BEN 10: RISING OF THE SHIELD HERO
CHAPTER 9: THE SUN RISES…
Someone is rising and it isn't Naofum Iwatani.
Not letting demi-humans join is a plot device. I added this specific element to drive the plot but I didn't really plan for Aria to join Ben, where I changed my mind later. And the demi-trio has Rex, I think he will be a perfect mentor for them. He is a professional tutor, after all.
Polygamy, No. Harem, Yes. As much as I don't wanna write it, Ben already has a harem in canon :3 Many of the isekai/ fantasy protagonists end up with more than one wife. Some have 9 and some have 12. But not Ben. See Ester (canon), when she knew she wasn't destined with Ben, she eventually left.
Filolial queen WAS 100 or 200 times bigger than Filo. It may not be her max size, Tyrant Dragon Rex is small, he is only 2 or 3 stories high. I compared him with Way Big, who is at least 3 times bigger than him. Filolial queen might be bigger than Waybig at Fitoria's age.
I gave Idol Rabier some space because he is left alive. I'm not gonna make him a good man who regrets his actions and follows Ben. There are plenty of reasons and one of them is the fact that he is a monster at the end of the day. A carnivore can't be forced to eat vegetables.
Rifana is surprised to hear the news.
Rex is in an awkward spot.
Raphtalia thinks she's gonna cry.
Keel wants to run around the village out of anxiety.
The story so far, Benjamin Kirby 'Ben' Tennyson, the Hero of the Shield, fled after Rifana straight out asked him to either take her with him on his adventures or marry her, which Ben refused both all along.
Ben was reasonable. She is only 10. No way he would marry her. And bringing her to the war is the last thing he would do to a kid.
She broke into tears but Ben kept his cool and refused again and again. And in the morning, he made off with Aria and Filo.
"Why did he…"
Rifana's gonna cry.
Rex lets out a fake cough.
"Ahem… I'm not gonna tell you to give up but I know Ben. He won't do something irrational. What he did was… Well, it's wise. You are only 10."
"Demi-humans can grow fast by certain conditions. How can he not know it?!" says Keel with an annoyed expression.
Rex pokes her hair and convinces them.
"He is only here for 2 or 3 weeks. You have to understand him…"
"Where did he go? Can I…" Rifana speaks up.
"No, you can't. When it's time, he will come back to you and explain. You are still young… maybe you will have a chance to marry him in the future. You can't know…."
Rex's conviction calms down Rifana a bit, not entirely. Her body feels hot and sweaty, her heart beats wildly… out of anger and stress.
She doesn't have her parents anymore. But she still has her friends and her friends are her family. Having a wish to marry the hero makes her a greedy kid?
"I will… change myself."
Ben and Aria are running in the different terrains in the forest.
"Ho… Haven't done this for a while…"
Ben tries to catch his breath.
"On your left!"
Aria passes him and runs faster.
"I like… you… your stamina… but… save… it… keep your pace… don't run… off… wildly…"
"Oh, thanks. Shall I carry you on my back?"
Aria walks backward to Ben and asks with full of expectations. Carrying Sir Ben on her back? It's a prize for all these training sessions.
"W-well… not now… I can still…"
So they keep up their training.
Ben has good stamina but without smoothies for a week, it has significantly decreased. Aria, on the other hand, is satisfied with a normal juice. May she drink wine.
Plumber Academy's Basic Training techniques. They've been going at it for three days. In the morning, Ben lectures Aria about the understanding of the battlefield and how to use a plasma gun. The first one is a pistol and the other is a rifle. Aria has mastered the rifle in three days because of her experience with the bow but practicing with the pistol will need a little more time.
When Sir Ben gets serious, he drives Aria to the limit. But he has his own share of medical and sport knowledge since he was a football player. (There are more people who dislike "soccer" than "football.")
A thing she likes about Sir Ben is he always tries to practice together with her to cheer her up. Ben doesn't know that just being with him, automatically, regenerates her energy and refreshes her every moment she sees Ben. Ben, on the other hand, doesn't have his beloved smoothies and chilli fries so it's all downsides for him.
Ben isn't dense. He just doesn't want to care. But he doesn't know what Aria thinks of him. He won't ask anyway.
"Kweek"
Filo happily rushes towards them as they arrive.
Somehow… compared to yesterday her head is bigger. It's strange.
"Her body is almost balanced now."
Ben comments, rubbing her feathers.
"If you say so." Aria agrees.
Her appearance is similar to the other filolials they saw in the castle town and on the highway.
Her color now is white with some light pink mixed in.
It's a beautiful color.
"Filo, are you hungry already?"
"Gua?"
Filo chirps while tilting her neck.
Yup. It seems the growing phase is over.
Biki…
A strange sound is echoing.
After feeding Filo, they finish breakfast and think of their plans for today.
"What about walking Filo in the town?"
The town around Brambila family is quite lively though the mansion stands alone in the town.
"I'd love to!"
"This time it's your turn to ride Filo."
They meet up with Filo in the courtyard.
"The weather is fine today."
Ben says looking up at the clouds.
"Yes, because you're not gonna ride her!"
Aria pouts as she tries to sit on Filo's body.
"Er… it fee– WhOA…"
And so Aria and Filo disappear in a blur.
"I figured so. Never get used to it, hahah! XLR8!"
Ben chooses XLR8 and activates the ID Mask, running out of the courtyard.
"Huu… She's like XLR8. Feels bad when she isn't running!"
Ben speaks to Aria while he and Filo are running side-by-side at the same speed.
"You acting cheeky huh? Come here, you need some discip– Whoa! It's fast!"
The kineceleran laughs as he views the inertia overwhelm Aria when the filolial accelerates.
"Serves you right!"
Filo suddenly stops and stares at the wooden carts that enter the town enviously.
"So you want to pull one too?" asks Ben, knowing the nature of filolials.
"I guess so." Aria agrees.
"How're you doing, Sir Shield Hero?"
A townsperson speaks to them after seeing Ben pointing at the carts and talking to Aria.
"Well, it seems like my filolial wants to pull a cart."
"Ma….. It's second nature for Philorials to pull carts." He confirms.
The man nods as if convinced and starts inspecting Filo.
"What can you give us in exchange for a cart?"
Ben smiles.
"Name the price."
After negotiating the price, Ben decides to help him make the cart.
"What do you need? I will help."
"I will cut lumber in the nearby forest, can you bring it to my house for me?"
"Forest huh. Sure! I will transport you to the forest…."
Ben lifts the man in order to bring him into the forest.
"W-What are you doing, Sir Hero?"
"Don't worry, I will be sloooowww~"
"It's not SLOW AT ALL–"
Aria facepalms as Ben and the man disappear in a blur.
"There he goes again. Filo, what are we gonna do?"
In some seconds, with the man's navigating, the two successfully arrive at the spot.
"Oh, you are… exactly what I heard about you."
"I will take it as a compliment."
The man is panting heavily though he wasn't the one who 'ran'.
"Shall I… help you with cutting wood, too? It will be a blast…"
"If Sir Hero does it, what am I gonna do? I am paid for this job, you know"
"Well, getting a cart for Filo is enough. I don't care about spending money on this important matter. And… I am rich."
The man picks up the ax and laughs.
"I doubt it, hah! Please save your money, Sir Hero. There are many people who tend to hate you."
As he swings the ax, it sinks into the trunk of the tree.
Saving money because people hate me, huh? Don't really comprehend the logic with Kineceleran fast thinking, but I will leave it at that.
The man can't believe what he is seeing through his eyes.
Sir Shield Hero is as strong as the rumors say he is.
He grabs about a trunk of the lumber in one arm and another trunk in the other. He seems to have little to no difficulty in doing it.
"Sir… Sir Hero? Are you OK?"
Well, he doesn't even break a sweat. Is this hero a human? Huh?
Sorry but no, not a human now.
Transporting the lumber is a lot faster than the man expected.
"I thought you were gonna use your filolial to carry wood. Don't spoil your kid. Filolials are the kind who wants to work and carry the carts."
"I know. I don't have anything to carry but still, Filo wants to draw one so…"
The man laughs out as he swings the ax.
Everything from the wheel to the stands was made of wood.
"Gua "
After the cart is prepared, Firo pulls it happily.
"This world is weird…" Ben mutters to himself, staring at the giant bird 'monster' who is happy because she got a cart to draw.
(A/N: I found out that Raphtalia has motion sickness. Aria doesn't have it.)
Ben and Aria ride the cart while Filo draws it in the direction his master points.
"It is faster when I run with XLR8."
Ben comments, actually not wanting to ride Filo.
"You said XLR8 is several times faster than sound itself, are you kidding me?"
Ben laughs dryly and transforms back.
Otherwise he would throw up because of "moving very slow."
"Feel better. Woah! She's fast."
"Now is she?" replies Aria, grabbing a nearby wooden grip.
"Hahah! Anyway, let's rest for a bit, Filo. You need water or something?"
"It's only been a minute since we rode this, you know?"
Filo slows down and stops as her master orders.
"Good Filo."
Unfortunately, they encounter the last person Ben wants to meet.
"Buaha! What's with that! Haha, Fuahahahahahah!"
The pleasant laughing sound of the spear hero.
Standing next to him is the second princess of the country, well.
Motoyasu found them on the town road while being surrounded by women and started laughing.
"I-I mean right! You're super lame right now right!"
"What is?"
"Did you start peddling? I guess people without money get desperate. Your bird is lame too!"
"Who's the people without money?"
Motoyasu stops laughing and looks at Ben with a straight face.
"Wait, you have money?"
"Of course, I have. Wanna see? The money I earned by mining crystals?"
Motoyasu thinks for a moment and then starts laughing again.
"Hahahah! You changed your occupation from a hero to a miner?! Hahahah! Well, you deserve it! The wave is drawing nearer. What's your level?"
"Why, 50."
The laugh vanishes. 50? Seriously?
"You are lying, right?"
"No, I'm not."
Ben wears a dumbfounded face as a mask. But, regardless, Motoyasu's reaction is priceless.
"Sir Motoyasu, don't mind him. He lied in the past too." Malty steps in.
"Oh, says the one who faked the rape crime."
Ben mutters with the same dumbfounded face.
Aria doesn't realize it's spear hero. She just feels disgusted at a womanizer surrounded by women. What a jerk!
But what about that woman who faked rape?
This is what filth of the society is?
"Who faked the rape, huh?"
Motoyasu's tone dramatically changed.
But Ben is unfazed, chuckling inside. But he doesn't still drop the dumbfounded face.
He knows Motoyasu sided with Malty during the trial, too. But…
He must play this little mind-game.
"Oh, I think you are level-headed so you know it. I showed the proof, didn't I?"
This guy is too hilarious to leave him alone, hah!
Motoyasu tightens the grip on the spear and thrusts it to Ben, but stops a feet away.
A metallic weapon of some kind blocks the spear.
"Why are threatening Sir Ben?!"
"I said don't call me Sir. You are embarrassing me in front of the honored guests."
Motoyasu widens his eyes when he notices Aria Brambila.
Dunno who she is but she's… cute. Must protect!
"Who are they, Benjamin?"
"That's about the right tone. Er… they are the hero of the spear, Motoyasu Kitamura and the second princess of the country, Malty."
Aria narrows her eyes at the 'honored guests' when she hears it.
Malty is freaked out by Motoyasu who's staring at the 'cute girl'.
Ben still looks dumbfounded face.
"Woah… honored guests, huh? I won't let you touch my Ben."
Ben thinks he's gonna explode.
"Hold up, hold up. I am nobody's Ben. Anyway, don't threaten them, they are too dumb to be afraid of such decorated words."
Ben straight up bashes the honored guests verbally.
"What's this cute girl? How do you get her?"
Motoyasu asks with a perverted tone. Ben holds in the urge to facepalm.
"I'd prefer if you don't objectify women. For who she is, it's none of your business."
"Kweek!"
Filo threatens the spear hero by stamping her feet hard on the ground.
"Please tell me who you are. If he blackmailed you or did something like that, I will save you."
Aria Brambila swings her rifle and pushes the spear.
"As Ben says, it's none of your business."
"Sir Motoyasu,..."
There's a cute girl before him, but he can't leave Myne alone, too.
He tilts his head quickly to listen to her.
"... He may be manipulating her using slave crests or mind controlling shield."
Motoyasu widens his eyes in horror and then grabs the collar of Ben's jacket angrily.
"Hey, hey, hey, this is my favorite jacket."
Aria tries to hit the spear hero with the rifle but Ben stops her. "It's alright. Filo, calm down. I can solve this."
And so Aria and Filo are calmed down.
"See, he just said it and they stopped."
Myne adds some fuel to the burning flame.
"What did you do with the girl?!"
The spear hero pries into something he shouldn't.
"Which part of "none of your business" do you not understand?" Ben responds with a calm tone.
But Motoyasu doesn't really hear it.
"TELL ME, WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?"
"Dude, you look pathetic, stop it."
"YOU HYPOCRITE, WHAT'S WITH YOUR ALL TALK ABOUT OPPOSING THE SLAVERY?"
"Wow, you actually remember something that isn't about women."
Myne backs up Motoyasu by holding up her palm filled with red energy.
"Ben Tennyson, tell us the truth."
"Shut up and cry somewhere spoiled brat."
Myne is one of the top ten people he doesn't want to talk to. Also, it includes Will Harangue.
"Let's duel. If I win, I will save her from your manipulation."
Ben scowls at Motoyasu.
"Sir Ben, you don't need to–"
"It's OK. I haven't kicked any villain butts. You should do it every once in a while. A duel, huh?"
Ben jumps down the cart and rubs the feathers of the bird.
"Hey, Filo, stay back, Aria will look after you."
Filo lets out a "Kweek" and nods.
"Alright, let's do it!"
"No matter how powerful you are, I will win and save her!"
Myne doesn't feel so good.
Shield Devil might look immature but he is too powerful for Spear Hero to handle.
A punch from shield devil and Motoyasu is good as dead.
She knows it but Motoyasu is now blinded by someone who isn't her.
So she can't… oh… but if the Spear Hero wins, the Shield Devil will lose an ally.
Guess I have to pry in the duel, hahahah!
"As the second princess of Melromarc, I will oversee the duel."
Ben smiles.
The two heroes stand 10 meters away from each other.
Whoa, this is… isn't it a little too much?
Motoyasu runs towards the Devil and swings his spear.
"Your spear skills are improved, huh?"
Unlike the last time, Ben blocks it with his shield. Then consequently the orange monster shield appears and the balloon monsters come out of the shield. Motoyasu quickly retreats his spearhead but some balloons bite the spear though they don't do much.
"You… YOU CHEAT!"
"Whoa–" Motoyasu thrusts his spear straight into Ben's chest but a serpent head from the shield bites and stops the weapon.
"– You need therapy, too, huh?"
"Yahhhh!"
Motoyasu backs his spear and then thrusts again.
"CHAOS STAB!"
"Do you shout your attack's name?!"
The shield becomes larger than Ben's body and is covered by bluish-green layers, stopping the multiple spears from coming into him.
"DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE!"
"LAME NAME!" Aria shouts at Ben.
"I KNOW! Ok, I will never ever shout the shield name."
I will use AIR STRIKE SHIELD.
A pane of green transparent shield appears suddenly and shoots Motoyasu into a nearby cart.
"OH! It must be painful… I'm gonna pay for it, sorry!"
What's your superpower?
I am rich.
The spear hero again gets up, tightening the grip and jumps into the air.
"AIR STRIKE JAVELIN!"
Did he copy my Air Strike Shield?
A glowing spear appears in the air and flies towards Ben.
Well, it's… technically… indifferent.
Ben puts the shield in front of him. It is now covered by dark grey and purple stones.
CHROMASHIELD!
The growing energy from the javelin is absorbed by the shield and then shoots the javelin back into Motoyasu.
REFLECTING IMPACT!
How do you like that, hahah!
Motoyasu is surprised by the secret move of the devil but he swings his spear and strikes the javelin away, acting by instincts.
"Good move, Motoyasu."
"You Jerk! SECOND JAVELIN!"
"Oh, next one?"
Ben counters the javelin with the same shield and subsequently blocks Motoyasu's spear strike with Air Strike Shield.
PYROSTRIKE!
Then Ben runs into Motoyasu with a shield covered by lava and flames.
Myne is surprised by the multiple shields Ben's using in the duel.
But Motoyasu can't lose.
She sends a concentrated energy ball towards Ben.
Which is shot down by a plasma blast of Aria.
BOOOMMM!
"I won't let you interfere with the battle!"
Aria puts the rifle in a bag on her back and takes out the pistol from the belt.
She wasn't confident to use this pistol.
But…
She holds it up and targets Myne who doesn't know what that metallic tools are.
"What are you–"
"Shut up and enjoy overseeing the fight, Mrs. Second Princess."
Ben smirks as he notices Aria's bold moves.
Well… I don't expect less from my favorite pupil.
Motoyasu's armor has burnt marks and the clothes are partially eaten by the flames.
"How do you like… my Flaming Shield?"
"You! How do you have… that many shields?"
Ben laughs dryly.
"My shield coincidently absorbed them when others dropped the materials."
He sarcastically says as he throws his shield towards Motoyasu. His shield transforms into a green shining sphere in the air.
Motoyasu swings his spear to strike it down.
Ben smirks. Taste the BALL WEEVIL'S SHIELD!
BOOOMMM!
The shield materializes on Ben's right hand as he looks at Motoyasu lying on the ground.
"That's it. Don't disturb the peace like that, you know?"
"You… bastard…."
Motoyasu struggles to get up. As a legendary hero, his durability is likely enhanced.
But Ben doesn't look back but walks to their cart.
"Aria, let's go."
"Yes, Sir Ben."
She smiles genuinely.
"Don't call me that."
And the trio leaves the battleground.
"Sir Motoyasu!"
Myne and the girls come back to life after the trio left.
They run and surround him to help him up.
"I'm sorry, Sir Motoyasu. I couldn't back you up. That brat stopped me."
Motoyasu catches his breath.
"No worries. I understand."
Aria can't contain her curiosity anymore.
"Now will you explain your relationship with them?"
"Kweek"
Wait, both Aria and Filo wanna know? No wonder.
"You know I was accused as a rape criminal?"
"You raped someone? Who's that?"
She snaps without listening anymore.
"Time out, TIME OUT!"
Aria loosens her grip on Ben's collar.
"OK, listen, I didn't rape anyone. I say "accused." Well, it's more like "trapped" than "wrongly accused." That brat princess… sorry…"
"I once heard about her. She accused people of rape crime… often. And the King acted like a judge for her trial… ever."
"Yes. They trapped me and accused me of a rape crime and… I managed to get away by showing undeniable evidence. But the King was never satisfied by the results."
"And what's with that spear pervert?"
Ben rubs his hair awkwardly.
"His perverse has nothing to do with the spear, I suppose. But this guy is a perverted extremist, hahah!"
Ben laughs dryly.
"So, there are jerks in the heroes, too." Aria remarks.
Ben comments internally. Your father and the King.
They goes back to the mansion.
"You enjoyed the day trip?" asks Aria's mom.
"Of course, I feel refreshed, hahah!"
Ben answers cheerfully.
"He got into a fi–" Aria begins spitting out.
"Hey, hey, hey, no, no, don't do that!"
Ben stops her.
"He must have a reason for it, right, Ben?"
The Brambila mistress smiles at the teens.
"Ri-right, thanks for understanding me, Mrs. Brambila."
"The elder must act maturer, isn't it true? Now, take a rest, children. I have some assignments to take care of. If you excuse me…"
And so the mother vanishes from the sight gradually.
"Let's go have lunch!"
Rex is in a tight spot again.
The children come bugging him.
They want to be trained. They want to be stronger.
Rifana and Raphtalia wish to train… because they want to join Ben's party.
Keel want to strengthen the village's defence.
Ben didn't just run away, but also dumped the problem to him.
"So… uh… I will contact Ben about training. He can help me with practise courses."
Rex hopes this will convince them. But…
"You can contact Sir Ben?"
"Take me to him, take me to him."
"I wanna meet him, too."
"Why don't he return everyday to see me?"
Oh boy.
Rex smiles awkward as he walks to the door.
And opens it.
"Now, ladies, please leave. I have to… make an arrangement to meet him. He is a little busy."
When the children left, he pulls out a box from under the table.
"I'm done if they know."
He opens the box and an Omnitrix symbol is seen inside.
A disc with a green hourglass symbol on it.
Actually, it is a plumber badge.
An older version of communication tool.
Ben made this badge together with the guns that night.
After Ben had left, Rex returned home and saw this box on his table.
"Hello, testing, one two three… Hmm how does this work?"
Rex taps the symbol.
And the holograms pop up.
"Holy–"
"Language, Salazar boy."
A being that looks like older version of Grey Matter is in the hologram together with other screens.
"Who are you?" Rex asks panicked.
"I am the God of Omnitrix, satisfied? Jeez… Ben Tennyson is really willing to make me his secretary…"
He mutters and then looks back at Rex.
"Oh, what do you need? You wanna contact Ben?"
"Yeah? I thought so."
The God of Omnitrix, huh? He may look small and weak but he is a god.
"Alright, I will… let him know."
He disappears for a moment.
"So, Ben got himself a secretary, huh?"
"He said OK."
The 'god' returns.
A new screen pops up as he disappears again.
And there is Ben's face on the screen.
"So you figure it out. How are you doing, dude?"
Ben speaks.
Amazing!
"Er… the children are bugging me all morning to train them. I said them that I consult to you first. I don't really know about this part, you see."
Ben rubs the back of his neck and then with a serious look…
"Sooner than I expected. Need more time, dude. Aria is… well, she is compatible with Plumber Academy Basic Training. But not them. They are too young for that. So, we have to take more time and plan it."
Rex feels more responsible.
"What about Aria?"
"She's fine. I'm helping her practise shooting training. Now we are in the forest for level-boosting and stuff. I hope she will get used to the guns. At first she wasn't confident to use handgun. I had to convince her…"
Rex smiles weakly. "OK, Ok."
"Give me some time, dude. Uh… don't forget to tell them about it. But leave my part."
"OK, got it. Good luck with your lovelife."
"Er… wh–"
Rex swiftly taps the badge again and the screens fade away.
He lets out a sigh as a sign of a close win.
"Wow, what is that?"
"Kweek."
Aria and Filo notices Ben talking with Rex through Plumber Badge.
"I will give you one later."
"Kweek."
Ben smiles.
"I will give you one, too, Filo."
"Gua!"
Aria again turns her attention to the pistols.
Ben never met whoever cooked awesome meals for him.
Aria often mentioned this "Chris" person and his assistants – "Wiz," "Charm," and "Cherry."
He is curious what kind of people make these amazing meals.
He recognized that some of the dishes that was served for him were from his world.
The housekeeper lady warns Chris the cook.
That's what they call him. The whole Brambila Mansion calls him "Chris the cook."
They don't know which family he came from, nor do they know about Wiz, Charm and Cherry either.
But Chris has been here for more than 10 years. Every year, his cooking just becomes better.
He once said he had other disciples too.
One day, he'd have to leave the house.
By that time, he will introduce the best of his disciples to the Brambila family.
"Hey, Chris, come here."
"Yes, Ma'am. What's up?"
"Did you make the new kid addicted to your meals, too? He's not gonna leave and he's been staying here for the whole week."
Chris laughs out loud.
"Uh, sorry. He is the future husband of our little lady, right? He is not addicted, I can guarantee. But you shouldn't worry about him staying here. He will be living here his all life… hahhahah."
The housekeeper lady elbows him.
"You are crazy."
"I know, I know. You don't need to remind me."
After dinner, Ben has nothing to do.
Exercise after meal has side-effects. So he usually doesn't do it.
No smoothie and no games. It's pretty dry.
He usually falls asleep fast because of exhaustion.
His roommate is Filo.
If he arranged another room for Filo, she would tell her it's lonely.
But Filo smells nice. So, he doesn't mind hugging her during sleep.
However, the morning is a…
"*Knock knock knock*"
Aria is an early riser. Ben also is. But these days, Aria gets up from bed much earlier. For the practise and training. She doesn't want to miss any lesson from Sir Ben.
Ben slept pretty late last night. He sneaked out to give Rex necessary documents.
About the training for children.
The wave is drawing nearer. But he doesn't reach the capital for 10 days.
"Ben? Benjamin? Are you up?"
Ben half-wakes and replies.
"Sorry, Mom, please give me 5 min– *Yawns* 5-5 minutes."
"I am not your Mom, I am Aria."
Ben widens his eyes.
"Wait, Aria?" he is totally awake now.
"What's up?"
He looks around and sees that Filo is missing.
"Uh… Aria, do you see Filo?"
"Umm, she's in your room, isn't she? How am I supposed to…"
Meanwhile he notices something is pressing on his body underneath the blanket which looks somehow expanded.
Ben removes the blanket.
"A-! Aria, Aria."
Ben almost screams in surprise.
"I'm still here, what's up?"
Aria opens the door and enters his room.
And the view inside is…
There is a naked girl, sleeping on Ben's body.
There are a pair of wings growing out of her back. She is a blond and blue-eyed girl so she kind of looked like an angel.
On top of that, she is so cute that her face is like a painting.
And Ben is looking at Aria in horror.
"OH MY GOD! WHO ARE YOU CHEATING ON ME WITH?"
"I am not cheat–"
"No, YOU ARE DEF–"
"Please stop! Sh! The whole mansion will hear us!"
"Oh sorry. But you are cheating on me."
Meanwhile the yawn of the girl interrupts their ruckus.
"Good Morning, Master."
Aria and Ben look at the girl, stunning.
"Who… Who are you?"
Ben asks nervously.
"Filo is hungry."
It is her answer.
That afternoon. The bald man looks at Ben, Aria and Filo in human form with wings. Filo basically looks like an angel.
He doesn't know what to say.
"I haven't seen you in like ten days and you reappear with… two girls? And are you…"
Erhard takes a glance at Filo whose size is that of a 10-year old girl.
Ben understands his look.
"No, I'm not a pedophile."
"Hmm? Why are you looking at Filo? Filo is Master's Filo."
Filo responds to the man's look.
"Filo?"
"She's… A little difficult to explain. She is indeed a Filolial."
Bald man narrows his eyes in disbelief.
"What is meant by that?"
"He's true." Aria backs Ben up.
Ben shakes his head. "I don't know how it happens but when we woke up this morning, she was… uh… this girl… with wings."
Erhard thinks deeply for a moment.
"Well… I remember something like that. A creature that can take forms of several monsters… er…"
Wait, is he talking about me? Oh, yeah, the Church spreads rumors about a transforming monster with anti-church symbol.
Ben realizes what Erhard is talking about.
"No, not that kind. This is a…"
"Ha-hachoo"
Poof! Sreeeech!
The clothes Aria made her wear is torn to pieces and now standing in her place is a big fluffy filolial.
Erhard is surprised at the evidence.
"So you know now?"
"Y-yes." Erhard answers nervously.
Filo returns to her human form… naked.
Aria quickly covers her with the cape she took with her.
"So that's it. I need some outfit that won't break even if she transforms?"
Erhard sweatdrops.
"O-oh. But I don't have anything like that. Go to a clothes store."
Ben and Aria eye-contact with each other and talk through looks.
"Thanks. Mr. Erhard. Er… so do you have any crystal armor left?"
Ben asks.
"I have one left. It sells fast but this one is for women."
Ben smiles as he grabs Erhard's shoulders.
Erhard steps back, shocked.
"Show us that armor. I… want to buy one for Aria."
"N-no, I'm OK, Sir Ben." Aria tries to refuse.
"Trust me. The armor made of my crystals are unique." he insists.
The armor Erhard shows to them is made of crystals, mined by Diamonhead abilities. They aren't Taydenite, though.
"As a blacksmith, I must admit this kid's crystals are more than qualified. Most of them can be equipped for both men and women. This one is a little unique. It is a coincidence you want one of these, kid."
"Y-yes."
"Wanna tell me who is she?"
Ben looks back at Aria who is hugging Filo.
"She is… my first party member."
"Wow, congratulations, kid."
Ben smiles back.
"Aria, come on! Come see this one!"
Erhard rubs the back of his bald head.
He is plenty powerful alone. Someone should stay under his wings, huh? As long as there is someone, he won't be swayed from the path by his powers.
"You always surprise with one thing or another, kid."
Clothes shop, huh?
Ben didn't put on his usual green jacket. Instead he wore his armor with a cape. So he can keep Filo in his cape.
Ben opens the map on the screen and sees a tailor shop.
He isn't sure but leads the way to that shop.
The tailor is a woman wearing glasses. Her hair color is light brown.
The Tailor is gifted in her trade of clothing design and dressmaking, according to Erhard.
"Oh, she's so cute. So cute that she's like an angel! Wait, she has wings, too, so perhaps she is an angel?"
The tailor praises Filo's beauty.
Aria laughs awkwardly at the tailor's question. What if I tell her that Filo is a transforming monster?
"Is that true? Is Filo cute?" Filo asks turning at Ben.
"Yes, Filo is cute, whoever sees you will say you are cute."
Ben answers with a smile. Aria looks at him with jealous eyes but he doesn't notice them.
"Father sure knows how to compose a compliment, huh?" The tailor teases.
"F-father?" Aria forgets to breathe for a moment.
If sir Ben is father, then what… am I?
"Master, are you my father?" Filo asks honestly.
Ben quickly tries to solve this problem.
It's hard to find who her parents are.
Maybe… if I am her father figure, perhaps I can… help her grow and get accustomed to her life.
Ben nods as a positive answer.
"Yes, something like that. Your name is Filo Tennyson, after all."
Dad, Mom, it has become legal.
"What about Aria?" Filo continues.
"She's… my teammate. So she's like… your aunt."
Aria sweatdrops.
"That aside,... I want some outfit for Filo, that don't rip when she transform and can go back to normal later."
Ben asks the tailor who actively replies.
"That's what you're looking for? Did you bring magic thread?"
"Magic thread?"
"Yes, transforming clothes are always woven using thread made out of the wearer's own mana."
"In other words… they are custom-made?"
Aria questions.
The tailor answers. "Indeed! If you give me the magic threads, I will make you the cutest dress ever."
(A/N: I didn't include that the tailor lady overall looks like an otaku – an addict in something – of dressmaking, i.e. she is obsessed with dressmaking. She has the recognition of Erhard and the magic shop owner, for her skills, regardless.)
So Ben and the gang have to reach out to the magic shop.
"You demand magic thread?"
Says the shop owner.
"You certainly could spin it here, but not right now. My magic gemstone broke recently."
"Is it expensive?" Ben asks.
Expensive or not, he can pay the price,... by inflating the value of currency.
"It is, but the bigger issue is that it's always in short supply." replies the shop owner.
"Well, it's a problem." comments Aria.
"I will talk to people and try to procure one as soon as possible. Can you give me some time?"
"Hey."
Filo calls out. Ben and the rest look down at Filo who is staring at a crystal ball on the table.
"What's this?" she asks.
"A crystal ball. It measures one's magic affinity. Let me check yours, too."
And then…
"No outfit for a while, huh?" Ben murmurs looking at the back of Filo drawing the carriage.
He didn't want to ride the carriage drawn by a creature who can turn into his kind.
But Filo insists he rides her carriage whenever she asks.
And it happened.
"~ Filo has the wind affinity ~ Filo blows away all the enemies! ~ My job is to draw the carriage ~ To where my Master says ~"
Filo is singing whatever she has on her mind.
"Looks like she's in a good mood." Aria remarks.
"~ If I find the spear guy ~ I'll send him flying with a full-power kick! ~"
"Hahahah… she sure is...heheheh."
Ben awkwardly laughs.
"It will be a while before we get her clothes." Aria says.
"Yeah."
Suddenly, something appears in his mind.
"Aria, Filo, go back to the mansion without me."
Filo stops the cart and tilts her head.
"What about you, master?"
Ben smiles and assures her.
"I will be back. Just something to check."
She nods and turns her head back.
"Alrighty! BIG CHILL~"
Subsequently a blue moth man appears and vanishes into the thin air.
Aria looks around to ensure Ben's gone.
And she remarks.
"I feel chills in my bones every time he speaks in that form. He's… creepy."
"Master is not creepy!"
She hasn't seen Ben's transformation, has she?
The Church of the Three Heroes.
It's somewhere Ben doesn't want to be.
Big Chill stands floating in the air, invisible and intangible, looking at the dragon hourglass.
How many days are there left before the wave, huh?
Suddenly, the green ray escapes the core of the snowflake shield and shoots into the hourglass.
"Oh crap…"
He is invisible but he isn't sure the ray is. He nervously looks around but sees no one, then he breaths a sigh.
And he perceives a set of numerals appearing on the top of the screen.
What's this thing? Wait… hourglass… So this is the timer, huh? The dragon hourglass countdowns the time before the wave.
00 / 19: 21: 05
He figures it out. No wonder he didn't know, he was out of the city for many days.
Only nineteen hours left.
He is glad he decided to check on the Church.
I have to make Aria an official party member, first…
And the invisible robed moth man flies off the Church and returns to the mansion.
"No, you will not take part in this battle."
Ben doesn't allow Filo to go to the battlefield.
"Why? Filo is strong enough, isn't she?"
Human Filo asks.
"No, that's not the case. You are only 10 days old. You still need to practice more."
"But…"
Ben holds her shoulders and gives a smile.
"I am your father, please listen to me. If you have practised enough, I will let you out in the waves together with me, OK?"
Aria is standing next to them, arms crossing, and leaning a wall, looking at a hero who's declaring he is the father of a stubborn monster.
"I understand. Filo will stay back."
Ben nudges her shoulder and almost gets up.
"Master, will you sleep with Filo tonight? I am lonely."
Ben turns back, he isn't surprised or anything. Filo has always disliked being alone.
Aria is indeed freaked out by that. Oh no, I must…
"I will also sleep with you tonight!" She claims.
This is what makes Ben surprised.
"No, no, you mustn't. Filo is ok. She has always slept with me."
"But she wasn't a human back then!" Aria argues.
"Don't be a racist! And you and I are of the same age, teenagers. It isn't appropriate for us."
"Which part of sleeping together is inappropriate?" she demands.
"She is also… also a girl."
"She is 10 days old!"
Filo approaches the quarrelling duo.
"Master, Aunt Aria, don't fight each other because of me. What's so wrong about sleeping all us together?"
Ben turns at Filo and immediately changes his expression.
"OK, I approve."
"Oh, are you a pedophile?" Aria points out.
"Shut the hell up." He replies coldly.
Tomorrow, in the Castle Town.
"Oh, if it isn't our beloved Ben Tennyson, huh?"
Motoyasu says seeing Ben coming near to the fellow heroes.
Ben wears his usual green jacket back from his homeworld.
"Hey, spear guy, how is your injuries? I held back but I think it's not enough."
The party members of Ren and Itsuki glances at Motoyasu.
Motoyasu understands his situation. Myne is beside him.
How humiliating!
"You! Ungrateful Brat! I held a lot back and gave you the win, you know!"
Ben turns away from the heroes to hide his silent laughs.
"Yeah, ha. Sorry, he… I mean, thanks. Heheh, you are so… generous, too."
The heroes don't really know how the fight ended but… according to situation, it's pretty clear who's the winner was.
"You! YOU! ARE YOU MAKING A FOOL OUT OF ME!?"
Motoyasu swings his spear in the middle of the crowd so the surrounding people are moving away.
But Ben is nowhere to be found.
"Hey, don't make a ruckus here. It's dangerous–"
Motoyasu tilts his head and sees Ben floating over his shoulder as if he were standing on Motoyasu's shoulder.
"BENJAMIN KIRBY TENNYSON!"
A shouting from someone in the crowd sends shivers in his spine.
"Oh crap!"
It's Aria.
"It's almost time," she gets out of the crowd. "Don't go off fighting your fellow heroes like that."
Aria Brambila is wearing the crystal armor Ben bought her. It is constituted by a crystal breastplate, a shoulder plate with crystal spikes and black body-tight suit under the crystal and metallic segments. She also wears metallic boots and fingerless gloves with crystals on the back of the hand. There is a shiny metallic silver tool on her belt and a long metallic weapon on her back.
Her blonde hair is arranged into a pony tail at the back of her head. Her childish cute face featuring sharp blue eyes and pink lips also takes attention of the crowd.
Next to her is… an ordinary scholar boy with a orange robe and… weird-looking goggles.
"Oh hey, Ben." Rex greets out of the short awkward silence.
What the– She is not just cute… she is… gorgeous! Motoyasu remarks.
Before he makes any move, Ben flies over and lands between him and Aria, turning his back to the spear fellow.
Ben noticed Motoyasu's intentions that changed instantly in a blink.
"Uh, sorry, Aria, and Rex."
"You said you are a superhero and now you are bullying the weak, huh?"
The crowd looks at Aria and then Motoyasu. The weak?
The girl straight up bashes the spear boy who doesn't mind being verbally attacked by a woman.
He will even be a masochist for women!
Rex checks on Motoyasu… This guy is just pathetic, huh?
"Drop it. Let's go."
Her teacher stops her and drags her out of the crowd. Rex quietly follows them from behind.
"So you played along after all." Ben laughs.
"I don't wanna but I kinda hate that spear guy."
Ben continues to laugh as they wander around.
"It says 5 minutes left. And your crystal armor looks…"
"Sexy, yeah?"
"I don't have a fashion sense for womenswear, sorry."
"Am I sexy in your eyes or not?"
"Hey, don't change the topic. We are talking about your armor, not you."
"I want to talk about both."
Ben facepalms.
"Honestly…"
Ben looks back at Rex who was forgotten for a moment.
"I'm OK," Rex says out of insecurity.
"And Lurolona?"
"I leave them to Brambila guards."
Ben looks at Aria.
"You didn't tell me."
"You never asked!" She reacts.
The fellow heroes look at the lovie-dovie couple in silence as they walk away.
I didn't see this guy for like a week and he already got a girlfriend in such a short period. He is skillful in everything, isn't he?
This is Ren's comment.
And who is that orange guy? He looks bland. And… seems to not have a weapon.
Motoyasu is an exception. His eyes have another intention.
Let's skip to the countdown part.
"8…"
"It's gonna be fun, man," Rex says cheerfully.
"7…"
"I don't recommend fun–" Ben says.
"6…"
"– villains were never fun for me–"
"5…"
" – but the fun part is fighting!"
"4…"
"When a fight occurs–" Aria interrupts.
"3…"
"– People are hurt –"
"2…"
" – and you still want fights?" Aria questions.
The environment becomes dark and the sky becomes red.
"1…"
Ben smiles at her question.
"I fight to –"
"0…"
The trio vanishes.
In fact, some kind of magical force teleported them away.
When they become aware of the surrounding, they notice they are on a cliff that's not very high from the ground.
The sky is all red and full of portals that look like blue spiral holes. A great number of monsters are dropping from the portals like insects flying out of their hideouts.
"I mean, I fight to protect people from being hurt in the fights."
Ben immediately catches his cool.
"Forget it, it's them!" Rex points towards a rushing crowd.
A group of heroes led by Motoyasu, Itsuki, and Ren runs out of the forest to somewhere.
"But it's…" Aria points her index finger in the direction of a village.
Ben looks at the village and recognizes it immediately.
"Lute Village!"
"What?! Those guys are not protecting the village. Oh crap… what are we gonna do?"
Rex asks the party founder Ben.
The Omnitrix hero readies himself to transform.
"Evacuating villagers and their safety is our priority…. IT'S HERO TIME!"
As usual, the green light blinds the sight of the rest, and standing in Ben's place is now…
"JETRAY! Let's move, let's move!"
Jetray carries Aria and shoots into the sky.
"That brat doesn't know how to wait for people, huh?"
Rex activates the Boogie Pack jetpack and flies off towards the village.
"Ben, I guess the other heroes think the whole village is evacuated." Aria theorizes.
"Perfectly with their mindsets. Forget them, we can defend the village by ourselves."
Jetray replies coldly as he descends.
"But the Knights–"
"Forget them, too!"
Jetray lets Aria down when he gets close to the ground level and shoots neuroshock blasts from his eyes and tail into the zombie soldiers.
"What's their deal?"
Rex asks while trying to stop a zombie monster from hitting a man on the ground.
"You can kill them all." Jetray permits.
"Roger!"
A big mechanical fist sends the zombie soldiers away with its hits.
"I know someone who's suited with this job. ECHO ECHO!"
A short white alien comes out of the green light and duplicates himself into exact same copies of himself. The shield now looks like a disc.
"Guys, you all know what you have to do, right?"
The seemingly prime Sonorosian questions his clones. His voice is like a robot's but still has an accent and more of a high-pitched voice.
"Of course!"
The others responds in unison.
"If you understand, now, MOVE MOVE MOVE IT!"
The sonosian clones are now dispersed over the area.
"AHHHHH!"
Their mild sonic attack can easily destroy the zombie soldiers.
A child is crying and his mother is panicked, a group of zombies and bee monsters are surrounding them.
A group of laser blasts appears suddenly and kills all the monsters around the mother and the son.
And a teen blond jumps down.
"Move, move. Evacuate from here."
She says shooting blasts into multiple zombies using her pistol.
But the mother has no time to be amazed and sit tight to watch her fight. She moves away from the place as fast as she can.
"YAHHH!"
A big orange sword cuts through dozens of monsters killing them instantly.
"I don't wanna kill but… I have to PROTECT!"
The punk buster strikes through the bodies of flying bee monsters.
"Are you guys all right?"
Three white creatures run towards a group of frightened village men with weapons of their own and take their place in front of them. Then quickly screaming out a sonic attack, multiple monsters are destroyed into pieces.
"Guys…"
A bigger monster is coming slowly towards the people.
The sonorosian clones merge themselves back in time and transform into a muscular red humanoid creature with four arms.
"FOUR ARMS! Why not you pick on your own size?"
The tetramand rushes towards the monster and his arms are shot into its body rhythmatically.
Ben doesn't care if people see him transform now.
"Hey, are you OK?"
His voice is a little intimidating so people back away.
"No, I am NOT… your enemy. I am your friend, OK? See–"
His one arm punches a nearby flying bee monster.
" – I am here to save you."
A villager notices the shields on the four-armed creature.
His shield is now broken into two parts but still connected by some kind of green energy strings between them.
The shields are on the right forearms. The one on the upper forearm seems a little larger than the lower one. They are red, with a green core on the upper shield.
"Are you… the Hero of the Shield?"
Ben feels dumbfounded for a moment. Then…
"Sh… don't tell anyone else." whispers the bizarre creature placing a finger of the upper left hand on his lips.
The villagers nod immediately because they find it threatening.
Meanwhile, the Brambila girl and orange devil are working together to evacuate the villagers they found.
"They seem to never stop, huh?" says Aria shooting blasts into several monsters.
"We must thank for least casualties, you know," Rex says slaying monsters by punching with a smack hand and kicking with a punk buster.
"How is Sir Ben doing?"
"He will be fine. I trust him."
And with Ben,...
"ARCTIGUANA !"
The lizard-like quadrupedal creature blasts ice breeze into the crowd of zombies, instantly freezing them, while his snowflake shield which is the same as Big Chill's is thrown like a boomerang, shattering the monsters into pieces.
"EYE GUY! Eye's not gonna let you hurt people."
A freaking creature with eyes all over his upper body jumps before the panicked child and shoots the blasts from his eyes in the palms, towards the zombies. His shield is a transparent energy shield that's protecting him and the kid from flying monsters.
"Eye is too strong for you to handle, huh?"
Another batch of eye rays destroys the flying monsters.
Then Ben turns back to human form.
"Sorry if I freak you out. You see, I am a human."
The child notices the small shield on his forearm and quickly nods.
"OK, now, I have to evacuate you from this place. FASTTRACK! Don't be afraid!"
The bipedal dark-blue cheetah creature lifts the kid off the ground, carries in his arms, and runs at a slow speed.
"The knights are coming in. Rex! Use this!"
Aria throws a rifle towards Rex.
"Roger!" Rex quickly deactivates the punk busters and catches the rifle. And then he starts to shoot the monsters.
For the knights to not know what Rex can do.
Though rifles and pistols… are not… really…
"Who are you two? Oh, you are from the Shield Hero's Party?"
Asks the armored muscular soldier that seems to be commander.
"Other heroes don't do the job properly so we had to evacuate people. That includes you guys too," Aria frankly points out while she is blasting into monsters.
"So it's our fault, huh? A mere adventurer dares to speak–"
"I am Aria Brambila, the daughter of the Brambila Family."
The commander stops midway and gasps in surprise.
"Don't disrespect people without even knowing them, otherwise you are good as crap."
Rex shouts as he strikes the zombies with the rifle.
"Oh, if it's not the commander…"
An ID Mask wearing Fasttrack dashes before them.
"Are you gonna interfere with our RESCUE?"
The commander scowls and orders the soldiers.
"Save the people. Don't be a disgrace."
Ben comments.
"But, save yourselves first, HUMONGOUSAUR!"
The shield hero suddenly turns into a lizard monster before their very eyes? And his fist is coming towards them!
The soldiers hold up their weapons in alert but that isn't the case.
The massive fist is shot into a large monster behind them.
The commander widens his eyes in horror.
Humongousaur lowers his body to look the commander in his eyes.
The courageous commander is trembling!
"If you tell anybody about this… don't say I never warned you."
And the massive creature turns away from them punching monsters here and there on the way.
Rex and Aria follows him.
"Whoa… don't you think it's a little overkill?" Rex jokes.
"If this were 2 weeks earlier, I will solve it by an easier way." Humongousaur confesses.
"You left your brain home, didn't you?" Aria is annoyed.
Humongousaur laughs weakly.
"Oh, there is a Chimera."
Rex points in a direction.
"I got this one! DIAMONDHEAD!"
A man completely made of diamond runs off and extends his hands before him.
A massive crystal spike emerges from the ground and…
"Whoa… it's not very pleasant, you know." Rex says weakly.
"Let's feed Filo." Aria notes looking at the Chimera's corpse.
"She is a human now, you know!" Diamondhead removes the idea of feeding Chimera to Filo.
The knights silently watch them.
The commander grits his teeth.
How humiliating!
CHAPTER (9) ENDS HERE.
Let's see what will happen in the party next chapter!
Another duel between Ben and Motoyasu? Yes! I will humiliate Motoyasu again!
Thanks for reading and writing reviews on my chapters. Please freely ask questions and write reviews so that I can improve future chapters. And thanks everyone who sends me facts and feats, they are a great help.
Christopher Paradox Chronos.