HeroVerse
Chapter 10
"Breaking Point"
"So that's the situation." Max said as he finished explaining the story to Azmuth.
Azmuth whirled to two Galvanic Mechamorph soldiers. "To the vault, immediately. They must not be allowed to gain access to our technology!"
The Mechamorphs beeped in response and hurried out the door.
Azmuth was the First Thinker of Galvan Prime. He was thousands of years old, yet in his intellectual prime. He created a sword that tears through reality as a pet project. Azmuth had many other inventions that not even Ben or Max were aware of, and there was a decent chance that Eon was after one of them.
"Kevin, Kim, maybe go with them as backup." Gwendolyn glanced over at her boyfriend and the red headed super spy.
"I'll go with them too." Ester said.
"Are you sure?" Ben asked with a concerned look on his face.
"Don't worry Ben, I'll be safe." Ester placed a kiss on his cheek, and hurried after the others.
"Has there been any sign of Eon or any of his allies showing up?" Danny asked.
"Do you really think I'd be standing here talking to you people if a time-travelling terrorist was running amok on my planet already?" Azmuth growled.
"Well then, we should probably get you little guys ready for a fight. Or better yet, somewhere safe." Jake offered.
"My people will not run. We may not be able to stand up to Eon himself. But we should be able to assist against any of his allies." Azmuth tugged thoughtfully at his whiskers.
"Sounds like a plan," Gwendolyn said. "By the way, Azmuth, Ben lost a couple of his transformations in a previous confrontation with Eon. Would you be able to-?"
"Yes yes, of course." Azmuth waved dismissively. He hopped up onto Ben's outstretched arm and began fiddling with the dial.
The Omnitrix seemed to beep appreciatively as Azmuth inputted codes and commands. In a moment, the Omnitrix beeped in the affirmative before saying, "Corrupted DNA samples have been restored to their default values."
"There, take better care of them next time." Azmuth said begrudgingly as he hopped off of Ben's arm.
"Thank you, Azmuth." Ben said. "We'll make sure to protect Galvan Prime with everything we have." He nodded to the First Thinker.
"I expect you to. Until then-" Azmuth was interrupted as the lab around them shook violently. A purple light filled the windows.
Ben and Jake were the first to get to the windows. "It looks like chrome dome and his pals are here." Jake shielded and squinted his eyes.
"Danny, you and Gwendolyn ready Dark's transport." Max nodded to the ghost boy and the Anodite.
"Alright, come on Danny." Gwendolyn waved to Danny, indicating he should follow her.
"Jake, let's get down there." Ben said. "You might want to get your game face on now."
"Copy that, Ten-Dawg." Jake grinned.
Ben and Jake made their way down to the center of Galvan Prime's main city. Eon stood in the exact center of everything. He stood silent and menacing, flanked by the Huntsman himself and Animo in his gorilla body. Behind them stood a few hundred Huntsclan warriors. There was no sign of Rex.
Jake landed in front of them with a heavy impact, shaking the ground around them. His body was continuously crackling with electricity. Flames spontaneously lit around his eyes, his jaw, and his wings. "It's been a minute, Huntsman." Jake's voice was even more bestial than usual.
"You've come alone, dragon." The Huntsman taunted.
"He didn't come alone," A voice said. "I'm just making an entrance."
A pillar of flame roared from the sky, crashing against the ground. The flames dispersed, revealing Heatblast. Heatblast was one of Ben's aliens that didn't show much change with age. His flames seemed more intense, and he had specialized black and green leggings covering his legs.
"Ah, a classic, Tennyson." Eon said. "I haven't seen that form in quite some time."
"What can I say? I'm feeling nostalgic." Heatblast shrugged. "Where's Rex?"
"Where is the ghoul?" Eon cocked his head to the side.
"Right here." Danny's voice came from above.
Danny and Lucky Girl worked together to carry a large containment unit. Dark's silhouette could be seen from within. Danny and Lucky Girl landed, and the container clanged against the ground as they set it down.
"Now where's Rex?" Lucky Girl's eyes flared with mana.
"Wait a second…" Heatblast squinted and looked towards his enemies. "Where's the Alpha?"
Meanwhile, in the depths of the Galvan Vaults...
"Ya know, I hate when I get put on guard duty." Kevin rolled his eyes.
"Why? It's boring sure, but this is important." Kim replied.
"Because I'd rather be bashing Eon's head in." Kevin explained, as if it was obvious. "Here I just stand around and wait."
"There are worse things, ya know." Ester shrugged.
"I mean yeah duh, I could be home." Kevin crossed his arms, leaning against the vault door.
The two Mechamorphs beeped back and forth, communicating in a language the heroes could only hope to understand. That's when Kevin caught something in his peripheral vision. Someone was bolting down the hallway towards them. Kim, Ester, and Kevin all stood up and prepared themselves for the worst. The Mechamorphs grew arm cannons, which hummed with power.
"Alright, finally something I can hit!" Kevin touched his hand to the wall, absorbing the metal and coating himself in metal armor.
Kim's suit flared to life. "Alright, let's incapacitate this guy and then find out what he's doing here."
But as the running figure got closer, Kim and Kevin both recognized him almost immediately. He was about Kevin's height and build, with tan skin and spikey black hair. Orange goggles covered his eyes. He was wearing a black vest over a dull orange shirt. He wore black cargo pants and combat boots. He was wearing different attire than usual, but it was obviously…
"Rex!" Kim's suit powered down and she ran over to hug the latino.
"Hello, Kimberly." Rex smiled, though his voice sounded less energetic than usual.
"Kimberly?" Kim raised an eyebrow.
"A joke, of course no one calls you that." Rex let out a laugh.
Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Not that it's not good to see you or anything, but how the hell did you get here?"
"Eon and his peons arrived a few minutes ago." Rex explained. "While they were talking to Benjamin and the others, I was able to escape from the fools who held me."
Something didn't feel right, Kevin could feel it in his gut. "Wait a second, if Ben and the others had already confronted Eon and company, then why didn't you just group up with them?" Kevin narrowed his eyes. "Why did you come all the way down to the…vault." Kevin's eyes went wide with realization.
In an instant, Rex's demeanor changed and a grey tendril erupted from his arm. It pinned Kevin to the wall. Kim recovered from the shock and jumped to roundhouse Rex in the face. Another tendril erupted from his shoulder and wrapped itself around her, holding her in the air. Ester extended her arm in an attempt to punch Rex, but a rocky arm erupted from Rex's chest and grabbed her arm. The two Mechamorphs opened fire, but Rex formed a shield of rocky material that extended out from his chest. The rocky shield collapsed and two more tendrils erupted from his chest. They latched onto the Mechamorphs, causing red circuitry to spread over their bodies. The sound of Nanites whirring could be heard as the Mechamorphs were drained. The green light seemed to die from their body and they collapsed, crumbling into dust.
"What the hell's going on, Rex?!" Kevin growled.
Glowing eyes seemed to form in Rex's forehead. "I am not my brother. I have taken his body for my own!" Rex's mouth did not move as the monotone voice projected itself from his body.
"It's the Alpha!" Kim said as she struggled against the tendril.
"Correct, human. And now, I will claim the technology in that vault, and become all powerful." Alpha said triumphantly.
"In your dreams, you toaster piece of shit!" Kevin attempted to free himself from the tendril but it was no good.
"Peek-a-boo!" Ester's voice called. She still had a hand free, which she used to promptly slug Alpha Rex in the face.
It was enough to stun Alpha, causing it to lose its grip on the trio for a moment. Kim's suit charged and released an electric pulse that traveled down the tentacle and ravaged Alpha Rex's body. Kim was freed from the grip of the tentacle and dropped to the ground gracefully. Her suit formed a blade around her arm and she sliced the arm that was holding Ester. Kevin followed suit and slice the tentacle away.
"Don't be foolish." Alpha Rex said in both Alpha's and Rex's voices. "Once I claim the specimen in the vault, I will be more powerful than the timewalker, and I will rule this universe."
"What the hell could be in that vault that would make him that powerful?" Kim asked, looking towards Kevin.
"Not sure, but we're not going to let him get it, come on!" Kevin formed a sword on his left arm and a shield on his right and charged directly at Alpha Rex.
Alpha Rex's right arm grew larger and covered in rocky material, his fingers formed into metal claws. Kevin swung his sword at Alpha Rex but the nanite monster caught the attack effortlessly. Kevin tugged at his arm but it was no good. Kim jumped over Kevin, using his shoulders as a spring board. Massive amounts of electricity formed around her fist and she decked Alpha Rex directly in the nose, causing him to deconstruct his arm and stumble back. Ester extended her arms and wrapped them several times around Alpha Rex, rendering him immobile.
"You're not as tough as you seem, Alpha." Kevin said smugly.
"Foolish children." Alpha Rex said, unimpressed. Alpha Rex's body burst with rocky material, forcing Ester's arms off.
Ester screamed in pain as her arms were nearly ripped apart from the force. She fell to the ground, her arms still extended in loose piles around Alpha, who'd grown large rocky arms and legs. His chest was slowly being covered in the same material as well. Red flames erupted from his chest and arms. Soon his head was also consumed by flames, and all that remained of his face was a demonic version of Rex's flames floating in the flames.
"Oh that's not good…." Kevin said. Alpha had completely taken over Rex's body and had grown at least two, maybe three times his original size. How he fit in this hallway was a mystery to Kevin.
Alpha Rex swiped down at Kevin with a giant claw. Kevin formed twin shields from his arms to block the attack. Despite the defense, Kevin was still swept off his feet and crashed into the wall. Kevin hit the wall with a sickening crunching sound and fell to the ground. His metal armor dissipated.
"Two down." Alpha Rex said in a bellowing voice. "All that's left is you, child."
Kim stood in a battle stance, courageously blocking the way into the vault. Ester and Kevin were both down for the count. "I'm not going to just let you in here, Alpha. You'll have to kill me."
"There will be no need." Alpha Rex shook his head. A grey tendril with red veins erupted from Alpha Rex's shoulder and struck Kim in the forehead. Upon contact it unleashed a devastating electric blast through Kim's body, rendering her unconscious. Kim fell to the ground with a pained groan.
"Now, for the door." Alpha Rex said. Another tendril extended from Alpha Rex and connected with the door's control panel. Several lights on the panel flashed before emitting a satisfied beep.
The door opened, and Alpha Rex slouched slightly to get through the door. In the vault were several devices. A few unfinished Omnitrixes. The Sword of Ascalon. As well as a few other devices that Alpha Rex couldn't match in his data banks. None of those mattered, anyways. Alpha Rex made his way to the center of the room, where a petrified statue stood.
"Subjects: Vilgax and Malware. Exactly where Eon said you would be." Alpha Rex said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "Now, time for the extraction." Alpha Rex extended several tendrils that buried into the statue. The tendrils pulsed as they absorbed the corrupt Galvanic Mechamorph.
Malware had been a Galvanic Mechamorph with an incomplete genetic code. Through his own efforts, he'd evolved into a new kind of Galvanic Mechamorph, arguably superior than the originals. He'd been defeated by Ben Tennyson many years ago. That hadn't stopped Vilgax from converting him into a suit of armor. And it wouldn't stop Alpha from using him to become even more powerful.
"With Malware, the Omega Nanite, and my own Alpha Nanite, I will become ALL POWERFUL!" Alpha roared. "And that means I no longer have any use for you, boy." Alpha's body shifted and pulsated, before violently ejecting Rex's body. Rex hit the ground hard with a grunt. Alpha's body continued to shudder and grow as the combined power of Malware and the Alpha and Omega Nanites surged through him. The black rocky material became covered in pure black metal with red circuitry lining his body. His demonic face was outlined in the same circuitry, and a third red eye opened up on top of his face.
Back in the city's center, Eon smirked as he sensed Alpha making his move.
"The Alpha? It's busy with it's own mission." Eon shrugged. "You should focus more on this discussion. Hand over the phantom, and I will make sure Rex is returned to you."
"I don't think so, lightbulb head!" Heatblast's flames suddenly became more intense. "I want to SEE my friend before I just hand Dark over to you!"
"Yeah, we're not that stupid!" Danny scoffed.
Jake let out a puff of flame, right before his ears perked up. He heard something. "Uhh…guys…" Jake turned around, back towards the Galvan Capital building. The ground started to rumble, and everyone turned just in time to see the building start to rise up and break apart as something emerged.
Heatblast recognized the gargantuan monster almost immediately. It was Alpha, but in his evolved form after absorbing the Omega-1 Nanite. He was a gigantic demonic beast that stood on four spider-like legs. Flames bellowed from his chest, arms and head. But the dull black rocky material was gone, and replaced with jet black metallic skin covered in red jagged circuitry, another feature that Heatblast recognized all too well. Alpha had somehow absorbed Malware into his being and had made his ultimate form even more powerful. With the Omega-1 Nanite and Malware, Alpha could not only continuously create new nanites for itself and become bigger and stronger, but the nanites it was creating were more advanced and more dangerous.
"Awww man…" Heatblast sighed. "Alright, I'll take Godzilla over there." Heatblast reached for the Omnitrix dial on his chest. "You guys take on the bad guys down here."
That's when the Huntsman, who'd been pretty quiet up to this point, decided to speak up. "Actually, changeling, you will duel me."
Heatblast gave the Huntsman a sideways look. "Sorry buddy, but I'm pretty sure the giant robo kaiju is more worthy of my attention."
"Are you sure about that?" The Huntsman smirked as he shrugged off his cape. He crossed his right arm over his chest, putting a familiar device on display.
The shadow of Eon's smile could be seen through his visor. On the Huntsman's right wrist was the perfect antithesis to the Omnitrix. It resembled the original Omnitrix before it's recalibration. A large wristband with tubes and large buttons.
"Is that-?" Heatblast glared at the device.
"The Nemetrix, yes." Animo hollered, laughing maniacally. "Eon here let me have my way with it in making modifications to the neural processors."
"The biggest flaw with the Nemetrix was it lacked the mental blocks that the Omnitrix has that keep the sample DNA from completely overwhelming the user's mind." Eon explained. "While still allowing the full data dump that would allow the user to perfectly use the sample DNA's natural arsenal and skillset."
"Which means that even a sapient being can use the Nemetrix without going crazy." Lucky Girl realized.
"And who more fit to use the predatory DNA within than a hunter like myself." The Huntsman laughed. "Now, I believe, it's time to HUNT!" The Huntsman slammed his palm down on the Nemetrix and a bright red flash blinded everyone.
A ferocious roar pierced everyone's ears before something very tough and very strong came barreling into Heatblast. When the light died down, a giant crab-legged rhinoceros with rocky skin had Heatblast pinned against a stainless steel building.
Jake was about to rush to help Ben, but was quickly intercepted by Animo. "I don't think so, gecko boy." Animo's large gorilla fist grabbed Jake by the torso and tossed him in the opposite direction before barreling after him. Jake managed to right himself in midair and rushed to meet Animo halfway. Animo and Jake clashed, pushing against each other with all their might. Animo may have had the size advantage, but Jake was a primodial magic being, and he was in his prime. He was incredibly strong, even for his size and build. The flames that constantly flowed from his body flared as he struck Animo in the chest with all his might.
Animo stumbled before regaining his balance. Jake was flying low, preparing for an uppercut, but Animo reacted just in time. He brought his fists down like a hammer onto Jake. Jake was buried into the ground, creating a decent sized crater in the process.
"After I kill you, I'll add your DNA to my collection." Animo cackled. "Who knows what the DNA of a magical dragon can do for my experiments!" Animo laughed psychotically as he prepared to strike at Jake again.
Since Ben was busy with the Huntsman and Lucky Girl flew off to hold off Alpha, that left Danny with Eon.
Danny cracked a right hook into the side of Eon's head as soon as the chaos began. He'd coated his fist in a thick layer of ice, adding to the weight of the strike. Eon stumbled, but not long enough for Danny to follow up. He backhanded the air, unleashing a wave of energy towards Danny. Danny swirled ecto energy in front of him defensively, dispersing Eon's attack around him.
Danny skidded back from the force, but came back swinging. He threw several punches at Eon, but the Chronian always seemed to be just slightly out of the way. Eon formed a sword out of purple energy and slashed at Danny. The blade nicked him in the stomach, but didn't cut deep at all.
"Son of a…" Danny gripped his stomach. "That hurts, chrome dome!"
"I believe that's the point, ghost child." Eon stabbed towards Danny with his sword again.
Danny formed a blade of glowing green ecto energy and used it to parry Eon at the last possible second. The two swords clashed several more times. Each clash of the opposing energies released a shockwave that shook the immediate area around them. Danny blocked another blow before blasting Eon with a free hand. Eon skidded back, the sword dispersing. He charged purple time energy in his hands before unleashing an incredibly powerful blast at the half-ghost. Danny answered in kind. He leaned into a two-handed blast of ecto energy that clashed in a brilliant display of light and sound against Eon's own attack. The two energies struggled to overtake each other.
"I must give you credit, child." Eon said over the noise. "You are quite the powerful being, and I can see how you grow into Dark."
"I will never become him!" Danny yelled back, his anger rising.
"You're right, maybe you won't." Eon nodded to himself. "But just so you know, there's always more to a battle than taking down your opponent."
The beam struggle dispersed. Danny's hands were still smoking from the amount of ecto energy he'd unleashed. "What do you mean?" Danny asked in between heaves for air.
Eon said nothing, but tilted his head, looking past Danny.
Danny whirled around, and his eyes widened in horror. Several Huntsclan members had gathered by the containment unit that held Dark. "No!"
"The ghoul is secure, Eon." A Huntsclan member said while at attention.
"Perfect, let's take our leave." A purple portal washed over the ninjas and the container, sending them away. "Thank you for the distraction, Daniel, and for allowing me to test your might." The portal washed over Eon as well, and he was gone.
"Son of a bitch…" Danny cursed under his breath while he tried to gather himself. "Damn it, there's no point in dwelling on the loss. There's more pressing matters…" Danny flew off in a rush to help his teammates.
The kaiju-sized Alpha loomed over the young Anodite...
Lucky Girl floated high in the sky, easily 100 stories above the ground, eye level with Malware Alpha. The beast roared as it sighted Lucky Girl. It's bellow was loud enough to shake the entire city. She had to slow it down until Ben dealt with the Huntsman, who'd somehow gotten ahold of the Nemetrix.
"Adfishio Potentia Maxima!" Lucky Girl chanted. Massive amounts of mana formed around her and rushed forward as several beams that collided with Malware Alpha. The beams seemed to push Malware Alpha, but only slightly.
Malware Alpha turned its attention to Lucky Girl. It seemed to regard her more as a nuisance than an actual threat. With speed unnatural for its size, Malware Alpha swatted Lucky Girl out of the sky. Lucky Girl barely had time to call up a shield. It was just enough to stop the kaiju from killing her. She rocketed towards the ground uncontrollably. She and her shield collided with the ground, creating a crater large enough to hold a To'kustar.
"Ugh…" Lucky Girl groaned in pain as her shield fell. The dust and debris was still settling before Lucky Girl managed to take flight once more. "You just…slapped me." Lucky Girl's form flickered weakly as she struggled to maintain her form. "Turbo Maxima!" Lucky Girl chanted as she unleashed a massive whirlwind the likes of which the universe has never seen. The massive winds struck Malware Alpha, visibly lifting it off the ground several feet and sending him skidding back.
"Energy being…your powers are most impressive." Malware Alpha's voice bellowed so loudly that Lucky Girl wasn't sure her ear drums would survive the conversation. "When I have destroyed you, I will be sure to add your essence to my ever growing power. Just as I will destroy the timewalker, the ghoul, and all those who stand in my way."
"I can't even begin to tell you how much NONE of that is going to happen, diablo loco." A voice called from somewhere.
Lucky Girl looked towards the direction the voice came from to see Rex standing on top of a Galvan building, with a speaker held up to his mouth. He looked pretty roughed up, but otherwise seemed okay.
Rex tossed the speaker aside, and constructed the Boogie Pack, a set of twin turbines strapped to his back. He rushed through the sky, hurtling at high speeds towards Malware Alpha's head. The turbines of the boogie pack launched like cannonballs, smacking Malware Alpha uselessly. But it was enough to catch its attention. Rex collapsed the boogie pack, and exchanged it for the Smack Hands as he continued to hurtle towards Malware Alpha's head. Rex landed a hard right hook into the kaiju's face.
Surprisingly enough, it had some effect. Malware Alpha roared in anger as Rex struck, visibly moving his head. Rex collapsed the smack hands and constructed the Boogie Pack to retreat. He flew up next to Lucky Girl.
"So uhh, sorry I'm late. You won't believe the nonsense I've had to deal with." Rex shrugged.
"Good to see you anyways, we gotta keep this thing occupied while Ben's stuck dealing with the Huntsman." Lucky Girl said.
"Ben and I fought him in a similar form once before. Even working together we were no match." Rex sighed. "Now he seems to be twice as powerful."
"Any ideas?" Lucky Girl asked.
"Last time we struck my Omega Nanite directly while it was inside of him." Rex said. "That's gonna be a little harder this time. There must be trillions of nanites inside of him, it'll be a lot harder to detect my Omega. Let alone retrieve it."
"Fantastic." Lucky Girl sighed.
While the other heroes fought the villains, that left Heatblast at the mercy of his own predator...
"Crabdozer…" Heatblast groaned. Crabdozers were the natural predator of Pyronites like Heatblast. Their rocky skin made them nigh invulnerable, especially to heat and fire.
"Prepare to die, boy." The Huntsman's voice echoed in Heatblast's head. The Nemetrix must've granted the user some form of telepathy to communicate.
Crabdozer grabbed Heatblast in his jaws and flung him across the ground. Heatblast let out a pained groan, still stunned from the initial attack. Meanwhile, he could vaguely make out the others engaging in combat with Eon and his other allies. He had to deal with the Nemetrix-clad Huntsman, and fast.
"If you think I'm just gonna try and lob fireballs at you all day, you're sorely mistaken, Huntsman!" Heatblast disappeared in a flash of green light, quickly replaced by… "Big Chill!" The blue mothman took flight, circling Crabdozer. Big Chill let out a hiss and a icy blast erupted from his mouth. Big Chill flew swiftly, weaving around Crabdozer until all four of his legs were frozen solid to the ground.
"Foolish boy, the Nemetrix gives me knowledge on all your transformations' predators." The Huntsman's voice echoed. "I can adapt just as fast as you." Crabdozer's form shifted almost immediately, freeing him from the ice. In his place, a giant moth-like creature hovered. Hypnotick, Big Chill's predator.
"Aww man, so not cool." Big Chill shook his head.
Hypnotick releashed a red powder from his body, which quickly got caught in his wings and began forming into a spiral pattern. Big Chill's wings began to droop lazily as he stared into the hypnotic pattern. Hypnotick floated slowly towards Big Chill, savoring the hunt. But it was all for naught, a nearby explosion sent Big Chill tumbling to the ground, snapping him out of it in the process.
"Hmph, nice try, bug." Big Chill disappeared in a green flash as he changed form once more. "NRG!" The skeletal radiation alien emerged from his containment suit. "You are so going down, buddy. The Nemetrix never had NRG's predator."
"You fool, did you really think we'd be unprepared for any of your transformations!?" The Huntsman bellowed before shifting as well. Hypnotick's form quickly shifted into that of a large wolf-like alien. It's fur shined like polished metal and it had several spikes and rods sticking out oddly from its body. It had two sets of eyes and six legs, adorned with claws just as jagged and oblong as the random spikes and rods.
"Uh oh…seems like Eon and Animo have been busy." NRG said, his eyes wide in surprise.
"This is known as a Carbolupin, their carbon fur and spikes completely neutralize a Prypiatosian's radiation based abilities." The Huntsman laughed triumphantly.
Carbolupin snarled before charging at NRG at blinding speeds. He dug his fangs into NRG's legs, causing a sudden surge of radiation. NRG cried out in pain. He backhanded Carbolupin, but the beast held on strong. NRG grabbed him by two of the metal rods sticking out from his back. With all his might he tugged and threw Carbolupin across the ground. Carbolupin tumbled awkwardly, as the random spikes and rods caused his roll to spiral and bounce out of control.
"I don't care how many predators you have in that knockoff." NRG growled. "I will take you down, just like I'll take your allies down too." NRG shifted in a flash of green light. "HUMUNGOUSAUR!" The Vaxasaurian roared. Humungousaur charged towards Carbolupin, bringing his fist down like a hammer towards the wolf alien.
In the blink of an eye and a red flash, Carbolupin was quickly replaced by Tyrannopede. An armored beast that was half centipede, half dinosaur. It met Humungousaur's fist with a armored headbutt that sent Humungousaur stumbling.
The Vaxasaurian let out a grunt but righted himself after stumbling back a couple of steps. "Ugh, we're never going to get anywhere if you keep changing when I change, dude." Humungousaur sighed.
"You're a fool, Tennyson." The Huntsman said. He pointed Tyrannopede's horn towards Humungousaur and fired a massive web blast.
Humungousaur roared as he was wrapped up in Tyrannopede's webbing. "This is so not good. Gotta pick an alien he wouldn't have a predator for…oh wait!" Humungousaur disappeared in a flash of green light. The webbing that was wrapped around him collapsed into a pile in front of Tyrannopede.
"You can't hide from me, changeling!" The Huntsman yelled as Tyrannopede roared.
That's when a quiet slurping sound could be heard, and the web pile seemed to be shrinking. Suddenly the rest of the webbing was all slurped up at once, and out came… "Upchuck!" The green gummy bear-like alien belched. Upchuck, in his Perk form, stood where the web pile once was, his stomach glowing.
"Of all the forms you could've chosen, that one has to be the least formidable, fool!" The Huntsman mocked. "Now I will transform into its predator and destroy you!"
The Nemetrix blinked feebly. "ERROR. GOURMAND PREDATOR DNA NOT FOUND."
"That's because Upchuck doesn't have a predator, loser!" Upchuck belched out an energy blast that sent Tyrannopede flying.
"Your current form may not have a predator, boy, but I am still more than powerful enough to defeat you!" The Huntsman growled. Tyrannopede roared and charged at Upchuck.
"Yeah…I don't think so." Upchuck smirked. He lashed at Tyrannopede with his tongues, grabbing his limbs and chest. Using his incredibly strong tongues, Upchuck lifted Tyrannopede into the air. "Stho long, losther." Upchuck said, slurring through his tongues. Upchuck whirled Tyrannopede in the air and then threw him, hurtling him into space.
"Nooooooooooo!" The Huntsman bellowed as he hurtled out of control into space.
The Omnitrix beeped before transforming Upchuck back into Ben. Ben took a second to catch his breath. "That was a bit too easy. Oh well, it's taken care of." Ben turned his attention to the massive Alpha. From what he could tell, it looked like Lucky Girl and Rex were fighting the beast. But at Alpha's current size, there was no way they could beat him on their own. "A big problem calls for a way big solution!" Ben slammed down the Omnitrix, coating the entire area in green light.
Meanwhile, Jake was having a more difficult time than he expected to against the mad doctor. He dug his claws into the ground as he skidded back. Animo had just landed a devastating blow to Jake, and he was starting to feel the pain. Flames licked his maw as he stood back up. Jake unleashed a powerful blast of fire and lightning that consumed the mad doctor. Animo whirled his arms around wildly, dispersing the flames.
"Aw come on, dog." Jake groaned. "That's not even how that works."
"Sorry child, but this isn't my first time dealing with a fire-throwing punk!" Animo cackled.
"Then taste ecto energy, you damn fruit loop!" A voice called moments before a powerful blast of green energy hit Animo from behind.
Animo fell to his hands and knees, growling. "Who dares attack ME!? Doctor Aloysius Animo!?"
"And I thought I'd dealt with some mad doctors." Danny said as he floated to Jake's side.
"Thanks for the assist." Jake nodded to the ghost hero.
"No problem, let's punch this doc's clock." Danny slammed his fist into his open palm.
Danny charged his fist with ecto energy and zoomed through the air towards Animo. Jake's fist crackled with fire and lightning as he followed Danny's lead. The two heroes rushed Animo and prepared to unleash an incredibly powerful blow.
"Ohhhh, how I miss my cell at the Plumber Base…" Animo sighed moments before Danny and Jake struck Animo square in the chest. The combined force of their punches was enough to send him flying. He crashed hard into a wall, sending debris flying around him. Animo let out a pained moan before drifting into unconsciousness.
"Alright!" Jake roared in triumph.
"That's what I'm talking about." Danny grinned. "Come on, we should help out with that giant monster."
That's when a green flash blinded the duo, right before they heard a loud rumbling and a bellowing voice. "WAAAAAYYYYYYY BIG!" The green light faded and a colossal humanoid stood to face the kaiju. Danny and Jake both saw the Omnitrix symbol glowing on the giant's chest.
"Ben!?" Jake said in surprise.
"Who knew he had a transformation that big…" Danny said in awe.
Way Big was mostly white, but wore white armor on his arms, shoulders, legs, and on his head fin. He had four glowing green eyes, the extra pair being on his cheeks. The armor on his arms formed into sharp blades.
Lucky Girl and Rex both whirled to the sight and sound of Way Big emerging. "Alright, Ben!" Lucky Girl cried.
"You know I gotta wonder why he didn't use that alien last time we fought Alpha…" Rex tilted his head in thought.
"Everyone out of the way," Way Big waved his comrades away. "I'll handle this."
"We should probably help the Galvan with the Huntsclan, anyways." Lucky Girl suggested.
"On it, let's go." Rex nodded and flew towards the mob of Huntsclan who remained.
"Wait, Rex!" Way Big bellowed. "Let Lucky Girl go, but I need you to start searching for your Omega Nanite."
"Oh, good idea, gigante!" Rex grinned.
Gwendolyn flew away and Rex began fiddling with his goggles in order to locate the Omega-1 Nanite inside of the massive kaiju.
"Alright then," Way Big turned his attention back to Malware Alpha. "It's go time!" Way Big charged at Malware Alpha.
The two giants clashed, releasing a shockwave that shook the city. Way Big unleashed a cosmic storm-enhanced punch to Malware Alpha's head. The beast growled as it was pushed back. Way Big did not let up, delivering a left cross to the monster's chest. Malware Alpha stumbled back, dazed by the sudden attack. Way Big was incredibly strong, even for his size, so the blows definitely forced Malware Alpha to regroup.
"Reassessing threat level…compensating." Malware Alpha's monotone voice bellowed. "Parameters adjusted. Performing countermeasures." The beast unleashed a screeching blast from its maw.
The blast hit Way Big like a truck. He was sent flying back, sailing through the air and crashing through mountains. As Way Big skidded across the landscape, countless trees, buildings, mountains, rivers, and so on, were completely obliterated. Way Big struggled to stand. Alpha had become more powerful than anything he'd ever faced, at least in terms of raw power. He formed his arms into an 'L' shape and cosmic energy formed around his upright hand.
"Taste this, you technofreak!" Way Big roared. A cosmic beam of energy erupted out of his hand and rushed towards Malware Alpha. Malware Alpha countered with his own blast of red screeching energy. The two blasts collided in midair and erupted in light. The sky was tinted in hues of blue and red as the two beams struggled for dominance. "Ergh…any luck, Rex…" Way Big grunted as he struggled to keep his beam at full power.
"It's a no go, I haven't been able to find it yet." Rex said, distress prominent in his voice. "Come on little buddy, where are you…?" Rex said as he continued scanning Alpha's body.
Malware Alpha spawned several tentacles that rushed Way Big, raising him into the air before launching him high into the sky. "Woahwoahwoahwoah!" Way Big bellowed as he hurtled into the sky, out of control. Way Big channeled cosmic storm energy throughout his body until he was covered in a faint aura. He was able to right himself and used the energy to rocket down to earth like a shooting star. "Take this!" Way Big roared as he crashed into Malware Alpha with the force of a nuclear explosion. The shockwave sent everyone flying back and tumbling across the ground. Buildings rocked and fell as the dust settled.
"Found it, hermano!" Rex called to Way Big, jumping in excitement slightly.
Way Big grinned. "Alright!" Way Big smacked the Omnitrix symbol, disappearing in a green flash. In a few moments, XLR8 sped over to Rex's side. "Okay, just like last time. Do you have a lock on it?" XLR8 asked.
"Yeah, but we don't have Caesar to send in a probe like last time. How are we going to retrieve it?" Rex asked the Kineceleran.
"Like last time, I'll use Cannonbolt to pierce his body," XLR8 began. "Make sure you fire me directly at the Nanite, otherwise this plan is for nothing. After I'm inside, I have a special transformation that's perfect for this kind of thing. I'll get the Omega Nanite and buzz out." XLR8 disappeared in a green flash. "On three." Ben nodded.
Ben made his way behind Rex as the latino formed his arm into the Slam Cannon.
"One…" Ben began. The Slam Cannon's back end opened up and scooped Ben inside.
"Two…" Rex made sure he was locked onto the Nanite. The shot had to be perfect.
"Three!" They yelled in unison. As the Slam Cannon fired, a green flash erupted from its barrel. Cannonbolt hurled towards Malware Alpha at rocket speeds. The kaiju had no chance to react before the alien had made it inside.
Cannonbolt disappeared in a green flash, muted by the red sea of Alpha's body. "Nanomech!" A small, humanoid robot alien cried. He had four insect-like wings, his legs ended in three prong-like digits. Four small eyes surrounded the Omnitrix on his face. His glowing green circuitry that crisscrossed his body was like a beacon. "And there you are!" The Omega-1 Nanite had a faint blue glow in the red abyss. It was surrounded by a red box-like casing that controlled it, and Alpha's nanites seemed to swarm around it. Even though they had no defined front-side, the nanites seemed to come to attention and all focus in on Nanomech.
"Aww man…" Nanomech sighed.
A swarm of red nanites rushed towards Nanomech. The computer chip alien sprouted several tendrils equipped with blasters and began firing at the oncoming storm. The nanites didn't stand much of a chance. Nanomech's body instinctually adapted to whatever situation he was in. More blasters spawned from his body to compensate for all the nanites. He was easily able to subdue the protective swarm and was soon right next to the imprisoned Omega-1 Nanite. Nanomech held up his hand as it morphed into a welding torch-like tool. It fired to life and Nanomech began work on cracking the prison.
"Just a little more…" Nanomech said. "And done!"
Blue light erupted as the Omega-1 was freed. The surrounding nanites shuddered before going from red to blue. The nanites swarmed around Nanomech and rushed towards an exit. "Alright!" Nanomech cheered. As the nanites continued to rush and warm, the abyss of red became a sea of blue. More nanites were freed from Alpha's influence every second. Not even the upgrades from Malware were enough to stop the Omega-1.
Nanites erupted from Malware Alpha as the beast roared in pain. "This is not possible!"
"Never tell me what's not possible!" Nanomech grinned.
The nanites seemed to disperse but the Omega-1 Nanite continued on. Nanomech split off from the Omega-1 as it approached Rex. Rex held out his hand, and on contact his body surged with blue light. "That's what I'm talking about!" Rex cheered.
Malware Alpha's body erupted into a storm as it's nanites became unstable. The Malware material began to break apart and fall to the ground as Alpha's nanites formed into a spiral cloud.
"And this is where I come in!" Rex smiled. His legs were covered in metal as he formed a board under them, complete with a glowing disc on each end. The Sky Slyder, as Rex called it, was his fastest transport machine. He flew at high speeds towards the base of Alpha's decaying body. "This time, you're not getting out!" Rex called to the nanite monster as he landed. He extended his hands out towards Alpha's legs. Blue circuitry began to light up along his arms. "Time to send you packing!" Electricity erupted from Rex's hands, rapidly reining in Alpha's nanites and condensing them. Alpha's legs dissolved into nanites as well and were packed into a condensed sphere. Alpha roared as his essence was trapped within the sphere.
"This is not the last of me, brother. I will return!" Alpha's voice called. It faded as the condensed sphere sealed itself, trapping Alpha within his own body.
The sphere crashed into the ground with startling force. XLR8 sped up to Rex before reverting to Ben. "Do you think it'll hold him this time?" Ben asked.
"It should. This sphere is about twice as dense as the last one." Rex nodded. "It's literally impossible for Alpha to escape on his own. There's no wiggle room."
Danny, Lucky Girl, and Jake all landed next to the duo. "So, it's done?" Lucky Girl asked.
"Yeah…" Rex panted. The effort had taken a lot out of him.
"Crazy to think that giant monster is now packed into that little ball…" Jake thought aloud.
"Guys…!" Danny cried out.
A purple portal appeared in the blink of an eye, washing over the sphere and sending it elsewhere before closing.
"Son of a-! Eon!" Ben cursed.
"Just when I thought we won a round!" Jake growled.
"On top of that, Eon was able to escape with Dark, as well." Danny frowned.
"Something doesn't feel right." Lucky Girl held her chin thoughtfully as she resumed human form. "Why would Eon go through all the trouble of getting us here, transforming Alpha, stealing Dark away instead of simply freeing him…?"
"Both Dark and Alpha weren't whisked away until they were incapacitated." Danny noted. "I think Eon WANTED us to defeat them…"
"But why would he want us to beat his allies?" Gwendolyn wondered.
"Maybe because they're not seen as allies…" The color drained from Ben's face. "He's going to use them somehow. Dark's powers are unlike anything else in this universe. And Alpha's nanites have been upgraded by Malware. Those two things in combination with his own powers…"
"He's going to use them…" Rex's expression grew to match Ben's.
"To evolve." Ben said with dread in his voice.
"We need to get back to Azmuth and the others so we can update them." Gwendolyn said. "If we're right, this is about to get seriously bad. If Eon is really going to somehow use Dark and Alpha's powers to make himself stronger, we're going to need a plan."
Gwendolyn chanted, a portal of mana opened up. "This will take us back to Azmuth and the others."
The group stepped through, as they prepared for the next move.
Eon emerged in the empty subspace. In front of him, Dark and Alpha resided in their respective prisons. The Huntsman had been recovered from deep space but was in no position to be of use to Eon anymore. "Drakken!" Eon's voice called into the void.
"Yes, I'm here! What do you want!?" Drakken said with annoyance in his voice.
"Is it ready?" Eon asked.
"Nearly. The Bio-Energy Transferance Device is nearly complete." Drakken nodded. "However, it will still take time to develop the device you need to strip these two of their free will. Without it, merging them to yourself is incredibly dangerous."
"I'm aware. That's why you're building the machine." Eon said, annoyed.
Dark's prison rumbled. "What is the meaning of this, Chronian!?" Dark's voice roared. "I demand to be freed! You promised me a chance to restore my timeline."
"Doomed soul, I was never going to help restore your timeline." Eon shook his head. "I needed Tennyson and his allies to defeat you and put you in a prison that would hold you. The ghost child had a far better chance at defeating you, and you were very helpful in retrieving the Alpha Rune and the Nemetrix."
"What do you have planned, worm!?" Dark's voice called from his prison.
"Simple. I will merge your essence with my own, elevating my powers to godhood. Alpha's Mechamorph-enhanced Nanites will further enhance both of our abilities. Raising me even further. Finally I will use the Alpha Rune to not only access the magical energy of the universe, but to act as a binding object to hold my new form together. And then, I will tribute all of time and space to save my own universe."
"Once all that has been done, I can finally rest…"