Chapter 25

Gravity Falls

Labyrinth

"You are no man. So why do you attempt to appear so, Destructor?", Testosteraur asked as he paced closer to Dipper & Wendy.

"He knows more about being a man than you would ever know," Wendy retorted, "he knows about compassion, caring, helping others, defending those he cares for, and doing what is right. He also one of the toughest men I know."

"You are still letting your woman speak for you?", Testosteraur asked mockingly.

"Oh, I'm not letting her do anything, she is free to do what ever she wants. And though I love her, I don't own her!", Dipper said as he got into a defensive stance. "And I no longer go by Destructor, it's Shifter now!"

"Shifter, huh?", Wendy asked with a smile.

"It works, Will O'", Dipper smirked.

"Enough of this sentimental malarkey," Testosteraur bellowed, "we are here to fight!"

Testosteraur lowered his head and began running straight at them.

Wendy attempted to phase through the walls but found she was unable to for some reason. Sensing the manotaur was closing in she ghosted away to behind him. Dipper on the other hand stayed right in his path, shifting his musculature to make himself stronger and more able to withstand the rushing onslaught. As Testosteraur got closer Dipper grabbed a hold of his horns and attempted to halt his progress. When he realized he was only slowing him down and not stopping him, Dipper raised himself off of the ground using Testosteraur's horns as a balance bar. He flipped up onto Testosteraur's neck and wrapped his left are completely around his neck, the other he shifted into a flexable flat surface and attempted to smother him out. Unfortunately Testosteraur hit the wall before the plan could take effect, knocking Dipper off of his back.

As Testosteraur stood he picked up Dipper by the head and as he turned he was met by a flaming boot to his face. "Let him go, you walking hamburger!"

The next thing she did was to swing her ax down towards his head, only for him to block with the gauntlet on his free hand. She countered this with an upswing from her regular ax that caught a glancing blow across his chest.

"Argh!", Testosteraur yelled in pain. He threw Dipper at Wendy as he went to clutch his chest. The two of them landed in a heap half way down the hall.

"You shall pay for that, Woman.", Testosteraur said through clenched teeth.

Dipper and Wendy got to their feet and turned to face Testosteraur again. Dipper shifted so that his arms were back to their normal length and his gloves were solid stone.

Knowing that Testosteraur's belief in his manliness was his greatest strength and also his greatest weakness, Dipper called out, "Aw, did the poor baby get a booboo?"

Wendy smirked before she floated up towards the ceiling, "You hit him low and I'll hit high."

"Sounds good to me.", Dipper said as he started charging at the manotaur. As he got nearer he called out, "Hey Testosteraur how'd your three y chromosomes feel getting hit by her ax."

"Destructor, you best not get me mad!", Testosteraur hollered before he too started running at the pair coming his way.

"Aw what are you gonna do, throw a temper tantrum?", Wendy called out as she was getting the gist of Dipper's plan. She held back and taunted him again, "Does the poor Mini-taur worry he's gonna lose to a girl?"

Starting to get flustered Testosteraur turned his attention back towards Wendy and didn't realize Dipper had shrunk down so he could go in-between his legs. Once through he turned and slammed both fists into the back of the manotaurs knees just as Wendy lit up her spectral ax and threw a burst of fire at him. He tried to block it with his gauntlets only to fall backwards as the dual attack combo nailed him. As he fell backwards Dipper rolled to the left of him and out of harms way. Dipper jumped up and continued the assault by slamming his fists into Testosteraur's stomach. Wendy in turn lit another ball of fire and threw it intentionally at the right gauntlet, hoping to heat it up enough the he would want to take it off.

Testosteraur grabbed up a handful of dirt and threw it into Dipper's face before trying to get back up onto his feet. Once he was vertical again he swung at Dipper and nailed him in the gut, throwing him back into the wall of the hallway. Wendy swung her ax at him but he dodged and then grabbed her arm, pulling her down and slamming her into the floor.

Dipper regain his composure and vision just in time to see Wendy bounce from from hitting the floor. He almost instantly lost his composure again and shifted into the Gremgoblin and started to swing wildly at Testosteraur with his now clawed hands. After scoring two good hits and then backhanding him down the hall, Dipper shifted into his Shifter guise as he ran over to check on Wendy. She was getting up by then.

"You ok?", he asked as he got to her.

"Yeah, remember I'm a lot more durable in this form. Also don't forget I'm a Corduroy, it'll take a lot more than hitting the floor to hurt me.", She said with a smile.

"Good. I just got you, I don't want to lose you." Dipper said as he put a quick peck on her cheek. He wasn't sure but he thought he saw a little bit of color in her pale cheeks. Getting back to the matter at hand he changed the subject, "I have an idea, how's your pitching arm feel?"

Slipping her normal ax back in it's holster she said, "Pretty good. What's the plan?"

"I want you to shoot a blast of your fire near his head and while he's blocking you're gonna throw me at his stomach," Dipper said as he shifted in to a Lilliputtian.

Wendy took a hold of him in her right hand and aimed her ax at Testosteraur with her left. She shot a blast just over his left shoulder and as Dipper thought he went to block it. She the threw Dipper as hard as she could straight at his stomach. Dipper flew as hard and fast as she could throw him, when he was as with in striking distance he suddenly shifted into his Shifter form and hit him with all the force the momentum gave him.

Wendy followed this up by rushing in after Testosteraur was bent over and delivering a brutal kick to his face, causing him to fall over backwards. Dipper stood up, walked over to the prone manotaur, lifted his head up by a horn and asked, "Do you yield, or do we need to continue?"

Back at the boat

"So you're saying that ever since you touched the geological sample I asked Fiddleford for, your body has been turned to copper?" Ford was questioning Francis while Charger was standing watch to make sure no one else would try to attack them. They had brought the siren with them after Ford assured Charger that the sedative she had in her first aid kit would be safe to use on her. They still kept her hands tied and her mouth gagged. It wasn't much longer that she saw Mabel, Tony, and Stan coming back from the path they had traveled.

"Well it sounds like, I'm gonna need to teach you some of the sweet science when we get back to the Shack if you plan on keep this stuff up. I'd try to stop you but I know how stubborn this one," Stan said as he ruffled Mabel's hair, "and her brother are and I really doubt you're any different. If the two of them can survive Weirdmageddon, a lil bit of heroics shouldn't hurt."

"I see you two found Stan, have you heard from Will O' or your brother?", Charger asked as soon as she was sure they were with in earshot.

"Ok, I'll bite. Who's the robot?", Stan asked before Mabel or Tony could respond.

"No. Our earbuds went silent shortly after we split up, but we didn't notice till we were done fighting this creature who called herself a kitsune," Tony said as he threw the fox woman on to the deck of the Stan O' War III.

"You mean Will O' and D's not here?" Mabel asked.

"A kitsune you say?", Ford asked as he walked over to the boat's new captive, "I read about them of course but never had a chance to interview or study one before. They usually stay in the orient, I wonder what brought this one to Gravity Falls?"

"No and we can't reach them either. Now that you two are back, I'll take to the air and see if I can, like, find them.", Charger said Taking off before anyone could protest.

"Ok, I'll ask again. Who's the robot?" Stan said scratching his head.

Piedmont, California

Heritage Memorial Hospital ER

William Hauser was sitting in the ER's waiting room now as Jacob's uncle and Patrick's parents had shown up. He tried to reach Mabel, Dipper, or even Adam but was having the same luck as Elaine. He's was really beginning to get worried, but was doing his best to keep a good face in front of Elaine to keep from adding to her worry. First three guys from the kids school start fighting with them, next the same three jerks tried to jump them only for Patrick & Jacob to come help them, then the three bullies houses burn down, and finally Jacob and Patrick are jumped and severely injured.

"Yeah, there are no coincidences in the world.", Wildbill muttered to no one in particular.

Gravity Falls

Gravity Falls General Hospital parking lot

"So what did the Docs say, you gonna live?" Lee asked Nate as they walked out to Lee's dad's truck.

"I dunno man, something weird happened while I was in there. They took my blood twice, first by a Dr Nuit, and then a nurse. I asked why they needed to do it again since Dr Nuit already took a sample and the nurse said that they didn't have a Dr Nuit on staff.", Nate replied.

"Maybe you should ask your dad about it, he is on the board of trustees," Lee said as he fired up the engine on the truck.

"Not so loud man, you think I want people to know my family has money. If they did they'd expect me to act like a Northwest or something." Nate said and shuddered at the thought. "I wanted to still live a normal life. My parents understood this, even after they had won that lottery money, sure they can move to Florida but not me. I want to stay here where it's not that complicated and the people are real."

"It doesn't hurt that your mom made some good investments afterwards either. It's like she was psychic or some thing.", Lee added. "I know you want to live a simple life but you could've at least let them buy you a car so we don't have to keep borrowing my dad's truck."

"I'll think about it," Nate smirked at his friend's suggestion. "Let's find Tambry, I want to have her look into this Dr. Nuit."

Labyrinth

"Yield, you want me to yield to a child and a woman? Never!", Testosteraur still bellowed as he knocked Dipper back with a swipe of his arm.

Wendy tried to take another swing at him as he was getting up but he blocked her with one of his gauntlets. He grabbed her with his free arm and lifted her off the ground as he finished standing up. He turned and slammed her against the wall and held her there, "You should never have gotten involved, woman."

"Oh, I'm involved alright.", Wendy said as she flared the fire that radiates from her hair so that it surrounded her whole body. Her eyes went pitch black and she called for her ax only for him to grab it out of the air as it flew to her.

"You attempt to use the ax as a weapon yet you have no training in it. As for your Fire, my gauntlets are protected against all flames." Testosteraur said, "Now why don't you let a man show you how to truly use an ax as a weapon."

He brought the ax up into the air and prepared to swing it down at Wendy, only to find he could not move it. He turned his head to look at it and saw another manotaur holding his wrist. Wendy used this distraction to deliver a kick to his jaw causing him to drop both her and her ax. As soon as her feet hit the ground she dropped down and swept her leg out and kicked his legs out from under him. As he fell the other manotaur threw him against the wall.

"You need to quit while you still have a chance to survive." The Dipper manotaur said, "I will not show any mercy this time."

"Never!", Testosteraur yelled as he attempted to charge again.

Wendy swung he ax at him as she dodged his charge and she was rewarded by hearing him bellow in pain and the sound of a horn hitting the floor. Dipper reacted by shifting into Shifter and grabbed the remaining horn and rolled backwards using Testosteraur's momentum to monkey flip him into the wall. Upon standing back up he walked over and delivered a kick to Testosteraur's head.

"Now where is my father?", Dipper yelled at the fallen manotaur.

"I know not where he is," Testosteraur said, "the man in white took him when he placed me in this cave."

"WHAT?" Dipper yelled.

"Why didn't you tell us that at the beginning?", Wendy questioned, "We wouldn't have fought you then."

"That's why I didn't tell you, if I told you we wouldn't have fought and I had to fight you and win in order to be able to get out of this labyrinth.", Testosteraur said defeatedly. "As the loser of this battle I'm cursed to never leave here alive."

"What, you can't leave here now?", Wendy asked.

"No, I am cursed," Testosteraur said, "Not that I would be able to show my face at the Man Cave again after losing to you two."

"There is no shame in a well fought battle, there is only shame in cowardice and cheating.", Dipper said offering his hand to help the defeated manotaur to his feet. He then walked over to where his fedora fell at the beginning of the fight and placed it back on his head.

"Now that the two of you have won you will be able leave the caves, please do not let the others know of my location. I do not wish for them to share my fate.", Testosteraur pleaded.

"Oh, I think you may have to tell them that yourself." Dipper said with a gleam in his eye.

"What do you mean?", the manotaur questioned

"What are you planning?", Wendy asked.

"I suggest we play fast and loose with the wording of this curse," Dipper said before leaning over and whispering in Wendy's ear.

In the sky above the middle path

"Delphi, I've covered the whole pathway all the way to the lake and still no sign of them but something strange is going on down there. Are you getting the readings I'm sending?", Charger asked over her communications equipment. "Something is producing some weird energy fluctuations down there?"

"Yeah, something is definitely going on down there." Delphi replied. "I'm switching on your video recording equipment so we can study this later."

"Good idea. Like, I'm heading down to get a closer look.", Charger said as she headed down towards the pathway.

"I don't know if that's a good idea.", Delphi countered.

"Too late," Charger replied with a smirk. She landed away from the area producing the fluctuations and as she looked towards the area she saw a cave shimmer into view. "Are you seeing this?"

"Sudden appearance of a cave out of no where, check." Delphi answered.

Charger headed slowly towards the cavernous opening stopping only as she saw an eerie blue glow coming towards the entrance from the inside. She stood back as she saw Will O' and Dipper come out of the cave carrying a giant wooden statue that looked somewhat like one of the manotaurs that had hid out in the Shack during Weirdmageddon. Once they were completely clear of the cave entrance it again shimmered out of site.

"I've found Will O' and D," Charger started before she was cut off by Dipper.

"It's Shifter now," Dipper said as he shifted into Stan before returning to his own form.

"Ok, I've found Will O' and Shifter," Charger corrected herself before continuing, "We'll be heading back to the boat shortly."

"Do they have my dad with them?" they all heard Mabel ask over the earbuds.

"Hey, do we have radio contact again?" Delphi broke in before anyone could respond. "Yeah, you're all showing back up on my displays again."

"Sorry sis, apparently dad was gone before we got here. The man in white has him," Dipper replied before asking, "Did you guys get Stan and Ford?"

"Yeah, and we each came back with an extra. And it seems like you did too.", Charger responded.

"Yeah but ours is a possible friendly," Wendy added. "He had been cursed to fight us or be stuck in that cave forever. At least till Shifter found a loop hole in the curse. Let's get back so we can explain it all at one time instead of over and over again. Can you take him?" Wendy pointed at Testosteraur.

"Yeah, I got him," Charger said grabbing the wooden manotaur and flying back to the boat.

"As for you," Wendy said before placing a kiss on Dipper's cheek, "We'll find tour dad, I promise."

She then took his hand and they faded out of view only to appear on the shore near the boat. Charger landed shortly after them.

"That's a lot easier over a shorter distance." Wendy said after they arrived.

They got onto the boat and saw the two new passengers before Dipper told every body about the fight. As he got to the curse Wendy took over, "and then Shifter leaned over to me and asked me to turn Testosteraur into wood as he would no longer be alive at that point and we would be able to bring him out of the cave with us."

"Fascinating, I would love to study your abilities if you would let me," Ford said he he spent time looking over everyone in the group.

"Maybe later, right now I definitely don't feel like being poked and prodded. That was a heck of a fight back there.", Wendy responded.

"Ok, so we were jumped, kidnapped, held as bait, and all you're interested in is studying their powers. Man you are a Poindexter, bro." Stan said ribbing his brother, "though someone has messed with our family and now someone is gonna have to pay. Let's get back to the Shack cause tomorrow we begin looking for this 'Man In White' in earnest. Though I still have one question?"

"What is it Grunkle Stan?", Mabel asked trying to not think about her missing father.

"Who is the robot?", Stan asked to which everyone else started to laugh.

Another exciting chapter is in the books, I hope everyone enjoyed the fight. The next chapter will be dealing with the aftermath of the fights and what is happening in Piedmont.

The names so far:

Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent

Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic

Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined

Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent

Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)

Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich

Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert

Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen

Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:

Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Two chapters up

Wendip Week Drabbels & Stories, April 4 - 10th is Wendip week. Prompts: Tumblr post/141491201022/the-wendip-week-prompts-are-here Naked, Promise, Together, Rainy Days, & Midnight are written. I have basic ideas for First Time, & Forest. They will not be part of the Gravity Heroes universe and actually are my first attempts at writing Future Pines. I still plan on writing the last two, but haven't been in the mood understandably.

I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far.

Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & Popcat131. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.

Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.

On to the reviews, guests will have the chapter it came from to differentiate them (though they possibly are the same person)

Reader warprince2000: Thank you, glad to see you have caught up now.

Reader Odeebee: Thank you, there are times I really am surprised that I have surpassed the 100 review mark. I hope you have continued to follow the story and still find it to your liking.

Reader Guest Chapter 24: Thanks. To answer your question Chutzpar (the C is silent) is the first manotaur dipper encountered in 'Dipper vs Manliness'. It was your review, I really wasn't thinking about anime when I made her. She was based mostly on the mythology of a kitsune.

Reader Dante Watterson: Thank You

Reader The Keeper of Worlds: Thanks. The Man In White appeared in name at least and should be around in the next chapter. Well as seen here on of the trinity was reluctantly a member of the villainous group. We'll see how this turns out.

Hopefully this battle holds up to the others.

Reader Sirkylelenn: Thanks. I do my best to keep the stories timely and of good quality. And thanks for the fan art, I haven't been able to get it posted yet my phone and DA are have a quarrel so it doesn't want to accept postings yet. ;-)

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