Episode 6: The Coopanator (Main Story)
Summary: Ben and Gwen were supposed to have a normal day. Go to school, get lunch and go home. But then suddenly, Cooper moves into town and is now attending Madison Elementary along with Ben. After hearing their heroic exploits, Cooper wants to join them in their fight against evil. Will the Tennysons let the boy join the team or will they just let him join in for the ride. In the midst of the confusion, Dr. Animo raises an army of mutant chimeras to lay siege on Bellwood.
Chapter 1: Greetings to The Geek
(Bellwood city outskirts) (03:30 AM) (Wednesday)
It was a peaceful time here in the outskirts of Bellwood city. Nothing but the woods, the road and the great country music playing on your radio while driving in your favorite pickup truck. Yup, this was the life of a driver.
On the road to the peaceful city of Bellwood, a driver in his early thirties was driving a truck full of goods to a nearby company warehouse to finish off his deal. The morning was still early and the sun barely even woke up. As the driver changed the tune on his radio, he suddenly came upon a frequency that was playing his favorite song. "And now ladies and gentlemen…" the radio talk show guy began, "Please put your hands together to re-welcome our old but still famous band… the Shag Carpeting, playing their multi-hit song, Cow Horns!"
"Alright!" the driver cheered, "Now this is something that makes the driving worth while!" as he heightened up the volume a little bit, he began whistling and pretending that he was one on stage with the band he was listening to. He hummed he whistled and even sang a few lines as well, but just when he thought that this was just going to be another ordinary delivery trip, a strange beast suddenly appeared in front of his vehicle, letting out a loud roar which made the guy hit the breaks harder than a baker pounding the dough onto a table. "What in St. Nicolas!?" he yelled out loud before jumping out of the vehicle.
As soon as the beast noticed the truck stopping in front of its face, it immediately clawed out its front hood and chewed through its armor like a chew toy sold in stores. When the driver saw this, he immediately grab his hat and dashed off towards the road hoping that the beast wouldn't chase him.
After a couple of seconds after the guy was out of sight, Dr. Aloysius Animo, the psychotic professor came into the scene riding another one of his chimeras. "There you are… my pet" he said coolly, "I see you are hungry… you should have told me. Oh well… I guess metals are better than raw meet anyway. But don't forget to floss when you're done" he grinned from ear to ear as he turned to the city of Bellwood. "We have an appointment with a certain Tennyson soon… ahehehehehe"
(Time skip) (07:10 AM) (Rust Bucket) (Bellwood streets)
It was another normal day here in Bellwood city… and when I meant normal I meant REALLY normal. People were crossing through the streets going to wherever they want to go, students heading off to school and not a crime in sight. Yup… it was days like this that makes Bellwood one of the most normalest of places. But all that could change when someone tries to pull out a crime of some sort.
But for now let us just focus on our heroes, shall we?
Right after grandpa Max picked up his grandkids from their homes, Ben and Gwen immediately went to their respective corners and did what they could do to keep themselves from dying from boredom. Gwen was reading some kind of novel that she checked out of the library a few days back and now was day to return it. Ben on the other hand was busy looking out the window and eating some potato chips that he was able to sneak by his mom when she wasn't looking.
"Hey kids" Max called out trying to get some attention from them, "Wanna do a little sing along? I brought in some new tapes from the music shop yesterday"
"Nah" Gwen replied as she put on her own earphones. "I got my own music" and with that she pumped up the volume to high so that she wouldn't be able to listen to any of Max's songs.
Max simply grunted…
"What about you Ben?" the old man turned to his grandson who was simply too busy just watching the road by the window. "No thanks" he replied through bites, "Got my mouth full" but just when he was looking out the window, he suddenly noted that grandpa had missed three turns to school. "Hey grandpa, you missed the last turn to school"
"Oh we're not going to school just yet" he replied casually while keeping his eyes on the road, "We're going to pick up an old friend of ours. I'm sure you remember him from summer. He just moved into the city a few weeks back with his parents so I volunteered to bring him to school" and before either of his grandkids could ask who it was, the old man slowly put on the breaks and said, "Well… here we are" and right before they knew it, the door to the RV opened up revealing a certain blonde haired boy, with blue eyes, freckled face wearing a purple shirt with a number three on it, a pair of black shorts and running shoes.
"Hi guys" he said cheerfully
With just one look, Ben and Gwen were able to identify him with a blink of an eye. It was none other than the technopath…
"Cooper!?" the two Tennyson kids said together.
(Opening theme)
Ben and Gwen were probably just as surprised as the next guy in town to see the blonde haired kid they met during their last summer vacation. Cooper is a normal kid who lives with his parents and grandfather. His grandpa was also a Plumber just like Max but unlike him, he came out of retirement to join up with Oswald and his new band of Plumbers. Cooper was not only highly intelligent, he also had quite a knack of handling with mechanical stuff from engine parts to a standard supercomputer that are being used by NASA. He also had a strange but unique power to communicate with machines which makes him a technopath.
"What is HE doing here?" Ben remarked still shock to see the boy who scammed them some time ago during summer.
"My parents moved here a couple of weeks ago" Cooper answered.
"But isn't it a little late to enroll?" Gwen added feeling a little confused.
"His grandpa called the principal of Madison Elementary school a couple of days ago and made the arrangements" Max replied, "Since both of them were Plumbers, they had a mutual understanding with one another" he then took a look at his watch and noticed that it was almost time, "Oh and speaking of school, we'd better head off soon or we're gonna be late" he quickly rushed back to the driver's seat and took off.
But just when Cooper was about to take his seat along with Ben and Gwen he suddenly noticed that the other two were giving him the stare which proved that they still haven't forgiven him about that little incident back during summer. If one would see this now, it would be like starring at the gates of pain itself.
"Umm… you guys still aren't mad at me for that scam about those tickets to the movies, are you?" he asked with a chuckle. But their moody huff sound only made it obvious that they haven't. "Ahehehehe…"
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After about ten minutes of driving later, the Rust Bucket soon arrived at Ben's school to deliver him off. "Alright Ben, Cooper, we're here" as the three of them exited the vehicle, Cooper was obviously worried. Transferring to another school at such a late hour was very uncomfortable for a young genius kid like him.
"Whoa…" the blonde boy gasped, "This place is way bigger than my last school"
"Trust me… once you're inside, it'll feel like prison without the prison bars" Ben remarked.
As they took a step closer to the school, grandpa Max stepped in to see them off, "Alright Ben… Cooper is new to this school so I want you to show him around and make him feel welcome. (to Cooper) Cooper, you'll be in the same class as Ben. If you ever need any help, just ask him"
"Ok…"
"Just make sure you don't ask him anything about the class" Gwen added putting a smirk on her face, "Cause if you do, you'll only end up getting nothing out of him" Ben simply put out a 'bleh' sound while sticking his tongue out at her.
"Alright you guys, stay cool" Max chuckled at their youth, "I'll come pick you guys by three o'clock. Make some new friends while you're at it, ok?"
"Yeah grandpa, I hear ya" Ben replied boringly like he had heard that line over a thousand times already.
"Oh and Ben…" Max added in, "No, going hero unless it's an emergency" again, the boy groaned out hearing that phrase for the millionth time.
"I heard ya the first thousand times grandpa. Give it a rest!" the boy groaned out again annoyingly.
"Even a billion times wouldn't be enough to drill those words into your head dufus" Gwen added as she returned into the RV. But the girl did have a point though. Ben wasn't exactly the best when it came to listening to other people's words. As Max drove the RV to his next destination, Ben simply turn around to see Cooper smiling at him like a goofball. He hated responsibility and this kinda thing makes his school life even harder. He had enough problems dealing with bullies, teachers and trying to pass through all of his subjects.
As the school bell rung, Ben and Cooper quickly head out to the school to start another day. But little they know that it was going to be one to remember.
The first stop they had to make of course was the lockers. "Alright Cooper, here's the deal" Ben began, "This here will be the locker area. When you get a locker, you come here, get your stuff and get to class. Simple as that" he paused for a moment, letting the information sink into the boy's head. But just when Ben was about to head out, he suddenly bumped onto the principal. "What the? Oh hey there Mr. White"
"Oh Ben, I've been looking for you" the principal noted before turning his eyes to Cooper, "You must be Cooper. Your grandfather called me and told me all about your situation so I got everything ready for you" he quickly took out a sheet of paper from his pocket and handed it to the boy. "I put everything you need to know in this paper. Your locker number and lock combinations. Your classes and the names of every teacher you need to know. (look at watch) Oh dear, I've got to run. Ben you take care of the rest" and without even waiting for a reply, he dashed off… leaving behind a boy with so much more important things to do in his life.
(Toxic waste dump site)
Ahh… the local toxic waste dumping area… the symbol of environmental protection, and the place where all the bad human and unnatural chemicals are stored and properly breakdown into molecules for global protection. Some people might see this place as a place where it's environmental friendly, but for one… it was an unprotected goldmine.
As a dumping truck pulled it to drop its payload of unearthly waste to its processing plant, the driver decided to come out and take a break before going back to wherever he came from. "Hey Frank" came one of the worker's voice. "Another load of that old stuff?"
"Yup" the driver replied holding his hat up, "I don't know where these things keep coming from, but as long as I get paid, I guess I could care less"
"I'll go with that" they laughed out loud together. "Alright! Bring in the VAT. We need this thing done by tonight or we can kiss our bonus paychecks goodbye" but just when the machine was about to move in and clean the back of the truck, the vehicle suddenly began to move on its own. "A hey… did you put the breaks on, man?"
"Of course I did… it's just that (roar!!) What in tarnation!?" just before the driver could get back to the truck, a giant beast which looked like a giant cobra suddenly appeared from the back of the vehicle, hissing like it was protecting its nest. "AHHH!!" the workers began to panic and fled the area before anyone could even tell what was really going on.
Just when they thought things couldn't get any weirder, Dr. Animo, dropped in through the roof riding one of his most famed albino gorilla battle tech suit. "The doctor, is in!" he yelled out which terrified the other workers even more. "I hope you don't mind me dropping in like this… because I brought in a few friends of mine for a little drinking party" and before the workers knew it, a large batch of chimeras suddenly tore their way through the wall of the facility roaring and screeching like the animals that they were. "Alright my pets! Drink till your hearts content… for today… we strike at the city of Bellwood!! Mwahahahahahaahahaha!"
But his laugh soon came to an abrupt end when the police sirens came in along with the SWAT van. Apparently the manager of the facility sounded the silent alarm, to notify the nearest local authorities. As the police force blocked the entrance up with their cruisers, one of officers picked out his voice amplifier to negotiate with the professor. "This is the Bellwood City Police Department!! (BCPD) We have the building surrounded. There's no escape! Come out with your hands in the air!"
But Animo was not afraid of the authorities. Heck, he would deny the very foundation of this country if he was given the chance, but right now he had other things to take care of. "Tch… more annoyances" he grinned at his chimeras as they continued to devour the toxic waste, "Well I guess it isn't all a lost. My pets! If appears we have some uninvited guests here today. Please… be helpful and… entertain them for we… will you?" in an instant, six of those chimeras dashed away from their eating places and charged at the police force with such ruthlessness and prowess that they didn't stand a chance.
(Madison Elementary) (Fourth period) (Gym)
Back at Ben's school, everything was going just as the boy had predicted. The place was an absolute boredom to Ben. It was bad enough when he had to attend school, but since grandpa Max had asked him to take care of Cooper, his day had gone down faster than a roller coaster traveling a distance of 50mph. The blonde technoid didn't have any problems here in school since he was already good with everything, including math. The only subject he wasn't good in of course… was gym. He was more of a brain person rather than brawn which Ben had plenty of.
And sadly today, the coach of the gym decided to play a little game of dodge ball to get the kids to learn the meaning of pain… literally. As usual, Ben was paired up against the toughest guys in school due to his fame of being the MVP of the basketball team. He always was picked off by the other kids because of his strangeness, but to add insult to injury, Cooper was paired up on his team as well.
"Alright class!!" the coach called in, "We'll be playing your standard rule dodge ball game. That means, the last team with a man standing, wins! Now go!" and with a blow of a whistle, the students began pounding each other with the rubber ball, thinking of something like sport. Some students find this sport to be too barbaric for them due to their weak bodies, but the tougher kids finds this just to be a great excuse to hurt others without being shouted at in return.
"So… how does this game work again?" Cooper asked Ben.
"What? Haven't you ever played dodge ball before?" Ben looked back a little surprised of the question. Who in the world doesn't know about dodge ball?
"I've only heard about it. I didn't exactly go to gym classes back in my old school"
"Man… you seriously need help" but before Ben could resume, one of his team mate shouted. "Heads up people!" which meant that it was time to keep your head down and move.
Tips about dodge ball:
Keep moving! (Be a moving target so that you won't get hit easily)
Aim for the body! (Obviously it's the easiest part to hit due to its large size compared to other parts and it also reduces the chances of serious injury) Trust me… I bled through the nose once before.
If you're weak play with the strong and if you're strong, play with the weak! (Numbers do count on this game so team work is essential)
When you're out, you're out! (Don't be a sore loser when you get hit by the ball. When you get hit and no one notices, it's best to just go out now… unless you want to get socked up in the stomach a few more times… hey it's your funeral not mine)
Unlike the rest of the group, Ben was practically a natural in this game. He was agile and strong in his throw and thanks to his precise accurate shooting practice during his time in basketball; he could practically hit two people in one strike. He was a natural. But for Cooper, everything here was new to him. The blonde boy only knows the rules of dodge ball but never exactly played it. He was more of a study, mechanical guy who loves to tinker with machines and computer. He had the body strength but not the confidence to use them.
"Man, talk about two on one" Ben groaned as he continued pounding his opponents, "This feels like twelve on one" the game he was playing was definitely too rigged up against him for some reason but he couldn't care any less about that. He had dealt with greater odds before but without using his Omnitrix, it was definitely a totally different story.
"That Tennyson is too strong!" JT, the bully with glasses stated to his close friend Cash. "He's wiping out team clean!"
"Then we'll just have to pound him" Cash replied smashing against one of the throwing balls. "Everyone, aim your fire at Ben!" and the troops complied with his orders. Seeing that Ben was the strongest one amongst them, he was likely to be targeted first.
"Hey Cooper, catch!" Ben tossed a ball to the blonde boy as he dodged another three shots from his opponents. "Uhh… what am I supposed to do with this?" Cooper asked a little confused.
"Throw it!" Ben yelled. And Cooper did just that, except that in the midst of his panic he did it with his eyes closed. The ball flew right out of his hands, but instead of hitting one of the opponents, the ball flung right onto Ben's face, earning him a black eye. The last thing the poor kid ever saw was a big rubber ball heading right onto his face.
(Time skip) (Lunch)
Right after gym period, Ben and Cooper later arrived at the cafeteria to get themselves some nice warm food and an ice pack to lessen the swollen on the boy's right eye. After another few minutes of waiting in line, the two of them arrived in front of Doris Dalton, the kind black skinned café worker who was also an ex-Plumber. "Hey there Benny boy, what can I get for… GREAT St. Anna! What happened to your eye?" she yelled out the last part after noticing his swollen eye.
"Don't ask…" the boy groaned as he silently took his lunch and sat in a lonesome corner on one of the tables. Cooper was about to join him to apologize what happened during gym when suddenly, Cash and JT appeared and snatched him out of the area.
"Hey new kid" Cash, the tall bully stated, "Why don't you hang out with us instead of that Tennyson? We'll show you around and let you know all the cool kids around school"
"Yeah… Cash here knows everything you need to know about this school" JT added with a smirk.
But surprisingly, Cooper declined, "Sorry, but I think I'll go over with Ben and his friends"
"Oh don't bother" Cash stated as he turned to Ben who was quietly eating his food at the edge of the table. "The guy's a total nutcase. He doesn't have any friends here. The only friend he ever had here would probably be his imaginary friend ahahahahaha" another bunch of student joined with the laugh, but luckily for them Ben wasn't exactly in ear shot to hear the conversation.
But this only intrigued Cooper for some reason. He expected Ben to have tons of friends because of his super cool Omnitrix, but Max probably forbade him to use it. He knew that Ben wasn't the most popular guy in school but he expected to see at least one or two friends with him. But as he looked at the boy now… he just seemed to be like a lone wolf trying not to involve other people into his life. As he left to join him on his seat, he could still see that the boy was pissed about his black eye. "Mind if I sit here?" he knew that Ben would say no, but surprisingly, Ben didn't mind at all.
As they sat there together eating lunch without a care in the world, the rest of the crowd couldn't help but notice them. Ben had always been a loner for some reason and he never accepted anyone onto his table… yes HIS table. At the edge of the cafeteria near the door leading towards the kitchen was a single dirty table which Ben found to quite convenient. Not only was no one sitting there, it also provided him the first to smell what was to be on tomorrow's meal. Doris, the cafeteria lady would also come by once in awhile to give him a little extra grub too.
The meal went on without much mishap for Ben and Cooper, unless you could take the constant glaring as normal. After a while, Cooper would hear whispers and spot stares from the other students looking their way. Was it really something strange to be sitting near Ben?
"Hey… that new kid is sitting near Ben…" came one of the students.
"Yeah… no one's ever done that before" came another.
"They must be weirdoes"
"Yeah… I guess weirdoes stay with one another (chuckle)"
And the list went on and on…
(Time skip) (After school)
As the last bell rung, signaling the end of another boring day, Ben turned his attention to his bag and began packing his books. It's not like he reads any of them anyway. He mostly just spends his time dozing off using his thicker textbooks to support his chin during class. Listening to lectures and other classes wasn't exactly on his top ten favorite things to do so he mostly just acts silly like he doesn't have a care in the world.
When the last of his books were safely tucked away, the boy swung his bag to his back and walked towards his locker to get some of his things done.
"Hey Ben, wait up!" the boy's eyes then darted towards Cooper who was still busy getting his notes into his smaller sized backpack. He never thought that his first day of school would be this hard so he didn't exactly prepared himself. Just when the kid was stuffing the last of his books into bag, the zipper got loose and all the things inside came flying out like a tidal wave.
Ben let out a sigh as he knew it would take forever for him to finish, so to save the trouble of packing, he went in and help the little guy. To say the least, Cooper was a little surprised to see Ben help him. From his first impression of him when they met during the summer vacation was that he was someone who would only think about himself… like a glory hog or something. But now that he got closer to him he began to realize that Ben was just another human who considered himself different from others.
"Sorry about today" the blonde boy apologized, "I guess I kinda messed up your Thursday afternoon huh?"
But Ben simply shrugged, "Not really. It's kinda the same. Nothing new happening"
Cooper looked at his eyes trying to find some truth in those words, but all he could see in Ben's eyes were just plain green. It's like those two pupils of his were like crystals, reflecting every mind reading technique making it was impossible to see or hear what he was actually thinking.
"Hey Ben" the technoid said finally, "I've been wondering…… do you have any friends around here?" but before the boy could reply a sudden rumble occurred right outside the school, making the students go into panic. Ben and Cooper noticed this and quickly looked out the window only to see a bunch of Chimeras attacking the surrounding buildings with their fangs and claws. "How come I get a feeling those guys aren't the school mascot"
"Because they're not" Ben replied before turning his attention to his Omnitrix. He first looked around to see if anyone were in ear shot. After he closed the door and hid behind the teacher's table he pressed the switch and turned into Diamondhead, the diamond alien. "Oh yeah… it's hero time!" and right on cue, he leaped right through the window, creating a large hole on the wall.
"Man… I'll never get tired of that" Cooper smirked as he watched the boy hero beat the chimeras to a pulp.
Just as one of the cat like chimeras was about to sick on some of the kids, Ben (Diamondhead) quickly leaped out into the open and fired a couple of shards right at it, distracting its attention from the children.
"Hey look! It's that diamond alien guy!" came one of the student's voices. "Go dude!"
"You kids get out of here!" Ben ordered, "I'll handle these creeps!" and just then, the cat chimera stood up from its lying position and hissed at him. "Here kitty kitty kitty… want a little diamond hard, knuckle sandwich!?" and with that, Ben socked the chimera right on the chin, sending it towards the school bus, knocking it out completely. "Bad… kitty…" but just when Ben was about to gloat on his victory, another six of those evil creatures appeared out from the other buildings, roughening up the odds. "Man… I guess when one falls, another six comes to take its" he joked as he prepared himself for battle.
As Cooper saw this he knew right away that Ben was going to need some help. He noted that those six creatures were just a small part of a bigger army terrorizing the whole city and he didn't think that Ben alone was enough to stop them. Luckily for him, Ben showed him where the science room was right before the fight began. With a plan to help in mind, he sprang from his position and quickly head towards the science room only to find it deserted. "Ok… let's see now. Man… there's got to be something here I can use…" he then turned his attention towards a nitrogen tank, a fire hose and a Bunsen burner. "Bingo……"
Back outside, Ben was having a time of his life… literally. He knocked back two chimeras down, but the larger ones were actually his primary concern. "Man… I guess size does matter around here" he groaned out loud before creating a wall of crystals to block the creature's path. He knew he couldn't take them all on at once so he decided to make a strategic withdrawal back to the school hallway and locked the door behind him. Luckily for him, the students seemed to have vacated the school premises already. "This is so not cool" just as the boy was about to head on out to get some advantage against his opponents, his communicon began to beep. "Hello?"
"Ben!" it was grandpa Max who called, "There seems to be a large army of chimeras attacking the city"
"Oh gee… really? I didn't even notice" Ben replied sarcastically.
"Gwen and I are heading towards your school right now" Max added, "Is Cooper with you?"
The mere mention of that name quickly got Ben thinking about him. "Can you hold for a second?" he replied as noted the door breaking down into pieces, "Uh… grandpa… I'll call ya back in a minute" and with that he dashed off towards the room where he left Cooper a few minutes ago. "Cooper! Cooper, where are you?!" he searched room by room hoping to find the little blonde boy and hopefully has not become chimera chow. "Oh man… this is not the time for hide and go seek"
But just when Ben searched through his home room, another swarm of chimeras poured in from the roof, attacking him all at once. "Great… more of you guys" he gritted his teeth and knew right away that if he was going to save anyone, he was going to have to get these guys out first. "Well… if you're asking for it… then I guess I'll just have to comply… HYAAAHH!!" his diamond hard skin was nearly impenetrable by the chimera's claws and super enhanced strength. One after another, the creatures kept piling up more and more like a batch of flies against an electric flyswatter. "Next!" he yelled out to them.
But just as three more of them were about to charge in, a huge surge of fire appeared right behind Ben, torching the animals away. "Sorry… but I like my meat extra crispy, thank you" when Ben shifted his head back, he saw Cooper holding something that looks like a flame thrower made with equipments found in the science room.
"Cooper?" Ben raised his eye a little bit surprised to see him armed and extremely dangerous. "Where did you get that thing?"
"Oh this little thing?" he gestured to the nitrogen tank strapped to his back, "Just a little something I cooked up at the science room. It's got enough to burn a hole right through those things like a chainsaw"
"Heh… I guess you really do have talent in this" but just when they thought that it was over, a sudden roar pierced through their ears causing them to jerk their heads towards the window. "What was that?!"
"Dunno…" Ben replied honestly, "But I have a feeling it an't the pizza delivery" as they looked outside the school ground, they noted that the group they had just fought was probably just the tip of the iceberg. Outside the school were hundreds of chimeras all in different shapes and sizes and drools coming out of their mouths.
"Whoa… where did these things come from?!" Cooper was absolutely shocked to see so many of those beasts here. Back when he first ventured with the Tennysons he only fought against ten super villains and now he's gonna face off with a hundred mutant animals. Gee… talk about the odds.
"I have one good guess" Ben huffed, "Dr… Animo"
"You mean that guy with those strange animals we fought back in Mt. Rushmore?"
"The one and the same" Ben replied readying himself for another fight, "And it looks like he brought himself his own zoo too" just as he was about to charge in, Cooper stopped him. "Hold on a minute! You're not seriously going back out there, are you?!"
"If I don't, a lot of people are gonna get hurt" the boy replied heroically, "Besides… I'm used to tough odds anyway. I'll just have to hold them off until grandpa and Gwen can get here" and with that, he leaped in towards the center of the playground and grinned at his enemies. "Alright you little mutated freaks! Time to get down… and dirty…"