Chapter 36 – Retribution
Author Notes:
- (random) Just finished watching the Phineas and Ferb movie…******* hate you, Major Monogram. If I could write a million hate fics about you in one day, I would.
- still kinda confused on how to handle Grim's Jamaican accent since I've rewatched some of the series and he switches between the "d-" and proper "th-"…
- the idea for Numbuh 688 is from the "Operation S.T.A.T. stop the adult takeover" game on the Cartoon Network website. Before it became an actual game, there was a special event involving it years ago. If you beat it, you were allowed to print out your own "official" Kids Next Door ID, complete with being able to put your own fingerprint on it. The one I got gave me the codename, "Numbuh 688". I guess you could consider my Author Avatar if I ever decide to use him again. Just putting it out there if anyone was wondering where he's from.
- idea for the deceased Aiden royal family is not from any show, made it up. Possibility of them playing a role later.
"Grim, what's happening!" Mandy exclaimed.
"Eh, Fusion Him has found de Book of Prophecy." he answered. "It's a powerful supernatural artifact dat's hidden inside de catacombs here."
"Wait, I've read about that book." Blossom said. "It can predict the future, right?"
"Yes, but der are other things de book can do. It's contains a great power and I fear Fusion Him figured out how to harness it. I guess Reaper and Stanley weren't able to protect it . . ."
"Is there any way to stop it?" Numbuh 5 asked.
"Well, if you find the book and chant the reverse incantation, then it should work. But der's still de chance Fusion Him will have de book with him."
"Just what exactly can that book do?" Kyle asked.
"Ahahahaha! Yes!" a demonic voice exclaimed. Where it was coming from was unknown, but there was no mistaking it. It was the warped version of Him's deep masculine voice. "So this is what the book is truly capable of! I may not be as powerful as the original, but this! Ahahaha!"
In an instant, the entire area was shrouded an eerie green mist. The feeling was faint, but one could feel their energy being drained away as time progress.
"Ugh. What is this stuff?" Numbuh 2 asked.
"I think Fusion Him is trying to drain the life out of everything." Grim replied. "You kids better find dat book fast! I can try to holding it off as long as I can, but you're on your own when me powers wear off."
Communication signals were constantly being radioed in. Numbuh 5 was having trouble keeping up with them, sending Numbuh 2 to temporarily fill in for her.
"This is Numbuh 688." a male voice said over her communicator. "What's going on down there?"
"Get the entire fleet here, stat!" Numbuh 5 answered. "We don't have much time! Focus all targeting priorities on finding and destroying Fusion Him!"
"Understood. Igniting extra jet thrusters now."
Numbuh 5 then answered the next call from Ben.
"Sorry about not answering earlier. I was preoccupied."
"What's going on over there?" Ben asked. "A weird mist just appeared outside the city where you guys are. You want us to stay here?"
"No, get over here! We need all the help we need if we want to stop this stuff and we need to do it fast!"
"Alright, the Plumbers and I are coming your way!"
Numbuh 5 continued working through the other calls as the others got ready. Mandy was telling Cerberus to "man up" as she and Billy climbed aboard each of the two Doberman heads' necks. Blossom had given her a standardized KND rifle to defend herself. She didn't give Billy one due to his "past actions". Kyle borrowed one as well in case he needed a long-range weapon if the situation called for it. He was waiting for the rest of the KND army to charge inside.
Grim was levitating in a meditation position just above a nearby building with a few KND agents guarding him. Even though he was a skeleton, his empty eye sockets strangely acted like that of a normal man; he could even blink. His eyes were closed as he held his scythe straight up in his hands. The razor sharp blade was glowing bright green as it began absorbing the Fusion's mist into it. This prevented the mist from taking effect, but Grim could not keep doing it forever.
Numbuh 2 boarded the pilot seat of his SCAMPER, starting up the main engines and lifting the vehicle a few feet in the air.
"Alright guys," he began, "we have no time to lose. You all ready? Let's go!"
The KND squads, now fully armed, gave a loud, reassuring yell as they ran inside the cemetery's front gates. Blossom and Numbuh 5 went first to scout ahead. Kyle, Mandy, Billy, and Cerberus followed suit once the last of the agents had left.
The initial part of the graveyard seemed relatively quiet. It wasn't until the team reached over the hillside into the other half of the graveyard where the true trouble began. One obvious thing was that the Infected Borders had gone missing. Those who could see far enough spotted the destroyed remains of the shield generators lying on the ground. Standing in their way was an extremely large army of Jock-O-Lanterns and Bloodsuckers. They completely surrounded the higher-elevated area that was the Infected, preventing anyone from getting in on any side. Many of the monsters were different compared to the normal ones. All of their colors were drastically altered to a shade of green.
"Fusion Him must be using the book to replicate his army." Blossom told the others.
"Let's just get this done." Numbuh 5 said, loading up her pistols. "We're disrespecting the dead the longer we keep doing this."
On her orders, everyone ran forward and fired upon the Fusion Monsters. The duplicates seemed to be easily defeated, likely a side effect of creating the sheer number of clones. Due to his size and abilities, Cerberus leaped ahead of everyone else. All three heads took a deep breath and exhaled wide-range and green-colored firebreath, incinerating all the monsters caught in it to ashes. Cerberus then began rushing through the entire monster army, knocking everything he could aside while he ready another flamethrower. Mandy began firing upon the Bloodsuckers that tried to grab her while Billy and Runty were simply laughing at all the destruction around them.
Numbuh 2 retreated to the eastern skies to join the fleets that just arrived over the bordering mountains. Together, they laid waste to groups by dropping explosive charges. This success was short live when noticing the Fusion Matter lake acting strangely. Numerous amounts of large bubbles began to form of the water's surface. They expanded till they were six feet in size before finally popping to reveal replica Bloodsuckers standing in their place. The lake continued to produce these monstrosities no matter how many were killed.
Blossom held Kyle by the hand as the two flew over the Boneyard and settled on a floating land mass. The Bloodsuckers couldn't fly that high of an elevation so they were safe from harm for the moment. Kyle used his rifle to fire on the monsters below while Blossom used her X-ray vision to attempt locating Fusion Him and the fastest possible route to reach his location.
"You find him yet?" Kyle asked.
"I didn't see on him on the way here. He must be deeper underground. I don't see him anywhere and my vision can only go so far."
"Then where's the catacomb entrance?"
"Grab on."
Kyle grabbed Blossom's hand again as she flew towards to the back of the Boneyard. Erected there was a large stone mausoleum as big as the City Hall building. Kyle stood on the steps and held off the Bloodsuckers while Blossom was opening the door. The locks were rusted and worn out so she needed time. Blossom grabbed Kyle by the collar and quickly pulled him inside, closing the door and locking it from the inside.
The inside of the mausoleum was almost pitch-dark. Stained glass windows just below the ceiling were the only source of light. From what he could vaguely see, Kyle saw two parallel sets of pillar, one going horizontally and the other going vertically, crossing each other like an "X". Lining the walls were the stone tombs of the deceased. Their presence and simply standing in this place gave Kyle an eerie feeling.
"I can barely see a thing." he said.
"Hold on." Blossom replied as she stood in front of Kyle. She fired her laser vision multiple times, each one towards a different pillar. The entire building was illuminated by the now lit mounted torches. The light revealed a downwards spiral staircase directly at the center of the room. "The catacombs are this way."
The two descended into the Boneyard's underground. Blossom lead the way through the numerous passageways. The torches here were already lit so someone had already been through the area recently. As they went deeper, it seemed Grim's influence no longer reached that far underground as the mist was visibly more concentrated. The two were hesitant to go onward in fear that they wouldn't able to survive long. They could already feel their energy being drained while they tried to make a decision.
"This stuff will only get more concentrated if we go further." Kyle observed.
"But it's the only way to reach Fusion Him." Blossom said.
"We'll get killed by this stuff before we make it though."
"You don't have to worry." Riyos said. "I can protect you from the mist's influence. You friend however . . ."
"I can't just leave her."
"Wait!" Blossom suddenly exclaimed. "My Nano! She has the Liberty Belle power! You have one of Dexter's Nano Potions, right? If we use that, we should be able to easily get through unharmed."
Kyle was impressed by Blossom's thinking. She really did live up to her status as being the smartest of the three Powerpuff Girls. He summoned his Blossom Nano and gave her a Nano Potion. Upon ordering her to use Liberty Belle, she began spinning fast enough that one's eyes couldn't even follow. By the time she stopped spinning, she revealed herself in an entirely new outfit. She was now dressed in a blue skin-tight suit, boots, and white leggings. She had a white star on her chest, wore a long, flowing red cape, and changed her bow to resemble a gold eagle. The Nano was now radiating a golden aura which surrounded the two. They no longer felt the harmful effects of the Fusion's green mist.
"Great memories." Blossom muttered. She laughed a little from recounting her memories as this alternate persona. "C'mon, let's go."
Blossom took the lead again since she had the better vision. As they continued deeper, the mist became so concentrated that Kyle could barely see Blossom in front of him. He tried to stay as close to her as possible without getting into her personal space.
After a few minutes, they came to what seemed like the final chamber. Surprisingly, the mist barely filled this room. When Kyle looked back from where he came from, it was like a wall had formed between him and the passageway. The chamber seemed to be the burial crypt of an ancient royal family. This was expected considering how old the cemetery was. The tombs of the family lined the walls in a square while the king's tomb itself was laid in the center. It was larger than the others, but the design was still the same compared to the rest of the tombs. Behind it was a mural with a passage written entirely in a strange writing system.
"What is this?" Kyle asked.
"I'm pretty sure it's the tomb of the Aiden family. They ruled over the entire continent many centuries ago if I'm remembering my history classes correctly. I never got a chance to fully research them so I don't know much about them. Apparently, they were secretly demon worshippers despite their kind behavior to their people."
"A fitting place for that book . . ."
"It looks like a bust. I still don't see Fusion Him and we've gone the deepest we can go."
"Why child," Fusion Him's voice began, "you're simply looking in the wrong places~."
The entire room went pitch-black as the torches extinguished themselves. Kyle heard Blossom's scream accompanied by a deep and sinister laughter. Kyle shined his Nanocom's flashlight around the room trying to find her. Blossom wasn't anywhere to be seen.
"Blossom! Where are you!"
The torches immediately relit themselves, but this time the flames were glowing bright green. Kyle looked ahead and saw the mural had disappeared. Instead, there was now a cave-like entrance leading somewhere.
"Come if you want to save your precious little friend~." Fusion Him taunted.
Kyle ran as fast as he could inside the tunnel, following the sound of Fusion Him's echoing laughter. At the end, he came to another chamber though the structure was of a completely different design. Every aspect of it, the walls, the ceiling, and even the floor, was covered with engravings of the same kind of letters from the mural. Seven pillars were laid in a circle in the middle of the room. Hovering above the pedestal was Blossom in a green transparent sphere. She was unconscious, but Kyle could tell her energy was being drained just from the expression on her face. Standing next to her was Fusion Him who held the book in his left claw.
"You're a courageous one." he said. "I thought you would turn back from seeing how powerful I am."
"Just let her go." Kyle demanded.
"Now, now. I cannot simply let this girl go without something in exchange . . . I know! Toss that sword of yours over here! It'll be wonderful for Fuse to know that this accursed weapon will no longer be used against him~."
The sword was the only thing that could work in defeating the Fusion. Kyle needed it if he wanted to stand a chance, but he couldn't let Blossom suffer. The orb looked like it had the potential to be deadly if she remained there any longer. Kyle didn't take a moment to hesitant. He quickly unsheathed it and slid the blade across the across floor. Fusion Him smiled in delight and released Blossom from her prison. He held her by the shirt and tossed her back in exchange. Kyle was quick to react and caught her, putting her under the protection of Liberty Belle again. He set her against the wall and tried to wake her. Her Nano self was doing the same; she was clearly much more concerned for her well-being.
"I don't think she'll wake up for a while now." Fusion Him said. He bent over to inspect the sword a little closer and began reaching forward to touch it. "Hm, so this thing is what's giving us trouble- Ow! . . . Even with the book's power, I can't overcome it." He then looked towards Kyle again who was still trying to awaken Blossom. "You're still here? I was going to let you go safely, but if you insist on stay . . . Let's see, what spell to use? Oh, here's one! Spirits of darkness, come forth bring about-"
"Found you~!" a voice joyfully exclaimed.
Spontaneously, red smoke appeared and the real Him appeared and punched aside his Fusion double. Fusion Him was knocked back, but he still tightly gripped the book in his claw. He was beginning to be surrounded in a green aura out of anger. Him just laughed as he kicked the sword back to Kyle's hands.
"Y-You!"
"I simply cannot let you continue to exist." Him proclaimed.
"Him?" Kyle asked.
Him turned his head and took a look a Blossom.
"Seems like I wasn't here in time . . . You children should get out of here."
"But what about you?" Kyle asked.
"Child, don't you remember who I am? Now go."
Him spun his wrist in the air. His red smoke engulfed Kyle and Blossom and then transported them to another location.
Ben and his forces had arrived at the battlefield and were already joining the KND agents in the fight. Apart from Ben, they dressed in red protective suits and helmets with a full facial visor obscuring their faces. They mainly armed themselves with rifles that fired blasts of electricity and shock grenades on their utility belts. These were the Plumbers, a law enforcement organization, basically the police of the entire universe. Originally, they were relatively unknown to the public since the existence of aliens used to be kept a secret from them. Eventually, the secret was made known thanks to the numerous and inevitable extraterrestrial events made public by Ben Tennyson and those connected to him.
Ben himself was with Numbuh 5. He had transformed into a humanoid red, yellow, and black alien he dubbed "Jetray". Slightly taller than his normal size, the body somewhat resembled a manta ray and had gills on the side. Yellow membrane attached to his arms, body, and tail granted him the ability to glide in the air like a flying squirrel though Ben also had the ability of flight. His hands and feet only had three digits and by default, his mouth was always in a frown. Yellow horns grew from his mouth extending in an upwards slant before bending upwards to act like the eyebrows. A black zigzag stripe on each shoulder extended to the Ultimatrix symbol on Ben's chest.
"So," Ben remarked as he stood back-to-back against Numbuh 5, "we've got two kids on a giant, firebreathing, three-headed dog fighting with us, a live skeleton in robe just outside the cemetery, and prophetic book of untold destruction." He fired green lasers from his eyes, making quick work on the monsters in front of him. "Can this city get any weirder?"
"You've dealt with aliens since you were ten." she pointed out. "I'm sure you've seen weirder things than this."
". . . Heh. You've got me . . . Huh? Is that-?"
Ben directed Numbuh 5 to the middle of the battlefield when Kyle had appeared with Blossom in his arms. They quickly ran over to them and ordered nearby troops to cover them. Numbuh 2 also noticed them and provided aerial support.
"Kyle, what happened!" Numbuh 5 exclaimed.
"Long story." Kyle answered. "We need to get her out of here!"
"Give her to me." Ben told him. "I'll fly her to Endsville."
"No," Numbuh 2 said as he landed his SCAMPER, "we still need you. I'll take her. At least my ship has immediate medical supplies."
Kyle was in the middle of handing Blossom's body when the ground began shaking tremendously. He almost lost his footing and dropped her. Everyone, including the monsters, looked towards the Boneyard to see the foundation under the lake break apart and collapse. Whirlpools began to take shape as the water began to drain, but an extremely large one formed at the center. After a few seconds, Him came flying out of the swirling vortex and landed in front of the group. His body was badly injured, surprising all of them.
"What the!" Numbuh 5 exclaimed in astonishment. "How did this happen!"
"He . . . used that forbidden spell." Him managed to mutter.
Him pointed back towards the Boneyard before falling unconscious. Everyone looked and saw a giant figure rising. Slowly, Fusion Him emerged from the large whirlpool, only this time he had grown to a monstrous size comparable to the Sector V treehouse. His body was radiating with an even stronger aura then before. One by one, he shot down the KND's jet fighters with laser vision, laughing maniacally as he did so.
"H-He's huge!" Numbuh 2 exclaimed. "He's already taken out most of our air units!"
"Is this what Him's capable of or is it that book?" Ben wondered aloud.
"Does it matter?" Numbuh 5. "We need to take him out!"
"Ahahahaha! Don't you even dare attempt to stop me!" Fusion Him exclaimed.
The Fusion raised his arms in the air and began focusing. Everyone was confused to wait he doing until they noticed the monsters around them wailing in pain. Right before their eyes, their entire bodies decomposed into a visible aura and flowed towards the Fusion. It was clearly empowering him further as the aura surrounding him only intensified.
Numbuh 5 and Ben immediately ordered all operatives to begin bombarding the Fusion with every weapon and explosive they had. The Fusion merely scoffed at it and laughed in amusement. He raised his arms again and all motion ceased. Jets dropped out of the sky and crash-landed. Every single person on the battlefield dropped to the ground in pain. Their bodies were surrounded by blue auras representing their life energy. It was slowly being drained and absorbed by Fusion Him. Nobody could move due to the internal pain it caused them. Even Cerberus fell over to his size. They were at the mercy of the Fusion now. Outside, Grim was doing his best to minimize the effects, but it difficult for him to focus it on everyone there. His power barely had any effect. Nano Blossom was already tired out to spread her power and had to retreat inside Kyle's Nanocom.
"I can't move!" Numbuh 5 exclaimed. "Ben, what about you?"
"It's too much." he replied as he reverted back to his human form. "I can probably fly some people out if I transform, but I don't know how long the Ultimatrix can take this or if I can even make it out . . ."
"Is this the end?" Numbuh 2 asked worriedly.
Kyle looked around him. His friends were dying right before his eyes again and he couldn't stop it. He clenched his fists in frustration.
"You know what you must do." Riyos stated.
"But what about Him finding out?" Kyle asked.
"I thought your friends meant more to you than that? Besides, I do not particularly care about this secret anymore. As for the situation, I can easily dispel this and not be affected."
". . . Alright." he said as he grabbed the hilt of his sword. "Just do it as fast as possible . . ."
"Plenty of time."
Instantly, Kyle's shadow, as if it were alive, rose from the ground and completely enveloped him. He was basically a pitch-black figure like Father now though without facial features. The shadow layer slowly disappeared as if it was evaporating to reveal Kyle again although his appearance had changed. His hair had turned black like how he previously dyed it and his irises were now glowing with a bright blood red. Everyone close enough to see the event was utterly speechless.
Kyle calmly stood up and dashed forward. His speed was astonishing. He was standing in front of the Boneyard's entrance before anyone knew it. Kyle began leaping onto the floating land masses with extreme jumping capabilities. Fusion Him hadn't even noticed the boy since he was moving far too quickly for him to notice. Kyle stood in front of the Fusion's belly and leaped forward, taking one huge slash at his chest and cut off his belt holding the book. Fusion Him stumbled back, clutching his deep and bleeding wound in pain and inadvertently ceased the life draining spell he had cast.
"Augh! How can you still move!" he exclaimed.
Kyle quickly grabbed the book which shrunk to regular size when he touched it. He landed perfectly on the water's surface and didn't even submerge. It was like he was standing on solid ground. He began flipping through the book's pages, looking for the spell that made Fusion Him grow to his current size. The Fusion attempted to stop the boy by trying to stomp his heeled boots on him, but Kyle effortlessly moved aside from every strike.
The book had pictures depicting each of its spells' effects which made things somewhat easier. The trouble was the strange alphabet and language. Not even Riyos recognized it. He was sure he found the correct page, but he had no idea what to do from there. Fusion Him was getting relentless. He had memorized some spells and was already spawning more Bloodsucker clones to steal back the book.
There was no other choice. Kyle closed the book and tossed it in the air. With precision, he sliced it right down the center. The slices pieces remained frozen in midair as well as the spawned Bloodsuckers. A small ball of light appeared between the book pieces and rapidly began to grow. It soon engulfed the entire cemetery. Grim stood outside in awe. It was like a giant dome had been placed over the area.
"D-Did dat boy actually destroy dat 'ting!"
The ball shrank as quickly as it did grow. The monster clones had vanished and Fusion Him was standing the lake's shore, now powerless. Kyle was still in his transformed stated as he watched the floating book crumble into dust. He looked toward Fusion Him who was nervously backing away in fear. Kyle showed no mercy as he walked towards the Fusion and stabbed him in his wounded chest.
"And that's for pissing me off."