(Author's Note: Guess who's baaaaaaaaack? I want to start off by sincerely thanking every last one of you. A few months ago, I spoke of how I had been frustrated with the constant asking of when I'll update this AND how people were leaving reviews about this story on DIFFERENT stories. And after leaving that note, I haven't had another. So…I genuinely want to give thanks for the respect you guys have shown. You guys rock:)
Limited Imagination: I thought it was cliché too, but I can actually count one hand the number of times I've seen it done (with Ben Tennyson, at least):/
Amit Barabi: Takes away the fun, how?
-I know that the "normal route" people will take with these kinds of stories is that only a single character survives to go to a new dimension. But, I had recently read a crossover that had ALL of Team 10 survive, and had binge-watched at least one season of Ultimate Alien. Thus…the entire team survives (and Ship, because I couldn't bear to kill the little guy and I will NOT apologize for that:/). Besides...it at least sets it apart from the usual route.
-While I know that the first chapter might SEEM skippable, it actually does a…decent job to setting up some major plot-points in the future.
-No, I have no intention of rewriting this story (especially when it's still in the very beginning). I do appreciate the attempt to help, though.
-How was Ben underpowered? Because he stayed as Diamondhead for a while? He didn't know how long the fight would last, so he was trying to conserve as much power as he could (plus, there was no immediate threat he was dealing with in the way over, and no immediate desire to change).
So…kinda big announcement I have to make about this story: this story WILL feature Ben Tennyson himself gaining a harem. I'm sorry for those of you who are upset about this fact, but my decision has been made and its final. I want to get practice in writing stories with a harem for the future. So…yeah.
There will be four women in Ben's harem, and they've ALREADY been decided (so don't ask, or try to "vote" for the candidates you want). It's my intention to handle the harem as capable and realistic as possible, so all I ask is for you all to have a little faith. And for those of you who DON'T want for Ben to have a harem...I hope you'll at least give the story a chance, but I'd understand if you stop reading.
And, with all of that out of the way...hope you guys enjoy:)
Chapter Four: A Breather
Diamondhead ran nearly as quickly as his legs could carry him, holding his arms in front of himself to deflect the dozens upon dozens (if not hundreds) of bullets that were fired at him. He then leapt into the air, and fired diamond shard after diamond shard downwards…piercing through (and destroying) the guns that were shooting at him.
Just then, he threw his arms upward…just nearly catching a rectangular panel that shot down from the ceiling.
Not long after the "conflict" (for lack of a better term) with Ultron, Ben and his team had been contacted by Tony through the badge Ben had given to Steve. Apparently having a "hunch", Tony (rather bluntly) asked if the four of them were from another planet.
Needless to say, they were taken more than a bit off-guard (thinking they'd hid that fact so well). But, seeing as how the Avengers had experience dealing with aliens (one of their own teammates being from another planet, if not another galaxy outright), they figured that no outright harm could come from a "confession" (so to speak). While the team wasn't keen on spilling their ENTIRE "origin story" (for…reasons. Painful ones), they decided that it a confirmation wouldn't hurt…so they told Tony that "Yes", they weren't from this planet (which wasn't, technically, a lie).
After having his theory confirmed, Tony did something that the team would never have guessed or suspected in ANY regard. Finding out that these kids had nowhere to go (and not too much money between them), Tony had taken it upon himself to help them out. Not only had he arranged a house to literally be given to them, he'd also given them a SUSTAINAL amount of money. Despite the fact that they'd constantly insisted that these things were NOT necessary (well…Kevin wasn't as "enthusiastic" as his companions), Tony refused to hear any of it. His exact words were "You kids risked your lives, to save a planet that you had absolutely NO loyalty to or affection for. And seeing as how you're pretty much stuck here with little resources, I figure me helping out is the LEAST that you guys deserve. Think of it as…a "Thank You", curtesy of us Earthlings" (1).
While Ben and Gwen didn't want to be an issue (and not being the most "eager" about taking handouts), Kevin didn't really complain. As he pointed out to the Tennyson cousins, they all had NOWHERE to go, and the combined amount of money that they did have wouldn't last long even with gathering the necessities (which is only assuming that the money from their home would even work in an entirely new universe, even if they were on another version of the Earth).
Whatever "pride" they may have about the situation…they could put it aside for the sake of survival.
So…a day or two later, the "otherworldly" teens drove through New York, until they came across the house that Tony had gotten for them. It was…nothing out of the ordinary, really. A simple two-story household, white in coloration with a red rooftop. You'd never know that a shapeshifter, a sorceress, a hybridized criminal, and a technological canine were living there.
As Diamondhead pushed against the rectangular "column" with all his might…there was suddenly a loud "BEEP!", along with a red alarm. The pressure of the column above immediately lessened, a split second before it retreated back into the ceiling. The Petrosapien let out a breath…before slapping the symbol on his chest, disappearing in a flash of green light.
In the Petrosapien's place…stood a MUCH smaller creature, standing at only four inches tall. He was a green-skinned, frog-like alien wearing a white jumpsuit with a single black stripe running vertically down his body. He had long fingers, three toes, black cuffs around his wrists, and had (what appeared to be) "toe-less" black boots over his feet. He had a large head, two large green eyes (with horizontal, rectangular-like pupils), and the Ultimatrix symbol on his chest. "GREY MATTER!" The tiny alien called out, before running up to a white "tower" near the corner…opening up a panel and crawling inside.
The room that he was in right now? Well…that's kind of a story in of itself.
Even after buying things like food and furniture, they still had a substantial amount of money (both given to them by Tony, and out of their own pockets). Despite that fact, they were smart enough to know that the money they had wasn't infinite (and they were NOT going to keep asking Tony for money, like children begging for their allowances). And, with them still going through…things, they know that they needed a plan.
And…that's when Ben came up with one. A somewhat unorthodox one, at that. He was gonna play the stock market.
…
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…
…
…
Yeah…his answer REALLY took Gwen and Kevin off-guard. Ben defended his decision by stating that they needed to have a supply of income to hold them off for awhile, especially since they all agreed that they did NOT want to go back to Tony again (principle and whatnot). He pointed out that while the stock market can be tricky to handle for most, it'd be a synch for him…and his good friend, the Ultimatrix.
With Grey Matter's intelligence, playing the stock market was so easy it was almost child's play. In only a few weeks, the Galvan had multiplied Team 10's money nearly by tenfold (ensuring that they'll have NO issues with money for the foreseeable future). (2)
Grey Matter leapt out of the tower, putting the panel back on with a nod. He then slapped the symbol on his chest, reverting back to human form.
Oh…and, as for the room Ben was in? Well…the super-powered teenagers may have decided against going directly back into the "superhero business", but that doesn't mean that they wanted to let themselves grow weaker due to "inactivity" (as, much like with Ultron, they knew they couldn't just sit on the sidelines if the Earth was threatened again).
And...in order to remain hidden, they needed somewhere secure where they could train. Between the money Ben had obtained for them, the technological "knowhow" of Kevin and Grey Matter, and the overall skills of Gwen and Ship…it hadn't taken long for them to construct an "arena" underneath their house to train in their abilities.
Truth be told, this arena was where the superpowered teens spent a MAJORITY of their time after its construction was complete (with not much else for them to occupy their time). These "training sessions" were MUCH more intense then they were in the past, with it being rare for any occupant to leave without some injuries.
Ben held a hand over his mouth, letting out a yawn as small tears appeared in his eyes. "Hey Ben!" He heard his cousin's voice coming from up the stairs, stopping the changeling from going right back to his training. Heading up the stairs, Ben opened the door in-front of him…hearing Ship's "voice" ring out, before the Galvanic Mechamorph jumped over and began rubbing his head against Ben's leg.
The house that the teens had been given by Tony (besides the arena they'd built underneath the structure) hadn't been very different from a normal two-story household. A kitchen, a living room, two bathrooms and bedrooms, couches and chairs in their living room…they got the whole shebang.
Ben knelt down with a smile, scratching behind Ship's ear (so to speak). Looking up after hearing footsteps, he saw his cousin standing above him…a soda in her hand, and her eyebrow raised. The smile on Ben's face fell, "What? What'd I do?"
"That's a pretty guilty thing to say, Benny boy," Kevin commented as he walked from the kitchen, a bag of chips in hand, "Did you do something that we should know?" Ben looked at Kevin with an unamused expression on his face, to which the Osmosian simply smirked in response.
"I heard the alarm from the arena. I just wanted to make sure that you didn't break it. Again," she commented, a unique combination of a teasing smirk and an annoyed frown on her face.
"I thought we had agreed to never speak of that incident...again," Ben shot back, his green eyes narrowed.
"You agreed," Kevin pointed out.
"We made no such promise," Gwen commented, a similar smirk appearing on her face. Ben replied with a simple roll of hid eyes, grumbling to himself as he pet Ship's head.
"I'm making a sandwich," was the only response Ben offered to his housemates, as he slinked off to the kitchen. Gwen and Kevin simply laughed out loud, while Ship simply looked on in confusion.
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Ben whistled a tune to himself, washing his plate and glass underneath the sink's water (one of the first rules of their house: whatever dishes/glasses/utensils you use, you have to wash them yourself (3)).
Just then…the Ultimatrix began beeping. "Hm?" Ben looked towards the matrix in confusion, drying off his hands before holding it up to his face. He twisted the dial a few times, before pressing down on the symbol…resulting in a green hologram to appear. A hologram of-.
"Oh, hey Wanda," Ben greeted the brown-haired woman. Over the course of the last month, Ben and his companions hasn't spent MUCH time outside of getting themselves "set up" on this new Earth (not counting training). Apparently…Pietro had discovered the badge that Ben had given Captain America for emergencies, and (to little surprise) had used it to communicate with the teens from another world (or…dimension, would probably be more appropriate).
Despite the fact that the "emergency badge" was (technically) being "misused"…none of them had really minded it, actually enjoying the opportunities to talk to their new friends (primarily Pietro and Wanda).
"Hey Ben," Wanda smiled, which quickly turned teasing, "Have you guys been behaving yourselves?"
"Absolutely not," Ben replied without even missing a beat, a similar smirk on his face. That smirk was only kept for a moment, before he burst out laughing (Wanda quickly following suit). "So…what's up?"
"Well….things around here have been pretty "static" (so to speak), and Pietro offered you guys to come over to help "shake things up"," she air-quoted, "His words, not mine. He then spoke to Cap, who agreed. So…this is me, extending the invitation," she held out her arms in a joking fashion.
Ben chuckled, "Very effective offering, truly," he teased, to which Wanda responded by giving a small (mocking) bow, "But, yeah…sure. Me and the others will be over within an hour or so. That enough time for you,, Ms. Maximoff?"
Wanda's eyes narrowed at the changeling, before flipping her hair in a…dramatic fashion, "That'll be…acceptable, Mr. Tennyson," she spoke in a faux-arrogant voice…which only lasted for a moment, before her façade broke and she chuckled. The two young adults bid one another farewell, before Ben cut off the communication link.
"HEY GUYS!" Ben yelled out throughout the house, "COME HERE!" A few seconds, Ship slipped from…wherever he was, jumping up towards Ben before wrapping himself around the changeling's leg. "Hey there buddy," he greeted with a smile, before turning his head back up, "COME ON GUYS! WE GOTTA GO! PUT YOUR PANTS BACK ON, AND LET'S GO!"
About twenty seconds later…Gwen and Kevin came down the stairs. "That's not funny Ben," she spoke, an unamused expression on her face, "We were just talking."
Ben raised a single eyebrow, "Talking?"
"Yeah…talking Tennyson," Kevin replied, with crossed arms, "I can talk too, you know. When I want to, that is," he added on with a glare and a pointed finger.
Ben simply…stared, at his cousin and best friend in silence for a moment or two. He looked them up and down real quick, before turning around and heading towards the door, "Kevin has a hickey on his neck, and Gwen your shirt's on backwards," with a small smirk on his face, Ben walked out the door (Ship following, and jumping into his jacket).
Behind hhimhis fellow teens looked like deer caught in a headlight, their faces having darkened CONSIDERABLY. Kevin quickly covered the side of his neck while he followed Ben, while Gwen quickly acted to remove her shirt and place in back on the right way.
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(Later)
The teens from another dimension were nearing their way to Avengers Compound, being taken by Ship (having reverted to his "car state"). Gwen and Kevin hadn't said a WORD to Ben since they entered the car, causing Ben to simply sat with crossed arms with a cocky smirk plastered on his face.
They were stopped at the entrance to the compound for only a few moments, before a green light shown and the gates opened. When they drove up to the building itself…they were greeted with the sight of Wanda, leaning against the outside wall. When her eyes locked on the approaching "car", and gave a wave.
"So glad you could all time out of your oh so busy schedules," Wanda teased, taking a moment to reach down and pet Ship's head after he'd reverted back to normal (causing the Galvanic Mechamorph to almost "purr" pleasantly).
"Yeah, though we had some.. issues to deal with before we left," Ben commented, giving a side-eyed glance at Gwen and Kevin (who promptly blushed darkly, refusing to meet the eyes of anyone else present), "But…if the fearsome Avengers needed our presence, who are we to say no?"
"Nice to see some respect," Ben jumped at the sudden voice of Pietro near his ear. Turning around, he saw the silver-haired boy standing…smirking, with crossed arms. "Didn't scare you, did I…Benny?"
"First sign, don't call me "Benny"," the changeling virtually growled at the speedster (who wasn't phased in the slightest), "And second sign, I'm not afraid of you. That much…I can promise." Despite Ben's words, Pietro couldn't help but laugh.
And, after a moment…Ben joined him.
"What? Gwen and I don't get any love? Not even a "hello" from either of you?" Kevin commented.
"Aw…I didn't know you cared so much about what we thought, Kevin," Wanda spoke, her smirk only growing wider.
"I don't," Kevin deadpanned, before Pietro threw an arm around his shoulder.
"You cant fool us, buddy. We know you care."
"Get off of me!"
"Well…look at that, we're already making things more interesting," Ben laughed as he watched the two boys push against one another.
"Yeah…I'm sure this'll be fun," Wanda laughed out loud too, holding a hand over her mouth to try (keyword being TRY) and cover her laughs. And, after a few moments…Gwen began laughing too, with Ship not falling far behind.
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After Kevin and Pietro had finished their…"fight", the Maximoff twins led their friends into the Avengers Compound. Nothing within the building had seemed to change very drastically since the last time they'd been there (despite the fact that the compound's insides were the prime focus of their last visit).
The first person they saw was Natasha, drinking from a mug in the kitchen. When she noticed the various teens (and tiny alien) walking into the room, she looked at the twins with a frown on her face (that almost seemed TOO forced to be real), "I thought I talked to you both about this…we can't afford to take in anymore strays."
"Oh…ha, ha, HA," Kevin fake laughed, "Very funny, Romanoff. You come up with that one all by yourself?"
"I'd be careful with what you say to her, Kevin," Pietro interjected, "Especially considering the fact that she probably knows at least eleven different ways to kill you using just her thumb."
"That…can't be right," Gwen spoke, a single eyebrow raised.
"She's right," Natasha replied as she placed her (finished) mug in the sink, "It's eleven ways with the index finger. Only seven with the thumb," she held up said thumb (almost as a demonstration).
Ben chuckled, "Nice one." He then leaned over to Wanda, "She's joking, right?" He whispered.
She just shrugged, "Possibly. But.. she IS a master super-spy, so…," she let her thoughts trail off.
At that moment, Steve walked through the door…Rhodey and Sam heading in behind him. "Nice to see you kids got here alright," Steve chuckled, reaching forward to shake Ben's hand.
"Kids? You're not THAT older then us, you know," Ben shot back. At that moment, EVERY Avenger in the room started laughing.
"Trust me…I am," Steve replied, patting the teen on the arm.
"Hey," Kevin called out, taking a look around, "I only count six heroes…where's the robot…with the, glowy gem in his skull?" Kevin pointed to his own forehead.
"I'm an android," a voice suddenly spoke mere inches from the back of Kevin, causing the Osmosian teen to jump and turn around to punch whoever was behind him (Ben and Gwen readying themselves in similar veins)…only for his fist to pass through the intangible body of Vision. Said synthetic looked down with a curious expression, before looking back up to lock eyes with Kevin, "And…I believe it was called an "Infinity Stone"."
"There he is," Sam commented, laughing when Kevin turned to glare at him.
The Osmosian then turned to glare at the android, "Where the hell did you come from?!"
"He phased through the wall," Wanda answered, "Vision…doesn't exactly "like" using doors, so it seems."
"Nice to see that you're keeping your reflexes handy, though," Rhodey chimed in.
"That's not funny," Kevin deadpanned.
"Agree to disagree." Kevin then looked around,, noticing how pretty everyone was either chuckling (Ben, Gwen, Sam, Pietro, Wanda, and Rhodey himself) or smirking (Steve, Natasha, and even Vision).
"So I'm just being ganged up on now? That's what's happening?"
"Aw…doesn't everyone just feel bad for POOR Kevin?" Ben teased, smirking as he patted his best friend on the shoulder.
"I'm playing him a song on the world's smallest violin," Natasha jumped in, rubbing her fingers together.
"Okay…you know what? Fine," he began walking towards the refrigerator, "You make fun of me? I take your food." Unable to take in anymore, Ben and Gwen (and even Ship) started laughing out loud (many of the others not taking long to do the same).
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Not long after their…festive arrival, the heroes from another reality had settled in quite well at the compound. Wanda revealed to them that Steve, Natasha, and Vision had prepared some food for when their friends had been invited over.
Pizza. Easy to make, and QUITE delicious. The MOMENT that the smell of that cheese and sauce had made their way into their noses…they started drooling, and their stomachs started growling and rumbling like Vulpimancers!
And with a LOT of pizza having been made (due to the hyper-metabolism of one such as Pietro), well…that just made things all the better.
"So…what've "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" been doing since we last saw each other?" Ben asked, taking a bite of a slice.
"Oh…you know," Pietro waved off, "Training. Learning. Taking down a few criminals here and there. You know…normal people stuff," he jested, finishing off his THIRD slice of pizza (and wasting NO time in reaching for a fourth).
"I think your definition of "normal" is VERY different from others," Gwen teased, taking a sip of soda.
"Normal is…a matter of perspective, I think," Vision inquired from his position on one of the chairs.
"Yeah…I mean, look at us," Kevin spoke, before turning to point at Rhodey and Sam, "Two soldiers-," then he pointed at Steve, "-a "super soldier" from another era-," then Natasha, "-a literal super spy-," next were the twins, "-two meta-humans-," then Vision, "-an ANDROID, with some…cosmic stone in his skull-," he then pointed a thumb at his chest, before wrapping an arm around Gwen's shoulders, "-two alien hybrids-," next was Ben, "-a shapeshifter-," and, finally…Ship, "-and a techno-organic alien."
"Yeah…aren't we just one, big happy family?" Rhodey chuckled, taking a sip from his bottle of bear.
"Fucking A," Kevin held up his drink.
"Steve!" Wanda suddenly called out, pointing to Kevin "Get him. He said a bad language word."
While Kevin and his friends looked on in confusion, Steve just sighed in annoyance. He then looked to Natasha, Rhodey, and Sam, "Which one of you was it?"
"Me," Natasha raised her bottle into the air, a shameless smirk on her face.
"So…what? You just told everyone that?"
"I told everyone who would listen," Natasha replied, "And I noticed that when you start a story with "Hey, wanna hear an embarrassing story about Captain America?", a LOT more people tend to listen."
"What…what was that?" Ben asked, completely stumped.
"On a mission we had a month ago, before the mess with Ultron," Natasha started, smirking when she heard Steve sigh in annoyance, "We were taking out a H.Y.D.R.A base…criminals," she added, noting the confused expression on the teens' faces, "Something happened with Tony, he yelled "SHIT"…and, Steve, without missing a beat, LITERALLY replied with "Language"," she did her best to mimic Steve's (deeper) voice at the end of her sentence.
…
…
At that moment…Ben, Gwen, AND Kevin started laughing like MANIACS. Gwen had to lean on Kevin's chest for support, while Ben literally fell out of his seat in laughter. Their reactions (and the story itself) caused just about EVERYONE in the room to start laughing themselves.
Everyone…except for Steve that was. "Yep. Laugh it up," he deadpanned, "I'm so glad that you guys are enjoying yourselves."
"W-Wait a minute," Ben spoke through his giggles, "So let me get this straight: middle of a life-or-death battle…you seriously took the time to criticize your teammate because of his LANGUAGE?!"
"It just slipped out," Steve defended, using the same "phrasing" that he had with Tony in the moment. Unfortunately (for Steve), his response only made Ben laugh harder. "Real nice, guys. Real nice. I'm so very glad that you're all enjoying yourselves."
"Oh, come on Rogers," Natasha playfully shoved her body against the super soldier's, "We're just playing around. No need to be so sensitive." Steve simply looked at her with an "I am not amused" expression, which (of course) only made Natasha laugh even harder.
"Can we change the subject? PLEASE?!"
Ultimately, it was Wanda who decided to have mercy on the super soldier, "Alright, alright," she turned towards Ben, "So Ben…how've you guys been? Doing anything of…interest?"
"Not…particularly, no," Ben shrugged, "Not much besides just setting ourselves up. We don't live very exciting lives. Well…we did build ourselves a place to train underneath our house."
"How the hell you'd do that? In a month, no less!" Ultimately, it was Rhodey who asked the question that was on everyone's mind.
Ben tapped the dial on the Ultimatrix, "Got a LOT of forms and powers in here. All those powers, combined with some technological know-how from Kevin and a little monetary aid from Tony…and it was actually a lot easier to take care of than you might think. Better be careful, we may put your little "compound" here out of the contest by sheer coolness factor," he teased with a smirk.
"It's not a competition," Steve replied.
"Life IS competition, cap'n," Kevin replied with a laugh, getting the super soldier to merely roll his eyes in response.
"The shell doesn't matter," Pietro commented, patting his chest and holding out his other arm to his fellow Avengers, "It's what's inside that counts."
"Yeah," Ben shrugged with shut eyes, taking a sip from his soda in hand…before he smirked (eyes still shut), "We've got you beat there too."
"Oh…is that a fact?" Wanda asked, a single eyebrow raised. Ben locked eyes with the redheaded telekinetic…and didn't drop his smirk (it almost seeming to grow, at that). Wanda waved her finger around the room, "Remember who you're surrounded by, Ben…don't get yourself killed."
"Please," Ben scoffed, "With the stuff I've survived, I'm not sure I can die. And that's not even exaggeration," he held up his "watch hand", "I'm pretty sure this thing has some kind of fail-safe that won't let me be killed."
"That's a BOLD statement to make," Rhodey chuckled.
"We should test it out," Sam commented, before turning to Natasha, "Nate…go kill him."
"Do it in a way where it'd be REALLY difficult for him to come back normally," Wanda interjected.
"You and Sam wound me Wanda," Ben teased, pouting as he put a hand on his chest.
"No," Wanda shook her head, before pointing towards Natasha, "We're trying to get her to wound you."
"How 'bout you just kick his ass yourself, Wanda?" Kevin offered with a mouth full of food, "I'd like to see that."
"Who's side are you on, Kevin?"
"Yours…but that doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy seeing you get your ass kicked every once in a while. But…that's not gonna happen, right Tennyson? Because you're obviously SO amazing."
Ben smirked, "Heh…stroke my ego, why don't you?"
"I actually wouldn't mind seeing that," Sam spoke up, "Wanda and her crazy powers, your friend and his "shape-changing watch"…that'd be quite a show."
"Oh yeah, I'd REALLY like to see that," Pietro exclaimed, an excited smile on his face
Wanda rolled her eyes, "Yeah, why does that not surprise me?"
"Could be interesting," Natasha spoke up, "Probably have to take it outside given your…crazy powers. But…definitely possible."
"Well," Wanda then turned to Ben, "Ben, what say you? Interested in…putting your money where your mouth is?" She flicked two fingers upwards, a small glimpse of her red energy being made visible.
Ben set his cup down on the table, holding up with the Ultimatrix with a smirk, "Well…if you don't feel hesitant about taking on someone with my very diverse skill set, I'd love to." The two young adults gave competitive smirks, actually feeling excitement starting to build up within them.
"Well…this'll be entertaining," Kevin said to Gwen, who merely rolled her eyes in response.
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The Avengers and their guests (after finishing and cleaning up) had made their way outside, to a large portion of grass and earth that was far enough away from anything and anyone (excluding their audience).
"Alright now you two," Steve spoke out, as the two superpowered beings were walking away from one another, "Let's try to keep things under control. Not too intense, alright?"
"Well where's the fun in that?" Ben called out as he and Wanda stopped and turned back around to face one another.
"Wanda!" Kevin called out, "Name whatever price you want, and I'll double it…if you go below the waist!"
"You're an asshole, you know that?" Ben shot back to the Osmosian.
"What can I say? It's one of my charms."
"And they're friends?" Rhodey whispered to Gwen.
"The best," was the redhead's reply.
"Let me know if I freak ya out a bit too much, Wanda," Ben spoke as he held up his watch. The only response Ben got was a challenging smirk, and the glow of Wanda's eyes increasing. Without another word, Ben disappeared in a flash of green light…a new figure standing in his place. He now stood as a being with red armor-like skin, his arms and stomach being pitch black in coloration. He had four long metallic fingers on each hand, black spots on his shoulders and thighs, and spikes on his hands and the backs of his legs. He had a "hood" extending from the bottom of the back of his neck to over his head, green eyes, a grey mouth, and the Ultimatrix symbol on his chest, "WATER HAZARD!" Wanda's response was merely to bend her knees slightly, holding her arms out as crimson energy swirled around her fingertips.
The area was silent, each member of the "audience" looking either intrigued (Steve, Natasha, Gwen, Vision, and Ship) or excited (Rhodey, Sam, Pietro, and Kevin) by what was about to happen.
Eventually…Water Hazard was the first to strike, throwing out a single hand and (to an admitted surprise to Wanda) shot out a stream of water from a hole in his metallic palm. The redhead was quick to react, however, by shooting off a "burst" of telekinetic energy to disrupt the water attack. The Orishan didn't give Wanda a chance to launch her own attack, firing off streams of water from both of his hands. Throwing her hands towards the ground, Wanda avoided the attack by shooting herself in the air.
To her surprise, however…Water Hazard suddenly shot a thinner stream of water towards Wanda, the water wrapped around her ankle like a living snake. Wanda only had a brief moment to "get ahold" of the situation…before she was suddenly pulled towards the ground, crashing her into the earth.
When Wanda opened her eyes, shaking out her head a little bit…she saw that Water Hazard having suddenly leapt into the air, his hands poised for another attack. She only had a few moments to quickly roll to her feet and project a shield of energy, as two powerful water beams came shooting at her.
She let out a small grunt as the attack landed, but managed to stay her ground. She threw her hands out and let out a massive energy wave, being successful in canceling out the attack…and creating a defenseless changeling. Before Water Hazard could react or attempt another strike, the Orishan found himself seized in a grip of telekinetic power.
And even though he couldn't exactly see her face…he was just SURE that Wanda was smirking up at him right now.
With a quick and precise "adjustment" of Wanda's hands, Water Hazard was set crashing into the ground. She slowly approached her downed opponent, refusing to release her telekinesis. When they locked eyes, she smirked, "Didn't expect you to go down that easy, Ben."
"Oh, I'm not done yet Wanda," Water Hazard, giving Wanda a look that made her certain that he was smirking at her (if he could, that is). "Ultimatrix!" He called out, "Blitzwolfer!"
Before Wanda could act, the symbol on the Orishan's chest glowed green, "Vocal Recognition…Confirmed." Just then…Water Hazard disappeared in a flash of green light and a new figure stood (or…laid) in his place.
Wanda was now staring at a humanoid wolf, a literal werewolf out of legend. His arms, torso, legs, and snout had fur that was a light grey, while its head and swinging tail was a "pale" black in coloration. His arms were long and massive, with three black claws on each hand (that would allow him to touch the ground without bending at all), "spikes" coming out of his elbows with sharp "claws" on his feet. He had on a white suit with black lines on his waist (extending from his chest to his thighs, ending in black lines that went around his legs), green eyes, and the Ultimatrix symbol on his stomach. "BLITZWOLFER!"
A unique combination of astonishment, disgust, and horror ran through Wanda's being as she saw "Blitzwolfer's" snout split (literally split) into four sections…leaving her wide open to the "sonic howl" that came next, the green energy attack knocking Wanda clean off of her feet and sending her sprawling across the ground. With the redhead's power no longer affecting her, Blitzwolfer was finally able to stand up…before he began charging on all fours.
Wanda (in her daze) had JUST enough time to use her powers to push back Blitzwolfer…this being done by seizing his tail in her telekinesis and throwing it to the side, sending him to the ground (and eliciting a pained yelp from the Loboan).
"Hey!" Blitzwolfer called as he stood up, rubbing his behind, "Really? That was a low-blow, Maximoff."
"Aw…what's wrong? Things are too difficult for the alien shapeshifter?" Wanda gave a mocking pout, making her opponent growl.
And then…the Loboan was on the move.
Wanda raised her hands into the air, tearing the ground apart from underneath Blitzwolfer's feet. The Loboan showed impressive speed and agility on all fours, quickly racing and leaping across the ground (and staying no longer than a second on any given location after it started moving).
As Wanda lifted a significantly larger chunk of earth (about the size of a modern house's roof)…Blitzwolfer pushed against the earth with all his might (cracking it), leaping into the air. He then took in a DEEP breath…and unleashed a mighty sonic howl at the redhead.
Wanda only had enough time to project a force-field to protect herself from the attack, gritting her teeth as she tried to put as much power into her shield as possible.
Just then…the attack suddenly stopped, Blitzwolfer taking a different avenue of attack as he lunged towards Wanda (his fangs and claws at the ready). This time, Wanda sent her powers into the ground and launched herself into the air to meet him head-on.
As the two neared one another…Wanda managed a quick maneuver of her hands, completely avoiding the attack from the Loboan. She then brought her hands together, and unleashed a mighty blast of psychic energy to the back of Blitzwolfer.
The members of the audience (including Ship) winced as they saw Blitzwolfer collide with the ground, a seemingly rougher "aspect" than the others before. "Ooph," Pietro chuckled, "That looked like it hurt."
"Wanda's a lot stronger than a lot," Gwen "mused" (for lack of a better term), holding her chin with one hand.
"She kinda reminds me of you, a bit," Kevin nudged Gwen with his shoulder.
"They're both doing pretty well," Steve spoke up, analyzing the two young adults with crossed arms and a curious gaze, "Especially Wanda, given how unpredictable of an opponent Ben is," he then turned to Ben's friends, "The forms that we've seen him turn into…that's not even near his limits, is it?"
"You have NO idea, Captain," Gwen replied with a smirk, Kevin laughing in the background.
Just then…there was a bright flash of green light from the dirt. "JETRAY!" The Aerophibian sped into the sky, appearing merely as a blur of red and yellow to outside viewers. After Jetray had raised up further even into the sky, he fired two beams of green energy out from his eyes. Wanda quickly retaliated by firing off a blast of telekinetic energy, creating a mighty explosion when the two attacks collided.
Jetray suddenly shot through the smoke cloud, and grabbing ahold of Wanda's shoulders with his feet (moving TOO fast in the moment for Wanda to react to). He flew her into the air, spun around quickly for a few moments…before he promptly let go, the dazed redhead being sent falling to the ground.
"Ready to throw in the towel, Wanda?!" Jetray (somewhat mockingly) called out from the air, flying around in a circle through the air.
Wanda didn't reply immediately, as she simply focused on trying to stand up…only to promptly fall to a knee, struggling to rid herself off the dizziness that she was currently facing. "Not…n-not a chance. Don't think you'll get away that easy." Shaking her head out a bit, she glanced back up towards the Aerophibian with her glowing red eyes (which seemed a bit "duller" than usual).
Jetray than fired off his laser again, Wanda reacting by erecting a force-field to protect herself. The Aerophibian began moving, flying in a small circle as his lasers beat down on her shield. After nearly ten seconds of…nothing happening, Jetray paused in his attack. In that moment…Wanda quickly retaliated by firing off blasts of telekinetic energy towards the Aerophibian.
Jetray showed off his impressive speed and agility, carefully avoiding each attack that was sent his way…before he began firing off more of his neuroshock blasters from his tail.
One attack from each of the fighters made their way through the "commotion", colliding with one another (and creating an explosion that shielded the both of them from one).
Just then…another flash of light was visible from behind the smoke cloud, before an absolutely MASSIVE creature fell down from the air (creating a mini-earthquake when he landed). He stood at over twelve feet tall, with most of his skin being dark orange/beige in coloration while his inner torso and arms was a pale peach color. He had a swinging tail, two triangular green eyes, and the symbol on his chest, "HUMUNGOUSAUR!"
The sheer size of Humungousaur made Wanda's eyes widened considerably, taking a fearful step or two back. The Vaxasaurian held his arms in close…before throwing his arms out, letting out a downright monstrous roar (getting ALL of the Avengers to cover their ears, with Gwen and Kevin leaning their heads back a bit).
When the roar had concluded, Wanda took a fearful step back (completely caught off-guard by the size of the one before him). She gulped, holding out her hands in defense. She locked eyes with Humungousaur as her eyes and hands glowed with bright red energy, sweating a bit as she prepared for Ben to attack. Humungousaur clenched his hands into fists, and charged forward with a yell…Wanda (after a moment of hesitation) pushed herself forward as well, levitating slightly off of the ground.
Just then, while they were only a few feet away from one another…a wall of light punk energy suddenly appeared between them, cutting them off from one another. Humungousaur had to slid his feet across the ground to stop, while Wanda (in order to keep herself from "face-planting" onto the wall) had to stop and roll across the dirt.
Immediately knowing the "culprit", Humungousaur turned to his cousin, "Hey! What's the big idea?!"
"Sorry Ben, Captain's orders," she shrugged, motioning her head towards Steve with a bit of a smirk.
"I think that's enough from you two for now," Steve spoke, taking a few steps forward. He then looked around for a bit, smiling for a bit as he looked back to the two younger heroes, "You've guys have…done enough for now," as he motioned his hands around the field they stood on, causing the two of them to notice how MUCH of the ground they stood on was damaged. Primarily, this was done in the form of burn marks on the grass and large chunks of the earth having been violently torn up.
"I want the record to show that a majority of that wasn't done by me," Humungousaur pointed to his chest, before slapping the symbol on his chest and reverting back to his normal form.
"I appreciate your concern, Ben," Wanda replied sarcastically, and promptly got a wink from the changeling in response.
"Lame!" Kevin called as the others made their way over, "You stopped that fight WAY too soon, dude," he spoke to the star-spangled Avenger.
"It's probably better that he did," Ben shrugged, before smirking, "You see the way that she was terrified when she saw Humungousaur? Shaking in her boots!"
"I wasn't scared," Wanda argued, "I was just a little freaked out when faced with a ten-foot tall dinosaur man!"
"Twelve feet tall, actually," Ben corrected, resulting in an eye roll from the redhead (not his cousin).
"No one's impressed by your size, Ben," Pietro commented.
"You sure? Cause you're sounding pretty jealous," Ben shot back.
"That's funny," Wanda interjected nonchalantly, "I was actually beginning to wonder if maybe that form was utilized to…compensate for something," she ended her sentence with a whisper, only smirking when Ben turned to glare at her.
Kevin, on the other hand, began laughing his ASS off. "Oh man, that's hilarious! I can't believe I've never thought of that one."
"It's not that funny, dude," Ben deadpanned.
"Aw, what's wrong Tennyson? Doesn't feel too good when people are teaming up against you, huh? Don't worry," he began rubbing his fingers together, "I'm playing you a song on the world's smallest violin." Ben's immediate response was to promptly flip his best friend off. The rest of the heroes shared a laugh, and spoke a few more words…before they decided to head back into the compound (Ben in particular wanting some more food after his and Wanda's spar).
(Author's Note: Annnnnnnnnd scene!
(1): While I'm suspecting that this'll be something that some may disagree with, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY believe that this is something that Tony would do. Most of the other Avengers (new and old) already have "set-ups" and homes of their own, while Vision and the Maximoff twins are joining the New Avengers to stay at the new Avengers Compound. Team 10 ALSO helped to stop Ultron, and don't…really have anywhere to go after the dust had settled. Being the one most capable to help (and the kids being unwilling to join the New Avengers), I believe that Tony would be willing to help them out (even if they'd say no, he'd still offer). He can be a dick sometimes, but he IS still a pretty great guy:)
(2): I saw this in a "Ben 10 crossover" before, where Ben used his smartest aliens to win BIG money on the stock market…and this'll help make things in the story easier. And in case some find it "doubtful", keep in mind that Grey Matter's intelligence is LITERALLY off the charts. Think about this: Brainstorm is one of Ben's most intelligent transformations, stated to have an IQ of one NONILLION! That's a one…with THIRTY ZEROES! And, despite that fact, Grey Matter is confirmed to be Ben's SMARTEST alien! Grey Matter has no less then a thirty-one digit IQ, whereas even the smartest human in history (to MY knowledge, at least) doesn't even crack the quadruple digits. If you combined the IQ of every human on Earth, it wouldn't even come CLOSE to Grey Matter's (who's also able to hack into a complex device like the Omnitrix). If normal humans can figure out how to work the stock market, it'd be downright stupid to say that someone with Grey Matter's intelligence couldn't:/
(3): That's a (kinda) rule at my house that my brother put into play. If everyone in the house (at that time being me, him, our sister, and her son) washes their own dishes as soon as they use them, it'll prevent anyone from having to wash a CRAP ton of dishes at any given time.
Little shorter of a chapter than expected, but I hope it didn't disappoint. Sorry if the fight with Ben and Wanda wasn't "ideal"…but I'm still working on writing fight scenes for a character like her (she's a lot trickier than I would have thought:(), so I ended up cutting it shorter than I know many would have hope. I also apologize that the ending wasn't…the best. I originally had an ending in mind for the chapter…but (for reasons to be explained at a later date) I have to save the idea for later.
So overall…possibly not the BEST "return" to the story, but it'll get better as time goes on. I only ask for a little (more) patience.
So…I'm going to "offer" (for lack of a better term) the possibility of a way for you guys to have greater than normal contributions to the story. If you choose to, that is.
But first…I'd like to hear some of your guys' opinion about this: would there be any of you interested in the "premise" of you guys getting the opinion to (potentially) create your own "Ultimate Forms" for Ben's aliens in this story? Or…even your own OC aliens entirely?
I have come up with ideas for ultimate forms for multiple aliens with Ben's matrix, ones that I'm considering for ANY possible stories involving Ben 10 I desire (so…some of those may appear). I haven't really looked into completely original aliens, however, but I'm not certain if I'm completely against it.
So…would that be something you guys would be interested in? Let me know. However, there's ONE thing that I want to make PERFECTLY clear…this is ONLY me seeing if anyone is actually interested in these ideas. So…I only want for you guys to tell me if you'd be interested in this idea. And if enough people decide that they'd like for it to be done, I'll open up for you guys to give me some suggestions. But ONLY when I say…but not right now (if you send me anything right now, I'll AUTOMATICALLY deny it...got it?:/).
So…next chapter should be better. We'll get the appearance of a VERY popular MCU character. I won't specifically say who…but, I'm sure many of you can guess;)
Constructive critism ONLY, no flames allowed.
Review, favorite, follow, and I'll see you guys next time:)
