Hello, everyone! I'm back with another chapter (really, you should have come to expect this by now).
Now before we begin, I want to say thank you to a special person. Without them, this chapter would not have been possible (though I actually, in truth, had a similar idea). Thank you, Darkness Rissing for giving me this idea to work with!
And now, as a small warning, there will be a massive sex filled chapter later on. I am warning you all of this now because I am aware that, while many people want to read it, some people do not. As soon as I post the sex chapter, there will be a regular chapter posted afterward so people can skip the sex chapter if they want to and still enjoy my work.
And, on an unrelated note, I believe I forgot to mention that Jane is 16. Naturally, he animal forms will not be full grown and may have remnants of their younger forms. So, assuming Tyrannosaurus Rex was covered in feathers when it was a baby, would also have some leftover feathers on it before it became fully grown. And yes, I believe was an opportunist hunter, not just a scavenger or hunter. ARE YOU HAPPY, PEOPLE!?
Sorry. It's just I've never had this much criticism over such a small aspect of my story.
As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!
Onwards!
Twyla blinked and looked over the letter in her hand; it was slightly crumpled from being in Ben's pocket, and the top of the envelope was ripped open and poorly closed up with a paper clip. She glanced around to see that all the other ghoul's letters were still closed, a fact that bothered her to no end.
Curious, she slipped the paper clip off and slipped it inside of her pocket, sticking a finger inside of the envelope and pulling out the letter. She quickly unfolded it and was shocked to find her handwriting on the inside.
Dear Twyla,
Let me first start off by saying that this is a little weird, writing a letter to my past self. But then again, Ben will probably explain the whole thing to you once he and the others get back. If they get back.
Now before I become all depressed again, I have to fill you in on what's happened. 50 years into the future, Zs'Skayr succeeded in taking over the world, and I and the rest of the Monster High student body formed the Rebellion, in the hopes of defeating Zs'Skayr. It was 50 years before we finally found Ben and the others, who we all thought had perished but were miraculously alive.
And during those 50 years of isolation, of pressure, of having the lives of nearly a thousand recruits made up of your closest friends, I nearly gave up. I nearly destroyed myself because I couldn't take the pressure any long. And with the Thing lurking with me (Ben will explain), I just nearly wanted to end myself. But I held on, always believing Ben and the others were alive out there, somewhere. And now, I have a reason to live again.
Ben.
We both know that you (I? Time travel is so confusing) have a crush on him. And now, he knows it too. But he won't make any advances on you, no matter how much you might like him, if you don't show him you're ready. For the sake of both of us, get together with Ben. He's worth it in every way possible.
And if you don't believe me, look at the back of this note, where I've taped a picture of my old self before I was reunited with Ben. It is not, nor will it ever be, pretty.
Please, do this for yourself. You'll only regret not doing it later on.
Twyla, Leader of the Indestructible Rebellion and Lover of Ben Tennyson, the Multi-verse's Greatest Hero (or so he claims. So far, I have no reason to argue).
Twyla blinked and reread the letter a second time, not quite sure she had read it right. She quickly turned the letter over and flinched upon seeing the picture taped on the back. It was a picture of herself fifty years into the future. She had an eye patch over one of her eyes and her skin was more pasty and pale than usual. One of her legs was replaced by a metallic knock-off and her in one of her hands she had a pistol pointed directly at her head, as if she were just about to murder herself. But it was the single eye that sent shivers down Twyla's spine. It was the look of someone who had given up on absolutely everything there was to ever care about, the look of someone who had nothing left to live for and was ready to find bliss in death. It was the haunted look of someone who had seen too much fighting, too much hatred, and too much death and just wanted it all to go away.
"Why?" she managed to whisper under her breath. Why had her future self written this letter to her with such a horrific photo on the back. And why did it want her to get together with Ben? He already had so many ghouls to love, and he possibly couldn't love her back, could he?
"Well, we made it!" XLR8 panted as he threw himself onto the wooden pier and collapsed onto his belly, the Omnitrix timing out seconds after a wall of water fell back into the sea behind them. Jinafire smiled and climbed off of her boyfriend before helping him to his feet, holding him steady for the few seconds it took to catch his breath.
"Fanghai," Jinafire breathed, turning around to gaze at the massive city that rose above them. Impressive skyscrapers reached towards the sun setting sky, giving off a orangish-yellow glow from all the lights that lit up the city. Numerous cars honking their horns could be heard above the hustle and bustle of the city as a cloud gargoyles took from a tall skyscraper and headed out to sea. "We will require another of your transformations. My family lives quite far from here."
"I just ran across an entire ocean for you, woman!" Ben cried.
Jinafire smirked and grabbed Ben by the shoulders before planting a full kiss on his lips right then and there, finally releasing her hold on him after a few seconds. "Better?" she asked.
"Sometimes I hate you." Ben sighed, turning to the Omnitrix and cycling through his roster before selecting Jetray and slapping the activation button, the green light spilling over him and changing him. Ben felt his skin began to scrunch up and harden as his bones slowly started to dissolve into nothingness. Four fleshy stalks suddenly burst from both sides of Ben's head, and he was now aware that he could see from 6 different perspectives until a hardened shell covered his original human eyes, and soon enough they lost all function together.A slight itching from the middle of his back produced large, insect like wings that were a dull yellow in color. A second pair of legs suddenly burst out from Ben's gut like some old alien horror film. His spine, what was left of it anyway, went out from his back and swelled at the end, forming a large, and very sharp stinger with poison sacks just above the point. His fingers melted into two sharp claws and a thumb, and his jaw jutted out as a few of teeth disappeared. The final touch was a rotting scent that, while Ben couldn't smell, he figured others would not be so welcome to it.
"Stinkfly? Oh, I hope this isn't gonna be a recurring thing with your family." the Lepidopterran grumbled as he bent his jointed legs to allow Jinafire to climb on.
"As do I," Jinafire gagged. "You have a rather unpleasant odor, I'm afraid."
"Comes with the job, ma'am," Stinkfly joked. "Now let's light this candle!" he cried as he flapped his insect wings against the air and took off with a loud buzz.
Gigi inspected the letter with curiosity, unsure of what her future self might have to say to her. Next to her, Whisp eagerly toyed with her own letter, playful twirling it between her fingers as if it were a toy. Gigi rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers, a small letter opener materializing in her hands; she quickly stabbed the small blade into the top of the envelope and drew it across the length of the letter, slipping the letter out and sending the empty envelope and letter away in a poof of pink smoke.
"It's ain't gonna read itself, sis." Whisp smiled as she snapped her own fingers, her nails growing into long claws that she used to slice the envelope into a dozen shredded pieces, leaving the letter completely intact.
Gigi blinked and returned her attention back to the letter in her hand, her eyes tracing over the words written on the paper, widening with every passing sentence.
Dear Gigi,
I know this may seem weird to you, talking to your future self, but this is absolutely necessary. I won't beat around the bush like I use to do (or like you do. Time travel is so confusing), so I'll get right to the point.
I like Ben.
And I know you do to (of course I do. We are the same person). Ever since he risked his own life and nearly lost it to save us from Charmcaster (she and I are actually quite good friends now, in this frozen wasteland). Not since Howleen had I ever been so grateful to anyone in my immortal life. I feel like I owe him in some small way for saving me all those years ago, and I know you do to. In fact, I probably owe him a lot more, considering he restored my sight once more (Ben will explain).
I'm not saying you should hand yourself over as some toy for Ben to play with, but definitely consider getting together with him. I wanted to tell him how I felt when he was stuck here with us, fighting in the Rebellion (Ben will explain), but I never worked up the courage. I thought he wouldn't want me, since he already has so many other ghouls to love and care for, including our sister (Ben or Whisp will explain. Most likely Whisp. And don't be surprised if she kisses you. No idea where she got that idea. Then again, she exiled herself in a cave for nearly fifty years).
I know you're probably thinking the same thing, that you don't deserve someone like Ben, but you do. Both of us deserve someone like him. And I'm sure if Ben was reading this letter right now (is he?), he would probably say the same thing.
Please, tell Ben how you feel. You'll only regret it later on. Trust me.
Sincerely,
Gigi Grant (2054)
P.S. Go down into the Catacombs sometime and follow these coordinates. Do it.
Gigi blinked and reread the the letter a second time, not quite believing what she was reading. Was her future self really telling her to hook up with Ben? She had to admit, she always managed to stumble over her words for a few minutes whenever around him and always felt her face heat up upon seeing him. He was always so kind and never judged someone on their appearances; whether they had extra limbs, could phase through walls, had no internal organs or muscles, or were made entirely out of corpse pieces, he always cared for them.
Her mind traced back to the dream she had during Cleo's sleepover, before this whole mess had started. She dreamed she and Ben had been on a magic carpet, flying through the endless diamond sky as he showed her the cosmos, pointing out every planet and star he had visited, all while telling her he loved her more than all of them combined. She had felt so happy in that dream, to actually be cared for and not feel like he only cared because she could grant him anything he wanted; she had met numerous Finders who had acted similarly, caring about her one minute and then forgetting about her the enxt once their desires had been fulfilled.
Gigi knew Ben would never do that to her. He would never treat her a toy to throw away when her grew tired of her. He would love her and care for her as long as he lived, and she knew his ghouls would feel the same way, treat her as one of her own; and from the look on Whisp's face, she could tell she had been given a similar thing.
"Same thing?" Gigi asked her sister as Whisp floated over to her to read the letter.
"Pretty much." Whisp shrugged, handing Gigi her letter.
Dear Whisp,
Kiss Ben. You won't regret it. And while you're at, save room for Venus and Jane. They're pretty good, in my experience.
;)
Whisp
"Unbelievable." Gigi rolled her eyes.
Stinkfly hated bright lights.
He hated bright lights not just because they occasionally blinded him when he was trying to fly, but he sometimes had this overwhelming desire to fly right at them, transfixed by their beautiful light and warmth; this usually resulted in Jinafire driving her heel into his side to break him out of his spell. They quickly left the bustling monster city behind after stopping long enough to grab take out and realizing they hadn't eaten in what felt like weeks, and out over the small suburbs that surrounded Shanghai like a moat encircled a mighty castle. The Lepidopterran ignored the startled looks given to him by passerby and flapped his wings even faster, flying above a road that slowly transitioned into a dirt path that snaked through a large forest and past rolling rice patties where Nightmares hooked up to plows dug up the muddy soil.
"We getting close?" Stinkfly belched, having just finished his takeout in a messy mouthful.
"Almost." Jinafire reassured him, delicately hitting her own meal with a pair of chopsticks. "If you want to impress my father, you should probably work on your table manners." she noted.
"I haven't eaten in forever, alright? I'm much more sophisticated when I'm not starving!" Stinkfly shot back.
"I am not scarfing down my meal like a wild pig." Jinafire pointed out.
Stinkfly did not have a response to this and merely grumbled under his breath as he zoomed over the rice patties, startling several of the locals as he buzzed in low. "Where do you live?" he asked after a few minutes of buzzing in meaningless circles.
"Not far," Jinafire told him, finishing her food. "Just up that mountain." she pointed practically straight up at an impossible tall mountain that jutted up out of the nearly flat landscape and practically skewered the sky; on the very top of the mountain, at the end of a long, winding trail and under a large cherry tree, was a small house with twin stone dragons sitting guard at the entrance, as if to ward off unwelcome visitors.
"Thank goodness I don't have to walk up there." Stinkfly sighed with relief as the Omnitrix timed out and reverted the Lepidopterran back into Ben in a flash of green light. With startled screams, Ben and Jinafire plummeted out of the air and landed with a disgusting splat! in the middle of rice patty, absolutely soaked and covered in mud.
"Sometimes I hate this thing." Ben grumbled as he pulled himself and then Jinafire up, ignoring the strange and annoyed looks as they tried to rein in their frightened Nightmares. He then turned to the Omnitrix and cycled through his transformations, selecting Terraspin and about to slap the activation button when Jinafire stopped him.
"If you want to impress my father, you must travel the path few dare travel." she told him with a small smile, pointing towards the very long, winding path that wound its way around the mountain.
"Aw, man." Ben sighed, marching towards the mountain as the mud sucked at his feet.
Avea looked at the envelope suspiciously. It look like a trap, and it didn't smell like a trap either. And she highly doubted any of Ben's forms could have hidden a surprise trap inside of something so thin. The hybrid quickly bit a corner of the envelope and tore it across the top, tearing it open and pulling the letter out between two fingers. She quickly flipped the letter open and panned over the words, her lips tight as she read them.
Dear Avea,
Never thought I'd write one these. Then again, I never thought I'd find that perfect someone. You're probably confused and maybe even horrified right now, but bear with me and listen to my words. Or I will literally travel all the way back through time and slap some sense into you.
I know how you're feeling right now: betrayed, angry, depressed. You feel that, although you've found a home where you won't be treated like garbage and actually have friends, you feel bitter to those that aren't close to you. Believe me, that's happened to me. For the last fifty years, I became ruthless and merciless in my missions and I soon became the most feared operative in the base; no one would come within ten feet of me for fear that I would tear their faces right off. And deep down, past the frightful facade I had put up, I was sad that I had no friends. Even Bonita and Sirena were starting to distance themselves from me.
Then came Ben.
I know this sounds cheesy, but if I hadn't met Ben, I wouldn't be writing this letter to you right now. I became so engulfed in my work, I had started neglecting my own health. I started smoking cigarettes (they were okay enough to smoke. Stop worrying) from a lack of sleep and my temper skyrocketed to the point where I nearly tore my friends throats out. It wasn't until Ben came around did I start to return to my old self.
He was cooperative and good to have in a fight, to start off. And he was actually more concerned about my health than his own to the point where he was prepared to punch my lights out if it made me go to sleep. It didn't come to that though, and I'm thankful it didn't. The thing, is I've come to love Ben. And I know you will to if you give him a chance.
I know you're skeptical about this, but give it a shot. What have you got to lose?
Adios muchacha,
Avea
Avea frowned and crumpled up the letter in her hands, about to throw it to the ground and forget about it before stopping herself. She was indeed annoyed that Ben hadn't known her name when she had come along to save Frankie. Then again, it was her own fault for never trying to be friendly with him. But was she really just ready to give herself up, to hand herself over to a boy she hardly knew all because of a letter? And would he really care for her, to treat her with respect and not like some prize that he could display for others to admire?
Avea cast a glance over at Sirena, who was already distracted by a little spider skittering about in the grass. It was a wonder the ghoul had managed to concentrate long enough to even be of help in the battle, but Avea was glad she did. She tried to peek a glance at Sirena's letter, but the ghoul kept it well out of the hybrid's line of sight.
"Darn you." Avea cursed under her breath.
"Finally!" Ben gasped as he and Jinafire made it to the top of the mountain. As winded as Ben was from the long walk, Jinafire looked barely even tired, Then again, she had no doubt been forced to walk up and down the winding road all her life and most likely become accustomed to the long trek.
"If you continue to act like that, you will never impress my father," Jinafire chastised him with a smile. "Now please refrain from looking like you just a marathon."
"I just ran one only an hour ago!"
"Nevertheless, it never hurts to make a good impression." Jinafire smiled as she bent down to slip off her shoes. "Remove your shoes before entering."
"Why?"
"It is considered rude in my culture," Jinafire told him. "And take off your socks while you are at it. I do not think my father would like his home to be fouled up with their putrid stench."
Ben did as he was told and cast his smelly footwear aside, taking the opportunity to dip his feet into the nearby koi pond at Jinafire's suggestion to try and cloak the smell of his as she pointed out it was possible nor painless to remove his feet from his legs; Jinafire rang the doorbell and stepped back from the door as Ben joined her, waiting for someone to approach.
The sounds of a struggle could be heard from behind the door, as well as angered yelling and weaponry clashing against each other amongst the sound of an old man's grumbling. The door slid open on a frame to the right to reveal an old dragon with a bald head and a snow white beard. His almost human-like head sat on the end of a serpentine neck and his wrinkled, clawed hands rested on a cane with a golden dragon curled around it. A reptilian tail with a plume of faded white feathers on the end trailed behind him as he studied Jinafire and Ben with tired, golden eyes.
"So my daughter has finally returned from her journeys," the old dragon smiled, carefully walking out of the house and pulling Jinafire into a hug.
"It is good to be home, father." Jinafire smiled, embracing her dad.
It was then that Jinafire's father noticed Ben standing there rather uncomfortably. "And I see you have brought your pet Normie along as well." he said with a small joke.
"Father, he's not my pet," Jinafire smiled. "He is my beloved."
"Ah, so you wish to fight for my daughter's hand, hmm?" the old dragon addressed Ben.
"Y-yes, sir." Ben stammered, unsure of how to behave.
The old man smiled. "I like him already. So much respect," he said to Jinafire. "You may call me Suoh, for now." he told Ben before turning around and gesturing for them to follow him inside.
"So far so good." Ben whispered under his breath.
"Relax, Ben. My father is very patient and understanding with most people," Jinafire reassured him. "It is my seven brothers you have to worry about."
"Who-with-the-what-know?" Ben startled.
Suoh smiled faintly and led them through the house, which was surprisingly bigger on the inside than on the outside. They soon entered a room that looked to be a living room of some sort, with a large, low, square table sitting on the smooth, wooden floor. The simplicity of the architecture was ruined however, when seven boys all came tumbling into the room, all of them older than Jinafire. Each one sported smooth, black hair tied back in a short ponytail and a beard or mustache of a different style. While Ben was able to tell them apart, it was clear that they did not get along whatsoever.
"Zhùyì!" Suoh yelled with annoyance, slamming the butt of his cane onto the floor.
Immediately, the seven boys ceased their fighting and quickly scrambled to their feet, standing in a neat, perfect row without even daring to step out of line or question why there was a Normie present in their house.
"Érzi! Is this anyway to greet your sister, who has found a gap in her studies to come and visit her family?" Souh asked with great disappointment; the brothers all hung their heads in shame and mumbled their greetings.
"Father, who is the Normie who dares to trespass into our home?" the tallest of the boys dared to ask.
"He is here to fight for your sister's hand," Souh explained. "And if you are lucky, Yao, you just may beat . . . I'm sorry, I never caught your name." he apologized to Ben.
"My name is Ben Tennyson." Ben replied.
"Ah, yes. Thank you," said Souh. "As I was saying, if you are lucky enough, you might be able to beat him, Yao."
"I fear no Normie," Yao spat. "How would be able to defeat one such as me?"
"The tiny flea always finds a way to bother the powerful dog." Souh merely said, walking over to a wall with a picture of a woman ont it and removed the picture from the wall, revealing a lever of some kind. Souh pulled the lever and stood back as a section of the wall next to the hidden contraption shifted inwards and slid open, revealing a hidden staircase.
"Jǔ!" Souh yelled at the brothers, pointing his staff at the staircase. The boys wasted no time in obeying their father, rushing to the stairs and running over each other to be first.
"You will never win my sister, Normie." Yao frowned as he passed Ben.
"Geez, what's his problem?" Ben grumbled under his breath as he followed Souh and Jinafire down the hidden stairs.
The stairs widened and opened out into a large cavern inside of the mountain, sharp stalactites hanging from the ceiling above a perfectly square arena filled with dirt to avoid serious injuries. A double row of benches ran the full circumference of the area as torches hooked up to each post that sat at the corner of the area flickered in the dim cavern. Souh gestured for Ben to jump down into the arena as he, Jinafire, and the six other brothers all sat down in the stands, Jinafire and Souh sitting in a sort of announcer's box to watch the battle unfold.
"You think you're weak Normie body can defeat me?" Yao snarled as he faced off against Ben. "I have spent my lifetime learning all there is to know about tiger style kung fu!"
"That reminds me. I gotta watch those two movies when I get back." Ben mumbled to himself. "And to answer your first question, I think I have a pretty good chance." he smirked as he turned to the Omnitrix and cycled through his aliens, drawing a confused look from Yao, the brothers, and Souh; Jinafire had a knowing smile on her face.
"Lets kick it up a notch!" Ben quipped, slapping the activation button of the Omnitrix and being consumed in a flash of green light that changed his DNA. Muscles quickly piled themselves onto Ben's arms and chest, short, brown feathers sprouting up from his skin to cover them. His and mouth melted together like butter, hardening into a yellow, horny beak as teeth lined them. The feathers continued to cover his body, racing up over his back and stomach, growing on nearly every inch of his body. Ben's wrists and ankles began to harden as thick scales appeared on them, his fingers molding together into three digits. His fingernails grew longer and bigger, becoming curved and black as they turned into talons. His toes all formed together into two long digits, his heel bone grinding against his foot as a third toe popped out behind them, the toenails growing into long talons. A white plume appeared on Ben's head, looking like a Mohawk of sorts as a pair of large, sharp blades grew out from his elbows. Green wrist and ankle guards materialized on his body, as well as a pair of black briefs and green and white striped belt. A green mask fit over his face as a green strap vest appeared on his body, the Omnitrix appearing on the vest hooker.
"What sort of trickery is this!?" Yao yelled angrily. "This can not be allowed, father!"
"It shall stand, Yao, whether you like it or not," Souh frowned at his son. "There is nothing in our lore saying that changing ones shape is against the ways of our ancestors."
Yao gritted his teeth and charged right at Kickin' Hawk, thrusting his arms behind his back and lowering his head even with his body to maximize his speed. The bird-like alien frowned thrust his left leg forward so that it was straight and bending his right leg to support his weight as he raised a taloned fist above his hand and positioned his other hand in front of him.
Yao yelled and formed his right hand into a claw, bending back his fingers forcing them ridged so that his hands were nice and stiff; he did this with the other hand as Kickin' Hawk jabbed a hand forward to punch Yao in the face. The dragone easily saw the move coming and shifted his head to the right just as the fist came hurling past. Before Kickin' Hawk could process what happened, Yao hooked his left hand on the alien's feathery shoulder and pulled him in tight before jamming his clawed fist into Kickin' Hawk's stomach and pushing him back a couple feet.
"Lucky shot." Kickin Hawk growled as he climbed to his feet, rubbing his aching stomach. "Now it's my turn."
Yao's eyes widened as Kickin' Hawk balled his talons into fists and sliced the sharp blades on his arms through the air, charging right at him with his arms crossed over his face. Yao quickly rushed forward and leaped at the alien's head, jabbing a leg forward and pushing off of Kickin' Hawk's arms to flip through the air and land on his feet as Kickin' Hawk stumbled back once more.
"Is this the best you can muster? I have seen sparrows with more fight in them than you." Yao teased.
Kickin' Hawk frowned and rushed forward, swinging one leg up to kick Yao in the face and and then turning to the other leg when Yao dodged the first. However, Kickin' Hawk prepared for the dragon to avoid both attacks and thrust a fist down underneath his leg as Yao ducked, earning a knuckle sandwich to the face.
"Lucky shot." Yao growled, holding his aching jaw.
"Famous last words." Kick Hawk grinned before running at Yao and ramming his head into the dragon's stomach before delivering several quick jabs to points across his body and giving one last kick that sent him flying across the arena, landing with an unceremonious thwump! on the ground.
"Learned that from my girl." Kickin' Hawk grinned as he strolled over to Yao's fallen form and gave a respectful bow.
"So he fights with honor." Souh noted.
"Indeed, father." Jinafire agreed as Yao groaned from the ground. "Should we not help Yao?"
"The boy can handle himself." Souh answered as Kickin' Hawk took pity on the boy and slung him over a shoulder, carrying him to the stands and passing him off to a few of his brothers as a second brother dropped down to the arena floor; the Omnitrix timed out a few seconds later.
"I am Ling," the dragon introduced himself with a bow. "I admire your skills. Not many could have beaten Yao so quickly. I am confident however that my crane style abilities will be able to defeat you however. I still wish you the best of luck."
"You too, dude." Ben bowed before turning to the Omnitrix and randomly picking an alien at will before slapping the activation button and letting the green light engulf him. His skin became soft and slightly slippery as he felt his spine become more flexible as it lengthen out behind him into a lizard-like tail. His fingers quickly fused together into four digits as his feet became slightly webbed and turned into three stubby claws. His skin turned a mottled lavender with darker camo-esque spots appearing all over his body as his face rounded and his nose vanished in favor of two slits for nostrils. A sharp horn grew up from his skull, bending backwards slightly as his right eye turned red and his left eye turned blue, each eye splitting into two before the two new eyes fused together into a single green orb that became slitted like its brothers. Sharp teeth cracked up from Ben's jaw as the Omnitrix appeared on his chest, the transformation complete.
"ChamAlien!" the Merlinisapien called out before dropping down to all fours and skittered across the floor at Ling, who hadn't moved upon witnessing the Omnitrix in action. The lizard-like alien zoomed across the arena and popped back up right in Ling's face, ready to deliver a few quick punches before disappearing. Ling instead to do a short jump, thrusting his leg up and cracking his knee against ChamAlien's skull before doing the same thing with the other leg. ChamAlien fell to the ground and Ling quickly somersaulted across the ground, pinning down ChamAlien's arms with his knees and slapping his thigh across his face.
"Do you surrender?" Ling asked.
The Merlinisapien's answer was to slap Ling across the back of the head with his tail, knocking the dragon off of him as air rushed back into his lungs. "Good move," ChamAlien grinned a toothy smile. "But not good enough." he said as his figure started to fade into the background, becoming harder and harder to see until he was gone altogether.
"Smart boy." Souh noted as Ling quietly turned his gaze around for any sign of the Merlinisapien. The young dragon suddenly jerked back like he had been punched into the face before bending forward like he had been stabbed in the gut. Ling was suddenly flipped back over onto the ground before his head jerked to the side like he had been slapped. There was a short pause before Ling suddenly cried out in pain, his body bending towards his stomach like someone had given an anvil drop on him; ChamAlien reappeared moments later on top of Ling, his tail pointed at the dragon's chin, the poisonous barb in his tail just barely touching the skin.
"I submit." Ling managed to speak; ChamAlien climbed off of him, helping the dragon to his feet and bowing respectively.
"You have much skill, shape-shifter. You are indeed a worthy suitor of my sister." Ling complimented him.
"Thanks. You aren't so bad yourself." ChamAlien smiled as the Omnitrix timed out; Yao could be heard making an annoyed sound.
Lagoona glanced at the letter, sitting down on the cool grass and lying on her back, winded from the battle; her Orishan gauntlets sat next to her and the cool wind blew through the trees, nearly shaking the letter out of her hand. She carefully opened the envelope and set it on the ground beside her, unfolding the letter to see what words of wisdom her future self had to say.
Dear Lagoona,
If you've been reading the other ghoul's letters, then you're probably expecting me to tell you to dump Gil and go out with Ben. That he's much better than Gil and could make you happy no matter what.
Well I'm not.
I'm not saying Ben's a bad guy. He's awesome! He seriously helped me through some tough (and rather embarrassing)times when no one else would or could help me. I literally died and he risked his own neck to give me a second chance at life. I don't think I'd ever be able to repay him for such an act.
But I seriously screwed up in the future. I made the biggest mistake of my life and now I'm not sure if Gil will even consider sticking with you after what I've done. You can ask Ben what happened, but it'll be really awkward, trust me on that one.
Gil is the guy for you (or us? Time travel is so confusing). Period. Sure, he may be a tad wishy-washy and has trouble standing up for himself, but he's good at heart. He's the best thing that's happened to you (us? Ugh, time travel). Stick him for all your worth because deep down, though he may not even show it now, he still cares for you deeply. And if things don't work out, keep in touch with Ben.
As much as it pains me to say this, he's rather good in bed.
Regrettably yours,
Lagoona
Lagoona felt the letter slip out of her webbed fingers, her mind racing at a million miles a minute. Did she do something in the future that was embarrassing? Did she even want to know? Her mind was like a school of shimmering fish, swimming helter-skelter and unable to make up its mind about which way to go.
"I take you read the letter?" Gil asked with a sigh, sitting down next to Lagoona on the grass; his helmet was shattered, some of the glimmering remains still attached to the helmet rim.
"Gil, do you know what I did in the future?" Lagoona asked nervously.
Gil gulped and shifted uncomfortably on the grass, unsure of how to answer the question.
"Was it that bad?" Lagoona asked, resting her head in her hands.
"Lets just say that if it weren't for a black out, you very well could ended up having a family with Ben." Gil confessed with a heavy sigh; Lagoona moaned with distress.
"Oh my ghoul, I can't believe I did that!" she sobbed into her hands.
"Technically, only your future self did it." Gil reassured her, though Lagoona noticed a distaste in his voice.
"I still did it."
"And you did it willingly." Gil added.
"Gil? Not helping."
"Sorry." Gil apologized.
"Oh, what am I gonna do?" Lagoona whimpered; she felt Gil slip his arms around her and hold her tight as Lagoona rested her head on his chest.
"You're gonna do nothing." Gil told her. "It's done, it's over, and it's forgotten. Ben has sworn it to secrecy, so no one outside of you, me, him, and everyone else that got time wrapped knows."
Lagoona sniffed. "Thanks, Gil." she said, pecking him on the cheek.
"Anytime." Gil smiled.
"Your next match is with me, Tennyson." the third brother told Ben, sliding into the arena with such grace and finesse, Ben had a hard time believing he was even a dragon. "My name is Seh." he simply said.
"Interesting name." Ben hummed, turning to the Omnitrix and cycling through his roster before coming across the desired alien and slapping the activation button and waiting as the green light washed over him and did its work. First was the light covering of light and dark blue fur. It covered his whole body as he shrunk down to the size of a large bulldog. He was forced to hunch forward as his spine arched that way, a long tail sprouting from the base of his spine. His arms became thin, yet strong, designed to pull himself up and down, left and right, and whichever direction he pleased. He lost two fingers on each hand, but gained a second pair of similar arms that split out from his sides, thankfully already covered in skin and fur. Three pairs of green eyes appeared on his face as the fur on his head was flipped up and back. His jaw jutted out in an ape-like fashion as two, sharp canine teeth poked from his bottom lip at the corners of his mouth. Two green sashes appeared across his chest like an X with the Omnitrix symbol in the center, finishing the transformation.
"Lets do this! Ook Ook!" Spidermonkey chattered, socking two of his fists into his hands and doing a quick bow.
"As you wish." said Seh with a small smile.
The Arachnichimp pounded its chest with its four arms and skittered forward at top speed, running on his knuckles and using his tail to keep him balanced. It looked like he was going to tackle Seh head on and wrestle around in the dirt with him until he won. Instead, Spidermonkey snapped his tail upwards and fired off a jet of silk at the ceiling, hooking the webbing around a stalactite and quickly hauling himself up into the air just as Seh shot his arm forward in a snake-fist.
Spidermonkey cut the silk thread when he was high enough about Seh and came screeching back down, his fists a blue blur as he fell from the roof of the cavern; Seh quickly sidestepped out of the way as Spidermonkey came crashing down and delivered two quick jabs to his pectoral muscles before sweeping his feet out from beneath him. The Arachnichimp fell but pushed himself back up on one set of hands and into the air right at Seh's face where he latched on with set of arms and his feet, relentlessly punching repeatedly in the face and wrapped his tail around his neck, tightening his grip as Seh's face started to turn blue.
"Too much monkey business for ya?" Spidermonkey cracked as Seh choked, his face starting to turn blue.
"Ben, that's enough!" Jinafire cried from the stands; Spidermonkey turned to look at her and nodded, releasing his grip on Seh's neck and bouncing off of him as he fell to the floor of the arena, out of the fight.
"A tad ruthless, is he not?" Souh remarked.
"He may be, father, but he knows what he is doing. There is good in his heart." Jinafire reassured her father.
Down below in the arena, Ben had just returned to the world as the fourth brother, known as Hung and a master of the bear style of kung fu; Jinafire knew that while Seh's style required him to be fast and flexible, Hung's style needed him to be durable and powerful, able to take multiple blows without giving in. She watched as Ben studied Hung, who was burly and much bigger than his other brothers, and he turned to the Omnitrix, cycling past several transformations before selecting one and slapping the activation button; the green light washed over him, changing his DNA into something the world had never seen. Thick, shaggy fur started to sprout all over his body as he gradually grew taller. His jaw jutted out into an ape like fashion. His lower teeth grew larger, curving up over his lip. Muscles piled on top of each other as his arms and legs swelled. Small bumps on his wrists formed, growing harder and more metallic like. His fingers grew thicker and less delicate looking, better designed for smashing things together and ripping things apart. His feet changed drastically as his big toe moved away from his others until it was at a 45 degree angle. The final change was when a metallic three horned prong suddenly appeared right above his eyes, giving him an angered look, even when he wasn't. The Omnitrix appeared on a thick, green belt around his waist, completing the transformation.
"Time for a little shock and awe, eh!" the Gimlinopithecus grinned, crashing his fists together as electricity danced over his bulky form.
Souh ignored the transformation and turned to gaze at his daughter as Shocksquatch and Hung started to grapple. She looks so much like her mother, Souh thought sadly. His mind began to trace back to the day Jinafire had been born, when his wife and fallen ill with a deadly disease that the doctor guaranteed would kill her, no matter what he tried to save her. Huo, knowing her fate was drawing near, had vowed to make sure that her final clutch would hatch before she died, a single egg; her body had been too ill to make anymore than that single egg, and Huo watched over it night and day, hardly even bothering to eat.
On the day the egg hatched, Huo died with her body wrapped around the egg, keeping it warm with her dying breath as it hatched. Souh was in too much sorrow to pay much attention as the egg finally hatched and a little dragon hatchling emerged, crying for its mother; Souh had taken one look at the tiny hatchling and deemed that it was too weak to live for long; his sons had been much more active and stronger when they first hatched.
Jinafire had come a long way from that tiny hatchling that couldn't even open its eyes for nearly two weeks, much less even start breathing fire like her brothers had been able to do. For her entire life, Jinafire had always been weaker and more slow than her brothers and Souh expected her suddenly give up on life any moment. To say he was surprised that she not only survived to attend high school but to already have a boy fall for her and fight for her hand, was putting it lightly.
"He is an impressive fighter, is he not, father?" Jinaifre asked.
Souh shook his head to clear his thoughts and turned to look down into the arena as Shocksquatch delivered a final shock to Hung as the dragon put him in a head lock; Hung then slumped to the ground, smoke curling off of his body as Ling and Seh dragged him out of the arena.
"Indeed." Souh agreed.
The fifth brother entered the arena and bowed respectively to Ben. "My name is Malao," the dragon told Ben. "I am a master of monkey style kung fu."
"Darn, I'm all out of bananas." Ben joked.
Malao actually smiled. "Good one! Lets see if you're as good of a fighter as you are a comedian!" Ben nodded and turned to the Omnitrix, cycling through the transformations before selecting Fasttrack and slapping the activating button, the familiar green light washing over him and changing his DNA. He felt his head sink down into his neck, almost merging with his chest as only a small amount of muscles built up on his arm. Several of his teeth became crooked in the jaw or disappeared altogether as large amount of fat built up around his shrinking skeleton, insulating him as his skin turned a dull yellow and thickened to nearly four inches. His eyes rotated to the farthest apart they could go while remaining on the front of his changing face as his mouth widened. His toes were sucked back into his foot, leaving the toe nails as his fingers became nothing more than dull claws. A pair of green and white underpants materialized around him as the Omnitrix popped out of his belly button. The final piece of the transformation was when several wart-like growths swelled up on his forehead.
"Aww, this is The Worst!" the Atrocian wailed.
"Aww! I was hoping for a good fight!" Malao whined.
"Normally I am one to agree that big things come in small packages, but even I fail to see how this form of your lover's is helpful." Souh mused.
"Patience, father. Ben knows what he is doing." Jinafire reassured her father; she watched as Malao stooped low to the ground and splayed out his limbs like a wild monkey before charging forward on all fours right at The Worst, springing up into the air at the last minute and delivering a roundhouse kick that sent the Atrocian flying across the arena.
"Ow." The Worst moaned as scampered over to him and pried him out of the wall of the arena, quickly driving a series of quick jabs and thrusts into his face before drop kicking him all the way up to the ceiling of the cavern far, far, far above.
"Oh, this is gonna hurt," The Worst whimpered as he started to plummet back to the ground, pieces of the cavern's ceiling falling with him. "On the bright side, I'll survive this." he added thankfully, just as the Omnitrix timed out in a flash of bright light.
Oh, come on!" Ben screamed as he felt faster and faster. Desperate, he turned to the Omnitrix and randomly selected an alien at will, just hoping he would be able to survive the fall at the least; a green flash of light engulfed him, forcing his body to change into whatever the Omnitrix commanded. His arms and legs ground and cracked becoming shorter and more rounded as his fingers disappeared and were replaced by five little claws that acted like his fingers and thumbs. Ben's toes melted into three flat ones that resembled small webbed feet, like a frog as a small tail popped out from the base of his spine and curled at the end. His face was squashed inward as his nose disappeared and his mouth grew larger to accommodate his crooked teeth; his tongue suddenly split into three, slimy versions of itself as the Omnitrix appeared on his chest, completing the transformation.
"Upchuck? How does dis help anybody!?" the Gourmand cried, frantically flapping his arms in a fruitless attempt as he crashed into the ground in a plume of dust.
"Owww, my aching belly." Upchuck moaned as he pulled himself out of the crater his pudgy little body had created from the fall. He quickly shook his head to clear the throbbing in his skull and stood ready for Malao to attack, gesturing for the dragon to come at him.
"If you say so, Tubby!" Malao grinned, charging at him to repeat his previous attack.
Upchuck however, was ready and quickly opened his maw to let the three tongues slither out past his teeth and wrap around a hunk of stalactite that had fallen from the ceiling, pulling it back through his mouth where he then proceeded to quickly grind it up into a thick, green paste. With a loud belch, Upchuck spat it back out at Malao, the glob of goo splattering everyone at the young dragon's feet and hissing loudly.
"The universe is full of beautiful things," Souh remarked. "That however, is not one of them."
"Agreed, father." Jinafire gagged, waving her hand in front of her face. "Be thankful you did not have to ride here on a Lepidopterran."
"Do I want to know what that is?"
"Most likely not." Jinafire told her father, returning her attention to the fight as Malao was forced to run away from Upchuck as he spat glob after glob of corrosive material at him. Eventually, the Gourmand grew weary of this and unhinged his mouth again, Malao taking the opportunity to attack once more. However, before he could get close, the three tongues latched onto him and pulled him towards the gaping mouth, pulling him inside and swallowing him as Upchuck happily let out a loud belch that rocked the arena.
"Hmmm . . ." Souh hummed stroking his beard. "Eating your opponent. Can't say I've seen that maneuver before. Now, will I be down to only six sons?" he asked Jinafire.
"Wait for it, father." Jinafire replied.
Upchuck's suddenly started to jolt and rumble, as if something he had recently eaten wasn't agreeing with him. The Gourmand started hacking and coughing before throwing Malao back up with a disgusting sound, rubbing his sore belly; Malao was covered from head to tail in slimy, green digestive juices.
"That was cool! I've always wondered what it was like to be eaten!" Malao grinned as he wiped some of the disgusting slime off of him.
"You have one weird sense of humor." Upchuck groaned as the Omnitrix timed out and reverted him back into Ben. "Alright, who's up next?
The sixth Long brother stood up and hopped over the side of the arena as Malao climbed out and took a seat a descent distance away from the rest of his family, an act they were grateful for. "My name is Ying, master of the eagle style. Let us get this over with, shall we?" Ying said with a rather bored tone.
"Eager to lose, are we?" Ben smiled as he turned on the Omnitrix and cycled through his roster.
"Perhaps." Ying shrugged.
Ben ignored the comment and slapped the activation button of the Omnitrix, waiting patiently as the power of the wondrous watch changed him. He felt his bones liquify and his muscles turn into soup. His fingers and hands melted together into long, elastic tentacles. Ben felt every fiber of his being pulled apart as his face hardened and his organs moved up behind it. A hard casing formed around his organs and face, turning into a hard face plate with black designs on it. He felt the Omnitrix slip inside him as his entire body suddenly turned into a large puddle of water, the face plate stuck on the end of a flexible neck made of liquid.
"Gnarly!" Overflow cried.
"'Gnarly'?" Souh turned to his daughter.
"I do not know. I have only seen this form once, when we created the universe." Jinafire explained, earning a confused and shocked look from her father. "I will explain later."
Ying cocked an eyebrow as the Aguadite swirled and rippled upon himself, blowing up and expanding like a bubble, rising higher and higher above Ying's head until he was roughly fifty feet tall and only half way up to the cavern ceiling. The dragon watched as Overflow molded his body into a crude, humanoid figure and his still lips curved upwards into a slight smile the large, crude hands hardened into crystallized ice, frozen spikes rising out from the wrist and knuckle, and his feet hardened into something like a hoof make of ice, large talons curving outwards to dig into the ground; oddly enough, Overflow's actual head was nearly microscopic compared to his body.
"Ready to lose, dude?" Overflow quipped, stomping a foot down just a mere inch from Ying and shaking the arena.
"Always ready," Ying replied. "I do not think I need to worry, however."
"Is he always like this?" Souh asked his daughter.
Jinafire shook her head. "No, his forms sometimes have personalities strong enough to override his own. Be glad Ying is not facing Rath; I doubt even he would be able to last against that form."
"It's that bad?"
"No, Rath is just incredibly dim." Jinafire replied with a small smile, just as a large tremor shook the arena. She snapped her attention back to the fight to see Overflow having just brought his foot down on the spot where Ying had been moments ago; the dragon himself was found clinging on to the frozen hand of Overflow's massive body, digging his claws into the ice. The Aguadite raised a massive hand to slap Ying into a bloody paste, but the dragon was too quick; Ying quickly jumped out of the way of one of the fingers and angled his body downwards, bringing his feet and hands together into a sharp point just before he hit the ice. A large crack formed between Overflow's knuckle and wrist and a loud groan and cracking sound filled the air as the massive limb fell to the arena floor, shattering into hundreds of pieces.
"Hey, man! Not cool!" Overflow cried as he poured more water over the wound and reformed the massive hand. A loud sloshing sound then filled the arena as a second pair of large arms tipped with frozen fists appeared just under the original pair, a dozen liquid tendrils snaking out of his back as his neck thickened and grew to match his body, the face mask now almost nonexistence.
Ying didn't answer and merely sucked in a deep breath before diving straight inside of Overflow's body, quickly kicking his arms and legs and moving his tail up and down as he powered through the water. Overflow quickly thrust a large hand through his chest to try and grab the dragon and large spikes of ice quickly materialized around Ying as he made his way towards the Omnitrix, the number of spikes increasing tenfold as he got closer and closer until it was like swimming through a maze of broken glass.
Jinafire bit her lip, concerned for her brother's safety as he careful swam through the labyrinth of ice, always just one step ahead of Overflow if a large icicle appeared out of no where and just barely missed skewering him. "Hey, keep away from that, man!" the Aguadite roared, forming a protective layer of ice around the Omnitrix as Ying neared it; the dragon never faulted in his swim however and merely drew back a fist cupping it so that it looked like an eagle's talons and drove it forward with as much power as he had; a dull boom! could be heard as fist hit ice and Overflow's entire frame rippled before being consumed in a flash of green light.
The Aguadite was briefly changed back into his human form before the second transformation began, starting with his skin hardening. It wasn't like before, when his skin became hard as rock, but it seemed tougher than that, more stable. It became cold to the touch the metal plating raced to cover his arms and transform his fingers into metallic fingers. He felt all of his organs simply vanish, as if they had never been there before. For a split second, Ben thought he was going to die, until he felt something else take their place. Things that were rounded and notched around the ends as they began to steadily turn against each other, making a steady ticking sound. The metal plating soon covered his whole body as he felt his face become more square like. A thick protrusion sprouted from his head as the Omnitrix symbol appeared on a glass window that showed his insides turning against each other.
"Clockwork!" the Chronosapien cried with a German accent in his voice. He then reached up onto his head and pulled Ying off, throwing him as far as he could; the dragon merely landed on his feet. "Not what I was going for but, I can work with this." Clockwork shrugged.
Ying narrowed his eyes and rushed at Clockwork, thrusting his hands behind him and leveling his head with the rest of his body to make him more aerodynamic and to maximize his speed. Clockwork stood there motionless as Ying drew closer and closer, already preparing to draw back his hand into an eagle fist and strike the Chronosapien where he stood. At the last second, Clockwork raised his hands above his head and the windup key-like protrusion began to spin backwards, a green beam radiating outwards from his chest as the sound of a dying bell filled the ears of everyone watching. Ying suddenly slowed down to the pace of a tortoise, just barely moving across the arena as Clockwork simply sidestepped out of the way and cupped his hands together into a balled fist and striking Ying in the back, sending him down to the arena, defeated; the Chronosapien then restored the time line back to its original speed just before the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world.
"Nice fight, Ying. You nearly had me there." Ben smiled, bending down to help the dragon to his feet and bowing respectfully. Ying returned the gesture with a small smile and walked back over to the side of the arena, climbing back up over the side as the seventh and final Long brother jumped down from the arena.
"Amazing. To think he can simply manipulate the very fabric of time on a whim." Souh marveled.
"And he can do so much more." Jinafire smiled, her father giving her a confused look.
The seventh Long brother was unlike the others. In the time span in took for them all to walk the dark staircase down to the underground arena, he had somehow or other managed to don a a lightweight, black set of samurai armor that hid his face underneath the horned helmet; a long, curved blade with a golden dragon curled around the hilt was held tightly in both hands, his gloved fingers shifting positions every now and then. The dragon said nothing as he patiently waited for the battle to begin, his tail slowly moving back and forth in the dust.
"Chien-Po, where are your manners? Souh scolded his son.
The samurai seemed to heave an annoyed sigh before giving a small bow to Ben and then resuming his fighting stance. Ben gave a confused look before turned to the Omnitrix and cycling through the available transformations before selecting one at random and pressing down on the activation button, the green light washing over him and changing his form. The first and most noticeable part of the transformation began when the skin suddenly melted off of Ben's skull, the bare muscle and tissue solidifying and turning into a hard, metallic sheen as Ben's head suddenly separated from his body, a forked eyebrow-like crest forming above his green eyes as the transformation continued. His shoulders pinched upwards, forming large points and then an arch as his head floated between them, held in place by some of magnetic field. His skin turned a durable, metallic black with yellow lines and spots as his fingers fused together into large pincers, his frame shooting upwards until it was about ten feet tall. His feet fused together into two large claws, a tingling sensation at the end of his pincers suddenly becoming aware to him as the Omnitrix appeared on his chest, completing the transformation.
"I always knew I had a magnetic personality." Lodestar joked.
"Are his jokes always this bad?" Souh asked witih disappointment.
"Not always," Jinafire admitted. "They are mostly much worse. Occasionally, he will get a good one, but they are usually much worse than this."
"I take it you did not fall for him because of his sense of humor then?"
"While he can not tell a joke to save his life, he does make laugh." Jinafire smiled as she returned her attention to the battle. The Biosovortian raised his pincers and focused himself, searching with his mind and metallic body for the metal suit and sword in front of him. In a way, it was like trying to throw a mental grappling hook of sorts, searching for the right spot to latch onto before using it to his advantage. Unfortunately, the mental grappling hook was failing him; there were no footholds for him to grab onto or for him to extort.
"Not all metals are magnetic." Chein-Po suddenly said with what sounded like a knowing edge in his voice.
Faster than Lodestar could move, the dragon was gone, nothing but a small cloud of dust where had been moments ago; the sound of feet just barely touching the ground came from behind him and he ducked just in the nick of time as Chein-Po's sword sliced the air above him, just barely grazing his large, pointed shoulders. Lodestar then quickly lashed out with a leg behind him, swiping Chein-Po's legs out from underneath him; the Biosovortian taking the opportunity to make a break for it, summoning a shimmering magnetic field around him.
Chein-Po came charging right at him again, sword raised above his head before he swung it back down in a wide swing to hit the dome surrounding Lodestar, sparks showering off of the force field as the sharpened blade ran over it. The dragon hit the dome a few more times before backing up a few steps and stabbing the sword forward, aiming to try and pierce the dome and work his way inside; Lodestar however, was ready and released his hold on the dome at the last second, Chein-Po sailing right by and missing entirely.
The dragon almost instantly recovered and quickly turned on his heel, swiping the sword across Lodestar chest and leaving a shallow cut before Chein-Po flipped the sword in his hand, grabbed it by the blade, and cracked it over Lodestar's skull, shoving his floating head into his shoulders.
"Time for a change of face." Lodestar moaned, pressing the Omnitrix on his chest and relaxing as the green light washed over him and changed his DNA. 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 loud bellow, saliva dripping from his jaws before charging at Chein-Po and tackling him to the ground; the two rolled for a couple of yards before stopping, the Vulpimancer ending up on top and pinning the dragon's shoulders to the ground.
"Not very keen on personal hygiene, are we?" Chein-Po frowned underneath his helmet once he had gotten a whiff of Wuldmutt's breath.
Of course, the Vulpimancer's response was to merely growl, showcasing his razor sharp teeth.
"Not much for words, are you?" Chein-Po asked before bunching up his legs and slamming his feet into Wildmutt's gut, shoving the large carnivore off of him. "Too bad you are not much brains either." he added, his sword once more in his hands.
The Vulpimancer whimpered and stepped back a couple of feet as Chein-Po rushed forward, sword raised above his head. Wildmutt raised an arm to block his face as the sword came down, the blade digging into the armor-like fur on his arm; Wildmutt then took the opportunity to grab the sword in his teeth and bite in half, spitting out the pointed end and leaving Chein-Po with the other half.
"Hmm. Perhaps not so brainless." Chein-Po hummed before reaching behind his back and pulling out a brand new blade form a hidden scabbard on his back, the metal blade gleaming in the low light. "It should not matter though. I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve." he added with a smirk before a loud hissing sound filled the arena and a cloud of noxious, yellow gas expelled from hidden ports all over Chein-Po's suit, enveloping the arena in the stained fog.
"Ben!" Jinafire cried wordily upon hearing the Vulpimancer's panicked bellows. She turned to her father, concern in her eyes. "What has happened to Chein-Po? I know he could not perform kung-fu very well and resorted to swordsmanship, but he was always the kindest! What has happened to him?"
"He lost his love." Souh merely replied. "He fought as best as he could, but he was not good enough and lost the one he loved to another. Ever since then, he has lost his spirit in his madness to be better. And if that means he must have your lover's head, so be it."
"We have to stop this!" Jinafire demanded.
"It is against the ways of our ancestors, Nǚ'ér." Souh told Jinafire.
"As Ben would say, 'screw the ancestors'!" Jinafire frowned. "I will not stand by and watch him get killed!"
"Don't worry, Jinafire! I got this!" Ben's voice reassured her. Jinafire turned away from her father to look down at the arena just as a bright flash of light swept across the ground, blasting the yellow gas back. Ben felt every fiber of his being being ripped apart at the molecular, maybe even the quantum scale, becoming lose and separated. In a way, it was similar to being Goop, but this time it was beyond painful. He felt a darkness within him, like a vile serpent that was curling its way around his heart as the dark fibers began to condense back together into a somewhat more solid form. He watched from what seemed like a third person view as the black fibers, shadows seemed to be the more proper term, twisted and turned and molded together, forming the standard body shape for a four legged creature, complete with four muscled legs that ended in sharp, black hooves, and a tail that consisted mostly of stray hairs, much like a horse's. The sequence didn't stop there as the shadows began to form what seemed to be the head; except they didn't. Instead they morphed themselves into a muscled torso, Ben watched as four thin, yet muscled, arms formed on the torso and chest, two on either side. A small, somewhat human-shaped head formed on the end of a thin neck, elf-like ears forming on either side of it as white orbs took the place of the eyes. Dark, midnight colored hair sprouted from the scalp, tightening and condensing into long, wavy black hair tied into a ponytail. Ben then felt himself get sucked back into the lifeless body, his essence taking residence within the core as clothes began to form on the body; a dark green colored chest plate that contrasted nicely against the being's shadowy skin that swirled and whirled about with little control; arm and wrist guards with black stripes against dark green; spiked shoulder pads that framed a Roman style helmet with a bright green plume of feathers running down it. The agonizing transformation was complete when the Omnitrix appeared on the center of the chest plate.
"Phobos!" the Varjoain announced, summoning two pairs of dark, black blades that shimmered with shadows. Chein-Po frowned and sped forward, sword angled behind his head as he swung, ready to decapitate Phobos where he stood; the Varjoain was faster however, and quickly blocked and parried the blow with one set of swords before swinging low with the other pair and knocking the dragon's legs out from underneath him. He then quickly reared up onto his hind legs and kicked Chein-Po in the chin, his head snapping back ground the blow before Phobos quickly turned around and kicked him with his back legs, sending him flying across the arena.
"Hee-YAH!" Phobos roared as he galloped after Chein-Po, swords raised above his head.
"Satisfied, Nǚ'ér?" Souh asked as he watched his son and the Varjoain clash.
"For the moment," Jinafire answered, sitting back down. "But if Chein-Po goes too far, I will not hesitate to save Ben."
"I will not stop you," Souh replied as Chein-Po ducked under a wild swing of Phobo's swords. "You picked a good one."
Jinafire smiled and watched as Chein-Po kicked Phobos in the withers and quickly climbed to his feet, breathing heavily as his fingers wrapped around his sword. His helmet had fallen off in the battle, laying beaten and dented off to the far side as his black, sweat hair hanged over his face, blocking out his eyes.
"If I can not have love, no one can!" he snarled, charging forward and screaming at the top of his lungs. Chein-Po swung his sword wildly and without care, his expression turning more and more savage as he slashed Phobos once, twice, three times! The Varjoain staggered back with each blow until Chein-Po went for a head shot and tried to slice his head for a trophy; Phobos had had enough.
Just as the sword was about to slice through the shadows of his neck and end his life and whipped a hand up and cut the blade in his fingers; Chein-Po grunted and tried to edge the sword forward, but Phobos never wavered. He slowly and forcefully pried the weapon from Chein-Po's fingers and tossed it over his shoulder without a care, latching onto his shoulders with the other two arms. The Varjoain then grabbed Chein-Po's head with the other set of arms and held it still as he brought his face closer and closer to the dragon's.
"Look into my eyes and tell me what you see." Phobos growled in a low, demonic sounding voice that Jinafire had never heard before. A high wind suddenly picked up within the cavern, howling loudly until the torches flickered out and darkness enveloped the arena; Jinafire could hear her six other brothers all cry out in panic, and she could sense her father's pulse quickening beside her, but she never moved, only watching with a slight smirk as a sort of whirlwind appeared about Phobos and Chein-Po. The shadows on Phobo's body became roaring flames of pitch black darkness as he pressed his face closer and closer to Chein-Po, his white eyes narrowing as the dragon screamed. Chein-Po screamed as if he had seen the devil, as if he had been through the worst kinds of torture imaginable, as if he had been sent to hell and back and then sent back to hell a second time.
"The first rule about being a warrior is do no harm," Souh said. "Unless you mean to do harm. Then do lots of harm, which Ben appears to be doing. How long will he keep this up?" he asked his daughter without concern for Chein-Po, though Jinafire could sense slight concern in his voice.
"He will let up when he is sure Chein-Po has paid." Jinafire responded, never turning her steely gaze away from Phobos and Chein-Po. "Or until I say so. Gòule!" she suddenly yelled. Phobos hissed and pulled his head away from a snow white Chein-Po, letting him fall to the ground and curl up into a fetal position, murmuring incomprehensible things as he rocked himself; the Omnitrix timed out seconds later, and Ben bowed respectfully to Chein-Po before grabbing hold of his tail and dragging him over to the side of the arena towards his brothers. All of them but Ling and Malao shrank back as Ben approached and slipped Chein-Po over to them.
"I guess this means I've won, huh?" Ben smiled.
"Indeed, my boy." Souh smiled. "However, I would like to ask what you did to my son before you take my daughter back home. I believe she finds her new life to be more . . . acceptable . . . than before." he paused to search for the right word.
"He saw his worst nightmare," Ben explained. "Whenever anyone looks into Phobos's eyes, they always see what they fear the most."
"Hmm. A useful tactic indeed," Souh agreed before climbing to his feet and slamming the butt of his staff into the wooden bleacher, creating a loud booming sound that echoed throughout the arena; the torches flickered back to life. "You have bested all seven of my sons and have won the right to court and marry my daughter. You have brought honor upon yourself and to those you have defeated," Souh announced loudly, as if he were proclaiming it to the whole world. "But most of all, you have made my daughter happy." he added with a smile as Jinafire jumped down from the bleachers and ran over to Ben, pulling him into a tight hug and kissing his cheek.
"Make her happy, boy." Souh told Ben.
"I will, sir." Ben bowed.
"Please, you may call me 'father'." Souh smiled, bowing to Ben. Ben's eyes widened as Jinafire's grip on him tightened before Ben returned the bow.
"Well, I guess we'll be off now," Ben smiled before turning to the Omnitrix for one last time and cycling through the transformations before selecting the one he needed and pressing down on the activation button. Ben's fingers hardened into sharpened blades as a long, whip-like tail sprouted from the base of his spine and stretched out a couple feet. His toes ripped out of his shoes and melted into four claws, two in front, two in back. The ball of his heel crunched forward, moving under his foot bones and becoming perfectly round and smooth, suddenly separating itself from his foot and held there by his curved toes. Ben felt his skull stretch back into a sharp point and his legs bent backwards. A pointy, black helmet with a slide down mask materialized on his head and a tight, black and green body suit appeared on himself, the Omnitrix and Skurd appearing on his chest, completing his transformation.
"Gotta flash!" XLR8 quipped as Jinafire climbed onto his back and waved good-bye to her family before the Kinceleran zipped off in a black and blue blur and raced up the stairs and out of the house with a loud "WOO-HOO!"
"Just when I thought his jokes could not get any worse." Souh sighed with a smile.
"I thought it was funny." Malao smiled cheekily as the rest of the brothers groaned, both at Malao and at the thought of soon having Ben as a brother-in-law.
Clawdeen bit her lip as she held the letter in her hand, taking a curious sniff at it with her sensitive nose; it didn't smell any different than a regular envelope. She sighed and decided to get it over with, tearing open the envelope with her claws and unfolding the letter to read it with a semi-bored and winded expression.
Dear Clawdeen,
Let me just start off by saying I was wrong.
You're probably confused right now, and quite frankly I can't blame you (Time travel gives you such a headache, am I right?). Let me catch you up to speed.
Ever since that night when I thought Ben and my Beast Friend Forever had been wiped off the face of the earth by a psychotic alien ghost and an oversized grandfather's clock, I quickly fell into despair. As the years went on and the fighting increased, I used that despair to fuel my hatred for Zs'Skayr and his followers. I wanted nothing more than to see their heads torn from their shoulders and painfully mounted above a fire place for me to enjoy playing darts with. A sick image, I know. And then Toralei came into the picture, and she fueled by aggression and rage, pointing out that if Ben had just stayed in his own dimension, then none of this would have happened. And I sadly had to agree.
I'm sure you're well aware of my (our?) dream of being a famous fashion designer? Well, that dream quickly went down the drain in the following years of the Rebellion. My main dream right now was to end this stupid war and make Ben pay for everything he did to us, if I found him. And then he suddenly appeared.
I was relieved beyond belief that he was alive and not dead, because that meant La La was alright too. And Frankie, thank goodness, was given a second chance as well. But I still hated Ben, and I wanted to make him suffer for everything he had put us through. But I couldn't out right torture him without upsetting several ghouls that could seriously kick my ass if they wanted to. So I only made his life a living hell whenever we were alone or on a mission together.
But then I realized something on a mission to save Gigi (Ben will explain).
Ben never asked for any of this. He never asked to find the Omnitrix and have all this responsibility planted on his shoulders. He never asked to risk his neck for people he didn't know, and he never asked for the fame he was given (I don't think we was given fortune. Otherwise, he would have bought better clothes). But he excepted the life he was given and chose to make the best of it. While he was slightly stubborn, cocky, and immature when we were together, he was also showed me that he was smart, cunning, brave, and courageous with no concern for his safety when the lives of others were involved. Against my own will, I developed a mutual respect for him.
And then the day came when the Way Bad attacked the Base. I was so foolish then. I ran away like a coward and hid within the safety of the base while Ben went out and risked his life to protect those he cared about. La La nearly died out there and I was too scared to do anything. But not Ben. He nearly died himself making sure he was alright and he beat the Way Bad while he was at it.
I guess somewhere along the line from then and writing this letter I developed feelings for him. I admired his bravery and strength, both physically and emotionally. Get together with him sometime for a date, and I promise you'll enjoy yourself. I'm not saying you should go right out and SMUGE him, but give him a chance. I know you like him. Or at least, like Blitzwolfer.
Yes, I remember our little crush all those years ago. I still have a picture of you and Ben together tapped to the inside of my bra (what? It was the only place I could think of where Toralei couldn't possibly find it).
Just do yourself a favor and go out with him.
Love,
Clawdeen
Clawdeen's face was now a dark mahogany in color upon reading the last couple of paragraphs of the letter; even though part of the sentence was scribbled out so that no one could read it, she had a pretty descent idea at what had been written there. And she did have to admit, she had started to form tiny feelings for Ben in the short time she had gotten over her hatred of him. But was she really ready to try and date him? She looked back upon her ghoulfriends; Frankie, Robecca, Venus, Spectra, Skelita, Jinafire, Jane, all seemed pleasantly happy with Ben in their lives. And if that kept up, they would soon end up as a pack, to put in Jane's terms.
A sudden rushing sound caught her sensitive ears and she quickly dove out of the way as a black and blue blur sped right through the spot she had been standing moments ago. "Ahhh! Can't stop, no traction!" the blur wailed before it crashed face first into a tree and slid to the ground with a groan. Jinafire, who had jumped off at the last second, smiled and helped XLR8 to his feet, giving a small kiss on the head.
"Remind me to get brakes on these things." the Kinceleran grumbled, holding up one of his balled feet for emphasis." Clawdeen sucked in a deep breath before looking back at the letter a second time.
Screw it, she thought.
"Hey, uh, Ben?" Clawdeen asked nervously, walking over to XLR8 and ignoring the curious stares her friends were giving her.
"What can I help you with, Clawdeen? At least you're much nicer back here in the present." XLR8 smiled before Jinafire elbowed him in the ribs. "Sorry." he apologized.
"Whatever," Clawdeen pushed the comment aside. "Uh, are you busy tomorrow?" she asked.
"Well, if I can get out of bed and avoid Charmcaster's wrath, then I should be pretty free tomorrow. Thankfully it's Frightday and we didn't have any homework at school." the Kinceleran sighed with relief.
"Hard to believe you were able to remember that after everything we went through." Jinafire noted.
"Hey, fast reflexes, fast mind," XLR8 told her before returning his attention back to Clawdeen. "You were saying?"
"Yeah, uh, right," Clawdeen bit her lip; she shifted the letter before her fingers, having last minute thoughts about talking to Ben. "Do you, uh, maybe . . . I dunno . . . wanna go out sometime tomorrow?" she winced, unsure if she was saying it right; the words felt foreign in her mouth.
XLR8 blinked and turned to Jinafire, seeming to have a mental conversation with her before speaking again. "Uh, sure. Sometime around lunch?" he suggested.
Clawdeen mentally sighed with relief and merely nodded her head. She felt like a great weight had been taken off of her shoulders and she could finally start breathing again. "Sure. Call me if you need to reschedule." she told him before a thought came to her. "Uh, how long are you going to stay like that?" she asked, gesturing towards the Kinceleran's body.
"Until I time out." XLR8 shrugged. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a worried sorceress to avoid and one Frankie Stein to return to her parents." he said as Jinafire climbed on his back and hung on as he quickly zipped over to Frankie and scooped her up in his arms before speeding off in the blink of an eye.
Clawdeen exhaled, not realizing she had been holding her breath and collapsed on the ground to rest, staring up at the full moon overhead and wishing it would still be around come morning to give her its confident glow.
And there we go!
Let me just say that it was both a joy and a pain to write this chapter. Not only because I love writing this story, but because I promised a deadline, and I really hate deadlines. I like writing at my own convince which, thankfully, is pretty descent with you guys. It was mostly a pain because I had to study hundreds of different videos of martial arts to get the fights just right.
Another pain was the fact that I kept on getting negative comments about giving feathers in the next chapter. Memo to self, never write about dinosaurs ever again. Then again, I'll most likely break that promise. If you are only reading this author's note and skipped the first one, I suggest you go back up there and read what I've said about this particular issue. I'll wait.
We done? Good. Hope that clears some stuff up.
For those of you still waiting for the feathers to start to fly back in Ben's dimension, you'll have to wait a few more chapters. I need to tie up loose ends in the Monster world before going back to Ben's world and quite frankly, there are just way too many strings to tie (not that I'm complaining). So be patient!
As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!
Hasta Luego!