Greetings citizens of the universe! I have returned once more (I'm kind of like that cockroach that you just can't seem to get rid of)!
Either way, I have returned with another chapter, and this is where things get interesting/dangerous! For those of you wondering, Ben 23 will not appear in this story or its sequel, so if this upsets you, write your own version. I'd be more than happy to advertise and read it.
As always, I have to send out some thanks to a couple of people before going on. You've probably heard me say this a dozen times by now, but I'd like to send a shout out to DJ Rodriguez for saving my butt numerous times and always helping me when my brain is empty, which it usually is.
Another special thanks to Darkmagicdragon for helping with the pairings, Menatron the Angel of Ideas for helping me brain storm for the sequel, and the always helpful Sallem Cortez 004 for helping me stay within the boundaries of harems and such.
Now, I was originally going to put this story off for another week, but I recently got a comment that made be change my mind:
Guest – please update soon your story is the highlight of my week. Interesting, Steady development, Believeable emotional interaction. can't wait till next chapter.
I have no idea who this person was, but if said person is reading this, thank you. This chapter would never have been posted this early without you. And please get an account! I'd love to see what you'd come up with!
As always, comment and review below and send me your ideas, requests, and suggestions via PM. Now, on with the story, my ghosts and ghouls!
Enjoy!
"Kevin, I told you a hundred times; I just can't find him," Gwen said sadly. Frustrated, Kevin pounded his fist on the table. Along with the young couple, Rook, Grandpa Max, Blukic and Driba, Magister Patelliday, and Lucy.
"Gwen, I know you've been working as hard as the rest of us, but is there any other possible way to track him?" Max asked. Gwen sadly shook her head, and the old man pinched his brow. Ever since his grandson had disappeared, Max had become increasingly annoyed and quick to anger. The world was in practical chaos without Ben around to even offer his help; ever since his disappearance, the Plumbers were barely keeping the criminals in line, on more than occasion nearly failing if it wasn't for Lady Luck.
"I don't understand it," Driba exclaimed, exasperated. "Even with our advanced minds, we can't find Ben!"
"This coming from the frog who built an emergency exit only Galvans can use," Kevin grumbled. Rook had remained silent for the majority of the many meetings the small group had attended to discuss their searches for Ben. They had agents, search parties, and even bounty hunters like Sevenseven searching for Ben, but so such luck. It was as if he had never existed. Rook opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when the entire room was bathed in bright red, blinking emergency lights. With a sigh, Patelliday, the Galvans, and Lucy ran out of the room to prevent yet another crisis. The red lights stopped after a while and the four left in the room relaxed back in their chairs, exhausted.
"What about Professor Paradox?" Rook asked after a moment of silence. "Surely, someone of his power would be able to find Ben."
"Yeah, cause it's so easy to contact a guy who's constantly traveling through time," Kevin grumbled sarcastically. His hands felt empty, and when they were formed into stone hammers and blades, or filled with wrenches and screwdrivers, he tended to get cranky.
"I would expect it not to be easy, but it should– wait, you are using sarcasm, correct?" Rook asked. Kevin sighed and slowly nodded, rubbing his eyes. "Look, we're all worried about Ben. But we aren't going to find him if we run ourselves into the ground," Kevin sighed. "It's an expression, Rook." he added before Rook could say anything.
"Kevin's right," Max sighed. "We've been searching nonstop for Ben for almost a week without any rest and barely enough food to keep us from collapsing. The best we can do right now and take a break and resume our search once everyone's ready."
Gwen sighed again, but solemnly agreed. She slowly got out of her chair and lurched out of the meeting room towards the guest dorms where she collapsed down on the bed she and Lucy shared for the moment. Where are you, Ben? she thought, just before she lost consciousness and let wonderful sleep overcome her.
The air was chilled slightly. It was about halfway between Autumn and Winter, and the cold wind would kick up the colorful leaves and send them into a flurry in the chilly November air. With an exhausted smile on her face, Charmcaster walked down the front steps with Ben, Spectra, Venus, Robecca, Cleo, Draculaura, Frankie, and Clawdeen at her side. Skelita had stayed behind to work on an important project for her art class, and Gigi was practicing her lines for her audition for the school's upcoming play. The title had yet to be decided, but if it was written by Mr. Where, it was sure to be a show stopper (at least, so he claimed). "So, Charmcaster? How was your first day?" asked Ben.
"Actually pretty good!" Charmcaster said happily. "The part where you turned into Whampire during gym was pretty funny."
"I was on fire!" Ben cried.
"It was still funny how to ran over Coach Igor to get to the drinking fountain."
"He sure didn't think it was funny," Ben grumbled as Spectra shoved him playfully. "Enough with the hilarious memories," she said. "It's time we took both of you on a shopping spree."
"WHAT!?" Ben and Charmcaster yelped at the same time, Charmcaster dropping her books on the ground.
"You heard us," Draculaura interrupted. "You two totes need a make over. I'm already seeing Ben's alien forms in a whole new light!" she added as Ben and Charmcaster each exchanged nervous looks, the ghouls converging on them before they had a hope of escape.
"Remind me why I ever agreed to this?" Charmcaster sighed as she posed for the ghouls in yet another outfit for what seemed the nine hundredth time in the past hour.
"We didn't. They dragged us here and started forcing clothes onto us," Four Arms sighed as he scratched at the itchy shirt he was forced to wear. The ghouls had forced him to take off his normal Tetramand clothes (Four Arms had drawn the line at the belt) and begrudgingly put himself into the many outfits and clothes the ghouls chose for him. So far, they all seemed either a bit too tight or were far too itchy for him, and after a few words with Draculaura, Four Arms was out of the costumes and back into his own clothes.
Charmcaster herself was dressed in a short, dark pink skirt that showed off her legs and new black boots with brass buckles shaped like bats on them. She wore a tight black top with dark pink sleeves and a leather belt that hung loosely around her hips. A black headband was put through her white hair as she was forced to show off a tiny purple colored purse for the ghouls. With an exasperated sigh, Charmcaster chucked the purse off somewhere into the store and tore the headband from her hair.
"Not your style, huh?" Draculaura asked nervously under Charmcaster's intense stare.
"Back to the drawing board," sighed Clawdeen.
"How about we take a break and look for a different store?" Venus suggested. "We obviously aren't getting anywhere with Charmcaster." After putting all the clothes and items back, gathering the many parcels and bags the ghouls had collected and handing them off to Four Arms, the ghouls, sorceress, and Tetramand left the shop to wander around the mall for a few minutes, looking for a new store to shop in.
Unbeknownst to them, a very vengeful Toralei Stripe and her sisters Purrsephone and Meowlody were sitting at a table outside the Coffin Bean, watching the ghouls, Charmcaster, and Four arms walk by. Toralei mentally cursed Ben for humiliating her in front of the school like that, throwing her into the swamp water fountain like yesterday's trash. She didn't care if she was being mean to the girls that were already hurting, it was her favorite past time. And unlike most of the ghouls at the school, she found his alien forms repulsive, unlike her ghoulfriends, who seemed to share a secret crush on Rath. The were-cat was more than ready to get revenge on Ben, but with the entire school starting to warm up to him because of his heroics, she knew it would be of great difficulty.
"Psst."
Toralei shook her head and looked around for the source of the sound, finding no possible source for where it could have come from. Her silent sisters seemed to have heard it as well, as they were also looking for the sound that had met their ears moments ago.
"Pssst!"
There it was again! Now that they had heard it again, the three were-cats were able to follow it, walking a short distance across the Maul and entering a dark hallway usually meant for maintenance and security guards. A dark figure stood there in the darkness, waiting for them beyond the Maul's friendly glow. "What do you want, old man?" Toralei hissed once she came upon him.
"I understand you are searching for vengeance against Tennyson," the figure growled in a voice that made the were-cat's fur stand on end. "I too, am searching for such an opportunity. Perhaps if we work together . . . ."
Toralei didn't know who this mystery person was, but she liked the way he thought. "What do you have in mind?" she asked.
"The best way to get vengeance is to hit those that person holds dearest. Go after the one made of leftover body parts and seed doubt into her soul. Direct her towards my shop, and I shall do the rest." the figure instructed, pointing with a bony white claw towards a shamble of a shop just a little ways away from Ben and his friends.
"You've got yourself a deal." Toralei smirked, her sisters smiling mischievously behind her.
"C'mon, Ben! Change into Whampire!" Draculaura begged. "It's not everyday I get to dress up a vampire!"
"You dress yourself every morning," Four Arms pointed out.
"Yeah, but I've never dressed a guy before!"
Four Arms frowned, but finally gave in under the small vampire's pleading eyes. Even if she was already in a relationship with Clawd, he still couldn't but find those wide, lavender eyes more than adorable. That, and her perky attitude, he could easily see why Clawd loved her. With a slightly annoyed sigh, he dropped the bags to the floor and slapped the Omnitrix symbol on his belt, letting the green light briefly change him back before injecting alien blood into his veins.
His body structure stayed similar to his human form, shooting up about a foot and a half as the Omnitrix worked its magic. His skin turned a pale gray and looked as if it would split and break with the slightest touch. His fingers became long, razor sharp claws as his eyes widened and turned entirely green. His flat human teeth grew into sharpened fangs, some of them not entirely fitting into his mouth and then curving over his lips. Muscles piled themselves onto his arms and chest as he felt his lungs grow very large and heart start to slow. He felt slightly empty and sort of drowsy, drained of the ability to eat normal foods and forced to eat . . . . other things. His feet became sharp claws, hidden beneath a pair of green boots. A tight, black and green costume that showed off his muscles covered him, a green mask with bat-wing horns appearing on his face. The Omnitrix symbol appeared on his chest as a thick membrane grew between his arms and his hips, forming wings and completing the transformation.
"Whampire!" he cried triumphantly, Draculaura practically squealing with delight. Ideas were running through her head like a herd of nightmares, though the rest of the ghouls didn't seem to be having the same problem. "For some reason, I can only picture him wearing his costume and a green and black cape." Cleo sighed. Draculaura's face fell a little, the black and pink outfits in her head disappearing quickly. She had to agree with Cleo though; Ben, no matter what form he was in, just simply didn't look good in any other colors but green and black.
"How about we try another form?" Spectra suggested. The Vladat nodded and slapped the watch on his stomach, the green light washing over him and changing him into something that looked like a fairy. The little creature hovered far above the floor, flapping his insect like wings rapidly to stay afloat. It had light blue skin and pink cheeks, its smile mouth turned back into a permanent smile. It had violet colored hair pulled back and curled slightly at the end, a pair of white gloves appearing on his hands. He wore a black and green dress and spoke with a purr or trill in his voice.
"Ah, man! Not rrrrrr Pesky Dust!" the Nemuina pouted while the girls all gushed over how adorable he looked. Frankie smiled and walked off a little ways in the store, taking a break from attempting to find something for Ben to wear. She had seen a pair of boots that she thought looked interesting, and was trying to find them again when she heard a slight purr behind her. She turned to see Toralei standing there amongst the clothes, Meowlody and Purrsephone at her side, smug smiles on their face.
"Trying to find something to go with your boyfriend?" Toralei purred. "Don't bother; your hopes of finding anything good in this store are about as good as the chances that he actually loves you." At this, Frankie cocked an eyebrow. "Are you saying that it'll be easy?"
"No!" Toralei growled, stomping her foot in frustration. "It'll be hard! Impossible! I mean, just look at him!" Toralei practically shouted, pointing at Pesky Dust, just as he changed into Heatblast and, after accidentally setting off the fire alarm, into Water Hazard. The ghouls were all smiling, despite being wet, and laughing at Ben's frustration (the Omnitrix didn't give him the alien he was hoping for).
"What are the odds that he'll still love you after what happened on Halloween? He already has, what? Five girlfriends? Do you really think he would want another? And even if he did, do you really think he would want you?" Toralei smiled, trying to ignore the water in her fur; the chance to get revenge on both Ben and Frankie was too great to care about being wet. Her lips curled into a smile when she saw a flicker of doubt in Frankie's eyes as she stammered to try and find the right words to say.
"If you're so sure, why not ask someone? I know this great fortune teller who can tell you anything you desire! And he's pretty cheap too." Toralei said quickly.
Should I? Frankie thought. Was she really that desperate? Did she really like Ben that much after what he had (unintentionally) done? She realized that yes, she did love him back. He was already sorry enough, and had been even kind enough to make sure she was alright during the Wedding Fiasco ('fiasco was used a lot whenever to describe a situation Ben had been in). But was she ready to play fiddles to more than one girl? Would Ben even love her back after this long? Did he only see her as a friend now? So much she didn't know, and here, her worst enemy, was offering a way to find the answers.
"Where's the store?" she asked. Toralei grinned maliciously, and Frankie wondered for a brief second what she was getting herself into. She followed Toralei out of the clothes store and out into the Maul, following the three were-cats until they came upon a ramshackle of a shop. The display windows were boarded up, with a painted sign that said Ghostly Fortunes hanging haphazardly above the doorway. Toralei gestured inside and Frankie shuffled into the dark shop, the only light source coming from the many flickering candles that cast wavering shadows on the walls. In the middle of the room, surrounded by dark blue curtains that seemed as dark as the night sky, was a small table with a blue table cloth and a crystal ball sitting in the center. Two chairs sat opposite of each other, a cloaked and hooded figure occupying one of them. Frankie bit her lip and nervously sat down in the empty chair, facing the mysterious person as he waited silently.
"Um, I heard you tell fortunes?" he asked quietly.
The figure nodded and gave a sudden cough, as if he had failing lungs. "Yes, dear girl. Do you require an audience with the spirits?" he wheezed horribly. Frankie flinched but nodded anyways, anything to find out if her future lay within Ben. The figure nodded slowly and reached a bony hand out from under his heavy cloak, his long, white claws glowing the limited light. Frankie flinched when he reached for her hand but let the figure tentatively touch her palm, quietly murmuring to himself as he studied it. He then withdrew his hand from hers and pulled out his other hand from under the cloak and slowly wrapped them around the crystal ball at the center of the table, gently rubbing it with his palms as he quietly chanted. Frankie gulped as the candles in the shop flickered out, leaving only a few still lit around her and the fortune teller. "Yes, yes. Interesting . . . ." the figure whispered.
"What? What do you see?" cried Frankie, jumping from her seat and planting her hands on the table as she desperately tried to look into the crystal ball.
"I see . . . . pain. Sudden pain. Very sudden pain." the figure wheezed. Before Frankie could ask what that meant, there was a sharp spike of pain in the back of her head, and she crumbled to the ground, her eyes rolling back into her head as consciousness escaped her and gave her one last view of the shop's ceiling. The last thing she heard before total darkness was a chuckling, wheezy laugh that sent chills down her spine and embedded itself into her nightmares.
"Now was that so hard?" Zs'Skayr asked as Kuphulu wrapped up Frankie like a spider's catch with his bandages. The Thep Khufan and Crüjo grunted, embarrassed that their boss had done the job that took them weeks in less than fifteen minutes. "Take her back," the Ectonurite instructed Kuphulu. "We will be along shortly." he chuckled as Kuphuu nodded, grabbed Frankie in his bandages and left the shop, sneaking out an employee entrance and into the woods outback. Once he was gone, Zs'Skayr reached within the folds of his cloak and pulled out a small remote.
"What is that, master?" Crüjo inquired.
The Ectonurite grinned maliciously. "I've taken the liberty of planting several explosive devices around this building. Once activated the bombs will explode, and Ben Tennyson will become . . . . preocupied while we get the last piece for Viktor. And then, the fun begins." he chuckled lightly, erupting into a fit of evil, wheezing laughter that sounded like an air bag with a leak.
He then pushed the button, and a single massive explosion rocked the Maul, screams of fright, terror, and pain almost drowning it out as Monsters panicked and ran about. With any luck, the explosion took out Tennyson, and the robot girl would be nowhere near him.
As if by some unknown force, just to spite Zs'Skayr, Ben was near Robecca and protecting her with every last ounce of strength that he had. A large piece of the ceiling had been ripped off from the explosion and had nearly crushed him, Charmcaster, and the ghouls, had it not been for Skurd's quick thinking to change Ben back into Four Arms to catch and hold the piece of ceiling.
"I don't mean to rude or anything, but you all please move? This kinda hurts!" he grunted as the weight of the ceiling pressed down on him. Charmcaster and the ghouls quickly moved out of the way as Four Arms quickly tossed the piece of rubble off to the side, throwing it into a line of clothes. Draculaura almost cried out in agony.
"Everyone alright?" Four Arms asked as the Omnitrix timed out an reverted him back to normal. The ghouls all nodded their heads and gazed upon the ruins of the clothing they had been in. The cashiers at the counter seemed to be alright, but the same could not be said for the racks of clothes or a small group of customers that had been waiting in line; they were currently trapped under a pile of rubble that had fallen from the ceiling.
"We need to help those people," said Ben, turning to the girls. They all ran over to the pile and began to move aside the pieces of rubble, Charmcaster moving the more dangerous pieces aside with some spells. After what seemed forever, they had managed to clear enough of the rubble away for the poor customers to get out of, though not everyone was as happy; Cleo wouldn't stop complaining about her ruined pedicure until Ben promised to get her a new one on him.
"Okay, next step is to make sure everyone in the Maul gets out safely," Ben instructed as he and the ghouls left the wreckage of the clothing store and stepping out into the wreckage of the Maul (there was hardly a difference between the two, the main one being the wreckage of the clothing store having less screaming shoppers). "We'll split up to cover more ground."
"And what if we need that fancy watch of yours?" Clawdeen asked. "Not all of us have super powers, ya know."
"Got you covered." Ben smiled as he turned on the Omnitrix and dialed in the alien he needed. The familiar green light washed over him and began to change him at the molecular scale. His skin changed into a smooth, chrome white that became tougher than his original. He began to shrink down until he just barely reached the ghoul's ankles as his face widened for his expanding mouth. He could feel his organs sloshing about inside him as his bones became slightly softer and more bendable; his lungs expanded until they were the largest organ in his body as his eyes became smaller and turned squinty. His ears vanished, to be replaced by small holes, and even then they were covered by hardened skin that wrapped around his head in a way that resembled headphones. His arms and legs grew shorter as the Omnitrix symbol appeared on his head, finishing the transformation.
"Echo Echo? Yes!" the Sonorosian cried happily in a slight robotic sounding voice that sounded as if he were speaking through a portable microphone.
"No offense, Ben, but how is this little guy gonna help us?" Robecca asked. Echo Echo smirked and closed his eyes briefly, concentrating on a simple command in his brain. Before he knew it, he felt himself being ripped in two and the sudden pain dying away. When he opened his eyes, he saw shock looks on the faces of the ghouls, a smirk on Charmcaster's face, and an exact duplicate of himself across from him. The two copies then proceeded to divide themselves into five more clones so that there were seven, one for each girl present. There was a sudden flash of green light, and the Sonorosian's vanished to be replaced by Ben. And Ben. And Ben again. And another Ben about three more times so that there were seven Ben's in all.
"Okay, totally freaking out." Cleo managed to say at the sight of seven Bens. Each Ben, minus one, smirked at her. "Alright, uh, me, lets get to work! Everyone partner up!" one of the Bens instructed before walking over to Charmcaster. Once each girl was paired up with a Ben, they set off in different directions of the Maul, though one group was slower than the others.
"C'mon, luv! There are innocent people trapped somewhere!" Robecca urged, activating her rocket boots and pulling on Ben's arm. Ben just sighed and dug his hands into his pockets, sinking into a low hunch. "Why bother? They'll just be saved the horror that is life," he sighed sadly.
"Excuse me?"
"I agree with the boy, Robecca. Why bother anyways? Life is so pointless." Skurd sighed.
Robecca cocked a metallic eyebrow, thoroughly confused. This person looked like Ben, sounded like Ben (to an extent), had his very own Omnitrix and Skurd on his wrist, and yet he didn't act like Ben in anyway. Where Ben was goofy, funny, and kind, this Ben seemed to be miserable, depressed, and an all around bore. The robotic girl was about to say something else when she heard a low thump on the floor behind her and turned to see Crüjo standing there with Zs'Skayr at his side.
"You!" Robecca accused, jabbing a finger at the Loboan.
"Let me guess: you want me to fight?" Ben moaned. Before Robecca could reply, Ben slapped the Omnitrix without even looking at it and let the green light wash over him, changing him at the molecular structure. He grew upwards by a couple of feet, his skin becoming tough and more resilient as it covered his entire face. He could no longer see anything by light shining through the folds of skin over his eyes before his eyes vanished altogether. His ears moved to the top of his head and grew to a large size, becoming more like flaps on his head rather than small disks. Sharp teeth his mouth as sharp claws grew on the ends of his fingers and his toes burst out of his shoes. Then suddenly, he could see again. At first he just saw a curious Crüjo and Robecca before him with a rather bored Zs'Skayr floating in the air above him. Then he could suddenly see behind him, looking at a pile of burning rubble. Then he could see to his left and then his right, and then above him, and below him, until he could see in every possible direction as a pair of black and green shorts appeared below a green belt with the Omnitrix and a rather bored Skurd on it, completing the transformation.
"Eye Guy," the Opticoid sighed heavily. Without any zest or effort whatsoever, he lazily balled his hands up into fists and waited as the eyes all over his body closed and morphed together into a single eye on his chest. The giant eye stretched out from his body on a vein covered tendril and blasted a green ray of energy at Zs'Skayr. The Ectonurite simply became invisible and watched silently as the green ray blasted into a hanging sign, blasting it to ashes.
"Why do I even bother?" Eye Guy sighed as Crüjo tackled him to the ground and beat him into unconsciousness. With Emo Ben knocked out, Robecca was completely helpless. She had no weapons of her own, and she doubted her rocket boots could save her. Not one to give up so quickly, she gunned her rocket boots and shot straight up, out of control as she crashed into the ceiling and plummeted to the ground, hitting it with a loud, metallic CLANG!
Zs'Skayr chuckled and drifted over to Robecca's fallen form, tearing off her shirt and opening the hatch that accessed her inner workings. He dug around inside her for a few moments, Crüjo watching as he tied up Eye Guy with a bit of ruined wiring, until he pulled out a golden colored gear from within. Crüjo raised an eyebrow when his master closed the hatch and tossed the shirt over Robecca without a care, heading towards the exit. "We aren't taking the girl?" he asked.
"Why bother? We only need the one piece," Zs'Skayr chuckled. "Her systems will restart eventually . . . . when they decide to, I do not care. That is Tennyson's problem," he chuckled darkly as he and his lackey left the ruins of the Maul behind.
"Do I gotta?" Ben asked timidly. He and Draculaura stood in front of a collapsed bookstore, the entrance completely blocked off by a pile of rubble that used to be the sign and doorway. Draculaura sighed and nodded. "Yes, Ben. You have to change into something to save the Monsters inside!" she argued. Ben groaned from behind Draculaura and nervously accessed the Omnitrix, Skurd more than once getting in the way. "I don't think this is a good idea, dear boy! Who knows what dangers lurk beyond that mountain of sharp debris. Ben almost believed him and ran away, but thought better under Draculaura's stern stare, slapping the activation button and letting the green light wash over him.
Hard, metal plating raced up his back and front, melting together into a single shield. His shoulders became rounded and massive as flexible black tubing covered the skin between his elbow and shoulder. His arm then began to swell, metal plating taking the place of his skin as his fingers turned into sharp, gray claws. A piston formed on each of his elbows as the metallic plating covered his head and changed it into something that resembled a Greek Corinthian helmet. Two small, pointed ears formed on his head his feet turned into hard, metallic claws. The Omnitrix and Skurd appeared on his broad chest as a short tail popped out from his spine, completing the transformation.
"Oh, I just hope I don't hurt anyone!" the Talpaedan worried. He then raised his arms and commanded his fingers to fuse together into hard points. The pistons on his arms began to pump up and down furiously as he attacked the rubble, dust and plaster accumulating in the air as he drilled his way through to the other side, Draculaura encouraging him from a safe distance. After a short while, he broke through to the other side, exploding inside in a cloud of dust. He then stepped aside as Draculaura called out to the trapped Monsters inside, directing them outside and towards the exit as fast as she could. Once they were all out, Armodrillo shuffled out and was about to say something when the bookstore groaned and shook. Armodrillo quickly grabbed Draculaura and dove behind a Maul map as the store collapsed in a cloud of rubble, glass, and dust.
"Thanks, Ben." Draculaura sighed with relief.
"You guys okay?" Clawdeen's voice came from their left. They turned to see Clawdeen completely drenched from head to toe with Bullfrag glaring at them behind her. Draculaura flinched under the intense stare as Armodrillo yelped and dove behind a trash can, shaking all over. "What happened to you, Clawdeen?" Draculaura asked.
"Fell into the Maul fountain," the werewolf grumbled. "I see you got Nervous Ben." she added.
"Nervous Ben?"
"Uh, yeah. Each Ben is has a different personality," Clawdeen explained, wringing out the water from her hair. "I ended up with Strong Silent Type Ben."
"YEE-HAW!"
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"I see Cleo got Adrenaline Junkie Ben," Clawdeen noted as they both glanced up to see Heatblast shooting by on a chuck of Maul flooring with Cleo hanging on for dear life by the tips of her fingernails. The Pyronite whooped joy as he did a loopty-loop followed by a barrel roll, ignoring his passenger's terrified screams and the slight pain in his neck as she dug her fingernails in deeper. Heatblast would have done another set of tricks that would have scared Cleo even more had it not been for a sudden jerking motion that caused him and Cleo to go flying into a sticky spider web.
"Cease and desist, you wild hooligan!" a high pitched gentlemanly voice ordered. Everyone turned to see a very annoyed Spidermonkey perched on the railing of the second floor with Venus at his side, trying to hide her slight disappointment. "That must be Polite Ben," Draculaura noted, just as a loud and explosive burp rocked the building, causing everyone to fall to their feet and Armodrillo to whimper. Charmcaster came flying by, crashing into Clawdeen and holding her head.
"Five bucks says that's Rude Ben," Clawdeen grunted, pushing Clawdeen off of her as a small, pudgy, green alien with crooked teeth and a wide mouth waddled up to them and unleashed another explosive burp, blowing the ghoul's hair back as they waved their hands in front of their noses. "'Cuse meh," Upchuck belched.
"What the heck is going on in here?" a ghostly voice asked as Spectra and a shifting figure pa
phased up from the floor, the larger of the two materializing back into solid form. The Necrofriggian looked between the different aliens and sighed, putting his face into his palm. "I knew this was a bad idea." he sighed.
"Which Ben did you get?" Draculaura asked Spectra.
"I think I got Normal Ben. Lucky me," Spectra smiled as she watched Upchuck, Spidermonkey, and Heatblast argue with each other, the conversation constantly being interrupted by the Gourmand's belching and rude gestures. Big Chill sighed and slapped the Omnitrix symbol on his chest, letting the green light wash over him and change him back to normal. He then walked over to the fighting aliens, followed by Armodrillo and Bullfrag. As soon as he approached them, every alien stopped arguing and slapped their Omnitirx, turning back into copies of Ben. Each Ben then proceeded to activate their Omnitrix a second time, hitting them simultaneously and changing back into Echo Echo. The Sonorosian's then proceeded to mold make together into one Echo echo before the Omnitrix timed out and changed Ben back to normal. "Everyone here?" he asked.
Spectra quietly counted off the heads that she saw, counting her own as well, but for some reason she came up short. "There were just seven of us, right?" she asked.
"No. There were nine of us," Cleo bit her lip as she straightened her hair from her wild ride. "Has anyone seen Robecca or Frankie?"
"No," Draculaura whimpered. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen Frankie ever since the Maul blew up!" she added, every ghoul turning to look at Ben and wincing as expressions of complete and total rage, sorrow, and worry crossed his face. Before any of the girls could say anything, Ben accessed the Omnitrix and slapped the activation button, letting the green light wash over him and do its work. Deep orange fur sprouted all over his body, as if a bomb filled with hair suddenly exploded inside of him. His lower jaw jutted out as his teeth became sharp and menacing. The wave of fur raced over his face, covering his eyes as they suddenly vanished all together. He could feel his ears disappearing as what felt like gills take their place. In actuality, they were sensitive ears able to pick up the tiniest of sounds. His shoulders and arms swelled as his dull nails became sharp claws. His legs twisted and formed into the hind legs of that of a dog as a thick green color appeared around his neck, the Omnitrix symbol in the middle. Wildmutt let out a hoarse roar before sniffing the ground and taking off down the hallway, nearly running over the ghouls in his mad dash.
"For the love of all that's good and holy, slow down!" Skurd begged as he hung on for dear life. The Vulpimancer dashed down several more corridors lined with shops with the ghouls and Charmcaster running behind him as fast as they could, Cleo about how she would need a make over after this. After much chasing and running and screaming on Skurd's part, the Vulpimancer came to a screeching halt in front of the clothing store the ghouls had been in when the bombs had rocked the Maul. The girls arrived to see him standing over a limp figure, sniffing at the body and whimpering as he licked it. The ghouls came up behind him and flinched when they saw the still form of Robecca lying there without any life in her. At first they thought she was dead, but they filled with relief when she twitched slightly and a jet of steam escaped from her ears. Her optical sensors blinked for a moment and she screamed with fright when she woke up to be starring right up at Wildmutt's face before she realized who it was.
"Oh, Ben. You have to stop doing that," she sighed with relief. Wildmutt whimpered and raised a half-evolved hand and pointed it at Robecca's chest, the metal girl turning a bright red and letting another jet of steam as she quickly tugged her shirt back on. "You're lucky you don't have eyes, luv," smiled Robecca as the Omnitrix timed out. "Are you alright?" he asked, helping her to her feet.
"Fine, luv. Binary functions are up and working," she reassured him. "No thanks to your Emo counterpart I might add." she sighed, pointing towards a bored looking Eye Guy.
"And you couldn't have yelled for help or something!?" Ben roared at the Opticoid.
"What's the point? We're all doomed to die anyway. The universe was just being kinder to Robecca and giving her a swifter one that me." Eye Guy sighed as the Omnitrix timed out and reverted the Opticoid back into human form. Ben then activated both Omnitrix's and changed both of them into Sonorosian's absorbing the extra clone, and then changing back to normal. "Any sign of Frankie?" he asked Robecca. The robot sadly shook her head, bowing it in shame as Ben sighed and left for the exit, heartbroken.
Over the next few days, the entire Monster half of New Salem was in an uproar over Frankie's disappearance. The Steins now hated Ben more than ever, blaming him for their daughter's abduction, as did most of the Monster populace. Ben was severely depressed and was often out of Spectra's home for days on end, searching every last place he knew of for Frankie, but nothing came up. Just like the populace that hated him once more, Ben blamed himself for Frankie's disappearance. He was unable to eat, unable to sleep, and was often more hostile than he meant to be, making Draculaura and Jane actually cry from an angered outburst that he instantly regretted.
"Ben, you need to calm down," Venus told him one day after school had ended. The watch wearing hero had barely paid attention at all during his classes, endlessly searching the catacombs in between classes and during lunch. Ben sighed and rubbed his temples; he just couldn't bring himself to relax, much less sleep. He was exhausted beyond belief, but the constant concern over Frankie was eating him alive.
"Maybe Cleo has an amulet or something that can help you sleep," said Venus. "I'm sure she'd be more than happy to lend it to you." Ben just nodded and wordlessly followed Venus down the hall and towards the door, where Charmcaster and the ghouls were waiting. Venus quickly explained the plan, and they began the walk over to Cleo's house, Ben trailing behind the ghouls and looking worse than a starving zombie.
"What is wrong with Ben?" Skelita whispered to Skelita. "I know is very concerned for Frankie, but he has been neglecting his own health. If this keeps up, he won't live long enough to find her!"
Charmcaster sighed and stopped on the sidewalk. "Ghouls, it's about time you knew something about Ben," she sighed. Spectra, being the only other ghoul who knew, got the picture and walked with Ben to Cleo's house as he shuffled past and the rest of the ghouls gathered around him.
"Back in our universe, Ben is not exactly very lucky with the ladies," Charmcaster began, already drawing a surprise gasp from Draculaura. "Ever since he became world famous, things have become . . . . difficult for him. While I haven't been with Ben every day of his life, the few times I ran up against him, he always seemed different. It was just a matter of time and spells before I was able to sift through his memories and find out why."
"Well, go on," Jane urged the sorceress. "Don't keep us in suspense!"
"Ever since he's become world famous, girls from all over the galaxy have come to try and claim his hand in marriage. Princess Looma, a female version of Four Arms for those of you who don't know what a Tetramand is, was originally supposed to marry Ben's friend, Kevin. Kevin pawned her off onto him, but Looma only liked Ben for his Tetramand form; any other form of his, and she was quickly disgusted."
"The same goes for Princess Attea, a female version of Bullfrag. She literally took over the world and exiled Ben into space before he returned and defeated her father's warship. She then made a treaty with him at gunpoint, and returned to claim him as her husband when she was to be crowned Empress. When she came to claim him, she only loved his Incursean form, instantly disliking any other form of his, including his actually human self."
"Julie Yamamoto was a human girl. She dated Ben for a couple of years, and she and Ben were happy together. That love quickly faded when Julie began to tire of moving her own life around Ben's heroic antics. Eventually, and I'm still confused with this one, she broke up with him. Or he broke up with her. Or . . . ." Charmcaster fumbled over her words. "Anyway, she got into a relationship with a photographer. And Ben, while remaining friends with her, was heartbroken."
"Another girl, Ester of the Kraaho, is probably the only girl that didn't break Ben's heart or like him for his other forms. She truly did love him, every single form of his, and loved the adrenaline rush she got when fighting by Ben's side. That soon ended when Spanner claimed that he and another girl were married in the future, which quickly crushed Ben and Ester's relationship. He broke their relationship with her and she went off with some biker dude named Antonio, though they remain god friends."
"The last girl Ben ever fell in love with, he loved from the start: Kai Green, another human girl. I don't exactly know what's been going on between them, but every time I see him and her together, she's always so . . . . rude, I guess. She at first only liked Ben when he was Blitzwolfer," Charmcaster explained as Clawdeen turned red. "She originally wanted to make him . . . . a pet," she added, drawing annoyed glares from the ghouls. "She eventually began to like Ben when he was human, but she could never say a simple 'thank you' when he helped her. She always acted as if she were superior and that Ben was just some super powered lap dog she could toy around with." Charmcaster finished. The ghouls were looking exceptionally furious now. While Ester got a pass, they were clearly more than ready to tear the only girls apart for hurting their Ben.
"That's why Ben's so depressed; he feels as if he will never have a chance with love, that he's just destined for an endless line of heartbreaks." Charmcaster added, looking from Skelita to Robecca to Venus. The ghouls were beyond furious right now.
"We would never do that to Ben!" Venus argued, the group moving along again.
"Eeeeeeee-hhhhh!" Ghoulia added.
"Ghoulia's right: we'd never hurt him! He's done so much for us already!" Cleo exclaimed.
"Try telling that to Ben," Charmcaster sighed as they entered Cleo's estate and walked up the grand staircase to the front doors. Cleo led the way to idol room, more than once losing the ghouls and having to retrace her steps to collect them again (when are they ever going to install those maps, huh?).
They eventually found their way to the idol room, though they slightly surprised to find Spectra and an exhausted Ben waiting for them there. What surprised them even more was the fact that Nefera was browsing the many shelves stock full of idols and amulets.
"What are you doing, Nefera!?" Cleo spat. Charmcaster and the ghouls silently edged away from their friends, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire.
"Ah, Cleo," Nefera smiled. "So nice of you join us. I was just trying to help Ben find the sleeping amulet he needed." she explained, as she reached up and pulled down a blue jewel embedded in a golden disk. The unusual jewelery glowed slightly as it hung from a leather strap. Cleo blinked and looked at Nefera oddly; she looked like her sister, she looked like her sister, but she didn't act like her sister. And she was even holding the right amulet!
"Who are you, and what have you done to Nefera!?" Cleo roared. "The real Nefera would never be so kind!" The older De Nile sister actually seemed hurt by this statement and was about to make another shot when Ben spoke from across the room, albeit rather sleepily.
"It's fine, Cleo." Ben yawned. Cleo's eyes widened as he continued. "While I don't exactly trust her completely, she led us right to the idol room no problem. Even offered to find the correct amulet." he added as Nefera gave Cleo a smug grin. Cleo was fumbling over her words as the rest of the ghouls watched with stunned looks on their faces. Hardly anyone could do that to the Queen Bee of Monster High, not even her own boyfriend could do such a thing.
"As usual, Benjamin, you manage to accomplish the impossible." a warm and gentlemanly voice noted. Everyone whipped their heads around to look at the door where a black and gray haired man stood. He seemed to be in his late thirties, possibly fifties even, tough Ben knew it would be impossible to tell. He wore a white lab coat with gold trimming and black pants with brown boots. A pair of green tinted goggles was around his neck and he leaned on a cane. His right hand was missing, replaced by a large, metal gauntlet with a clock on its top.
"Ben, do you know who that is?" Gigi asked.
Ben slowly nodded. "Hey, Paradox. Long time no see?"
The Professor chuckled lightly at the joke and dug around in his pocket, pulling out a small, brown paper bag. "Would anyone like a gumball?" he asked with a smile.
Ha-HA! CLIFFHANGER! I am good!
Sorry to leave you all hanging like that, but I figured I might as well go with a two parter for this one, since there's a lot to cram in before things get strange (if they haven't already). Don't worry, I will finish the next part soon, though it will be posted in December. I want to try and finish another chapter for another story I am currently writing before I post. Sorry.
As always, comment and review below and send me your suggestions, ideas, and requests. NO SPAMMING!
And, on an unrelated note, please stop asking for Alien X to reappear. I know he is a very popular alien, but there are some rules when writing for him, the main on being he can only appear in dire situations, such as the universe being literally destroyed, or something like that. He will appear though, I will tell you all that. But in the mean time, please stop asking for Alien X.
Hasta Luego!