Disclaimer: ALL CHARACTERS AND THEMES ARE THE PROPITRY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.
Chapter 14: Lost Hope Part 1
It was late at night and the moon was full. It casted its beautiful light over everything it touched as it shone in the night sky. But two people couldn't care less about the moon tonight.
Emoto hated the moon. It reminded him of his folly over siding with Gamou over using the safer Fourze system as well as the fact that in a sense he was the Moon to Utahoshi's Earth and Gamou's Sun, paling to them both but reflecting the light off of the Sun. Even though he was no longer the dreaded Virgo Zodiarts he was still Tachibana, the man who fought against the evils of the Horoscopes to give humanity the freedom to live life as it saw fit. Being in a whole other universe would never change that fact and Ryusei was long overdue for a check-in.
As he tweaked the monitor Azmuth gave him he tried to tune in the frequency of his home dimension but was having little to no luck with the endeavor. 'It seems technology is the same no matter where you go: You can't live without it but it never works when you need it too' he mused to himself. But he was patient and soon enough he was about to make contact. Donning a new Tachibana helmet he menially readied himself for the upcoming trasmission...
The universe of the Kamen Riders, Super Sentai and Metal Heroes...
Ryusei was at a viewing screen in the Rabbit Hutch, with only a sleeping Tomoko at his side. It had been over three weeks since Gen, Yuki and the others have vanished and while Zodiart attacks were rarely happening now that the Horoscopes were gone he still can't help but wonder what the point was of all of this.
Soon his Meteor Switch buzzed with news of a transmission from Tachibana. Tomoko purred contently, the noise not bothering her in the slightest. To think that this was the woman who would be his girlfriend or so she thought. Truth be told Ryu wasn't ready for that to happen, at least not yet. Placing the Switch in a slot he was greeted by the cold steel gaze of Tachibana.
"It's good to see you Ryusei. But I can't help but wonder if you have lost your focus" he mocked the fighter as he saw that he was letting Tomoko rest her head on his lap. Normally Ryusei would be ready to say that he was focused on the mission at hand, but his mission had been finished a while ago. He found the Switcher of Aries and saved his friend, but lost so much during that time. To think that he was tricked into killing Gentaro and almost letting Aries kill the rest of the Kamen Rider Club. But as if by some miracle Gen came back to life and defeated Aries, saving not only everyone there that fateful day but Ryusei's soul as well.
"I wasn't aware that I still had a mission" he retorted, angry that Tachibana doubted him still. Still he had a valid point as Ryusei often lets his emotions get the better of him at times. But now wasn't the time to argue with his employer. "Is there anything I should know about?" Ryusei asked.
"Yes. All 12 Horoscope Switchers have been found. A unknown factor calling himself 'Vilgax' came to this dimension and captured the remaining members. We then crossed over to his home dimension when they were forced to battle his nemesis, Ben. But apart from one fatality all captives are safe. But they are unable to come back until the threat is neutralized" Tachibana stated matter of factly.
"Can you identify the Switchers?" Ryu questioned his employer. Soon a list of names was brought up for his 'viewing pleasure'.
TATSUMORI YAMADA: ARIES. STATIS: COMATOSE
YUTA SUGIURA: TAURUS. STATIS: DECEASED
YUKI JOJIMA: GEMINI. STATIS: RETURNED TO HUMAN STATE
NATSUJI KIJIMA: CANCER. STATIS: DECEASED
KOU TATSUGAMI: LEO. STATIS: DECEASED
KURITERU EMOTO/TACHIBANA: VIRGO. STATIS: RETURNED TO HUMAN STATE
KOUHEI HAYAMI: LIBRA. STATIS: DECEASED
SARINA SONODA: SCORPION. STATIS: DECEASED
MITUAKI GAMOU: SAGITARRIUS. STATIS: DECEASED
TOJIRO GOTO: CAPRICORN: STATIS: RETURNED TO HUMAN STATE
ERIN SUDA: AQUARIUS. STATIS: RETURNED TO HUMAN STATE
RAN KUROKI: PISCES. STATIS: RETURNED TO HUMAN STATE.
Ryusei was in total disbelief. School facility were the first Horoscopes and that they needed his fellow students to evolve the Switches to reach a 'Dark Nebula 'and that the one he heard about was just the ? What hit harder still was the fact that Yuki and Ran, his fellow Club members were forced to mutating into the very monsters they swore to fight against. But when the fact that Tachibana outright lied to him Ryusei was a man possessed by rage.
But he would remain civil even if he was enraged right now. "Why help me if you were Virgo, the right man of Sagittarius?" he choked out, trying to not wake up his reluctant girlfriend. To his surprise Tachibana took off his helmet and the face of the kindly Emoto was facing him now.
"Because I was the one who stated all of this. I let my anger at being overshadowed overrule my better judgment and killed my best friend and let Gamou harm others while I was taking part in all of this. But I soon began to regret my part in all this. So during any free time I had I created your Meteor arsenal as well as the Gate Switch for assisting Kengo. The truth of the matter is I wanted to stop Gamou as much as any of you but as he was my friend I was forced to keep my cover until Vilgax played his hand and killed half of the members. Thankfully I was able to gain some allies and was able to cure the remaining members, although I doubt the Aries Switcher will survive." Emoto took a deep breath and continued, with Ryu watching silently. "I'm not asking for forgiveness. I'm too far gone for that. But I do must ask of you to keep the others safe and I promise you I will bring them home." With that Emoto ended the conversation.
Ryu was a state of shock. Not only were the missing students mostly safe but as it turns out Tachibana wasn't a total asshole. As Tomoko stirred, the emotionally news hitting her rather hard he wondered how in the hell he would break the news to the remaining KRC members.
The universe of Ben 10, a world thought of only as a fictional world...until now.
As she sat on a swing and watched the moon as she swung back and forth Hope thought back to a time when she wasn't Charmcaster, the woman that killed 600,000 to bring back the father she missed so dearly. But those times weren't coming back and she knew it. Holding the Dark Virgo Switch she remembered how much her father loved the moon and how much it broke his heart that he wasn't able to see his daughter off as he spending his last moments fighting... she couldn't even think of his name, it upsets her too much!
"I'm so sorry daddy. I guess I'm not your little girl anymore. Just another tyrant that the Plumbers have to deal with" she sobbed. The pain that went with being a ruler that everyone feared was too much for her to bear so she left without so much as a word. "I know you can't forgive me and I know that from the bottom of my heart. But please don't hate me for what I am forced to do for Vilgax" Hope croaked out, the very thought of fighting for Vilgax making her sick to her stomach. But the only thing she thought she had left was her rivalry with Ben, but over the years it became something more. She was in love in with now and despite the fact that she was three years older than him that never mattered to her. To think it happened that fast, to have those feeling brought before her.
About five years ago...
The people were running in absolute terror from Charmcaster but she didn't care. Hex needed the money so they could buy a home of their own, but given their criminal records that was something easily said than done. So she was forced to rob and harm the innocent, the very things she told her father she'd never do. Funny how life on the lab changes you, even if you don't want to.
But she wanted to be a great magician and if you want to be that you needed to give a show and give a show she did. "Aw ha ha ha ha! Flee from the might of magic!" she boasted without really meaning it. The truth was, all she wanted was friends. But what came out from far from that. It was Ben.
"Give it up you ugly witch! Ya know you can't beat the best!" the child gloated. Hope's face grew hot from her anger at the boy's rudeness and if his family wouldn't teach him manners then it would fall upon her to do so. In anger she blasted a bolt of power from her hands but Ben was ready to counter her attack. Slapping down his Omnitrix he became something she never saw before and when you're not from anywhere other than the birthplace of mana, that's saying a lot.
"Feedback!" The jester looking thing caught her shot in his hand and fired it off back at her, only to hit a shield she made out of stone and terror. As the alien ran towards her Hope saw her life flashing before her eyes. She didn't want to die, not like this!
But Ben was not going to even harm her. He just drained away the energy that was by her feet, stopping her protection spell, but she didn't think he would show her mercy. "Please, Ben, no" she whimpered. But Feedback just said this to her
"I don't understand magic all that much but you have a real talent for it. Maybe if you keep your nose clean you have a future away from all this nonsense. Maybe even be a Plumber and fight the bad guys instead of being a bad guy!"
Hope was quite pleased to hear that. Not having Gwen around made things easier to deal with and she felt something in her heart. Could had it been love? She didn't know it at the time as she caused more destruction than she intended. The ceiling was about to fall on a family that was caught in the crossfire and she could do nothing to stop it. She wasn't strong enough back then.
Feedback ran over to them and tried to hold on while they escaped, not bothering to look back at the young mage. Just when they were out the ceiling fell onto Ben as a green light flashed to Hope's horror. She was so frightened that she even wanted Gwen to be there, even though she hated her guts. But nothing was stirring in that pile of rocks and plaster and she thought that she killed the great hero Ben Tennyson. Falling to her knees she looked on at the site, not sure on what to do for Ben. But when things were looking their darkest something happened.
To her crying eyes she saw something moving, but what? Right before her the form of Fourarms arose triumphantly from the wreckage, arms flexed in a winner's pose.
'Sure Ben was riddled with ego problems but you have to admit he was a true hero' Hope thought to herself. But she had enough excitement for one day and with a common smoke bomb fled the scene of the crime, cash in tow.
Back to the present day...
Darkstar couldn't help himself. The moonlight shining on her silver hair, the smell of her, just the very thought that they were working together was quite pleasing to DarkStar. She was beautiful and more importantly to him his meal ticket. Despite having been raised around heroic Plumbers his whole life he always craved power over all else and he never though much of women as he firmly believed in the "Mother/Whore" mentality that disgusted nearly everyone he knew. But he couldn't care less. Now he had access to mana and the means to kill Ben and his new, if strange as all get out, friends.
He could picture it now, his face and health restored and with all those he considered fools worshipping him like the god he saw himself as. But he was willing to wait until the morning, when people were at their weakest. Sure it was unsporting, but he cared nothing about honor nor the feelings of those he hurt. Perhaps when Ben is dead he will go after Gwen and Kevin next as they flew to where Ben and the others were just about to start a brand new day...
To be continued...
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