NOTE: Sorry, for the wait. Bugging me about updating this story and going into the review sections of my other stories to demand that I update this does nothing more than piss me off and your review will be deleted if you do that. Just be patient.
This chapter will conclude the non-story related episodes. Going forward for the rest of Season 3 (Not counting "The Visitor", that will still be the final episode for Season 3) the episodes will be related to the "Halloween Mayhem" Arc.
I also want you guys to know now that I have a mini arc planned to happen right after S3, so we won't be getting into Season 4 immediately. Don't worry, I think you guys will really like what I have planned.
Priestess 10 takes place in 2012, since P4 took place in 2011.
Review and Enjoy!
Chapter 43: Unnatural Personas
"Bottom of the ninth. Two out, full count. Tennyson winds up and…!" Ben swings his arm around before throwing the baseball with all he's got and utterly fails to knock over the toy Ben Franklin heads. "No way! This game has got to be rigged! I totally nailed Ben Franklin!"
"Pfft! Ben hitting Ben!" Yukiko giggled.
The carnival employee just rolled his eyes. "Knock over the Ben Franklins you win a prize. Knock over squat you win squat."
Ben huffed and walked away, Yukiko followed after him. "You'd think in the city of brotherly love, they wouldn't cheat at the carnival games."
"I don't remember if any of the vendors would cheat us back during Inaba's festivals. Though, Chie-chan would fail at the games a lot." Yukiko said.
"She lacks skill, but I don't. That was totally unfair!" Ben complained. The two regrouped with the rest of their family.
"I'm afraid that's just the way life is, Ben. You win some and you lose some. Now come on! You can't visit Philadelphia without seeing the Liberty Bell!" Max exclaimed, excitedly.
"If I just went hero I'd win every one of the stupid games." Ben said.
"Sure. Use the most powerful device in the universe to cheat at whack-a-mole. Real nice." Gwen huffed, lightly shoving Ben.
"Yeah, you get it." Ben smiled, not picking up on the sarcasm. Gwen rolled her eyes, walking further ahead of them. The Tennyson kids were handed cones of cotton candy from Max.
"Eh. It's just a carnival game. Nothing to really get upset over." Kenny bit into his sweet treat.
Yukiko shook her head. "It's not a good idea to let Ben get ahead of himself. Last time he did the opposite of what he should, we got kicked out of a four-star hotel."
"You're really going to keep shoving that back into my face…" Ben groaned. Before he could bite into his cotton candy a loud honking could be heard approaching.
Suddenly, a large truck crashed through multiple booths, two men stood on the back of the truck with the Liberty Bell tied down between them. The truck was going straight for Ben.
"Oh man! Not good!" Ben yelled. Standing still like a deer struck by headlights.
OP: Ancient Romantic by P-Maru Sama
Ancient Romantic!
(U! Ha! U! Ha!)
(U! Ha! U! Ha!)
A rotating shot of the Omnitrix comes into view before latching onto Ben's wrist. He's seen standing with Yukiko, Gwen, and Max in front of the Rustbucket.
For a split second the landscape around them glitches out as purple lighting cracks the sky above.
The miracle of humankind that I met at once was a loss if neither Edison nor Watson knew (Loss!)
Ben stands on top of a broken spaceship, staring out at the clear blue sky above him.
Below him was Yukiko, who stood in the shadows of the ship. Her eyes transfixed on her tarot card.
Mr. N was surprised at such a situation since the earth was created (Unexpected!)
Gwen walked past the two, her eyes focused on her spell book. She shut the book instantly, her eyes glowing with blue mana.
Max stood in the back and in his hands was a broken picture frame.
The ancient civilization and the school playground that I ran yesterday are all connected.
The scenery changed to Inaba. Yukiko is seen running through the town with the rest of the Investigation Team.
SHATTER!
Yukiko was now running around with the Tennysons. Ben, happily leading the charge with the Omnitrix ready.
SHATTER!
Yukiko was smiling brightly, her arms draped around Ben's chest as he proudly stood in front of her. His face is full of confidence and aspirations.
SHATTER!
Older versions of Ben, Yukiko, Gwen, Max, and Yu appeared. The Tennysons were standing around the married couple as Yukiko held a small blue bundle of blankets in her hands. She smiled warmly at her newborn baby.
The invitation to unravel the true nature of this romance is an initiation from ancient times.
Ben sat inside of a blue limousine. In front of him were both Igor and Maragret, the attendant holding a large blue book in her hands.
Sitting next to Ben was Yu, whose tarot card expanded into a blinding flash of light.
All members! Go in! Aye-aye!
Ben charged into battle first, slapping down the dial and transforming into Four Arms. Gwen came in next, hands glowing bright with mana. Yukiko summoned Sumeo-Okami, unleashing waves of fire. Max joined his grandkids, his own personal blaster ready to battle.
Let's dance in such an era! Dancing all right!
Yu appeared next with his sword drawn. Izanagi jumped out from behind him, his blade sparking with white electricity.
Naoto Shirogane dropped down in front of him with her gun pointed at the screen. Her Persona: Yamato-Takeru appeared next to her in a flash of light.
Rise Kujikawa descended downwards gracefully, with her eyes closed shut. Her Persona: Kanzeon had appeared behind Rise. Placing a red-colored headset over her user's eyes.
Rehabilitation! Introspection! I'll do it one after another! The past and the future are all mixed together!
Yukiko had her arms wrapped around Four Arms' neck as the two glided through a massive tornado. Four Arms loudly strummed his guitar.
Kenny and Lucky Girl stood back to back, facing off against an army of robots. The elder brother held a baseball bat in his hands, while Lucky Girl's hands vibrated with mana.
Collapse! Situation! Hurry up!
A familiar looking creature appeared dressed in shadows, its purple eye glistening with malicious fury.
The feelings of hundreds of millions of years are romantic over!
Three new aliens appeared on the screen. A Frankenstien's monster, a werewolf, and a mummy all stood in front of a large satellite. Above them the sun transformed into a massive purple eyeball.
March! Send! Do in! Do in Love! There is one love in any era!
The Rustbucket was speeding towards the satellite with its boosters activated. The Tennysons inside were determined to stop whatever was about to happen.
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, you can see!
Chie, Yosuke, Kanji, Teddie, Nanako, Rise, and Naoto held each letter as they flashed across the screen.
H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, you caught!
For the last remaining letters were each held by Ben's aliens as they flashed across the screen.
Ancient Romantic!
Yukiko fell through the air, unable to stop herself. Ben reached for her as fast as he could, his hand only inches from her's.
(U! Ha! U! Ha!)
(U! Ha! U! Ha!)
Yukiko sprinted towards Ben, tackling her little cousin out of the way of the truck. The two rolled across the wooden planks as the truck skirted by. The rest of their family hurried over to their side. "They're getting away with the Liberty Bell!" Max yelled.
"Not if XLR8 has anything to say about it!" Ben activated the watch. His family quickly covered him as he transformed.
Kenny groaned. "This really is a recurring issue for you, isn't it?"
Ben had transformed into Gray Matter instead of XLR8. "Oh man!" Yukiko grabbed him and handed the Galvan to her Persona.
"We don't have time to worry about Ben's incapableness!"
"Hey!" He yelled, offended.
Sumeo-Okami pulled back her arm as if she was pitching a baseball. "And strike!" Yukiko yelled as Gray Matter was tossed through the air towards the truck.
"And you couldn't even get the call-out right." Gwen groaned.
Gray Matter screamed until he crashed onto the back of the truck. Luckily, the thieves hadn't noticed him yet. He crawled down into the inner workings of the truck and started pulling wires. His meddling caused the vehicle to spin out of control before crashing into a street pole. The Galvan went flying out of the engine and into a jelly bean basket.
He grabbed one, licking it. "Now this is what I call a sweet landing! Heh, Yukiko would've laughed at that." Once he saw that the police had surrounded the thieves, Gray Matter turned his attention to the board behind him. "Guess how many jelly beans and win a music pocket? Heh, way too easy for the little guy with the huge brain!" Gray Matter proceeded to count the jelly beans with insanely fast math.
After stopping the criminals the Tennysons had left the carnival and were now parked outside of a TV store. Max watched the news on the display TVs, while his grandkids conversed.
"Nice music pocket. How'd you get it?" Gwen asked.
"Let's say a little friend helped me make a lucky guess." Ben alluded to Gray Matter. His cousins understood the implications immediately.
"Benjamin! How many times do we have to go through this?" Yukiko sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"It's totally cheating doofus!" Gwen added.
Kenny shrugged. "Don't see the problem with it. It's just a carnival game." He regretted his words when Gwen and Yukiko rounded on him instantly.
"That's just letting him get away with bad habits, Kenny! If we excuse him even once then he'll keep thinking it's okay to do!" Yukiko argued.
"The doofus has a serious ego trip!" Gwen added.
Ben rolled his eyes. "Don't act like you wouldn't have done the same thing as me, dweeb!"
Gwen gaped, appalled. "I-I wouldn't!"
"So, you're telling me that if there was something that you really wanted and you could use your powers to get it, then you wouldn't do it?" Ben challgened.
Gwen opened her mouth to defend herself, but then realized that Ben wasn't wrong for once. While she wasn't as blatant with it as Ben is, Gwen had her own tendencies to get carried away, especially when she first got her powers. "I-" Before she could say anything Max interrupted them.
"Hey, Ben! Check it out, your hometown baseball team, The Cannons, are in the finals of the Little League World Series!" Max informed him, pointing at the television.
Ben put down his music player and turned to the screen, his eyes wide with shock. "No way! I was supposed to be on that team!"
Yukiko thought back to the first night of summer. She did recall Ben mentioning he was supposed to be playing Little League baseball until this trip was brought up.
"Yeah, if only you could hit, or throw, or run." Gwen listed off Ben's faults.
"Think we could go, Grandpa?" Ben asked.
"..Or catch, or slide, or-"
SMACK!
"Ow!" Gwen gripped her head.
"We get it, Gwen." Yukiko held her fan as Ben chuckled at Gwen getting hit for once.
The Rustbucket pulled up to The Little League Complex field. "William's Port, PA! The birthplace of little league baseball. That honored institution where dreams of greatness are forged in young minds along with the life lessons of fair play." Max narrated to his grandkids. Yukiko was the only one who was fully absorbed in Max's speech.
"Wow! I didn't know little league was so inspirational. I've never played baseball before or any sport for that matter." Yukiko said.
"I've played little league before. Was one heck of a fun time." Kenny grinned.
"Were you any good?" Yukiko asked him.
"Ah. Wouldn't say I was the best, but the coach did say I had one mean swing." Kenny mimicked swinging a baseball bat.
The Rustbucket pulled up to the security gate, where they were stopped so that security could do a check on the RV. The family was confused by the amount of security guards. "What's with all the security?" Gwen asked.
"The President is a big baseball fan. He likes to make an appearance to cheer the kids on." Max explained.
"The President of the United States!?" Yukiko gasped.
"Must be a really important game, huh?" Kenny whistled.
The Tennysons were given the signal to go ahead into the field, allowing Max to park the Rustbucket.
Ben rushed out of the Rustbucket in a hurry, leaving his music player on the table. Gwen noticed this and quietly slid the device into her own pocket. Yukiko watched Ben run towards the field. "Don't go far, Ben!" She called out to him.
"I'm just going to see the Cannons!" He responded. He didn't wait to see how she responded as he reached the gate. His face was full of excitement as he watched his favorite team practice out on the field. "It wouldn't hurt to go say hi." Ben said to himself. He was about to walk onto the field until something caught the corner of his eye. "What the…?"
Looking over to the far side of the field, Ben saw three figures. Two of which looked awfully familiar to him, almost sickeningly familiar. "No way…is that…!" Ben rushed into the field to confirm his worst fears.
Standing over a small boy dressed in the Cannons' uniform were his school bullies Cash and J.T. And much to his horror the two were also dressed in the Cannons' uniform. Cash stood over the smaller boy with a can of grape soda in his hands, he was shaking it angrily at the boy.
"I said I wanted cherry flavor, not grape!" Cash yelled.
"You never said that…" The boy mumbled.
"What was that!?" Cash hissed.
"I-I m-mean…!"
J.T. stepped up to his partner. "I think he needs to be taught a lesson about disobeying orders. Don't you think so, Cash?"
Cash smirked at the suggestion. "Yeah, I think a little reminder of the pecking order is needed." The two smiled evilly as they walked closer to the boy.
"HEY!"
All three stopped in their tracks at the shout, especially the bullies who recognized the voice. They turned to see Ben, who was glaring at Cash and J.T. with a heated glare. The sight of their usual punching bag took the bullies' attention away from the boy. "Well well, if it isn't Tennyson. Thought you'd be hiding out from us until school started, shrimp!" Cash grinned.
Ben huffed, not letting them intimate him. "Yeah, well I've been a little busy saving the world this summer instead, Cash!"
The two obviously didn't believe him for a second. "Oh! Saving the world! Hahaha! You're no hero, Tennyson! No loser like you could ever save the world!" Cash mocked him.
"Yeah, this pee-wee is in his own world!" J.T. insinuated that Ben was delusional.
Ben growled at them, fire burning in his eyes. He lifted up the Omnitrix, placing his fingers on the buttons. "I'll show you-"
"BEN!"
The boy stopped before he could activate the watch as Yukiko came running over, surprising the two bullies. They were surprised that Ben would know a girl as hot as that.
"What were you about to do!?" Yukiko hissed into his ear.
"Just going to teach them a lesson! These jerks deserve it!" Ben hissed back.
"Who are they anyway?"
"Nobody important-" He was interrupted by Cash grabbing him by his collar.
"Tennyson! How the heck do you know this hot chick!?" Cash demanded, angrily. Ben didn't get to answer as Yukiko grabbed Cash's wrist tightly, slightly burning his wrist.
"OW!" Cash pulled back his arm, holding his wrist. "Who the heck are you!?" The usual glare he used to intimate people melted away as he stared at the pissed off heiress.
"His cousin! Now move!" Yukiko's face was almost demonic, scaring the shit out of the bullies.
"L-let's go warm up, J.T.!" Cash tried to keep his composure, backing away from Yukiko.
"R-right!" Both bullies scurried away from the Tennysons to the side that the rest of the team was on.
Ben wasn't going to admit that he enjoyed watching Yukiko make his bullies pee their pants. It was always funny when Yukiko's anger wasn't directed at him.
"Uh…"
Both Tennysons looked down at the boy, who had pretty much gone unnoticed during the entire exchange. Now that Ben had a closer look at him, he noticed the boy had short brown hair with freckles adorning his face. His black eyes looked fearful, which was either due to Cash or Yukiko.
Ben was placing his money on Yukiko.
"Hey, you okay?" Ben helped the boy up.
"I-I'll be alright, for now I guess. Thanks." He said.
"Ben, who is this?" Yukiko asked.
"I don't know. I just met…uh…?" Ben motioned at him.
"I'm Timothy. You can just call me Tim."
"I just met Tim." Ben told her.
"Which leads me to asking, why were J.T. and Cash messing with you anyway?" Ben asked.
Timothy sighed, rubbing his arm. "They've been bullying me since joining the team. Not even just me either, but some of the other reserve members as well. They think just because they made the main line-up it makes them better than us. It wasn't even because of their skill, it was just pure dumb luck! It makes me so angry!" Tim explained.
"Then why not tell the coach?" Yukiko asked.
"I-I can't…" Tim looked ashamed. "Nobody does. Nobody wants to risk becoming the target of their harassment. It would just be worse if they end up getting sent to the reserves or kicked off the team."
Ben felt himself relating to Timothy, having been on the receiving end of their bullying. It angered him plenty of times to see the two getting away with their bullying, because people were too afraid to do anything and the teachers were useless in that regard too. It was why he tried to stand up to them when he could, to be the hero.
Ben felt that he had to speak up. "You can't just let them push you around! You gotta stand up not just for yourself, but for the others too. Be the hero-"
"I can't! Heroes like that don't exist. Especially for someone like me." Tim shook his head. "If you excuse me, I have to get back to practice now-"
"WATCH IT!"
The Tennysons and Tim turned to the direction of the shout. Seeing Cash glaring at a player of the opposite team. "What!? Did you come for a preview of what we're gonna do to you in the next game!"
The lengthy boy standing across from him didn't physically react. "The score of our last game was 28 to 3. The next one won't be that close."
"That's considered close?" Yukiko may not know sports all that well, but even she knew that those numbers were way too far apart.
"Yukiko, look!" Ben pulled her attention to the other side of the field. She turned around to see three players of the opposing team tossing incredibly fast balls to their teammates. Those balls were close in hitting J.T. and Cash had the two not ducked out of the way. "They aren't even considering that there are people in the way!"
"It seems so emotionless…" Yukiko muttered.
"That's our opponent, The Squires. They really freak me out…" Tim shivered.
The Squires halted their almost murderous drill after their coach snapped his fingers. "Excellent drill."
"Drill!?" Yukiko and Ben looked over to see that the rest of their family had seen the crazy practice as well. "They almost took those kids' heads off!" Max exclaimed.
"Maybe next time they'll stay out of the way." The coach responded, coldy. "Good luck, Cannons. You'll need it." He said as his team mobilized behind him.
Kenny sweated a bit. "Well, I can say for sure they're one well-oiled machine."
"But they aren't machines." Yukiko tilted her head.
"No, I meant…" Kenny sighed.
"Welcome to my world." Gwen said, dryly.
Cash picked up a baseball, desiring to get pay back. "Hey! You forgot something!" He shot the ball at one of the players, only for the boy to catch it without even looking. Leaving all of them to stare at the Squires with stunned expressions.
A few hours later the Tennysons were sitting in the audience as the game between the Cannons and the Squires was about to begin. Gwen had brought her laptop with her, while the others were enjoying their snacks. "If the Cannons don't win this game. The series is over." Max informed them.
"Ben, slow down." Yukiko ordered. She watched as the boy was eating his food as if it was his last meal on Earth. Ben waved off her concern as he bit into his hotdog.
"Something about those guys is weird. They're too perfect." Ben said through his bites.
"For real. Compare them to the Cannons and it's like night and day." Kenny said as the Cannons came out to the field.
Ben leaned forward in his seat as Cash came up to pitch. "WE WANT A PITCHER, NOT A HAIRY-"
Max yanked the hero back into his seat, giving him a stern look. "Benjamin!" Max warned.
"What?" Ben feigned ignorance.
"PLAY BALL!" The umpire announced. The Cannons' first batter nailed the pitch, and it seemed like it would be a home run. Unfortunately, the Squires managed to catch the ball by jumping freakishly high into the air.
This sort of back and forth would continue as no matter what the Cannons did the Squires would stop their momentum with inhumane acrobatics and skill. Even crazier was when one of the Squires shattered their wooden bat, sending the ball flying into one of the stadium's lights, causing a big explosion, and scoring a home run.
"This is a massacre." Kenny said.
"I've seen acrobatics, but this is ridiculous!" Yukiko exclaimed.
Ben came back with his fourth tray of snacks. "Oh man! We're getting destroyed!"
Gwen looked up from her laptop. "I thought you hated J.T. and Cash?"
"I do! But I want them to stink, not the team!" Ben replied.
"Guys, listen to these stats I pulled up." Gwen directed them to her screen, as she brought up the Squire's team page. "The Squire's team ERA is less than 1. Slugging percentage is 98.6. No one in history in the majors, minors, college, or little league has ever been this perfect."
After hearing that an idea popped into Ben's head. "Ugh, I'll be right back. I need another double chili cheese dog." Ben got up from his seat and walked away. Gwen raised an eyebrow, noticing that his tray still had an uneaten cheese dog.
"Too many of those aren't good for you!" Yukiko shouted at him. She then turned to Kenny who was snacking down on his fourth as well. "The same goes for you too."
"You're gonna be all mother-hen with me now too?" Kenny complained.
"Mother-hen? I'm not a mother-hen!"
Gwen ignored them in favor of focusing on the game below, especially when the ball, after getting hit towards one of the outfield Squires, suddenly changed directions.
The next one up to bat was Tim, the boy looking nervous at suddenly being brought out to bat. His knees shook from nerves as the fast ball came at him. Closing his eyes from fright, Tim swung the bat with everything he had. To anyone who was paying close attention, they'd be able to tell that the boy's bat was far off the mark from hitting the ball. But somehow the ball changed trajectory at the last minute and made contact with Tim's swing. The ball went flying through the air towards an outfield Squire, but instead of landing in his glove, the ball went flying out of the stadium and into the hands of a Cannons fan.
Tim opened his eyes as loud cheering erupted from the stadium. He looked over at his team as they were yelling at him to run, screaming that he had scored a home run. "I-I did?" Turning to the Umpire, he nodded his head to confirm the boy's question. Excitement coursed through Tim's heart, causing him to leap up and cheer. "I did it! I did it!"
"Wow! Did you see that home run!?" Max exclaimed, impressed.
"Yeah, it was amazing!" Yukiko gasped. "I didn't think Tim had it in him. He looked so nervous."
Gwen narrowed her eyes, reaching into her bag for her camera. "It was a little too amazing. I think it's time for a little instant replay."
As she turned on her camera, Cash stepped up to the plate. He swung his bat to hit the ball as it came, but somehow it changed direction and crashed into his hip. "OW! AH!" Cash cried.
J.T. was up next as Cash walked to First Base. The glasses-wearing bully prepared to swing as his shoelaces tied themselves together without anyone's notice. J.T. missed the ball and tripped over his own feet.
Gwen used her camera to follow the ball after J.T.'s bunt. Every time a Squire was about to catch it, the ball moved in a different direction. Yukiko and the other Tennysons watched in befuddlement at the phenomenon as J.T. and Cash ran back to home base. As the two made it back to home base, the Umpire called the game. Ending it with the Cannons' victory.
Yukiko clapped her hands to congratulate the Cannons along with Max and Kenny. "Where's Ben? He just missed his team making a comeback." Kenny grinned.
Gwen showed them her camera. "Five chili cheese dogs and one guess. And I'm so not on bathroom duty."
Timothy couldn't have been happier as he walked through the park grounds. He had managed to hit a home run! A freaking home run! His mom wouldn't believe this when he tells her once he gets home-
"Hey, Tim!"
Tim turned at the call of his name and saw Ben walking towards him. Tim couldn't help but smile brightly at his kinda new friend. Ben did help him earlier from Cash and J.T., so maybe they were friends? "Ben! Did you see the game!? We won! And I hit a home run!"
Ben smiled widely, knowing full well he was the reason the Cannons had even won that game and that Tim had hit the home run. Not that he was going to reveal that to Tim at all. Instead he chose to congratulate the boy. "Heck yeah, I saw it! You guys were awesome. Well, except for J.T. and Cash, did you see those two fumbling around out there?"
Tim shared a laugh with Ben, it felt good to watch his tormentors get humiliated for once. "It was pretty funny. Though, I don't think they were particularly happy about getting outshined by me and the others."
Ben waved it off. "Ah, who cares what they think. You scored the first home run for your team, and you made the momentum needed for the Cannons to make a comeback. Have some pride in that."
Tim allowed Ben's words to sink in. "Yeah… yeah I guess you're right. I'm kinda like a hero-"
"Come with us!"
"Out of my face, weirdo!"
"What?" Ben and Tim turned around to see Cash and J.T. being surrounded by the Squires. The two hid behind some bushes to watch the scene play out.
Cash raised his bat to attack, but the weapon was taken from him quickly. He and J.T. watched as one of the Squires bent the metal bat like a toothpick. J.T. fainted, leaving Cash on his own to deal with the freaky kids. "Uh… you guys need to back off on those new energy drinks."
Ben felt very uneasy about the scene and looked down at the Omnitrix, cursing himself for using it earlier. "How come doing the right thing feels so wrong?"
"Hungry?" Cash glared at the kid in front of him. "How about a knuckle sandwich!?" His fist was caught and shoved back into his face, knocking him out. Both he and J.T. were carried off by the Squires.
"Crap!" Ben cursed. "We gotta follow them."
"Why?" Tim asked.
"What do you mean 'why'? They're being taken somewhere!" Ben pointed at the retreated baseball players.
"Yeah, but those two have done nothing but torment me since joining the team. Why do I have to be the one to help them? Heck, they've bullied you too from the looks of it!" Tim argued.
Ben mentally groaned, glancing to make sure he didn't lose track of the Squires, then looked back at Tim. "Look, J.T. and Cash are jerks who think they can push people around however they want. But even so, I ain't just gonna sit around and watch them get hurt. A hero doesn't leave people behind, no matter who they are." After saying his piece, Ben sprinted after the Squires and his bullies. Leaving Tim to ponder his words and their meaning.
The Tennysons had retreated back to Rustbucket, still having not found Ben. They figured he wanted to stick back and talk to the Cannons after their victory. Gwen on the other hand, was checking back on the footage she had taken of the game. "I knew it! Guys, this is super, super, super slow motion!" Gwen played back the footage, revealing that XLR8 had been manipulating the game in the favor of the Cannons.
"XLR8! Ben should know better, you don't cheat in baseball!" Max frowned, disappointed in his youngest grandson. "He'll be grounded for this one."
"I know I said that cheating in those carnival games wasn't a big deal, but this is a lot different. It's not fair to the other team, who were trying their best to win just as much as the Cannons." Kenny sighed. He finally understood what Yukiko meant by not letting Ben get away with doing whatever he wanted.
Yukiko had been silent as she watched the footage replay. While she was pissed at Ben for cheating during a game based around fairness and integrity, there was something else on her mind. Specifically, the parts of the footage that had to deal with Cash, J.T., and Tim. There was something she really needed clarification on.
Gwen looked at her brother. "I don't think the Squires are as fair as you think, Ken. Which might make Ben's actions a bit more understandable." She pulled up another web page. "I just looked up the Squires online. When you cross reference the Squire's roster with the Baseball Hall of Fame database, the Squires have the same name as a bunch of old time players. And there's no proof these kids even exist. No report cards, medical records, or anything." Max and his kids looked out of the window to see the Squires' coach standing outside. The coach was pressing some inputs into his tablet as he stared at the security officers.
"Now why would a coach be checking in on the Secret Service instead of his own team during a game?" Max wondered.
"I don't know, but something tells me we're about to find out, right?" Gwen said.
"And something tells me that Ben might be in the center of it." Yukiko cursed.
Ben followed the Squires to a factory that was located next to the Baseball field. He snuck inside and hid behind some machines. His eyes widened as he saw J.T. and Cash being hooked up to metal tables. Across from them, two other tables were lifted up with two robot bodies dressed in the Cannons uniforms on them. Ben realized the truth behind the Squires instantly. "Ah! They're robots! That's why they're so good!" When the entrance to the factory began to open, Ben ducked down into a latch to hide himself.
The coach entered the factory with Yukiko and Tennysons following closely behind. However, before the four could enter the entrance closed too quickly.
The coach approached his players. "I don't know how they took control in that last inning, but we cannot risk it happening again." He then noticed something was wrong. "There should be three. Where's the boy who scored the home run?"
"We couldn't find him. Apologizes, sir." One of them lowered his head.
The coach shook his head. "Doesn't matter too much. These two will be enough. Scan them." He ordered the machines and walked away. It was at that moment the bullies began to wake up.
"Uh…I just had the weirdest dream. We were kidnapped by the Squires-AHH!" J.T. screamed as he was scanned by the machine. Cash was the same, frozen in shock.
Ben crawled underneath a hole to see what was happening, and watched as the robots were turned into replicas of Cash and J.T. "This would be so cool if it weren't so freaky!"
"These players will be our insurance policy. Dispose of the originals." The coach ordered. "And the spy while you're at it." He turned his gaze to Ben's not so hidden spot.
"Crud!" Ben climbed out of the hole and booked it. The Squires picked up several baseballs and chucked them at the hero. Ben dodged in time, terrified that the baseballs were thrown hard enough to plow through the steel door. "Hey!" Ben ducked back down to avoid the next volley.
Back outside of the factory, Max and his grandkids ducked out the way of the door as the balls were flying through it. Yukiko was surprised by Ben's cry and was about to blast the door down until Max stopped her. "We'll find a different entrance, c'mon!"
Ben rolled out of the way as several wooden bats were thrown like spears at him. Embedding themselves into the ground.
"Was that Tennyson?" J.T. asked.
"Here? That wimp? Get real." Cash scoffed.
BEEP!
Ben grinned as the Omnitrix finally recharged. "Finally! Time to play offense!" Ben selected Diamondhead and slapped down the dial.
FLASH!
CRASH!
An explosion of a crystallized structure impaled through a few robotic Squires. Diamondhead retracted the structure back into his body and glared at his opponents. "Woah! It's one of those alien heroes from the news!" J.T. exclaimed.
Diamondhead blocked a bat strike and smacked the Squire away. He jumped towards the coach and tried to punch him, but the man dodged his attacks. The robotic J.T. and Cash attempted to stop him, but Diamondhead shoved two crystal spikes through their heads. A very cathartic smile found its way to the Petrosapien's face.
"Was it just me or was that thing smiling after it impaled our robots?" J.T. asked.
Diamondhead marched towards the coach, the man didn't look worried at all. "Support units only." Several turkey-like robots jumped at Diamondhead.
"Oh crud." Diamondhead muttered before retaliating at the turkeys. However, there were too many and he was slowly being overwhelmed by them.
Behind all of the action the Tennyson family snuck in through a broken window. The four of them observed the action taking place. "We have to free those kids. Yukiko, you help Ben from back here."
"Right." Yukiko summoned her Persona as her family rushed in to free J.T. and Cash. "Maragi." Several fireballs soared towards the turkeys, blowing them to bits. Diamondhead was surprised until he noticed his family had arrived.
Kenny and Max undid the bindings on the bullies, while Gwen noticed a screen with the President's face on it. "The President!?" Her cry brought the coach's attention to them.
"Team, move out." The coach ordered as he and the Squires left the factory.
"Woah! These guys take their baseball way too seriously!" J.T. said.
"The Squires are getting away!" Kenny yelled.
"It's over." The coach activated the self-destruct sequence of the factory's power core.
"Yukiko! Diamondhead!" Max called out to his grandkids. Both of them quickly made it to their family's side. More turkey-bots surrounded them.
"I can take them!" Diamondhead shouted.
"They're not our problem, that is!" Max pointed at the power core. "It's going to explode!"
Diamondhead had to think quickly. He looked down and noticed a cable cord on the ground, picking it up, he wrapped it around the turkeys, and used them as a weapon to bust down the door. "GO!"
"I can't-" Yukiko tried to argue, but Max pulled her back.
"He'll be fine! Run!" Max pushed his granddaughter out of the factory with the rest of them as Diamondhead held off the rest of the turkey-bots. After finishing them off with a special attack, he created a crystalline barrier to protect himself from the blast. The entire factory exploded to pieces, leaving nothing but fiery remains.
"BEN!" Yukiko screamed at the wreckage, the rest of her family looking just as scared. That was, until a lone turkey-bot walked out of the wreckage. It fell down to reveal several diamond shards stuck into its back.
"Are those robots all gone?" J.T. asked.
FLASH!
"Destroy all humans!"
"AAAHHH!" The bullies hid behind Max and Kenny in fear until they realized it was just Ben. Both bullies glared at him and walked forward. "Oh hardy har. You missed all the action as usual, Tennyson."
Ben scoffed. "Well for your information, me and the guy who just kicked robot butt are-MGFH!" Whatever Ben was about to say was cut off by Yukiko wrapping him up in a big hug. Pressing his face against her chest.
"Ben, you had me so worried! Don't you ever run off like that again! Do you hear me!?" Yukiko increased the strength of her hug, crushing Ben.
"MGHHH! MMMGHHH!" He screamed.
"Grandpa, they had a copy of the President's face." Gwen informed him.
"If he could switch out those kids for robots, they could do the same with the President." Max said.
"We need a way to get onto the field and stop them." Kenny hummed.
"Well, thanks for all your help and stuff, but we got a game to play." Cash and J.T. walked away. The Tennysons watched the two walk away before a plan popped into their heads.
"Not so fast, you two. You two are coming with us." Max said.
"And why should we?" Cash asked, defensive.
"Because we just saved your butts. Now c'mon!" Gwen pushed the two forward.
"H-hey, watch it!"
Kenny smirked. "Better make sure she doesn't hurt them too bad." He said as he followed after Gwen.
Ben was about to join in until Yukiko stopped him. "What?"
"We need to talk, Ben." Yukiko frowned.
Yukiko and Ben sat underneath a tree as the rest of their family and the bullies were inside the Rustbucket, prepping for their plan. There was still an hour left before the game started, so Yukiko felt that now would be a good time to talk with Ben.
Ben looked anywhere but at Yukiko. "What did you want to talk about, anyway?"
"Why did you cheat, Ben?" Yukiko cut right to the chase.
"Cheat?" Ben raised a brow.
She glared at him. "Don't play dumb with me, Benjamin. We already know that you cheated during that first game. I know that you wanted the Cannons to win, but I feel like that wasn't your only reason for doing it."
"What does it matter? The Squires are all robots! They were cheating from the start!" Ben argued.
"You didn't know that at the time, so don't even play that card." Yukiko had shut him down. "But, that's not what I wanted to really talk about."
"Then what?" Ben asked, rudely.
"What's your history with Cash and J.T.? There's so much animosity between you and them."
Ben was silent for a few seconds. "It's none of your business."
"It is when you were about to expose your secret to them twice. First time was when we first got here and back at the factory. What I want to know is why? Why do you care so much about them? About why you purposefully decided to humiliate them during the game?"
Ben was silent again and brought his knees up to his chest. "It doesn't matter…"
"It matters to you, Ben. All I want to do is understand why you dislike them so much. I'm not defending them or attacking you. I just want to understand." She said softly.
Ben stared at the ground. "They're jerks."
"It's more than that."
"They're not just jerks who think they can push people around, because nobody has the courage to stand up to them."
Yukiko understood what Ben meant. "They've bullied you."
Ben nodded his head, feeling the words dancing at his lips. "I'm their favorite target. I don't really have any friends back at school, which made it easier for them to target me. There's nobody willing to stick up for me."
"Ben-" Yukiko knew what it was like to be bullied, but there was a clear difference between herself and Ben. While she had Chie there to defend her, Ben had nobody. Gwen and Ben went to different schools, so he was truly alone.
"But I've never let that get to me. I hate bullies more than anything, so I always tried to stand up to them whenever I could." Memories of the beginning of the summer replayed through his mind. Of when J.T. and Cash had strung him up in a tree by his underwear with another kid that he tried to save.
"Next time don't try to be a hero."
"But all it ever did was make things worse. Being the hero never worked out for anyone, and that's all I ever wanted to be." Ben's words reminded Yukiko of what Tim had said. Now everything Ben has done up to this point has started to make sense. "Seeing J.T. and Cash here, playing for the Cannons, and continuing to pick on people, it just made my blood boil."
"Seeing them again reminded you of when you couldn't help people. Back when you were powerless." Yukiko had nailed it completely.
Ben couldn't believe that he was telling someone all of this, but then he remembered that he was talking to Yukiko. Talking with her always felt good and finally being able to talk to someone about all of this felt relieving. Like, he was finally getting all the weight off of his back. "When I got the Omnitrix, I felt like I could finally get them back, which is what I did that first morning."
"Oh, that's where you went."
"Yup."
"What exactly did you do?"
"Left them hanging in a tree by their underwear."
"Pfft! Hahahahaha!" Yukiko imagined it and found the entire thing hilarious. Ben snorted before breaking into a full blown laugh with her. "N-not that I approve of such actions, but this one time I'll let it slide." Yukiko ruffled his hair. "But Ben…"
"Yeah?"
"Is that why you helped Tim get that home run? So, that you could be someone's hero?" Yukiko asked.
"Well, yeah. Cash and J.T. basically shot down his whole confidence. I felt that maybe I could help give it back to him."
"Even though that wasn't really his own personal victory. What if it all goes to his head and he ends up messing up badly in this next game? You can't always be there to help him."
"O-oh…" Ben hadn't thought about it like that. "I couldn't just leave him to embarrass himself. I know what that's like and it sucks. Even if he never knew it, I wanted to feel like I was finally someone's hero."
Yukiko shook her head. "You ARE a hero, Ben. You don't need to cheat or get revenge on others to feel like that. This entire summer you've been saving people's lives from potential tragedies, and facing threats from Earth and space. You will always be a hero, Ben, and don't let anyone take that away from you."
Ben stared at Yukiko as her words sunk deep into his heart. She was right, ever since he got the Omnitrix he's been saving the day lots of times. He didn't have to prove himself to anyone, because in his heart he knew that he was a hero. "Thanks, Yukiko. You always know what to say."
Yukiko giggled, bringing him in for a hug. "Of course I do. I'm your big sis. I'll always know what to say."
"HEY!" Yukiko and Ben turned to see Gwen standing in the door of the Rustbucket. "C'mon! We're ready to start the plan!"
Yukiko looked down at Ben. "You ready, Ben?"
"Oh, yeah! Time to kick robot butt!" Ben grinned.
Ben, dressed in the Cannons' uniform, snuck into the team's line as they entered the stadium. He looked back at the Rustbucket and smirked.
Inside of the motorhome, Max watched Ben make it safely inside. Max activated a compartment and grabbed a blaster. Kenny sat at the table, while Yukiko and Gwen were getting up from the back of the RV. The four of them stepped out of the Rustbucket, but before they could leave, Cash and J.T. stopped them. The former was dressed in just his underwear.
"Hey! What about us!?" Cash cried.
Kenny shrugged. "Sit tight and hang back. Wouldn't want anyone to see you in your underwear, now would ya?"
"Touch anything and I'll personally make sure you'll never be capable of playing baseball again, okay?" Yukiko gave the two a sickening sweet smile that sent a shiver down their spines. Seeing that they were compiling, she slammed the door in their faces.
Ben sat in the sandbox next to an eager Tim, the boy couldn't wait for his turn to bat. He was starting to feel pretty bad about getting Tim's hopes up about his non-existent baseball skills, but there wasn't anything he could do about it.
"FIRST UP TO BAT FOR THE CANNONS, CASH MURRY!"
Ben stood up and walked up to the plate. Tim stopped, slightly confused as he watched 'Cash' go, because as far as he could remember Cash was never that short. "Oh well." Not that he cared so much about Cash other than the guy being a jerk.
The disguised hero prepared to bat and took in the sight in front of him. It finally dawned on him that he was finally playing for his favorite team. "Guess, hero time could wait for just one pitch." Ben swung to hit the fastball, but failed miserably and fell on his ass. "Or two." Ben got back up. "C'mon. You can do this!" He hyped himself up.
"Strike Two!" Was called out after Ben missed again.
His family watched from the shadows as Ben prepared for the third pitch. "What's he waiting for?" Yukiko asked.
"My guess is a fastball. Low and away." Max answered, silently cheering for Ben.
Ben tightened his grip on the bat and put all of his focus onto this last pitch. He swung with everything he had and sent the ball soaring through the air. Ben had no choice but to quickly get over the excitement of hitting the ball in favor of running through the bases.
"GO, BEN!" Yukiko cheered for him.
"YOU GOT THIS, BEN!" Gwen yelled.
"RUN, BEN, RUN!" Kenny joined in.
The first Squire missed the ball, so did the second, but the third one caught it as it bounced off the ground. Ben raced his way past the third base just as the Squires tossed the ball to the home plate. Ben slid across the dirt right as the ball reached home base.
FLASH!
"YOU'RE-" The Umpire began, however an angry Tetramand glowered over him.
"SAFE, RIGHT!?" Four Arms yelled. The Umpire wisely shook his head 'yes'. Happy with the answer, Four Arms picked up the pitcher only to be kicked away by the robot. It landed on all fours and transformed from its human appearance to its robotic one. Terrifying the audience and the Cannons. It jumped onto Four Arms, attempting to skewer the Tetramand, but he held it back.
The rest of the Squires transformed as well and aimed their sights at the President of the United States. The Secret Service quickly began to escort him out of the stadium.
"It's time we got down there and helped!" Max exclaimed.
"Right!"
Four Arms picked up several bats and balls. "Batter's up!" He knocked down several robots. While he did that the President and the SS were stopped by more robots. The men in suits tried to shoot them, but were effortlessly incanpacitated. The machines tried to grab the President.
"Maragi!" Several small fireballs knocked the robots away from him. The President looked over to see Yukiko running over with her fan drawn. The machines attempted to get back up but a metal bat, bolt of magic, and an energy blast stopped them. Max, Gwen, and Kenny joined up with Yukiko and the President.
"Mr. President, come with us!" Max ordered. Seeing that these people were defending him, the President complied and was led into the stadium hallways by the Tennysons.
"Maragi!" Yukiko fired off more fireballs to hold back the army of robots. The five of them eventually reached the batting cages, where they were greeted by the Squire's coach. The guy moved faster than they could blink, knocking Max into the ground.
"Grandpa!" Kenny exclaimed, only to be knocked away next.
"Agidyne!" Yukiko unleashed a powerful fireball. The coach bashed the fireball away, charging at Yukiko with the intent to bash her skull in, however a blue shield prevented his fist from connecting.
"Contego!" Gwen grunted. The coach snarled before speeding at Gwen, kicking her into the wall. Yukiko unleashed a barrage of fire at him to keep away from her.
"Enough!" The coach broke free from the seemingly endless fire. "Distract her!" He ordered his bots. Yukiko was forced to back away and fight the robots as the coach approached the President.
"Soon we will control the White House." He snapped his fingers, commanding the fake President. The fake zoomed behind the real one and reached for the President's neck until the wall began to rumble.
CRASH!
"I don't think so!" Four Arms broke through the wall, crushing the fake under a piece of rubble. "Oh, man. Please tell me that wasn't the real President." Four Arms was relieved to see that he crushed the fake instead. "Phew-GUAH!" He screamed as a massive blue beam blasted him into the wall.
"Don't think you're safe!" The coach declared, two mega blasters extending out of his shoulders. He transformed, revealing himself to also be a robot.
"Oh crud!" Four Arms gasped, before getting blasted through the wall. The President turned tail and ran through the hole that Four Arms was blasted through, forcing the coach to chase after him.
"Oh man, oh man! Where is everyone!?" Tim panicked as he ran through the stadium's hallways. He had gotten lost in the panic of people that were running in fear from the sudden robot attack. It suddenly made sense why the Squires were so freakishly athletic.
CRASH!
"GUAH!" Four Arms crashed into a display case, glass falling on top of him. Soon emerging from the smoke was the President of the United States, backing away from the massive robot that was looming over them.
Tim fell to his butt, lucky enough that nobody had noticed him yet. Though, from the looks of things it seemed that the President and that alien from the news were in trouble. But, what could he possibly do? He was just some kid who barely knew how to play baseball. Not some hero-
"A hero doesn't leave people behind, no matter who they are."
If he were ever asked what compelled him to make this decision, Tim honestly didn't know how he'd answer it. But what he did know was that he hated bullies, and the giant robot glaring down at him with a laser beam pointed at him classified as such. "I-I won't let you hurt the President, you big bully!"
"Kid, get out of the way!" The President demanded. The last thing he wanted to see was a kid getting killed in front of him.
"N-no! A hero doesn't leave anyone behind, no matter who they are!" Tim didn't look away as the robot coach prepared to incinerate him into ashes. This time he wouldn't run away! He'd be the hero!
"Well said!"
"What?"
CRUSH!
BASH!
Four Arms crushed the laser blasters before they could fire, pushing back the robot coach. "HURAH!" Four Arms smashed his fist through the robot's face with everything he had. He picked up the sizzling body and tossed it back through the hole he made, letting it explode a safe distance away from him and the humans. The smoke enveloped the hallway, giving Four Arms the chance to sneak away before the watch timed him out.
When it cleared, Four Arms was gone, leaving only Tim and the President in the hallway. The President looked around. "Where did that creature go? I wanted to thank him for his bravery."
"I-I'm not sure. But, I'm sure he knows about it, Mr. President." Tim smiled.
Yukiko melted the final robot, releasing a breath of relief. "Good. That should be the last one-"
BOOM!
She faltered for a moment as the battered body of the robot coach came flying back into the batting cages. It stood back up, glaring at her direction. Yukiko prepared herself for another fight. "We will not be sto-"
CRUSH!
Kenny heaved heavily as he smashed the baseball bat against the coach's head, knocking it off of its body. The head began to sizzle with electricity telling them it was about to explode. "Time for a home run!" Kenny bashed the head into the air, allowing it to explode a safe distance away from all of them.
"Wow!" Yukiko blinked after the smoke cleared.
Kenny smirked. "Told ya, I got a mean swing."
After everything cleared up the President was now speaking to the press about the robot attack. "The details of the attack are a matter of National Security. But I am proud to introduce you to the boy who risked his life to save me. Timothy Grant!" The President declared, allowing Tim to come up to the stage. The boy bashfully waved to the cameras as the Rustbucket drove away from the park.
Ben smiled from his seat as he watched the broadcast. He had a feeling that Tim wouldn't be afraid to stand up to bullies again after this. Yukiko walked over to him. "You're not going to be upset that it's not you up there?"
"Hm? Nah. Tim deserves it, he was the real hero today after all." Ben responded. "I mean if you can stand up to a death robot, then bullies ain't nothing."
Yukiko smiled warmly at her little cousin. When he told her what had happened between Tim and the robot coach, she was ecstatic to know that it was his words that gave Tim strength to stand up for someone else. "Seems you got to be a hero for someone as well."
Ben smiled. "Yup and like every hero, I deserve a little reward at the end." Ben reached into his pockets, but felt nothing in there. "Hey, what happened to my music pocket!?"
"Oh, you mean this?" Gwen raised the music pocket into the air, her own headphone already plugged in.
"Hey, that's mine!" Ben yelled.
"Too bad. Cheaters don't prosper, Ben." Gwen chuckled.
Kenny looked up from one of Ben's comic books. "A lesson to learn for next time, huh, Ben?" Ben rolled his eyes and slumped in his seat.
Yukiko shook her head, then thought about something. "Hey, what happened to J.T. and Cash?"
Ben hid his evil smile. "Oh, I'm sure they're just hanging around somewhere." As the Rustbucket drove past J.T. and Cash, who were hanging from a tree by their underwear. None of the Tennysons besides Ben seemed to have noticed the duo at all.
STOMP!
A black boot crushed the remains of the robot coach. "Our entire operation is a failure! By the crest of the Forever Knights, the Tennysons shall pay with their very lives!" Enoch declared with bloodthirsty malice.
Chapter end
NOTE: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Let's get to the discussion!
1. This was intended to be a very Ben focused episode. I essentially wanted Ben to encounter an issue like he did back in the first episode of Ben 10, except this time he does help the kid being bullied. Funnily enough, Ben doesn't even realize that he managed to help someone without using the Omnitrix and thinks the only reason he could do that was because of the watch. All eventually leading to the inevitable question that Ben has to ask himself: "Does the watch make him a hero or is it the person who makes him a hero?"
2. Yukiko kinda realizes here that she really doesn't know much about Ben and Gwen's lives back in Bellwood. She never realized just how lonely they must've been before this summer happened, reminding her so much of her life before P4 happens.
3. Ben is still immature, so he still went and got J.T. and Cash at the end of the episode. In his eyes they're jerks, and they deserve it. Meaning that he'll still have his mature moment with them in AF.
4. This chapter concludes the non-story related episodes. Every episode past this point will be contributing to the "Halloween Mayhem" Arc.
5. Do remember that another special character will be appearing next chapter.
Next Chapter - Monster Weather.