Stepping out of the portal that immediately closed behind them, Ben and Jen soon found themselves at a large gate. Beyond which, lay a vast bustling city with a large castle looming over the horizon.
"Whoa," Jen said. "'We are definitely not in Bellwood anymore."
"No kidding."
That was when they saw Caitlyn step towards them with a kind smile and a slight clang on the ground from her prosthetic leg.
"Welcome to Cinnibar City, Ben and Jen Tennyson."
"Caitlyn," Ben remembered. You're the sheriff."
"Keeping the streets clean of crime is my purpose here. Now on to business. You two must report to the castle immediately. You will find out why you're here once you get there."
"Of course," Ben and Jen said.
"Can't keep Scarlett waiting."
The twins immediately set off down the road towards the castle, leaving Caitlyn behind. On their way there, the twins looked on at the various businesses housed in the city. Restaurants, malls, shops, everything you would expect to find in a modern city. But shortly away from the castle, there was a large Colosseum where several people were entering and watching the various battle events that were taking place there.
"A Colosseum? Seriously?" Jen asked. "This girl really takes the whole warrior thing seriously."
"What do you think we're in for?"
They stepped into the castle courtyard where several royal guards held their spears at attention and led the path to the doorway with a woman with long black hair and a nice black dress stood at the doorway with a calm look as the twins stepped forwards to her.
"I am Colette, the steward of Cinnibar Castle," she stated. "I take care of all the orders and jobs around the castle."
"I thought that Scarlett was in charge of everything around here?" Ben asked.
"The Queen is indeed," Colette said. "However, when it comes to the busy work around this castle, I'm in charge of keeping the maids in line."
"Good to know," Jen smiled as Colette opened the door for the pair as they entered the main foyer where several of the main members of the Scarlet Army were currently assembled as they lined up to the throne and some took their places beside the twins as Ben and Jen looked on, a bit excited for what was about to happen.
"Bow before our Queen," Bayonetta ordered as everyone took a knee and bowed.
Ben and Jen looked confused before Korra nudged Jen's knee and the twins immediately got the memo and then decided to kneel on one knee as the twins looked up and Scarlett stepped into the foyer, clad in her beautiful vermillion royal gown and her crown, adorned with jewels of all sorts, looking nothing short of drop dead gorgeous with her nose raised and she took her seat on her throne on the steps in the foyer and the warrior queen smiled on at them.
"No formalities between friends," Scarlett said with a casual wave of her hand. "You may stand."
Everyone, including the twins stood up with a smile as Scarlett crossed her legs.
"Now with the new situation with Vilgax and the twins' evil clones having the Ultimatrixes, we have much to do over the next three weeks," Scarlett told her soldiers. "The rest of you are dismissed for now. Right now, my business is solely with the twins."
"At once, Your Majesty," Kratos said with a bow as he took his leave and Scarlett looked on at the twins with a serious look on her face as she got up from her throne and stepped down to their level.
"Hey, Scarlett," Jen said with a sigh as the young woman looked down at the two heroes.
"I'd know that look anywhere. You've lost your confidence, Ben and Jen Tennyson," Scarlett noted to the dejected-looking twins. "I hope you can find it again... working with me."
"Huh?" the twins chorused.
"We start tomorrow," the warrior queen told the twins in front of her.
"What, like training?" Ben asked.
"No, baking cookies," Scarlett said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"No need to be like that," Jen said as Scarlett folded her arms and the twins looked at each other.
The warrior queen looked on at her new apprentices from her throne and Ben looked on at her with a heavy sigh.
"Look, Scarlett. Everyone always tells me how great a hero I am and how proud they are of me. But the truth is, everything I touch turns to shit," Ben said, angry at himself.
"Ben-" Jen began.
"No. It seems like every time we show up anywhere, the situation always escalates just because we're there. Maybe it's our duty as heroes, but do we really make things better?"
"Maybe not at first, but it always works out in the end," Jen acknowledged. "We and the others have helped so many people both human and alien over the past few years. But this is beyond anything we've faced before."
"And that's exactly why you two need my training for the next three weeks," Scarlett nodded. "But be warned. I am going to break you two apart and put you back together in a completely different way. And we're getting started first thing in the morning."
"I don't know about this," Ben sighed. "But I guess it couldn't hurt."
Scarlett smiled and then stuck her hand out as both twins felt a force pulling them as Scarlett used her telekinesis to force the two to face each other before letting go.
"Now, Ben and Jen Tennyson which one of you is staring at the better hero?"
"He is," Jen said, pointing at Ben.
"She is," Ben said, pointing at Jen confidently.
"We'll find out tomorrow," Scarlett decided before turning to go to her room.
"So is this going to be classic military training or what?" Jen asked as Scarlett stopped in her tracks and gave a deadpan stare.
"Military?" she asked, not showing any emotion.
"Yeah," Ben started. "I mean, isn't that kind of what you guys do around here?"
Scarlett strutted over to the twins and cupped two fingers around Ben's chin with a serious look on her face.
"Let me tell you a little something so you're a little prepared for what's to come, darling," Scarlett said, not smiling. "Your world's military is kindergarten compared to what I have in mind for you two."
The twins only gulped harshly at that statement Scarlett turned around and walked away to her room.
"We never said that we wanted your training," Jen said as Scarlett briefly stopped and didn't even look back.
"It may not be what you want," Scarlett concluded, barely audible. "But it's what you need."
And with that, Scarlett left with a toss of her long golden locks as the twins turned to each other and walked to the guest room.
"She may be right," Ben said. "We're facing a threat at a level beyond that which we've ever prepared for. Maybe special training from somebody like Scarlett is exactly what we need to get us to the top level."
"Maybe. But this is Scarlett we're talking about," Jen reminded. "From what Sofia told us, her cousin training her to be a warrior was the hardest thing she's ever done."
"And look how she turned out. She's an amazing warrior now. Scarlett only wants to make us better prepared for this and anything else of this level we may face in the future. She clearly knows what she's doing."
"I hope so," Jen said, feeling at herself. "Oh, my poor muscles will be shot by tomorrow night."
"I'm sure."
In the prison cells on Vilgax's ship, the twins' loved ones were sitting around with a sigh and a longing look as said evil warlord walked by with a smug look on his face.
"So," Kevin spat. "What's gonna stop you from killing us now and then going after the twins when they're at their weakest?"
"I know that Scarlett and every single other authority in the universe will then be after my head. So, I'll give them a chance in a duel to the death with their clones. And they will fall."
"They underestimated Albedo and Alexia," Gwen said. "Knowing the twins like I do, they're not going to make the same mistake twice."
"Oh, I'm counting on it. But no matter what they do, their alien forms will never be a match for their Ultimate forms. They are far too superior to anything they have in their arsenal."
Vilgax walked away, satisfied with his seemingly inevitable victory.
"They'll find a way," Becky stated, hugging a downtrodden Sandra's back. "They have to. They always do."
"Your kids will be okay," Julie said to Sandra and Carl.
"I know, Julie," Sandra said. "But I'm a mother. I'll always worry about them even when they get old. Please."
"They know what they're doing, Sandra," Carl said. "They may be at a huge disadvantage now, but they'll still find a way to save the universe they way they always do."
"I hope so, honey. I hope so."
"So," Justin said to Ally as she chopped up ingredients in the kitchen section of the cell (Alexia had tried her best to provide them with all the comforts of their home because they knew they would be in there awhile.) "I heard that you're going to try out for Cutthroat Kitchen next month."
"Yes. And I'm a superhero too. I've gone through so much worse than whatever sabotages they have in mind on this show," Ally said as she put the mirepoix ingredients into the pan and started sautéing. "My pride, reputation and dignity is on the line. So I'm going to see if I can get through this without bidding at all."
"You sure you can do it? You've never cooked like that before," Julie said.
"I've got to try," Ally stated plainly.
"It's your call."
Scarlett looked at the twins in green and pink before her and examined them up and down as they stood in her garden at the attention as she snapped her fingers and some of the most powerful warriors in the Scarlet Army marched up behind her as she looked at them.
"You are mighty heroes indeed, Ben and Jen Tennyson. But clearly you were bested by your own selves," she said as she looked to her right to see Drake Flame standing on the mountain behind her and he gave her a confirming nod, which she returned. "I cannot train you the way I trained my past apprentices. I see now that you must advance through the levels."
"Meaning what?" Ben asked.
"Here's how your training is going to work for when you fight Vilgax and Albedo and Alexia," Scarlett said. "Aside from the regular constant exercises, you two are going to spend the next three weeks fighting in a tournament of sorts. There are ten levels in all to go through. In each level, you will fight in Cinnibar Colosseum against a different warrior from my army. Each with their own unique abilities, powers and weapons. When you defeat them, you will increase a level until you reach Level 10. For every level you make, my warriors will only get faster, smarter, stronger and more skilled. The battlefield's layout and environment will be different for every battle you face, making it harder to come up with a strategy."
"But there is a twist," Korra added.
"What twist would that be?" Jen asked, concerned.
"You're each going to be advancing through the levels... on your own," Scarlett said. "You won't be able to rely on your twin for help this time. I'm training you to test just how well you can fight on your own. Of course, you'll be together again when you reach the final level of this test."
"Why?" Ben aksed.
"That will be explained later."
"Okay," Jen nodded. "We'll prepare accordingly?"
"Prepare?" Scarlett asked, starting to get mad. "Prepare?! You'd prepare to go on a date! You'd prepare dinner! You'd prepare to go on vacation! You do not prepare to go into battle! You're already prepared! You don't let the enemy come to you! You go to your enemy! Do I make myself clear?!"
"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" Ben and Jen chorused.
"Excellent. Your first exercise begins at 1700 hours tonight," Scarlett reported. "Oh, and I will be engaging you two in my usual training exercises as well when you're not fighting my best warriors. Dismissed."
The twins gave a soldier's salute and retreated to their guest rooms in the castle.
As her soldiers dispersed, Scarlett's boyfriend, the Cobalt Warrior, and her best friend, the Emerald Warrior appeared and to them and looked at their red-clothed colleague.
"Are you sure this is the best course of action for them, babe?" Cobalt asked.
"Honey," Scarlett said. "It's the only course of action there is. Vilgax, Albedo and Alexia are too strong. In their current state of mind, body and soul, there is no chance of their success. They'll die and so will all their loved ones."
"Maybe you're right," Emerald told her best friend, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We're just making sure you're making the right choice."
"I've got no choice," Scarlett said. "With those Ultimatrixes in the enemy's hands, the only chance they have of defeating their enemies is for me to completely take them apart and put them back together in a different way."
That night, the twins stood in the Colosseum as Scarlett sat on her throne in the rafters above as she smiled as she looked at the twins on the sandy ground below her.
"Okay,
"Your first exercise... hunting," Scarlett said. "Ben, you will be facing... Caitlyn!"
The doors opened and the huge doors on one side opened to reveal the sheriff holding her top hat with a stern look as she walked out and faced Ben, who showed no emotion to her.
"I'll throw you a bone. You don't have to defeat me," Caitlyn said to Ben. "You just have to find me before my rifle kills you."
"You're going to try to kill me?"
"In a sense. It's only a simulation, but all the pain is real."
Scarlett looked on as she pressed her badge.
"Lucy, activate simulation."
"At once, Queen Scarlett," Cinnibar's A.I., Lucy said as Ben and Caitlyn suddenly vanished.
"Jen," Scarlett stated. "You will be facing one of my newest recruits, Fenyx."
The doors on the other side opened up to reveal the Greek demigod Fenyx, who used her wings to fly out and face Jen, spinning her sword with a smile to Jen.
"So, ready to kick my butt?"
"You know it."
Lucy then set their battlefield and they vanished as well.
The screen split on the Coliseum's Jumbotron and the audience looked on.
Ben suddenly appeared in a lush jungle landscape as he looked around and then suddenly shot to the side as a bullet suddenly embedded in the tree next to him as he suddenly took off in a pace as the bullets pierced the trees around him as he suddenly shot behind a large tree and panted to himself as he looked up and saw a purple and yellow drone suddenly fly in front of him.
Ben braced himself for impact when the projection showed an image of Caitlyn in the same kind of landscape.
"Sorry, Ben. But none of us were ever going to take it easy on you. You and your sister need to be pushed to your absolute limits."
"Okay, what's your game?"
"Up close and personal isn't my fighting style," Cailtyn explained. "I'm a sniper, so you know. I keep my distance and the enemies always fall. Your challenge is simply to find me. I've studied tons and tons of different sniping techniques. Always keep yourself covered. Cover all bases. Be polite, be efficient, always have a plan to kill everyone you meet."
"You don't scare me."
"Perhaps. But in this landscape, there's tons of cover for one like me. I can move from place to place and you won't notice. And as soon as you think you've found me, boom. Headshot. I could be anywhere. Even right behind you. Good luck."
The camera turned off and the drone flew away as Ben looked around and quickly adjusted his Omnitrix as he transformed into Wildmutt and the Vulpimancer started sniffing around, sniffing the bullet holes to pick up Caitlyn's scent.
In a far off area, Caitlyn was lying on her stomach with her rifle aimed carefully with the scopes on her hat all aimed forwards as she breathed heavily as she spied on Wildmutt sniffing around, trying to get her scent.
"I see what you're doing, pup. Let's see if you can avoid my bullets fast enough to find me."
Picking up a peculiar scent from the bullets, Wildmutt perked up and started sniffing the ground to pick up a trail. It was at that moment that the bullets started raining down. He quickly dodged into a clearing and fingered the Omnitrix symbol on his chest and pressed if down.
"You can't hide from me that easily," the Sheriff of Cinnibar City said as she quickly reloaded her rifle and saw Wildmutt sniffing as the smell grew stronger and stronger.
"Gotcha." Caitlyn smirked and then aimed through her scope right for the forehead. "Meet the long gun of the law."
She fired and the camera zoomed in on the sniper bullet as it sailed through the air before embedding itself in the Vulpimancer's skull... and then he vanished in green light.
"Huh?"
"Got you," a mechanical voice stated as Caitlyn yelped as she leaped up and stared at the Sonorosian before her.
"How did you-" she started as Echo Echo transformed back and smiled at her.
"Once I got your scent, I transformed into Echo Echo and then split myself into two. I had my clone transform into Wildmutt and then sent him after you to get the heat off me while I took the separate path to find you."
"Game of deception. I can't believe I fell into that trap," Caitlyn chuckled. "Congratulations, Ben. You have passed my challenge."
Ben bowed as he and Cailtyn were transported back into the Coliseum with a roaring applause.
"Well done, Ben," Scarlett smiled. "Now let's see how your sister does against Fenyx."
Jen was beamed in front of a large fort on top of a hill. She looked up and saw tons of golden glowing arrows flying from the windows towards her at super fast speeds.
"Crap!"
She slid across the ground and hid behind a rock.
"If I can get close enough, her arrows can't hit me and I can get the jump on her from inside the fort."
She summoned a mana shield around her arm that blocked the arrows and made her way to the front door and the arrows suddenly stopped.
"What's the matter, Fenyx?!" Jen shouted. "Out of ammo?"
"You're welcome to come inside and see for yourself!"
Jen obeyed burst through the doors and found that the fort was stocked from top to bottom with weaponry. She grabbed a sword and a bow and holstered them onto her belt and back before tons of other arrows flew through the sky and she quickly transformed into AeroForce and flew around to avoid the arrows before two hit her in the shoulder and she quickly perched on one of the fort's windows with a pant.
"How did Fenyx get outside so quickly?" AeroForce wondered as Fenyx smirked and landed on an opposite window of the castle, her wings folded up behind her with a smile.
"I was never inside," Fenyx explained. "I fired my arrows right through the windows. I've battled plenty of times here since Scarlett recruited me."
AeroForce quickly and silently flew out of her window and angled around the fort.
"I'm a daughter of Zeus, Jen. If only you could figure out a demigod's game."
"I should know!" AeroForce shouted as she fired a powerful gale from her wings that blasted right into the warrior, sending her splat against the wall as she unsheathed Atalanta's axe and AeroForce dodged the powerful swipes from her and morphed into VLOCT.
Fenyx swiped her sword and was bashed several times from the Kineceleran's speedy jabs as she then grabbed her shield and tossed it into the air before she smacked it with her own axe, sending out an energy wave that sent VLOCT skidding to the ground in front of a rope as she transformed back into Jen and Fenyx smirked as she walked up to her with her axe drawn.
Jen quickly examined the rope and her eyes followed it over to a large shield that, if she got the angle right...
"You put up a great fight, Jen. But the fight is over."
"Yes," Jen said as she fingered the blade around her back. "It is."
She then used the sword to slice the rope and it sent the shield flying straight into a ton of weapons that were sent scattering into the air and the weapons flew up and rained down above Fenyx.
"Oh, fu..."
The blades instantly hit the demigod and they flashed back to the Colosseum where Jen hugged Ben as Fenyx got up and applauded.
"They're both clever fighters," Fenyx said. "Completely unorthodox in their techniques."
"I know," Scarlett said as she stood up from her throne. "I like that."
Scarlett walked down to the sand-covered ground and applauded.
"We continue our training tomorrow. Be ready."
Everyone then left the Colosseum and went back to their homes, leaving Ben and Jen panting tiredly from what they had just been through.
Soon after the twins defeated Caitlyn and Fenyx, Jen sat in her guest room, looking up at the ceiling with a sharp sigh to herself. She couldn't sleep at all due to the thoughts in her head.
She got up and looked herself in the full body mirror and her eyes drew open as she saw she was already putting on more muscle from the training Scarlett was putting her through.
She got up and set off to explore the castle, eventually moving up to the royal study, where she spied her new mentor sitting at her desk and she spotted the warrior queen's hands and saw them visibly shaking before her eyes and Scarlett drew a sharp breath as she grasped them into fists and exhaled.
"Keep it together, girl," Scarlett muttered to herself.
"Do you have PTSD?" Jen asked as Scarlett turned her head and sighed, not even slightly surprised Jen was standing there.
"No fooling you, is there?" Scarlett smiled, rubbing Jen's head. "That, unfortunately, is the case."
"Wow. How bad?"
"It's pretty severe. Nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety attacks," Scarlett admitted. "When you've been a part of as many battles and wars as I have, this kind of disability tends to happen."
Scarlett slightly pulled up her T-Shirt to show the clearly visible vertical scar passing right through her stomach and a matching scar across the small of her back, indicating that she was stabbed right through the stomach.
"But one of your magic powers is a healing factor, right?"
"I have an accelerated healing factor. Not a regenerative one," Scarlett answered. "If a limb of mine was cut off, it would stay off. And clearly, a healing factor doesn't do anything for the mind."
"How do you get through this when you're still a Protector?"
"I've learned to use protecting the multiverse as a coping mechanism if nothing else," Scarlett said with a sigh as she stretch. "Get to bed. It's not gong to get any easier tomorrow."
Back in the Colosseum, Scarlett once again sat on her throne and wordlessly clapped her hands, the doors opening to reveal Ben's next opponent: a 16-year-old German-American girl with long blonde hair in a ponytail, a buff yet petite physique and she wore beautiful red and golden with spiked gloves and boots and her weapons sheathed in several sections of the belt as Ben rolled his eyes and the girl played it up for the cheers and applause as she walked out and faced Ben with a surprised look on her own face.
"Sasha Waybright," Ben acknowledged, not even feigning surprise at his opponent.
"Ben Tennyson? Great to see you."
"You know her?" Princess Sofia asked Jen on the sidelines, shocked.
"Yeah, um, she's a first cousin of my good friend Simone Nesmith back home," Jen said. "We haven't spoke in a while."
"This is where you've been?"
"Only very recently," Sasha said. "I was a soldier for a toad army in another dimension called Amphibia, but when the multiverse opened up for all, me and my friends were recruited for a bigger hero alliance. But don't expect me to go easy on you either. Trust me, I'm as loyal to Scarlett as they come."
"Let's do it," Ben said as they were transported into a grassland area and Sasha drew her sword with a smirk.
"Ready?"
"Not just yet," Ben said as he transformed into Diamondhead and cracked his knuckles. "Now I'm ready."
Sasha smirked before lunging forwards with a powerful strike, clashing against Diamondhead's blade arms with her quick and powerful strikes, dodging his own strikes with swift accuracy before she shouted out and leaped up, wrapping her legs around Diamondhead's head before she slammed him into the ground with a quick flip, sending dust scattering everywhere.
"You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"
Diamondhead roared out and sent tons of crystals flying at his old friend, who brought out a shield to block them all as she ran forwards with a shout as they traded blows with each other a both managed to land extremely hard blows on each other, panting heavily as they both panted out.
"Wow. You can even match up with a Petrosapien. You're awesome."
"You're not so bad yourself," Sasha said. "But is it enough to save your family?
They both shouted out as they sliced at each other one last time... before they both hit a knee, heavily damaged as the simulation ended and they both faded in, injuries from the battle instantly healed.
"Congrats," Scarlett said. "Now its your sister's turn for today."
"Hit me."
Jennifer," Scarlett said. "Your opponent, specifically designed for your Zepplian form, is known as the greatest roadie in the world. As well as one of my mightiest generals and one of the best musical fighters in the multiverse. May I introduce you to Eddie Riggs!"
The doors opened and a man dressed all in black clothing not too dissimilar to Rockette's own, spiked gauntlet and black leather jacket and all. Only he was much more muscular and had a large axe and an electric guitar strapped to his back as well with long black hair stepped out and faced Jen as she smirked.
"So, you're the one Scarlett's told me about," Eddie said with a smirk as he shook Jen's hand. "Ready to get rocking?"
"You bet."
"You better be. I may be a roadie, but when it's my turn in the spotlight, I always deliver."
"Where are we?" Jen asked as Eddie prepared Clementine with a smirk.
"Welcome to the Crypt of Eternal Echoes."
Jen nodded as she adjusted her Omnitrix before she morphed into Rockette and ran her hands through her mohawk, adjusting her guitar and smirking to the roadie, who smirked back.
"The Crypt of Eternal Echoes?" Ben asked. "What's that?"
"Just the single loudest echo chamber in the multiverse," Sasha explained. "In there, all of Eddie and Rockette's musical and sound powers will be ultra enhanced."
"Let's get funky," Rockette said as she began strumming her guitar as she and Eddie started circling each other and Eddie started playing his guitar, Clementine, along with her, the sound bouncing off all the walls of the crypt.
Eddie fired a lightning blast from his guitar and Rockette played a power chord and generated a forcefield before she adjusted the tune and fired out a pink energy fist from the force field that blasted into Eddie, sending him skittering back as he fired a fireball from his guitar as the forcefield destabilized and it hit Rockette, blasting her into a wall as she smiled at the fight as they both sent out powerful soundwaves from their guitars, exacerbated by the crypt around them and they smirked wickedly as they both sent out various energy blasts from their guitars, both blasting into each other.
The fight quickly devolved into absolute madness as Eddie fired a faming zeppelin from above that Rockette simply sliced in half with her axe guitar and smirked as she started playing the guitar solo from Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird," sending out tons and tons of energy blasts around her, pelting Eddie nonstop as he smirked at her as she finished playing with a flourish and a bow.
"Whoa," Eddie said as Rockette timed out and he sheathed Clementine with a smile. "You rock."
"Thanks," Jen said as they teleported back and Sasha and Eddie backed off and Scarlett smiled from above.
"Take the rest of the day off. It's only getting harder."
"II can feel it," Ben agreed as they left for the day.
That night, Ben was in his guest room staring at his Omnitrix, trying to come up with a plan to defeat Vilgax and Albedo when he heard a knocking on his door.
He walked in to see Sofia outside with a warm smile on her face.
"Hey, Ben," she said as Ben nodded.
"What do you want?"
"To show you something in the basement. Scarlett gave me special permission to show you. Because she knows you're doubting yourself."
"Fine," Ben sighed as the duo walked downwards to Scarlet's throne.
The wall behind her throne opened to reveal a hand scanner that Sofia pressed and a doorway opened up to reveal a stairway that they then walked downwards as Sofia lifted her dress to go down more carefully.
Sofia led Ben to Scarlett's underground lab and said hero looked around in wonder at all the machinery in sight.
"What did you want to show me, Your Highness?" Ben asked.
"I found this recording last week when Scarlett gave me access to her old recording files."
She pressed a button on the computer that played an old audio recording and Scarlett's voice could be heard.
"Rose is gone," she had said. "The responsibilities as both the Queen of Cinnibar and the Scarlet Warrior have now fallen to me... As I always hoped they wouldn't. Our parents always told us that we were one of the biggest obstacles standing in the way of the forces of darkness. Like my father before me, I must gather many great warriors from across the multiverse that form the Scarlet Army, sure. But this responsibility is so great. They need a leader. What if I lead them wrong? Still, I am the Scarlet Warrior... and I have to try."
As the recording ended, Ben stood there stunned.
"Scarlett doubted herself too?"
"She still does," Sofia nodded. "Every single day."
"So one of the greatest warriors in the multiverse doubts herself too?"
"Don't you see, Ben? Doubting yourself is only part of being human. Even the best of the best fail sometimes," Sofia said, placing a hand on her new friend's shoulder. "It's like Scarlett told you. Being a great warrior is not about winning every fight. It's what we do with ourselves when we lose."
"Okay," Ben said. "I'll keep that in mind. Especially once we beat Vilgax."
The three weeks passed by and, as Scarlett promised, the tests did not get any easier as Ben and Jen went through grueling test after grueling test. Hand-to-hand combat with Kratos, sword fighting with Ryu and Raiden (thankfully, the swords they trained with were made out of wood, so no serious injuries would occur,) firearms training with Dante and Bayonetta, and absolutely gruelng gym and obstacle course training within those three weeks at the same time.
Korra shouted out as she slammed a medicine ball against Jen's torso and she shouted out in pain as she also did pull-ups and Ben salmmed a large mallet down into the ground against a sand-covered ground with Cloud standing by with a nod as Jen dropped down as Korra gestured to the mirror behind her.
"Whoa," Ben and Jen said in unison as they posed in front of the mirror.
Scarlett's training had really done wonders for their bodies over the past three weeks. Any trace of baby fat they may have had on their bodies were now long gone. They were still quite lean, but now their bodies were still noticeably had much more well-defined and toned muscles than before. They were both sporting a six-pack of abdominals and everything else from their bicep to their glutes were now much stronger.
Jen smiled and flexed as she briefly played the bongos on her abs.
"Well, I'm not Miss Universe material or anything, but I don't look bad. Not at all."
"Plus, we did some research," Korra said. "Because your Omnitrixes also affect your DNA, you can eat all you want without gaining a single pound."
"Awesome," Ben said as he flexed. "And we don't have to go to the gym to keep these figures either."
"I would still recommend it," Cloud said with a nod. "Now come on. It's time for your final test."
Ben and Jen stood in front of Scarlett's throne at the top of the Cinnibar Coliseum as she smiled and every warrior and citizen of Cinnibar barring the guards stood in the bleachers. Scarlett rapped her fingers on the arm of her throne with a smile.
"Okay, you both have reached the final test," Scarlett smiled as she looked down on the twins. "You sure you want to go on?"
"Absolutely, Scarlett," Jen said, panting. "We're seeing this through to the end."
"Then let's meet your mutual opponent for your final test," Scarlett said as she smiled. "This part is always against multiverse-class warriors. Warriors who strike fear into the hearts of enemies and allies alike with their very presence. And this one is no exception."
"Oh?" Ben asked.
"Here are only a few of their accolades," Scarlett said with a smile as Cobalt and Emerald knowingly smirked from the rooftops around the Coliseum. "She's participated in some of the most brutal battles in the history of the multiverse. She's the latest to carry a title that's been passed down generation to generation in a dynasty of warriors. She's currently the leader of one of the mightiest armies of warriors that spans throughout the multiverse."
Ben and Jen's eyes widened.
"Let's turn around and see who's about to walk through that castle door."
The twins and Scarlett turned and waited for a minute as Scarlett spoke up.
"Hold on. There's no one coming through the door," Scarlett realized. "You know why, Ben and Jen?"
"Why?" Jen asked.
"Because your opponent for your final test is..."
The twins leaned forward in anticipation at the news.
"...me."
"I knew it," Ben whispered as he and Jen got their game faces on.
"Guys, I want to tell you this. I want you to be as ready as you can be when you face Vilgax, Albedo and Alexia. But I don't want you to fight against me. When I get into that Scarlet Warrior outfit, it's a whole different me."
"We can't quit now. We've come too far," Jen said.
"Last chance. I am going to get on my knees and beg you to walk away now," Scarlett said. "Not because I don't want to battle, I love fighting. But I don't want to see you two get absolutely destroyed before the biggest test of your lives."
"We're doing this," Ben confirmed.
"Just so you know, you're up against one of the mightiest warriors in the multiverse. I speak nine dialects fluently and can understand twelve more. I've mastered several forms of martial arts, including kung fu, ninjutsu, karate, judo, kendo, taekwondo and tai chi. And everything I have in my collection are registered as lethal weapons."
"She once killed two people with nothing but a pencil," Sofia whispered to the twins. "I'm not kidding."
"Tough girl. But we're not backing down now. Not after coming this far," Jen said.
"I admire you two for your courage," Scarlett smiled as she stood up and leaped down off of her throne and she was instantly enveloped in a cloud of red mist that dispersed after two seconds to show her royal gown faded away to reveal her Scarlet Warrior uniform as she landed gracefully in front of the twins with a front flip and a three-point stance and she smirked as she pressed her mask to her face. "Do you two really think you can beat me in a battle?"
"Bring it on."
"That's just what I wanted to hear," Scarlett said as she got into her fighting stance. "For this, the Colosseum has been especially designed to change the battlefield at complete random. Not even I am able to predict how it's going to change next. But for fairness, unlike the previous battles, you two will have complete access to your full arsenal of aliens. You're going to need them all against me."
"Yes, ma'am," they said.
The Colosseum shimmered and they suddenly found themselves transported in a simulation of a rocky terrain with tons of spires sticking out
Scarlett smiled before she gave a sharp backflip onto a large spire and drew her sword from its sheath.
"Friendly warning, Ben and Jen. My warriors didn't hold anything back against you. I'm certainly not holding anything back either," she said, barring her sword to the Omni-Twins with a sly smile. "That wouldn't be fair to any of us."
"Is that a challenge?" Ben asked.
"That's the point," Scarlett said. "Are you two ready?"
"Just a second," Jen said as she gulped before she took her wireless headphones out of her pocket and plugged them into her ears before she turned on her phone's music playlist with a nod to her mentor. "Now we're ready."
Ben transformed into Four Arms as Jen transformed into Kung Fang.
"Good," Scarlett smirked as she suddenly gave a huge leap over to Four Arms' pillar and put her katana back into its sheath with a reserved smile. "I'll throw you two a bone because I want to be as fair as humanly possible in this fight. I promise not to use my telepathy to see what you're going to do. And Ben, I shall allow you first strike."
"Your funeral," Four Arms said as he threw out a punch and Scarlett just side-stepped to the left to avoid it as Kung Fang's jaw dropped as Scarlett turned to attention.
"Again."
She breathed softly as Four Arms growled as he threw out several punches and she just dodged around them with one step each before she gave a mighty rolling punch forwards that sent out a shockwave that sent the Tetramand flying into a rocky spire before shaking her hand off to shake away the pain from the thick-skinned alien as she turned to Kung Fang.
"And now it's your turn."
Kung Fang unsheathed her swords and her opponent smirked and unsheathed her own katana from her belt and then raised her free hand and summoned her Keyblade to her hand as they both shouted out and spun around rapidly, becoming two pink and red tornadoes of blade strikes that collided into each other with every hit as they both pressed forwards as Kung Fang glared and let out her sonic screech which blasted Scarlett away, losing a bit of energy
"Clever. But let's see if it's enough," Scarlett smirked as she righted herself in the air, pressing her feet outwards behind her, pushing herself off of a rock spire as she approached the flying Kung Fang and then reached to her belt and spun around, sending out two daggers that hit Kung Fang right in the side as she crashed on the ground.
However, she was tackled by Four Arms as he flew at her and sent several punches towards her as she was on the ground.
"I've taught you well," she said as she reached out and grabbed his upper two hands and grunted as she twisted herself around and gave a mighty headbutt to him as he flew back and backflipped, righting himself.
"Yesssss..." said a hissing voice and Jen as Medusa leaped in and started to claw at Scarlett as she summoned her shield and tried blocking her swipes. "You sssssure did!"
Scarlett closed her eyes tightly before she lowered her shield and raised her hand and summoned a red blindfold, tying it around her eyes as she picked her shield back up.
"Clever, Jen," Scarlett said as the simulation faded into a more desert landscape as Four Arms transformed into Spidermonkey. "Forcing me to blind myself in order to survive. Still, sight is just one sense, as you are very well aware."
"Yeah. Well, we're still going to beat you for you," Medusa hissed.
"Who doesn't want to be better than the person that taught them?" Spidermonkey hooted as he leaped forwards and fired a web tail out that Scarlett sidestepped before she grabbed the web line and reeled Spidermonkey in with a powerful kick to the head as she swiftly dodged Medusa's claw strikes, only for the snake alien to wrap her tail around her leg and tripped her up before she opened her mouth to reveal her fangs that were dripping with venom.
She bit down... just as Scarlett summoned her staff and lodged it in her mouth and then wrapped her leg around the serpentine tail and tossed her away as Spidermonkey came in from behind and laid the smack down on her with all four of his arms, kicking as she groaned out before she righted herself and fired two lasers from her eyes as she sent him flying back... just as the arena changed again... and the three warriors found themselves underwater with no surface in sight.
All of them gasped as they started gasping for breath as the twins adjusted their Omnitrixes and transformed into their Pisciss Volann forms and looked to Scarlett, who started to suffocate.
"Is she going to be okay?" Ripjaws asked.
Scarlett closed her eyes as the water around her started to bubble and a red light shone from behind them as the bubbles burst apart and revealed Scarlett... only now, she had assumed a mermaid form as her legs had morphed into one red fish-like tail with beautiful red and gold fins and her attire had morphed into a red and gold swimsuit bra as she looked up and smirked as she summoned a golden trident to her hands as the twins morphed their legs into tails as well.
"Of course she is," Mermaid said to her brother as Scarlett shouted out and rushed towards them as they all started their underwater duel.
Scarlett shouted out as she rushed forwards and started dueling, the fish aliens swarming around her with their razor-sharp claws and teeth. Scarlett blasted Mermaid with energy beams from her eyes that blasted into him... just as Ripjaws rushed in and slashed her shoulder with her Scarlet Army tattoo on it, causing her to scream out in pain.
"Had enough?"
"Never."
She used her trident and blasted Ripjaws with an energy blast with a sly smile, just as Mermaid swam rapidly towards her. She gasped and backflipped, slamming the female fish alien in the face with her powerful tail and she groaned out as the arena shifted into a beach-like landscape as everyone went back to their human forms.
"Okay, let's try something else," Ben said as he transformed into Chromastone and Jen nodded as she blasted him with a powerful mana blast that charged the Crystalsapien as he leaped up into the air and fired an ultraviolet ray towards the warrior queen.
Scarlett gasped in horror as she witnessed the massive ultraviolet ray advancing towards her. She then focused as she banged her wrists together and quickly did a few hand gestures before shooting her hands forwards, directly into the powerful blast, creating a large red sigil with tons of runic markings on it in front of her that the blast hit, instantly causing it to vanish and then disperse into tons of harmless rose petals that fell around her, deeply accentuating her beauty as she flipped her hair, a growl escaping her lips as she narrowed her eyes and bared her teeth with a roar.
"Whoa," Chromastone said as the rose petals fell to the ground as Scarlett panted heavily from energy required for the powerful spell she just used, just as she was kicked to the side by Jen as VLOCT as she twirled around in the air and transformed into Blossom Rose, raising her hands and sending up tons of thorned vines around her.
Without a second thought, Scarlett summoned her sword and Keyblade to her hands and instantly became a whirling dervish of blade strikes, hacking and slashing away at all the vines that approached her before they all fell into the ground with a pant and a scowl clear on her face.
Chromastone looked and saw his new mentor's hands shaking and her heavy breathing as she cut and looked to Jen.
"Her hands are shaking? Is she nervous?"
"She's always terrified. She suffers from PTSD," Blossom Rose whispered. "But no matter what the obstacle is, she just keeps pushing forward."
"Then we have to do the same, sis."
"Right," Blossom Rose said, switching back to VLOCT and ran towards Scarlett, slamming her several times with her powerful strikes.
Scarlett was slammed by VLOCT several times as she leaped up and gave a powerful slam to the ground, sending out a tremor that knocked the Kineceleran off her feet as Heatblast prepared himself.
"I learn from my mistakes, Jen," Scarlett informed her new student. "Do you?"
"Yeah. We do."
A wave of flame blasted into Scarlett, catching her off guard as she groaned and felt at her lip, showing a few drops of blood. Scarlett chuckled as she wiped the blood from her lip as she burst into smoke as Heatblast's fireball passed and then reformed her as she appeared next to him and hit him point blank with her fist covered in ice, sending him smashing down as VLOCT morphed into Battlefly and fired a small cyclone that sent her crashing into a rocky wall.
"Well done. You are learning. But if you're trying to throw me off my game, it won't work," Scarlett said. "I've been doing this for centuries longer than you've been alive."
"But you're always nervous," Battlefly said, flying by with a pant. "How can you look so calm on the surface?"
"Experience," Scarlett said as she teleported away and gave an energy kick to Battlefly, sending her out of the sky and crashing next to her brother before both recovered. "It's true that I didn't want to be the Scarlet Warrior. But now that I am, I've resigned myself to it."
The twins just stared as Scarlett looked down on them as she landed on the grassy hill by them.
"I have seen some of the most horrific things a human can lay eyes on and me and my allies still came out victorious in the end," she said. "Your distractions are nothing to me. I just focus on the goal and i get to it by any means necessary."
"She's right," Battlefly whispered. "We're not standing a chance against Scarlett."
"Because we're playing the wrong game," Heatblast agreed. "Maybe we should stop playing our game-"
"-and start playing hers," they both chorused.
Battlefly nodded and morphed into Rockette as Ben transformed into Cannonbolt
"Let's get it started," Rockette smiled as she fired a powerful pink energy fist that blasted Scarlett into the wall.
Scarlett stabilized herself from the powerful energy fist as Rockette swung her guitar around her neck with a sly smirk.
"Tough fight, huh?"
"The good Lord gave us mountains so we could learn how to climb," Rockette responded as Scarlett smiled and nodded at that and Cannonbolt rolled over and slammed her into the ground she shouted out as she summoned a warhammer and grunted out as she blocked him with her strength and then slammed him with her warhammer, grunting out and panting as she realized she was starting to get winded from all this battling. And the twins were having just as much difficulty as she was.
"Why are you doing this?" Cannonbolt asked as he was sent back to his sister as he morphed into Upchuck. "To break us down? Are you trying to get us to admit we're scared? Well, we are! We're terrified!"
"So am I!" Scarlett stated, startling the twins with confusion. "But that's not good enough. We're all scared. Every single member of the Scarlet Army is. Who knows what kind of stuff could happen to us? But that's not a good enough reason to stop. Everyone is counting on you and the last thing you want is to let them down. Now, if you really want this, you can beat me. And you will!"
"Right," Jen said as she morphed back to normal and closed her eyes as she morphed into her Master Spark form as Scarlett smirked as Upchuck ate a few boulders and blasted the warrior queen with his green energy bolts as Jen flew higher into the air and shouted out as she summoned her mana sword and flew forwards to attack as Scarlett leaped up and took out her katana and both shouted out as the sliced each other as Jen turned back... just as Scarlett fell to the ground and groaned as she felt at her stomach and smiled with a nod.
"Okay. You two are definitely ready now," Scarlett smiled as they were transported back to the Colosseum.
"That was by far, the hardest and most agonizing thing I've ever done," Jen said to Ben, who nodded with a pant rras they both hit their knees on the ground, clearly exhausted.
"Ditto. I did not expect anything that Scarlett had in store for us."
"Would you do it again?" Jen asked as her brother chuckled and nodded.
"Oh, in a heartbeat," he laughed. "In a heartbeat."
"Yeah, me too," Jen said as the twins gave each other a big hug.
Ryu then looked to them with a serious look.
"Ben, Jen, your three weeks are up. It's time for you to face Vilgax, Albedo and Alexia."
"One question?" Jen asked. "You never once complimented us when we were training. Not even when we beat you. You never even said congratulations or even good job to us. I thought you were a good teacher?"
"That's what good teachers do," Scarlett said, crossing her arms as she removed her mask from her eyes. "Ask any of my students from the past. I've never once given any kind of compliment on their work. I refuse to."
"Why?" Ben asked.
"Because granting you the illusion of satisfaction with major compliments would kill your drive for success," Scarlett explained. "Sure, I can let you know you're heading in the right direction, but too much praise is poisonous. You two wouldn't be as hungry to win as you would be if I had praised you at any point."
"I guess that makes sense," Jen said as she and Ben nodded.
"There are no two words in the English language more harmful than 'good job,'" Scarlett finished. "Now, you two ready for this?"
"Remember," Scarlett said. "Vilgax is ruthless. He's never going to stop until he's taken your Omnitrixes and your lives. He won't exercise restraint just because you're children. He will show you no mercy. You can't show him any either."
"And we won't," Jen said with a determined scowl on her face. "Not after he's taken all our loved ones. And his little sidekicks are going down too."
"And I'm coming with you," Scarlett said as some of the Scarlet Army mages used their magic to fully heal Scarlett, exacerbated by her own healing factor. "You could use further guidance."
"Of course," Ben said as Scarlett used her Keyblade to open a portal back to Bellwood.
The twins turned to each other with determined looks on their faces with an nod.
"Let's go kick our butts," Ben smirked as he and his sister shared an epic fist bump.
To be continued...