New Orleans, Night…
Despite the revelry throughout the city, it was Mardi Gras, Kent Nelson simply strolled on through it with his gold-topped cane. His path eventually took him to a store with a sign in the window which read 'Madame Xanadu'.
Kent pulled out a golden pocket watch and opened it displaying a picture like the one that hung in the tower's library. Inside, the main room was sparsely decorated, save for a large rug, a few seemingly mystic charms, a few chairs, and a table upon which a crystal ball sat.
After Kent entered, a young woman, wearing an outfit one would expect of a fortune-teller, came in from a side-room. "Welcome, monsieur." The woman smiled. "How can Madame Xanadu help you? Is there someone to whom you wish to speak?" She glanced down at the ring on the man's hand. "Your wife, perhaps?"
The man's hand tightened around the pocket watch. "My Inza."
Madame Xanadu sat down at the table. "Then, Madame will make contact… if fate be kind."
Kent sighed as he sat down. "But he so rarely is."
Before she got started, Xanadu coughed and held out her hand.
The man looked sheepish before handing her a roll of bills. "Oh, of course."
Once she had secured the money away, Xanadu closed her eyes. A few seconds later, light began to shine, and her hair fluttered as if from a breeze. The light-fixtures above began to sway, and the table lifted.
"Oh, my darling" Xanadu said in a different voice. "How I've missed you…" Her eyes opened revealing them to be glowing. "I'm so lonely here and cold…"
Kent stared at Xanadu for a moment before bursting out into laughter. "HA! Is that the best you can do?"
The shaking and the lights stopped, and the table fell to the ground.
Xanadu glared at the man. "Imbecile! You've broken the spell! Your wife is forever lost!"
"That was supposed to be my wife?" Kent snickered again. "Heck, my little spitfire would've kicked my can for throwing away good money on you."
Xanadu stood up and crossed her arms. "No refunds for nonbelievers."
The man leaned back in his chair. "I think we both know that you're the nonbeliever, Madame." He gestured at the parted curtains behind him. "A wind-machine." He lifted the tablecloth from the table. "Tire jacks under the table." He sighed. "A shame, too. You've the perfect aura for the work, and nothing would have pleased me more than to be reunited with my wife."
The man suddenly stiffened when he felt a hand grip his shoulder. He was jerked up and around to face a man wearing tight, black pants and a white, unbuttoned shirt.
"Don't worry, Kent Nelson." The criminal, Abra Kadabra, stated. "You'll be with her soon enough."
In a flash of light, both men disappeared leaving behind a frightened Madame Xanadu who fled the room in terror. If she had stayed but a moment longer, she would have seen Ken Nelson's cane rise into the air with a golden aura and vanish.
Mount Justice, Days Later…
When the team wasn't on a mission, either with each other or their mentors, they could be found at the Cave. Sometimes, they were there to socialize, others lived here, but mostly it was used to train.
"Initiate combat training." The computer stated.
Ben and Wally stepped into the sparring ring with a prior agreement on no powers. The combatants slowly circled each other for several seconds before rushing in. Ben threw the first punch which Wally dodged with a back-flip.
He was hoping to catch the leader on the chin with his feet, but Ben simply leaned back avoiding it. While the two sparred, several others were watching. Conner stood off by himself while M'gann, Gwen, and Cassandra were in their own little group.
"M'gann, I'm telling you Ben likes you." Gwen stated. "You should definitely ask him out because I know you like my cousin to."
"Yeah, I like him, but I'm not sure on him liking me." M'gann stated. "I mean, he is nice, responsible, well mannered, and fun to be around. Still…"
"If you ask me, Gwen's right." Cassandra spoke up. "Ben likes you, but he's playing it cool. I think he gets that from his mentor."
"For sure." Gwen nodded. "Back in the day, Ben used to make quite the fool of himself around girls he liked, and they didn't seem to end up liking him back in the end. Bet after all that time with his mentor, he doesn't want to rush things."
"You really think I should take the risk?" M'gann asked. "I know you two know him better than pretty much anyone else on the team, but what if you're wrong?"
"Despite all the ways Ben has changed, he's still my cousin." Gwen stated. "Just take your shot before it's too late."
"If we're somehow wrong, Ben's not going to bite your head off." Cassandra offered.
"Well, maybe I'll give it a shot." M'gann stated. "What about you and Gwen. Do either of you have your eyes on someone?"
"Not that there's anything wrong with it, but I'm not really looking." Cassandra shrugged. "If it happens, it happens. What about you Gwen?"
"Conner's been catching my eye lately." Gwen admitted. "Sure, he can be angry, but I can't really blame that on him given everything that happen. He's also really dedicated to being a hero. I think I want to wait. He's been settling into his life, and I don't want to try rushing anything.
As Wally charged Ben, he dodged to the right before grabbing the speedster's arm and pulling it behind his back. He then slammed Wally into the ground.
"Conner helped me perfect that move." Ben stated proudly before helping his teammate up.
At that moment, Red Tornado entered the room and moved towards the exit.
"Hey, Red Tornado!" Wally ran over to the android. "Do you have a mission for us?"
"Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility." Red Tornado replied.
Wally shrugged. "Well, the Batman's with the Robin, doing the 'Dynamic Duo' thing in Gotham while Ion is being introduced to the other Green Lanterns of earth; however, you're headed somewhere, right? A hot date, or… a mission?"
"We could lend a hand." Ben offered.
Red Tornado seemed to consider this for a moment before bringing up a picture of a man Gwen was familiar with. "Before I begin, I believe one of you are very familiar with this man."
"That's my mentor, Kent Nelson. He was a former member of the Justice Society as the hero, Doctor Fate." Gwen stated confused. "Last I heard from him, he was heading to New Orleans."
"Yeah right." Wally rolled his eyes. "More like 'Doctor Fake'. Guy knows a little advanced science, so he Dumbledore's it up to scare the bad guys."
"That is correct, and he has been known to wander often; however, it has been twenty-three days since he was last seen." Red Tornado explained. "Now, it is possible that he is simply on one of his… walkabouts, but he is caretaker to the Helmet of Fate."
"He's like the great sorcerer-priests and priestesses of Mars." M'gann stared at the image of Nelson in awe. "I would be honored to help find him."
Ben suddenly felt a little inadequate. Gwen and Cassandra had been right on the money with his feelings for the Martian. If M'gann liked magic users, as he assumed, then what hope did he have? He didn't have magical talent like Gwen.
"Lucky Girl, am I to assume you have a key to the tower?" Red Tornado asked.
"I do." Gwen nodded. "Kent gave it to me saying I was always welcome."
"Then, the team should be off." Red Tornado declared.
Salem, Massachusetts
M'gann spoke up. "Well, we've reached Tornado's coordinates, but there's nothing here."
"To most, that's all you'd ever see." Gwen alluded. "Just take us down, and I'll lead us to the tower."
As the Bio-Ship landed in a park, an orange-furred cat narrowed its blood-red eyes before turning around and dashing into an abandoned theater.
Theater
"Grant us access to the Tower." Abra Kadabra commanded. "Then, your suffering will end. Continue to refuse, and…"
He zapped the old man causing him to cry in agony. The cat ignored it in favor of hoping into the lap of the only person in the audience. That person appeared to be a young boy who was wearing a dark suit and had hair styled like demonic horns. The cat meowed.
"Shush, Teekl!" Klarion the Witch-Boy said with a sadistic smile. "I'm watching the show."
Kent Nelson panted for breath. "Enjoy it… while you can. Soon enough… my friends… will come to help me."
Scowling, Abra Kadabra pointed his wand at the former society member and hit him with another bolt of lightning.
Klarion clapped at the torture, but his familiar hissed. "What?" He got a meow in response. "Oh…"
Park
Gwen led the group into the park and pulled a key from her pocket. Inscribed on the side was the word 'insert'. She thrusts the key forward and half of it disappeared. She turned it, and the tower appeared to the others.
Ben gave a low whistle in appreciation. "Got to admit, Doctor Fate had style."
Tower of Fate
Once inside, Conner turned to find that the door was gone. "Uh, where'd the door go?"
Before anyone could answer him, a golden, semi-transparent image of Kent Nelson appeared. "Greeting Gwen." The image smiled. "You are always welcome within the tower; however, the tower does not recognize your friends. Please, state your purpose and intent."
Wally stepped forward figuring he could just get them passed this already since it seemed like Gwen was content to talk it up to what had to be a simple hologram. "We are true believers here to find Doctor Fate."
The hologram frowned as clearly the wrong answer was given.
"Wally!" Gwen yelled angrily. "That's not the right answer."
"Does that matter?" Wally asked confused.
The hologram vanished, and the ground beneath the team opened revealing a pit of lava several feet beneath them. They all fell. Ben was about to activate his Omnitrix, but Gwen had created a mana platform beneath them.
Conner managed to dig into the wall catching himself. Miss Martian levitated, and Wonder Girl flew while grabbing the speedster by his armpits. The floor above sealed itself. Then, Abra Kadabra roughly pushed Kent towards the tower with Klarion and his cat right behind them.
A golden ankh glowed over the door to the Tower and faded before the door opened soon after. "The Tower may not appreciate trespassers."
Abra Kadabra pointed his wand at the man. "Mute."
A collar flew up and attached around Kent's throat. The technology within it removed the man's ability to speak. With that done, Kent was forced to lead them to a large room complete with armchairs and a fireplace. Once they were there, the golden version of Kent appeared.
"Hello, Kent." The manifestation of the Tower said. "How unlike you to bring guests into the Tower."
As powerful as the Tower's magic was, it could not understand that Kent was under duress, nor could it comprehend its master being used to deceive it. Abra Kadabra placed his hand at the back of Kent's collar and pressed a button.
Kent's voice then spoke from the device. "My friends… come… to help me."
The manifestation of the Tower smiled and disappeared. In front of them, a wall opened revealing a series of staircases that seemingly go in random directions.
With the Team
"Wally, why couldn't you just let me do the talking?" Gwen questioned.
"How was I supposed to know the hologram wouldn't accept a very similar answer?" Wally defended.
The rest of the team began to worry when M'gann began to slowly fall towards the lava. "Having trouble…" She wiped away beads of sweat. "…maintaining altitude. Ugh, I'm so hot."
"Hold on M'gann." Ben dialed up his Necrofriggian and slammed down the dial. "Big Chill."
He was thankful Big Chill had temperature resistance as the heat didn't get to him. He flew over to M'gann and grabbed her while also releasing a nice dose of cold from his hand.
M'gann smiled back at him gratefully. "Thank you, Ben."
"No problem." Big Chill replied. "Gwen, could you stop arguing with Wally and help us get out of this mess?" Gwen looked at him. "I could phase us all out, but that's time we may not have."
"Right." Gwen nodded before yelling above them. "Red Tornado sent us! We're here to see if Kent Nelson and the Helmet of Fate are safe!"
A second later, the lava below them was covered by a thick door allowing the heroes to land safely.
"Huh, I thought it would be hot down here considering the lava underneath." Big Chill transformed back to normal and touched the ground. "Nope, it's actually a little cold." He looked back at the Martian. "Are you doing alright M'gann?"
"I'm fine now." She nodded. "Thanks for worrying about me."
"Now that we aren't in any danger…" Gwen looked to Wally. "What were you thinking back there!?"
"I didn't think an almost truthful answer would get us sentenced to death." Wally threw up his hand. "Whatever science Kent is employing needs to be rewired to recognize heroes from villains."
"That's exactly what saying the right words is all about." Gwen retorted. "Also, it's not science. Did you happen to forget I use magic, genius?"
"Also, what about Zatara of the Justice League or Dr. Fate of the Justice Society?" Ben reasoned. "Even beyond that, Gwen and I spent a summer fighting all kinds of bad guys, and two of them used magic regularly."
"I'm a literal demigod." Cassandra stated. "I'm the daughter of Zeus, yet you are going to claim his powers aren't rather magical compared to most?"
"Please!" Wally scoffed. "Haven't you heard about energy-manipulation? Smoke and mirrors? Heck, in primitive cultures, fire was considered magic. Today, it's all just a bunch of tricks."
"My people are not primitive." M'gann retorted.
"Alright, clearly we aren't going to get anywhere with this." Ben stated. "So, let's focus on moving forward from here. Gwen, how do we proceed?"
"We just need to head through here." Gwen declared as she gripped a handle on the floor.
"Wait!" Wally shouted. "The back-draft from the lava will roast us alive!"
Gwen's response was to open the trap door revealing a snowy landscape.
Wally was dumbfounded until he quickly regained himself. "Clearly this is just a pocket dimension."
"Uh huh." Conner spoke up. "Tell me Wally, how do you explain the pocket dimensions shifting when we have no sign of Kent to be see, and the rest of us just got here?"
Wally didn't immediately have a response ready as the rest of the team jumped into the snowy landscape beyond.
"What's that?" Conner pointed at a gold-topped cane that stood in the snow.
"Ooh, maybe it's Nelson's magic wand." Wally stated sarcastically.
"It's Kent's cane; however, it usually never leaves his side." Gwen stated worriedly for her mentor. "If any number of people grab it, no matter the enchantments Kent might be under, it'll take us to him."
Ben noticed this. "Gwen, how do we get to the helmet from here?"
"The fastest way from here would be to keep walking that way, and you'll see some stairs to take." Gwen informed. "Sorry, Kent made it so I can't teleport even myself to the helmet."
"Then, M'gann, Cassandra, Wally, and I will take that path." Ben stated. "Since we don't know what could be waiting with Kent, I want you and Conner to take that cane to him."
"Are you sure about that?" Gwen questioned.
Ben smiled. "I'm positive we can handle anything that may be after the helmet. As for Kent, he is a former hero with years of experience, so I think you two should be more than enough help."
"Thank you, Ben." Gwen watched as he left with his selected people before turning to Conner. "Okay, we need to place our hands on the cane at the same time. Ready?"
"Ready as I can be." Conner stated.
The moment they placed their hands on the cane, it glowed before exploding with energy, and the pair were teleported away.
Tower
"Are we there yet?" Klarion groaned as he, Teekl, Abra Kadabra, and Kent Nelson wandered through the seemingly never-ending staircases. "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"
Fed up, Abra Kadabra grabbed Kent and spun him around to face him. "Tell us how to find the helmet!"
Since Kent couldn't answer because of the collar, Abra Kadabra ripped it off and hurled it away.
The former Society member smiled. "Can't because I'm having too much fun!"
Snarling, Abra Kadabra pointed his wand and fired a bolt of lightning sending Kent to the ground in pain.
"Still having fun?" The false sorcerer demanded.
"I know I am." Klarion laughed. "Now, zap him again or dump him off the side!"
Deciding to take the first option, Abra Kadabra fired more lightning much to Klarion's pleasure. After a moment, Teekl yowled loudly.
"Ah, yes, yes." Klarion admitted. "I suppose we might still need him."
With Ben's Group
Ben, Wally, M'gann, and Cassandra walked through the snow simply looking for any sign of those stairs Gwen mentions.
"You know, I don't understand you, Wally." Cassandra simply sighed. "For a guy who can break the sound barrier in his sneakers, it's hilarious to think you don't believe in stuff like magic."
"That's science. Everything can be explained by science even if it's too complicated for the smartest person on Earth to understand."
"Some things in this world can't be explained with science." Ben retorted. "There are things out of our understanding that people like Gwen or Kent could understand. In the end, it doesn't mean we lose control. The existence of magic isn't unbeatable"
Wally couldn't believe that The Coming Storm was making some semblance of sense. Suddenly, a door opened in the distance, and it was a safe bet that this was the path Gwen mentioned. The group made their way over to it.
Tower
Abra Kadabra stopped Kent's torture, and they saw a flash of golden light immediately after. The villains and their captive were surprised to see Gwen and Conner appear on a staircase that, to them, looked upside-down.
Kent grinned. "Well, would you look at that."
He and his cane began to glow with golden light. He rose into the air and flew towards the teens before landing in front of them. He touched the top of the cane, allowing the younger heroes to let go, while also disintegrating his bonds.
Kent then pointed at a wall causing a door to open. "In here."
"No, no, no!" Klarion pointed his hands at the closing door. "I want that helmet! I want it, I want it, I want it!"
He launched two red beams of mystical energy, but they impacted uselessly on the closed door. Inside the small room, which turned out to be an elevator, Gwen and Conner looked at Kent who gave them a happy smile.
"Kent, I didn't feel anything was wrong." Gwen stated. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry kid." Kent stated. "You're powerful, but even you couldn't overwhelm the magic of a Lord of Chaos. Now, who is this young man with you?"
"Oh, Conner this is Kent." Gwen introduced. "Kent this is Conner."
"It's an honor to meet you sir." Conner stated remembering the manner Lois had taken to teaching him. "Your years of service are commendable."
"Hm, is this your boyfriend?" Kent asked.
Both blushed as they eyed each other. "N-No!"
"Conner is just one of my teammates." Gwen replied.
"That's a shame." Kent replied. "He looks like a boy that could use a spitfire like you."
Gwen cleared her throat. "Anyways, you mentioned a Lord of Chaos was here."
"Indeed." Kent nodded. "You may not have caught him, but we are dealing with Klarion the Witch-Boy." He nodded to Conner. "He was the kid with the cat, but don't let appearances fool you. He's far more dangerous than the charlatan, Abra Kadabra, that's with him.
"So, if Klarion is a Lord of a Chaos, does that mean you're a Lord of Order." Conner asked.
"Oh, I never was." Kent replied. "I just used the Helmet of Fate to boost my own mystical powers. Then, my wife, Inza, convinced me there was more to life." He took out his watch and opened it. "Aw, she was a real pistol."
Kent got back on track. "Anyway, that's why we can't let Klarion get the Helmet of Fate. If he gets his sticky little mitts on it, he'll turn the whole planet into his own personal playground of pandemonium."
With a ding, the elevator stopped. Kent led the way into a room with more staircases as well as a giant, golden bell in the center. Just as the three were about to move towards the bell, a door opened in the ceiling. Ben, M'gann, Cassandra, and Wally came tumbling out.
As Conner went to check on them, Kent turned to Gwen. "Friends of yours?"
Instead of answering, Gwen erected a barrier which blocked a bolt of lightning from Abra Kadabra. He and Klarion where on another staircase.
"Gwen, get Nelson to the Helmet of Fate!" Ben shouted.
He then dialed up a Vulpimancer before slamming the plate down and becoming Wildmutt' which roared as it could not talk. As the lightening died down, Gwen and Nelson made a break for the bell which he hit with his cane.
The bell began to glow allowing Kent and Gwen to step through it. Klarion wasn't far behind when Wildmutt lept at him. Klarion simple teleported forward forcing the Vulpimancer to land on stairs. Klarion flew through the bell with Teekl still in his arms.
Top of the Tower
Gwen and Kent arrived at the very top of the Tower where the Helmet of Fate hovered in place. The former was keeping an eye out as the later reached for it. At that moment, she saw Klarion fire a large bolt of red energy at Kent. Gwen got in the way and erected her strongest barrier.
"I will not be denied by some mere student of fate." Klarion growled.
He increased his power, and for as strong as Gwen may have become, Klarion was still a Lord of Chaos. He barrier couldn't hold for long.
Kent retracted his hand from the helmet and firmly held his cane. "Hold on kid!"
He raised his cane and chanted an incantation. Just as he finished, Gwen's barrier shattered, and she was nailed by the blast knocking her off her feet. Then, the golden bubble was erected.
"NO!" Klarion whined as he began trying to tear through it.
Kent knelt beside Gwen who was trying to get up. "Whoa, stay down and save your energy. You're young, but chaos magic from a lord is no easy thing to shake off."
"Sorry, Kent." Gwen groaned.
"Don't apologize because you saved this old coot's life." Kent smiled down at her before looking back at the helmet with a firm expression. "Now, it's time your teacher returns the favor."
"Kent, no." Gwen tried to get up, even use her magic to do it, but that blast of chaos had thrown her energy out for the time being. "You can't. What about Inza""
"Inza." Kent smirked. "She'd come back from the grave to give me an earful if I didn't put that thing back onto protect you." He stood up. "One last bit of advice from your mentor. Find a boy who needs a spitfire like you, and never let him get away with nothing."
Kent cast a spell to make his student sleep and heal, for the time being, before grabbing the helmet of fate.
"Hey, old man!" Klarion called out. "If you put that on, you may never get it off again!"
"You think I don't know that?" Kent questioned.
Just as Klarion destroyed the barrier, Kent slid the helmet on becoming Dr. Fate once more. He now wore a blue, tight-fitting outfit with a high-collared, gold cape, gold gauntlets, boots, and belt. The Helmet itself now concealed all his features save for his ears and eyes.
"Give it up, Nabu!" Klarion hurled red globes of energy at a golden ankh that Fate had summoned. "Order went out of style in the twentieth century!"
"This battle is pointless." Fate declared. "You sought to take the helmet before it gained a host, but you are too late."
Klarion scowled. "Shut it, you old fart!"
The Witch-Boy raised his arms, and two towers of stone curved up slamming together on Doctor Fate. The Lord of Order; however, was unharmed. A golden ankh glowed over the stone which then exploded.
Doctor Fate glared at the Lord of Chaos. "Brat."
He created another ankh which fired a beam of golden light at Klarion who split apart into thousands of tiny specks. They then scattered and reformed behind Fate. Once he was whole again, Klarion hit Fate in the back with a stream of crimson lightning.
"You're out of practice, Nabu." Klarion gloated.
He slammed the Sorcerer Supreme into the roof of the Tower again. Klarion raised his hands to the sky, and it answered with roiling thunderclouds. Those clouds discharged a massive bolt of red lightning, but Fate stopped it with a shield.
"Ooh…" Klarion was momentarily distracted. "Rainbows." At his feet, Teekl meowed loudly. "I am paying attention, you stupid cat." Teekl only yowled again. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm winning!"
Fate dispersed the magic hitting him, as well as sending Klarion flying back. "It is difficult for a Lord of Order or Chaos to maintain a presence on the physical plane."
Enraged, Klarion's features became more demonic as his body and Teekl's were wrapped in scarlet fire. He then hurled a massive barrage of fireballs at his opponent who dodged them all.
"I am bound to the Helmet and use a human host." Fate fired another beam of golden energy which Klarion only blocked by raising a barrier of stone. "But that is not your way."
"You're babbling, Nabu," Klarion snarled.
"Am I?" Fate questioned.
He fired a massive beam of energy from the yellow gem that secured his cape. Klarion raised a mystical shield to block it, but he was never the intended target. Instead, Teekl was hit full-force and sent flying.
"Teekl!" Klarion shouted in horror before glaring at Fate. "I can't believe you would assault a defenseless pussycat!"
"We both know that creature is no cat, Witch-Boy." Fate intoned. "Without your familiar, you have no anchor in this reality."
Klarion looked at his hands which were starting to fade in and out. It was true. He was starting to lose his grip on the physical plane.
Still, that didn't mean he couldn't rail against the one responsible. "Bully! Killjoy! Geezer!" Fate raised his hands and fired another beam of energy. "Holy crap!" Klarion jumped back into a red portal, reappeared next to his familiar, and scooped the cat up. "We're outta here!"
In a storm of red-and-black fire, the Lord of Chaos retreated. Doctor Fate considered pursuing his nemesis, but something within him would not allow it.
Within the Tower
Wildmutt stood atop a defeated Abra Kadabra as the others worked to remove the fake's tools.
Roof
Gwen came to and sat up feeling fine now until she noticed Doctor Fate in the air. "Doctor Fate!" She stood up and he turned to look at her. "Great Nabu, please release Kent Nelson. He's already served with you for all those years."
"No." Fate replied. "I have been hidden away for too long. Isolated for decades at a time. Chaos must not be allowed to reign, and this body has always been in tune with Fate."
"That's not fair." Gwen stated. "Kent served his time with you, and he deserves to live out the rest of his life naturally rather than the longevity you will offer him. If it means he gets to live out the rest of his days, you can…"
At that moment, Doctor Fate lowered to the ground and removed his helmet revealing the face of Kent Nelson; however, the attire remained. "Kid, don't you dare finish that sentence."
"Kent." Gwen stated. "If I offer myself as his host, you'll be free."
"My freedom at the cost of yours is not a price I'd ever let you pay." Kent declared firmly. "I've already lived, so it's your turn now. Yeah, I got some friends who will miss me, but you have friends and family who'd end up missing you every day."
Gwen looked away. Sure, she had thought about them, but Kent had to put on that helmet because of her. She wasn't strong enough, so she felt like it was her fault that he was in this position. Beyond that, he's done so much for her.
"Kid, you have nothing to feel guilty about." Kent was able to read her like a book. "If anything, this old body of mine held you back. If I hadn't been here, perhaps you'd have found a way to drive of Klarion. Really, you owe me nothing." He put a hand on her shoulder.
"Having you as a student wasn't a chore in the slightest. Besides my time with Inza, it was some of the best years of my life. If you feel as though you must pay me back, then don't offer yourself to the helmet. Live a full life and remember my last advice as your mentor."
"Alright, I will sir." Gwen hugged the old man. "Thank you, for everything."
"Same kid." Kent hugged her back. "Remember, you're never too old to learn something new." He stepped back. "Now, I have a promise to uphold. Take care of yourself, and I'll still fulfill my promise to get you those Charms of Bezel."
Kent put the helmet back on before vanishing within a golden ankh as he headed somewhere within the tower.
Mount Justice, Later…
The Team had returned and reported that Doctor Fate was back to Red Tornado and Batman who'd arrived at roughly the same time as them. The two leaguers seemed solemn at this fact, but they still praised how the team handled the situation.
Gwen, despite her talk with Kent, still felt melancholic about the whole situation. He helped her grow into the hero she was becoming. He was someone she could talk to about magic since her parents weren't too fond of the topic.
He even helped her parents pay for whatever she needed to succeed academically. The old man had come to mean a lot to the heroine only for him to be unreachable. Still, she'd move forward from this and live as he wanted her to. It was the least she could do.
Ben was drinking a smoothie from their team's machine when M'gann approached him. "Hey Ben, is Gwen going to be alright?"
"I talked to her about what happened, and I think she just needs a little time." Ben nodded. "She got her closure on this situation and just needs to process it."
"That's good to hear." M'gann stated.
"Yeah, it is." Ben nodded. "Oh, here let me get you a smoothie."
"Thank you." M'gann stated.
With Gwen
Gwen may live with her parents, but it was still convenient to have a room of her own here. A place to store her own, miniature library Kent had helped her cultivate. She was now standing before said books.
Her attention was soon drawn to her door as someone was knocking. "It's open."
The door opened and Conner stepped in. "Hey, I'm sorry about what happened to your mentor."
"Thanks Conner." Gwen nodded. "I think, I'll be okay though. I'm just going to miss being able to talk to him regularly. Even if he's still around, I doubt Nabu would allow it."
"I think I'd feel the same way if I couldn't talk to Superman." Conner stated.
Gwen nodded. "You know, I was uncertain about Kent when I first met him, but now I wouldn't trade the years he was my mentor for anything."
"Well, I just wanted to stop in and say that." Conner turned to the door. "I only met him briefly, but he really seemed like a good guy."
Gwen gave a small smile as he mentor's advice ran through her mind. "Find a boy who needs a spitfire like you, and never let him get away with nothing." She ran over to the clone. "Hey Superboy, why don't we head to the kitchen and get some smoothies?"
"I could go for one." Conner shrugged. "Your cousin got me hooked on them."
They walked out of the room. "I think he's getting the whole team hooked on them."
Gwen was going to miss her mentor, but she felt as though things would be alright.
Some of you will probably argue that Ben should have caught Klarion; however, Klarion is a Lord of Chaos. The guy literally spent 300 days and nights killing an immortal caveman. Wild Mutt wasn't going to catch him. Some of you will probably argue then that Ben should have just used XLR8 or Jetray. Doesn't change the fact that Klarion would have still gotten away if he wanted to. Which he did because he's here for the helmet. Not to fight some alien.
Additionally, at this point in time, the only ones who would possibly know to go after the familiar are Kent and Gwen, and Klarion was holding the cat anyways. Then, why didn't Ben just go with Gwen and Kent? He felt it was their business to handle. Now, if Klarion choose to fight Ben, then Ben would certainly hold his own better than most. That's a moot point. Now, why couldn't Gwen put up any sort of a fight against Klarion and why was his magic so potent?
Firstly, she was defending Kent. Secondly, Klarion is a Lord of Chaos, so I assume his powers dwarf Hex or Charmcasters. Hey, at least she saved Kent's life, but Nabu wasn't going to let him go as easily as Wally. Kent is a magically gifted guy who belongs in that world. Nothing short of a magic user in their prime was going to be able to strike a deal with him.
Oh, a last point, I never intended for the pairs to line up with the characters I initially put. At the time, that was just me putting in characters that were going to be in the story.
painville: I don't see those characters getting a place within the inner circle, but the Light does affiliate itself with quite a few villains. People Like Hex, Charmcaster, and Animo could certainly appear.
Aztec 13: Thank you
TheFishKing: Rath isn't included yet. Ben will unlock him.
Jay: I don't know, I think people need to revaluate Albedo. I mean, the guy literally worked with Vilgax three times, and got betrayed every time. After the first time he was betrayed, Albedo shouldn't have worked with him. There he was, among the bad Bens, fighting on Vilgaxes. Then boom, he's erased. Yet, he came back around working with Vilgax again for a third time. There is more to him to look into.
The One Beyond You: You were right on the spelling. Brainiac could appear. As for Albedo, despite how intelligent he was, got betrayed like no one's business more often than not. I just think a little reevaluation on him is needed. I'm not even saying you're completely wrong; however, Abedo does have a slightly nice side to him considering Hugh, A Vaxasaurian, Albedo highered to play Humungousaur theoretically sold him out to Ben through the lie of a Doom's day device.
Albedo knew it was Hugh who did this; however, he blamed Ben over the other alien. As for Kevin, the second time he ever appeared in the original series, he could transform singularly into Ben's aliens. Those singular transformations, which Kevin has perfected within the Rooters in this timeline, are his power set now. His power was one tenth in his mutant form, but before that he look just as powerful as any of Ben's aliens.
Guest: I'll keep that in mind
Omnihallows: Kevin's gone about a different route to power within this story. He could theoretically absorb matter and energy, but his years with the Rooters, under Sevantis, were spent perfecting power absorption and his transformation. Basically, think Kevin his second ever episode except in control of that ability and with a device that can feed him the roster of Ben's Omnitrix. Driscoll and Enoch have appeared. as for the Negative 10, that group won't be here, but they can still show up.