing to happen."

"I'll take your word for it," Ben said. "So what's our schedule for today? Plan on practicing your upgraded scissor blades yet?"

"I can't. No one's come to pick a fight with me. Guess I'll wait for Satsuki to send her attack dogs again."

"Speak of the devil." Ben eyed Satsuki and her entourage called the elite four strolled towards them. Satsuki donned her kamui, just like Ryuko, and the former removed her bandages too. Ben wondered if those were just for show considering there wasn't a blemish on her skin.

That was when Ryuko did something so perplexing Ben gaped at her. While glaring at Satsuki, she took out a yellow lemon fruit and took a bite, munching on it like it was a piece of apple. How could a human being be so composed in eating something so sour?

She took another bite.

"Incredible," Ben mumbled. Even he couldn't do that unless he went Upchuck.

"Benjamin Tennyson," Satsuki greeted him.

"Please," he said, giving a meaningful gaze to her and her elite four. "Call me Ben." Having them use his full name was starting to bother him.

"Satsuki," Ryuko hissed, reaching a hand into her pocket to grab her upgraded scissor blade. "Couldn't wait for our rematch, huh."

Satsuki raised a fine brow. "Rematch? I wasn't aware there was even a fight the first time we battled, Matoi." The way she spoke Ryuko's last name was layered with such condescension Ben was impressed she managed to keep a straight face.

"Wow," he said. "You didn't even sneer."

Despite retaining her apathetic expression as she turned away from the fuming Ryuko and faced Ben, somehow he caught something in her face that made him think she didn't mind his company.

"I must thank you for your help yesterday."

"No prob." Ben grinned. "If it's you, I'm willing to kick your ass anytime."

She smirked. "Such haughtiness. It is thanks to our battle that I was able to learn my limits and be aware of how far I can push myself and what I must do to improve. Do not assume you will emerge victorious should we fight again."

He closed his eyes, nodded solemnly, opened them and looked her in the face.

"Nah." He laughed. "I assume right. You'll always lose to me."

"How dare you show such disrespect to lady Satsuki!" Nonon Jakuraze squeaked like a mouse and stomped her foot several times like a petulant child. She was a petite girl with strawberry pink hair. She wore a white drum major uniform ending in a short skirt and a blue marching band hat with a red colored skull at its tip.

"Come again?" Ben leaned over the table and put a hand behind his ear.

"How dare you look down on me!" Nonon shrilled.

Ben nodded, stood and walked up to her. With a serious expression he looked down on her head.

"With how much of a midget you are I'd thought you'd get used to it," he said.

"I'm not a midget!"

"Are you a dwarf then? Based on what I know there's little difference." He was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

"That's it! I'm going to kick your ass!"

He smiled genially. "She's got a short temper too. I know you think the hat's cute but there's no need to compensate." He tried pinching her cheeks but pulled away before she could sink her teeth into his fingers. She bit the air and growled.

"She's so cute!" he said, turning to Satsuki. "Can I keep her?" Ben teased.

She shook her head. "She belongs to me." Unlike Ben, Satsuki was entirely serious.

Nonon held her hands under her chin and smiled at her leader. "Lady Satsuki!"

Ben raised his left wrist. "I'll trade my watch for her."

Satsuki held her chin. "Tempting."

Nonon's eyes watered and she looked like she was going to cry. "Lady Satsuki…" Her hoarse voice choked with the sound of betrayal.

Nonon glared at Ben and gave a pleading look to Satsuki with her life on the balance as the two bartered with their eyes.

Mako chose this moment to return to the cafeteria. "What did I miss?" she asked Ryuko.

"A staring contest between these two idiots over that short idiot for the stupid watch."

"Wow!" Mako sat beside Ryuko, pulled her bento box and chopsticks from the newly bought white backpack Ben had given her and began eating. "I missed a lot!"

"Nonon," Gamagori spoke solemnly. His deep voice fitted his size as a giant. "It is time to take one for the team."

Inumuta, the blue haired guy with the eyeglasses nodded and typed on his PDA. "According to my calculations it'll boost our offensive capabilities to the point we would be unstoppable."

Sanageyama, the green haired guy, grinned. "Well, Nonon. You up for it?"

"You bastards." While retaining her teary eyed expression Nonon said, "I'll beat you to bloody pulps you fucking traitors."

Satsuki raised an open hand and closed it to a fist, silencing her crew. "Let us postpone this discussion for another time. For now, Ben." The way she spoke his name reminded him of that moment in the limousine and he bit his lip to fight the urge to shiver. She smirked.

"Ugh." Ryuko groaned. "What's with this weird byplay?"

"Tomorrow is No-Late Day. I expect you to be on time, am I understood?"

"Sure. Whatever." Ben grimaced and turned one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. "I'll be in the courtyard." He accelerated, taking only one second to leave the cafeteria.

"Wait for me, Ben!" Mako chased after him.

"Hey guys, wait up!" Ryuko said. She glared at Satsuki and the elite four, who all glared back, before following her friends.


After school Ben visited Nui's house in what he assumed would be a regular visit. He opened the strange door with the closed sign and entered her luxurious home. He found Nui, dressed in a white jacket and pink leggings and ballet flats. Her drill-like pigtail hair was loose, and for a moment captivated Ben. She was looking at a portrait of a fluffy white poodle puppy licking its nose.

She looked at him and smiled warmly. "Ben," she said sweetly, walking up to him. She wrapped her lissome arms around him into a hug. She looked up his chest with a pout. "Why aren't you using your lamedthvâv hybrid? It should be your default form!"

She pulled away, crossed her arms and stomped the floor.

"Okay, okay." For some reason she could sense whenever he became one of her kind and was always keen of his company as a fellow lamedthvâv hybrid, giving the impression she was starved for company from someone like her.

He tapped his watch and was covered in whitish green glow. The difference was subtle. He felt a little stronger. His senses became more acute. It was like drugs and went into his head, making him think he could do anything.

If Nui felt this kind of rush everyday her entire life no wonder she was so successful. Well, he assumed she was based on the expensive building she called her house.

"Gosh." Nui blushed. The adorable expression on her cute face made Ben blush. It caused a feedback loop that radiated with positivity. Nui smiled happily and took Ben's hands. "Come on. Tell me about your day."

"Well…" They began walking. "I'm apparently joining an event tomorrow. No-Late Day."

"What's it about?" She stepped backwards and he stepped forwards as she led him up the spiral stairway to the second floor. All the way she maintained eye-contact with him and never let go of his hands.

He recalled what Gamagori told him earlier today. "At 4 AM, the sirens placed throughout the slums will go off, signaling the start of No-Late Day. All No-Star students are required to evade the various traps that have been built with all the technology available to the Disciplinary Committee and make it to Honnouji Academy before the first period bell rings at 8:30 AM!"

"Something about no star students competing for a one star uniform."

"Sounds beneath you." Nui giggled. "Why not just skip it and spend the day with me?"

They stopped in front of the glass balustrade peering over the balcony to the first floor.

He was actually tempted to do just that. Ben didn't know why, but he enjoyed Nui's company immensely. From how she acted he assumed it was mutual.

He leaned on a white marble obelisk connecting the floor to the ceiling and scratched his cheek. "That sounds wonderful, but I can't. Who knows what'll happen to my friends." His thoughts went to Mako and the others.

Nui nodded sympathetically. "I heard the student council president's a real tyrant."

"You're darn right." Ben chuckled. "You wanna do anything tonight? Go out to eat dinner?"

Nui shook her head. "Let's just watch TV." There was another living room by the second floor. This time it was white furniture surrounding a black oak coffee. A flat screen plasma TV hung on the wall. Nui pulled Ben along to the white sofa, closed her eye and leaned on his shoulder. He attributed her touchyness to her personality but didn't mind having her be so close to him. He found the remote under one of the cushions, pointed at the TV and turned on the button.

"Hey," he said. "Let's watch movies and have some popcorn."

"And Coke?" Nui grinned, peeked at him and poked his ribs.

"You've got it." She let go of Ben's shoulder and he went for the kitchen to prepare them some food.


Ben arrived at the large courtyard of Honnouji Academy in a white shirt, green shorts and sneakers. The sky was still dark. A crowd of students stood behind a red line on the gates of the courtyard being monitored by the big guy Gamagori. He was arguing with Ryuko, who wore a tight and form-fitting orange pajamas with white bunny head print exposing her arms, legs and midriff. Everyone else wore something more fitting the run.

"BENJAMIN TENNYSON!" Gamagori bellowed. "What took you so long?"

"Your mom," Ben said, unable to help himself. He checked the time from his phone. 3:58 AM.

"Mom jokes? At this hour? You're a real comedian!" Gamagori said tersely. He narrowed his eyes at Ben's watch. "I see you've brought your Omnitrix."

"Is it illegal to use?" Ben asked, planning on using it anyway. He didn't really care for this competition.

"No," Gamagori said. "It's completely fine."

"Seems kinds of unfair to the others, isn't it?"

"Life is not fair," Gamagori said sagely as if he was imparting the secret of the universe to Ben, Ryuko and Mako. Ben ignored him. Ryuko scoffed. Mako was the only one who even pretended to care. Or maybe it was genuine. Who knew.

One star students handed Gamagori a megaphone and a remote detonator with a big red button. He pressed the button. There were a series of explosions as spiked ramps and staircases appeared throughout the city. "Behold the Disciplinary Committee's greatest masterpiece! The Honnou City Mighty Guard! All students commence commute! Forward, march!"

Ben held Ryuko and Mako's shoulders as the rest of the students ran ahead. They watched as explosions and traps sent the students flying.

"Is this another one of your plans, Ben?" Ryuko asked.

"You're crazy paranoid!" Mako chirped.

"Am not," Ben denied. He glanced at Gamagori who simply observed.

"So there are checkpoints we have to go through, right?" Ben asked.

"Indeed," Gamagori said. Ben nodded. Before he left the house he activated Gravattack's powers, layering it over his human body. Using gravity manipulation he flew in the air, carrying Mako and Ryuko with him.

"Whoa," Ryuko said. "This is pretty cool."

"I'm flying!" Mako cheered. They weren't, not really. It was more like he was using invisible hands to carry them with him. They took off in the air, avoiding most of the traps and flew twenty feet above ground. They lowered when they saw the first checkpoint, a red dot on the street applied with glowing spray paint. It was under a large gatehouse. They flew under the gatehouse to reach the checkpoint when a large gate fell towards him. If Ben was normal he'd have worried for his life. But he wasn't. He tore the gate and the gatehouse apart, pulling them in two different directions, and then uprooted the debris into the air, causing a tremor on the immediate surroundings. They flew five meters above a slope leading to the slums. Arrows led to a two hundred feet wall. He poked a plastic handle with a piece of rubble the size of his fist. It exploded. He created a gravitational force to contain the explosion. So the plastic handles were replaced by explosives designed to mimic them and mislead those attempting to climb.

He looked at the apex of the two hundred feet wall and flew up, pulling Mako and Ryuko with him and leaving the debris behind. He heard the blade slapping sound of the rotor blades and found a helicopter flying twenty five meters above the top plate of the wall. Guided missile launchers attached to its sides released eight anti-tank guided missiles. Thanks to Ben's informants he knew the helicopter was remote controlled from a safe location. He caught the missiles with his gravity powers and pushed them back into the helicopter, detonating it in an orange explosion that lit up the sky.

They flew down the ladder at the end of the wall and avoided most of the traps which required pressure through physical contacts to detonate. They flew uphill. The street at the foot of the hill parted to reveal a twenty feet tall spiked ball chain that climbed up the hill after them. Ben closed his hand and crushed it, pushing the spikes inside the metal ball before it flattened into the hill. They reached the top of the hill to a familiar area. The residential district for one star and two star students.

One star students gathered with weapons ranging from baseball bats to handguns prepared to make life hell for the contestants. One particular student with an RPG fired at Ben. Not very smart. He caught the explosive warhead in a gravitational field and contained the explosion and lowered his hand, motioning for the students to get on their knees. They all did.

Ben and his two companions flew under the buildings and over the familiar streets leading back to the finish line in Honnouji Academy. Gun turrets mounted on rooftops of the surrounding buildings rained on them, pelting them with artillery. Where they trying to kill them? Ben uprooted the turrets from the rooftops and slammed them into each other, leaving the pieces falling into the streets.

They arrived at the finish line two minutes later. Ben checked the time from his phone. 4:02 AM.

"Thanks Ben," Ryuko said. "But why the rush?"

He lowered all three of them into the ground. "No reason, really. Those things were dangerous though." Luckily he made sure no one had died. All of the no star students were still at the bottom of the two hundred feet wall when Ben removed most of the traps in the event, making it easier for everyone else to pass without risking expulsion for being late. He might not take this school seriously, but others did.

Ben waved at Gamagori. "Good enough for you?"

"Indeed," Gamagori said, nodding in satisfaction. "More students should aspire to be like you." He pointed at Mako and Ryuko. The former tilted her head and the latter put her arms behind her hair. "You two on the other hand disappoint me." He shook his head in disgust. "To coarse on the success of others is the apex of failure!"

By the time he finished ranting the three of them were gone to return to sleep.


Later that morning when they were all in uniform, with Ryuko wearing her kamui, she playfully punched Ben's shoulder as they walked to the courtyard. "I wasn't able to test my new powers thanks to you," she said. "Senketsu said he's detecting some kind of life from my scissor blade. Is that true?"

Ben recalled creating a duplicate which turned into an alien that infused into the red scissor blade, giving it an image of sleek black with green lines resembling circuitry.

"Sort of?" He shrugged.

"Prepare yourself Ben Tennyson!" A two star student said, preparing to attack him with their Goku uniform. Ben flicked the air with his forefinger. Not that he needed to. He could activate Gravattack's powers with just his mind. The two star student was flung into the walls of the school with a boom, creating a crater and knocking them unconscious.

"Why are people still attacking me?" Ben asked, feeling a little curious. "They've seen my powers."

"Weren't you listening?" Ryuko frowned. "Satsuki," and somehow she managed to make the name sound dirty. "Said that any two star student that beat me would receive a three star Goku uniform. I think she made an additional offer to anyone who beats you with the bonus of being a member of her group of suck-up losers."

"The elite four?"

"That's what I said!"

"Benjamin," A sweet voice called his name. Nonon Jakuraze approached him with a friendly smile. "Lady Satsuki has ordered me to bring you to her for a little chat. Are you willing to come?"

"Hey there short stuff," Ben smiled back and instinctively patted her head, or in this case her two meter tall hat. "How have you been doing?"

"I'm not a kid you son of a bitch!" She tried punching his hand. He caught her fist in a net of his gravity power an inch from his palm, giving the illusion that he stopped her with his bare hand.

"Oh, you're so cute!" Ben said. "You remind me of someone I know." Nui, only Nonon was far less mature which was the reason he treated her so differently from Nui, who he thought of fondly, and Mako, who was his bubbly friend.

"Stop mocking me!"

He laughed. "Tell you what. You can take me to your leader in exchange for information on your uniform."

Here Nonon smirked. "Aha! I knew you were plotting something! I'm telling lady Satsuki!" She ran off like a child about to rat someone to her mom in exchange for a pat on the head or a piece of cookie.

Ben sighed. "What a piece of work."


I can't help but imagine Nonon as an alternate universe counterpart of Louise from Familiar of Zero, who I am fond of. I think I'm projecting that fondness to Nonon, which is quite distracting.