Chapter 11: First Date
It's been a few days since everyone fought against Khyber and Akhos. Morale has been kind of low for some people though Pyra especially.
The Aegis thought about what Khyber said. He was right when he set up that anti-ether field. All Pyra could've done was punch him, which was useless. Because of her recklessness, she got herself paralyzed, and Rex, thanks to their connection. Both of them would be dead if he were aiming to kill them.
'Am I useless?' Pyra thought depressingly. She is, isn't she? Compared to Mythra, she was weaker, and Rex was definitely stronger than her. What can she even give Rex? Funny, She's supposed to be the Aegis, yet she's weaker than her Driver.
As Pyra sits off in the distance, looking at her tea, dejected, she doesn't realize she is being watched by her Driver, who thankfully recovered.
'Pyra,' Rex thought in worry seeing his girlfriend sad. He didn't know what was wrong with her, but he wasn't going to let that stop him from comforting her. How, though?
'Maybe a date?' Despite making their relationship official, they haven't gone out on a date yet. But what should they even do?
An idea struck Rex, and he went off in the distance, grabbed his Omni-plate, and looked at the weather conditions in Uraya. A small smile forms on his face as he likes what he sees.
"Now we just need some good food. But I can't ask Pyra to make it. I want it to be a surprise." Rex murmured. A second pass and Rex looks down at the Omnitrix. "Guess I'm gonna need your help, chef Brainstorm," Rex says as he activates the Omnitrix and slams down on it.
In a flash of light, in Rex's place was a light orange krabble-like creature with the Omnitrix symbol on its chest and a huge head with six legs and two large pincers for hands.
"Brainstorm!"
Omnitrix Database
Species: Cerebrocrustacean (Brainstorm)
Homeworld: Encephalonus Ⅳ
Powers and abilities: Accelerated calculations, sharp pincers, technokinesis, electrokinesis, electric force fields, wall scaling, web scaling, cold resistance, underwater breathing, levitation, enhanced intelligence, strength, durability, agility, dexterity and acrobatics.
Description: One of the most intelligent species in the milky way galaxy next to their rivals, the galvans. These crab aliens possess high levels of intellect due to their big brains and said brains are most commonly capable of using electricity. A huge ego also backs up their intelligence as they take great pride in their IQ, so they use unnecessary words to sound smarter.
Weakness: sound-based attacks and their own ego
Fun fact: Rex's Brainstorm form has an IQ point of 1 nonillion (that's 30 zeros) though his galvan form is still smarter.
"Ah, now that I possess the sufficient intelligence to plan the perfect outing between mates. I shall now only need to use the station for the purpose of using raw materials for consumption." the Alien arrogantly declared with a mighty huff while walking away.
Then he places a pincer under his chin in thought. "I may also require the special activities needed for the said special event. My chosen partner would most definitely appreciate it. I shall see my fellow scientist, albeit a perverted maid fetish one, for one of his special books on what to do for an event." Brainstorm then takes a detour to Tora since he knows the Nopon has to have some kind of book about dates.
Tomorrow night
"R-R-Rex, are you sure this is safe? And where are we even going?" Pyra nervously asks for good reason.
Currently, the girl was blindfolded while riding on Rex's hoverboard, which Upgrade now possessed. Normally, it would be dangerous, but Upgrade added some handrails for Pyra to grab onto so she doesn't fall off. He also created a special handle to hold the large basket he brought on their date.
"Yeah, Pyra, don't worry, just trust me, it's going to be a surprise," Upgrade reassures as he sees his designation.
Landing on the ground, Pyra was about to take off her Blindfold until Upgrade shouted. "Wait! Not yet, just give me a minute!"
Unable to see anything, Pyra heard some rustling of a blanket and some things being set down.
'What do you think he's even doing? I was just going to have dinner.' Pyra asks Mythra
'I don't know, but he better have a good reason. I feel your hunger, too, and we're starving right now,' Mythra grumbles, annoyed and hungry at being dragged away from their meal.
"Okay, take off your blindfold now!"
Hearing permission, Pyra removes the blindfold and opens her eyes to the scene in front of her. What she saw... blew her mind. Both she and Rex were standing on the crown of a large hill. As the moonlight reflected, a small pond of crystal clear water glittered like sapphires in the middle of the hilltop.
The grass surrounding the pond was the brightest shade of green Pyra had ever seen, even with Mythra's memories. Small little droplets of water clinging onto the grass made it shine even brighter.
Then the trees. Oh, the saffronia trees. Pyra had never thought this type of scenery was possible beyond what her father could imagine. Each petal of the saffronia glowed with the moonlight igniting the inside of Urayan titan with light that gave it the illusion that somehow night and day coexisted simultaneously.
The beauty was so much for Pyra that her eyes turned glassy at the miracle sight right before her. Before she could let out tears at the magnificent scenery, she saw Rex. Her beloved was on his knees on top of a small blanket with that large basket underneath a saffronia tree. The glowing petals enhanced his bright golden eyes that looked at her with love and care.
Pyra couldn't muster any words from her mouth seeing all this happening at once. But Rex's voice snapped her out of her trance.
"Welcome to Dragon's Whiskers, Pyra." Rex softly said, smiling as he welcomed her to the location.
Slowly Rex brought out a small sandwich from the basket that smelled heavenly to Pyra, even from her distance. The wielder of the Omnitrix then pats down on his lap, "c'mon, lay down your head here." He happily encouraged.
"Ehhhhhhh!" Pyra shrieks while blushing bright red at what Rex said.
"R-R-R-Rex w-wh-what i-is this!?"
Rex tilts his head at her question. "It's our first date, and I wanted it to be something special I planned this since yesterday."
"DATE!?"
Pyra started fidgeting like crazy while her head was steaming from the word date. "I-I'm not ready for a date! Oh no, is my hair horrible?! Should I have worn makeup?! What about my clothes?! I should be wearing a dress. I didn't know this was a date!" swirls were forming in her eyes as she wobbled her head back and forth.
Rex chuckles at how cute his girlfriend looks when she is panicking. "Nah, don't worry. I mean, I'm wearing my salvager gear for our date. Besides, it's what I wore when I first met you, so come on, lay your head here and enjoy!" Rex cheerfully shouted.
Her mind was still in a daze. All Pyra could do was automatically listen to Rex and lay down in his lap. It took a few seconds for Pyra to gather her mind. But when she did, she saw Rex's smiling face beaming down on her with the sandwich over her.
Now with her face far surpassing the redness of her hair and eyes, all Pyra managed to do was shyly squeak out. "Rex… what is this?"
"Oh, it's called hand-feeding! I read it's what couples do if they really like each other!" he excitedly pointed out, oblivious to one fact.
'It's usually the girl who does it to the guy Rex!' Pyra mentally wailed at Rex's innocence about the action.
Nevertheless, Pyra slowly opened her mouth to receive the food since she was hungry. When she first bit into the sandwich, her taste buds exploded from the sheer flavour of the food. The sandwich had crab cooked and then chilled at the perfect temperature with all the right seasonings. Not to mention the veggies, the tomato and lettuce were some of the freshest Pyra's ever eaten. She's never tasted such good veggies, even from vegetarian dishes. And the best thing about the sandwich? The sauce! The sauce was some kind of sweet tar-tar sauce that somehow blended with the savoury crab, and the flavours didn't clash! They actually enhanced each other.
"Oooooh." the sheer delicious flavour made Pyra unconsciously moan as she chewed and savoured every bite letting the food roll off her tongue.
'Stop moaning. It's embarrassing!' Mythra inwardly shouted at her sister's totally not lewd behaviour. A couple of seconds pass then she awkwardly asks. 'And I want to eat some too… so, switch, c'mon, you know I love crab!' Mythra begged her sister.
'Uhhh. Maybe next time?' Pyra half replied, half still focusing on the food. 'It's my date after all,' she unconsciously snarked at her sister to keep having this special moment with Rex.
'Pyra, you- you #####!' Mythra swore at her sister for not letting her have this moment with Rex too.
Pyra then tuned out her sister's constant swearing as she continued eating. When she took the last bite, all Pyra could do was groan in disappointment at the loss of the sandwich.
Pyra opens her eyes to the sound of liquid being poured. She saw Rex take out a small drink container and pour it into a cup. He then took a few ice cubes into the cup and presented it to her.
"Now you're probably thirsty after eating, right? So, here you go!"
Not wanting to spill the drink, Pyra gets up from the lap pillow and takes the cup. Slowly sipping the cup, her taste buds again exploded at the flavour. It was a jenerossi tea. An ice jenerossi tea that was sweeter than normal. But the cool drink perfectly complimented the sweetness of the tea.
Nervously gulping down the tea, Pyra nervously asks with a slight undertone of excitement. "Rex, what else is there?"
Rex looked at the basket while listing off everything they would have tonight. "Oh, you know, grilled marinated armu steak with a peppercorn sauce. Tangy vinaigrette mixed green salad before that. And for dessert, a chocolate strawberry lava cake with vanilla ice cream!" he excitedly said, thinking he was a genius for making containers that can retain the heat and cold of the foods for several days as Brainstorm. At the same time, using the brainy alien to find the perfect combinations of flavours.
'OH, FATHER, HELP ME!' Pyra prayed.
'NO FAIR, DAD. WHERE'S THE JUSTICE IN THIS!?' Mythra curses at the Architect for not being able to eat all the food made by Rex that Pyra was going to enjoy.
40 minutes later
After the very, very delicious full-course meal, Pyra lay her head against Rex's shoulder while laying back on the tree bark. Sighing contentment, Pyra nuzzled into the feeling of Rex's warmth with a full belly.
"I had no idea you could cook that well, Rex," Pyra said, still in bliss from the picnic dinner with her boyfriend.
Rex lets out a nervous chuckle at that. "Well, not 'me.' More like one of my other forms has more knowledge in the culinary arts, so I cheated a bit." He admitted.
"Still, it was the best thing I've ever eaten in my life. Thank you, Rex," Pyra said before leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek.
Blushing a bit from the show of affection, Rex wraps one of his hands around Pyra's waist to pull her closer, making Pyra heat up too. Feeling that Pyra was more comfortable, he decided to take the first step.
"Are you feeling better now, Pyra?"
Pyra blinks at that. "Yes. Why wouldn't I be okay?" she just had the most amazing meal ever, so why wouldn't she be fine?
Rex looks at her in concern. "You've been sad the last couple of days. What's wrong?" Seeing Pyra sad made his heartache.
A flash of pain appeared on Pyra's face as she scooted a bit closer to him. Averting her eyes in shame, she asks uncertainly. "Rex, am I holding you back?"
"Huh?!" Rex exclaims in confusion at Pyra's question. "Why would you think that?!" seriously, what made Pyra have that kind of thought?!
"What that guy Khyber said was true. He shut down everyone's powers except for you, and because of my recklessness, you got paralyzed." she sighed in despair at her failure as she brought her hand to her missing core. "If I didn't weigh you down, you might have won. I'm just a huge weight. You have to carr-OW!"
She yelped in pain as Rex placed both his hands on her cheeks and pinched them while pulling them apart. Despite feeling the pain, he kept up the pressure and ensured Pyra got the message with a stern look on his face.
"Reessh it huwts stowp!" Pyra cries out in slight pain from Rex's treatment of her. She thought Rex said he would protect her, so what's he doing?!
A minute passes, and Rex lets go and watch Pyra nurse her cheeks. Before she could yell at him for what was that for, he pulled her into a hug.
"Don't ever think you're a burden to me, Pyra," he said sternly, making her shut up. Breaking the hug. Rex raises his hand to the crystal she gave to him, and he continues. "You saved my life back on the ancient ship, and I owe you my life for that."
"But you died because of m-" Pyra tried to protest.
"No" Rex interuppted again. "I died because I let my guard down. And that wasn't the only time you saved me." he lifts his shirt to show some burn marks on his chest that haven't fully healed. "When that worm and I fought, it overpowered me underground. And its acid would've probably killed me had you not blasted that fireball at it."
"Nia healed you though an-"
"She did heal me, yes, but you burned the acid off and let me tell you this. It stung like hell." Rex grimaces at the memory of the painful acid. "Pyra, you not only helped me physically but mentally too." A sad look made its way onto his face before smiling at her as he raised the Omnitrix. "Pyra, the time I spent with you, although short, was probably the happiest I've ever been. Sure this thing made me a hero, but there are a lot of skeletons in my closet that still scar me to this day. But meeting you made me forget about them, even for a bit."
Rex then placed his hands on her shoulders and said one last thing. "I don't think I've ever met someone as amazing as you are. You're the kindest girl I've ever met. I'm blessed to be your Driver anyone would be. And I'm glad you bonded with me, of all people. Thank you."
It took a moment for Pyra to process all of Rex's words, but when she did, tears were leaking out of her eyes as her life flashed in front of her eyes. She began thinking back to when she was born from Mythra and how Addam denied her existence by sealing her away with everyone else agreeing with him. She was denied to exist the moment she was born. In time, she also came to deny her own existence.
Pyra never received any praise from Addam. She wasn't allowed to feel the true bond of a Driver and Blade. All she could do was smile and nod like everything was fine when deep down, she cried in anguish at not being accepted by anyone. Her only source of comfort was Mythra, but even her sister didn't help with the overwhelming rejection from Addam.
But now? Now she was receiving praise from her Driver. She was receiving the love and affection that any girl would dream of from their special someone. Rex's sheer emotions made her feel safe, and if she had to wait another 500 years to meet him again, she would because he was that worth it.
Tears streaked down Pyra's as she sobbed out with a smile. "You're such a dummy, Rex. You can't tell all of that to a girl at once."
Rex scratches the back of his head nervously. "S-sorry, just said what came out of my mouth naturally. But I'm not taking it back, not ev-mph?!"
Not Rex was interrupted by Pyra, who smashed her lips against his. The redhead was being extremely aggressive as she forced her tongue down his throat. Her hands were also daring as she took her chance to try to remove Rex's salvager outfit. When she started to lift his tank top off, she was thrown back by Rex pushing her.
"What are you doing!?" Rex yelps in embarrassment, trying to put his clothes back on.
Pyra then realized what she was about to do and laughed a bit. "I guess I went too fast, huh?"
"Yeah, you kinda did," Rex replied while blushing and trying to calm something down his pants. "Look, it's our first date. Let's do that when we know each other better and maybe when I'm a little older too."
"Yeah, sorry, make sense," Pyra admitted while chastising herself for going too far. Though deep down, she's a bit disappointed she'll have to wait for probably a few years down the line for that.
They both began packing up and set course for Garfont village.
Garfont village
After arriving back at Garfont, Pyra came out of the baths to calm herself down from the rollercoaster of emotions that was her date with Rex. Letting her fire dry her off, she made her way to Rex's tent since he requested her to stay with him since she helps him sleep at night.
"Oi, there you are. Pyra didn't see you or Rex at dinner. Where were you guys?"
Turning around, Pyra saw Nia drying off one of her wet cat ears with a towel, showing she came out of the baths right after Pyra.
Pyra nervously twirls, one of her hairs flustered as she explains where they were. "Oh, Rex took me out on a date. Sorry if we worried you guys."
Nia's eyes darkened a bit which Pyra took notice of. "Oh, a date. Did you have fun?"
Pyra frowns, seeing Nia's upset expression. She suspected it, but this confirmed it Nia liked Rex too. Now how was she supposed to deal with this? Suddenly an idea popped into Pyra's mind. Polygamy was still legal in Alrest, right? That hasn't changed in 500 years, has it? Whether it's altered or not didn't affect what Pyra was going to say, though.
"I don't mind sharing Rex with you."
"You wot?"
Pyra held both of Nia's hands with her own. "I said I don't mind sharing Rex with you. I know you like him too, and polygamy is still legal, isn't it?" Nia nods which makes Pyra relieved. "I don't think I can also give Rex a family, but you can… wait, sorry that came out wrong!" Pyra yelled, fully realizing what she had said.
Nia giggles at that and shakes her head. "I don't know how I fully feel about him yet. Maybe it's a crush or genuine love. I don't know. Give me some time to think about it." she then gives Pyra a catty grin before continuing, "Just don't stab us in the backs after all that, though."
Pyra looked confused at Nia's words. "How would I do that? I don't have a knife."
"Pfft!" Nia bit her hand to stop herself from bursting out with laughter. She quickly runs out, leaving a very confused Pyra.
'Oh, well, better get some sleep. We're heading to Fonsa Myma tomorrow. Then we'll leave Uruaya the day after.'
With Akhos and Malos
"YOU WANT US TO WHAT?!" Malos yells in rage at Akhos's plan.
"We're not fighting the Driver of the Aegis. All we need is the Blade, so we need is a way to separate them."
Malos snarls as he lifts Sever's weapon, ready to give Akhos a lesson. "Screw that plan! I want that freak dead beneath my feet the next time I see him. And what happened to him not being a threat?! Huh!"
Akhos sweats, looking at Malos, ready to kill him. Oh, why couldn't he partner with Jin or his sister? Heck, he wouldn't even mind Mikhail at this point. But one thing that confused the tactician was those things that easily beat the Aegis and her Driver so easily.
'Just what's happening in Alrest right now?'
Yeah, there's not much fighting action in this chapter, but in one or two more chapters, we're going to get some action.
This chapter mainly focused on the romance side of the story, and I hope I did it well. I wouldn't know how a date works. I've never had a girlfriend, so sorry if it's cringy.
Question time!
Guest: few problems with that one, the anti ether device Khyber has and two, some predators are really strong, like Tyrannopede, who's stronger than Humungousaur. So even if Blades don't have natural predators, the predator aliens are still tough to take down.
Temporal King: yeah, it's back. I'll try to write the harem as best as possible, but managing so many girls is challenging. I'm having trouble with just Pyra, Mythra and Nia. But hey, I'll still do it.
Malware is a corrupt version of Upgrade and another one of my favourite Ben 10 villains. His power is to take over tech, improve it and make it a part of himself.
RedburningDragon: The anti-ether field will kind of work on Saber. He can't draw any ether from the atmosphere but can turn his stamina into a substitute for ether. It's in his Omnitrix database.
