Chapter 2: All hail the King!
Disclaimer: Ben 10 and Bleach do not belong to me.
Chapter Two: Long live the King!
"OW!" Ben cried out as he was knocked onto his butt again.
"Get up, Ben," Harribel ordered, "And pick up your training sword."
The bamboo sword, called a shinai in Japan, was grasped by Ben as he stood back up.
"Ready?" Harribel asked.
"You bet," smirked Ben.
It was Tuesday after school. Since Ben didn't have much homework due to it being the second day of school, Ben was training with Harribel at Los Soledad. Harribel was teaching Ben the fine art of sword fighting. He was once told by Tōsen that the art of Shinigami sword fighting was called Zanjutsu but he didn't know if that was what Arrancar called it. They always preferred Spanish words over Japanese words. The two had decided to use Los Soledad since it was the only faraway place they could think of with plenty of space and less likely to draw attention. Ben hadn't seen any of the guys anywhere. He had called Kevin about it but the former delinquent reassured him everything was all good. As for why none of the other girls were with him? They had all gone off to find jobs of their own. Since Harribel finally got a job, it was time for them to find some too.
"I will admit," Harribel said as she easily parried a strike from Ben. "I was surprised when you asked me to train you."
"Hey, you trained me back at Hueco Mundo," Ben pointed out as he jabbed forward with his blade, only for Harribel to easily sidestep it and move forward. Ben gulped as Harribel's training sword was mere centimeters from his nose.
"If this had been a real battle," Harribel said. "You would have died." She withdrew the blade.
Ben gulped and pulled at his collar nervously. "Yeah, heh. I guess I would have."
"Ben," Harribel said sternly. "Sword fighting is not simply swinging your sword and hoping to hit something. It requires skill."
"I'm learning that the hard way," Ben said shaking his hand, which had become rather sore during his and Harribel's training.
"You put too much force into your blows," Harribel explained. "If your opponent manages to block you, it will have repercussions. Soreness, however, would be the least of your worries. If your opponent already has a counter attack planned, they would have a high chance of dealing heavy damage if not fatal."
Ben gulped nervously. "Sure thing,"
"And you're wasting too much energy," Harribel said, noticing that Ben was panting slightly. "You won't always be able to defeat your opponent instantly. If they are good, it will take time. If you waste all your energy right at the beginning you'll tire yourself out and leave yourself vulnerable to your enemy."
"Yeah," Ben said as he shook his head. "I don't get it, though. I thought Paradox said that Hogyoku thing gave me better endurance."
"You do have better endurance, Ben," Harribel told him. "But not invincibility." She stepped back into her fighting stance. "Let's go again."
Ben nodded and readied himself. This time Harribel made the offensive strike. Ben quickly raised his sword up to block Harribel's strike. But when she struck his sword, he went with it, sprawling to the ground.
Harribel shook her head. "You have relied far too much on your alien forms, Ben. Surely you have considered there might be times the Ultimatrix will not be available to you"
"Hey!" Ben said indignantly as he got back up to his feet. "I've saved the day on my own before."
"Perhaps," Harribel said. "Though I am certain your victories as a human are vastly small compared to your victories as one of your aliens."
Ben grinned sheepishly now as he scratched the back of his head. That was all Harribel needed to confirm her words.
"Have there been times when you were unable to use the Ultimatrix?" Harribel asked.
Ben looked at his feet. He remembered back when he had the Omnitrix and he could only stay in his alien forms for ten minutes. Plenty of times the device timed out on him when he was in the middle of a bad situation. However, Ben was reluctant to admit it, those times where he saved the day through luck or because Grandpa Max and Gwen helped him.
"Several," he admitted, not looking at Harribel.
But Harribel didn't really blame Ben. With the foes he often faced, one would need powers such as his just to survive.
"But now that I have these new Hogyoku powers," Ben said. "I want to see what I'm capable of."
Ben remembered the time when he encountered a version of himself from the future. That Ben could use the powers of his aliens without actually turning into them. This was called Ultimate Ben. The present Ben had been eager to find out how that worked but maybe thanks to the Hogyoku, he wouldn't need to unlock it. He was already it. Sort of.
"Besides," he added. "The weekends are coming up." He cringed. "That means Grimmjow will be coming here. And I think he's getting pretty mad at me for always ending our fights in a draw."
That was understandable. Grimmjow as one who preferred a battle to keep going until someone actually won, though in his eyes, he was the victor and no one else. Every time he and Ben clashed, Ben would always end the fight before either could gain the upper hand. And to Grimmjow, who would fight to the very death, such a thing was unacceptable to him.
"Perhaps," She consented. "But he knows better than to try anything foolish. Even if he does try, he will have to deal with all of us."
Ben shrugged. "Well, yeah. There's that." Though in his personal opinion, even that was unlikely. Grimmjow never respected authority. That much Ben had known during his time in Hueco Mundo.
Harribel assumed a fighting stance. "Come. Let us try this again."
Ben sighed as he readied himself. As he prepared to make his next move, an idea came to him. A sly grin formed on his face, causing Harribel to look at him in confusion. Ben made a move to attack again. But this time, he used his super speed that the Hogyoku had given him. Harribel had not expected Ben to do such a maneuver and just had to time to raise her sword when Ben's collided with it. The force of the blow sent her falling backwards and Ben, caught up with the momentum, fell forward with her.
"Ha!" Ben cried out triumphantly. He had totally caught Harribel off guard with that one. "Take that, Tier!" Sure he had only gotten this one blow but after being knocked down around five or so time, this was a victory in his book.
He looked down to gloat at her but any gloating tied in his throat when he realized the position he was in. Harribel was lying on the ground, looking right up at him. And he was on top of her. Face instantly reddening, Ben quickly scrambled off her and got to his feet.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He said repeatedly. "I didn't mean to!"
Harribel shook her head in a good humored way as she got back up to her feet. "I know you didn't mean to, Ben." She said. "And I am impressed. Using your speed like that truly caught me by surprise. That was quite resourceful of you."
Ben grinned smugly. "Yep. That's me. Always the resourceful one."
Just then the two heard footsteps coming towards them and looked to see who was coming.
"Oh, hey, Ulquiorra," Ben said when he saw the former Espada approaching them. "What's up?"
As usual, Ulquiorra kept that neutral look on his face as he looked at him and Harribel. "I see you've decided to train your human form in combat."
Ben shrugged. "I know how to fight in hand to hand combat. But I thought it would be cool to learn how to use a sword. Can't rely on the Ultimatrix all the time."
Ulquiorra nodded. "A wise choice. However, perhaps it would be best if I was to train you as well."
Harribel and Ben looked at him in surprise.
"You?" Ben asked. "Really?" Ben didn't mind training from Ulquiorra, he just didn't expect the guy to actually be interested. Honestly, what did this guy do for free time, just simply stand there looking at a wall?
Ulquiorra nodded as he looked at Harribel. "I do not mean any disrespect, Harribel but there might be a chance that your feelings will cause you to hold back. Should that happen then Ben will not be trained properly."
Harribel gave Ulquiorra the same neutral look though hers had more of a frown. "Are you saying that I cannot control my emotions, Cifer?" Her tone was cold and sharp. She still had pride as the former 3rd Espada. "Do you really think whatever feelings I have for Ben will interfere in his training?"
Blunt as always, Ulquiorra answered, "Yes." Ben grimaced. Whenever Ulquiorra had something to say he would say so honestly and bluntly, without even a slight pause of hesitation. However, he could still be deceptive in his own way like when he claimed that Aizen had not known about his Segunda Utepa.
Ben, in an attempt to stop a fire from starting, spoke up, "So, Ulquiorra, how goes the job hunting?"
"I have found a proper occupation," said Ulquiorra, "Your friend Kevin was very helpful indeed when he helped me to organize my paperwork."
'Forging documents, you mean,' thought Ben. That was the only way Harribel, an Arrancar, who had no records on Earth could get a job as his Spanish teacher. Since she showed up a lot of the guys at school were falling at her feet, some even fainting as she walked by. Of course, unlike her Arrancar uniform, her clothes as a teacher were modest but her curves were obvious. She was also very easy on the eyes, and attractive as hell.
The male Arrancars had gone job hunting to earn a living here in the Human World. The cost of living was pretty high here. Of course, the more rebellious ones might suggest or turn to a life of crime to get by. Baraggan's former Fraccion, he could tell that among them were a few guys who would try something like that. They weren't exactly reformed.
But Ben wouldn't kill them just for that. He wanted to give them a chance. He gave Kevin a chance and the guy had tried to kill him so many times when they were kids. Of course, considering that Kevin had been under the influence of sociopathic tendencies due to absorbing raw energy, Kevin couldn't really be held responsible for his actions. It took Ben a lot of time to not see Kevin as that violent kid from his childhood. It paid off. Kevin was good, happy, and dating Gwen. Gwen was a good influence on Kevin too, reining him in whenever he misbehaved.
"So, about my offer…" Ulquiorra returned to his previous offer, "I do feel that Ben would benefit more by training under me."
Ben palmed his face and then Harribel said, "How about we duel? Winner trains Ben from now on."
'Great…now I feel like a prize,' groaned Ben internally.
Ulquiorra nodded. "Very well. The victor shall be the one to train Ben."
Harribel nodded back and looked at Ben. "Ben, please give Ulquiorra your sword."
Ben wanted to argue but knew there'd be no point in it. Reluctantly he handed his sword over to Ulquiorra. The two former Espada looked at each other, as if waiting for the other to make the first move. At first nothing happened. Then they both attacked.
Although the majority of their strength was limited due to their Gigai, Ben felt the air crack when Ulquiorra and Harribel's blades collided. Personally he was impressed the two training swords didn't break from the force. The two seemed to be at a stalemate, trying to overpower the other but not getting any leverage. Ben was tempted to intervene and tell them the fighting was pointless but they seemed so dead set on it. Ulquiorra must have hit a nerve earlier.
The two immediately backpedaled from each other and went for another strike. Ulquiorra moved with a horizontal slash but Harribel countered it with her own. She quickly pulled away again and slashed down at him. Ulquiorra quickly stepped back, causing Harribel's momentum to make her lurch forward. He went in for the next attack but Harribel stepped out of the way. She slashed at Ulquiorra now but he blocked it with his free arm. However, he did grimace after blocking the blow.
"While these Gigai are useful for blending in with the humans," Ulquiorra said. "They are quit irritating since they prevent us from using our powers."
Ben grinned. "Guess it's no fun when you don't have your Hierro, huh, Ulquiorra?"
Of course Ben wasn't one to talk. Ulquiorra or Harribel could easily kill him no matter what alien he used aside from Alien X. The only reason he lasted against Ulquiorra back in Hueco Mundo was thanks to the place giving Ghostfreak such a big power boost. And even then it was Ichigo who won the fight.
Ulquiorra just looked at him with that emotionless expression of his as he and Harribel clashed their swords again. "Correct. You humans are quite fragile."
Ben rolled his eyes. Trust Ulquiorra to point out the countless flaws of humans, even if he was now living among them.
"You should know by now that humans are much more than you give them credit for," Harribel said as she struck at Ulquiorra.
Ulquiorra quickly grabbed the blade part of Harribel's sword with his free hand and swung his own blade. But before he could, Harribel kicked him in the stomach, causing him to stagger back.
"I will not deny that there are some exceptions to general humans," Ulquiorra admitted. "But the human race as a whole is rather weak compared to those such as Shinigami or Hollows." He looked over at Ben. "And no doubt many, if not all, of the alien species you are capable of transforming into."
Ben scowled. Course Ulquiorra had to go and say something like that. Okay, so maybe humans didn't have super strength, or could fly, or go through walls and stuff, but hey, humanity had to count for something didn't it?
As if reading his mind, Harribel spoke. "While humans may not possess the abilities that we, the Shinigami, or Ben's aliens posses, the humans have displayed the ability to do the impossible when they need to. If not, then Ben would have not defeated Aizen."
"Ben is one of the exceptions I mentioned," Ulquiorra replied as he struck out with his hand. Harribel blocked with her sword but Ulquiorra quickly struck her with his own. Harribel winced in pain but quickly shook it off. She went for the attack but Ulquiorra dodged. "I have seen normal humans go about their lives and I do not find anything special about them."
"Yeah, you would think that, wouldn't you?" Ben grumbled. Honestly, it was like the guy didn't have a happy feeling in his body.
"You have allowed emptiness to define you all too well, Ulquiorra," Harribel said as she closed the distance between them. Ulquiorra managed to block it and they were at a stalemate again.
Ulquiorra was not bothered by Harribel's statement. If he actually felt like shrugging, a human gesture for uncaring, he might have. "There was no other alternative for me. I was a Hollow, without a heart, without a true purpose. When Aizen came along, I had meaning, though I know that my own existence didn't matter."
Ben grinned. "And then I came along and whooped Aizen's butt!"
Ulquiorra nodded as he and Harribel broke away to catch their breaths. "Indeed. Though you should consider yourself fortunate you were able to control your form Alien X. Without that power, I suspect no one could have defeated Aizen."
Ben frowned. Ulquiorra just had to bring that up, didn't he? Yes, the memory of Ben trashing Aizen as Alien X was cool…but it reminded him way too much of what happened before that. When he was forced to see Harribel, Nelliel, and Starrk dying right in front of him. If he hadn't convinced Bellicus and Serena to help him… He shuddered. He did not want to think about that. Time to change subjects. Just then an idea came to Ben's mind and he grinned.
"So…" He said slyly. "Have you been keeping in touch with Orihime lately?"
Ulquiorra paused for a moment and casted his neutral look at Ben. "What does that woman have to do with anything?"
Ben raised an eyebrow slyly. "Oh, come on, Ulquiorra, there's no need to deny it."
"I am not denying anything," Ulquiorra said. "I am merely questioning what that woman has to do with our conversation."
Ben raised an eyebrow. "Is she one of the "exceptions" you find to humanity?" he asked.
"Of course," Ulquiorra said as if that were obvious. "Her power to reject fate clearly makes her an exception to the majority of humanity. While her power pales in comparison to that of Alien X, she is still an exception."
Ben raised an eyebrow. "Really? Is that all?"
Harribel caught on to what Ben was up to. Was he really suggesting that Ulquiorra might…have more than a formal interest in Orihime? Ulquiorra? The Cuatro Espada? In the old days Harribel would have shaken that off as ridiculous. But now…was it possible?
"What else could she be?" Ulquiorra asked Ben.
Ben grinned at him. "Are you sure she isn't something more?"
"What more could she be?" Ulquiorra questioned.
"He is implying that you might have feelings for Orihime," Harribel explained, knowing that Ben's way of handling this would be nothing more than going around in circles.
Ben made a face at Harribel. "Spoilsport," he grumbled. Much to his disappointment, Ulquiorra still had that neutral look on his face.
"Personal feelings for another are not something I engage in," Ulquiorra replied. "No offense meant to you, Harribel."
Harribel narrowed her eyes at Ulquiorra. The feelings she had for Ben had given her such motivation. Why did Ulquiorra think they would interfere with her skills? She shook her head. Fine then. She would teach Ulquiorra that her feelings were not a hindrance. With that, Harribel charged forward, ready to end this in a final blow. But just before she could connect…
The Shark Arrancar laughed as he stomped over to Ben. "I don't know how you got here, human. But I'm gonna enjoy this."
"Be…Ben," Harribel said weakly. "Get…out of here. Run!"
Ben shook his head. "Forget it, Tier. I never left you before and I don't plan on doing it now." Ben glared at the Shark Arrancar. "Alright, Fish-Face. You just bought yourself a pounding!" He activated the Ultimatrix. "It's Hero Time!" He slammed down the Ultimatrix, causing Ben to be engulfed with that green glow Harribel had become so familiar with.
But when the green light flashed, the vision ended. And Harribel saw Ulquiorra's sword coming right at her. She tried to block it, but she did it too fast and the sword was knocked out of her hand. Next thing she knew, Ulquiorra struck her with enough force to knock back down to the ground. Before she could get up, Ulquiorra was already towering over her, his training sword only a few inches from his face.
"What did I tell you?" Ulquiorra told her. "You have become complacent. Ben would benefit by learning from me."
Ben frowned. Something was wrong here. Personally, Ben believed that Harribel could kick Ulquiorra's butt. His reasoning was based merely off the fact that Harribel was a rank higher. But that wasn't the only reason he felt something was wrong. Harribel seemed to have gone into a daze when she went on the attack. So, what happened?
Harribel was scowling at Ulquiorra but it was only half-hearted. Deep down, Harribel was confused with herself. Another vision. What was going on? She remembered that day well. Back when she was a Vasto Lorde, Barragan had tried to recruit her into his army. One of his men, a pathetic shark-like Hollow had decided to be bold and put his hand on her. Harribel had dealt with them by slashing his head. Sometime later, that same Hollow, now an Arrancar, came back for revenge. Despite her best efforts, Harribel had been no match for the Arrancar and was on the brink of death.
And then Aizen saved me, lying to me and luring me to his cause. Harribel thought. That's what happened. So why…why is Ben suddenly appearing in my memories? He couldn't be. We had just met when he first arrived in Hueco Mundo.
These visions were bothering Harribel greatly
"Well, Harribel," Ulquiorra said, addressing her attention. "Shall we continue?"
Harribel looked up at Ulquiorra. Normally she would have continued the fight and beaten him…but these visions were leaving her troubled and confused. Something was going on and there was a chance that it could interfere with Ben's training.
"No," Harribel said, not taking her eyes off of Ulquiorra now. "It would be best if Ben trained under you…for the time being."
Ulquiorra's frown slightly deepened, though not enough for anyone to notice. He had seen the look in Harribel's eyes during her feeble attack on him. Something had happened to her. Something that undoubtedly was bothering her. She knew that it might get in the way, which is why she consented to his training.
"Of course," Ulquiorra said, taking the sword away from Harribel's face. "Though, once you have assured me that you are capable of training Ben properly, I will hand him back over to you."
Normally this was the part where Ben would get annoyed at being treated like a pet instead of a person, but he was far too concerned about Harribel. Although her feelings for him made him feel far too awkward, he did care about her.
"Tier?" He asked, walking over to her. "Are you okay?"
Harribel smiled softly at the concern in Ben's voice. "I'm fine, Ben. I…I'm just not feeling very well all of a sudden."
She hated to lie but she felt it was necessary for the moment. This situation confused her enough. There was no need to involve anyone else at the moment, especially not Ben.
Ben frowned. He could tell that Harribel was lying to him. Why? "Tell me the truth, Tier. What's wrong?"
Harribel didn't say anything. Aside from not wanting to involve the others, she knew that it was impossible to believe. Everyone else would assume that something was wrong with her. Maybe there was.
Harribel opened her mouth to reply when the three of them heard a noise. A noise they were all too familiar with. The three of them looked to the sky to find a Garganta opening up.
"A Garganta?" Ben asked. "Here?"
"Is it Grimmjow?" Harribel asked. "But it's not the weekend yet."
Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes. Something wasn't right here.
"Ben," Ulquiorra said. "Be ready. Harribel?"
Harribel nodded. "Ben, we need to get out of these Gigai. I don't know how many Hollows will be coming but hold them off long enough. We'll be back as soon as possible."
Ben nodded. "Don't worry. After dealing with the Espada, anyone else is gonna be a piece of cake."
With that, the two former Espada ran off to get what they needed to leave their Gigai. Ben turned his attention back to the Garganta, readying the Ultimatrix.
As the Garganta opened up, Ben's eyes widened as several different Hollows began to climb out of it. What were so many Hollows doing here? He knew Los Soledad was a hot spot for alien activity but was it also a hot spot for spiritual activity?
"Are you sure this is the right place?" said one Hollow that looked like a Hawk.
"Of course I'm sure," said a nasty Hollow that looked like a gigantic dog. "His trail was faint but I was able to find it."
"It'd better be," said a porcupine like Hollow. "We've been searching for him long enough. If he isn't here…"
"Um…excuse me?"
The Hollows all froze at the sound of Ben's voice. They looked down to see him looking back up at them with his arms folded with a cross look on his face.
"I don't know who you guys are looking for, or what you're doing here," Ben said. "But no Hollows' gonna cause trouble while I'm around!" He switched the dial to the Ultimatrix. "It's Hero Time!" He slammed the dial down.
"It's him!" The hawk Hollow said with glee. "At last, we found him!"
The flash of green light disappeared and now Humungousaur stood in Ben's place.
"So," Humungousaur said, cracking his fists. "Who's first?"
The Hawk hollow cackled with glee. "I'll go! I'll go!" Without waiting for the others to say anything, the Hawk hollow flew straight down at Humungousaur. Humungousaur quickly blocked his arms but the hawk racked his talons across his arms.
"Hey!" Humungousauar cried out, looking at his slightly bleeding arms.
"Come on, Ben Tennyson!" the hawk cried out. "Show me the power that put the Espada to shame!"
Humungousaur smirked. So that was it. Somehow these Hollows found out about how he had trashed over half of the Espada and now they wanted a piece of him. Well, if that was the way they wanted it.
"Alright," Humungousaur said. "But remember…you asked for it." He then used his power to reach up to his full height. The hawk Hollow was shocked by this unexpected move. Humungousaur took advantage of this to pick up the roof of a nearby base and throw it at the Hollow. The Hollow was too stunned to do anything and cried out when the roof top smacked into him.
"Heads up," Humungousaur said with a grin. Suddenly he found himself becoming smothered with some kind of black substance. "Hey! What the...?"
"It is useless, Ben Tennyson."
Humungousaur turned around to see a slimy, slug-like Hollow standing at his feet. The creep must have snuck up on him when the bird Hollow distracted him. Humungousaur prepared to stomp on the little guy, but found his feet stuck to the ground by that very same substance. "Hey!"
"I told you it was useless!" The slug Hollow mocked. "My ooze can hold even the toughest of foes in place! You don't have a chance."
Humungousaur smirked. "Oh really? Watch this!" Humungousaur slammed the Ultimatrix dial. In a flash of light, Humungousaur was gone and NRG took his place.
"How about I heat things up?" NRG said. His body then began to glow with heat. The heat caused the black ooze to soften, allowing NRG to march right over to the stupefied slug Hollow.
"Nice try," He said before pulling his fist back and slamming it right between the Hollow's eyes. But his fist bounced off the slug's slimy body. "Huh?"
The slug Hollow laughed. "Nice try, Ben Tennyson. But my slimy body makes me absolutely impervious to physical harm! Your fists cannot harm me!"
NRG smirked behind his vent like visor. "Oh?" With that, he pulled back his fist again. Only this time, he used his powers to superheat it. When he punched the slug Hollow again, he cried out in pain.
"Too hot!" he cried. "Too hot!" The slug Hollow quickly scurried away from NRG.
NRG chuckled. "Be grateful. That heat was nowhere near as hot as what I used on Nnoitra."
Just then NRG found himself tackled to the side, crashing into another abandoned building. He turned his visor to see that the nasty dog Hollow had him now.
"You have put up a good fight, Ben Tennyson," The dog snarled. "But you have yet to display any kind of strength that would have truly rivaled the Espada. We have been looking for you for so long. We do not intend to be disappointed."
"Ha!" NRG shoved the dog Hollow off of him. "If I can beat the Espada, I can certainly beat the three of you."
The dog Hollow chuckled a guttural chuckle. "Who said that it was just the three of us?"
"Huh?" NRG looked up. "You have got to be kidding me."
NRG soon found himself surrounded by many Hollows. Apparently the three he had just tangled with were some kind of distraction.
"Word has long since spread of the deaths of Aizen and Baraggan," The dog Hollow stated. "While many Hollows joined up with them, the rest of us merely stood out of their way."
"We refused to listen to either of them," The bird Hollow, apparently recovered from being hit with a rooftop, said as he flew beside his brethren. "But we knew better than to mess with their power."
"But now," The slug Hollow said. "Hueco Mundo speaks of one. One who has the power of countless monsters at his disposal. And that it was he who brought the end of Aizen and Baraggan. The one known as Ben Tennyson."
NRG tensed up. Was that it? Did his victory over Aizen cause him to end up at the top of the Hollows' hit list? Kevin had warned him about this sort of thing. When the big bad is taken out, the underdogs hunt down whoever did it so they can be the new big bad.
Just then two extremely powerful pressures filled the area. One by one the Hollows were brought down to their knees by the sheer weight of it. NRG himself tried to resist but too was brought down to the ground. He was at least able to turn around to see Harribel and Ulquiorra, who were approaching them. Both were out of their Gigai now and stood in their true Arrancar forms.
"Well, it's about time," NRG said to his friends.
"Our apologies for the delay, Ben," Ulquiorra said, looking at the variety of Hollows, who were now staring at in awe. "My placement of the item Urahara gave us was a good matter of distance. Though you have done an excellent job of keeping the Hollows at bay."
"You're welcome," NRG said dryly. "Now can I please get up? Your spiritual pressure is crushing me. No pun intended."
"We will in a moment, Ben," Harribel reassured him. She looked at all the Hollows. "You have quite some nerve coming here."
"It's…it's Ulquiorra Cifer and Tier Harribel!" one Hollow cried. "It's true. They really did join to Ben's side!"
"I heard Harribel is now Ben Tennyson's consort," The Hollow next to him whispered.
"Really?" A third one said. "Are you serious?"
"And that's not all," The one Hollow said. "I've heard he's got himself a whole harem!"
NRG groaned. If he could hold his head in his hands, he would have. Sadly, the spiritual pressure from Harribel and Ulquiorra kept him pinned down. It was like somebody had turned up the gravity. Honestly. It was bad enough that Kevin and the Shinigami teased him about his love life…if he could even call it that. But for the Hollows involved…oh, brother.
Just then NRG felt the pressure lift off of him at long last. Finally. As he got to his feet, Ulquiorra and Harribel were instantly beside him.
"I want to know why all of you are here," Harribel demanded from the Hollows. "And if you go anywhere near this boy, I will…"
"Please, Harribel," one of the Hollows cried out. "We don't want any trouble from you."
NRG growled. "Could've fooled me, considering you were looking for me and starting a fight."
Ulquiorra stepped forward. "Why are you all here? What do you want with Ben?"
The dog Hollow stepped forward now. "We'll answer all your questions, Ulquiorra. You have my word."
NRG remained silent for a moment, then he turned back to normal.
"Alright," Ben said, crossing his arms. "Start talking."
"We are all familiar with the lands of Hueco Mundo," The dog Hollow said. "A barren wasteland where it is kill or be killed. While many Hollows do indeed run rampart, many had joined in the armies of Baraggan, and then Aizen after. Those who did not simply stayed out of his way."
"But then we heard of Ben Tennyson. All of Hueco Mundo has heard the stories of the boy who can turn into so many monsters. The boy who has held his own against some of the Espada and came out unscathed."
While Ben usually enjoyed hearing praises about himself, he knew that his victories against the Espada were quite exaggerated. In perfect honesty, the Espada he defeated were the weaker ones. He never battled Starrk, Baraggan or Harribel, and it was Ichigo who actually defeated Ulquiorra, not him.
"But then we heard tales about how Ben Tennyson defeated Aizen. Even if we did not follow him, we feared his power. And when we learned who had defeated him, we had to find him."
"What is it you want?" Ben demanded.
The slug like hollow pointed its finger at Ben. "You, Ben Tennyson. We want you."
"Why?" Ben asked, ready to activate the Ultimatrix.
"Ben Tennyson, you have done what nobody could ever think possible. You defeated Aizen. To do that, you must be incredibly powerful."
"And?" Ben asked.
"Ben Tennyson!" the hawk like Hollow cried. "Come with us to Hueco Mundo! Rule over us! Become our King!"
Ben froze. "Say what?"
Immediately all the Hollows began bowing down on their knees. And those that didn't have knees simply pressed their whole bodies to the ground.
"You have got to be kidding me," Ben said.
"We kid you not, Ben Tennyson," The dog Hollow said, raising its head up to look at Ben. "We want you to become our king."
Ulquiorra and Harribel exchanged glances with each other. This predicament had caught them both off guard. If it had been any other time, Ben would have thought this to be a Kodak moment. But alas, his mind was on other things.
"King?" Ben asked. "You guys seriously want me to be the King of Hueco Mundo?"
"We do!" One Hollow said eagerly. "We want you to be our king."
Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What is this?" he demanded of the Hollows. "If you did not follow Baraggan or Aizen, why now do you wish to follow this boy?"
Harribel had to agree. Something wasn't right here. Not at all. Why were these Hollows so eager to follow someone now? Especially someone who, no offense meant to Ben, looked less intimidating than Baraggan or Aizen. This didn't make any sense.
"It is because of his power!" One Hollow cried. "Not only was he able to defeat Aizen but he was able to scare the Shinigami from executing the remaining Espada and their Fraccion. Ulquiorra and Harribel, both of you are proof of that! You stand by him and the Shinigami have not touched you! Ben Tennyson is indeed mighty and with him leading us, the Shinigami would never dare hunt us again!"
Ben's brow furrowed. "So...you just want me to protect you guys?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head. He was used to hero worship, but not even he was prepared to be hailed as a king. Before he could say or do anything though, the Hollows began to chant.
"All hail the new King of Hueco Mundo!" they cried. "All hail Ben Tennyson!"
Ben was speechless. Not even he, with his fame obsessed ego had been prepared for this. It was all just too much for him at the moment. Honestly, here was a race that fed on human souls and they wanted him to be their king. While there had been times when Ben dreamed about being a king, those were years ago when he was still a kid.
"I need to call the others," Ben said after finding his voice again. "Now!"
Needless to say, everyone was concerned when they got calls from Ben to get their butts to Los Soledad as quick as they could. Gwen and Kevin were the most concerned due to their past experiences with the place. Gwen thought it was another alien attack. Kevin on the other hand simply thought the Arrancar had been messing with the alien technology and caused some kind of disaster. Imagine everyone's surprise when they arrived at Los Soledad and found it to be crawling with Hollows. Then imagine everyone's reaction when Ben told them the reason these guys were here in the first place.
"King?" Kevin asked, trying his best to hold back a laugh. "Seriously...they want you to be their king?"
Ben frowned at Kevin's obvious attempts to hold back his laugh. "Yes, Kevin. I just told you that."
Vega glared at the Hollows gathered around. "All of you did your best to stay away from following Baraggan-sama and Aizen, but now you come crawling to this boy to be your new ruler?"
That caused the majority to glare at him. There was apparently no love lost between him and Ben. The guy was still devoted to Baraggan and only joined with the others to save his own hide.
"Did Baraggan scare the Shinigami?" One Hollow asked Vega. "No. Apparently your Baraggan-sama was not as great as you'd like to believe."
There was an uncomfortable shift among Baraggan's former Fraccion minus Charlotte and Redder. Some of them still had a minor loyalty to their old master, though Vega's seemed to be the most visible.
"Do you not see the loyalty he has gained from the most powerful Espada from Aizen's army?" Another added. "Coyote Starrk, Tier Harribel, and Ulquiorra Cifer. These were three of the most powerful Espada, yet they left Aizen's side for him."
Well, it wasn't like they left Aizen because Ben was stronger. Starrk and Harribel joined Ben because of his kindness. Ulquiorra on the other hand had been convinced by Paradox. But nobody said anything about that.
"Wow Ben," Lilynette said with a grin. "You even get yourself a kingdom now. How cool is that?"
"Wait a minute," Gwen interjected. "We're getting ahead of ourselves here. I mean, there's no way Ben can be their king."
"What?" one Hollow roared. "Who are you to decide that, human?"
Ben stood protectively in front of Gwen. "She happens to be my cousin."
The Hollow immediately cowered back. "I apologize Ben-sama. I didn't mean any disrespect."
"Ben-sama?" Ben repeated. He repeated the word over and over again in his head. It...didn't really sound bad.
"What Gwen means is," Nelliel said, stepping forward. "Ben has a life here. You can't just take that away from him by saying you want him to be your king."
Another Hollow scoffed. "What in this world could possibly be worth rejecting the chance to become a king?"
Ben shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. Chili fries, smoothies, Sumo Slammers, you take the pick."
"Not to mention high school, college and getting a job," Gwen added.
"Yeah...that stuff too," Ben admitted, causing Gwen to roll her eyes.
Unaware to everyone else, a small black cat was watching everything taking place with interest.
"This is worse than I thought. Much worse." The cat said. "If Soul Society finds out about this...I have to contact Kisuke now."
Meanwhile, back at Bellwood, Will Harangue was in a sour mood. Things just weren't looking good for him at all.
To be honest, it really started that one summer when Ben Tennyson mysteriously disappeared off the face of the planet. Harangue had used it as an opportunity to convince the public that they were better off without Ben. He thought it was going to work like a charm. He hadn't counted on Ben's loyal fan club to start sticking up for the menace. What's worse, the father of that boy had the nerve to sock him right in the face. Harangue tried to sue for charges but the fanbase had led such a protest that he had no choice but to drop it. That, and as it turned out, the man's brother was a skilled lawyer.
Then yesterday came. Harangue hoped he could use the destruction between Ben and Dr. Animo as a new way to discredit him. Much to his delight, there had even been a hostage situation. Harangue saw it as pure gold, hoping that the hostage would agree with him that Ben was too dangerous to be around. But now, that woman not only supported Ben Tennyson, she had the nerve to talk down to him. Him, Will Harangue of the Will Harangue Nation. The ratings were awful now; worse than when Carl Tennyson had punched him. It was ridiculous. The boy was a danger to the world. Why couldn't anyone else see that?
On the other hand, there was something that caught Harangue's attention. Ever since that woman, Tier Harribel, had spoken out against him, she had become an internet celebrity. Many students at the high school she taught at treated with great awe than they originally did. However, she was also a discussion topic in forums. Oh yes, Harangue kept tabs on those Ben 10 fan sites to see what exactly it was that people saw in the boy. He kept getting blocked from them due to constantly flaming the boy. Harribel was a woman of mystery to those outside of the school board. Some even joked around, thinking that Ben was having a relationship with an older woman.
Harangue scratched his chin at the thought. It was wasn't much but it was something to go on. Ben Tennyson trying to date an older woman would not only ruin his reputation but Harribel's as well. But Harangue knew that he could never get that story off the ground without any kind of proof. He needed somebody to get the dirt on those two. But who?
Harangue went straight to his computer and began looking up any reliable sources that would be willing to do some "investigating" on Ben Tennyson and Tier Harribel. He needed someone good, someone who wouldn't mind doing some dirty work, and somebody who wouldn't try to mooch off of him. Just then, a particular item caught his eye. Apparently some new guy just set up shop as a private detective. He was new to Bellwood, which was good, since that meant he probably wouldn't be a Ben Tennyson fan. That could work in Harangue's favor. Besides...Harangue didn't really know anyone in Bellwood that was cut out for this kind of job so this new guy was a good a choice as any.
"Now let me see here," Harangue said. "What's the guy's name?" He scoured around for a bit. "Ah, here we are. Ulquiorra Cifer? Hmm...sounds foreign. Must be German or something."
"Look," Ben said to the swarms of Hollows. "I'm flattered that you want me to be your king but…"
Just then there was a beeping noise coming from Ben's Ultimatrix.
"Great," Kevin groaned. "Now what?"
"It's probably Jimmy," Gwen suggested.
"Jimmy?" Apacci asked. "Who's Jimmy?"
"Ben's number one fan," Kevin explained. "Keeps his fan-sites in order and stuff like that."
Ben groaned. "He picked a lousy time to call." He activated the Ultimatrix. "Hey, Jimmy. Look, right now's not a good time, can you…"
"Ben!" Jimmy cried. "We've got an emergency in Bellwood. Overlord is wreaking havoc all over the place."
"Overlord?" Ben asked. "Seriously?" Overlord was once Ben Tennyson's hero Captain Nemesis. But the fame he received had gotten to the captain's head and he started staging emergencies to try and get attention again. When Ben had upstaged him one too many times, the captain decided to become a villain and put Ben's ex Julie in danger. The guy had become a major pain in Ben's neck.
"Great," He groaned. "Where's he at now?"
"He's at the bank," Jimmy told him. "You'd better get over there. He's been calling out for the past ten minutes."
"If things weren't bad enough," Ben sighed. "Alright, Jimmy. I'll be right over there." He turned off the phone part of the Ultimatrix.
"Dude," Kevin said. "You'd think that guy would've given up by now."
"You'd think all our foes would've given up by now," Ben said. "No need to worry about this, Overlord's a pushover. I can deal with him."
"What?" One Hollow cried out. "You can't leave, Ben Tennyson! We need you to come with us back to Hueco Mundo!"
"He doesn't have to go if he doesn't want to!" Mila-Rose snapped.
"But…" Another Hollow tried to argue.
"Enough!" Ben shouted, causing everyone to look at him. "Look, we'll discuss this whole king of Hueco Mundo thing later. Right now, I've got an ego-maniac I need to stop." He looked over at Harribel, Nelliel, Ulquiorra, and Starrk. "Guys. Think you can keep these guys busy until I get back?"
"Of course." Harribel said.
"Sure thing, Ben!" Nelliel replied.
Starrk groaned. "I was afraid of that."
"It would be for the best." Ulquiorra stated.
Ben nodded as he walked over to his car. But just as he was about to open the door, he paused.
"Something wrong, Ben?" Sung-Sun asked him.
Ben stood like that for a moment when he pulled his hand away from the car door. He turned to the others with a sly grin.
"Ben?" Gwen asked. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Ben said with that grin on his face. "I just feel like running today."
Harribel nodded in understanding. Ben was going to try out his super speed.
"Running?" Redder asked. "Why?"
"Well," Ben replied. "I think it's time I start using the powers the Hogyoku gave me. Be back in a flash, guys!"
With that, Ben turned towards the exit of Los Soledad and sped off at super speed.
Ben smiled as he felt the world turn into a blur around him. Sure this thing always happened whenever he turned into XLR8 and Jetray. But when he did it in his human form…it felt special in a way. Soon, Ben arrived back at Bellwood.
"Huh," Ben said as he looked at himself. "I'd say I was moving as fast as XLR8. Hmm. I wonder if I can eventually move at Jetray's speed. Now," He looked around. "Where is Overlord?"
Just then the sound of an explosion caught Ben's attention. He turned to see a large whole gaping out of a nearby jewelry store. As the smoke started to clear, Ben could make Overlord. The guy was a man in a huge, orange battle suit.
"That's right!" The man said to the scattering populace. "Cower before the might of Overlord! Where is your precious Ben Tennyson now? Apparently he is too scared to fight me!"
"Or maybe I was too busy chunking my breakfast cause I had to deal with you again."
Overlord froze when he heard that voice. Slowly he turned his head to see Ben standing there with his arms folded and a cocky grin on his face.
"Ben Tennyson!" Overlord called to him. "So, you finally show your scared little butt."
"Scared?" Ben asked mockingly. "Of you? Please. I'm more afraid of my microwave than I am of you."
Overlord scowled. "You'll pay for that, Ben Tennyson! I'm gonna show once and for all that I am the best. Prepare yourself!" With that, Overlord charged at Ben.
Normally Ben would have activated the Ultimatrix and turned into one of his aliens, but Ben was curious. He was curious to see what would happen if he used his Hogyoku abilities and Overlord was just a good a test dummy, emphasis on the dummy part, to try it out on. So, when Overlord charged at him, Ben simply stood there with his arms still folded and that cocky grin still on his face.
"Take this, Tennyson!" Overlord cried as he swung a power packed fist at Ben, only for Ben to disappear right in front of him. This caught Overlord off guard, causing him to stumble forward and hit the ground. Picking himself up, he shook his head and looked from the left to the right. Ben was nowhere to be seen. Just then he felt a tapping on his shoulder. He turned to see Ben smiling at him.
"Miss me?" He asked.
"What in the…" Overlord stammered. "How did…What did…"
"What can I say?" Ben asked. "I got faster."
Growling, Overlord got up and swung a punch at Ben, only for him to instantly move to the side before the blow could connect. He tried to attack again but Ben once again dodge it with impossible speed.
"Hey, I think I felt something that time," Ben said.
His temper flaring up, Overlord continued to throw punches at his adversary, but Ben kept dodging them with ease.
How is this possible? Overlord thought. He can't move this fast unless he's one of those aliens. What's going on here?
Ben on the other hand was loving this. With this newfound speed, Overlord couldn't even touch him. This was freaking awesome! But Ben was so busy mocking his foe that he tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his back. He was about to get up when he felt Overlord's hand pinning him down.
"I don't know how you got so fast but you can't go anywhere now!" Overlord said with a laugh. "Now, I'm gonna wipe that smug look off your face once and for all!"
"What smug look?" Ben asked.
Angrily, Overlord pulled back his free hand, looking ready to pound it right into Ben's face. Ben knew he had to do something fast. He couldn't move out of the way since Overlord's hand was pinning him down. However, Ben's arms were still free. He could try to activate the Ultimatrix now but would he be able to in time? Before he could even think about it, Overlord's fists came at him. Ben's body acted on impulse, bringing his hands in front of his face in a futile effort to try and block the blow.
When Overlord's fist collided with Ben's hands, it came to such an abrupt halt Overlord could have sworn his shoulder almost got dislocated. He looked to see what had stopped his punch and his jaw dropped to see that nothing but Ben's own hands were holding back the blow. Ben himself was blinking at his own hands then at Overlord, also confused about what was going on.
"What the…" Overlord said. "What…How are you doing this?"
"Good question," Ben agreed. What was going on? How were his hands holding back Overlord's fist? Then he noticed something else. Overlord's fist didn't feel as heavy as it should have been. The guy was wearing a battle suit for crying out loud. The arm part alone should have weighed at least almost a ton. So why did it feel lighter than that?
The answer hit Ben in almost an instant. Was it possible that the Hogyoku not only increased his speed…but his strength as well? With a smirk on his face, Ben pushed Overlord's arm back with all his might. And Overlord found himself flying off of Ben, through the air, and smacking right into a lamppost. The lamppost itself tilted down, hitting the spot right beside Overlord.
"What?" Overlord cried. He had just been pushed off like a ragdoll. What had Ben Tennyson been eating?
Ben got up to his feet, looking at his own hands in awe. Then a huge smile lit up his face. He was as fast as XLR8 and possibly as strong as Rath or Four Arms. He looked over at Overlord, who now become pretty nervous after seeing what Ben had just done to him…as a human.
"Now," Ben said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's try this again."
Overlord gulped as he started to get to his feet. "Now, Ben. I…I might have been a little hasty when I…"
But the words died in his throat as Ben zoomed at him and delivered a punch right to Overlord's chest. The blow sent Overlord crashing into the building behind him.
"Yeah!" Ben said. "I do have the strength of Four Arms!" Just then he cringed and rubbed his fist. "Though I don't think I got all of his durability." Just then he could feel the pain in his arm slowly going away. He was confused by this at first but then he remembered that the Hogyoku had granted him Swampfire's regeneration abilities. Could it heal broken bones and severed limbs? While the idea was an interesting one, Ben made sure to avoid that temptation.
Overlord wobbled out of the building he had just been punched through. "I don't get it. How in the world are you, the pathetic human you, this fast and this strong? How!-?"
Ben looked back at Overlord and the grin came on his face again. "That's my little secret."
Just then Ben zoomed at Overlord and began attacking him again. The combined speed and strength allowed him to deliver a rapid volley of powerhouse punches right at the former hero. Overlord was helpless to the onslaught, unable to move so much as a finger. While the armor did prevent the full extent of the damage from affecting him, he could still feel effects of the blows. Ben finally stopped punching, leaving Overlord woozy and unbalanced.
"And here's the wind up," Ben said, winding up his fist. Then he delivered a punch to the one spot on Overlord's body that wasn't protected: his face. The blow sent Overlord shooting up into the air, actually flipping from the blow, before falling back down to the ground.
"You're out!" Ben shouted like an umpire. As he looked over at Overlord, he could feel the excitement building up. He now had super speed and super strength. He had superpowers off his own now! This was so cool!
Just then Ben could hear whispers and stammers. He turned to see that a small crowd had gathered around him. Some even had their cellphones out and pointing right at him. Ben cringed. He didn't know how long they had been doing this but it was a safe bet to think that they might have caught him moving really fast and really strong. Soon, all of Bellwood would find out that he had powers without the Ultimatrix. While it wasn't really a bad thing, Ben figured that jerk Harangue could use it against him. But man, what a thrill. He couldn't wait to see the look on the others face when they saw it.
The others. Here, Ben's face fell. He still had to worry about those Hollows who actually wanted him to go to Hueco Mundo and become their king.
"Just when my day was starting to look up," Ben grumbled. "Well, I guess it's time to head back."
With that, Ben kicked off the ground and dashed straight back in the direction of Los Soledad. Needless to say, that little speed stunt got every spectator in the area buzzing with gossip.
Gwen was furious, like Ben predicted. "Ben!" she yelled, "How could you go off and do that?"
"What, fight Overlord?" Ben retorted.
"What Gwen means is why you went and fight him without transforming," Kevin clarified, "Although, it sounds really cool!"
"I know, it was, right?" Ben grinned.
"Ugh!" Gwen rubbed her temples. "Ben, soon, it'll be all over the internet! Now everyone knows you have powers without transforming. Soon they'll be knocking on your door for an interview."
Ben shrugged, "It's nothing new."
"Ben!"
"And we need to talk about those Hollows," Kevin stated.
That snapped Ben out of his good mood. "Right," he said. "Those Hollows." He asked, "How are things holding up?"
"They know better than to deal with four Espada level Arrancar," Kevin said. "But they're getting restless."
Ben sighed. "Well, I might as well get this over with." He approached the part of Los Soledad where his friends and the Hollows were gathered.
"Ben-sama has returned!" the hawk Hollow cried joyously.
Ben rolled his eyes. "Look. I'm flattered you guys all want me as your king but come on…let's be serious. I have friends and family here. I can't just leave them."
"Then have them come with you," the dog Hollow offered. "We may despise humans but all you need to do is say the word and they will not be harmed."
"Well that's very nice of you," Ben said. "But…"
"Why cling to this life, Ben-sama?" one Hollow that looked like an ant asked. "All humans die eventually. It's only a matter of time before they go to Soul Society or Hueco Mundo."
"Well, granted," Ben said. "But still…"
"Think about it, Ben Tennyson," the slug Hollow offered. "A whole kingdom for your own. An entire army of Hollows at your command."
Ben paused when he heard that. Well now…that did sound slightly appealing.
"If you wish, you may bring your harem with you," another Hollow added. "They shall be your queens."
Ben did a double take. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"
"Your queens, Ben-sama. A being as powerful such as yourself surely deserves fine women. And if the tales are true, you have snagged five of the loveliest women in Hueco Mundo."
Ben held his head in his hands while Kevin and Lilynette snickered behind him. Just when he thought he was rid of this problem over the summer. Now it was back up again apparently at full blast.
"Well, can't beat an offer like that," Kevin said with a grin. Just then he winced as Gwen elbowed him right in the chest. "What, again?"
Ben groaned. This situation was going nowhere fast. These Hollows wanted him to actually rule over them, they refused to listen to reason. Honestly, Ben had expected the Hollows to be more barbaric and vicious like the ones Ulquiorra had told him about. Maybe these guys were actually the weaklings in Hueco Mundo who just wanted somebody to stop the stronger Hollows from devouring them.
"Well, I've got to admit, Ben Tennyson," said a voice that was all too familiar. Ben paled.
"Oh, no. Not her." He slowly turned around.
Standing there, with a hand on her hip, was none other than Yoruichi herself.
"You never cease to amaze me, do you?" she asked with a grin.
The Hollows growled, hissed and snarled at the new arrival.
"Shinigami!" one cried, recognizing her scent. "You stink of Shinigami!"
"I do?" Yoruichi sniffed her clothes. "I guess I should ask Kisuke to fix my Gigai if I'm leaking Reiryoku."
"Hold on!" Ben shouted to the Hollows. "Don't attack her!" The Hollows stopped their advance. They were already starting to listen to him. Granted, it was more for the Hollow's benefit since Yoruichi could have easily killed them with little effort.
"Looks like they already obey you," admired Yoruichi.
"What are you doing here, Yoruichi?" Ben asked and the woman strode over to Ben and put an arm around his shoulders. Harribel and Nelliel's eyes narrowed at the casual display of affection.
"Can't I visit?" Yoruichi grinned.
"Not without a reason," Be remarked. "So I can guess you probably showed up because of…"
"Your subjects? Yes," Yoruichi admitted as she removed herself from Ben. "Ben, you should know that Hollows, in general, are viewed as enemies by the Shinigami. If the Hollows came to you to be their king then the Gotei 13 might be forced to act against you."
"Why?" Gwen questioned sharply. "He saved the world! He beat Aizen!"
"Yes, we know, but that's the thing. Ben here was able to do the impossible. As Alien X he can strip a Shinigami of their powers. A lot of the Shinigami, while they admire Ben also fear him because of Alien X," Yoruichi explained.
"But I'd never do that!" Ben insisted.
"The ones you've met know that, but still there's been a lot of talk about the human who could defeat Aizen when not even the top tier of the Gotei 13 could faze him. If you ever become King of the Hollows, well, you'd be labeled as a threat."
"Ben-sama!" one Hollow cried. "Don't listen to her! Your power is more than a match for Soul Society! No one can stand against you!"
That was an exaggeration and even Ben admitted that. Sure he had Alien X but in his opinion it was sheer dumb luck that allowed him to use it against Aizen. Next time wouldn't be so lucky.
"So," Ben said. "Why is that Hollows are such a threat to the Shinigami?"
"Because they devour the souls of the dead," Yoruichi explained. "Turning them into more Hollows. Hollows are also a danger to living beings as well, sometimes preferring to devour the souls of the living instead of the dead."
Ben cringed at that. Not a pleasant thought at all. Then something occurred to him. "What about Arrancar? Do they still need to devour anything?"
"No," Ulquiorra said, causing everyone's attention on him. "Once we have reached the stage of Arrancar, we lose the need to devour anything. Aaroniero was the only exception as his power came from devouring other Hollows."
"I see," Ben said, scratching his chin. He snapped his fingers. "I've got a way to prevent the Hollows from devouring souls and get Soul Society to leave them alone."
"You do?" Yoruichi asked. "What is it?"
Starrk caught on. "Hold on, Ben. I don't know if that can be pulled off."
Ben looked at his friend. "It's a long-shot, Starrk. But we have to try it."
"Try what?" Lilynette asked. "What's Ben planning?"
Ulquiorra looked at Ben. "Do you guarantee that this will work?"
"Not really," Ben said. "But what other choice do I have? If I go with these guys, Soul Society's gonna be gunning for me. If I don't go, these guys might try to drag me there by force."
"I'd like to see them try," Apacci said nastily.
"So," Kevin said to Ben. "What's your plan?"
Ben grinned at him. "I'm gonna try and find a way to turn every Hollow in Hueco Mundo into an Arrancar."
End of Chapter.
Can's Ben's plan really work? Will Soul Society find out about the Hollows wanting Ben as their king? What trouble will Will Harangue bring on himself for hiring Ulquiorra to investigate Ben? Find out in the chapters to come!
I will not be adding Fasttrack to the story. I never liked Fasttrack in the series because he seemed like such a ripoff design and power wise. His look always seemed like a combination of Wolverine and Nightwing and his powers seemed rifoffed from XLR8 because of their similar color schemes. He is a dumb ripoff of XLR8 and had no reason to be made when XLR8 could have been brought back. The lazy UAF creators also said he stronger than XLR8. Yet, Fastrack barely proves anything! XLR8 could run on water while carrying three people! Literally slow time! Create Tornadoes! Powerful bonecracking kicks! and disintegrating objects with his sharp claws! What can Fastrack do! RUN! THAT'S IT! He kept crashing into things each time he was used. He was practically extremely useless.