Author's Note: Before we get into this one, I'd just like to mention Skrappr Byakko, Ilma Nar, Tini Rau, and Plenn Stroff are characters from the comics, not OCs. I've posted pictures of Skrappr on my tumblr before and may post pictures of the rest in the future but as of when this is being posted, I'm afraid it may be hard to find pictures of these characters. Also, canonically they are students at the Academy a few years later than this point in the storyline but we're pretending that isn't the case.


Rook's place as the Omnitrix bearer was finally being cemented.

He didn't hesitate anymore. There were no more uneasy touches on the dial, no fear in his eyes when he saw the device on his wrist. It was no longer something he hid, no longer a shameful secret. The Omnitrix had become something he embraced. He still remained a Revonnahgander in class and training but he was no longer afraid to transform when he wanted to. And he did want to.

It wasn't uncommon to see Tidetail Wave in the training pools. Sometimes, Antigravitesla would get caught sneaking out the airlock. Wildvine napped in the base's greenhouses. Four Arms wrestled with the other Tetramands. And sometimes, even the new aliens came out. Crashhopper to navigate busy halls, Warp for pranks, Upgrade when a tablet wasn't working… It was amazing to watch Rook grow into the watch on his wrist.

But not all the aliens made appearances. Funguy and Moot were too new and Lodestar and Rath were difficult to control. Those weren't the ones that worried Scout though.

Scout knew Rook feared some of his aliens. He didn't really understand why and he didn't judge him for it but it'd filled him with such pride when Rook found the courage to transform into Archfiend in front of him. And that first time he found Juryrigg playing with Ship, that was a precious moment he could never forget. There were still aliens he had never seen though.

He knew Rook was training with an alien he didn't like when he came back from the training session quiet instead of starry-eyed. Scout let him be, trusting Rook to speak up if he needed to. He didn't though. In fact, it only got worse.

He stopped coming out of his room. He zoned out in class. He stopped playing soccer, even when Scout joined in. Rook always loved it when Scout joined a game of his favorite sport, even though his paws were too clumsy to be of much use. When Rook stopped even showing up to games, he realized something was wrong.

Knowing Rook wouldn't tell him anything, Scout went to Bahrvad.

"He's been working on his Phantasian form," Bahrvad told him when he asked.

"Which one?"

"Hallucinatory pterodactyl bird." He was met with another blank stare. "Terrorsaur."

"Oh." He remembered that one. They'd talked about that form briefly on Galvan Prime. "Yeah, he's told me about him but I don't know anything about him."

"Phantasians are a… peculiar species. And their powers rely on instinct, not active control. They're difficult to master," Bahrvad explained. "Xylene is helping him but this may take some time."

Scout frowned. How long was some time? He was all for putting in the work but not if Rook was as reclusive as he's been that whole time. "Anything I can do to help?"

Bahrvad looked like he was going to say no but paused to think about it. "Just… keep an eye on him? Phantasians' powers weigh heavily on the mind. Let me know if he's not holding up well. Just be there for him, alright?"

Scout swallowed, the Tetramand's words making his stomach twist with worry. "Yeah. Yeah, of course. I'll keep an eye on him."


"...and so I figured if anyone knew what was up with him, it'd be you."

Scout blinked a couple times, the speaker's words falling on deaf ears. He shook his head, trying to shake the surprise that Rook's roommate was talking to him out of his head and focus on what he was actually saying. "I'm sorry, what?"

The Appoplexian shifted his weight onto one hip and crossed his arms, looking annoyed. Scout was sure he was. Appoplexians weren't exactly known for their patience. "Look, I'm worried about Rook but I'm not really the touchy feely kind of guy."

"So you want me to talk to him?"

The Appoplexian- Scout really should learn his name. Did he really not know his name?- scratched the back of his head. "Well, yeah. He's been acting all weird so I figured it was something with the Omnitrix but the Uxorite and Tetramand are so intimidating…"

Scout tried not to snort in amusement but it was too hard not to picture this macho Appoplexian cowering at the sight of Bahrvad. Or Xylene. He didn't know which was funnier. "Magister Bahrvad mentioned something to me a couple weeks ago. I've been worried too. Don't worry, I'll check on him."

The Appoplexian didn't move, looking at him expectantly.

"What, you mean now?"

"Yes now!" the Appoplexian growled, trying and failing to keep a frustrated gesture to himself. "Rook's been- I don't even know. He hissed at me earlier. Revonnahganders aren't supposed to do that!"

Now that made Scout's spike. Before he realized, he was nodding and already leaving his room. "Tell my roommate where I am if he starts asking for me?"

The Appoplexian snorted. "No offense but I wouldn't be caught dead ten feet from a Methanosian. I'm coming with you."

"Fair," Scout responded and didn't argue. His roommate didn't actually care where he went, he just wanted the Appoplexian occupied while he talked to Rook but it looked like he wouldn't get that. The Appoplexian led Scout through the dorm halls, prowling on all fours like the anxious creature he was. Scout followed suit, unable to ward off his unease. If the Appoplexian was this worried, what did that mean for Rook?

The Appoplexian hung back when they arrived at his and Rook's shared room and for that Scout was grateful. He didn't know what he wanted to say or do but having a near stranger hovering over his shoulder certainly wouldn't help. Taking a deep breath, he thrummed his claws against the metal door.

"Rook? It's Scout."

"Go away."

Scout frowned. That was unusually blunt of Rook. He tried again. "Can I come in?"

He was met with silence. Scout didn't know if that was an affirmative or not but he chose to take it as one and pushed his way inside.

He found Rook sittin on his bed, fur messy like he hadn't gotten up in awhile. He probably hadn't. Rook wasn't messy enough to have food in his bed but he had a couple empty water bottles and his blankets were in disarray. Scout wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't gone to the cafeteria today. Rook looked awful.

"You doing alright, bud?" Scout asked hesitantly as he picked his way in.

"I am fine."

"You don't look fine. Is it Terrorsaur?"

"It is nothing, Scout."

Scout ignored him. "Bahrvad told me you had trouble with that form. Are you having trouble training? Are you stressed? Or is Terrorsaur's power leaking out of the Omnitrix?"

"It does not concern you."

"It does when my friend is hurting!" Scout countered. "Your roommate came all the way to my dorm to ask me if you were alright! You know it's gotta be big if he's coming to me. I don't think we've ever had a conversation even when you're there. Come on, Rook. Your friends are worried. Can't you just-?"

"What do you want me to do?" Rook exploded, eyes snapping up suddenly. Scout had enough steel not to flinch but if not for all his training, he probably would have. "Terrorsaur is a monster! I am the Omnitrix wielder. It is my burden to bear."

"You have friends, Rook," Scout reminded sternly, not backing down. "Whatever you're dealing with, we can help.

Rook was standing now. His fur was starting to rise, like he was angry. Scout had never seen him like this. He didn't like it but he held his gaze, refusing to look away even as Rook's eyes grew sharp and narrow. "You would not want to if you understood what I am."

"Try me," Scout deadpanned. He didn't actually expect Rook to respond to that but the Revonnahgander's fingers were on the Omnitrix's dial and suddenly a green light flooded the room.

"Terrorsaur!"

Scout's two eyes met eight, bulging and unblinking. Terrorsaur's massive, crooked head loomed over him, the rest of his body awkwardly filling the rest of the room behind him. Jagged wings and a lashing tail scraped the walls as talons dug into the carpet. Scout had to take a step back to avoid hitting his head on the creature's bent beak.

The appearance wasn't even the most off putting thing though. An eerie feeling filled the air, making a shiver run up Scout's bones. It was like the chill one felt at the most lonely hours of the night, the night wrapping up its victims like a blanket of darkness.

"Now do you understand?"

Scout merely blinked. "That's it?"

Terrorsaur did a double take. "What? Don't you- Look at me! Can't you feel- Everyone else is always scared."

"You're not even using your hallucinations. I'm not impressed." He sighed. "Rook, I'm from Anur Transyl, remember? Phantasians aren't but the spookiness? The darkness? This is, like, the norm and I've dealt with my fair share of it."

"Wait, all the- you think that is normal?"

"Uh-huh. Look, Rook," Scout went on, "I know you were raised in a part of the universe that thinks creatures like Terrorsaur are monsters but I was raised in a place you guys would consider pretty horrifying. Anyone back home wouldn't call Terrorsaur a monster. You're just… normal. And honestly, for me Terrorsaur is a lot less freaky than any of your other forms. It's all about perspective, Rook."

Terrorsaur fell silent, lowering his head in resignation. Scout couldn't read his expression all that clearly but it was clear he was thinking pretty deeply about it.

Scout offered a smile and patted his beak, thinking the burst of turmoil was over. "So you think you can tell one of us next time you're feeling like this, Rook?"

Terrorsaur opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by a wordless screech.

Scout's smile dropped. "Rook? You alright there?"

Terrorsaur responded with another screech and spread his wings, thrusting his hands through the walls. Alarm spiked through Scout's body and he turned quickly, throwing himself out the door as fast as he could as debris came crashing down.

"What did you do?" the Appoplexian shouted, eyes wide with horror as his room was destroyed. Terrorsaur screamed and reared up, ugly black head rising from the rubble. The Appoplexian leaped back, yowling in surprise and fear. "And what is that?"

"I think Rook lost control of one of his transformations."

"He can- that's a hallucinatory pterodactyl bird."

"I know."

"They're one of the most dangerous predators in the galaxy!"

"I know! That's why we need to run!" Scout grabbed the Appoplexian's arm and tugged him down the hall just as Terrorsaur started shaking the debris from his back. "Terrorsa- uh, the hallucinatory pterodactyl bird have really powerful psychic powers. Maybe Terrorsaur gained sentience and has been using his psychic powers to influence Rook?"

"I'm no scientist but I don't think that's how it works," the Appoplexian replied. He tugged his hand away from Scout and kept pace on his own. "If the form is just DNA inside the Omnitrix when it's not being used, how would could it pull together enough psychic power to do something like that?"

"I don't know! I'm just guessing here." A shriek echoed down the metal halls. "We need to find Xylene and Bahrvad. Or any Magister. I don't think the two of us can take down Rook on our own."

"Yeah but-"

The Appoplexian was cut off by an alarm blaring through the base. "The base is under attack. All combative personnel report to the hangar. Repeat. The base is under attack. All combative personnel report to the hangar."

"...What."

"The hangar?" the Appoplexian echoed, nearly coming to a stop. "But Rook's in here."

"Maybe there's another attack. Or maybe they're connected somehow." Scout really wished Bahrvad or Xylene were here right now. Students never got any word of anything. "I bet Rook's heading there. I mean, he's a bird. He probably doesn't like being in here. And I left Ship with Bahrvad. I can probably intercept them and figure out what's going on if you can keep Rook from getting out."

"Um, no."

"What?"

"I may be an Appoplexian but I'm not strong enough to beat down that thing on my own!"

"Bahrvad will be there! Probably."

"Not good enough for me. Listen, if we're going after your Mechamorph, it's only fair I get to pick our back up."

"What?"

"Listen, my friends can help. And we need all the help we can get. They're usually at the study hall right about now. It's not even that much of a detour, we can afford to grab them."

"Ugh, fine." Scout didn't really want to argue with his only ally and he'd be lying if he said some backup didn't sound good right about now. If Bahrvad was already out with Ship, some more Appoplexians would be invaluable if they ended up having to wrestle down Terrorsaur.

Only, they weren't Appoplexians.

"Tini Rau, Penn Stroff, and Ilma Mar," Rook's roommate announced proudly, gesturing to a Merlinisapien, Splixon, and… Scout didn't even know what that last one was but she looked about as weak as a human.

"Skrappr, what in talik are you doing?" the girl shrieked when the Appoplexian- Skrappr, Scout realized- and the Loboan burst into the study room. "The base is under attack! We're supposed to be going back to our dorms!"

"My dorm is destroyed."

"What?!"

"And I'm giving Rook a beatdown for it later but that's not important," Skrappr declared as he turned around. "Come on! We'll explain on the way."

"On the way to what?"

"No time," Scout interrupted, scooping the Splixon up like he would Ship. The little alien seemed displeased.

"Who are you?"

"Scout. I'm, uh, Skrappr's roommate's best friend."

"Is Rook in trouble?" Penn asked as Scout began running. Skrappr was already ahead of him and Ilma and Tini seemed to be getting the idea. "Does he have anything to do with the attack?"

"Maybe. He transformed right before the alarm went off and lost control of his form. We're going to find Bahrvad. He'll know what to do."

"Transformation?"

Scout's head swiveled to give Skrappr a surprised look. The Appoplexian responded with a shrug. "Never really explained what the Omnitrix does. Rook doesn't talk about it much so I figured he wouldn't want me blabbing about it."

Scout was impressed at the Appoplexian's restraint. It seemed out of character but he supposed he didn't know the guy that well. "It doesn't really matter right now. Just let someone know if you see a Phantasian on the base."

"There's a Phantasian on the base?!"

Scout didn't bother hushing them because they'd arrived.

The hangar was in full motion. The hatches were open, periodically launching one-manned ships into space, and agents were rushing everywhere like ants in a sugar frenzy. It only took a moment to spot Bahrvad and Ship. "Bahrvad!"

"Ship!" Ship was in the middle of a transformation but stopped, happy to see his owner. Bahrvad, on the other hand, looked considerably less thrilled.

"Scout? What are you doing here? And who are all these students? You're not supposed to be here." He paused. "And where's Blonko?"

Scout started to respond but was cut off by an ear splitting screech. Everyone in the hangar turned to see a Phantasian barreling its way towards the airlock, knocking agents aside left and right. Scout coughed awkwardly. "So, um, that's Rook."

"That's Blonko?!"

"He transformed right before the alarms went off and started acting like… that," Scout explained quickly as Terrorsaur began snapping his beak at Plumbers' heads. "We were hoping you would know-"

"I don't have time for this," Bahrvad muttered. He lifted his head and quickly began barking orders. "Open the airlock! Get this Phantasian out of the base. Scout, you're coming with me. You'll understand once we're outside. Students-"

"Skrappr Byakko, Ilma Nar, Tini Rau, and Plenn Stroff, sir."

"...Right. You four, you're not supposed to be here but I'm not complaining. There's been a change of plans. I need you to tell the others not to engage. I need some time and I don't want other agents getting in the way."

"You got it, sir!"

Bahrvad gave them a single nod before poking Ship with his foot. "Ship, I need you to transform."

"Ship!" Obedient as ever, Ship's body began expanding.

Scout's jaw dropped. He'd been expecting him to transform into a Plumber vessel or even Baz-I's ship. Not this. "Is that a Antarian Obliterator?"

"Yup. I don't know where he picked it up but it's come in handy. Now come on," Bahrvad ordered, jumping on board. "Let's stop wasting time."

Scout swallowed and quickly followed him. Ship barked a few more times and then they were moving. On the ground, agents cleared the way and, ever so slowly, the hangar doors began peeling open. Terrorsaur's head snapped up at the sound of it. With a final screech, he abandoned his efforts to claw up every Plumber in sight and dove for the opening. And after getting the all clear from Bahrvad, Ship shot forward into the vastness of space after him.

Scout had been in space before, of course. Just never in Ship and never with an unknown attacker awaiting. And never with such little preparation. He had to say he didn't like it.

"Do you see?" Bahrvad asked after a few moments. Scout had no idea what he was talking about. The Tetramand gestured loosely, prompting Scout to move to the front of the ship and look out Ship's windshield. What he saw made him gasp.

Phantasians. A whole flock of them just outside the base.

Seeing Terrorsaur approach them, Scout remembered just how young Rook was. Terrorsaur wasn't nearly as big as the other Phantasians. The others probably couldn't fit inside the base like Terrorsaur could and they definitely could do some real damage to the base if they wanted to. Thank Luna Lobo they stopped when Terrorsaur appeared.

"I think they sensed each other," Bahrvad explained after a few moments. "We've been having Blonko practice his psychic powers. The other Phantasians must be able to sense their own."

"So they've been trying to reach out to Rook. That's why he's been having problems even in his Revonnahgander form," Scout realized aloud. He scratched the side of his face with one claw. "So, uh, what do we do now? I mean, it looks like the Phantasians have calmed down but we can't just leave Rook with them, can we? He's going to time out sooner or later and Revonnahganders can't exactly breathe out here."

"Ship!"

"I'd suggest we could just try grabbing him when he times out but I doubt we could get close enough," Bahrvad mused, tapping a finger against his chin. "Those Phantasians are too focused on Blonko. I don't know much about Phantasians but when they get together like this, they can get pretty protective. Unless Blonko wants to, I don't think they're letting him go."

Frankly, Scout was stumped. Ship kept his distance, giving his passengers full view of the flock while still keeping far enough that the Phantasians paid him little mind. Scout could tell the birds were still wary, their lazy flaps a tad too sharp to be truly relaxed. From this far, Scout couldn't pick out the details all that well but he wouldn't be surprised if at least one of each bird's eye was trained on Ship.

Terrorsaur, at least, seemed fairly happy. He floated to the center of the flock, tail flicking happily as the larger Phantasians nosed over him. Scout had to wonder if that was all instinct or if some part of Rook really liked what was happening. He wouldn't blame him. As bizarre as joining a flock of alien predators was, Scout knew what it was like to have a pack and what it felt like to be separated from them. He'd take whatever replacement he could.

"What do you think they want with him?" he asked after awhile.

Bahrvad leaned over Ship's dashboard. "I know they're popular with poachers. They tend to avoid sentient life. Maybe they were just worried that one of their own was so close?"

Scout tapped his claws together in thought. "But Terrorsaur is sentient, right? He can talk. Maybe we can reason with them."

"I think they primarily communicate mind to mind. I don't know if they'll be receptive to any advances."

"But it's worth a shot, right?"

Bahrvad didn't respond but tapped Ship, signaling him to move forward.

Ship let out a soft hum as he began moving towards the flock. A few Phantasians' heads snapped up, eyes zeroing in on the ship. A few broke away from the flock and made a beeline for the ship.

"Ship, do what you need to defend yourself but don't attack if you can help it," Bahrvad ordered. "We don't want to provoke them."

"Ship!" Ship barked in response but there wasn't much the Mechamorph could do to keep the Phantasians off him. In seconds, claws scored his hull and he was forced to use his Octerium Lasers to fend them off. Green stun blasts littered the Phantasians' wings, making them cry out in pain and draw the attention of the rest of the flock.

Bahrvad swore loudly and began looking around the dashboard to get some idea on how to respond but the Phantasians were already on top of them. In the blink of an eye, Phantasians were already tugging at Ship's wings and more birds were already plastering themselves against the windshields.

"Don't look into their eyes!" Bahrvad warned but it was too late for both of them. The Phantasian's bugling eyes widened and Scout was sent into a world of darkness.


Someone screamed.

It took Scout a moment to realize it was Bahrvad who screamed, not him.

That was probably the most surprising thing about this ordeal. Not the fact green walls and the blackness of space had been replaced with rippling, abstract colors. Not that reality seemed to twist around them, somehow jagged and fleshy at the same time. Not the eyes and teeth that littered the sky. Not the inhuman shrieks echoing around them. Not the catlike shadows slinking around their feet nor the flames that accompanied them, licking everything in sight like hungry animals.

Bahrvad was supposed to be the strong one, and not just because he was twelve feet of pure Tetramand muscle. He was level headed. He was an anchor for when others got carried away. He was a sturdy shoulder to lean on. Scout never expected to hear such a terrified sound come from his mouth.

"Baharvad." Scout couldn't reach his shoulder but he tried shaking him to the best of his ability. "Hey, Bahrvad?"

Bahrvad didn't respond, orange eyes fixed on something in the distance. Scout's tail curled, upset. This wasn't real, he knew. Was Bahrvad seeing something different from him? Was there another layer to the hallucination? Did Loboans have more natural resistance to a Phantasian's powers than Tetramands? Or was Scout just desensitized to… whatever this was? Maybe all this really was that scary and Scout just wasn't reacting right. Unlikely, he figured. Bahrvad was unresponsive. He was definitely stuck in a deeper layer of the hallucination.

That meant he could break out of this layer, right? That was how it worked in video games and such. Not that he was terribly familiar with video games. His roommate played them once in a while. Maybe it was a stretch to assume these hallucinations had multiple levels but it was the best hope Scout had of breaking out.

But first, freeing Bahrvad.

"Bahrvad!" Scout took one of Bahrvad's hands and shook his arm as hard as he could but it was far too stiff for him to do much. He frowned before bunching up his muscles and jumping up as high as he could, hooking his claws on Bahrvad's shoulders and scrambling his way up. "Hope you don't mind this."

Scout tried just about everything he could think of but scratching, biting, tickling, and talking proved useless. A Tetramand's hide was too thick for a lowly Loboan to make a significant impact and Bahrvad was mentally too distant for words to have any effect. That left him one last option.

"Sorry about this, Bahrvad," Scout muttered as he pulled his muzzle into a snarl, letting the skin peel away and the tentacle-like hinges of his snout spread wide to release the loudest howl he could muster. He felt it building up deep inside him, the noise revertabrating in his bones as it built up in his chest cavity. He clung onto Bahrvad's shoulders, keeping himself from flying off, as the sonic blast erupted from his mouth, tearing through the reality around them.

It'd been a long time since he'd howled like this, definitely since he was on Anur Transyl. Luna Lobo, he missed his pack howls. No one on the base liked a noisy wolf as a neighbor. Scout supposed he could understand why. He could feel the noise tearing apart everything around him and he relished in it. He never got the chance to be this destructive.

The howl had melted into more of a caterwaul by the time Bahrvad began to stir. Scout cut it off gladly and hopped back to the ground to paw for his friend's attention. "Bahrvad!"

"Scout…" Bahrvad responded slowly. Scout was beyond thrilled to hear Bahrvad talking and see him moving again. So thrilled he almost didn't notice the blatant alarm in the voice or the fact his eyes weren't on him. "What are those doing here?"

Scout turned around, confused, and came face to face with a Phantasian's swiling eyes.

He let out a startled yelp, stumbling back in surprise and fear. He whipped his head around and realized that wasn't the only one. Gone was the old landscape with its terrifying imagery. The swirling sky was still there, as well as the inky black ground, but all the previous horrors had been replaced by the Phantasians themselves. Rocky perches littered the terrain, stretching back like a torch-lined path. Each one held a Phantasian bigger than the last.

Scout's reaction got him a screech in the face. The Phantasian reared back, spreading its leathery wings, and screamed. He felt thick Tetramand fingers wrap around his scruff and, with a sharp yank, he was being dragged away. Not a moment later, teeth snapped empty air, the Phantasian narrowly missing Scout's head.

Scout didn't particularly like being carried but Bahrvad had scooped him up in all four arms and taken off like a Kinceleran with a Gourmand on his tail so he didn't have much of a choice. Bahrvad was probably faster anyway. With two legs instead of four, it was a lot easier to dodge any snaps of Phantasian teeth that came their way.

There were just so many of them. The farther they ran, the more Phantasians they saw. Was this part of the hallucination? Or were there really this many birds in the flock? Probably the former but if it was the later, the whole base was in some serious trouble. These things were just so big. Scout meant what he said when he told Rook he didn't find Terrorsaur particularly scary but being surrounded by them and their hungry gazes like this, he was starting to second guess himself.

But then they saw him.

It was rather easy, actually. In a sea of darkness, surrounded by predatory birds, it was difficult not to see the Revonnahgander ahead. Excited, Scout wrestled his way out of Bahrvad's grip, ignoring his warning yells, and sprinted towards his friend. It took more than a few moments to realize something was wrong.

"Rook?"

Rook didn't respond. Scout slowed down, creeping towards him, noting the lack of color in his eyes. Then he saw the massive figure behind him, looming and glowering. Scout stumbled back in surprise. Eight glowing orange orbs were focused on him. He felt his skin burn in discomfort under his pelt but he didn't look away. There was something wrong with his friend and he wasn't about to let some spooky feelings get in the way of figuring out what.

"Terrorsaur."

This wasn't Rook. This was the transformation. Or both of them. There were two of them here. Was that even possible? They were in some kind of mindscape so maybe. He supposed anything was possible here.

"Scout-" Bahrvad started but Scout waved his tail behind him, telling him to stay back. He had this handled. Hopefully.

Scout swallowed thickly. He wasn't sure what to say but some instinct dancing around his heart told him exactly what he needed to know. Slowly, he shifted a forepaw toward his friend, taking a small, hesitant step towards him. All ten eyes blinked. "Stay away."

"Why?"

"I- We-"

Scout tipped his head, taking another step forward. "You're what?"

"Bad. All of us. We are- we're bad."

Contractions. On the first person plural.

Scout started forward and his steps were no longer slow. Ignoring the flickering shadows and the hulking bird's glares, Scout gathered his friend up in his arms and gently put his chin on Rook's shoulder, eyes meeting the bird behind him. "I've told you before. You're just Rook Blonko. My friend. The Omnitrix doesn't change that. And Terrorsaur isn't bad either. You're just different and it's going to take some time to understand that but it's okay. Look around you, look at all these other Phantasians who came to see you. They sensed your distress, right? And they were worried. They don't think you're bad. You're one of them but you're also one of us. You can be both."

Scout felt a hand on his shoulder, one he recognized as Bahrvad's, and saw another reach up to rub Terorrsaur's beak. A moment later, he felt some of the chill melt away into warmth and the darkness began to bleed into color. He blinked and he was sitting side by side Rook, curled up against Bahrvad on Ship's floor.


"Splixon?"

"Nope."

"Galvan?"

"No."

"Pyronite?"

"No."

"Is there anything you can turn into?"

"Appoplexians," Rook responded, tone shifting in a way that told Scout that Rook was trying to be annoying on purpose. A cheeky grin spread across his face as he leaned forward against the table, flashing his fangs ever so slightly in Plenn's face.

At the moment, Rook and Scout were seated in the cafeteria with the small squad of students who'd helped them with the attack. Scout had to admit it was kind of fun hanging out with other students like this. He'd never made a lot of friends on Anur Transyl or during his first year at the Academy. They had Bahrvad and Xylene and they had Albedo and Malware on Galvan Prime but they didn't count. It wasn't the same.

Technically they weren't supposed to be out right now. The staff were still running around dealing with the aftermath of the attack and the students were still supposed to be locked up in their rooms. Scout reasoned they'd never been in their rooms to start with so they got a free pass. Besides, they deserved a little bonding time with their new friends.

"That's why Skrappr never told us about what it was like being roommates with the Omnitrix bearer!" Plenn exclaimed, throwing his little clawed hands up in the air. Scout wasn't totally sure if he was kidding or not but Splixons were so tiny that anything they did was hilarious. "You were too busy being all buddy-buddy with another Appoplexian."

"Hey, I didn't even know he could turn into an Appoplexian," Skrappr responded defensively, crossing his arms. His resolve didn't hold up for long and he caved quickly, curiosity getting the better of him. "Can you really turn into an Appoplexian?"

Rook nodded. "It is a recent development but yes. However, I have trouble controlling myself in that form…"

That got a laugh out of the table. Penn and Ilma were somewhat discrete but Skrappr and Tini were loud and boisterous. "I'd like to see that!"

Skrappr playfully boxed Tini in the shoulder. "You couldn't handle two Appoplexians!"

That got another bout of laughter. Across the table, Rook's gaze met Scout's, offering a soft smile. Scout matched it. He didn't need words to know what Rook meant. Everything was going to be alright. And if not, Rook had plenty of people to lean on.


Author's Note: Let me know how this turned out. I had a hard time getting my ideas across as certain points.