Galactic Shift Extend

by Seanzilla1988

A familiar Beastkin goes through a familiar abandoned Cauldron. However, she doesn't end up in another timeline, but Bellwood, home to a teen with a watch he wears on his arm that can change his shape to save the world from harm.

62. Tales from Avalon

SZ: Well...we've certainly got plenty of reviews for the last chapter of GSE...so close to 750!

GT: Z0, we hide from. *camera zooms out to show them in a bunker* His sword for the chapter, we fear. Like Yoda, I talk.

Z0: *my odachi pieces the top of the bunker as I whistle a tune*

GT: Nothing, we own. The story, begin. My pants, I have soiled.

SZ: And we hit 750 Re-OH SHIT!

---

"How can you be sure it's even real, grandpa? I always thought it was just a story," a female voice spoke as a pair of figures walked through a narrow hall.

"If you read between the lines, Robert Louis Stevenson's clues were unmistakable, and lead right to…." the taller figure began before noticing something, prompting them to run ahead with the shorter figure following behind.

As they came to a stop near a dust covered wall, the taller figure moved some of the dust away just as some light was shone on the wall, revealing the tall figure to be a man of native-american descent in his early sixties, his long silver-white hair done up into a large ponytail at the back. He examined the wall for a moment before noticing a symbol of a shield with the infinity symbol on it.

"Here it is…" he whispered as he pressed inside the shield symbol, causing it to be pushed in as the wall began to open up, "Stay behind me, Kai."

A girl of native-american descent with her black-hair done into a ponytail nodded, holding onto a lantern as the two cautiously walked in, looking around to see they were in a lab of sorts," Woah...this can't actually be…"

"Dr. Jekyll's secret laboratory and…" the man began before spotting a row of small vials with a purple substance inside.

"His legendary formula," the girl awed.

"Which belongs to us!" Morton's voice declared, making the two tense up as they turned to see him and a few Forever Knights with him while the red knight stood to the side, "The Royal Order of the Forever Knights!"

"Sir Morton, stand down," Camellia ordered as she walked past Morton, earning a slight annoyed growl from him, "Wes and Kai Green, we thank you in recovering Dr. Jekyll's legendary formula for us. It is thanks to him that we were able to fight back the alien menace plaguing our world."

"Wait...Dr. Jekyll was one of you?" the girl/Kai asked in suspicion.

"He needed a safe haven after his little runabout as Mr. Hyde," Camellia explained, "The order of the past provided aid for him...and in turn he provided us with the formula, crafted with the blood of the alien demons...so Mr. Green..." she paused as she looked over at Wes, "Hand over the formula please."

"..." Wes said nothing as he looked at the vials for a moment...before he quickly knocked away some other containers on the table at the Knights.

A Red blur cut the containers' path off and cut them to shreds. The Red Knight stood up as his visor flashed.

"...Kai, run!" Wes shouted as he smashed the vials against the table, shattering them just as the Red Knight tackled him over.

"Right!" Kai nodded as she began to run out, only to grunt when Morton grabbed her arm.

"Sorry love, but you're…" he began before Kai threw the lanturn in his face, "Gah! Bugger!"

"Ngh…!" Kai grunted as she began to free her arm, slipping it right out of the sleeve of her jacket before she slipped out of it and began to run off.

"You little…!" Morton began.

"Let her go, Sir Morton," Camellia ordered, "We have who we came for…"

"...grr…" Morton growled as he stood back.

"Lady Camellia, most the vials have been destroyed," one of the Elite Knights spoke, standing near the table with the second night as he held up one vial of Jekyll's formula, "This was all we could recover."

"It's fine. Professor Clover can reproduce it," Camellia stated before walking up to the red knight, who lifted up Wes while holding his arms back, "As for you...we need your assistance in acquiring something...the fabled Sword in the Stone, Excalibur."

"What?"

"You of course must need incentive?" Camellia smiled, "Fine then….assist us, or…" she began as she pointed at the Red Knight, "He will hunt your granddaughter down for the rest of her life."

"...Tch…" Wes clicked his tongue a bit as he hung his head, "Very well…"

"Good. We will make sure nothing bad happens to you in the meantime," Camellia assured, completely unaware of Kai listening in on their conversation from behind a nearby pillar.

---

"You know...after getting so many means to teleport around, taking a regular flight around the world feels kinda slow." Ben muttered.

"Agreed," Makoto muttered.

"We couldn't risk my dad's new invention with a Groundbridge," Sari explained.

"Ah we know," Makoto replied, "But still, compared to taking five steps and poof, this is slow. I mean I've actually taken two whole naps already."

"Both times on Ben's lap," Skurd pointed out.

"Damn right," Makoto smirked a bit, "So Sari...what's this new invention your pops made called."

"..."

"...oh it's something embarrassing isn't it?"

"Makoto, don't…" Tsubaki sighed.

"What? I'm curious," Makoto argued.

"...ugh fine. It's called the Ace Robotics Sleuthing Expert," Sari sighed, "It's supposed to help the Scotland Yard in England from what dad told me."

"...wait….A.R.S.E…." Ben listed off.

"But that spells…" Mai began before she started to laugh.

"ARSE!" Makoto, Ben and Mai laughed.

"Mmm~" Sari groaned as she blushed in embarrassment, "Now you see why I didn't wanna bring it up?"

"That's enough you three," Tsubaki spoke up as she tapped her fan to the side of the Proto-Truk, making the three tense up and stop, "Honestly...I'd expect better from you Mai."

'I can't help I was born male…' Mai thought.

"And we're delivering this why?" Makoto asked.

"Dad caught a bad flu and he asked me to present it in his place," Sari reminded as Robotboy looked at the large crate beside him.

"I know you guys are close, but doesn't your dad have like interns and assistants who could do this?" Makoto muttered.

"...None of them could stop laughing long enough to read the prompt…" Sari sighed.

"Okay that's fair…" Makoto nodded in understanding.

"May as well enjoy the sights while…" Ben began before his phone went off, "Hmm?" he blinked before pulling his phone out and answered, "Hello?"

=Hello, Ben…=

"...Kai…."

"Hm?" Skurd pondered.

=Ben, listen...I know the last time we've seen each other, things ended up a….sour note…= Kai began.

"You claimed I'd be better if I was a werewolf," Ben argued with a frown.

"Excuse me? Wh…" Makoto began to ask.

=My point is...I need your help. My grandfather's been captured by the Forever Knights= Kai explained with a sigh =They're looking for Excalibur=

"?!" Tsubaki tensed up at that, 'Excalibur...it's real?!'

"Well...I'm still awkward about this...but I can't leave your Gramps with those freaks. Funny thing is we're already on our way to London...our flight should land in…"

"About an hour." Sari spoke up.

"So we'll unload this thing we're bringing, delegate the boring stuff we don't wanna do, and come over and help you fight the Dorks of the Square Table."

=Thank you...and please hurry. There was something...unsettling about that red-haired woman with them= Kai stated as she hung up.

'...and Camellia's there….damn it,' Tsubaki thought.

"Ben…" Makoto began as she gave Ben a slight frown, "Who's Kai...and why do you have her number?"

"Be honest, my boy," Skurd noted, "I fear for my life if you are not."

"A: It's her Grandpa's number. He's an old friend of my Grandpa, and a retired Plumber who moonlights as a cooler Indiana Jones." Ben began, "B: This...is an old story, but she's my first crush from when I was 10." he sighed, "It was an adventure from the first time I learned I could scan aliens to get new forms. But it was stuck in a sort of...in between scan and transform state, so my transformation instead of being instant, took hours to finish. The whole time I was essentially Wolf-boy. And C: After the adventure, 10 year old me tried to...actually talk to Kai, but she just told me...she liked me better when I was a werewolf...cause she could have treated me like a pet." he sighed, more ashamed that this was the story of his first crush.

"..." Makoto began to scowl as her ears flattened.

"You're not doing anything petty to her, Makoto. We were kids." Ben sighed, knowing that look in her eyes, "Look...I'm over it, it was a stupid crush, and I'd rather just not talk about it since after she told me that, Gwen told her off and we haven't talked since. I mean I talk to her Grandpa sometimes, he needs a brute to break down walls to ancient tombs."

"..."

"...you're still mad, aren't you?"

"Yes...but not at you," Makoto assured, "And I promise not to do anything petty to her...but I can still think of things…"

"Just try and keep it in control, Makoto," Tsubaki sighed.

"No promises…"

"...still, the Forever Knights are looking for the fabled Sword in the Stone," Tsubaki whispered, "The legendary Excalibur, sword of King Arthur of Camelot."

"I thought it was Caliburn that was in the Stone and the Lady of the Lake had Excalibur," Sari noted.

"There are many different stories revolving around the sacred sword," Tsubaki explained, "But people see them as just that….stories, thinking that the legends of King Arthur, Camelot, and even Excalibur aren't real."

"What Ex-cal-i-bur?" Robotboy asked.

"Magic sword that if you can pull out of the rock makes you king of england. And in popular media can shoot lasers." Ben explained.

"If you wanna be blunt like that, then yes," Tsubaki bitterly deadpanned.

"Uh oh...methinks you hit a nerve, my boy," Skurd whispered to Ben.

"I saved myself from listening to a lecture for the last hour of this flight." Ben argued.

"Ahem. Still...we have a mission to complete," Tsubaki spoke with a serious look, "We cannot let the Forever Knights steal Excalibur...we can't let them taint King Arthur's legacy."

"Who is that, Tsu-ba-ki?"

"And you failed, my boy, " Skurd deadpanned.

"Hoo boy..." Mai sighed as Tsubaki began to fully explain the legends and tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

"We're gonna be here a while," Sari muttered.

---

"Freedom!" Ben shouted, jumping out as soon as it was safe for them to exit the Proto-Truk.

"Oh sweet merciful god thank you!" Makoto declared as she hopped out as well, "I could not take another hour of history lessons!"

"It wasn't that bad," Tsubaki argued as she moved out of the Proto-Truk, holding Robotboy in her arms.

"You went on another explanation about other people that wielded Excalibur!" Makoto and Ben snapped.

"It's important to know these things. People often forget that aside from Arthur, Excalibur was wielded by Sigurd, Beowulf, a-"

"Abupbupbup!" Makoto exclaimed as she rushed over and covered Tsubaki's mouth with her hand, "Not...another...word if it involves history."

"Seems he liked it," Mai giggled, watching Robotboy pretend a stick was a sword.

"Least someone did," Sari muttered as she hopped out of the Proto-Truk, carrying the crate, "But at least we're finally here."

"Alright, so what should we do first? Drop off the gizmo, then kick knight butt, or procrastinate and kick knight butt first?" Ben asked.

"I'm game for option 2." Makoto smiled.

"Honestly I would love to procrastinate, but I gotta get this to the police station for its presentation," Sari sighed.

"...got it," Ben spoke with a snap of his fingers, "We drop off the package, do a quick explanation of what it does, then we get lazy and tour London before we help Kai later."

"That sounds like an idea that could go wrong very fast," Skurd deadpanned.

"No problem. Where are we heading?" Ben asked as he turned on the Omnitrix.

"Scotland Yard," Sari replied.

"Should be easy enough," Ben grinned as he found the alien he was looking for, pressing down on the symbol as he was engulfed in green light, changing into one of the turtle/beetle-like aliens from back over at the other Undertown, "Portaler!...heh. Been a long time since I did dat bit."

"So cute!" Sari squealed.

"I'm just lucky Noel ain't here…" Portaler muttered before he hopped up, going into his shell as he became a portal, "Alrighty! Next stop...Scotland Yard!"

"So useful!" Makoto cheered before hopping right in, "SHOTGUN!"

"Wh-?! Aw no fair!" Sari complained as she hopped in next, bringing the crate with her.

"I don't think you can call shotgun on a portal…" the others muttered.

"Ah don't worry! I can carry as much of ya in here!" Portaler assured, "Now hop in! Faster we get to Scotland Yard, we can…"

---

"Tired….real tired…" Ben wheezed out as he laid against the wall, looking like he went through a 20-K marathon run.

"Guess he went over the limit of how far he can go," Mai muttered.

"This...is not a big distance jumper…" Ben gasped.

"No...no it is not," Makoto shook her head as she sat down next to him, moving his head onto her tail so he could rest.

"Well it's not like Ben's forms are perfect," Tsubaki pointed out.

"Not by a long shot…" the others agreed.

"Hey...just gotta...practice with Portaler...is all," Ben grunted, moving a bit so he could sit up.

"Yes, and you'll tire yourself out everytime," Tsubaki argued.

"To that I say, you are despicable…" Ben muttered.

"Ugh…" Tsubaki facepalmed just as Sari walked out.

"Okay...turns out they really like it," Sari explained with a sigh of relief, "Also got some Robo-Watson vibes from dad's new machine."

"So now we can relax until mission time," Makoto noted.

"Sweet...if I wasn't tired out…" Ben groaned a bit.

"How do you think I feel…?" Skurd groaned, literally a small puddle of slime at the moment as he clung to the Omnitrix, "Never use that form again unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Sh...ah. Too tired to argue…" Ben sighed, "Really wish Senzu Beans were a real thing...then I'd be good to go."

"I think there's a Mr. Smoothy's near here," Tsubaki recalled from her vacation with Jin.

"Lets go!" Ben stood up perfectly.

"I need to remember that trick…" Makoto muttered.

---

"...wonder what's keeping him?" Kai whispered to herself, standing on top of a stone bridge at night as she waited on Ben.

"For Ca-me-lot!" Robotboy's voice declared.

"You really got him addicted to the whole knights thing, Tsubaki…" Ben's voice deadpanned.

"...finally. I was wondering…" Kai began as she turned to see Ben and his group approach...only to end up tensing when she saw Tsubaki, "?!"

"Hey. Sorry we…" Ben began.

"Why is she here?!" Kai exclaimed as she pointed at Tsubaki, "...oh lord...Ben, please tell me you're not working with those medieval nutjobs."

"Oh...you met Camellia…" Ben muttered in realization/remembrance.

"So it really was her after all…" Tsubaki sighed in agreement.

"Ben, I'm serious. Are you or…" Kai began

"I'm gonna stop you right there and say no," Ben cut her off, "That woman you met was a clone of the person you're accusing."

"...I got my eye on you," Kai whispered to Tsubaki with a small frown before she turned towards Ben, "Still, thank you for coming, Ben. I didn't know who else to call for help."

"It's no prob," Ben nodded a bit, "And you've gotten taller since we last saw each other."

"Well duh. We were kids back then," Kai chuckled a bit, "You've gotten tall too, ya goof."

"Thank you. You realized I was fishing for a compliment on my height." Ben chuckled, "Look, this is a lot of weirdness, but trust me. This girl…" he pointed to Tsubaki, "She's a good person, she's nothing like the crazy one that attacked you. She's literally like a sister to me, down to constantly nagging me…"

"I wouldn't have to if you stopped being lazy…" Tsubaki deadpanned.

"See...you see what I have to deal with?" Ben sighed.

"It's understandable, especially if she's your girlfriend," Kai teased.

"Ah ha...ha ha...ha ha…" Makoto dryly laughed as she got in between Ben and Kai, "That was so funny...I forgot to properly laugh."

"Hoo boy…" Mai and Sari muttered as they stepped back.

"...and who are you?" Kai blinked.

"Makoto Nanaya, Ben's girlfriend and partner in kicking bad guy butt," Makoto stated.

"..." Kai blinked at that before looking over at Ben, "And you gave me flake for thinking you'd be better as a werewolf, and yet here you are with a weresquirrel."

"Beastkin," Ben corrected before he facepalmed, "Oh god...I can just feel this tension in the air...I just...want to not talk about that. I really don't want this to build up into something stupid…"

"...fair enough," Kai muttered, "Besides, I called mostly you here for back-up a-"

"Backup?! I'm a superhero!" Ben argued, "I saved th….no no. Don't let the ego take control…" he whispered to himself, "Look, do you have any ideas where the Forever Knights took your grandfather?"

"I overheard them mention something about a castle just as they were leaving Dr. Jekyll's lab," Kai explained, "I th-"

"Woah woah woah! Dr. Jekyll? As in 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?'" Ben asked in disbelief, "Isn't that just a story?"

"Says the boy with the magic watch that turns him into aliens," Kai countered.

"Yeah...but Aliens are real...what's your point?" Ben asked back, "I mean...magic, aliens and time travel is one thing…next you're gonna tell me Beauty and the Beast really...know what? I sense I am possibly using the wrong example..."

"He can be taught!" Skurd laughed.

"We're getting off track," Tsubaki sighed as she walked up to Kai, "Ms. Green, can you finish telling us what you've learned?"

"Of course…" Kai nodded as she reached into her pocket, pulling out a slip of paper, "I think I found a lead to what 'castle' they were referring to."

"?" Tsubaki raised a brow as Kai handed her the paper, "'Howl's Castle Moving and Storage.'"

"That sounds like one of those Studio Ghibli films Noel, RB and Lambda like to watch," Sari noted.

"Because it is…" Makoto explained, "It's just all moved around, and added 'and storage'."

"Though why would they head there if they're looking for Excalibur?" Mai pondered.

"That's what I don't know," Kai stated.

"...well, I…"

"Don't use Portaler if it's going to tire you out," Tsubaki sighed.

"Oh fine...we'll sneak in the old fashion way...all sneaky ninja like…" Ben complained.

"You say this...and yet the one game you like to play in your spare time is all about stealth…" Makoto pointed out.

"Batman does not count…" Ben argued.

"He's a ninja…"

"...It's unfair when you use logic on me. You know that, right?" Ben smiled.

"Hey. someone has to call you out at times," Makoto giggled before yelping when she felt her butt being smacked, "Ahh!"

"Didn't see that coming, did ya?" Ben smirked.

"...touche, sir…" Makoto chuckled a bit.

"You're not seeing things. This is how they are together," Mai explained to Kai.

"Honestly the most stable couple I've ever seen." Tsubaki added, "But again, we're getting off track. Let's…"

"Onward to battle!" Robotboy declared, raising his stick high into the air as he flew off.

"So who's gonna explain why Robotboy is all into conquest and battle?" Ben asked.

"She did it...she suffers…" Makoto pointed to Tsubaki.

"Uh…"

"We have a friend named Noel who is basically a Mama Bear to Robotboy," Sari explained.

"And normally Tsubaki goes Mama Eagle when something happens with him," Mai added, "This time...Tsubaki's the one in trouble."

"Mmmm~" Tsubaki groaned.

---

"...mmm….no one here," Robotboy pouted, standing inside an empty warehouse with crates, and a lone table with various objects on it there.

"Ugh. Judging by that rotten Mugu Gai Pan, someone was here," Makoto muttered as she and the others walked in, the squirrel girl holding her nose in disgust when she smelt the food, "Also found RB...and he looks disappointed."

"You wanted to vanquish evil, didn't you?" Ben asked.

"Yes…" he pouted.

"It's okay buddy. Next evil hideout," he assured, patting his head.

"...Okay," Robotboy smiled.

"...There has to be a reason the Knights were in here," Tsubaki spoke up as she looked around, "Let's split up to cover more ground."

"Good idea," Ben nodded, raising his arm up for Makoto to follow him.

"New Omnitrix?" Kai pondered once she saw the Omnitrix.

"Yeah. Bunch of new Aliens to turn into," Ben answered.

"...So does that mean you can't turn into Benwolf, even if you wanted to?" she asked with a teasing grin.

"Mmm~!" Makoto growled out at that.

"Oh I can," Ben countered, "And it's not 'Benwolf' anymore. His name is Blitzwolfer."

"Really? Blitzwolfer?"

"What's wrong with Blitzwolfer?"

"Nothing...except it sounds more like you came up with it on the fly after looking at the tv."

"OH SCREW…!" Makoto began, about to pounce on Kai before Ben began to scratch behind her ear, "?! ...Mmm~"

"They named it together," Tsubaki sighed, "They do that a lot. It's one of their couple things."

"Really?"

"They've named a lot of new Alien forms Ben has gotten," Mai added.

"Hey guys…" the group turned to see Sari holding a piece of paper, kneeling down as she moved a large rug, revealing even more papers, "Check this out…"

"...That's my grandpa's handwriting," Kai noted as she walked over, taking the collected papers from Sari, "He must've written these down before they left."

"This looks like the diagram for the statues in Parliament Square," Tsubaki noted, holding her chin in thought as she looked at them, "And an old map of London...hmm...Ben, shine the Omnitrix on the papers if you please."

"...Okay," Ben shrugged as he held the Omnitrix up, Skurd turning it on for a moment as the light shone on the piles of paper Kai was holding.

"Why do that?" Robotboy asked.

"To figure out a pattern," Tsubaki explained.

"Each statue represents a different London landmark," Kai stated as they looked at the map, "The X on the map is on Oliver Cromwell's statue. Grandpa has it corresponding with the Royal Greenwich Observatory."

"But that should be impossible...the statue was built in 1899, and yet this map seems to be dated back to the 1860s," Tsubaki added.

"...That's right. Before then, there was a different statue of Cromwell in another part of the square," Kai realized, "My grandpa...he must be leading the knights to the wrong place on purpose."

"How long can that last, though…?" Ben muttered, "Their new boss is a legit genius. If he thinks something is up..." he frowned, "We can't call for backup since there's a chance he'd figure out how to listen in to our transmissions, so we'll have to settle with what we have here." he looked at Mai, Sari, and Robotboy, "You three follow the false lead and make sure Kai's grandpa is alright. The rest of us will deal with the actual lead and set up an ambush at the actual location on the off chance they actually find it."

"Got it," Mai nodded as she, Sari and Robotboy rushed out.

"Good idea, Ben," Tsubaki nodded before looking back at the map, "hmm...The old statue of Cromwell was located across the square."

"That would make the landmark it stands for...is in Highgate Cemetery," Kai added.

"Ceme-what now?" Makoto blinked upon hearing that.

"This better not end with us finding the actual Frankenstien's monster…" Ben muttered.

"Again, thank you for knowing Frankenstien is the doctor and not the monster," Skurd spoke.

"You're sure it's a cemetery?" Makoto asked.

"Ben, please," Tsubaki sighed, not wanting to deal with a scared Makoto.

"Ben please wh…" Makoto began before Ben scratched her ear, "Mmm~~~"

---

"So far...everything seems okay," Sari noted, her and Mai having their weapons out with Robotboy transformed, "You see any sign of Kai's grandpa?"

"Not yet…" Mai whispered to her, "RB?"

Robotboy shook his head, his stick replaced with a tree branch due to his larger size.

"...I don't like this," Mai frowned a bit, "It's too quiet…"

"Meaning they might be onto us," Sari added before narrowly doding a kunai aimed at her, "...yup! I was right!" she quickly turned and fired off a pair of lasers from her energy blades, causing the Red Knight to jump up from his perche to dodge.

"Don't worry! I-ahh!" Mai yelped as Morton grabbed her from behind.

"Sorry, love, but you…!" Morton began before Mai jammed the back of her head into his face, causing him to grunt as he let her go, "Gah bloody hell!" Robotboy's branch whacked him on the head, "Gah! ...Did you just whack me with a tree branch?" his response was another whack to his gut that knocked him away, "Guh! Yep, you did…"

"That...was oddly effective," Mai noted.

They then turned as the Red Knight landed in front of them. He slowly stood up straight and grabbed his swords and drew them out. He moved one leg back and took a waiting stance as his swords crossed.

"They...have really been upgrading this one…" Mai noted that its stance was legitimately strong and solid.

With that, the Red Knight charged and swung, making them all duck out of the way. It spun around and swung one sword at Mai, forcing her to block, but the sheer force behind it still sent her skidding back a bit. The Red Knight twisted around and moved to thrust at Mai only to be blocked as Robotboy swung his arm and pushed the blade aside. The two Robots jumped back before rushing one another. Robotboy used his arms to block each and every swing from the Red Knight. Sparks flew as Robotboy's armor proved stronger than the Red Knight's swords. Realizing this, the Red Knight jumped back and sheathed one sword before raising it's now free hand and flicking its wrist to produce a set of shuriken, each one glowing with yellow plazma like energy before throwing them and letting them explode on impact with Robotboy.

Robotboy walked through the smoke, his eyes glowing, showing all this caused was for him to grow annoyed and his makeshift sword burnt to a crisp. He rushed and punched at the Red Knight as it stepped and spun around his swing. The two clashed as blade was blocked by gauntlet once more. Robotboy ignited his jets and pushed the Knight back and into a wall. The two leaned in and slammed their heads against one another as if glaring at the other. The two pushed and sent the other back, Robotboy skidding back and the Knight through the wall he was pinned to. Robotboy attacked first as he morphed his left arm into a gatling gun and opened fire through the hole before moving his arm to the right as if chasing after his enemy.

Another segment of the wall exploded as the Red Knight rushed out and charged Robotboy. The Red Knight swung with his swords as Robotboy blocked both once again, only to be taken by surprise when the Red Knight swung both legs up and kicked him in the chest, sending him stumbling back.

"He's starting to adapt to Robotboy's fighting style so fast," Sari noted before it dawned on her, "...Oh I think he's an adaptoid…"

"A what?" Mai blinked twice.

"Adaptoid. They're robots that learn and adapt to things they experience," Sari explained, "They're highly experimental."

"...If that's true, then how did Forever get one?" Mai asked before tensing up as some red dots began to appear on her and Sari, prompting them to stand back to back as they stood ready.

"I wouldn't recommend it," Camellia's voice spoke as she walked out from behind a nearby statue, holding onto Wes's arm as both of his arms were locked up, "I had a feeling Ben Tennyson would send someone to go retrieve Wes Green, so I had a little surprise set up."

"...I forgot this is Tsubaki's clone we're dealing with here," Mai whispered as Sari cringed while Robotboy crashed down between them.

"I give you three a choice...either you stand down, or you criminals will face execution by laser fire," Camellia stated as more red dots appeared on the three, "Your choice...and I suggest you make it fast."

"..." the three shared looks before the girls raised their hands as Robotboy reverted to his child form and held his own up.

"Good. You're fast learners," Camellia smiled a bit.

---

"...Seriously, why did it have to be a cemetery?" Makoto whispered, holding onto Ben's arm as they, Kai and Tsubaki walked through a grassy cemetery.

"Think of it as another lesson," Tsubaki offered, "There are many famous people buried here, such as Michael Faraday, Karl Marx, Douglas Adams…"

"And they're all waiting for you~" Kai added in a spooky tone.

"Can't...breathe…" Ben groaned as Makoto held on tighter, now holding onto his torso.

"Enough," Tsubaki spoke with a sigh, "Kai, do you have the notes your grandfather left?"

"I do," Kai nodded, reaching into one of her pockets to pull one out, "The next clue should be here…'The secret lies twixt Hall and Wall.'"

"...h-hate to break it to ya, but there's no halls or walls here," Makoto nervously spoke up.

"No Makoto. They're names since the 'H' and 'W' are capitalized," Tsubaki stated before holding her chin in thought, "Hmm…'twixt between Hall and Wall…' " she whispered as she looked around, stopping upon seeing two tombstones standing between an unmarked grave, "'Bartleby Hall and Eunice Wall...' This has to be the spot."

"Oh thank kami above…" Makoto sighed.

"We're still not out of the danger," Tsubaki reminded.

"Just give me some solstice or something, okay?!" Makoto argued.

"I...ugh fine. Let's grab the next clue here, then we can l-" Tsubaki began before a blur shot by her.

"It's open!" Makoto shouted, holding the lid to the coffin above her head with one hand while the other sported a strange pair of devices, "No sword in sight. Just these two weird things."

"Wow...she...is strong…" Kai noted.

"She's actually strong enough to throw stuff out into space." Ben smiled, "Also she is a little petty and loves to get people back. So I hope your little jokes were worth it." he taunted tapping her shoulder.

"Oh I have so much planned for you, missy," Makoto deviously grinned at Kai before the sounds of metal hitting stone went off, prompting her to look at the lid to see some daggers embedded into it, "...ahh nertz."

"Wh-?!" Tsubaki began before she quickly turned, using her shield to block Camellia's blade, "...you."

"Thank you for retrieving those for us," Camellia stated as she and Tsubaki clashed blades, "Now hand them over!"

"No! You will not obtain Excalibur!" Tsubaki argued as she used her shield to push Camellia back.

"There really are two of her…" Kai whispered with wide eyes, watching Tsubaki fighting Camellia, "...I owe her an apology…"

"Yeah you do," Makoto and Ben stated.

"Also she's a really good strategist and fighter," Ben added as he turned on his Omnitrix, "And with her here, it means she has backup."

"Ninja!" Makoto pointed at the Red Knight from his perch in the trees, "I know how Ninja's work! You won't get away with the no one looks up trick!"

"Apparently you never bothered to look behind ya!" Morton roared as he charged at them from behind, raising up an energy broadsword as he prepared to cut them down.

"Think fast!" Makoto shouted as she threw the lid right into Morton's face, causing him to grunt out in pain as he lost his footing and fell over.

"D'oh...why's it always my face today?!"

"Don't know…" a voice spoke as Morton looked up at Shocksquatch, "Maybe could be the fact you got a big old open hole in the helmet, eh?" he bashed his right fist into his left hand as sparks flew off his fur.

"Flaw in design! Armor is meant to cover all via multiple sections! Look at that chest plate...it's all wrong! Chest plates aren't that big! Fool!" Skurd added as he covered Shocksquatch's arms and reformed them into Heatblast arms, as fire and electricity coated their fists.

"I sure hope that stuff is insulated...cause I'm pretty sure this is a trick in D&D," Shocksquatch added as he put both hands to Morton's chest plate and began zapping and heating it up at the same time, the resulting energies blasting him away as smoke began escaping the gaps in the armor.

"And he's outta here!" Makoto laughed before jumping back from the Red Knight's slash, "Hey watch the tail buddy!"

"That's new," Kai noted.

"Oh believe me dear, I am full of surprises!" Skurd laughed.

"You wanna be useful? Here," Makoto spoke, using her tail to toss the two devices at Kai, "Make sure the bad guys don't get those...whatever they are!" she shouted, bringing her Proto-Gauntlets out as she caught the Red Knight's blades.

"Got it!" Kai nodded, catching the devices as she quickly ran...only to stop for a moment to realize what Makoto said, "...hey!"

"Not so funny when it's on the other…" Makoto began before doing a roundhouse kick on the Red Knight, sending him crashing into a stone wall, "Foot, is it?!"

"We can handle this, you wanted backup didn't you?" Shocksquatch sighed, "Sides this is what we're good at,"

"We get into fights for our lives just by going to the grocery store!" Skurd laughed before sighing, "I'm not joking that happens a lot…"

"It really does!" Makoto added before blocking some daggers thrown at her, "What're you standing there for?! Go!"

"Ah! R-right!" Kai nodded as she resumed running off, bouncing off Morton's head just as he was about to get up.

"What you're doing is a grave sin," Camellia scowled at Tsubaki, dodging an arrow fired from Tsubaki's Variable Proto-Tool in its Bow formation, "You will not deny the Forever Knights of their birthright!"

"Excalibur does not belong to people like you!" Tsubaki shouted, configuring her Proto-Tool into the sword and shield formation as she blocked Camellia's incoming slash, "I will not allow you to tarnish King Arthur's legacy."

"Tarnish?! We are trying to bring back the age of man to the world! Bring back Justice to this flawed world!" Camellia snapped as she pushed Tsubaki back., "Not that a failure like you wouldn't know!"

"You're right...I wouldn't know," Tsubaki admitted, earning a grin from Camellia before she gasped out, "Because I know the difference between what's right and following a cult of xenophobes!" she shouted, her weapon converted into a large hammer as she sent Camellia flying into the nearby hill.

"Wow...what's with girls these days…" Morton muttered, only to blink as Shocksquatch tapped his shoulder, prompting him to turn before punching him back...only to end up being punched in the face, "Gah! Grr...you little…!"

*BAM!*

"BLOODY HELL! Will y-"

*BAM!*

"OOF! Stop it! Stop it you little…!"

*BAM!*

"PISS!" Morton snapped as he staggered back, the front of his helmet dented up.

"Guess someone forgot how to dodge!" Makoto laughed, ducking under the Red Knight's lunge before delivering an electrified uppercut to his chin, "Jupiter…!" she added in another uppercut, sending the Red Knight further up, "Rising…!" She leapt up and rammed her fist into his face, the Beastkin quickly contorting her body as she swung him around before sending him crashing into the ground, "Thunder!"

"What is even my life anymore…" Morton groaned, he then yelped as he was zapped and heated up again, sending him flying off as his armor more or less falling off from the internal damage, his large form all that was left to fall right into a pre-prepared grave slot.

"I give ten points for that sheer coincidence alone." Skurd muttered.

"Eh. I give it a six, eh," Shocksquatch shrugged.

"Gh…" Camellia grunted as she forced herself up, spitting out some saliva that was in her mouth as she glared at the group.

"Stand down Camellia…" Tsubaki ordered as she stood ready, "We have you surrounded."

"...heh….do you?" Camellia smirked a bit, making the group blink before she pointed to the top of the hill...showing Wes, Mai, Sari and Robotbot locked up together.

"!?"

"GH….let go…!" Kai grunted as she was dragged over by the pair of Elite Knights.

"Your strategy was good, but I had my own plan," Camellia stated as she stood straight, dismissing the Izayoi as she crossed her arms, "I'll give you a choice. If you value their lives, stand down. We have the Oculata...but do not think we'll let you follow us. Not without…" she paused as one of the Elite Knights aimed their blade at Wes' neck, "Casualties of course."

"...grr…." Tsubaki frowned as she raised her hands up, dropping her weapon as she did, "Ben….Makoto, stand down."

"I hate when this happens…" Makoto sighed, raising her hands to show she gave in.

"We give." Shockaswquatch agreed as Skurd made an extra set of arms to raise up with him.

"We raise the white flag...which...we don't have...Ben, gives us your underpants…" Skurd whispered.

"I'm wearing boxers…" he argued.

"It's a gesture, you must do it when surrendering!" Skurd argued as they both reverted to normal.

"Oh brother," Makoto rolled her eyes as the Red Knight got behind them and began to bind their arms.

"...there's something I don't get though," Ben spoke up, looking at Camellia as the Red Knight forced him, Makoto, and Tsubaki over the others, "Why does Forever want Excalibur? I mean...it's clear the guy is unfitting to even wield it."

"Yes...my lord has done many questionable things in the past, sadly making him unqualified to pull Excalibur from its resting place," Camellia stated, "But...not for someone like me."

"...He wants her to pull Excalibur from the stone," Tsubaki realized.

"Yes. Someone who values justice and fights for their kingdom...it was why my lord has brought me into this world, so that I may wield Excalibur in his place," Camellia explained as a small dark smile formed on her lips, "With his guidance and Excalibur, I will lead the Forever Knights in regaining what they lost. To help restore our rightful dominion over the world. No alien will set a foot or tentacle on Earth...and all super powered beings, including their traitorous allies and family will face execution...a true world of justice, where evil will always be punished...a true Camelot."

"Wait...is that why he made you?" Makoto blinked, "He cloned Tsubaki just to have someone who could actually claim the stupid sword for him?!"

"Watch your tongue, Beastkin," Camellia scowled, her blade back out as she pressed it against Makoto's cheek, "Less I execute you here and now."

"Whoa now!" Ben spoke up, "Okay, we get it, this thing is important, but...is it even really magic? I mean...what if it's just a really nicely made sword?"

"Your mistake is assuming the sword was hidden away with Arthur," Camellia smiled, pulling her sword back, "It has been wielded many times by others."

"What?" Tsubaki blinked.

"Records of the Forever Knights show the sword has users after Arthur, but...strangely not all of them English warriors…"

"...you mean like Sigurd and Beowulf?" Tsubaki asked, earning a glare from Camellia, "I've read the tales of Excalibur as well…"

"Cute...you're well versed," Camellia noted, "But yes...Excalibur has been wielded by many after King Arthur, and has rested within the Vault of Britannia since it was last used to defeat Napoleon a-"

"Oh god not another history lesson!" Makoto groaned.

"Wait...it was used as recently as Napoleon's conquest of Europe?" Tsubaki asked, ignoring Makoto.

"Recently?! That was like 200 years ago!" Ben argued.

"Some people would believe it was a theory...others say it's a story people within the government and England do not want the public to know," Camellia continued as she began to walk off, "Now come...we shall not have history waiting on us."

"Kai, are you okay?" Wes asked as the group was forced to move by the Knights.

"I am...just didn't expect the surprise ambush just as I was leaving the cemetery," Kai sighed.

"It's fine...she ambushed us too," Mai sighed.

"For Knights...you are really good at this sneaky ninja stuff!" Makoto complained.

As the Knights began dragging them away, all of them complied despite Makoto's constant complaints in an attempt to find an opening to escape, neither faction noticed a figure watching them from a distance. They were somehow balancing on the top of a gravestone shaped like a cross. They were clad in a large violet cloak that hid everything from sight. Their large hood was drawn down to hide their face and obscure any notable detail. They stared at the scene, focusing mostly on our heroes. A faint purple glow like eyes blinked and moved to focus mostly on Tsubaki. The figure raised their hand as a crystal ball of amethyst floated out, and began to follow them for the figure.

---

"...so...anyone gonna question why we're at one of the towers at Westminster Palace?" Sari spoke as the two groups stood on the balcony of a tower overlooking a river.

"The Oculata are creations of the Forever Knights," Camellia explained, not once turning to look at her, "When placed atop the two towers of the Westminster on the night of a full moon, they will reveal the location of the Vault of Britannia. Sir Morton, take Wes and the other hostages to Victoria Tower. The Red Knight and I will keep a close eye on Ben Tennyson and his little group to Elizabeth Tower."

"Grr...gettin' real tired of her tellin' me orders…" Morton growled as he began to stomp off, unaware of Robotboy about to transform.

"Not yet, Robotboy," Sari whispered to Robotboy, making him stop to look up at her.

Robotboy stared at her for a moment before nodding, lowering his arms as he, Mai, Sari and Wes were escorted by the two Elite Knights and Morton.

"...so...where is Elizabeth Tower?" Ben questioned.

"Really Ben?" Kai deadpanned.

"What? History's not my biggest strong suit at times."

"Honestly…" Tsubaki sighed, "Have you heard of Big Ben?"

"Duh. It's that giant clock in London."

"Yes and no. Big Ben refers to the 16 ton great bell inside of the clock," Tsubaki explained, "There is a theory on the origin of its name, thinking that it was based on Sir Benjamin Hall, a Welsh Civil Engineer and Politician of the 1800s, or the Heavyweight boxing champion of the 19th century, Benjamin Caunt."

"Bwah…" Ben and Makoto muttered, looking dizzy before shaking it off, "Got it! The internet is wrong."

"Honestly…" Skurd shook his head.

"That…" Kai began.

"Enough!" Camellia ordered, "I have a legendary sword I must claim for my king, so less banter out of you lot."

Kai said nothing as the group was escorted away to the other tower, the ravenette looking down at her phone to see a clock ticking down.

"...okay seriously though, I gotta get this out," Ben spoke as a grin grew on his face, "Ben 10 on Big Ben...how awesome is that?"

"I refuse to even comment on how bad this bodes…" Skurd muttered.

"I thought it was clever wordplay," Makoto muttered before grunted when the Red Knight pushed her, "Okay okay! I'm going! Yeesh...pushy~"

"...you have something planned, don't you?" Tsubaki whispered to Kai, keeping her voice low enough so Camellia or the Red Knight wouldn't hear them.

"Big Ben is set to ring in a few minutes. Once it goes off, we use the distraction to go for Excalibur," Kai quietly answered.

"Good plan, but I need to warn Makoto...her ears are exceptionally sensitive." Tsubaki whispered.

"Psst…" they turned to see Skurd on Tsubaki's shoulder, "I do believe I can deal with that...leave the prep work to me, Commander."

"You are a lifesaver…" Tsubaki smiled.

"Try telling my host that…" Skurd muttered, slinking back to Ben

"I felt like I was just insulted just now," Ben whispered to himself.

---

"The moon will be in the right spot any second…" Camellia spoke, looking up at the night sky as the full moon was starting to come out from behind the clouds, "Green, have you finished setting up the Oculata?"

"Just about," Kai answered as she put one of the Oculata on the metal railing while adjusting the lens.

"Good…" Camellia nodded, pulling out a telescope to look at the other tower in the distance, seeing Morton raising a hand as Wes was finishing setting the other Oculata, "Perfect...it won't be long now...soon true justice will return to the world."

"Really getting sick and tired of her obsession with justice," Makoto muttered from nearby.

"It's my voice and I'm getting sick of hearing it." Tsubaki admitted.

"There there, I still love your voice cause it's yours." Makoto smiled, patting Tsubaki's back with her tail, "Still...what are we gonna do about miss nutso and the Xenophobe Knights?"

"Don't worry…" Tsubaki assured, lowering her voice as she whispered to Makoto, "Kai and I have a plan."

"She has a plan?" Makoto blinked.

"You know I'm right here, right?" Kai deadpanned from nearby.

"Oh gee...I'm sorry if I'm acting passive aggressive to the girl who said my boyfriend would be better if he were a werewolf so he can be a pet," Makoto sarcastically stated.

"I mean...okay yes I said that, but why are you so focused on that anyway? We were kids…"

"Mmm-mmm…" Ben shook his head repeatedly from Makoto's right.

"...nevermind. Let's just drop it and move on."

"...d'oh, fine," Makoto pouted as she crossed her arms, "...Seriously though, there's a plan?" she whispered to Tsubaki.

"Yes. In about ten seconds, Big Ben will ring and cause a distraction," Tsubaki quietly answered, "When that happens, You and Ben will fly down there and get to the sword first."

"Wait...Big Ben's gonna ring...with us so close to it?" Makoto quietly asked, her ears starting to droop as she began to grow pale, "Ah nuts...my poor ears."

"Stop twitching…" Skurd complained appearing on her head, "I'm trying to fashion earplugs made of Echo Echo just for you...and your twitching makes this difficult…"

"Oh! Sorry," Makoto whispered as her ears perked back up, standing completely still just as Camellia looked over at her, "...what? I'm not allowed to stand here?"

"...mmm…" Camellia frowned before a green light caught her attention, prompting her to look at the Oculamas as it reflected the moon's light into the river down below, another similar light shining down from the tower across from them. A rumbling began to go off as a stone archway began to rise up from the river, water dripping off it while algae covered the upper part of it, "There it is….the doorway to the Vault of Britannia."

"Six...five...four...three….two...one…" Kai quietly began to countdown, looking at her phone as the timer hit zero.

*BONG! BONG! BONG!*

"?! GYAAAGH!" Camellia cried out in pain, holding her hands over her ears as the Red Knight began to contort and glitch out, "Th...the bell…!"

"Ben now!" Tsubaki shouted.

"Got it! Going Jetray!" Ben shouted as he quickly turned the Omnitrix on, pressing down on the symbol as he transformed….into Blitzwolfer, "What the?! Seriously Omnitrix?! Now of a-AHH!" he yelped in pain as he covered his own ears, "MY EARS~!"

"Oh come on! I just made one pair!" Skurd complained, returning to his place on the Omnitrix, "Idiot…" he tapped the dial as another flash went off and he was replaced with the alien he actually wanted.

"Ah...that hurt…" Jetray groaned.

"No time to cry! Fly buffon! Fly!" Skurd spoke, making a set of FourArms arms and grabbed Makoto, Tsubaki, and Kai, "Everyone else is on their own! Maximum occupancy reached!"

"Wh-?!" Camellia began just as Jetray took off, "NO! Red Knight, stop them!"

As the bell stopped ringing, the Red Knight quickly regained his composure before tossing out some daggers at Jetray, only for a fire energy fist to collide with them as they melted.

"Nyagh~! Nice try, Robo-Ninja-Knight!" Makoto taunted, sticking her tongue out while pulling down one of her eyelids at the Red Knight.

"What the bloody hell's going on over there?!" Morton demanded as he turned...and saw no sight of the other hostages, "...who was guarding the prisoners?"

The Elite Knights said nothing...just stood there. Morton blinked and went over as he tapped one...making him collapse over suddenly. He lifted his visor as he had a look of concern, until he saw his chest rise with a few breaths. They were asleep.

"The hell?" he blinked unaware of the cloaked figure standing behind him. He turned around suddenly only to find nothing, "Oh don't tell me this bloody place is haunted..."

"What happened?" Camellia demanded.

"I don't know!" Morton complained, "They fell asleep!"

"Fell asleep?! What kind of excuse is that?!"

"It's true!"

"I...ugh! Gods you're useless!" Camellia snapped before looking nearby, seeing Robotboy carrying Mai with Sari and Wes holding onto his arms.

"I just had to forget my hoverpack at home," Sari muttered, "...seriously though, is anyone gonna question why those knights suddenly fell asleep on us?"

"I rather not." Mai spoke, "Just call it our random luck...and get on with this weird adventure."

"The girl makes a good point." Wes agreed just as Robotboy landed near the vault entrance just as Jetray caught up with him.

"Alright…" Jetray began as Skurd let go of the girls, "Let's figure out how to get in before Dorks of the Square Table catch up."

"Good idea," Tsubaki nodded before looking at Wes, "Mr. Green, do you have any ideas on how we can get inside?"

"There should be a keyhole on the door," Wes answered as he rushed up to the stone door, dusting it off to reveal a small keyhole in the shape of a ring, "Found it..."

"And the key?" Makoto asked.

"...a ring with the Forever Knight's symbol on it," Wes frowned as he got a better look at the keyhole.

"Like this one?" Makoto asked, pulling it out of her tail, "Swiped it when I 'tripped' into one of the grunts."

"Perfect," Wes smiled as he took it, "Thank you," he then moved back over to the keyhole and inserted the ring into it, causing the stone door to swing open.

"Well this is spooky." Ben muttered.

"What's the matter? Not scared are you?" Kai teased.

"No, b-"

"Guys, I think they're starting to catch up," Sari spoke up, seeing a speedboat approaching them with Camellia and the Red Knight at the front.

"We better hurry in then," Tsubaki spoke as the group hurried inside, rushing down the flight of stairs just as the boat came to a stop.

After a bit, the group arrived in a lone room with various contraptions set up inside the walls with piping around the ceiling and edges of the room. Standing in the center...was a sword embedded in a large rock. Set in the stone as the legends told was a sword, the grip had three swirling dark patterns along it, giving the appearance of cosmic voids. It's golden crossguard had a diamond shape with a hollow center, with a matching pommel. The sword rainguard was decorated with red gems.

"...is that...Ex-Cal-ibur?" Robotboy asked once he converted to his child-like form.

"It is...the legendary sword of King Arthur," Tsubaki whispered, looking at the sword in awe and amazement.

"Hey check out the handle. It's got a space thing going on." Makoto noted.

"Voids, Makoto," Mai sighed, "Those are cosmic voids."

"Oh…"

"So who's gonna try and pull it out?" Ben asked.

"Only those who are deemed worthy of wielding Excalibur can pull it from the stone," Wes explained.

"And that means?" Ben asked.

"Someone who can lead the people and unite them," Tsubaki answered, "Someone who puts the needs of others before their own...someone who fights for what is truly right, to lead the people in dark times. A true king..."

"Not bad," Wes noted as he looked at Tsubaki, "You seem well versed on Excalibur and its legends."

"I've read plenty of books on it, King Arthur, and the Knights of the Round Table," Tsubaki answered, "But let's focus...we need to get Excalibur out of here."

"Agreed, so who's gonna pull it out of the stone?" Kai asked.

"Something tells me it's a lot more complicated than that." Ben admitted, "Cause...this is us after all."

"Why don't you try?" Makoto offered to Ben.

"I doubt that's gonna work." Ben spoke walking up and touching the sword and trying to pull it out, "Yeah no...I'm a hero...not a King. Also I'm only able to lead when things get real bad…"

"Frankly the idea of you as any kind of world leader scares me…" Skurd muttered.

"I'd try, but I doubt even my strength could pull it out," Makoto shrugged.

"Yeah..I think I'm far from qualified to be a leader," Sari muttered.

"Same," Mai added.

"Robotboy try!" Robotboy beamed as he flew over to Excalibur's hilt and began to pull...to no success, "Hng….come..on…mmm~ Sword no come out..."

"Ro we love you, but you might be too young." Ben smiled.

"Yeah, maybe when your older, then you'll be worthy." Makoto added. She then held her arm up before Kai could comment, "Do not hurt the adorable Robo child's feelings please…"

"Wasn't going to say that but fine," Kai muttered before she began to ponder, "Hmm….why not Tsubaki?"

"M-me?!" Tsubaki exclaimed, pointing to herself in surprise, "N...no. I don't think I'm worthy enough to wield Excalibur."

"Well if not you...then we're bringing the whole rock with us." Ben pointed out, "Actually that might just be easier."

"I'll do it then. Should be t-" Makoto began before a dagger was thrown between her ahoge, "...ah pistachios…"

"Don't move," Camellia ordered as she stepped into the room, the Red Knight holding his blades out with Morton and the two Elite Knights following behind, "However...thank you for leading us to Excalibur."

"You do not know what you are doing," Wes frowned as Camellia walked past him, "Excalibur is not meant for people like you...to be used for such dark deeds."

"Hmph. What you call dark deeds...I call acts of justice," Camellia argued as she stepped up to Excalibur.

"Now she sounds like Rob Lucci…" Makoto muttered to herself.

"Milady, will you be in need of.." one of the Elite Knights began, holding up one of the vials holding Dr. Jekyll's formula.

"No need…" Camellia answered, stepping onto the rock as she stopped before the blade, "I do not need a formula to claim what is rightfully the Forever Knights...what is rightfully mine."

"No! Ex-Cal-Ibur not y-" Robotboy began before Camellia grabbed him and tossed him back over to the others.

"From this day forward...I assume my rightful place in history," Camellia whispered, a smile forming on her face as she gripped Excalibur's hilt, "Not as a servant of the Forever King...nor as a servant of the Wings of Justice...no. From this day forth...I claim my right as the leader of a new world order...as the Queen of the Forever Knights! Excalibur, I hereby claim three as mine!" she declared as she began to pull on Excalibur...only for nothing to happen, "..."

"...milady?" one of the Elite Knights spoke.

"I...said...I claim thee Excalibur...as mine!" Camellia shouted as she tried again, only to get the same result, "...n...no….wh….what…" she whispered as she stepped back from Excalibur, her hands shaking as her eyes widen, "Why….why can't I pull Excalibur from the stone?! I...I more than deserve to wield it!"

"You're wrong," Tsubaki spoke, causing Camellia to turn her head towards her, "It should've been obvious after the first attempt...Excalibur refuses to be used by someone with a heart as black as yours."

"...no...no you're wrong! Excalibur is mine!" Camellia argued before looking at Ben, "You...I demand…"

"Yeah sorry...doubt it'll work for me," Ben countered with a smirk.

"Then...then Nanaya…!"

"Gives me a chance to pop you in the face," Makoto grinned as she cracked her knuckles.

"...K...Kai Green?"

"How about no?" Kai replied with a frown, "Plus you have to be the one to pull it...can't be anyone else."

"Th...then...I...I…" Camellia stammered, panting a bit as she looked at her shaking hands.

"Heh...well well…" Morton smirked as he stepped up to her, "It seems Lord Forever's favorite little pet isn't as worthy as she seems...good. Perhaps you should learn your proper place then."

"Shut up!" Camellia barked, now starting to become a bit more unhinged as she staggered off the rock, "Your wrong...you're all wrong! I...I am the Forever Knight's shining beacon of hope and justice...I am the Forever King's loyal subject! I...I am the faithful servant of the Wings of Justice! I...I…!"

Everyone took a step back in concern at this development. They knew Camellia was already dangerous, but how much worse could it get if she snapped? For Camillia...she fell to her knees as she held onto her head, her eyes dulling out as she began to heavily pant...memories upon memories filling her mind...memories of her and Jin working together within the Praetorian guard of the NOL. Taking down injustice together….and memories of Forever training her...helping her...all the praise he gave her. All of it...it began to crack and shatter into pieces as her mind began to feel hazy...crack...feeling as if a snap went off.

"...heh…..heh heh…...heh heh heh….I...I understand now…" Camellia whispered, an unsettling smile growing on her face as she began to stand up, "I know why...I was brought into this world...this world...it's filled with lies…"

"L..lies?" Robotboy repeated.

"Lies...lies….lies! Lies! LIES! LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIESLIESLIESLIESLIESLIESLIESLIES!" Camellia screamed in her hysterical laughter as she threw her head up, revealing the pure insanity in them...as if her mind mentally snapped, "This world...no...this entire universe..it's completely corrupt...tainted black in evil and injustice! Filled with liars...demons...so-called gods that would let such injustices happen!" she declared as a dark aura began to surround her while a pair of large angel wings began to form behind her, "I know….I know what I must do now...Excalibur...I don't need it...the Izayoi...it...it's the true blade that will help me...help me in freeing this universe...no….it's beyond saving...this universe…" she paused as she lowered her head a bit, her body slumping as the angel wings began to engulf her, "Needs to be purged…"

"Oh no…" Tsubaki spoke in concern at seeing this happen.

"Ro...ears off please…" Makoto muttered as Robotboy complied and covered his horns, "SHIT!"

"Couldn't have said it better myself…" Ben muttered.

"What's...happening to her?" Kai nervously asked.

"I..I heard tales of this…" Tsubaki whispered as the angel wings completely engulfed Camellia, a bit of darkness starting to mix in with them, "In the past, one of my ancestors...Ayame Yayoi wielded the Izayoi and was able to tap into its true power. Camellia...she….she's tapping into the Izayoi's true power!"

A moment of silence passed until the angel wings exploded, unleashing a flurry of white and black feathers into the room. Standing there in the center was Camellia, only...she looked far different. Her eyes were now bright red. Her armor now a purple skin tight bodysuit with a short white dress-like outfit covering her torso, two coat tails to her sides with shields floating alongside her, with long white boots going past her knees, golden armor covering her feet and framing most of her attire. In her hands was an ornate gold and red sword with a glowing red energy blade.

One of the Elite Knights began to move back...before his head suddenly flew off his body as Camellia stood behind the now headless corpse, the energy blade of her sword taking on a green color before changing back to red.

"?!" the group tensed as everyone, even the Knights took a step back.

"S...so fast…" Tsubaki whispered in disbelief, "I...I didn't even see her move…"

"Sir Morton…" Camellia spoke up, making Morton tense up in fear, "I have an order for you and the remaining knights...assist me in executing these corrupt souls, and I will not pass judgement upon you…"

Camellia however stopped suddenly as her body began slowing down. Everyone blinked in confusion. She was then suddenly...and violently tossed aside and into a wall. Morton blinked before the violet cloaked figure walked past him.

"I do believe now would be a good time for a retreat, oh good knight." the figure spoke in a woman's voice, "Well maybe Good Knight is a bit too high a praise...but I'm not one for cleverness of this childish regard. Here...just…" she held her hand out and snapped her fingers, the Forever Knights vanishing in a purple flash of light, "Much better."

"What the…" Makoto asked.

"I've been waiting for some dumb adventurers to open this place. Ah...it's such a pain teleporting into a place I've never been in." the woman sighed walking forward, "I mean...I could have, but the amount of effort would have tired me out. So I should thank you children for doing this much for me."

"...who...who are you?" Mai cautiously asked.

The woman pulled back her hood, revealing a stunningly beautiful woman with long black hair, golden eyes, and three beauty marks beneath her right eye. She smiled happily as she tilted her head to the side.

"Oh I suppose to you children you wouldn't believe me even if I told you…" she mused, "But you've heard of my name before."

"We...we have?" Makoto blinked.

"My name...is Merlin." she smiled, waiting in anticipation of their reaction.

"...wait…" Ben began.

"MERLIN'S A WOMAN?!" Ben, Makoto, Mai, Sari, and even Kai and Skurd exclaimed in shock and disbelief.

"But of course I'm a woman…" she smiled as she swung her hand and tossed her cloak off showing them her revealing attire. She was dressed in a purple jacket with a white fur lined collar, except it didn't fully close and just covered her chest while exposing all of her cleavage and torso, heart shaped buttons on the left side, coattails dangling behind her like a scarf. Short shorts that looked more like a swimsuit and thigh high boots, "Is this disappointing to you?"

"N...no, ma'am," Tsubaki was the first to speak, shaking her head to try and calm herself, "It's just….we never expected to learn that the legendary wizard Merlin...was a woman."

"Well, to be fair, I tried to not draw attention to it." she mused, "But I do owe you thanks. Excalibur has been trading hands for ages since Arthur's death. It eventually found its way to a well meaning but dim young warrior...he had the sense to seal it within that stone before these idiots called the Forever Knights could get it. Not that it would work for them, Excalibur chooses who...there is no set rule for who can and can't. It's all about its mood."

"The sword is alive?" Ben asked.

"It's magic dear boy," Merlin smiled, "I honestly wanted to see what could happen if other warriors wielded it, but I never accounted for these radicals into my calculations. I spent the last 200 or so years waiting for someone to unlock this place for me. I mean I could have myself, but then I'd have to potentially reveal myself to the modern world...and it's been so hard to justify that risk since humans forgot how to do magic some odd years ago."

'Technically my cousin and Charmcasters know how do to magic, but I kinda see her point,' Ben thought, not wanting to say anything outloud with the risk of saying something stupid.

"Ah good you see my point." Merlin smiled making Ben jump, "Also yes I know of your cousin...but...well she's not fully human is she?"

"...n-no…" Ben answered, "But...she is learning to do more magic from this book she got from…"

"Konoe Mercury, otherwise known as the Great Sage Nine," Merlin explained, making Ben and Makoto tense up, "Yes...I've met her. I suppose given what she...and I are…" she muttered, "It is accurate to say she's almost like my little sister."

"Huh?" they blinked.

"Hmm…" Merlin giggled, "Oh you kids are adorable. You think you've learned so much about the world, but you still have so far to go. Once upon a time I also helped a bunch of idiots protect this place from dangers. You remind me of them…" she focused on Ben and Makoto, "You two remind me a lot of a really dumb couple I knew…"

"...thanks?" the two blinked in confusion, not sure whether to feel complimented or insulted.

"So then, while I keep that thing frozen in time...who's going to try and win over Excalibur for me?" Merlin smiled.

"...well, we've already debated on which of us might not be able to…" Mai muttered.

"Hmm?"

"Only people that haven't tried to offer are Grandpa…" Kai began, motioning to Wes before pointing to Tsubaki, "And her."

"But...I...I don't deserve such an honor," Tsubaki argued with a sigh.

"Nonsense," Merlin spoke, pushing Tsubaki up to the sword, "If Excalibur doesn't like the idiot…" she turned to Ben, "Who...sadly reminds me a lot of Arthur...then who else but the opposite type? Excalibur must not want another Arthur type. That or it thinks he's already strong as is."

"...but...I…"

"Yeah I'm gonna have to step in and call your 'I dont' deserve to wield Excalibur' excuse BS, Tsubaki," Makoto spoke up, "Tsubaki..you're a really great leader. You've helped us pull through so many situations during battle...hell you practically helped lead the resistance against the Incurseans while me and Ben were stuck in space."

"Oh so that's what those are called." Merlin smiled, "But the sweet girl makes a point, my dear. Besides, it's not about if you're worthy, it's about if you can make that chaotic sword accept you."

"...accept me…." Tsubaki repeated in a whisper, looking back at Excalibur for a moment, "...can...can I really do this?"

"We know you can, Tsubaki," Mai spoke up with a smile.

"It sounds like it's sick of guys like me." Ben chuckled.

"I know I'm still new to the group, but I know you're more than deserving to wield it," Sari added.

"Tsu-ba-ki! Ganbate!" Robotboy added in a cheer.

Tsubaki said nothing as she took in theri words of praise, a small smile forming on her face. Taking a deep breath, she stepped up the stone before stopping before Excalibur, "...okay….here goes nothing…" she whispered to herself, mentally preparing for whatever might come as she gripped Excalibur's hilt.

The sword seemed to glow for a moment, just as Tsubaki pulled...and stumbled back a step in surprise as the sword slid right out without any issue. She stumbled another step before regaining her balance as she looked up at the rather long blade of Excalibur. Despite its length it...was oddly light.

"I guess Excalibur has chosen." Merlin noted, "How much more of its power you can draw out, well that depends on you my dear. Keep in mind that silly legend that holding this makes you king...or in your case Queen, is just something people came up with. Along with this 'in the stone' nonsense…"

"...n-noted, ma'am," Tsubaki nodded, stopping to look at Excalibur in awe as she began to come over the state of shock she was in, "I...I swear I'll use Excalibur for good...to make sure people like the Forever Knights never use it for such vile acts."

"I'm sure you will." Merlin smiled, "Now...what would you like me to do with...that?" she pointed to Camellia, "I could keep her frozen in time forever, it's a most simple task."

"Magic lady says wha?" Makoto asked.

"Well I used my magic to freeze her in the moment of her next attack. My magic never runs out, so I can literally leave her here in this frozen state for all time." Merlin explained, "I mean her little magic sword is trying to eat it's way through my magic...but...oh it never will."

Tsubaki looked over at the frozen Camellia, a slight look of guilt in her eyes. Even if this was a clone of her...of her time as a puppet under the effects of the Mind Eater Curse...she felt bad for her...because she never had a choice of what she wanted...what she could've been. But sadly...she knew she was too mentally unstable to be saved, and if she let her roam freely? Especially in her current mindset? She would pose a threat to everyone.

"...Can you….leave her in a place where she won't harm anyone...and feel a moment of peace?" she asked Merlin.

"...you're joking right?" Kai asked in disbelief, "That woman is a threat...I mean you saw…"

"I was given a second chance and made choices to better myself," Tsubaki argued, "Camellia...she was created and adapted the life I used to follow...but the difference between her and I? She...she never had a choice...a chance to better herself."

"Well, a simple task my dear." Merlin smiled, "Such a request will require some compensation though, in return for my helping her heal. I want you to let me ask for two simple things." she held up two fingers for emphasis.

"And they are?" Tsubaki asked.

"..." Merlin smiled and snapped her finger as the Izayoi appeared in her hand, "I wish to keep this, and seal it away till such a time I can...tinker with it."

"..." Makoto blinked in shock at how fast that happened, "Magic is crazy…"

"Agreed," Skurd added.

"...Of course, Lady Merlin," Tsubaki nodded as she looked down at the Izayoi, "It was originally sealed and kept safe by my family...it would be for the best to have it sealed away once again."

"A-and the other thing?" Mai asked.

"Well it seems I've gone and revealed myself to the world again. And I am oh so interested in the new wielder of Excalibur, and the heroes of this boring new era." Merlin smiled, "I believe in your modern terms...I'd like a place to stay when I'm in town."

"Wait...she's not gonna live with us, is she?" Ben asked, "Or am I overthinking it? Because...being honest here, you girls kinda outnumber me, Rook, Skurd, Max and Ro."

'Technically you forgot the roomba, but I won't say a thing,' Skurd thought.

"I'm waiting~" Merlin sang, choosing to ignore Ben.

"...hmm…" Tsubaki began to ponder at that, "...there is a house that opened up right across the street from ours...would that be acceptable, Lady Merlin?"

"It sounds just perfect." Merlin smiled, "So our bargain is struck," she snapped her fingers as both the Izayoi and Camellia vanished, "Now...about this dreary place…" she mused, "It was made by a secretive cult, and is unbelievably creepy...I think I'm gonna blow it up."

"Wait what?" the group blinked at that.

"..." Merlin raised her hand as a flash of light blinded them all.

Everyone opened their eyes now standing on the street overlooking the hideout's location. Before it began sinking...after a few moments a massive geyser of water shot up into the air via underwater explosion.

"...woah," Ben whispered in amazement.

"This world truly holds so many mysteries," Wes whispered.

"...so…." Makoto began as she clapped her hands, "Anyone for dinner to try and relax after tonight? I'm thinking fish and chips."

"I could eat…" Ben nodded, "I...I still feel like my mind is exploding…"

"I just wanna relax…" Mai sighed.

"Same…" Sari agreed, "Seriously...today started with delivering something for my dad...did not expect to be pulled into a tale of knights and wizards."

"And now Tsubaki has Excalibur~" Makoto pointed out as Robotboy looked at Tsubaki's sword in awe.

"Ah...shouldn't you put that in a sheath or something?" Ben pointed out.

"I would, but legend says Excalibur's Sheath was lost in…" Tsubaki began before an ornate white and gold sheath appeared in her hand, "?"

"You're welcome~" Merlin's voice giggled.

"...yeah. I think I'm done for the rest of the night too," Kai muttered before her stomach growled a bit, "...and can go for a bite to eat as well."

---

"OI!"

"Hmm?" Forever blinked before his helmet, both him and Relius turning to see Morton stomping up to them, "Oh...you're back...and I see you're missing Camellia."

"Yes. I was hoping to talk about that," Morton growled as he grabbed Relius, "Specifically with this nut scientist here!"

"Oh? Whatever do you mean?" Relius questioned, not even phased by the large bulky Knight.

"That bloody...thing you made," Morton answered with a scowl, "She did somethin' with that sword and shield his majesty found...right after she mentally snapped when she failed to pull Excalibur out of the stone!"

"Oh? She unlocked the Izayoi's true power?" Relius questioned with a grin, "My my...such progress."

"Yes...progress if it includes killing me!" Morton snarled, about to throw Relius before Ignis appeared, aiming her claws right at the large knight's neck.

"Forever, mind reigning in Sir Morton here?" Relius asked, "I need to ruminate this new information over."

"So...what else happened?" Forever asked walking over to him, "She's not here...I assume she snapped...so I take it things did not go to plan?"

"No, it did not! Just before she could make a move, this cloaked woman appeared and threw her around like a rag doll!" Morton snapped, "And the next thing I knew? I'm back outside the castle!"

"..." Forever reached up as his gauntlet's hand began opening up as several small little probes extended...and linked to Morton's helmet, "Let me see what you saw…" he explained as his visor flashed, "So...you don't know what happened to the Excalibur then?" he asked while reviewing the video.

"No, sir," Morton admitted, disappointment heavy in his tone on his failure.

"Regrettable…" Forever sighed, "Both in the mission and in the experiment, "But now I know where I went wrong. Morton, you are excused. You've served me well and faithfully. I'll be sure to give you a nice easy job for a while as recompense for your hardship. How does torturing prisoners sound? Safe, harmless, and the pay is better~"

"...It sounds great…" Morton grinned as he dropped Relius, "Thank you, my liege…"

"Wonderful," he smiled, moving his arm back, "Though, now I have a new project. Morton, be a dear and send in someone who served under you. They'll be taking your old job. Well...however long they last. Frankly, if you weren't the iron wall you are…"

"Hehe...the poor sod…" Morton smirked, walking off.

"And handled perfectly," Forever sighed to Relius as Ignis landed near them.

"Yes...A shame we lost the Izayoi and Camellia," Relius admitted as he dusted himself off, "I would've loved to see not just the Izayoi's true power...but the power of Excalibur as well."

"I have a feeling we won't have to worry much about the latter," Forever spoke, "Call it an eerie feeling."

"...Do tell," Relish smirked a bit in interest.

"Just an old legend...or...rather history I read about."

---

"Ben, thank you and your friends again for the help," Wes spoke, the group standing in front of the Proto-Truk as he and Ben were shaking hands.

"It's no problem," Ben smiled.

"Plus even for a moment, it was great seeing Benw….er, Blitzwolfer again," Kai admitted, "Also...I'd like to apologize."

"Hmm?"

"I know we were kids back then, but..you know the saying; Kids do and say stupid things," she sighed.

"Really, it was dumb, and I just wanna put it in the past." Ben smiled, "Hope we can be friends, this was almost kinda fun for us."

"Same," Kai smiled before looking over at Makoto, "And I know things started off kinda...well really rocky for us…"

"Oh good. You're acknowledging it," Makoto muttered.

"But hopefully next time we meet...we can try and start off on a better note," Kai finished.

"Yeah," Makoto sighed, "I hope so, too. I guess it's just...well things are tricky for people like me...where I'm from." she pointed to her ears and tail, "Your comments came off as...unintentionally...horrible...hehehe. But...hey, you didn't know, and I shouldn't have been so snippy."

"More like passive aggressive," Mai muttered, earning a subtle dope slap from Tsubaki and her paper fan.

"But point is...yeah. Hopefully next time we can start off on a better foot," Makoto smiled a bit.

"Seriously, wait until the others learn what you have," Sari noted as she looked at the sheathed sword on Tsubaki's back, "...Though at the same time, kinda fearful to see how Kajun will react."

"Anyone else get deja vu from the magic lady known as Merlin...in particular, she sounded almost like...Kajun…?" Ben asked slowly.

"You noticed it as well?" Skurd questioned before shuddering, "I fear for our lives if they think of a way to mix science and magic...and we are the proverbial guinea pigs."

"Oh come on...nope...no. Can't even finish that one…" Tsubaki shook her head, "Maybe it would be best we not tell Kajun that…" her phone went off, "...One moment." she picked it up, "Yes?"

=Um, Tsubaki?= Noel asked on the line.

"Oh, hello, Noel," Tsubaki greeted.

=Why is my phone filled with messages showing pictures of Robotboy swinging a stick around like it was a sword?=

"Well...that...it's a complicated story…" Tsubaki muttered, "In short, I told him stories of King Arthur...and he really took to them…"

=...Tsubaki…= Noel began.

"Tsubaki has...Excalibur!" Robotboy cheered loudly.

=...Tsubaki, what did you do to Robotboy?= Tsubaki didn't hide the shiver that came from Noel's now ice cold tone.

"U-Uh, um…" Tsubaki began before quickly throwing her phone into the river, "Okay, everyone in the Proto-Truk! We have a long flight home and no Groundbridging at all!"

"B-But food!" Makoto complained before a flash of light left her with an armful of takeout, "Magic…" she began looking around for Merlin.

"Okay, you have food. Now let's leave before…" Tsubaki began before a Groundbridge appeared behind her, "...Noel's behind me, isn't she?"

"Uh-huh," Ben replied.

"...Lambda as well in her armor?"

"Yep," Mai agreed.

"Target identified," Lambda spoke up, her visor glowing menacingly as she and Noel looked at Tsubaki.

"Tsubaki Yayoi," Noel growled as she had Bolverk out.

"Hi, Noel! Lamba!" Robotboy waved...before holding up a large sword, "Robotboy got sou-ven-ier from secret building!"

"..." Tsubaki remained calm...before booking it, "You'll never take me alive!"

"GET BACK HERE AND BE PUNISHED FOR YOUR SIN!" the sisters screamed as they gave chase.

"Mmm…" Ben and Makoto shrugged, already eating and choosing not to get involved.

"...What just happened?" Kai asked.

"Well, that's the latest method of transport for planetary travel that the Minicons that joined the Plumbers helped develop," Mai explained, "And those were Noel and her sister Lambda who are extremely protective of Robotboy."

"You get used to it." Ben spoke.

"You really do." Sari smiled.

"We're a colorful bunch," Makoto added.

"I have greatly missed this sort of nonsense," Merlin smiled, watching the chase go on from her seat atop the Tower of London.

"Noel, La-chan, calm down! I was just…"

"SEIBAI~!"

"KYAAAA~!"

---

Meanwhile, within the world of Galvan Prime, Kokonoe was snoozing softly in her bed….oddly, since she started working with Azmuth, she started to feel more and more relaxed..and less stressed out, meaning for once...she was able to get some good night sleeps without any form of interruptions. Plus she went to bed last night on a good note as she was making progress on a new experiment of hers, so nothing could…

=WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!=

"SNKR!" Kokonoe snorted as she shot up, her hair a complete mess as she grabbed her glasses from the nightstand, "What's going on?! Are we being invaded?!"

=INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! BREAK IN DETECTED IN STORAGE CENTER OMEGA=

"...Oh you gotta be kidding me," Kokonoe muttered as she hopped out of bed, a gate appearing before her as she stepped through, coming out the other end in her regular attire and her hair all fixed up. She then tapped on the air near her ear as a holographic construct appeared around it, "Tager, status report!"

=Something...very fast has breached the perimeter, scans show...it's human?=

"Human? Wha...how could a human get all the way out here?"

=Unk-Hey! Gah! Wait, don't...How?=

=Sorry, big guy= a voice spoke =I have a perfect break in record. Can't have that ruined now= the voice was male and very confident.

"Tager, what happened?"

=I...am just a head at the moment…=

"Wh-?! HOW!?"

=That's my secret~= the voice spoke with a chuckle in his tone.

"...Gah. God...damn it. Now I have to take care of this," Kokonoe muttered as another gate appeared, reaching into it as she pulled out a red electric scooter. She then hopped onto it as she tapped on the holographic construct for a moment, "Azmuth, someone's broken into Storage Center Omega and took out Tager. I'm going to try and intercept them."

=Storage Center Omega...impossible. The only item of note there would be...the old models of the Omnitrix…!=

"Including the Ulitmatrix created by that dumbass former student of yours," Kokonoe added with a frown.

=I'll send for reinforcements!=

"Please do," Kokonoe nodded, revving up the engine as she drove off as fast as she could. After a bit of driving and maneuvering through the large construct that was Azmuth's lab, she made her way into one of the storage houses...and saw that Tager was literally just a head, "...Tager….where's your body?"

"I honestly have no idea. It all happened in the blink of an eye," Tager replied.

"What do you mean?"

"This...man. He's not normal; he runs so fast I can barely track him. He jumped the security wall...which is tall even for humans." he motioned with his head to said wall.

"It's true," the voice spoke as Kokonoe looked up to see the owner, a man dressed in a black shirt and pants, with a tan jacket, and a baseball cap pushing his long black hair down so some strands went over his right eye. He twirled around some kind of black and cyan gun in his hand, "I pride myself on not being normal...and finding treasure."

"...And let me guess…" Kokonoe began with a frown, moving off her scooter as she looked up at the man, "The treasure in question here being one of the old model Omnitrixes here."

"Mmm...close," the man shrugged, "I want the Ultimatrix."

"...No. It was sealed away for a reason," Kokonoe stated with a frown.

"Which makes it all the more valuable," the man smirked, "I mean, in most other dimensions, Azmuth destroys it, but this one kept it for future study," he smiled, making Kokonoe blink.

"Other...Dimensions?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Of course. Do you know how long it took me to find one where he didn't burn it? The better part of a year, I'll tell you that," he chuckled, "I mean...man...was this the luckiest find ever! And I owe it all to my craving for a smoothie."

"...I feel there's more than you're letting on," Kokonoe frowned, keeping an eye on him as she began to pace around a bit, "If you're an interdimensional traveller...there has to be more than one treasure you want…"

"Heh...you catch on quick," the man grinned, "Yes, there are many treasures I want. It's my thing after all...I'm a Phantom Thief, Kaito...Daiki Kaito...that's my name. And yes, my last name is spelled as thief," he smiled, "The reason I want the Ultimatrix is simple: it's the only one of its kind. Albedo never makes a second version, not in any dimension or timeline, meaning that this one surviving version is special for that reason, there is no other like it at this point in time across the multiverse. Doesn't that make it unique? Even more so then the Biomnitrix!"

"The what?" Kokonoe repeated before shaking it off, "Nevermind...I know you want the Ultimatrix, but two things...one; it had an unstable side effect on the Aliens that were used in its 'Ultimate Feature'. Two; There's another treasure you want in this dimension...isn't there?"

"Smart…" Kaito grinned, "Yes...but to be precise...it's on Earth, specifically in a Plumbers HQ vault." he smiled, "I should also add, I don't intend to use it. What a waste of a treasure. My treasures are best left in my collection where they will be cherished. I'm not dumb enough to try using the dangerous items within it. I mean, I don't plan to open the puzzle box housing a witch's ghost."

"...Plumbers HQ Vault…" Kokonoe whispered to herself, ruminating on it before it dawned on her, "...the Anihilaarg."

"Exactly~" he winked, "This has been a fun talk, Koneko-chan, but I have work to be done." with that, he jumped off his perch and landed on the ground with no sign of discomfort, before he dashed off as a blur of inhuman speed...before he was suddenly dragged back, "Hmm?"

"Funny...you think you're smart...unlucky for you…" Kokonoe began, a red and black device hovering next to her as electricity crackled off it before she reached into another portal...and pulled out a large Mini-gun, "So am I…"

"Meow~ Aren't you a tricky kitty?" Kaito smiled as he held his hands up, as if giving up, "But...I have one more trick," he swung his hand as a card was slid into his gun, "Henshin~"

At that, a cyan flash went off as Kaito...was gone. Kokonoe blinked and looked around before flinching as she felt something standing behind her.

"I don't like resorting to violence...but I'm not helpless in a fight," the cyan armored figure spoke as he turned his helmet to look at her, "So...let's just say...you would not believe how ironic the multiverse can be." he chuckled, "I suppose I should have given you...my professional name...a pleasure to meet you, I am Diend...I'm here for your treasure."

---

SZ:...*grins widely*

GT: *tied up and armor and clothing in tatters from sword slashes* Why am I not surprised you had the lady Merlin here, Z0? *sees the wide grin on SZ* What's up, SZ?

SZ: I've been waiting for this next arc~! Also to our readers...yeah. Didn't expect that twist to the episode, did ya?!

GT: I don't think anyone did. I certainly didn't for the female Merlin appearing...Or that she's now the next door neighbor to the team...oh, poor Steel and anyone who doesn't believe in magic. You now live next door to the lady Merlin. Z0, do you have anything to say about this?

Z0: Multiverse is a Bitch…

GT: Fair enough. Which leads us to our next arc nicely.

SZ: Eeyup, so we hope you enjoyed this chapter...and prepare for the next big arc for this story~

Z0: So...who said it was safe to exit the bunker? *evil grins*

GT: ...Read and Review, Folks.