Episode 3: A Worthy Opponent (Main Story)
Chapter 3: Power Beyond Reasons
(The Hudson House) (07:30 AM)
When the first break of dawn hit the rims of the Rust Bucket, Max immediately started the engine and headed off towards the Hudson House just as Oswald recommended. The streets were quiet this time of the day so he had no problem with traffic or stops lights. The downtown area however had been sealed off as a crime scene due to the major damage inflicted there. Not once did Max take his eyes off the road or the building rooftops. He avoided clear line of sights and obvious ambush intersections so that he could make a clear getaway without disturbing the peace. Since he now realized that he was dealing with the most deadly assassin in the galaxy, he had to remain cautious at all times.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the Hudson House and from there they were immediately greeted by Marian and several other ex-Plumbers.
"Maxwell! Oswald!" she cried out happily as she saw them through the window, "I'm so glad you're safe… and Ben, you too?"
"It's good to see you again Maria. Sorry to bother you this early in the morning" Max smiled happily a little embarrassed to appear here again of all places.
But Maria simply waved it off, "Oh don't you worry about a thing there Maxie boy. After my husband told me that you guys were attacked I was worried sick all night long! Come in come in… make yourselves at home here. I bet my bucket that you must be hungry little man"
"Well… now that you mentioned it" Ben grinned with the mere mention of his hungry tummy, "I didn't really have much of a dinner last night"
"Well there'll be plenty of food in here. Come on in" the moment they got in, they were immediately greeted by a larger crowd of ex-Plumbers. "Hey everybody, look who it is. It's Maxwell!" the moment his name was mentioned the crowd immediately let out a large cheer all together to greet the old guy. There were about twenty of them right at the moment, but more than half of them were familiar to Max's eyes.
"Whoa… are they all…" Ben gapped with his mouth wide open.
"Plumbers?" Oswald interrupted, "You bet. Hey Max, you remember old Joe, little Joe and Joe Jr. right? And I'm sure you remembered some of these faces"
"Definitely!" came Max's reply, "But how did you find them all?"
"It wasn't easy getting contact with the old guys" the boss explained, "But when word got out that I was assembling the Plumbers again, they just sorta flew in like the wind. I'm planning to reopen the base we built beneath Bellwood city. Once we have that place back up and running to full capacity, we'll be back in business in no time" he then put his arm around Max like he was his old buddy again. "So what da ya say Maxie? Why don't you come back out of your old retirement and be with us again? It won't be like the good old days but we could sure use a man like you"
Max was deep in thought at that moment. He wasn't really sure if this was what he wanted. Sure he'll be able to bring the good old days back and protect the earth with his grandkids… but this wasn't the future he wanted for them. "I… I don't know…" he could see a lot of familiar faces waving and smiling back at him. He couldn't help but smile back knowing full well what they've been through together. "Being back with the Plumbers is good and all… but it's just…"
"Oh come on Maxie, look around ya!" Oswald interrupted, "Even Ben's already making a few friends of his own" and to his truth, he was right. Ben was already by a table talking to some of the younger generation of Plumbers, listening to their great battle stories like a real kid. He was certainly enjoying every moment of this place… and with the free food he was getting from Maria, he was certainly gonna like this place even more.
"Well… I don't know…"
But before Oswald could continue to persuade his old apprentice to take the badge of the Plumbers again, his wife called out. "OSWALDDDDD!!" the blonde old man quickly turned to her with a confused face clearly stating 'What did I do this time'
"Uh… yes sweetie?"
"Don't you sweetie buster!" she nagged him, "I just received a bill of one thousand dollars for the damage of a rented van! Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
"Uh… oops?"
"Why you no good lousy! (intelligible nonsense)" Maria quickly pulled out a newspaper, rolled it and began pounding her husband with it, "You rented out a van and crashed it without looking again didn't ya! I knew I couldn't trust you with the family budget you little (intelligible nonsense)" when the gang saw this oh so familiar sight they all began to laugh like they were back in high school again. It was times like these that made every moment of life worth living.
"Ouch! Oh! Hey not the face! Oofff! Ok, now that hurts! Hey watch it!"
As Max watch this humorous sight before him, he couldn't help but smile as well. The two of them always fought like that and it only proves that age doesn't deteriorate love, no matter what. But before he could continue this little reunion of his own, he suddenly noticed the clock on the wall signing near eight o'clock. "Oh no! Gotta go everyone. I got to pick up Gwen from her house and bring her to school. Come on Ben"
"Aww, can't I stay here a little bit longer?" the boy pleaded.
"Don't worry about him Maxie" came Maria's voice as she continued to beat up her husband with a newspaper roll, "We'll take good care of him"
"Besides, White already agreed to have no class today" Oswald added, "I called him last night"
"Well…" Max didn't really want to leave the boy in such an environment that would, "Ok. I'll be back in an hour or so. Don't do anything crazy ok"
"No sweat grandpa" and with that Max left the area to get Gwen to her school and hopefully this time there won't be any disturbances to ruin the day.
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However… unknown to all of them was the fact that Raze, the legendary assassin was just outside the diner, looking at them through a pair of binoculars. He still had his four katanas strapped to his back and his plasma rifles holstered down his waist. As he spied on the trailer's position, he soon noticed that there were a lot more people than he thought there would be. There were at least six RVs at the back of the diner and if he was right they weren't exactly the normal kind of RVs that you would see everyday.
He had seen one of these RVs in action last night in downtown and got a taste of its true power before. If those things were anything like Max's RV than attacking them head on won't gonna be an idea that he would think of. "Erghhh… more of those annoying human vehicles" he grunted as he saw Max leave the area, "Taking them out won't be easy…… but… I always do like a little challenge" as he hid behind the dumpster, he quickly activated his holographic arm gauntlet and took photo of the nearest civilian in sight. Once he got the picture, he quickly turned into that person complete with clothes and eye color. "Tch… the Omnitrix isn't the only one around who can change into someone else" I guess this comes with the whole being the greatest assassin in the galaxy.
As he approached the diner, he quickly noted that there were too many people inside the place for him to strike at Ben. He needed to wait until the crowd lessens a bit before he makes his move.
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Back inside, Ben was having the time of his life. After hearing stories after stories from the old veterans of the Plumber organization, Maria quickly came by with a fresh batch of bacon, eggs and pancakes with syrup. The mere sight of food was more than enough to make Ben's stomach groan in anticipation. By the time Maria said it was for him, he garbled it all down his throat faster than an ant eater on an ant hill. As the food on his plate slowly vanished in a blink of an eye, some of the other patrons wondered if the kid even tasted those little things on his tongue. Did he even had enough time to chew them all?
After one loud burp, the patrons laughed, "My oh my, that must've been the fastest eating record I've seen in years!" came Maria, "I bet my braces that you must be dying for second plate" the boy simply replied with a simply begging nod, "Well with a face like that, how can I possibly say 'no'. Wait here and I'll get you some more chow" with her off to get more food from the kitchen, Ben couldn't help but wonder just how many Plumbers were there in here.
As he looked both left and right, he could tell that everyone in this diner was a Plumber. Their kinky attitude and roughed up hands says that they had done a lot of work during their days and right now they were probably eager to get back in action.
But as time flew by graciously through the day, some of the patrons decided that it was time to head back to their RVs to check up on some old gears.
It wasn't long until Oswald approached Ben, "Hey there Benny boy, why the long face?" he said in his usual manner.
"Oh hi Mr. Hudson"
"Please, call me Oswald" he replied holding a hand up, "I call your grandpa Maxie all the time. So how do you like the Plumbers so far?"
"They're totally awesome!" came his instant answer, "I can't wait to try out all those high-tech stuff. When do you think I wear a suit like you guys?"
"Well… usually all new recruits have to go through some kind of an initiation test before we let them into the group" Oswald held up his chin high, "But after your slick performance against that assassin and not to mention your good deeds on TV, I think we can make an exception for you"
"This is too cool!"
But then suddenly an idea popped in Oswald's head. An idea that might just utterly convince the boy to join up no matter what his grandpa says, "If you think that's cool. Why don't I show you something even cooler? Come on. Follow me out back. I'll show you what we've been doing"
Ben didn't even think of declining that offer at all. Without even thinking, he quickly followed the old man to the back of the trailer where the other Plumbers were gathered. In there, he discovered a lot of RVs similar to grandpa Max's. Some were like buses and some were like vans… some even had a mini second floor for the bed room. "Whoa… are all of these…"
"Plumbers? Yup" Oswald again interrupted, "Every vehicle here are just like your grandpa Max's. When some of us split up we decided to take a little piece of our job with us too. Most of the technology here was developed by your grandfather. It was such a shame that he didn't want to take the roll of the boss. I could've used an early retirement. Oh well the past is the past. Come on, let me show you around" and soon he began the tour around the area, "Back in the days of the Plumbers, this area used to be our vehicle depot. All the latest tanks and jets were developed here back during the sixties. Man, those were the good old days"
"But won't everybody see your high-tech gadgets and stuff?" Ben inquired.
"Not at all" he then gestured his face to the ground, "You see that tunnel over there? That tunnel leads to one of our oldest armory in the entire city. We're still currently waiting for a friend of mine to unlock its security code. But when we get the entire underground facility back up and running again, the Plumbers will resume their roles as protectors of earth once again. If you ever have any spare time… come to me and I might even show you a few moves of my own"
"You got yourself a deal, pops" Ben grinned from ear to ear feeling like nothing bad could come to this place. With everyone here being a veteran space soldier, only an idiot would dare come and attack this place.
"Oswald!!" Maria called out, "Get your sorry patootie in here right this instance! Your friend Bob is on the phone!"
The boss simply let out a sigh, "If only I had let those Vulpimancers eat my wife, then this day could've been perfect"
"Oh Benny boy!" Maria then turned from an angry wife to a kind sweet hearted mother in a matter of seconds, "Your second breakfast is ready. (to Oswald) Oswald, you get right here this instance! You got to pay the bill for that van you destroyed!"
"Yeah yeah, I heard ya the first time woman!"
But as Ben returned to the diner to have his second meal, he soon noticed that the place was now empty as a ghost town. I guess when people are done with their meals, they didn't want to hang around anymore than they need to. It was kinda sad to eat alone on the table but at least the TV was on and there was a good show on too.
"Hello?" Oswald quickly answered the phone that Maria gave to him, "Hey there Bob how ya doing? (chatter) Really? That's great! We'll be waiting for ya right here at the diner. Don't forget to bring your friends along too ahehehehe"
Just as things were as peaceful as they could be, the doorbell suddenly rang (the old door bell not the electronic one) catching the attention of Ben and Maria. At first the boy thought that it was just another Plumber, but from the looks of it, the guy who entered just seemed like a regular business man on his daily routine.
"What can I get ya sonny?" Maria said as cheerful as ever. "Eggs? Bacons? Pancakes? You name it, I got it"
But the man simply waved it off, "Oh don't worry, I'm not really staying long" there was something in that guy's voice that made Ben suspicious. The tone and rhythm of his voice didn't exactly match his body. And just when he thought that it was just his mind going on overdrive, the Omnitrix suddenly turned blue again making him flinch. "Huh?" before he even had the chance to brace himself, the Omnitrix button quickly pressed out, injecting another flow of fluid down his blood veins. And soon another vision came up his eyes.
Although this time, his visions didn't really go far. He was simply back in the diner eating the same meal looking at the same crowd. But just when Maria and Oswald were not looking, the guy that seemed like an ordinary businessman suddenly morphed in Raze, the assassin. With one quick glance, he pulled out his weapons and cut down the trailer to size.
When the vision finally ended, Ben knew right away what he had to do. Before the man could even reach for the hidden weapons behind his back, he shouted out. "Hey metal head! Think fast!" he grabbed the plate that he was eating on threw it right at him, knocking the hologram out of control.
Once his real form showed itself, the Hudson quickly let out a gasp altogether. They could believe how easy it was for an assassin to sneak up on them like that.
"Impressive…" Raze humored, "To be able to see through my disguise is most clever. But it will not save you this time boy!!" as he charge at Ben, the boy quickly rammed his body out the glassed window to find more room to fight in. The diner wasn't exactly spacious and battling in there would only make things worst for everyone who were living behind it.
Once Ben got up from the muddy soil, he quickly turned to Raze who followed him out, "Does the word break, mean anything to you?"
"When it comes to destruction and annihilation, there is no break" he replied sternly before drawing out his weapons, "Now… bearer of the Omnitrix… face me!"
"Ben!" came Oswald's voice.
"Stay inside" the boy demanded, "The guy's after me! (to Raze) You want me? Well come and get me!" with a press of the Omnitrix's button, he quickly turned to Fourarms, the four fists fighter. "Let's take this battle to the park!" with his inhumane strength, Ben quickly leaped out of the area to find himself a good spot for a battle.
(Bellwood city streets) (Rust Bucket)
After Max went away from the Hudson House, he picked up Gwen from her house and drove her towards her school in Bellwood Elementary. But as he drove through the city streets he couldn't but wonder, what was Ben doing right now? Leaving him with Oswald and Maria, he could be utterly persuaded to join no matter what he says. Oswald had a gift of leaving a strong impression on people, which was probably the same reason why Max joined in the first place.
The trip to school was long and dull, and just when they passed through Ben's house, Gwen began to wonder, "Hey grandpa, aren't we gonna pick up Ben?" but the man was so deep in thought that he couldn't even listen. He just sat there on the driver's seat with his hand on his cheek, thinking about what to do. "Grandpa?"
"Huh?" the old man finally dozed in, "Oh sorry pumpkin. I was just deep in thought for a moment. Ben's school isn't having class today for some reason, but I'm sure it's only temporary"
"Is something bugging you grandpa?" the girl noticed his strange tone and unnatural behavior, "You seemed bothered by something"
"It's nothing… really. I'm just a little tired that's all" he replied, "I was out paroling all night and met a couple of poker buddies of mine. It was a pretty long night"
"Come on grandpa, you'll feel a lot better if you talk about it"
In the end, Max knew when Gwen pries you up, there's no other way but to fess out, "Well… Gwen… let's say that… you wanted to join a famous swimming team… and I didn't approve of it…… what would you do?"
"Does this have to do with Ben joining the Plumbers?" Gwen tilted her head a little to sides along with a smile as she knew that she must've hit the nail right on the head.
"Well uh… yeah…" the old man admitted
"Well… I may not exactly know what Ben is thinking… but I'm sure he'll follow you even if you don't agree grandpa" she began, "Sure he might be an eccentric idiot at times and maybe sometimes he can be a real pain in the butt… but he knows that you're only thinking what's best for him. And I noticed that even when we're talking……… he really looks up to you. He'll do the right thing… that much I can tell"
"You really think so?"
"I know so" Gwen replied knowing full well that she was right, "But promise you won't tell Ben that I said that"
"My lips are sealed" Max gestured to his lips like a zipper.
"Well at least I won't have to worry about Ben for a day" she stated a little relieved to have a little peace and quiet all to herself. "For once I can finally feel like a normal kid" and just when she was about to return to her studies, a massive explosion occurred, causing Max to step on the breaks with both his feet. "WHOA!!" a loud and irritating screech soon followed, creating a tune so annoying that it would've torn your mind apart. "Please tell me, it's not what I think it is" Gwen begged, hoping that it was just some sort of a car crash accident and not some out of the ordinary attack.
"No…" Max answered, "It's a lot worst" and to his truth… he was right. Just a few meters away from the RV in a mid-size park, Ben and Raze were dueling it out to the finish. The boy had picked the perfect spot for a battle with Fourarms. With a wide open space and only a few sparse trees in the area, it was the best spot to fight to the end. "Come on, we've got to save Ben"
"So much for a normal day" as they finally got out, she suddenly noted the big alien with six arms, "Whoa, who's the guy with the swords and the arms"
"That's Raze" Max answered knowing full well the danger that he posed, "He's the galaxy's number one assassin. He attacked Ben and I last night and we barely stood a chance against him" as the two great warriors clashed against each other using whatever weapons they could find, Max quickly rushed back into the RV to grab some heavier fire power. "Ben won't be able to stand against him alone. He'll need our help"
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As Ben moved in with his four fists of fury, he immediately began dishing out punches faster than a bee to a beehive. But Raze was evenly matched with speed. He left no opening for Ben to take and his two extra hands were kept in for defensive purpose. "Not bad child… even after our last engagement, you're still able to fight against me. Perhaps I should hang your head on the highest place in my mantle"
"Sorry, but my head is staying right where it is big guy!" Ben (Fourarms) countered throwing in another punch up the guy's face. "Why don't you take a picture? It'll last longer!" seeing that his opponent had weapons, Ben thought that he should even up the fighting ground a little bit, so he immediately took the wooden bench that had been nailed on the ground and used it as a club. "Ok… let's play!"
"Excellent… using your natural surroundings to your advantage!" Raze complimented before charging in. Their weapons clashed against one another but obviously, the assassin's blade was a lot stronger than the wooden bench. But Ben was not out of tricks just yet. Even with a torn weapon he was still able to use them to club in a few blows on the guy's head.
"How'd you like that, ya show off!?" he taunted.
"I underestimated you, human" Raze stated grinning behind his metallic helmet, "But you will find me a harder hunter to turn prey" and with one click he charge out Ben once more with his four blades. Luckily, Ben had four arms and was able to hold out all attacks from different sides. "Good… using the Tetramand's natural abilities against a more agile opponent… smart…"
But just when Ben was about to push the guy away, a familiar voice kept in his ear, "Ben!" it was none other than… "Gwen!" Ben yelled back a little surprised to see his doofy cousin here, "Aww great… as if I don't have enough problems"
Quickly seeing that the boy was in danger, the fiery red head quickly turn to a small garbage can near the entrance of the park, "Mecites Thandites!" immediately the trash can flew right out and slammed right onto the assassin's face.
"Arghh!! Human waste! How disgusting! (short pause) Hey, this wrapper has a picture on it… not a bad idea for sponsors. We could learn a thing or two from these humans"
As Ben finally got up from his position, he quickly approached Gwen with an irritated face, "Shouldn't you be at school by now?"
"I can say the same for you" she shot back, "We need to stop that guy before he takes out the entire downtown plaza!"
"Too late for that" Ben chuckled as he remembered the battle that took place last night, "You and gramps better get out of here. This guy is after me" and without even waiting for her reply, Ben immediately went in and tackle Raze towards the fountain that was located at the center of the park. "Alright buddy, time to get wet and dirty!"
"Impressive… throwing me to a difficult terrain to hamper my superior agility! Not a bad idea" but just before he could attack, Max quickly fired out a laser beam which knocked the guy right back into the fountain.
"Ben!"
"I told you guys to stay out of this!" Ben yelled out angrily. "I can take this guy on my own!"
"Just when will admit that you need help!?" Gwen replied equally angry as well.
"I don't need your help taking him down!" and with that the two aliens charged at each other again putting themselves in a deadlock position. But even with Ben's four powerful arms, he had to admit that he was still surprise to barely see a scratch on the assassin's armor. It was like that thing was made out of the hardest thing this galaxy had to offer. If this thing was indeed unbreakable just like his swords… then he was probably looking at the most deadly of all of his opponents.
"Looks like we're too far out" Max implied, "Come on, we can chase them using the Rust Bucket!"
"Your overconfidence will be your downfall Tennyson" Raze sheathed through his armor, "You can come at me a thousand times and still I will not fall. "You should've accepted their aid" in a few seconds, he could feel that the boy's strength was now waning. Ben had stamina beyond Vilgax's limit that much he'll admit, but between him… it was nothing more than a good battle.
"I don't need anyone to fight for me!" Ben unconsciously replied, "The only person that needs to fight… is me and me alone… no one else!!"
In that bright sentence, Raze suddenly felt something in those words that meant more than the galaxy itself. The moment Ben ushered those words out of his mouth he felt as if the wind had stopped moving, the plants had stopped growing and the water frozen in time. For once in the warrior's life, he was actually… surprised beyond belief.
-The only person that needs to fight is me… and me alone-
-Unknown…-
"W… w… what?... What did you say…?" in that moment of shock, Ben found the perfect opening and quickly laid good kick on his stomach, "Ooofff!" taken by surprised and unable to reform his balance, Raze knew that he had to make a withdrawal before Ben takes him out of commission. Taking advantage of the situation, Ben quickly moved in to form a combo hit, striking Raze at his armor and whooping him up like an iron punching bag with a wide opening.
As Raze put his weapons together to defend himself, our young hero pulled out a half destroyed car and whacked him so far that it nearly made a homerun. Raze, slammed right onto the road, going another one and a half kilometer before coming to a full stop, "Yeah! Now this is what I call baseball alien style!" he remarked before moving up to the worn out assassin. "Ready to give up yet?"
There was and strange silence as Raze turned his head down towards the ground. For a moment there, Ben thought that he was knocked out or something, but he could hear him wheeze through his armor so he still had to be conscious.
…
…
…
"Hardly…" with that one word, Raze immediately sprung out of his crash site and whacked Ben's face with one mean looking punch. As the boy recuperated from the surprise attack, the assassin grinned madly like his purpose had been found or something. "At last… an opponent worthy of my skills!" he exclaimed, "You are the one! The one that I must face! The one inscribed in the prophecies! The Omnitron!" the mere mention of that name would've frightened most alien life forms, but thankfully, none of them were around. "I will take great joy in destroying you…"
"Well bring it right here, show off!" and once again, they clashed with one another, turning the entire downtown park into a war zone between two warriors. Every movement they made and every blow they gave each other seemed so surreal… in fact, some of the people that witnessed the battle didn't even think that they were real. It was so intense and so out of earth that it seemed more like a battle between gods rather than mere mortals. And perhaps they were right. Where else would you be able to see a fight like this on earth?
After another ten minutes of battle, the fatigue on Ben's body began to show up. His movements were getting slower and his blows were becoming weaker with each punch. It was only a matter of time before he falls to the ground of exhaustion.
"Getting tired already? And we were having such an exciting match" Raze mocked as he readied his swords for battle.
"Don't tell me you're quitting already" Ben mocked back trying to hide his wheeze through his mouth. "I haven't even begun to fight. I'll snap your overgrown tooth picks in half and throw them in the garbage dumpster!"
But Raze only gave out a serious face as he aimed his gauntlet at him to use that missile dart again. "As much as I enjoy our battle Omnitron… I'm afraid I have to end your existence right here for the future of the galaxy! Say your prayers… if you even have one"
"If you think that you can beat me with the same moves again, then think again!" in a move that would even shock Vilgax himself, Ben (Fourarms) charged forward, in an attempt to finish this duel once and for all. Even the assassin himself was surprised. But taking the matter at hand, he fired the dart and shot it right onto Ben's large torso which electrified him with powerful surge of electricity. Raze knew that he was now weakened and it was clear now that he could take the boy's head without any worries.
But just when the guy drew out his sword, Ben once again put himself in a deadlock position taking all four blades onto his hands even when he's being electrified. Raze tried putting more force, but Ben just wouldn't give up. In a rare sight of anger and rage, the boy's adrenaline finally kicked in and with just enough force, he snapped the guy's blades in half and gave him one hell of a punch that made a dent so bad that it would take weeks before it could get fixed. "My sword! But how…?"
"See… I told ya I'd… snap your… ughh…" by the end of his phrase… the boy finally collapsed and immediately turned back to his human form. He was still conscious, but man was he dead tired.
Raze immediately found new respect for the boy. To break his swords and damage his armor to such an extent would require god like strength. As he stood up from his position, he could already tell that Ben was through. He had no strength left to battle and that fight took a lot more out of him than he had expected. But just when he was about to finish the job, Max and Gwen suddenly reappeared from the sides both with faces that clearly stated 'take one more step and you'll wish that you've never been born'.
"Not a step closer you creep!" Maxwell gritted angrily at the assassin, "If you touch a single hair on my grandson, I'll plow you to the ground and send you to the deepest, darkest parts of the null void!!"
Gwen too could also say the same for him. She was ready to defend Ben even at the cost of her own life. But as she looked back at her cousin, she never once thought that she would see him so weakened before. He always was like a beacon of strength during the darkest times and he still was even after such an intense battle.
The sight of the two Tennysons truly did not confuse Raze at all. He understood why they would rush to aid a member of their own family and why they would do anything to protect the boy. But more importantly… he now understood what the boy's words actually meant. He was not overconfident of his abilities at all. He only looked that way because he didn't want help from others and thought that he could take on the enemy alone. But that was not the whole truth. Even if he did not know it… the boy was very overprotective of his family. He fought… so others would not fight. It was a selfless sacrifice that not even Ben himself knew about. He would fight alone against the entire galaxy if he must, if it were meant so that his family did not have to. No one should experience the horrors of a battle such as this… and by knowing his true intentions, Raze seemed to have a quiet place in his heart to remember this boy.
He darted his eyes from the family to the boy and from the boy to the family. If only they had known what he was truly doing… then perhaps they would truly understand why… why he had to do what must be done.
This little thought alone was enough to make the cold hearted warrior shed a tear under his helmet. But just when he was about to speak, one of Vilgax's communication drone emerged from the skies. "Excellent work my assassin" the warlord hissed for once, happy about the results.
"Vilgax…" Max gritted through his teeth, "I knew you were behind this attack"
"Tennyson… what a lovely reunion we have here. All members of the family that has annoyed me to no end have gathered in one spot. Ahehehehe ahahahahaha!! I see you've already met my new champion… Raze" he gestured to the warrior who was still busy catching his breath, "As much as I like to have a little chat with you… I'm afraid I have a galaxy to conquer. Finish them off" Ben, Gwen and Max immediately braced themselves to fight against Raze, but what came next, came completely unexpected to all of them.
"No…" the assassin replied plainly.
"WHAT?!" Vilgax hissed, "I order you to destroy them… NOW! Don't forget your debt with me, assassin! You have an honor to keep! So I order you to destroy them! NOW!!"
"I promised that I would locate and defeat the human child not destroy them" Raze explained, "I have already located him and I have defeated him in a trial of combat… although I hardly consider that one… a victory" he turn his gaze to his broken blades as he continued, "Therefore my task is done and my debt has been repaid"
"You…… you will pay for this inso…" before the Chimera Sui Generis (the name of Vilgax's species) could finish, Raze quickly blow the com drone up with his plasma rifles with his center left hand.
"There… that should keep him from speaking" the warrior chuckled, "He was annoying after all" he then noted that the Tennysons were still on their guard, "No need to be alarmed… I no longer wish to fight. Now that I am free from Vilgax's debt, there is no point in battling you"
"So… does that mean you'll stop coming after Ben?" Max questioned not once lowering his weapon.
"I seriously doubt that Mr. Tennyson" Raze replied honestly before turning his attention to Ben, "You and I will meet again Omnitron… sooner or later. Or at least until I get my swords repaired. Besides… we already have too many interruptions to call this a proper duel" he then gestured to the many RVs that were approaching this way. When the Tennysons turn their heads back to where Raze was standing… he was gone.
"Ok… now that guy was seriously whacked…" Ben muttered out.
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Epilogue
After the battle had finally calmed down, the Tennysons soon returned to the Hudson House to have a well earned break. The repairs on the city and the city park would take a few weeks to finish but at least amidst all that destruction, only Ben and Raze were the ones who got hurt.
Right after the guys finished with their breakfast, they came out of the diner to head back to their daily routine.
"Sorry we were late in all that rescuing" Oswald apologized. "We just never thought that someone would be dumb enough to attack us right here at our headquarters"
But Max simply waved it off, "Oh that's ok. The important thing is that no one got hurt"
"Speak for yourself" Ben grumbled.
"At least now you'll consider letting us help you next time" Gwen mocked she flicked the boy's aching parts.
"Oww! Hey watch it!"
"Oops… sorry my hands must've moved on their own" she chuckled.
With all the laughs and who-hass done, the ex-boss of the Plumbers returned to the main topic at hand, "So you sure I can't persuade you to rejoin the Plumbers Maxie? We could really use someone like you instructing all the new recruits"
"Oh no thanks" the old man replied, "I don't think I'm ready to come out of retirement just yet"
"That's a shame… but I guess you've made your mind" the blonde old Plumber then turned to Ben for a better answer, "What about you boy? Ready to join the Plumbers yet? We could use someone with your skills on the field"
But surprisingly for all of them, Ben declined, "Sorry, but if my grandpa isn't in the group, then I can't be either. Besides… it's the family that's important" Max gave out a proud smile as Ben said those words. He never knew that the boy could say such a wonderful thing to make an old man cry.
"Well if that's your decision than I respect that" Oswald replied a little disappointed to hear that. He was so sure that Ben was gonna join no matter what he said, "But remember that you three will always be welcome here. You can count on us to help you guys any time anywhere. Just give us a call" he gave out a wave of farewell to them as they left the scene.
"You come back soon ya hear!" Maria added, "I'll be more than happy to cook for you again little man!"
And with one last good bye, the Rust Bucket drove into the distance leaving the Hudson family behind, knowing very little that they will be seeing them a lot sooner than they expected.
End of episode…