Hey everyone.
I'm back with yet another chapter like I promised. So I've noticed I've not been getting that much support like I used to. I guess it has to do with my previous absences. But I'm glad that there are still some people that are enjoying it. Thank you so much!
And with that said, on with the chapter.
Chapter 17: The Ultimate Search Part 4: The Library
"Are you sure you can do that?" Sokka asked with a skeptic look on his face.
It had only been a few minutes since Ben mentioned the location of Won Shi Tong's library. Since then, there hadn't been much to say until Ben said about opening a rift to the Spirit World so they could get to the library, which sounded absurd to the Avatar trio and the Admiral.
"Yeah, I'm with Sokka on this." Katara said in agreement. "To be sent into the Spirit World by a spirit is one thing, but opening a way to it sounds impossible."
"Hmph! Shows what you know." Ben stated with a smug.
Currently, the young hero was back to his normal form from Darkmare, having seen no use of the alien. Sure, Darkmare came with more power than the Avatar and his people knew, but for now the hero didn't think he needed the form. And now that he was being doubted upon, he turned his back against them while having his arm above and already activated Omnitrix.
"Hold on, Ben." Aang reached out to the other teen. "It's not that it isn't possible to cross to the human world. I can do that too. But you're not even from here. Are you sure you can do that?"
"I can." Ben answered. At that moment, he turned his head sideway to the Avatar trio, revealing his smirk as his hand was ready to come down on the watch's faceplate. The alien device now had a green hologram of an alien, which as of the moment was unknown to the others. "Relax. I got this." Ben assured. "The Omnitrix specializes in making the impossible, possible."
Just then, Ben slammed his right hand down on the Omnitrix faceplate, causing his whole body to be engulfed by a green light. The light lasted for a few seconds, before finally giving dying down to reveal Ben in yet another surprising form.
The teen hero still retained a humanoid form as he stood proudly before everyone. His human feature was still retained such as with Darkmare, but with some exceptions. Some these included his height now being six feet, as he now had a slightly pale face while wearing 'bizarre' clothes and possessing a slightly muscular body and snow white hair. So while the clothes he previously wore were strange, his present one which resembled some similarities to Dark Dan was stranger. The exclusion to this, though, was the parts where it was black was replaced with the color green and the Omnitrix symbol being on his chest.
"Eerinferno!" Ben shouted the name.
As Eerinferno, Ben possessed the powers of one the most powerful ghosts from Danny Phantom's world. This meant that not only could he do the same things Danny and his alternate future-self could do, it also meant he was possibly more powerful than the both of them. However, its use as of the moment wasn't for power level, but rather for something more complex, as soon revealed when Eerinferno raised his hand. He made sure the ecto energy in him flowed to his hand before opening a circular shaped gateway in mid-air before him to the Spirit World.
What they could see, though, was just a misty forest. The place may seem at first to be an ordinary one, but by the odd way it looked physically and the coldness radiating from it said otherwise. In fact, if it weren't for all of this, questions about Ben's power would have come up again.
Fortunately, that didn't happen at all. Instead, the first to speak was Katara, who was able to hold back her surprise as she spoke. "So that's the Spirit World?" She asked. "I'll admit I'm surprised you actually did that. But might I ask how long you've been doing this?"
"Uh, not sure." Eerinferno said with a shrug. Now that he thought about it, he has been opening portals much that he never kept track. So while he put his fist by his right side, he turned to the others. "Well I've never used this alien…ghost to open portals before, to be honest. I only know of this because of Ultimate Ben?"
"Ultimate Ben?" Sokka asked. "Pfft, sounds like a lame name – Ow."
Sokka's reaction afterward was a result of Aang's nudge. Fortunately, the older one only glared at the Avatar before Eerinferno answered his question. "Yep…Ultimate Ben. Got a problem with that, pony tail?"
"Great…another Toph." Sokka grumbled.
Eerinferno chuckled. "He sounds like a great guy. I should meet him."
"Uh…Toph is a girl, Ben." Katara said.
Sokka laughed. "Aw men! Toph is going to freak about this."
Somewhere in the Earth Kingdom, Toph was practicing some Earth Bending moves. She had just left her students an hour ago when she was by herself to this point and suddenly sneezed for no reason. The weather wasn't cold, so why did she sneeze?
"Men…I hope I'm not getting a cold." The Earthbender muttered to herself. She could just think on it, but she chose not to as she shrugged her shoulders and went back to what she was doing.
"Ow! Would you quiet it!" Sokka yelled angrily.
Just a second ago, Aang had nudged at his friend by his side again. The reason behind it was due to Sokka's response earlier about Toph, who chose not to come with them when they last met her.
"Uh…Oops." Eerinferno said sheepishly.
"It's okay. I'm sure she wouldn't mind…much." Aang replied, though clearly uncertain.
"Uh…right." Eerinferno muttered. He could see and tell that Aang was lying about it, but decided not to go into the matter anymore. Instead, he went on to change the subject. "Anyway, Ultimate Ben is well…me, but…crazy stronger. He basically has all the power of my aliens into one form, and is able to do things you wouldn't imagine. I even had Nefarius on the run when I was in that form."
"Wow, really?" Aang asked, a bit surprised and amazed. The look on his face then was very obvious as he continued. "If that's true then you can take him down on your own."
"Yes…and no." Eerinferno shook his head.
By the look on the Avatar Trio, it was obvious the teen alien had confused them. As for Admiral Kazuki, he stood by his position and listened in on everything, especially as Eerinferno sighed with a deep thought obvious in mind.
"It's not that I can't use that form to beat Nefarius, it's just that I won't." Eerinferno confessed. "I only made that form out of anger and spite for revenge. If I use that form any longer than required, it might tear me apart or drive me insane. I didn't consider the risk of adding all power into one body. I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" Aang asked. The expression he had earlier had existed for a short time before now hearing Ben's words. He understood then how Ben was feeling as so walked over to him before placing an assuring pat on his shoulder despite the height difference. "Hey, don't worry about it. We'll beat Nefarius together." Aang said positively.
"Yeah, of course." Ben said and smiled.
At this point, both heroes felt a good connection with each other. It was built on a foundation of trust before being followed by friendship. But before any of them could say anything, both turned to Katara as she called out to Aang, who soon received a shock of his own.
For a reason yet unknown, Katara went over to Aang and embraced him in a hug. She had arms wrapped around his neck before pulling back a bit to kiss him on the lips. At first, Aang was surprised by her action until he realized her reason for it before closing his eyes and kissing her back. The two of them were at their moment for some time until finally departing lips, though with their eyes staring kindly at each other.
"Please come back safely, okay?" Katara said.
"I will. I promise." Aang assured her.
By the meantime, Sokka went over to Eerinferno's side with his arms crossed. His eyes were staring at the moment his sister and his friend were having before softly speaking to the alien hero without turning at him. "Look at them. Kissing like we're not even here." He said. "I know I'm her sister and all, but it's still weird to see my best friend kissing her, you know."
"No, not really." Eerinferno disagreed with a fine tone. "But I think I get what you mean. I've seen couples kiss before and it can be disturbing even though I have a girlfriend."
"Wait you have a girlfriend?" Sokka asked in shock.
The shock of the sudden revelation made the older teen to turn at Ben with a look on his face. "How? You've been sounding sappy all this time."
"Sappy?" Eerinferno asked. He had a raised eyebrow at the teen as he crossed his arms over his chest and continued "Just because I've had rough times doesn't mean I live alone. I have friends like Aang, Katara and…Toph."
"What about me? You haven't even met her!" Sokka yelled, clearly offended.
"I know. But if she's able to annoy you, then I might as well do." Eerinferno chuckled.
Sokka shot a glare at the alien in response. He had every thought in his mind to yell at the teen when he found that opportunity lost thanks to Katara. Apparently then, the Water tribe girl had called Ben, who at that moment saw her facing him with Aang next to her. From the looks of it, though, she seemed slightly unease for some unknown reason, as it was then obvious when she spoke.
"Sorry if this seems too much, but can you watch out for Aang?" She asked with a soft voice.
"Uh, sure." Eerinferno said. He was a bit taken aback by her question for a second before putting up more of a bold front with his thumb up. "Relax, Katara. I would've been watching him even if you didn't ask."
"See, Katara." Aang said to his girlfriend. He didn't seem at a rush at it as he faced his girlfriend entirely with a pleased and calming expression while speaking. "I told you he would. He's trustworthy."
"I know. I'm just worried." Katara admitted. "If what Ben said about Nefarius is true then you might be facing something out of your boundaries."
She was right about Aang with her feelings. Ben knew this since what he explained about Nefarius earlier was terrifying even to him despite living through the villain's evil ways. Good thing that Aang didn't tell her about the vision he had about the supervillain concerning what may become the future.
Fortunately, Katara seemed to understand the situation despite her feeling. It was clear to everyone there as she took a step back and smiled at her boyfriend that she was fine. "Good luck over there, Aang. I believe you." She said.
"Me too, buddy." Sokka said from his position. The older teen had a small smug on his face as he walked over to Aang and pat him on his back softly. "So get back as soon as you can or else."
"Or else what?" Aang asked.
Sokka shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I was building up to something."
Katara did a face-palmed, as well as with Eerinferno due to Sokka. Though they didn't need to say it, it was clear they found the older teen's response to be dumb. It was a good thing that soon afterwards Admiral Kazuki went over to the group and said his goodbyes before cautioning about leaving the opening to the Spirit World open for too long. Hence, with farewells said by Eerinferno and Aang, both heroes went through the portal before it closed right behind them.
Upon crossing over to the Spirit World, Aang and Eerinferno turned back to see the gateway gone.
"Well there's no turning back now." Eerinferno commented.
Just then, the Omnitrix badge on the alien's face flashed its neon green color once. It didn't do any harm on the alien teen hero, though, as it then engulfed his entire body in almost an instant. As a result, when the light died down, Eerinferno was back to being Ben again.
"Well let's get going." Ben said again.
The teen was back to facing the present concerning Nefarius. It was obvious by his almost serious face before walking away upon speaking, with Aang catching up to his side. From the looks of it, both teens were now marching through the weirdness of the Spirit World like it was just an ordinary place on Earth without much of a hindrance.
"Wow, it's so spooky here huh." Ben was the first to comment.
It hadn't been long since the two heroes had ventured through the swamp-like Spirit World with ease when Ben made a comment. So far, they were walking through a path as their feet marched on the small water better, which oddly felt slightly different from the real deal. There were a few branches they came across, but none that they couldn't just walk over and continue.
So now that Ben had made the comment, Aang looked at his friend strangely. He didn't know exactly what Ben meant, and as such questioned him. "Spooky?"
"Uh, yeah. Spooky." Ben replied. "Like really weird and kind of creepy."
"Oh yeah. Of course." Aang acknowledged.
However, it didn't go well for Ben. This was obvious as he sighed and brushed his right hand through his brown hair before putting it back at his side. Aang was clearly not one for conversations, at least to what Ben thought until the Avatar looked at him again. This time, however, he asked a question.
"So, Ben, you have a girlfriend?"
"Huh?" Ben said, taken aback. He looked back at the Avatar a bit of startled and asked. "Wait, how did you know that?"
"Katara and I heard you and Sokka." Aang said and chuckled a bit. "So do you really have one?"
"Yeah, I do." Ben admitted. He calmed down from the reaction he had before as a smile formed on his face when the image of the girl came into his mind. "Her name is Danielle Fenton, but she mostly goes with Dani." He said.
"Cool name." Aang commented.
"Yeah, it is." Ben agreed. "She's no pushover, though. She knows how to handle herself in a fight."
"Really?"
"Yep." Ben nodded. "You know that alien I turned into to open that gateway?"
"Yes." Aang answered. You called him Eer…inferno."
"Yeah, well she can turn into its species." Ben explained. "You see, that alien is actually what they call a ghost - And before you ask what ghosts are, they're kind of like creatures of the dead."
"Wow. So they're like spirits."
Ben shrugged his shoulders. "More or less, I guess. Honestly, it confuses me just to think about it." He said. "So about Dani, she can turn into that since it's a part of her. That means she can kick major butt if she wanted to. I should know, I fought her when she was turned evil by Nefarius's followers."
"Wow. She must be amazing then." Aang commented with awed smile.
"She is." Ben nodded in agreement. He felt really good to actually hear someone say that, as obvious by the wide smile on her face. "She's sweet, kind, great at videogames and a good kisser."
"Uh…Ben?" Aang said.
"Yeah, what?" Ben asked and turned to him.
The Avatar then didn't know what to say as he held back a snicker. He could see a blush now on Ben's face at that moment as the teen apparently didn't know about it. But due to having gotten his attention, he covered his snickering lips and pointed at his face. "You're blushing." He said.
"Huh?" Ben said.
Just then, the teen's mind registered what his friend just told him. It was embarrassing to think of, especially as he quickly slapped his cheeks before pointing accursedly at the Avatar. "Not one word to the others, got it?"
"Got it." Aang gulped and sheepishly smiled
Truth be told, it was really funny to see Ben's reaction. It proved that the teen hero was still a kid despite all the emotional things he went through because of Nefarius. Sadly, just when it seemed that was the case, Aang's smirk dropped when he noticed Ben come to a stop with his face down on the ground.
"Uh, Ben. Are you okay?"Aang asked with concern. He had seen this act from Ben and knew it wasn't something good.
"Yeah…I guess. But what about her?" Ben asked. His tone was depressing from the moment he spoke. "Right now Dani is with Juniper and a friend of mine in another world to save it. But now that I think about it…when Dani comes back, she won't have a home to go back to. Her family…her friends…they're all gone."
(A/N: The friend Ben mentions is Terra from Teen Titans)
Now it all made sense to the Avatar. While it was true that Ben had come to terms with the past, he was still worried about his girlfriend's life. After all, unlike him and the hero, the girl likely had no place to go since her world was destroyed by the monster that's Nefarius.
It was truly a sad thing to think about. But sadly there wasn't much Aang could do to help him, except as he then went over to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I can't help her with that, Ben." Aang said softly. "My people were wiped out by the Fire Nation a long time ago. It made me feel like I was alone, and the last of my people's culture. But thanks to Katara…Sokka and the others, I was able to get myself together and live on. So what I'm trying to say is this. When the time comes, be there for her. She will need you. You're the last person from her home, and the last person she would depend on. So don't worry too much about it. We may not be able to change what has happened in the past, but we can change what happens from here on out. And right now that involves stopping Nefarius from destroying more lives."
"You're right." Ben said in acknowledgement. He could feel himself feel better about the thought as he raised his head at Aang with a bit of determination on it. "Besides, I have to make it through Nefarius to be there for her."
"Yup." Aang nodded.
"Well here we are." Said Aang. "Wan Shi Tong's library."
True to his words, there were now before the library. However, its entire structure was upside on a large branch as seen in Ben's mind probe on Aang earlier.
However, other than the placement, the Avatar could see then that the place was no different than how it was presented as a drawing when he and his friends met Professor Zei. His reason for this was due to the fact that last time he went into the building, he wasn't able to see the building's outside since it was almost entirely buried in the sand last time. Hence, now that he did, he found it beautiful even though it was upside-down.
"So how should we enter?" Aang asked.
His question there wasn't to his own being, but to the hero next to him. He did this since he wasn't certain on their approach; especially with how it went the last time he and his friends went to the library. But just when he thought Ben would give something reasonable, he was soon proven wrong.
"Easy. We break the door." Ben stated.
'Why did I even ask?' Aang asked with a slump look. He regretted there for asking the young hero, and so spoke to him. "That wouldn't be a good idea, Ben." Aang insisted. "Wan Shi Tong wouldn't like that."
"Uh huh." Ben muttered.
However, his mind wasn't on the Avatar. It was obvious then as he already had his hand over the Omnitrix as he went through various aliens in the Omnitrix before finally pulling back with a wide smirk on his face.
"Ha! There he is!" Ben cheered.
"You're not listening to me, are you?" Aang glared.
"Huh?" Ben turned at him.
At this point, Ben's mind was obviously absentminded. It was clear by the way he looked at Aang before unintentionally slamming his hand down on the Omnitrix's faceplate. Hence, when the light engulfed him and died down, the hero was in a completely different alien form.
Now, gone was the appearance of a thirteen year old human s his new form was revealed. It wasn't something spectacular, but something Avatar would later close his nose to as he stared at a bug alien with an insect-like body.
The alien had four small peduncluated eyes with yellowish-orange in color as they were directed connected to the sides of his black head. As for the rest of its body, it wore a black and white color schemed cloth as its light green, fragile wings could be seen poking from the back. Its limbs were brown-greenish in color, with the Omnitrix symbol being on in the middle of his face.
"Stinkfly? What the heck?!" Ben shouted in shock.
True to his words, the form he ended up having was Stinkfly.
As the insect-like alien, Ben was gifted with a few things such as flight and the ability to shoot gooey things. But with the fact that he had gotten stronger and more powerful aliens that could fly and do more than Stinkfly could ever do, the hero ended up never using him ever since his first time in Danny Phantom's world.
For a moment, Aang could only blink as he comprehended the alien before him. He could see that Ben obviously didn't intend for this alien, and as such didn't know what to say. But even if he could, he didn't have the chance to as he sniffed the air and caught the awful scent from Stinkfly. As a result, Aang took a step back and covered his nose while displaying a face of disgust. "Ben, you stink!"
"Yeah, tell me something I don't!" Stinkfly yelled sarcastically.
The thought about his recent transformation already felt annoying. He never intended for Stinkfly, not even once for a long time since his chase against Nefarius. But now that he yelled at Aang, he continued with an annoyed voice. "I didn't even want this guy!" Ben stated. "I was going for Kid Impervious!"
"Who?"
"Urgh! Never mind."
Aang was a bit confused by him. He could understand how bad looking the alien could be, but not the one Ben wanted to be. Was this Kid Impervious something better to see? Aang wasn't sure. But even if he could, he didn't get the chance as Stinkfly suddenly flew over to him and grabbed his shoulders, much to the Avatar shock.
"H-Hey! What are you doing!" Aang questioned.
"We're going through this plan!" Stinkfly stated.
Aang was confused by what he meant. He wanted to ask what the hero meant by that, when suddenly he was lifted off from the ground in a rush without a warning. From there, tt became clear on what Ben had in mind as Aang eyes flew wide when they approached quickly to the huge doors of the library.
"AHH! We won't make it through, Ben!" Aang shouted.
As much as Aang wanted to get into the place, he didn't like the resort Stinkfly was going for. The alien wasn't that strong looking despite how furiously determined he looked as he increased his speed. So for the Avatar, all he could do was shield himself with his staff as they finally made contact with the door…only for them to end up flying right through it.
"Ha! It worked!" Stinkfly grinned.
"Huh?" Aang muttered in shock.
Just a second ago, the Avatar thought he and Stinkfly would end up splattered on the large doors. After all, it was the most common thing to think at that situation. But now, there he and Stinkfly flew, inside the very building that's Wan Shi Tong's library.
"We made it?" Aang asked. His tone sounded mixed in confusion and surprise, especially as he then looked up to Stinkfly.
"Yup. I kind of knew it would work." Stinkfly replied.
"Kind of?" The Avatar asked, raising his eyebrow.
Right there, Aang wanted to ask what Ben meant by that. It was obvious to him that Ben didn't plan on them going through the door or actually making it into the building anyway. But even then, before he could actually bring it up, he moved his head forward and became wide eyed. "Ben, look out!" He shouted.
"Huh?"
However, it was too late. Stinkfly and Aang ended up hitting the pillar face-first before hitting the ground hard. The impact was bad to feel as both hero winced and got on their knees, with Ben changing back to himself after being engulfed in a flash of green light.
"Damn, what hit me?" Ben mumbled.
From the looks of it, both heroes were alright from the fall. They bodies obviously hurt by the way they struggled to get back on their feet before Aang turned his head at Ben with a scowl. "We hit a pillar. Weren't you watching?"
"Oh, sorry." Ben apologized. "I was looking around when –"
Ben didn't get to finish his explanation. He could have as he intended to, but ended up getting interrupted by a sudden slow clap that echoed through the air, sounding around them. It came as a surprise to both heroes as they looked around before Aang caught the sight of a figure at the other end of the library, standing at an observant high level.
"Ben, look!" Aang shouted and pointed.
Indeed, Ben was right to follow his friend's direction. The two heroes had been caught off guard by the clapping until now both were staring at the source of it. So while one of them was surprised at the figure, the other snarled angrily at it.
"Nefarius!" Ben yelled angrily.
True to his words, it was the being known as Nefarius. It wasn't a fake projection or dream-like version of him, it was the real him.
"Wait, that's Nefarius?" Aang asked. His reaction then was a mixed of mild shock and confusion as he turned to Ben upon asking. The teen, however, didn't reply, especially as Aang turned back at the monster and sent a straightforward look at it. "You're right. That is him. He looks the same from my vision."
"HAHAHAHA!" Nefarius laughed. "So you had a vision of me, Avatar?"
Aang didn't answer him. He instead sent him glaring look as he clutched his fists while tightening his grip on his staff. However, the supervillain didn't find him threatening as he stretched his hands out by his sides while displaying his sharp monstrous teeth.
"Tell me, Avatar, was I a god in your vision?" Nefarius asked gleefully. "Did I spread chaos and destruction all over your world unlike what I did to those pathetic humans?"
"You're a monster!" Aang yelled angrily. "Those people did nothing wrong to you! They only wanted peace!"
"Peace is for the weak." Nefarius said back. He didn't care for a second on what Aang said, especially as he placed his arms back to his sides. "You want to know why I made them suffer, boy?" He asked menacingly. "It's because I needed to test my new power on them. They were the right guinea-pigs to try it on."
"That power isn't yours, Nefarius!" Ben yelled angrily this time. "That power belongs to Rex Salazar. You stole it from him!"
"Yes, I did." Nefarius admitted. He didn't feel guilt about it, though. "And I shall steal this world's power which will lead me one step to ultimate power. A power much greater than anything you and the Avatar have ever possessed in your lifetime…or lifetimes in the case of the Avatar."
Ben growled angrily in response. Nefarius was still as crazy as the last time he had last seen him. He destroyed worlds, ruined lives and only seemed concerned with ultimate power, which in itself was a mystery. Unfortunately, before he could think on it, Nefarius spoke again.
"However, I cannot let you children get in my way." He said proudly. "I'm so close to ultimate power. So just to keep you occupied, I'll send my new slave to deal with you."
'New Slave?' Both Aang and Ben wondered.
Nefarius smirked. "Wan Shi Tong! Deal with these pests for your master!"
Suddenly, the ground shook violently as a loud bird screech went through the air. The sound of it caused both Aang and Ben to cover their teeth, while gnashing their teeth from the hurt, as the source landed on the ground some feet away. And just when it seemed it couldn't do much than that, its large black wings flapped the air and sent a strong wave through the air.
Fortunately, not much damage had been done. Ben and Aang were okay, as they removed their hands from their ears before looking a bit lost. The power the creature possessed was clearly outstanding to them, though not enough to stop them from looking forward at the creature.
"Wan Shi Tong?" Aang gasped in shock.
Indeed, before him was the spirit behind the creation of the library. But something wasn't right about him. He was in his ferrous form, as indicated by his long neck, furious face, straightened feathers, long legs and large wings, while at the same time having red bloody eyes.
"Wait, that's the librarian of this place?" Ben asked.
"Yeah." Aang answered and turned to Ben. "Didn't we tell you that?"
"Nope." Ben answered and shook his head.
Just then, the unexpected happened to both heroes. The bird spirit immediately flew at them with a loud cry, with his wide mouth to grasp one of them. However, he failed to get them due to the heroes jumping out of the way, separate from each other, with the bird spirit between them.
By its attack towards the heroes, Wong Shi Tong was now regarded as a threat. He was able to force Ben to jump to his right and fall on his stomach while Aang landed on his feet, though feeling a bit taken aback. And just before it could stand, Ben got on his feet and activated the Omnitrix.
"Okay. Now it's time to clip your wings!" Ben shouted.
Suddenly, without a single hesitation, the hero slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix faceplate and was engulfed by green light. It caused his body to grow large as his body became composed of crystals before finally dying down to reveal Ben in another alien form. He wore a black and white color scheme suit, with yellow eyes in place of his human eyes, while having the Omnitrix symbol on the left part of his chest.
"Diamondhead!" He bellowed.
As Diamondhead, Ben possessed vary of abilities in the form of the crystal he was made of. It wasn't made from any earthly material, though, but rather from the place the alien originated from. However, its source wasn't a thought for Diamondhead as he took a step back and watched the bird spirit rise back on his feet and turn at him with his furious face. He was about to realize another monstrous cry when suddenly it was hit by two fire blasts to the face.
The fire blasts came as a surprise to the bird spirit as it caused him to cry out in pain. Diamondhead could see it from him position before turning his attention to the source of the blast, which turned out to be Aang.
"Wow! Nice shot, Aang!" Diamondhead shouted to Aang.
"Thanks." Aang said back.
However, this didn't mean the fight was over. In fact, it just begun as obvious when the bird turn and flapped his large wing at Aang, who couldn't act to avoid it in time. Hence, as a result, he was sent flying through the air before hitting the ground.
"Aang!' Diamondhead shouted. He was surprised by what happened to the Avatar until turning his attention back at Wong Shi Tong with an angry glare. "Okay, now you've done it!" He shouted.
The alien hero decided to act then as he moved his hands forward, with his fist tightened. He made sure instantly his eyes were locked on the bird spirit before shooting small shards of diamond at the spirit's face. They did have an effect on the spirit as it caused him to step back before shielding his face with his left wing and using it against Diamondhead with a flap of it.
However, this didn't work exactly as he wanted. Wong Shi Tong was able to send Diamondhead's shards back, but not the alien hero himself due to his hardened body. But that wasn't to say that Diamondhead didn't feel the force as he shielded his face with his left arm.
Diamondhead had a second to acknowledge what just happened to him. He could feel the power of Wong Shi Tong's wing as it made him come to the conclusion that the bird spirit was no joke. But just as he put his arm down, he was grabbed by the spirit's large leg and stomped on the ground hard before being flung through the air and hitting one of the library's numerous shelves.
The impact to the shelf wasn't so bad, though. It didn't hurt Diamondhead in the slightest as obvious when he stood up almost immediately. But he did get to see Wong Shi Tong just before him, read to let out what may be another powerful bird screech.
But that didn't happen due to the Avatar. This was just as the spirit was about to blast when Aang suddenly flew over to him via his glider before swiftly turning it back to a staff in the air as he used to it send a wind slash at the spirit's back. The attack hit the spirit's back as a result, as it cried out in pain before turning its attention to Aang, who landed on the ground, close to him.
By the glare on Wong Shi Tong's face, it was clear the ancient spirit didn't like the attack in the slightest bit. It was obvious when he sent his right wing at the Avatar, only to then missed due to his target using airbending to make a big jump to stay behind him as he slashed his staff in the air and sent yet another air blast.
Wong Shi Tong had no time to react as he was hit with the blast. He cried out in pain yet again before being forced back and shield his face with both wings as diamond shards nearly made contact with its face.
Due to Aang's swift attack, Diamondhead took that chance to attack with advance. He rejoined with Aang while firing before watching as the Avatar started shooting fire blasts from his fists while maintaining his own. They were both able to force the bird spirit back due to their firing attacks as it became clear that Wong Shi Tong was being overwhelmed by it. Sadly, they couldn't continue their advance as the bird spirit spread out its wings, therefore letting out a big wing blast.
The blast was strong and powerful as it caused the ground to shake and bookshelves to fall in its path. Clearly, Wong Shi Tong didn't have his usual regard for his library as he ended up destroying a few of his properties by doing so, with the same almost for Aang and Diamondhead. Fortunately, Aang thought ahead as he stomped his right foot forward before sending both his hands close and upwards, thereby causing a big rock pillar to block the air attack.
So just as the air attack came, it left almost an intense with the heroes still intact. Aang could see an opening at the end of it as he then punched the rock pillar at Wong Shi Tong with full force. Clearly, the attack was meant to subdue the bird spirit as it reached the bird spirit, only to shatter into pieces with a swing of its wing.
Fortunately, the advance didn't stop there. Diamondhead chose then to act as he punched his right hand into the ground, causing large diamond shards to shoot out of the ground and head over to Wong Shi Tong's direction. It would have even hit the bird spirit, if not that it flapped its wings and began to take off to the air, only to then surprised by Diamondhead's next move.
Over Ben's experience with his aliens, the hero had learnt new tricks to use. There may not have been used by the species his aliens represented, but they were effective as proven to what he did next.
So before Wong Shi Tong could take off into the air, Diamondhead shot out from the end of his crystal shards trail and grabbed the bird by the ankle.
"Oh no you don't!" Diamondhead shouted.
Wong Shi Tong was surprised by the attack as he felt the grasp around his ankle. He was secured tightly by the alien hero as its weight forced his to the ground, with said hero landing safely on the ground. Then, just when his advance seemed to have ended, Diamondhead proved that wrong when he grabbed the bird's leg again, with two hands this time, and flung him to his far left.
Wong Shi Tong had no control over his body when this happen. His large body broke through a pillar and hit a couple of bookshelves before coming to a stop. It almost seemed like that attack was able to stop him, but Aang knew better. The Avatar has been in battles with spirits before, and so knew beating him that way wasn't enough.
"Ben!" Aang shouted to the hero.
"Hm?" Diamondhead responded.
The alien hero turned to his left and saw the Avatar approach him.
"Toss me over to Wong Shi Tong!" Aang stated instantly.
However, Diamondhead didn't understand why. He looked at the Avatar for a second and looked back at the bird spirit to connect what that would do. Fortunately, it did, as evident by a smirk forming on his crystal face when he turned to Aang again. "You got it, bud!" He shouted.
Immediately, Diamondhead grabbed Aang by the back of his shirt before spinning his own body around. He made sure to build up momentum before tossing the Avatar towards Wong Shi Tong's direction, just as the bird spirit was starting to get up.
In Aang's moment in the air, he put it in good use. He had his staff forward as he spun it in a circle, creating more air power to strength him. Then, upon getting close, he dashed it forward and hit Wong Shi Tong in the chest so strong he sent him flying through a column holding up a section of the upper levels, which then ended up falling on top of him.
Aang would have followed with the bird spirit if he hadn't come to a stop. He did this by landing on his hands and feet, with his face forward, before standing up to observe the consequence of his action. So far, it appeared that Wong Shi Tong was down to Aang, as he was rejoined by Diamondhead, who ran towards him.
"Dude, you okay?" The alien hero asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Aang answered. He didn't move his eyes off the place Wong Shi Tong was hit as he continued. "I didn't want to do this." He admitted with a soft tone. "Wong Shi Tong isn't bad when my friends and I met him. I sure wish I had the time to talk him out of it before he first attacked."
"It wouldn't have mattered." Diamondhead stated. "Knowing Nefarius, Wong Shi Sho was under his strongest spell."
"Uh, it's Wong Shi Tong, Ben." Aang corrected.
"Whatever." Diamondhead shrugged.
Aang turned to his head and shook his head. Clearly, Diamondhead didn't care a bit about the correction the Avatar made, not that it matter. But just before he could say another thing, a rumbling sound could be heard from where Wong Shi Tong was covered in rocks,
The rumbling continued for a few seconds as the rocks covering the ancient spirit could be seen moving. The heroes thought about the possibility to the reason, but said nothing to each other as it became clear what was happening. Wong Shi Tong was not only persistent, but very strong as obvious when he pushed the rocks off him and let out a monstrous bird cry.
"He broke free." said Diamondhead, stating the obvious.
"Yeah, but how?" Aang asked in surprise. Unlike his friend who was coolheaded, the Avatar was more in thought about the ancient spirit. "He shouldn't be able to stand. Sokka was able to kno…that's it! Sokka!"
"Sokka?" Diamondhead asked, confused.
The alien hero knew the boy very well, but not why Aang mentioned him. The Avatar was always straightforward with himself until that moment as he turned to Ben with a look of haste. "I have a plan, but I need you to hold Wong Shi Tong as much as you can." He said. "Can you do that?"
"Sure. But be quick." Diamondhead replied.
At this point, Wong Shi Tong took the first step forward as he spread his wings apart. It didn't take a genius then to know he was ready for flight, when suddenly Diamondhead acted first to stop him. The alien hero knew better to keep the spirit on ground as he spread his arms forward and tightened his fists, which in turn made crystals to shoot out of the ground around the spirit's feet and hold it down.
Meanwhile, Aang chose that moment to act as he flung his staff up and grabbed onto it when it became a glider. His glider has always helped him to fly even in tough situations like now, as at that moment he took off upwards into the air and began circling to build up momentum. It wasn't known why he was doing this, as it was obvious dashing against the ancient spirit again wouldn't work. However, until it was known, Diamondhead had to hold on.
Unfortunately, the task wasn't as easy to think as Diamondhead once thought. The alien hero gritted his teeth and shut his eyes closed as he focused on holding Wong Shi Tong down. The spirit was very persistent to get out of his grip as it flapped its wings widely with so much force that it was basically blowing anything down in its path. Diamondhead was lucky he wasn't in the path of anything, as he tried harder by spreading his now open hands to let the crystals at the bird's feet to grow pass his ankle in order to have a better hold.
At this point, it would appear that both Diamondhead and Wong Shi Tong would be at this small battle of persistence between them. The alien hero was straining himself while the bird spirit continued with much force to break free. But just before that could happen, Aang came flying directly at the spirit's head.
Throughout the time, Wong Shi Tong had been focused on breaking free. He didn't have a thought on the Avatar, as observed by his persistence, as the Avatar's eyes flashed white before becoming normal when he then changed his glider back to a staff and held it up high to strike down on the spirit.
"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Aang cried out loud.
The momentum he built up, with the Avatar State to built, has led to this moment. Hence, when he struck down on the ancient spirit, a huge and powerful wind blast was sent directly on the bird's head. It knocked the bird down to the ground as it power spread all over the place and destroyed every bookshelf in sight. If it was a power similar to the one used by Wong Shi Tong, Diamondhead would have endured it. However, due to the strain and the power of the wind, the alien hero could do nothing but scream as he was sent flying through the air before coming to a stop as rolling on the ground.
"Ow…men that hurt." Diamondhead said with a wince.
It had only been a minute since Aang's attack caused destruction. It had leveled down everything except the pillars and created a dust cloud which was now clearing up. As for Diamondhead, the Omnitrix badge on his chest flashed green and engulfed him into a flash of green light that changed him back to being Ben.
"Note to self…ask before doing." Ben noted.
So far, apart from being hit, the hero was fine. He still felt a mild pain at his back as he struggled to get back on his feet. The pain to him would have been a problem, but he was able to ignore it when he looked around him.
"Wow…Aang did all this?" He awed.
All around him, what used to be the central level of the library was gone from what it used to be. It made the hero wonder what may have been destroyed for a moment before he heard something in the air. It sounded somewhat familiar to the hero, as it made him look up and see Aang heading towards him.
The Avatar was once again flying by his glider as he drew close to Ben. He could see from his position that the teen was alright as he then landed on the ground and twirled his glider back to a staff.
"Uh…sorry about that. I should have warned you." Aang apologized.
"Oh, that's okay." Ben said with assurance. "At least we took down Mong Shi To."
"It's Wan Shi Tong."
"Again, whatever."
Aang rolled his eyes in response. He was sure by now that Ben didn't care about the spirit's name at all. However, just before he could speak again, Ben yelped and took a step back.
"AHH! A skull!" He shouted.
"A skull?" Aang asked, confused.
Upon hearing of a skull, he saw Ben point at the ground by his right. It wasn't something bad, but it was something that intrigued him as he squat down and noticed some clothes spread next to the skull.
"Professor, Zei." Aang muttered.
"Wait, you know who that is?" Ben asked.
Aang nodded and stood back to his feet before turning to Ben. "Yes, he's the professor we mentioned before. I guess he got what he wanted."
"Yeah, and what's that?"
"To stay here forever."
Aang didn't seem too thoughtful of the matter with the professor, though. Sure he knew the guy, but other than knowing the man got what he wanted was enough for the Avatar. As a result, he walked forward and shook his staff to become a glider while Ben looked away from the skull and muttered. "Yeah, by killing himself."
Just then, Ben went over to Aang and activated the Omnitrix. He scrolled through the alien playlist in the Omnitrix before coming across one that interested him. As such, when he slammed his hand down on the faceplate, he was engulfed by a flash of green light before it died down to reveal yet another alien form.
This alien didn't change so much from his human appearance. In fact, the teen still retained it, though with the exception of his clothes, as he flew off with Aang to where Nefarius was last seen. The clothes he wore was mainly a green suit, which along with it had a green belt around his waist, black boots and a black cape which was along enough to reach his feet. He also had an Omnitrix insignia on his chest, as the actual badge was at the middle of his belt.
So far, both heroes were determined to find the supervillain before his plan could be happen. They went to the same floor/level they last saw him and from there came to a stop as all they could see was just a large space filled with bookshelves containing books.
"Aw great. Where could he be now?" Aang asked.
"Hmm." Ben uttered with a thought. He understood the situation they were in as he stood there until a thought came to him. It didn't mean he said anything, though, as it became clear as he quietly stepped forward and suddenly looked around them.
"Uhh, Ben?" Aang called to the boy.
When the teen hero had stepped forward, his manner was odd. He had a straight look as he looked around like he was searching for something on his own without Aang. But once the Avatar spoke, the teen looked back at him with a hard blink of his eyes and said firmly. "I've found him."
"Wow, you have?" Aang asked, surprised. "How?"
"This alien I'm using." Ben answered and turned to the other teen. "I call him Kid Impervious. I can't tell you what he can do now; we have to go now."
The words said by the teen hero came clearly. It made Aang to understand much without asking as he nodded before shifting his glider back to a staff. Then, with Ben running off in remarkable speed, Aang followed right behind him in close speed.
As Kid Impervious, Ben had the similar power of Supergirl. This meant that he had super-speed, super-strength, super-endurance, and any other thing the teenage superheroine could do since he obtained it when he was in the Teen Titans universe.
So before approaching Nefarius's location, Aang was able to make it close to Kid Impervious. He didn't get to be by his side, but he was close behind to talk with the alien hero. And from the places they were passing, the Avatar was finding it all too familiar.
"Ben, I – I think I know this direction." Aang said.
"Really?" Ben asked and looked back.
"Yeah, and I think I know where we're heading."
There was no denying it now that Nefarius may be in a specific room the Avatar was familiar with. However, the question of why he needed it was a mystery to the young Airbender as he and the other hero continued running. It didn't make much sense to him there and then until they arrived at a familiar entrance where they came to a stop in a familiar big room.
"I knew it." Aang muttered.
He was right to say those words once his eyes lay on their front. They were in the planetarium he and his friends had once gone into after being led by one of Wan Shi Tong's foxes known as Knowledge Seekers. Back then, they were able to find out the secret weakness to the Fire Nation that they later tried to use only to fail, and now that the Avatar could see it again, he was then shock to find the state of it.
One time, while getting to a specific date, Sokka had set the large dial which was placed in the middle of the room to night. That time, the night setting was a beauty as it showed constellation stars and the moon, as they reflected on everyone's body. Sadly, this wasn't the state of it now despite the setting being it.
So upon arriving, both the Avatar and Kid Impervious watched as Nefarius stood before the large dial, blocking their view of it. The dial was known to change the scenery of the planetarium as seen by its current night setting, which now was having an abnormal happening. The symbols on it that indicated the season were shining brightly as lightning shot out rampantly on the walls and the ground. Some of it, though, was at the nightly stars, as they could be seen bringing the divided sides that made up the Ying and Yang symbol closer to unite with one another.
"HAHAHA!" Nefarius laughed manically. He still had his back at the heroes as he sensed the heroes' presence. "I knew Wan Shi Tong wouldn't be able to hold you both for long, so it never mattered even if he succeeded. And now I shall cross to the convergence of this world and rip the fabric of its reality!"
"No! We won't let you!" Aang rebuked angrily.
Nefarius's intention was dangerous, as well as risky. Though Aang didn't understand so much about it, he knew then that he and Kid Impervious have to stop the supervillain. Hence, he made a move forward to attack when he suddenly obstructed by eleven of the Knowledge Seekers.
"You won't stop me, Avatar!" Nefarius laughed. This time he tilted his head to the heroes and showed his evil grin. "Keep the heroes busy for a few seconds longer!" He ordered the Knowledge Seekers.
Under his control, the Knowledge Seekers had their loyalty only to Nefarius. The heroes could see it by their red eyes and snarling teeth as each one of them stood ready to fend off the heroes. But before they could make a move, Kid Impervious swiftly move before Aang in light speed and let out a gush of air from his mouth that sent the spirit animals hitting the ground unconscious.
Suddenly, the Ying and Yang symbol connected with each other in front of Nefarius and released a white-bluish straight at the supervillain's direction and formed a circular portal right above the huge dial.
"Haha! Yes!" Nefarius cheered.
From the looks of it, the supervillain had achieved what he intended. The portal would take him to the place he wanted and bring him another step closer to the ultimate power he seeks. But before he could go, he sensed the heroes coming for him, and so turned back swiftly just in time to grab the Avatar's whole body in his large right hand before throwing him successfully at an approaching Kid Impervious, sending both of them to the ground.
"Once again, Tennyson, you have lost." Nefarius said with a satisfied tone.
At this moment, Aang was on top of Kid Impervious. The two heroes had clearly not anticipated the supervillain's reflex, hence the evil doer was now free to use the dial as a walking step and walk into the portal. However, just before his whole body went in, Aang swiftly got back on his feet, with a focused face and his knees bent, and used his airbending to jump straight into the portal just in time as it closed behind him.
"Oh no! Aang!" Kid Impervious gasped.
Just as Aang had got off, the hero was able to raise himself just in time to see the Avatar do the unthinkable. He saw his entire body go through the portal before it closed before then standing up on his face with a look of his shock on his face.
CHAPTER END.
Cliffhangeeerrrrrr!
Yeah, I went there again! Wohoo!
But seriously, sorry for that. I had no other choice but to end it there.
So what do you think of the return of Diamondhead and Stinkfly? I thought I should add them since it's been so long since we've seen some of Ben's old aliens. As for Eerinferno and Kid Impervious, they're new aliens that debut in Hero meets Teen Titans. I realized it's been a while since I used them, so I decided to bring them back just like with Darkmare.
Now then, on to the reviews.
REVIEW REPLIES
Switch - On – 97: Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. The emotional strife was to serve as character development for both Rex and Ben and show a deep turmoil within the two heroes caused by Nefarius. I don't like brushing off horrible experiences like they were nothing, hence why I put that flashback scene to explain how they feel and how they overcame it.
Rocker on: Thanks for your review again. I like Star Wars a lot and would put any reference to it if given the chance, so I'm glad you found the one I hid. As for the Spirits having DNA, nah sorry, but you were wrong as you said. Even the ghosts in the Ghost Zone, according to Butch Hartman (Danny Phantom creator), are just monsters from another dimension (which is contradictory if you've watched the early season), hence why they have DNA. The spirits in Avatar: The Last Airbender don't have DNA (as far as I know), hence the Omnitrix won't require their DNA.
Good guess on what would happen next. If you don't mind, I'll use the idea on Nefarius absorbing some of the spirits to increase his power. As for the things about Rex, thank you for your thoughts on it. I tried really hard to make sure the emotions by both Ben and Rex is understood.
Yeah, Aang's not going to die (although that's not to say he won't suffer something worse). I kind of regret killing Bunny (Powerpuff girls' sister) since if she was stil alive and with Ben, this story would still be a relevant Powerpuff girls crossover. But oh well, I can't change that. I won't say who would be the one to die, but I can assure you it would be a surprising twist.
Nice Star Wars reference. I like it. The vision in the other chapter is indeed a warning to what Nefarius's action would do. I won't say how that will be, so just keep reading to find out.
Sonic X? Isn't it the recent one that came out? I don't know if I can go with that since I've read some negative things about it. I may not be the biggest Sonic fan, but I do enjoy the character and the supporting characters just the way they've always been. Like for instance, I read Knuckles is sort of an idiot rather than the cool and somewhat hotheaded guy I've seen. I could be wrong though. As for Dragonball Z, I can't include that. I stated it as one of the animes I won't do, although I called it in short as DBZ.
Good thought on the Powerpuff Ben I mentioned. However, I would like to state it won't be as easy as you stated it. Basically, (SPOILER FOR ANYONE READING THIS), the Omnitrix would find trouble with the form's DNA code since it's link with Primus. Your thoughts on what could happen then to how he would dress and genetics is interesting, especially as it hints about who and how they would be involved in the upcoming arc. I won't say anything on it to specify, sorry.
Thank you again for your review. I look forward to another one. May the Force also be with you.
REVIEW REPLY END
Now lately I've been reading my past chapters on this story when I then realized I dropped a potential arc concerning the Kids Next Door. I promised back then that I would bring the kids soon, but instead forgot to bring them when I later thought of this arc. As such, now that there's another arc I wish to bring up, I've decided to drop the crossover with an anime show like I intended so we can get to the main arcs and end this years old fanfiction. I'm very, very, very, very, very sorry about this, especially as I know you guys wanted Ben to meet people from shows like Kill la kill, Dragonball Z and some others.
However, be rest assured that this idea won't be dumped. After all, there are two other crossovers fanfictions I have in mind before this series can come to an end. But if you think I may forget, recall that I brought Bakugan Battle Brawlers, an anime show, in the Teen Titans crossover. So just be sure to stick around to get that chance of our favorite hero kicking butt with some future anime characters.
Here are the crossovers fanfictions coming after this fanfiction.
Cross-Dimensional Adventures of Ben10: Hero reunites with the Te Xuan Ze
Cross-Dimensional Adventures of Ben10: Hero meets Kim Possible (This crossover will have other Disney shows with them)
So with that said, I apologized again if you're disappointed with the fact that your favorite anime characters won't show up in this fanfiction (at least now yet). Thank you all for keeping up with this story. I promise you the next chapter would be something that'll blow your socks off (metaphorically speaking) as it draws close to a conclusion I've been meaning to get to.
So with all that, see you all next time. Review, follow and favorite if you want. Your support makes me strongggeeerr!