NOTE: We're here, folks. Time for the finale of Season 2! Brings tears to my eyes that I've honestly stuck with this fic for as long as I have and that you guys are enjoying it. Thank you so much for your continued support! I hope to improve as a writer and bring more enjoyable fics to you all in the future.
I'm happy that you guys enjoyed the inclusion of Kenny. Hope to give the boy more life than Man of Action did.
Can Upchuck digest Mystery Food X? Yes, and it'll be hilarious once Ben unlocks him.
Enjoy and Review
Chapter 36: Back with a Vengeance
UNKNOWN GALAXY - TIME: PAST
Kevin stared directly at the frozen warlord. The rest of his lackeys were backing away in fear of both Kevin and Vilgax. "I guess we have a lot in common. We both got a little beef with a little snot rag named Ben Tennyson. And if you're as bad as they say you are, then you're just what I need to take him out for good!"
No response came from Vilgax, which didn't impress the mutant at all. "Hmph. You don't look so tough."
CRACK!
Kevin only had a split second to look down before the ice shattered. A metallic fist uppercutted him across his chin, sending him flying through the hangar. Sitting up, Kevin glared at the unfrozen warlord as the rest of his lackeys scattered in fear.
Vilgax stood up to his full height, staring down at the hideous mixture of his most hated foe's transformations. The warlord had heard every word Kevin had spoken and was insulted that such an insignificant insect would dare underestimate him. "Underestimating me is a grave mistake!" Vilgax's muscles began to expand with power, his size increasing as well. "It shall be the last mistake you'll ever make!"
Effortlessly lifting a massive tanker, Vilgax tosses it at Kevin. The mutant dodges the object, shattering the glass behind him. Due to the damage the large vessel had taken during Kevin's exploits, the air inside the hangar was being sucked out. Kevin stood his ground, shooting crystals at Vilgax.
Which proved to be absolutely futile against Vilgax, who just ran right through them. Kevin was tackled through the shattered window, getting repeatedly pummeled in the face by Vilgax as the two crashed into the arena floor.
"AAAGH!" Kevin screamed as Vilgax swung him around by his tail. The warlord released the appendage, allowing Kevin to fly through the wall. Using his wings, Kevin ascended into the air for a downward kick that slammed Vilgax into the floor.
The warlord was barely phased by the attack, quickly getting back up and smacking Kevin through the air. The mutant rebounded off the floor, charging at Vilgax with strong punches to the warlord's face. Kevin grunted in annoyance as his attacks barely did anything to Vilgax as if he was nothing more than a child to him.
Vilgax had enough of their little squabble. He kneed Kevin in the sternum, knocking the air out of his lungs. Vilgax grabbed the mutant by his face, smashing Kevin into the floor repeatedly before slugging him in the jaw.
Kevin slid across the floor; gobsmacked that he was being toyed with so easily. Not even Ben had beaten him so badly or easily in their previous fights. Crawling onto his knees, Kevin aimed his nastiest glare at Vilgax. "I just saved your alien butt! You should be grateful!"
"Vilgax owes allegiance to no one! Especially not some misshapen chaotic fusion of creatures from the Omnitrix!" Vilgax slowly approached the mutant. From his perspective on the ground, Kevin could truly feel the massive presence that Vilgax held, as if the air around the warlord was even more toxic than the streets he grew up on. He gagged when Vilgax picked him up off the floor by his throat, bringing their faces closer together. "What do you know of the Omnitrix?"
Kevin gasped slightly. "If you mean the watch thingy that turns Ben into those alien heroes… plenty." He gripped Vilgax's arm in an attempt to free himself. "Now back off!"
Vilgax watched the mutant struggle in his grip, analyzing the creature's behavior and strength. He hummed, dropping Kevin onto the ground. "You may be of some use to me after all." Vilgax walked past Kevin to search for the ship's control room. His vengeance against that meddlesome Tennyson family was once again within his reach.
Kevin massaged his throat, glaring hatefully at Vilgax. "You took the words right out of my mouth, pretty boy…!" As Kevin stood up to follow the warlord, he stopped to think. Payback against Ben was once again in his grasp, and nothing was going to stop him from getting it.
"Maybe you'd get a little more respect if you didn't act like a jerk all the time."
"My doofus cousin isn't worth all the time and energy."
"Pfft! Try being nicer for a change and maybe I might just admit that."
Kevin pushed the memories out of his head. His eyes filled with spiteful anger at the girl that managed to get under his skin. "Not even you…!" He spat into the empty air.
And for some reason he hated the taste of those words.
MILKY WAY GALAXY - TIME: PRESENT
Yukiko took a deep breath through her nostrils, taking in the fresh air around them. She and her family were currently riding on a small tourist boat to see Niagara Falls. She had her phone out to snap photos of the beautiful piece of nature to share with her friends.
"How could you not admire the beauty and raw power of nature?" Max asked, hoping for his grandkids to agree. Two out of the three agreed with him.
Gwen looked back. "I don't know, ask Ben." At the mention of the unusually quiet boy, the three glanced back to see Ben fiddling with the Omnitrix once again.
"Ben!" After hearing his name being called, Ben gave them his attention. "Would you please pay attention to something other than that watch?"
Yukiko placed her hands on her hips. "And didn't we already make it clear not to play around with it?"
Ben shook his head. "I-I'm not! I just want to learn how to control it better. That's all."
They didn't believe him, and you couldn't exactly blame them with Ben's track record. "Get real! There must be like a billion combinations on that thing!" Gwen added her input before turning her attention back to the Falls.
Ben rolled his eyes. "Yeah, so?"
BEEP!
Looking down at the watch, Ben watched it flash a white and black. The dial popped up, scrolling through his entire roster. Seeing that something strange was happening to it once again caused Ben to panic. "Oh man… Please tell me I didn't bust this thing again!" Ben looked over to see if his family had noticed. Thankfully, they were back to admiring Niagara Falls, which allowed him time to figure something out. "Maybe it's some kind of upgrade-"
FLASH!
Upgrade stared at his hands, baffled. "Woah, what happened? I never even touched it!" His confusion lasted for a couple of seconds until an idea popped into his brain. "Unless… maybe now I don't have to. Gray Matter!"
FLASH!
Gray Matter was too small for the rain coat he was given earlier. "Diamondhead!"
FLASH!
Diamondhead chuckled. "Cool! This rocks!"
FLASH!
"I must've unlocked some kind of Master Control or something!" XLR8 exclaimed.
FLASH!
"Now EYE can go alien!" Eye-Guy exclaimed.
FLASH!
Wildvine stood in his place. "Just by thinking about it!"
FLASH!
He transformed into Wildmutt next. The Vulpimancer jumped over to Yukiko's side, dunking his head into the water. Yukiko blinked in confusion as to why Ben had transformed into Wildmutt, especially with other people around. Still, it didn't stop her from petting his back affectionately.
A tourist turned to Max. "Excuse me, do you mind taking a picture of me and my wife-" He froze at the sight of Wildmutt, who had pulled his head back from the water. "AAAHHH!" The guy fell off the boat in fright, unable to keep himself from sinking below the waves.
FLASH!
The Tennysons stared at Ben in shock after he transformed from Wildmutt to Ripjaws. "No problem! Ripjaws is in the house!" The fish alien dived into the water to save the tourist.
Yukiko pointed downwards. "D-did he just?"
SPLASH!
FLASH!
Her question was put on pause when Ripjaws jumped out of the water and turned into Stinkfly midair. The bug flew back over to the boat with the tourist in his arms.
"Did Ben just go right from Ripjaws into Stinkfly?" Gwen continued the question.
"Yeah, but that's impossible…" Max told them.
"NOT ANYMORE!" Stinkfly shouted above them.
The tourist in his arms looked sick. "I-I don't mean to be ungrateful, but I think I'm gonna be sick…"
"O-Oh, right. Sorry," Stinkfly flew back down to the boat to reunite the tourist with his wife.
Stinkfly touched back down onto the boat and turned back to normal. "Dude, this rocks!"
His family hurried over to him. "B-ben, how did you just do that?" Yukiko asked.
Ben lifted the Omnitrix. "I don't know, but I guess constantly messing with the watch finally ended up doing some good. I unlocked some sort of Master Control."
"Master Control?" Max repeated.
"Yup! I can turn into any alien I want whenever I want!" Ben proudly exclaimed.
Gwen rolled her eyes. "Great… just what we needed. You having unlimited power."
Yukiko remembered back when the summer started that she had compared the watch's power to that of Yu's Wild Card ability. They were similar, but with this Master Control they might as well be downright identical now.
After finishing their boat ride of the Niagara Falls, the family of four was now posted out by a park to enjoy their picnic. Yukiko had been barred from cooking a meal by Gwen, with the young girl's excuse being that Yukiko should cook dinner instead. After delaying the inevitable at least for a few more hours, the girls and Max were seated at a picnic table to enjoy a bowl of ice cream.
That was until green goop was dropped directly into the girls' bowls. "EW!"
"Benjamin!" Yukiko hissed at Stinkfly, who was hanging off a tree. The disgusting bug just laughed at them, flying away.
"See, giving an immature dweeb like him unlimited power was a horrible idea!" Gwen exclaimed.
Stinkfly blew his tongue at her. "Please! I'm super responsible with my powers! See!" Stinkfly pulled out a wad of cash. "Now that I can stay alien for as long as I want, I can help out people even easier. Made all of this cash by giving rides to tourists!" Stinkfly tossed the money at them.
Money that Yukiko instantly torched without a second thought. "Hey!" Stinkfly yelled.
"Turn back to normal, Ben. I don't think staying an alien for as long as you have is good," Yukiko told him.
"Yeah, your dorky dweeb face is something I'd rather look at," Gwen added.
"Your cousins are right, Ben. Just because you can be an alien all the time, doesn't mean you should be an alien all the time," Max advised. "There could still be hidden consequences to all of this."
Stinkfly just stared at his family confused. How could they not see how awesome this was? "Fine, Grandpa, I'll take it easy." Stinkfly flew off. Max smiled, figuring that Ben had finally listened to him.
Until XLR8 came swooping by, taking his bowl of ice cream. "For a millisecond! Time's up!" The Kineceleran was gone in a flash.
Max sighed. "So, glad we had this chat."
Yukiko glared at the direction Ben had gone. "We really should've invested in that child leash."
MILKY WAY GALAXY - TIME: FEW HOURS AGO
Vilgax held a scanner over Kevin's body, the mutated boy sitting down with reluctance. "Interesting. Your DNA has clearly merged with the Omnitrix, just like young Tennyson's."
Kevin had enough of Vilgax's constant experiments on his body. Nothing but the same old junk about his DNA being compatible with Tennyson's dumb watch. "Yeah, thanks for giving me the same spill again, Professor! Now when do I merge my fist with Ben's face!?"
"After you remove the Omnitrix!"
"Tch! Fat chance, I've tried."
"As have I, but with my expertise and the DNA you share with Tennyson I can now succeed!" Vilgax explained.
Kevin had enough of Vilgax trying to tell him what to do. "Listen up, Vil-geek! I don't take orders and I could care less about some stupid watch! I just want revenge on the little twerp wearing it!"
If there was anything Vilgax hated more than the Tennyson bloodline, it was insubordination from those lower than him, and Kevin was a mixture of it all. "What you fail to realize is that you stand a better chance of beating him ONCE the Omnitrix has been removed."
Kevin growled at those words, because all it meant was that he was too weak to beat Ben with the watch still attached to him. "If you want the watch so badly, then what are we waiting for!?"
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Both mutant and warlord turned to the tracking system that was attempting to lock onto the Omnitrix's signal. The system had finally found it. "That is what we are waiting for…"
Max was setting up a camera, so that he could take some family photos. Gwen and Yukiko were once again enjoying the sight of Niagara Falls until Wildvine jumped over their heads. The plant wrapped his legs around the railings, bungee jumping. He came right back up just as Max took the photo.
SNAP!
The next photo was pretty normal, Ben had turned back to normal for it. The family stood close together with Yukiko hugging both her cousins.
SNAP!
Ben transformed into Four Arms for this one. Giving a peace sign as both Gwen and Yukiko sat on his shoulders. Max had an arm looped around one of Four Arms' lower arms.
SNAP!
The humans covered their noses from the smell of Stinkfly, Yukiko looked ready to swat the bug with her fan.
SNAP!
Wildmutt got too close to the camera and blocked off Yukiko. Max looked exasperated while Gwen was yelling at him to move.
SNAP!
Gray Matter had latched himself onto the camera, blocking most of the shot. His family had to lean in so that their irritated expressions could be seen.
SNAP!
This next photo was of a different location. The family were back at the park, with the girls eating some ice cream. Yukiko sat on the bench in the back while Gwen was smiling for the camera.
SNAP!
Heatblast photo bombed the picture, blocking Yukiko and melting Gwen's ice cream.
SNAP!
Yukiko had smacked Ben in the head with her fan after he turned back to normal with Gwen laughing at the karma.
SNAP!
The last photo was an overview of the Niagara Falls, which is where the Tennysons were now: The four of them on a Sky Ride tour of the area. As Yukiko listened to the facts about the history of Niagara Falls, she wondered if Yu or Naoto would like this. The two of them always enjoyed learning more about certain history, or in Yu's case, spouting out random facts he learned from reading.
"HACK! PETUH!"
Her attention was brought over to Diamondhead, who was spitting into the water for some reason. "Ben, what are you doing?"
"Science experiment. I'm trying to figure out which alien can launch the best loogie," Diamondhead answered.
"That is disgusting science," Yukiko gagged.
"Boys," Gwen rolled her eyes.
FLASH!
Heatblast spat one out next, his spit exploding on contact with the water. "Ha! Definitely Heatblast!" Across from them, another Sky Ride drove past, coincidentally carrying the couple from the boat ride earlier.
Heatblast and Yukiko nervously waved at the two, while Gwen looked embarrassed. "I don't know him."
CRASH!
The Tennysons were forced to hold onto the ride as it came to a sudden stop. Loud footsteps could be heard coming from the roof.
Yukiko gripped her head as a familiar pounding sensation gave her a headache. "AGH!" Yukiko screamed, falling to her knees. Gwen was down by her side in an instant.
"Yukiko, what's wrong!?" Gwen asked.
The heiress looked up. "S-something's here…!"
"Not something…"
"SOMEONE!"
Both familiar voices brought waves of despair from the Tennysons. The roof of the ride had been torn right off, confirming their fear. Gwen's pupils shrunk at the sight of the familiar enemy grinned down at them.
"KEVIN!?"
He wasn't the only surprise as his accomplice made himself known just as fast. Reaching down and grabbing Heatblast by his torso and lifting the Pyronite into the air as if he was a prize.
Yukiko couldn't believe her eyes as she stared at Vilgax's accomplice. An enemy that she had prayed would never come in contact with her or her family again. "...Vilgax!?"
The warlord ignored her gasp, tapping the Omnitrix symbol on Heatblast. The symbol beeped red before turning Ben back to normal. "And we know everything about HIM!"
Ben struggled in Vilgax's grasp, staring in fear at the duo that had appeared before him and his family. "Kevin and Vilgax? You're…"
"Alive." Kevin took satisfaction at the sight of Ben's face. "And about to kick your butt!"
"Kevin?" Gwen's voice reached the mutant's ears. A puff of air was released from his nostrils, but that's all he did. Kevin ignored her in favor of focusing entirely on his payback against Ben.
Yukiko attempted to reach for her fan, but Vilgax noticed her. "Don't even attempt it, child! Or I'll shatter the boy's spine." Vilgax increased his grip, showing that he had no issue going through with his threat.
Max glared at his old nemesis. "I didn't think you were the type to take on an apprentice, Vilgax."
"SILENCE!" Vilgax's booming voice halted any conversation. "Once this containment field neutralizes the Omnitrix, grab it."
Kevin erupted; hating being told what to do. "I said never tell me what-"
FLASH!
The pair looked over to see Ben had disappeared. "Hey! Where Tennyson go!?" Kevin asked.
Vilgax stared at his open palm, shocked that Ben had managed to somehow escape his grasp. Until he saw Gray Matter running across the roof, he grabbed the Galvan. "You can't escape me that easily-"
FLASH!
Diamondhead knocked Vilgax back, this time shocking the duo with his new abilities. "Guess again!" The Petrosapien dodged a punch from Kevin and struck the mutant right in his liver. Kevin slapped him back, giving Diamondhead space to fire off crystals.
Vilgax observed the fight. "What's this!? The child has gained new control over the Omnitrix."
The battle between both powered-up boys was destabilizing the Sky Ride. Kevin attempted to tackle Diamondhead, but the hero dodged. Unluckily for him, Kevin wrapped his tail around his ankle, bringing the alien hero down with him.
FLASH!
Kevin looked back to see that Stinkfly flew out of his grasp as he landed right onto the historical barge. Stinkfly had a smug grin until Vilgax tackled him, sending both of them down onto the barge with Kevin.
Back on the Sky Ride, Yukiko and the others watched the fight taking place. "We have to help him, Gwen!" When her younger cousin didn't respond, Yukiko turned back. She saw that Gwen was stuck in place, staring at the mutant that had somehow managed to stick his way into her head. Yukiko would've called out to Gwen again, but the Sky Ride was about to fall off its hinges.
Max quickly grabbed both of his granddaughters, holding them close as the ride was about to dangerously fall into the water.
Back down on the barge, Four Arms tossed Vilgax off of him. He looked up to see his family was in danger and rushed to save them. Transforming into XLR8 to run across the water, he switched over to Stinkfly and made a last minute save before the ride hit the water.
While he did that, Vilgax and Kevin fell down Niagara Falls.
Stinkfly dropped his family down to safety before turning back to normal. "I'm going after Vilgax and Kevin!"
"And we're going with you!" Yukiko exclaimed.
Ben disagreed. "No way!"
"Ben, you can't beat them on their own. Together they're too powerful!"
He didn't care. Two of his worst enemies had come back to hurt his family again, because of his watch. Memories of their last confrontations with Vilgax and Kevin were still fresh in his mind. Ben transformed into XLR8. "My mess. My problems!" With those words said XLR8 took off to fight his battle.
"BEN!" Yukiko screamed after him. Frustration and fear were evident all over her body, even if Ben had this Master Control thing, it terrified her to see him trying to shoulder all that responsibility alone again.
Gwen, who had been silent up until now, decided to speak up. "...He believes he can win."
Max grunted. "He's too confident about it and that's what worries me. Vilgax and Kevin are both persistent, terrifyingly so. C'mon, you two. I have a plan."
Max and the girls were back inside of the Rustbucket. "I stashed something that should take care of both Vilgax and Kevin." Max placed his hand on a handprint scanner, revealing a device both girls remember.
"The Null Void Projector!?" Yukiko gasped.
"But I thought we left that back in the Plumbers' bunker on Mount Rushmore?" Gwen said.
Max turned to them. "I decided that it might come in handy again someday. And unfortunately, I was right."
"Bwa! Bwa bwa!" Kevin mocked Ben with chicken noises. "Come on out, Tennyson, you chicken!" Both he and Vilgax were standing at the bottom of Niagara Falls, waiting for Ben to come out of his hiding spot.
Vilgax spotted their ticket to drive Ben out of his hiding spot. "Enough foolishness! The old man and the girls are the key! Once we have them, the boy will come to us!" Vilgax declared.
Kevin followed Vilgax, subconsciously keeping his eyes on Gwen. A dangerous smile grew wide on his lips.
From behind some rocks, Cannonbolt gasped quietly.
The sounds of loud metallic footsteps grabbed Yukiko's attention. She and her family turned around to see both Kevin and Vilgax approaching them with no Ben in sight. "Grandpa, they're here!"
Vilgax slowly approached them. "When I have the Omnitrix, I shall enjoy tearing you and your miserable bloodline to pieces, Tennyson!"
Max pulled out the Null Void Projector. "Why wait? Come and get me!" Max pulled the trigger, shooting a beam at both enemies. The two dodged, allowing a yellow portal to open up behind them. It began sucking anything that was close into itself, including Vilgax and Kevin.
"I got it, Grandpa!" Diamondhead jumped onto the bridge, running past his family. Their eyes widened in horror as Diamondhead got too close to the portal.
"BEN, STAY BACK!" Max ordered, but the boy wouldn't listen. The next thing he saw was Yukiko running after Ben in hopes of stopping him from getting too close. "YUKIKO, DON'T!"
Kevin felt his own fear increase as the portal sucked him in. "W-what's happening!?" He asked before getting sucked inside.
"The Null Void… NO!" Vilgax answered before getting sucked in as well.
Diamondhead realized what was happening too late. He was close enough for Vilgax's metal claws to reach back through the portal and grab him by the face, dragging him inside.
"BEN!" Yukiko screamed at the top of her lungs at the sight. She increased her speed, reaching out her arm to hopefully do something to save her cousin.
But it was too late, the portal closed right before she could even reach it.
Yukiko dropped to her knees, staring blankly at the spot the portal had been inhabiting seconds prior. The air softly blew past the Tennysons as the result of their plan had completely gone awry.
"Ben…?"
Diamondhead, Kevin, and Vilgax all touched down onto an asteroid inside of the Null Void. The portal above them closed right after. Diamondhead realized that this may have been his biggest screw up so far. "Okay…maybe that wasn't such a good idea."
Kevin stood up, examining his new environment. The dimension was dark, littered with rocky landscapes of sickly brownish orange color as weird creatures that he had never seen before flying all over the place. "Where are we?"
"The Null Void. An alternate dimension where the galaxy's worst of the worst are banished," Vilgax explained.
Kevin decided to take it as a compliment. "Well, I'm the baddest of the bad!"
"Oh yeah? Well tell that to them," Diamondhead pointed at the Null Guardians that were flying straight towards them. As Vilgax and Kevin defended themselves against the inhabitants of the Null Void, Diamondhead transformed into XLR8, taking this as his chance to run away.
"NO!" Vilgax screamed.
As he was running, XLR8 came to a stop when he realized that there was nowhere for him to go. He was trapped in this dimension with two of his worst enemies who weren't going to stop hunting him until he was six feet under.
Kevin continued trying to hold the guardians off until they submitted to Vilgax, who was riding on of them. "What was that all about?"
"Respect. I command it even here. You would be wise to learn it, boy." Vilgax replied.
Kevin ignored his last comment. "Goody for you, but what about Ben?"
"His Grandfather will attempt a rescue. We must find him and extract the Omnitrix before that or we'll be trapped in here forever!"
Yukiko stared down at her phone, her fingers brushing against the call button. Her screen sat on her contact list, highlighting a single name.
NARUKAMI YU
She didn't even know why she would bother trying to call him. There wasn't anything he could possibly do in this situation to help Ben. Maybe, it was just her heart desiring his comfort during stressful times. She was about to press the call button until Max stepped out of the Rustbucket.
She and Gwen looked up to see their grandfather decked out in Plumber gear and the projector in his hands. "I'm going after Ben."
"You can't!" Gwen exclaimed.
"I have to!" Max's words sounded less like an absolute and more like a plea.
Yukiko stepped forward. "Grandpa, you're the only one who knows how that thing works. I'll go instead."
Gwen gasped, because she was about to suggest the exact same thing.
Max stared down at Yukiko; fear written in his eyes. "No, it's too dangerous!"
"I have a better chance at helping Ben against them than you do! It's our best chance of getting Ben out of there alive!" Yukiko fought for it. Max couldn't deny it, because he knew that Yukiko was right. Her abilities gave her a better shot at handling the dangers in the Null Void than he would've.
"Fine," Max relented. "I'll get the gear." Max hurried into the Rustbucket to prepare for Yukiko.
Gwen clenched her fist, a familiar sense of uselessness building up inside of her again as she watched Yukiko and Max get ready to save Ben.
Heatblast flew through the air as Vilgax and Kevin chased him down. They eventually caught up to the runaway Pyronite, holding him in the mouth of the Null Guardian.
FLASH!
Gray Matter jumped out of its mouth before it could catch him again.
FLASH!
Cannonbolt used the terrain to ricochet his way through the Null Guardians.
FLASH!
XLR8 raced on the asteroids to gain some distance.
FLASH!
Stinkfly dodged Vilgax's guardian as it attempted to bite him.
FLASH!
Four Arms backflipped off of it to stay in the air.
FLASH!
Eye-Guy dodged Kevin, shooting a green blast at the mutant's back.
FLASH!
Wildmutt propelled himself off of another Null Guardian.
FLASH!
Wildvine took out three of the guardians that were about to strike him.
FLASH!
Heatblast tried to fly away but got bombarded by more guardians.
FLASH!
Gray Matter crawled his way through them, only for one to take him by surprise as it opened its mouth to eat him.
Yukiko zipped up Max's old Plumber suit, the outfit being a little too big for her. She equipped the jetpack and watch that Max had given her. "Your watch is a homing beacon. As soon as you find Ben, you can use it to lead you back to the portal," Max instructed.
"Right and how long do I have?" Yukiko asked.
"I can estimate that I can only keep the portal open for 10 minutes or so. Once this gauge hits the red zone, you need to get out. No matter what," Max ordered. He didn't want to risk leaving Ben in there, but the thought of losing not just one but two of his grandkids scared him to his core.
Yukiko stared Max in the eyes. "I'll bring him back, Grandpa. It's like our missions into the TV world. I haven't failed once, and I won't fail here." Max nodded his head, preparing to open up the portal.
"WAIT!"
The two turned around to see Gwen approaching them. "Yukiko, let me come with you!"
"What!? NO!" Max was adamant about this one.
Gwen ignored him. "Please, Yukiko!" She pleaded. "I-I froze up earlier when Kevin and Vilgax showed up. I could've helped, Ben. I should've used my magic to stop him from getting taken into the portal, but I let my own feelings about Kevin get in the way." Gwen grabbed Yukiko's arms. "Please, let me help Ben!"
Max tried to intervene. "Gwen, it's too dangerous for the both of you to go in there. I can't allow that-"
"Okay."
They stared at Yukiko, shocked that she would agree. "I'll keep them safe, Grandpa. Gwen is just as capable of helping out as much as I can. We'll bring Ben back, I promise." Max wanted nothing more than to refuse outright, every part of his body refusing to let them go in risk of losing all three of them.
But the looks in their eyes were telling him a completely different story. He released a staggered breath. "Fine. Just please, make sure you come back no matter what." Max activated the projector.
Yukiko held Gwen's hand as the two walked through the portal to rescue Ben.
"AAAHHH!" Gwen screamed as the two of them fell through until Yukiko wrapped her arms around her and activated the jetpack. The girls flew through the dimension, searching around for Ben. "This place looks like it could go on forever."
"It does. So keep your eyes open I'm not even sure what's inside there," Max's voice was heard through Yukiko's headpiece.
The girls looked over to see a small horde of Havoc Beasts staring them down. Yukiko reacted instantly. "Maragion!" Her flames pushed the Havoc Beasts away, burning the tiny nuisances to a crisp.
"Girls, what is it!?" Max asked.
"Just some annoying insects, Grandpa. Nothing to worry about!" Yukiko replied. However, much to her annoyance, more Havoc Beasts appeared to attack the girls. Yukiko used the jetpack to do her best to escape the incoming Havoc Beasts.
Gwen's hands glowed brightly, eclipsing the nearby asteroids. "Let's see how you like this!" She brought two of the asteroids together, crushing the Havoc Beasts to death. With those things taken care of, the girls continued their search for Ben.
Ben touched down, once again human. He quickly transformed into Wildmutt, doing his best to hide from his attackers. He turned into Gray Matter when it looked like Kevin was onto his scent, but Vilgax was quick to cut him off.
FLASH!
Stinkfly took off to avoid capture once more.
Max flinched when the projector almost exploded, shocking the old man with electricity. The thing was getting closer and closer to being unstable. He knew he needed to get the girls to pull back from the Null Void.
"Girls, something's gone screwy with the projector! I'm not sure how much longer I can keep the portal open! You need to head back now!"
Yukiko understood the logic behind returning to the portal, but she'd rather die than abandon Ben to being trapped in a hell-like prison with Vilgax and Kevin. "Not without Ben!"
"Do your best to keep it open, Grandpa…wait?" Gwen sniffed the air. "What's that stink?" Suddenly their momentum was stopped when Stinkfly almost flew into them. The girls looked relieved to see their cousin still in one piece. "Ben!"
Stinkfly was feeling the same, he was mentally and physically exhausted from the constant running and fighting with the dangerous duo. So, seeing both of his cousins here to save him was a pleasing sight. "Yukiko! Gwen! I'm so glad to see you guys!" Stinkfly wrapped them both up in a hug, one that the two didn't hesitate to share.
Gwen pulled back first. "Ben, we need to go! The portal is closing now-"
"FOUND YOU!"
Before they could even blink, Vilgax's massive arm took a wide swing at them. Within that split second, Stinkfly pushed both of his cousins out of the way. The impact from the swing sent the bug flying into an asteroid.
"BEN!"
Yukiko attempted to strike, but three diamond shards were shot into her arm, stopping her from attacking. "GAH!" Blood poured from her wounds, staining the Plumber suit.
"Yukiko!" Gwen cried out. She looked over to see Kevin flying straight towards them. He reached out for her, pulling her right out of Yukiko's grasp. Gwen cried out as Kevin held her tightly.
"Gwen!" Yukiko used her other arm to grab her fan, but Vilgax intercepted her immediately.
"Enough meddling, girl!" His large claw grabbed her torso. He ripped the jetpack off her back and dropped it onto the asteroid below. His claws dug into her skin, causing even more blood to stain the suit.
"KYAAA!" Yukiko's cries of pain echoed throughout the Null Void.
"Yukiko!? Gwen!? What's going on!?" Max called out for them, hearing Yukiko's screams.
Gwen was being held down by Kevin, the mutant was squeezing her too tightly. "K-Kevin…you're hurting me!"
"I wouldn't have to if you just quit getting in the way!" Kevin shouted back.
Gwen's eyes glowed blue, raising her hands. "I wouldn't have to if you'd just stop chasing after Ben! Revenge isn't worth it, Kevin!" She shot a blue bolt at Kevin. It nailed him in the face, but even then, he refused to let her go. He hissed in pain, constricting his grip even tighter than before, Gwen screamed even louder as her ribs cracked from his grip.
Meanwhile, Yukiko shot fire spell after fire spell at Vilgax. But each one barely did anything to the warlord just like before. "W-why won't you just leave us alone!?"
"I will not rest until I have the Omnitrix! No matter how many must fall before me to accomplish my goal!" Vilgax responded.
Yukiko was unnerved by the pure amounts of hatred that was oozing out of Vilgax. Adachi couldn't even compare to such a monstrous creature. Using every bit of strength she had left, there was only one other spell she had to try.
Vilgax knew exactly what Yukiko was planning the moment he saw a single pink petal flutter past him. "YOU-"
"Burning…Petals!"
BOOM!
Kevin and Gwen had to brace themselves as the intensity of Yukiko's attack was way too close to them. Gwen was shocked that Yukiko attempted the attack in the first place, knowing that it didn't even hurt Vilgax the first time.
Suddenly, Vilgax dropped down from the smoke. His large body touching down on the same asteroid as them. Both human and mutant stared at Vilgax with a mixture of shock and disbelief.
The warlord was actually bleeding from the attack, albeit it wasn't much. Slight burning on his skin, damaging him enough to draw a bit of blood. And the sight of it alone was enough to enrage the warlord, who was still holding the exhausted Yukiko in his hand. "That stung…THAT STUNG!" He roared at her. Vilgax then harshly tossed Yukiko to the ground.
The heiress was too exhausted to move, only able to turn her head as Vilgax lifted his foot to crush her. Yukiko closed her eyes, awaiting the inevitable.
"NO!" Gwen tried to stop him, but Kevin was holding her down. Preventing her from using spells to interfere.
"STOOOP!"
Vilgax's foot was only a few inches away from turning Yukiko into bean paste. Everyone looked over to see Ben standing on the asteroid, glaring at Vilgax and Kevin. "Stop hurting them and I'll give you the stupid Omnitrix!"
"Ben, no!" Gwen cried.
"...Don't," Yukiko muttered.
Ben ignored them both. "Do we have a deal or not, Vilgax? My cousins for this stupid watch!"
Vilgax turned away from Yukiko, marching towards Ben. Kevin kept Gwen in his grasp as he whipped out the device needed to extract the watch.
While they were coming towards him, Ben secretly undid the Master Control. Kevin was about to attack until Vilgax pushed him aside, taking the device from him. "H-hey, what gives!?"
"All I needed was your DNA for the device. The pleasure of stripping the meddlesome brat of the Omnitrix is mine!" Vilgax forced Ben onto the ground, then placed his foot onto the boy's body to keep him still. Vilgax slammed the device over the Omnitrix to extract it, however the watch wasn't going down without a fight as it tried its best to stay connected to its host.
Vilgax was unaffected by the watch's self-defense protocols, forcing the machine in place as it forced the Omnitrix to leave Ben.
An insane amount of pain coursed through Ben's body as the watch was being ripped away from his DNA, slowly being torn from him after being bonded for so long. "AAAAGGGGHHHHH!" Ben's cries echoed loudly. The more the watch tried to fight it, the more pain it caused Ben. His screams were getting louder and louder by the second.
Yukiko was slowly crawling her way to Ben, his screams fueling her to help him. Her body was spent, but her instincts were screaming at her to save Ben no matter how injured she may be. She didn't care about anything else at the moment, the only thing on her mind was soothing Ben's pain the best she could.
Gwen watched helplessly as Ben was essentially being tortured in front of her. The girl pounded her fists against Kevin's arms, desperate to do something. "Stop him! Kevin, you have to stop this!"
Kevin looked at her as if she was dumb. "And why should I? Tennyson is finally getting what he deserved, and I'm supposed to stop that!?"
"I get it, you hate Ben! But you have to think realistically here, Kevin! If Vilgax gets the Omnitrix, then we're all gonna die here!"
"Tch, as if!"
"He doesn't care about you, Kevin! Even if Vilgax doesn't kill you here he'll just use you like everyone else tried to! Any sense of freedom you had will be gone if Vilgax wins! You'll be a slave, Kevin!"
"And how do I know you're not just using me like everyone else, huh!? That you won't just abandon me too!? A Freak like me!" Kevin spat at her.
"I'm still willing to believe in you, right!? I promise you, Kevin! I'll never abandon you!" After those words left her mouth, both her chest and Kevin's began to glow brightly. A single invisible string was tethered to them both, however unknowingly to them.
"GRAAAAAAHHHH!"
They both turned their attention back to the extraction. Ben's cries were beyond pain at this point, almost unnaturally terrifying.
The boy was staring at the watch as it was leaving his wrist. Memories of every time he transformed were replaying through his mind. Tears left his eyes as the watch was fully extracted, sitting within the small pod on top of the device. Vilgax lifted the pod, finally holding his treasure.
Ben sat up, managing to grin. "In your face! I zeroed out the Master Control, good luck trying to figure out the Master Control now!"
Vilgax scoffed. "Hacking the control sequence of the Omnitrix is child's play for a master of the Omnitrix."
"Oh…"
Vilgax raised his foot once more over Ben's smaller form. Causing panic to rise in Ben's stomach. "W-wait, we had a deal!"
"I allowed you and your pathetic family to live until the Omnitrix was in my grasp. I no longer have any reason to continue allowing you all to live!" Vilgax was about to strike until he was struck in the back, knocking him away from Ben.
The suddenness of the attack caused the warlord to drop the Omnitrix's pod, allowing it to fall right into Kevin's hands. Ben stared at Kevin in awe. "Kevin? You saved me…again?"
Even Yukiko was shocked as she struggled to her feet.
Kevin just stared down at Ben before dropping the Omnitrix into the boy's hands. "Consider my debts paid, Tennyson."
"What?" Ben questioned.
"BEN!" Looking over he saw Gwen helping Yukiko back onto her feet, the jetpack was still in tack and strapped to her back. "WE GOTTA MOVE IT!" Nodding his head, Ben ran over to his cousins. Once they were all hanging onto each other, Gwen activated the jetpack to race back to the portal. She looked back once more to see Kevin not even facing her direction, but something in her heart was telling her that he knew what she was feeling.
Vilgax was staring down Kevin, beyond infuriated by this point. "What is the meaning of this!?"
Kevin sharpened his blade. "I told you, Kevin Eleven takes orders from nobody!"
Vilgax just increased his muscle mass no longer desiring to hold back any further as his prize was once again torn away from him. His vengeance stripped away from him at the last moment. "Then you shall die here like a fool!"
Kevin already knew how this battle was going to end, but he didn't care. If there was one thing Kevin Eleven was good at, it was fighting. And he was more than willing to go down fighting.
Max could barely keep the portal open any more. "KIDS! KIDS-" His eyes widened when all three of his kids came flying through the portal. The three of them tumbled across the pavement as the portal shut for the final time. Trapping both Vilgax and Kevin to their fates.
"BEN! GWEN! YUKIKO!" Max rushed over to his kids, hugging all three of them.
"OW!"
"Oh, sorry," Max released them, realizing they were hurt a lot more than he imagined. "Are you kids gonna be alright?"
Yukiko smiled. "Just give me something to drink and I should be able to heal these injuries. But, more importantly at the moment." Yukiko, Gwen, and Max turned to Ben.
He held the capsule in his hands, smiling softly. He looked up at his family. He realized that this mess wouldn't have happened had he not been as cocky as he was. "I know I've been a jerk and abused the watch's power. I really don't deserve to use it again."
"Then I'll take it," Gwen said.
"No way!" Ben exclaimed. He opened up the capsule, the Omnitrix floated into the air above him. Ben lifted up his left arm, allowing the Omnitrix to close itself back onto his wrist. A wave of relief flowed through Ben's system as he felt the familiar sensation of each one of his forms again.
"Yup, Ben Tennyson is back in business!" Ben grinned.
Gwen just sighed, shaking her head at him. She glanced back at the broken projector, and Yukiko noticed this. "You're worried about him, right?"
"Kevin saved us. I honestly didn't think I'd be able to get through to him," Gwen said.
Yukiko realized that she may have been wrong about Kevin in the end. Perhaps there was some good left in his heart after all. "But you did manage it in the end, Gwen. And I think that's the most important part in the end."
Gwen smiled, hugging Yukiko carefully. "Do you think we'll ever see him again?"
Ben shrugged his shoulders, already going back to fiddling with the watch. "It's Kevin. He's a jerk, but if there's one thing about the guy, it's that he's persistent. So, we'll definitely see him again."
Gwen appreciated Ben and Yukiko's words, which was a strong contrast to them telling her to forget about him days ago.
"Uh, Ben? What are you doing?" Max asked.
"What do you think I'm doing? I'm going Hero!" Ben slapped down the dial, intending to turn into Four Arms.
Only for the watch to turn him into Gray Matter. That's when he remembered something important. "Gray Matter!? Aw, crap! I forgot I zeroed out the Master Control!"
"Pfft! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" His family laughed at the boy's karma for all the shit he put them through today.
Ben's misfortune brightened Gwen's mood. "Don't sweat it. There are only 999,999,999 million more combinations for you to try!"
"I-It's not funny!" Gray Matter fumed.
Yukiko picked him up, laughing at him. "Don't worry, Ben. I'm sure you'll figure it out once you grow big and strong again."
"Four Arms! Diamondhead!" The boy kept trying to transform. "Oh man…"
Season 2 End
NOTE: AND THIS brings Season 2 to a rousing close! I hope you all enjoyed the finale and the changes that I made along the way to it. Let's get to our discussion.
1. Kevin 11 and Gwen. From the very beginning of this season my idea was for Kevin to betray Vilgax at the end. But obviously he would never do it for Ben. But I figured that if he had a bond with a Tennyson who didn't hate him and actually believed he could still do good would be enough for Kevin to make an early shift. Something happened between the two and that will be important later on. And yes, it has something to do with magic. Kinda like a Social Link, lol.
2. Yukiko's Burning Petals did damage to Vilgax. Though, it wasn't much, it at least made him bleed. It's a big contrast to the first season. The evolution of her Persona was a major factor here and Yukiko will continue to grow as the Tennysons continue to battle evil.
3. Season 3 is probably going to be my favorite season to write. A certain plot point from season 1 will finally be getting picked back up and we get to see some Halloween Aliens! If I'm going to be honest, the third season might take some time to come out. There are things that I want to go over a bit more on, so that I'm not shifting ideas mid-season.
4. Kevin 11 will return.
5. Vilgax: "And I would've gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for you dumb Tennysons and your stupid watch!"
I think that's it. Look forward to Season 3 and more Priestess 10 content from me!
See ya soon!