What's up, you guys? Bet none of you saw this coming, but I did say I had some big things coming up. Welcome to the first Champverse story that doesn't have Arsenal as the main character. Instead, as the title might give away, this story is about Logan and Matt, who is getting a long overdue name change. This takes place after the Season 2 finale so it's around late November, a couple weeks after. Enjoy and let me know what other tie-in stories you want to see.
Overdrive and Superior: Hail the King
Episode 1: For My People
Matt's POV...May 13, 1910
"Today is the day, Squanivot. I have known forever that you would be the one I was seeking and now, everybody else will know, as well."
I looked up at King Vegeta as we walked down the large corridor. If I am being honest, he is the only one that thought this day would come. Sure, I've been bread from birth to be the perfect soldier and have been fighting in this army since before I could even read, but I would be telling a lie if I said I never would've had any doubts.
Matt: "Are you sure I am ready for this, Sire? Spagraus is the toughest soldier that we have and I was just ranked up, weeks ago." Vegeta stopped walking in his tracks and glared down at me, sending a cold sweat down my back.
Vegeta: "Is that self doubt I am hearing? What have I always told you?" I backed up slightly.
Matt: "Self doubt is weakness. Sorry, Sire." Vegeta looked me up and down, then continued to walk.
Vegeta: "As I was saying, after this match, you will be officially allowed to join my ranks. Although it is true you have been doing 'special' assignments for me since your father and mother...handed you off to me as an infant, those were strictly off the books. This is how you will get your badge." By beating the shit out of a fellow soldier and taking his...nothing out of the ordinary. I've seen this ceremony happen who knows how many times. It's every little Saiyan Recruit's biggest dream to be upgraded to an official soldier.
Matt: "I will not dishonor you, Sire. I do have one request, if it okay." Vegeta laughed.
Vegeta: "You will have all the food and female attention you desire when you become an official member of my ranks, Squanivot. Don't worry." That does sound pretty good. But that's not it.
Matt: "No, Sire, that isn't what I was asking about. I know official soldiers have clearance to leave the Ki Cruiser and I was wondering...if I could maybe see my parents." Vegeta kept silent as we reached the large gated entrance to the arena. I can hear the barbaric screaming and yelling of the other Saiyans, waiting to see a bloodbath. Finally, Vegeta looked down at me, not looking angry or even annoyed. He looked calm.
Vegeta: "Why do you think they would want to see you?" I looked up at him in shock.
Matt: "What?...What do you mean, of course they would! They are my parents." Vegeta chuckled.
Vegeta: "Parents who willingly handed you over to my cause, the very second they discovered what you are. Do not forget that you are not just an ordinary Saiyan." I looked at the ground. Is he right? Am I that much of a monster that my own parents are too ashamed to keep me?
Vegeta: "Head up, Squianivot." I looked up at him, trying my hardest to keep the tears in their ducts. "The decision your parents made does not matter, anymore. This is what you were born to do. This is who you are."
He gestured toward the gate that was slowly rising, the screaming and yelling now blasting into my ears.
I stared at him, the tears on the brink of falling now. Vegeta rolled his eyes.
Vegeta: "I forget you are young, sometimes. Let them fall, then meet me in the arena." He turned around and walked through the gate. As soon as he left, I started to cry. My tears splashed the ground as I held my head down, sobbing uncontrollably. Finally, I wiped my tears away and looked up, absorbing the anxious noise of the waiting Saiyans.
Matt: "This is who I am...so why fight it?" I've been so busy trying to dig up my past that I forgot the reason I'm here. I'm a Saiyan, we kick ass, take names, and leave destruction in our path and only the best of us get to even consider joining King Vegeta's cause. Fuck who I was, this is what I was always supposed to be.
Matt: "A monster." I started powering up my ki energy and walked through the gate, out onto the arena grounds. Vegeta smirked at my serious but grim expression. Sparagus, a 7 foot Saiyan with long, snow white hair and white battle armor, smirked at me too.
Sparagus: "This is the kid you want to test me, Sire? Forgive my skepticism, but this should be very little problem." Vegeta simply looked at the ground, smiling and shaking his head.
Vegeta: "Looks can be deceiving, Sparagus. You have served me well." Sparagus looked at him in confusion, but I just chuckled. Definitely not about to let King Vegeta down. I'll do whatever I have to. He turned to me as I walked up, my aura at full power now. "You know what to do, Squianivot."
I nodded at him and he walked off. When he got to a safe enough distance, he turned to the center of the field.
Vegeta: "Begin." Sparagus looked down at me, smirking at me.
Sparagus: "Okay kid, I wanna keep my job so I'll just rough you up a little bit and we can get this done quick-" He was cut off by my fist going straight into his abdomen, making him cough up saliva and sending him bolting back into the wall behind him. I cracked my fist and the crowd went silent. Vegeta smiled slightly to himself.
Matt: "You are confident. I like that. If you were not facing me, you might have been able to back it up." Sparagus stood up and wiped the dirt off himself.
Sparagus: "Sneak attack, clever. You're a fast one." He powered up his aura and flew at me. "Let's see what you do when I'm expecting it."
I shrugged and as he swung his fist at me, I grabbed it and wrapped my hands around his wrist, slamming him to the ground with all my strength. I sent two swift jabs to his chin and nose, only for him to fire a ki blast into my face, sending me flying into the air. I powered up my aura to gain balance in mid-air and flew right back at him, swinging my foot at his head. He ducked under it and sent an elbow to my spine and I grunted in pain, but turned around and slammed my left fist into his nose. The cracking of his bones echoed throughout the arena and Sparagus stumbled back, holding his broken and bloody nose. I hovered in mid air with my arms folded across my chest, my expression still blank.
Matt: "Were you not ready that time, either?" He clenched his fists in anger as he powered up his aura and flew up at me.
Sparagus: "COCKY LITTLE SHIT!" He powered up a ki blast in his right hand and launched it at me, but I easily dodged around it and blocked his incoming fist with my own, then powered up and sent a Maskenko blast into his stomach, blowing him away from me. Powering up once again, I flew after him and grabbed him by the leg.
Matt: "It would be a smart idea to tap out now, Sparagus. It would be highly embarrassing but it would save you the pain that the other option brings." Sparagus struggled as I held him upside down, trying to get free.
Sparagus: "You have gotten beside yourself, you undercooked trash! I surrender to nobody! Especially not a child!" I raised an eyebrow at him, then shrugged again.
Matt: "I gave you the option." In one swift motion, I reached down and snapped his leg bone in half.
Sparagus: "AHHHHHH!" The crowd gasped and Vegeta looked on in wonder as I dropped Sparagus. He crashed to the arena floor and started holding his leg, which was now bent in three directions. I landed in front of him.
Matt: "I take back what I said earlier. You're not very good, at all." He started to crawl away as I walked toward him.
Vegeta: "Finish it, Squianivot. Become who you were meant to be." I looked back down at Sparagus, who was crying now.
Sparagus: "I'm sorry, kid! You don't gotta do this, I'm telling ya! Being in the ranks ain't all it's cracked up to be." I powered up another Masenko beam.
Matt: "Maybe not...but it's all I have." I aimed the beam at him and fired.
...
November 29, 2020
I sat up in my bed quickly, a cold sweat pouring down my forehead. Looking around frantically, I noticed I was in my royal suite inside my palace. I sighed in relief and let myself fall back onto my huge bed.
Matt: "Haven't had a dream about my childhood in a while. Since I met Kakarot and the others, now that I think about it." I wonder how they're all doing. It's been about two weeks since Kakarot brought the Multiverse back and I have been so busy making sure the people of New Planet Ki (appropriately renamed after Vegeta was brought down, effectively putting an end to his family's hold on the Saiyans) are recovering alright that I have not been able to check on my... family.
I turned to lay on my side, noticing I was alone in my bed.
Matt: "What the hell? Essence doesn't usually get out of bed until the chef calls us for third breakfast. Where could she be?" I threw the blanket off me and hopped out of bed, heading to take a shower.
Logan's POV
The bright flash of a camera shined in my face and I covered my face with my hand. After all the recent questions about the Decimation (which is what we decided to call the the sudden death of trillions of people across the Multiverse) and the Renewal (which is what we decided to call Trey bringing everything back), the others and I decided it would be a good idea to call a press conference.
Logan: "Okay, first question." The crowd of reporters went into a frenzy and I turned to the others. The whole team is here besides Trey and Matt. Trey is giving the secret identity thing another try so he's our "normal" and not super famous brother and Matt has been on his planet for a while now.
Ben was waving at the crowd with his arm around Aubrie's shoulders, Gwen was going over some note cards, Charity was trying to sift through the raised hands of the reporters, and Marian, my wife, was keeping Victor, my son, busy. That's still so wild that I have a family. Although I don't necessarily remember how I managed to get Marian in the first place.
Side effect of Trey's little timeline change. Technically, Logan 2 and everything he did in this dimension did happen, since it had to have happened for it to be in Trey's memories, as well as things like the Tetris Nova core container existing. But I also decided not to kill my dad and was never sent to the Null Void, like in the original Multiverse. So, according to Trey's Grey Matter form, the time stream created something called a cross-time stream. When Trey sent me back to my time without erasing my memories, he created a timeline where I never went crazy and also let me keep my full body Codon powers and Speed Force access. I lived my life with my family like I was supposed to and the original timeline's events with Logan 2 stayed in tact. Once I turned 20, I was pulled into the original timeline, where I've been ever since. This all apparently happened within the instant of Trey reforming the Multiverse. Things here are almost exactly like my old timeline so it's not hard keeping up but most of everything involving Marian and Victor are super foggy. It's like I'm playing somebody else's save game sometimes, but I'm glad I'm to have all of them.
Charity: "Okay, how about...you." She pointed to a guy with blonde hair and blue beanie with a microphone.
Reporter dude: "Jacob Vale, Bellwood News. The whole city, the whole world wants to know what really happened, two weeks ago. Can you tell us?" Charity and everybody else looked at me. Oh yeah, another thing I don't really remember. According to Trey and my own vague sprinkles of placed memories, there was this huge war with the Skrulls, about three years ago. Thanks to Sculptor fucking with the timeline, Trey was gone and I apparently became leader of the team! So everybody looks to me for guidance, the way we used to look to Trey.
Charity: "Well? Can we tell them?" I thought about it for a second. Honesty is the best policy. I got on Trey for lying so it would be wrong of me to lie to these people when they're all just confused.
Logan: "It is why we called this press conference. I want to be open with the people we're trying to protect. No more secrets." Besides the fact my "normal" brother is secretly the one who saved everybody, of course.
I stepped up to the podium.
Logan: "I know you all are probably scared and confused about what exactly happened and why everything is different. While I can't go into exact detail, I will tell you that two weeks ago, a madman called the Sculptor set off a plan to destroy not only this universe but many others. Unfortunately, his plan worked." The crowd erupted in a plethora of camera flashes from phones, more questions, and people just yelling for some reason. The alien citizens that were in the crowd looked less confused but still concerned.
Reporter guy: "Vincent Press, Novas City News. If Sculptor killed all of us, how are we here now?" Ben lightly pushed me aside, stepping up to the podium. Trey told us all what to say if we were asked this question, hopefully Mr. Champion remembers.
Ben: "I can answer that. Ya see, we all did die but we were brought back by the Ultimates." Everybody else nodded and I shook my head. Back in the day, Trey would have gladly taken all the credit for saving the Multiverse. But then again, he even made it so his original secret ID was never even public so maybe he's really changed. He also wants to honor Dior, which is really cool of him.
Vincent: "The Ultimates..." He looked to be thinking about something. Technically, Tetris Nova people don't know who the Ultimates are since their planet wasn't really hip to what was going on outside of their planet (which is why they thought Arsenal's forms were metahuman powers), but if Trey used his new Heart of the Universe powers right, the planetary merge should include new sets of memories too.
Vincent: "...the mightiest heroes in the universe."
Ben: "Besides us, of course." A kid in the crowd with a cape on raised his hand.
Kid: "What about Arsenal?" Our eyes got wide.
Aubrie: "What do you mean? A-Arsenal died, remember? During the Skrull War. That's when Benny and the guys revealed their identities." The kid shook his head.
Kid: "No, not him! I'm talking about the new Arsenal! The one who saved my sister from the big shark when all the metas were fighting in Novas City. Was he there?" Before any of us could say anything, Jacob scoffed.
Jacob: "I doubt it. That masked glory seeker is only in it for the kicks. You see the way he dances around, mocking dangerous people. If you ask me, he shouldn't be allowed to call himself Arsenal." A couple of people nodded in agreement and the others and I shook our heads. If only they knew. But, this is the way my dear brother wants it.
Marian snickered.
Marian: "Is it wrong that I'm enjoying this?" I chuckled a little and Charity walked up to the podium.
Charity: "We know about that...other Arsenal. We believe in his efforts and support his decision to carry on the legacy of our late teammate. As for your question...we don't know if Arsenal was there." So much for no more lies. Victor looked up at me.
Victor: "But Daddy, I thought Uncle Trey saved the Multiverse." I put a finger up to my lips, signaling for him to quiet down.
Logan: "That's a tip top secret, Speedy. So make sure you don't tell anybody." He nodded quickly.
Victor: "My lips are peeled." I laughed. It's funny, he may be super strong and fast and have most of my powers, but he's still a little kid. Turning toward the crowd, I started scanning it.
Logan: "Okay, we'll take one more question." Some Indian guy in an expensive looking shirt and pants emerged to the front of the crowd. His eyes were light blue. Like, inhumanly light blue.
Guy: "Xavier Red, Founder and CEO of Horizon Industries in Novas City. Along with several of my peers, I have noticed a multitude of things different, on a planetary scale. Bodies of water and areas of land have expanded in size, cities seemed to have gotten larger too. Not to mention the increase in population and the sudden improvement in the ozone layer. What exactly happened?" I raised an eyebrow at him. He shouldn't remember that anything was different, let alone 'several of his peers'.
Logan: "Side effect from being brought back to life, Mr. Red, your senses may be going a bit AWOL. You should be back to normal, soon." He looked me up and down, then turned to leave.
Xavier: "Indeed." As he left, I turned to the others.
Logan: "We should call it a day before anybody else decides to get too curious."
Marian: "I agree. As fun as this was, I still think Trey should've been here to answer for his own deeds. Answering questions as leader of the Champions isn't a step in the right direction of retirement." Ben and the others looked at me in surprise.
Ben: "Retirement?! Like, as in no more Overdrive?!" Marian nodded.
Marian: "Yes, we've been talking it over and we think it's best that Logan step down and we raise Vic away from the spotlight and danger." That's another thing I don't really remember from the timeline change. Apparently the Logan that Marian actually fell in love with was contemplating retiring from being a superhero. Obviously I really don't wanna do that, but I don't know how my super soldier wife would react if I told her I changed my mind.
Gwen: "How come you guys never mentioned it?" Before Marian could answer, Victor started to yawn, accidentally letting out a super sonic sound wave that launched the podium into the air.
Victor: "Sorry." I scooped him up in my arms and he laid his head on my shoulder.
Logan: "No worries Speedy, we are keeping you up past your nap time." I turned to Ben and the others. "Let's meet back at Omni-Tower. I'll catch up with you after we put Vic down for his nap."
With that, I zoomed off at super speed, leaving a trail of blue lightning behind me.
Charity: "He's gotten fast as hell, lately." Everybody else nodded.
Aubrie: "Yeah! Has he always had that lightning?"
Marian: "Now that I think of it...no. He also used fire powers, the other day. There are a lot of things different about him..." Gwen looked up from her cards.
Gwen: "You mean besides the fact he actually smiles again." Charity nodded.
Charity: "Yeah, he's finally acting like the Logan we all used to know. I don't think it's a problem." Marian looked at the ground, still skeptical.
Marian: "I'll see you all at Omni-Tower." She front-flipped off the stage and on to her motorcycle, then started it up and rode off. Ben looked at the girls.
Ben: "What now?"
Gwen: "I'm going to head back to the Sanctum. I can only be away for so long and I haven't completed the transfer process because I haven't found a place in Bellwood, yet." With that, she created a pink magic portal and stepped through it, closing it behind her. Aubrie stood next to Ben, wrapping her arm around his waist.
Aubrie: "There's a new episode of Magical Index on, Benny. We should go watch it together!" The look on Ben's face looked like he'd rather do anything else. He nodded, though.
Ben: "Sure, Aub. Sounds...awesome." He held up his left arm, pulling up his hoodie sleeve and revealing his Ultimatrix. Activating it, he scrolled to Jet Stream and slapped the core down. In a powerful flash of green light, he emerged as Jet Stream.
Jet Stream Ben: "Race you there?" Aubrie nodded.
Aubrie: "You're on! Skurd, booster pack." Skurd slithered out and formed an Astrodactyl jet pack on her back. They took off into the air, leaving Charity alone. She looked at the crowd, who was wondering what was going on.
Charity: "Um...Champions have left the building." She went demon, launched two fiery chains at a light pole, and flung herself away.
Matt's POV
After taking a shower and changing into some clothes from Earth, a light orange sweatsuit, I flew down the hallway slowly, toward the dining hall.
Matt: "I'm not stupid enough to think that my nightmare doesn't mean anything. If my dealings with the Spiritual Kais have taught me anything, it's that our subconscious sometimes knows things before our active mind does." Question is, what could a dream about Vegeta mean?
I finally reached the dining hall doors and landed on the floor gently.
Matt: "Maybe Essence can use some of her demon magic to find an answer in my head. She always says she wants to know what makes me tick." I pushed the huge doors open, the familiar smell of a variety of the galaxy's foods filling my nostrils. "One of the best things about being royalty, royal chefs."
I walked in, smiling and waving at all the Saiyans enjoying lunch.
Old Saiyan: "Good afternoon, Sire." I stopped and smiled at him.
Matt: "Danver, decided to stretch the old bones, I see." Danver turned to his wife, an old Saiyan woman with blue hair.
Danver: "You hearing this, Sonya? You live a couple thousand years and the youngsters start calling you old. Why, I used to kick just as much ass as you and those Champions, you know." Sonya giggled and shook his head and hooked her arms around his elbow.
Sonya: "He knows, honey. Everybody does. No need to bore him with stories about your glory days." She mouthed 'run' to me and I laughed before walking away.
Matt: "Funny how he mentioned the others when I was just thinking about them. Maybe I should give them a call, just to catch up. Hopefully I'll get the chance to talk to Kakarot." As much as I would never tell him this, he is my favorite family member. My best friend, actually. I was actually...relieved when Ben told me he wasn't dead. If I wasn't so busy, I'd take a trip to New Earth.
As I got to my table, Venzil, a tan and muscular Saiyan with brown hair approached me.
Venzil: "Sire, good afternoon. I'm glad you're awake, we have several royal matters to attend to today and only the day to do them." I raised an eyebrow at him.
Matt: "If that's the case, why did nobody come and wake me up?" At that moment, Essence appeared in a mist of smoke and sat on the table.
Essence: "I told the staff to let you sleep in a bit. Wouldn't want lack of sleep to mess that handsome face of yours up." I immediately smiled and got closer to her, kissing her on the lips.
Matt: "Silly woman, you know that isn't possible." She rolled her eyes and playfully pushed me away.
Essence: "Seriously though, how did you sleep? You were tossing and turning all night and mumbling about something called the ranks." I covered up my surprise with my usual scowl. I was talking in my sleep? I haven't done that since my time running around with Quill. It must bother me more than I thought.
Matt: "I wanted to talk with you about that, actually. Was hoping you could...try a chaos spell on me to access my subconscious." Her face lit up in excitement and I started to regret my decision.
Essence: "Are you for real?! Don't bullshit me, Matty, you know I've been wanting to do that for months."
Matt: "Yeah, yeah, I'm being serious. I had a...troubling dream last night and was hoping your monster magic could give me some answers." She jumped up and down excitedly and became her demon form.
Essence: "Okay so I've technically never done this before but I've read the Darkhold like three times so it shouldn't be that hard." I gulped.
Matt: "Maybe this isn't the best ide-"
Essence: "Too late!" She placed her hands on my head and green smoke seeped from her eyes. "Subconscious extractment."
At her words, more smoke emerged from her cape and turned red, wrapping around my body and into my ears.
Matt: "Can I just put out there that this is incredibly...invasive?" Essence, trying to concentrate, cracked a small smile.
Essence: "Well...I am trying to unlock...your subconscious. It's not gonna tickle." The smoke traveled further into my brain and my mind started to scramble. Several memories started coming to me at once. From learning to shoot ki blasts at Age One to my first arena battle at Age Six to sitting with Kakarot, Charity and Logan, sipping soda at Age Fourteen.
Matt: "Why are we seeing this? This isn't my subconscious, I remember all of this."
Essence: "I'm sifting through some of your most impactful memories to get to your subconscious. You really love them, don't you?"
Matt: "Just find my dream, already!" Essence giggled and continued to sift through my head until she found something.
Essence: "Did this dream happen to have you fighting some guy and breaking his leg?" I nodded slowly.
Matt: "That's the one! Bring it outta me so I can see what happens next. It was a particularly traumatic day so I kinda repressed it." Essence nodded.
Essence: "Okay. You might feel a slight tingle." She clenched her fists and pulled at the smoke like a rope. My head started to buzz like crazy and after a few seconds, a cloud of light blue energy came out of my head. "Got it."
She returned to normal form and the chaos smoke disappeared, leaving only the blue energy. I shook myself out of my daze and looked at it.
Matt: "That's it? I think you did your spell wrong, woman. That does not look like a-". Before I could finish, the energy formed into a screen. Venzil started to look horrified.
Venzil: "Oh no, I'm not messing with chaos magic. Sire, come get me when you are finished with this." With that, he flew off.
Essence: "Aren't you guys, like, violent warriors?" I shrugged.
Matt: "We don't deal with magic." The screen turned on, showing the aftermath of my battle with Sparagus, over 110 years ago. Vegeta was standing with me, his hand on my shoulder.
I immediately looked uncomfortable and Essence gave me a sympathetic look.
Essence: "We don't have to look at this, babe, we can figure out another way to know what your dream meant. I know Vegeta didn't exactly treat you right." I smiled a little at her. She's so good to me, so...understanding. I don't tell her nearly as much as I should but I really do appreciate our relationship. If I was capable of feeling love, I know I would feel it for her. But...monsters don't love.
Matt: "Play it." She squeezed my hand and the memory started.
Vegeta: "I knew you had it in you, Squianivot, you are the warrior that you were always meant to be." Young me looked at the ground, glancing at all the blood on his clothes, before putting on a smirk and looking back up at Vegeta.
Young Matt: "Of course I am, I was foolish to ever think any different. I am made for this." Essence glanced over at me, but I was intently watching the screen.
Vegeta: "Yes...you are. Just as your parents intended." Essence shot me a look.
Essence: "Your parents? What is he talking about?" I sighed. It is only right that I tell her. If this dream does mean anything, I want her along with me if something goes down.
Matt: "The people that created me...my...Mother and Father. After I was born, they handed me over to Vegeta's army." Essence's hand flew to her mouth in shock.
Essence: "That is so terrible, I'm so sorry!" She caressed my arm but my expression remained the same.
Matt: "It does not matter, anymore. I have made peace with them not wanting me and even them believing in Vegeta's cause. At the time, the evil shit he was doing was seen as the only way to live. It wasn't until Kakarot brought Vegeta down that things started to change." Essence nodded and turned back to the screen, as did I.
Young Matt: "So, what's next? When do I get my armor? Do I get my own private quarters? Where are the women?" Essence raised an eyebrow at me and I cleared my throat, keeping my eyes on the screen.
Vegeta: "All that will come shortly, I assure you. But first, I need to swear you into our ranks." Young me nodded quickly.
Young Matt: "Yeah, okay. I pretty much know the oath by heart, it's been drilled into my head since I could read." I rose my right hand and put my left one over my heart, where my new badge was. Vegeta shook his head.
Vegeta: "You do not understand, Squianivot. You just took care of Sparagus. He was a highly decorated member of my ranks, my official second in command. Defeating him means you immediately take his place." I grimaced and started rubbing my shoulder, remembering why I repressed this memory. Young me looked confused, however.
Young Matt: "What does that mean?" Vegeta held up his finger, purple Ki energy powering up in it.
Vegeta: "Firstly, it means if anything were to happen to me, it will be on you to continue our crusade. Effective immediately, you would become active leader of the Saiyans. That is...if something were to happen to me, which it never will." Young me's eyes widened.
Young Matt: "Wow...that is crazy. I will not let you down, Sire." Vegeta nodded.
Vegeta: "Second, it means you must be prepared, as Sparagus was before you. As is customary for our kind, a Saiyan may appear at any time to defeat me and take my throne as their own. Defeat in combat is an unorthodox but guaranteed way to obtain royal status and having my throne would make one of the most powerful beings in this sector of the galaxy. As my second in command, it is your job to be my first and last line of defense in case this were to happen. Unless I give the order, you are to be at my side." Young me nodded quickly but I chuckled. Too bad he gave the order, I would've given Kakarot a run for his money, all those years ago.
Young Matt: "I will be by your side, Sire, I swear it." Vegeta smirked, powering up the energy in his finger even more.
Vegeta: "Good. And lastly, being my second in command means you must be branded." Young me looked confused until Vegeta fired a small Ki blast into his shoulder, carving a V into his skin.
Young Matt: "AAAHH!" Vegeta stopped firing when he was done and Young me dropped to his knees, clutching his shoulder.
Vegeta: "Now you are officially a part of my ranks." He turned and started waking away. "Serve me well."
With that, the screen turned back into blue energy and flew back into my head. My eyes turned smoky red for a second before I shook it off, my eyes turning back to their jet black color.
Matt: "Damn monster magic." I turned to Essence. "That's it? I do appreciate the help but that did not tell me anything important."
Essence: "I'm sorry, Matty, that's all I could muster. I told you, I'm new at this!" She looked disappointed in herself so I took her hand, rubbing her knuckles with my thumb. I wouldn't exactly call myself a fan of public displays of affection but I have strong feelings for Essence and I don't like seeing her upset.
Matt: "Don't worry about it. I would not know anything at all if it weren't for you. You once again prove to be the smartest person in my corner." I pulled her close to me, placing a kiss on her lips. "And the hottest."
She responded by kissing me again and pulling me tight.
Essence: "And don't you forget it. But seriously, are you okay? Repressed memories coming back to the surface usually messes a person up." I looked down at her, the urge to just let it out getting stronger as I stared into her piercing green eyes. I nodded, however.
Matt: "I am alright. I can push the nonsense in my mind to the back in favor of more important things."
Essence: "But that doesn't mean that you should, dude. When you don't talk about what goes on inside your head, it gets worse. Promise me that if it becomes unbearable that you will talk to me." She looked at me seriously and I nodded.
Matt: "I...promise." She smiled and gave me a small kiss on the lips before leaving our embrace.
Essence: "Great. Now, I'm going back to bed. I had to get up early as fuck to prevent Venzil from waking you up and I'm tired." She started to walk off but suddenly turned around, her eyes getting wide. "What the hell?"
Matt: "What? What's wron-" That's when I felt it too. Three massive auras coming in fast! I turned around and pushed past Essence. "EVERYBODY DOWN!"
Right as I said that, the walls of the palace exploded, knocking concrete and taydenite everywhere. All of the Saiyans flew for cover as smoke started to form.
Matt: "Essence! Essence, where are you?!" My eyes glowed orange and I powered up my aura, blowing away all the smoke. Standing there in the hole in the wall was a Saiyan girl. She had on a purple crop top with pants to match, long black hair, and was holding Essence by the demon cloak. She also wore two green earrings.
Saiyan Girl: "King Matthew Sergauson, so nice to finally meet you. I've been meaning to have a chat with you." I clenched my fists.
Matt: "The coroner's gonna have a nice chat with your corpse if you don't let her go." She laughed.
Saiyan Girl: "Testy, aren't we? Is this any way for royalty and elegance to react?" I charged at her.
Matt: "I thought you said you've heard of me." She laughed and swung Essence, slamming her into me as I flew toward her. I crashed into a broken table and two more guys grabbed me by my arms. One was a large gray alien with a red and black jumpsuit. The other was a large green alien wearing the same jumpsuit.
Essence: "MATTY! Let me go!" She became her demon form and her cloak morphed into scythes, swinging them at the Saiyan girl. She gave her a deadpan look and blocked the scythes with her left forearm.
Saiyan Girl: "My fight is with the king, harlot." She swung Essence in the air. "So sit down." She crashed her foot into Essence's stomach as she came back down, sending her flying through another hole in the wall and out into the open sky.
My eyes widened.
Matt: "You fucking bitch, you are so dead!" I struggled against the aliens' grip but it was no use. I haven't exactly worked training into my schedule since I've been king.
She shook her head, chuckling.
Saiyan Girl: "Aren't you supposed to be some kind of superhero, too? What kind of hero threatens murder on an innocent challenger?" I scowled at her, my muscles tensing up as I got angrier.
Matt: "Innocent?!! You destroyed my palace, attacked my girlfriend, and scared my people! In what way is that-...wait, did you say challenger?" She grinned as she walked closer to me, my mind immediately flashing back to the memory we just watched. This girl is here for my throne.
Saiyan Girl: "That's right, handsome. Kefla is the name, planetary wreckage is the game. Ya see, my friends Jiren, Flanza and I go from planet to planet conquering them and using them as the ultimate party ground. Usually we have to slaughter a bunch of people but since I happen to be two part Saiyan, I know all about the royalty challenge." Is this woman insane?
Matt: "You've been slaughtering populations across the galaxy in the name of a good party?! Have you lost your damn mind, you're giving Saiyans a bad name!" Kefla scowled at me.
Kefla: "ME?! Before Arsenal defeated Vegeta, Saiyans were a race full of pride and strength. Ever since you and your family brought down Broly and you became king, fighting is...optional. You are promoting peaceful living, going against everything our very DNA is wired for! It's absolutely disgusting and I'm ending that shit." She looked at her friends. "Let him go."
They did as she said and I immediately powered up my aura.
Matt: "You just made a huge mistake." I flew at her.
Kefla: "I'll take that as a 'challenge accepted'." She powered up too and blocked my fist with her forearm, then grabbed my wrist, hovered in the air and roundhouse kicked me across the jaw. I flew to the side but recovered in mid-air and started shooting Ki balls at her. She giggled and disappeared into thin air. My eyes widened.
Matt: "What the hell?!" She suddenly appeared in front of me and sent a hard fist into my abdomen, folding me like a lawn chair.
Kefla: "Instant Transmission. It's more of an advanced move but I would think the miiighty Saiyaman would pick it up, no problem." She put her palm across my face and fired a pink Ki blast, sending me flying away from her and through the already fragile palace walls. I tumbled through the open sky as the entire palace started to crumble. I recovered in mid-air and looked on in horror.
Matt: "No...ESSENCE!" My eyes glowed golden and I powered up in a golden aura, going Super Saiyan and flying toward the palace. Kefla stood up casually and smiled up at me.
Kefla: "Don't worry, dude, nobody is dead. Seriously injured? Sure. Paralyzed? Maybe some of them. But not dead." I gritted my teeth in fury and flew faster toward her, throwing a Masenko ball at her. She slapped it away and I slammed her into the rubble with my foot. I brought my hands together and prepared to slam her, but she brought her foot up and kicked me in the stomach, winding me enough for her to crash her left fist into my nose. I stumbled back in the air a little but flew right back at her, swinging my interlocked fists at her head. She weaved around them and flipped, her foot going into the back of my head and sending me flying away from her while she stood up.
Kefla: "I thought you were supposed to be a great fighter, too. Don't tell me the stories aren't true." She stretched quickly and took off after me, swinging her foot down onto the top of my head. I slammed into the ground, where she pressed her boot into my chest. "Has the Demon of the Galaxy gone soft?"
I gritted my teeth in fury as my aura grew larger.
SSJ Matt: "HOW DARE YOU?!" I grabbed her leg, actually managing to surprise her, and flung her high into the sky. "Gone soft?! GONE SOFT?!"
Powering up and charging after her, I launched a Super Saiyan-powered fist into her sternum, then followed up by bringing my elbow into the right side of her jaw. The wind flew out of her but before she could recover, I brought my hands together in an open palm formation and powered up orange Ki energy.
SSJ Matt: "I am still the greatest warrior in the galaxy, territories still cower at my name, the company I keep will never change that! MASENKO, HA!" I fired the beam at her, nailing her entire body in the blast. "I am SUPERIOR!"
I stopped my attack and her body sailed to the ground, a trail of smoke behind her. I quickly landed after her, powering down my aura but staying in Super Saiyan form. Cautiously, I walked toward her smoking body.
SSJ Matt: "I'm not a cruel person, regardless of what my brother might say, but this is what happens to people who hurt my people and come after my throne."
"Hahahahahaha." My eyes widened in disbelief as Kefla stood up, cracking her back and laughing like nothing had happened.
Kefla: "Did you just rename yourself, mid-battle? Wow, nobody said you were so corny." I just stared at her. Nobody has ever gotten up from a Super Maskeno before...it's supposed to be my strongest Ki move.
SSJ Matt: "But...h-how? I'm a Super Saiyan..." She laughed some more.
Kefla: "Oh, is that all? Didn't know we were still bragging about that. Here..." She powered up in a bright green and yellow aura and erupted in Super Saiyan form, her hair now lime green. "Now we're both Super Saiyans."
My jaw dropped and I started to back away slowly.
SSJ Matt: "What are you?" Her eyes glowed green and she laughed once again, her earrings seemingly glowing as well.
SSJ Kefla: "Well...I think I'm the King, now." My muscles immediately tensed up as my disbelief was replaced by pure fucking fury.
SSJ Matt: "OVER MY DEAD BODY!" I flew at her as fast as I could, putting all of my Ki energy into my right fist. If my Crimson Dragon Fist move doesn't put her down, I don't know what will.
SSJ Kefla: "Well, that's not exactly a requirement. But if you insist." She raised her foot and slammed it into my right arm, shattering the entire bone instantly and dislocating my entire shoulder as well. The pain was so great that I couldn't even cry out in pain and I dropped to the ground, clutching my arm and powering down out of Super Saiyan form.
Kefla powered down too and looked down at me.
Kefla: "You had a good run, handsome. But everybody isn't meant to be a leader, these people need a capable Saiyan." I didn't even look up at her, not wanting her to see the tears stinging the cuts on my face.
Matt: "You'll...destroy them..." She grinned.
Kefla: "Lead, destroy; same difference. Now, what was that you said earlier about a dead body?" I didn't even look up. I fucked up and stopped training so I wasn't strong enough to defend my throne...or my people. Some 'hero' I am.
She powered up a Ki blast and aimed it at me, only for a green ball of fire to crash into the back of her head. She didn't budge, instead turning around to see Essence, in her demon form, her cloak morphed into large flaming fists. Her hands and eyes were glowing with chaos magic.
Essence: "Step away from the beef cake, girlfriend. I could give a fuck about the throne but you are not killing him." Kefla laughed again.
Kefla: "You guys are the worst heroes ever! You're seriously gonna just hand me the throne for survival?" She looked down at me. "What would Arsenal think?"
I hit a nerve, for some reason. She's correct, I don't really act like a hero if I'm being honest. Kakarot usually has me there to kick ass while he does the altruistic actions. I have never even actually saved anybody...but that's not the case, this time.
Matt: "You're...not getting the throne." Kefla looked at me again, shocked.
Kefla: "You still want to fight? I'm surprised, I thought you would be smarter than that." I gritted my teeth and slowly started to get to my feet.
Matt: "If you become leader...you'll run this planet to the ground, murder...all of our people...just for a good time. I can't...I can't let that happen."
Essence: "Matty, don't! Stay down, she'll kill you!" I grinned a little.
Matt: "...For my people." I powered up into Super Saiyan form again and charged her. Essence's eyes glowed red as red smoked seeped from them.
Essence: "Transportus...New Earth!" My body started to fade away and my eyes widened.
Matt: "ESSENCE! NO, WHAT DID YOU DO?!!" She blew me a kiss.
Essence: "Being a hero, for once. Get the others, be safe. We'll be okay." She was suddenly nailed by a huge Ki blast. Kefla rolled her eyes and blew on her finger.
Kefla: "Wouldn't be so sure about that." She turned to me as I started to completely disappear. "Just so you know, this is a forfeit. Consider yourself impeached."
I clenched my fists in fury and looked her right in the eye.
Matt: "I'll be back." After that I was gone.
Kefla: "Anyways...TIME TO REDECORATE!"
Logan's POV (A few minutes earlier)
After helping Speedy brush his teeth and get into his Jetray pajamas (a gift from his Uncle Ben), I was tucking him into his bed for his afternoon nap. I tucked his blanket around his sides and kissed him on the forehead.
Logan: "Okay, Speedy, you're all set. Sleep tight and when you get up, we'll go take on some bank robbers with Uncle Ben." His eyes widened.
Victor: "Really?!! But you never let me do that! You always agree with Mommy when she says I'm too small." I raised an eyebrow. Don't tell me Logan 2 was one of those parents that doesn't let their kids do anything fun. How you shelter a kid that can pick up a bus is beyond me.
Logan: "Oh, um, your Mom and I were talking and we both agreed that you've been kicking butt during training and have enough of a handle on your powers..." I thought back to the podium situation. "...for the most part...to help us save people. That sound good?"
I held back a smile, already knowing the answer. Victor nodded excitedly.
Victor: "AWESOME! Hurry up and get outta my room, I wanna nap and wake up." I chuckled and ruffled his hair.
Logan: "Love you too, big guy." He smiled at me and turned to his side before settling off to sleep. I gently stood up and zoomed to his door at super speed, then left and slowly closed it behind me. Turning around, I jumped when I saw Marian standing there.
Marian: "What the fuck was that?" I adjusted my black jean jacket and laughed a little.
Logan: "You know, nobody's supposed to be able to sneak up on me."
Marian: "Seriously, Logan. I heard everything you said, in there. You shouldn't be telling our son you're going to take him out, looking for trouble. I thought you weren't gonna be doing that, anymore." I looked up at the ceiling as we walked down the corridor of Omni-Tower, away from Vic's room and toward the living room. I told the guys to all meet me there so I can explain what's going on.
Logan: "I actually...wanted to talk to you about that, Mare. I don't think it's the best thing for me to quit." She shot me an icy look and I gulped.
Marian: "What do you mean? You said that after we helped Trey build the core container, you'd consider stepping away from hero work." How could Logan 2 be such an idiot? Sure, this girl is pretty and all but she's not worth giving up being a frikkin' superhero.
Logan: "Yeah, I know what he-uh, I said. But with the Decimation and everything going on with that, I don't think it'd be the best look for the leader of the planet's first line of defense to take a sabbatical. Trey is around again but public opinion around him isn't exactly the most positive." Marian sighed.
Marian: "Okay sure, maybe you're right. But how long is this adjustment period going to last, Logan? The world is always in danger, there's never going to be a right time. There's gotta be a point where you decide what's really more important." We got to the living room as she finished her sentence, where Ben, Charity and Max were all sitting. Marian and I came and sat down, me sitting next to Ben and her next to Charity.
Logan: "Where are Trey and Ellie? I'm not sensing Trey's aura anywhere." Ben shrugged.
Ben: "Ellie is sleeping, she doesn't really come out during the day. Before she went to bed, though, she ordered Trey to take a mandatory break from all superhero activities. He's been going through some stuff mentally and she thinks it would be good for him. So I'm not sure where he is." I nodded. Good for Treez, he's really letting Ellie in. The two of them are admittedly kind of sweet together and I prefer them over him and Charity, if I'm being honest.
Charity: "Huh...I could never get him to do anything like that..." I rolled my eyes. This is exactly why. Back before Trey and Charity started dating, she was pretty cool. After she got a thing for Treez, all she thought about was how he thought of her. She's way better now but she sometimes still shows hints of jealousy, which is understandable given how their relationship ended.
Max: "I think it shows how much Trey has grown since you kids were thrust into this life. I'm glad Ellie is bringing that out in him." Marian glared at me.
Marian: "If only somebody would take notes." I laughed dryly.
Logan: "You're implying that Trey is more mature than me? You see what he runs around wearing, right?" Ben snickered.
Ben: "As if your Overdrive suit was any better." We all laughed and I shook my head. "Seriously though, Loges, are you really not going to do hero stuff with us, anymore?"
Everybody looked at me, including Marian, and I looked at the ground.
I really don't want to retire. I've been learning more and more about the Speed Force every day and my Codon powers are getting as strong as ever, that's the opposite of the perfect time to stop. But Marian also has a point about being a good Dad being important too. I came and snatched Logan 2's life away, the least I could do is do right by our family. Damn it, how does Trey deal with all of this?
Logan: "Well-" Before I could say anything else, a large circle of red smoke formed in the center of the living room. My eyes widened. "Guys, on your guard!"
Ben activated his Ultimatrix, Charity summoned her hellfire shotgun, Marian got into a fighting stance, and Max turned his metal arm into his energy cannon.
Ben: "We're ready on your mark, dude." He hovered his hand over his watch. I nodded.
Logan: "When I say now, that's when we beat the shit out of whatever pops up."
Charity: "Got it." The smoke got thicker and the wind started to blow as we started to make out a person in all of the smoke. A second later, I started to sense an aura that was...familiar.
Max: "Stay on your toes, kids." The smoke started to clear and the wind slowed down, revealing...Matt? His arm was incredibly broken, he was barely standing, and his clothes were shredded to pieces. But he was a Super Saiyan. He looked right at me and managed a small smirk.
Matt: "Was hoping...for Kakarot..." With that, he turned back to normal form and dropped to the ground, unconscious.
I looked at the others.
Logan: "Now." They ignored me and rushed to help him up.
End of Episode 1
There we have it, the first of three episodes down. I'm trying something new with this series and think you guys will enjoy what I have planned for Logan and Matt, as well as Victor and Marian, who will also have main character roles.Don't have plans of now for Trey to appear but there may be a cameo toward the middle or end. I've been wanting to do something like this for a while and with all the MCU shows being announced recently, it finally gave me the motivation to sit down and get this first episode finished. I'm going to TRY to have one out every Tuesday until it's finished but my life has been crazy these days so don't be mad if I can't make that happen. I'm gonna make an effort, though.
Along with this, look out for the first episode of Adrian Ecto, a Danny Phantom OC series that takes place in the Champverse, and the trailer/teaser for Season 3 of the Extraordinary Arsenal. The actual season won't start till around December because it is a Christmas-themed season but I wanna give you guys a taste as well as drop the episode list. That stuff should be coming this week too.
Last thing before we sign off. I don't know how many of you guys fancy yourself creative but I am currently taking submissions for an OC to appear in a special episode of Extraordinary Arsenal. Don't want to spoil but your OC would interact with the Infinity Force and you'd have full liberty to give me guidelines to keep your character true to your vision. If you want to submit an OC, shoot me a PM with the OC's name, species, a quick description of what they look like, their powers and any interesting character traits they have. I'll be picking winners around the start of Season 3 so if you're interested, hit me up!
That's it guys! Hope you enjoyed the episode and I really hope you guys are doing great and staying safe in the middle of what's been a wild time for the world. Be kind to each other, watch out for each other and be the heroes we need.
Okay enough inspirational stuff, I'm out guys! Peace!