Hello everybody! Welcome back to Ben DxD. I hope you've been enjoying the crossover with Misplaced Hero and ben following it, since this is the final part of the crossover. Yes, as Blazorna mentioned, he's letting me do the final piece.
So enjoy my final part of our great work.
Chapter 27: Return Trip
"Get clear, guys." Issei shouted as he and Bri charged towards the monster. The Ani they met had called it a monkey monster, but to him it looked more like a bull with hands. But that wasn't really important right now. What was important was to take it down for good. "We'll handle things now." As they ran, Bri tapped at her Omnitrix, flipping through it till she found something she wanted. As she did so, the Rajang roared at them and charged to meet them. Its fist was raised to slam into them just as Bri was covered with her green flash.
Instead of being smashed into the ground, the Rajang was stopped dead by Four Arms. The Tetramand grunted as she wrestled with its fist, before slipping closer and slamming all four fists into its gut. The Rajang heaved from the blow, actually lifting off the ground. Another green flash lit up, before the beast was lifted into the air by a growing Humungosaur. Bri tossed it upwards before grabbing it by the arm, spinning it round and round before throwing it like an Olympic. The Rajang spun as it flew through the air, crashing to the ground further away and carving a trench behind it.
"Yeah." Issei cheered as the Rajang stumbled to its feet. "That oughta do some damage. Ready for round two, freak?" The beast slammed its fists into the ground, snorting and growling. But then it turned away from them, and charged towards the others. "What? No, no, no. Bri…"
"On it." She growled, picking him up and throwing him towards the monster. As he flew, his Boosted Gear glowed again and again as he charged it up. By the time he collided with it, right as it was about to pounce on the others, he hit it with enough force to knock it away. Beside him, Bri had appeared as XLR8, already rushing to attack it again. But he could already tell that her attacks weren't doing anything to it, being too weak to get through its thick hide. On the upside though, she was too fast for it to hit back. "Are you guys ok?" He asked President.
Rias smiled as she took his offered hand. "We're fine. Just a bit weak now. There were a lot of monsters when we got here. This thing is just a late arrival." Her smile turned serious though. "Issei, we've already learnt some things about this monster from fighting it. It's faster and tougher than it looks…"
"I've noticed." Issei said. That punch of his would've been a serious blow to any of the other threats he's fought. Even Demon Breaker couldn't have shrugged it off so fast.
"Indeed. But it also apparently has some immunity to lightning attacks. Akeno's been able to do some damage, but nowhere near what she normally does. So avoid hitting it with that if you can." A deep grunt interrupted them, and they jumped away as Frankenstrike landed between them.
Bri coughed. "Ok. So lightning doesn't do anything. Good to know." They looked up to see the Rajang's mouth glowing, lightning arcing from it. Bri tapped the Omnitrix again and changed into Feedback. When the Rajang unleashed its attack, she immediately absorbed it. "Now, let's see if we can find something that does work." She tapped the Omnitrix again, her flesh burning away as massive flames formed around her. Everyone stepped back from the heat. "Whoops." Heatblast said. "Guess that energy had to go somewhere." She took to the air, raining fire down around the Rajang. But that just seemed to anger it even more. It leapt towards her, ignoring the flames as it tried to grab her. As Bri avoided its grabs, Issei checked his Gear. Just enough for now.
"Bri, move!" He shouted out, pointing his hand at the beast. A small red orb formed in the palm of his hand, crackling with energy. When Bri flew away, she flew towards him so that the Rajang would follow. She twisted to the side as Issei unleashed his blast at near point-blank range. "EXPLOSION!" Ddraig's voice rang out as a wide beam enveloped it. Issei smirked at his awesomeness.
His smirk drooped as he heard it roar in pain and fury.
"Oh, come on. That was enough to destroy a mountain. It should've gone down easy." He moaned. When the smoke cleared, the Rajang looked different. The fur around its head was spikier and bright yellow, continuing down its back like stripes. Only the limbs stayed their normal dark colouring, but with yellow stripes around the joints. "Did… Did it just go Super Dragon?"
"Apparently. Or something like it." Yuuto replied. Bri floated down next to them, her flames mercifully back to normal. "I'm not sure what it'll do now, but I'm guessing that it's gonna hit even harder than before. Like a berserker rage."
"We need to lure it away from you guys." Bri said. "If it's going to rage, then it'll attack everyone in sight. Find cover and heal yourselves. We might have to move fast if it tries anything."
"Got anything distracting enough?" Gwen asked. "Besides your usual doofus self?"
Bri smiled. "Maybe. But we might just have to get its attention and survive." She found something that might be good, and slammed down on the faceplate. When the glow died though, Issei felt sorely disappointed. She was a small, round, ugly yellow alien with curly hair. Her eyes were set very far apart, with only small lips in the middle of her face. She was dressed in a large green shirt and brown pants, the Omnitrix right where her belly button would be. What was this form going to do? It didn't look like it had any powers whatsoever.
Evidently, Bri agreed. She frowned as she looked down at herself. "Oh man. Really? The Worst? You had to give me The Worst right now?"
"Scatter." Rias shouted, flying away. Issei looked up to see the Rajang nearly upon them, forcing him to jump away. But the Rajang backhanded him away, grabbing Bri with its other hand and slamming her into the ground before tossing her in the other direction. He watched her go in worry.
He wanted to check up on her. But right now, it was his safety he needed to be concerned about.
(**/*\**)
"Ow." Ben cried out as he hit the ground. "Ow. Ow. Ow." He said over and over as he skipped across. He came to a stop after hitting a large boulder, a loud crack filling the air. He winced in preparation for his body to feel it.
But nothing came. He opened his eyes and got to his feet. Strange aside from the initial hits, he didn't feel sore at all. At best, the pain was like if he stubbed his toe. Short, sudden, but quickly gone.
"Maybe you're not so useless after all." He said to himself. He looked up to see the others in trouble, fighting back even as they grew tired. Issei was in the front, using Ascalon to try and kill the Rajang. But he wasn't the best swordsman around, and his blades seemed to be only blocking its attacks. Sooner or later, it would get past his defences.
Not if he had anything to say.
"Hey Hornhead!" Ben shouted, running towards them as fast as his body could let him. The Rajang must've heard him though, because it turned towards him. "Did you keep ramming into the wall, or has your face always looked like a butt?!"
That seemed to have gotten its attention. It roared with fury as it charged towards him, lightning arcing from its jaws. "This is probably gonna hurt." Ben muttered as it went to slam into him. He was smashed into the ground before it started punching him over and over again. The fists came too fast to stop. It stopped just long enough to glare at him, before firing a stream of lightning directly at his face. He bet that from the outside, the beam would've gone upwards too. It jumped upwards and curled into a ball, like he did with Cannonbolt. Just as he expected, it slammed into him, spinning like a buzz saw before bouncing twice more. Things were getting dark, but that might've been because he was buried probably 12 feet under.
Ok. So lightning doesn't work. Ben thought even as he kept being pounded. Fire isn't any better. I could use Armodrillo to hit it with rocks, but I don't think that would work any better. Water wouldn't be any better either. So what element does that leave me with?
He came up with it, just as the beast roared in fury again. It backed away from him, struggling with something. Now was his chance. Ben pulled himself free of the rubble just enough to change form. Once he was Big Chill, it was a cinch to float through the ground upwards. When he surfaced, he found Issei hanging on for dear life, Ascalon buried in the Rajang's horn. He must've tried to cut through it to distract it. Well, he technically succeeded. The Rajang bellowed and reached for him with a hand. Ben flew towards him and passed through the limb, freezing it solid.
"Bri." Issei called out, seeing him become corporeal again. "Man, am I glad to see you again. I thought that it was pounding you into mincemeat."
"Not quite, but I wouldn't recommend it." Ben replied, grabbing him and pulling him away. His blade was caught until he dissipated it, allowing them to fly away just as the beast broke the ice. But when it moved on all fours, it seemed to favour that limb. As though it was injured. "Well, looks like I was right about the ice working. Wasn't too sure what I'd do if it didn't."
"We just need to make it colder then. Too cold for it to break free." Issei said.
"Way ahead of you." Ben grabbed the dial and twisted it, four spike emerging as it changed him. His blue skin turned fiery red, and his wings and antennae now resembling flames. "Ready for a drop?"
"Ready." Ben released Issei, watching him as he used his wings to glide downwards. Ben then turned to face the Rajang, finding it almost right in his face. Quickly, he breathed flames from his mouth. But when they struck the Rajang, the flames left behind thick, chilling ice. He thought that it had something to do with exothermic and endothermic stuff. He wasn't quite sure though. The Rajang howled in pain as he covered more and more of it in ice, leaving nothing uncovered. Even when he had gotten every inch, he kept going. Soon, the ice was thick enough that the Rajang wasn't breaking free.
"Now for the coup-de-grace." He heard Xenovia shout. He turned to see her running towards the Rajang, Durandal in hand. She jumped up high and held her blade overhead, cleaving through the Rajang as she dropped. The ice and the beast both shattered into pieces, with even the blood frozen completely solid.
Now he felt concerned for all those miner aliens he froze with this form.
Everyone was panting from exhaustion, some of them favouring injured limbs and pressing hands against bruised ribs. Ben looked at them all in worry. While they weren't suffering any life-threatening injuries, given the kind of creatures Eon and his allies had already thrown at them they weren't in much condition to do anything but head back to base.
Mind made up, and aware of his own exhaustion, he tapped the Omnitrix one more time, changing into Ultimate Clockwork. With a wave of his hand, he opened a portal back to the castle.
"Let us go home now. We all need to rest and recover." He said.
(**/*\**)
Eon smirked as he sorted through his plans, picking out the tools and weapons he still needed to 'acquire'. While his army of monsters may have been beaten, he got some useful data from the fight. He knew more about Ben and his allies, more about the inherent weaknesses of his soldiers. And now Breaker was left in a weakened state, still useful without being too much of a nuisance. Hex was going to end up stirring up trouble in the swamps, diverting soldiers away from VIPs. Vilgax and Zs'Skayr were still making their own plans, both of which will end up distracting Tennyson. And Demon Breaker…
Well, he almost pitied anyone who got in his way. The mad fool will be out for blood now. He will want vengeance. And Tennyson's friends will be forced to pay in blood.
And only then can his plan begin its final stages.
He looked up, smirking as he grabbed his blade. "Well, well. It seems I need some better security measures." He said aloud. "It's rather irritating just how many people can waltz in here without a care." There was only silence. He tapped his foot impatiently. "Come now. I know you're there, skulking in the shadows. There's no point trying to hide now. We're both too smart to not realise where this is going." The shadows shifted as someone stepped out of them, wrapped in a large billowing black cloak. Their face was hidden behind a black mask, almost all details lost to the shadows.
"I forgot how observant you can be, Eon." Jennifer said, not stepping closer. "Still a prick though."
Eon kept smirking as he walked around the room. "Well, well. I had hopes that you were that fool Paradox. Or those darling daughters of his. But now I'm a bit dismayed. And disappointed. Of all the things he sends to badger me, and it's the broken girl. The freak of nature who only survived through sheer luck." He pointed his blade at her. "So tell me. Why are you here, intruding on my domain?"
Jennifer made a big show of looking around. "This is hardly a 'domain'. As for why I'm here, your plan needs to be stopped."
"And you think you can do so? I'd hardly call you a caring citizen of society. In fact, I'm rather certain that you would let the world burn to have your revenge."
"Then you're wrong." She retorted. "I want to save the world from Breaker. The future that made him must never happen." She pulled a slim blade from under her cloak. "And since you've been letting him indulge himself, I hate you just as much as I hate him." She faded back into the shadows, disappearing from sight.
Faking a huge yawn, Eon twisted to his right and blocked her attack. He then twisted his blade and nearly ran her through, before she jumped overhead and tried a feint. He dodged it before throwing his hand out, time slowing down around him. He smirked as he slowly walked towards her, watching as he blade moved painfully slowly. He stepped forward, and drove his blade through her chest.
But he was surprised. Before it could go too deep, she somehow managed to escape his time slow effect, and slashed at his hand. His armour managed to save him, but just barely. Blood still dripped from his hand, and his wrist was badly injured. He dropped his blade as he stumbled back. He grimaced as he pulled a second blade out, barely getting it up in time as she charged for him.
"I see. You have met with Paradox then." They moved through the room, pushing back and forth for dominance. "So what is the old coot's plan? To have you kill me for him? He knows that there are still events that need to happen. He cannot change them without fracturing the timeline as we know it." He spun round, his blade slicing into her cloak. She grunted as she pulled away, the wound bleeding. "Or has he become so desperate to save Tennyson that he's willing to destroy the space/time continuum just to stop me?"
"No." Jennifer replied. "He just needed you distracted for a while so he could remove stolen pieces from the board." Eon's eyes widened. He understood the cryptic reference.
"PARADOX!" He shouted in uncontained rage, pushing away from Jennifer and blasting her back with a wave of time. Paradox's device sparked as it fought against his attack, giving him time to race down the cavernous hall. But when he got to the prisoner's area, to where he kept all his 'pieces', he could only scream in pure rage.
The cages were rusted piles, the shackles now dust. And his prisoners had all escaped.
(**/*\**)
Ben yawned as he woke up from his sleep, eyelids still heavy. His body wasn't still aching from their fight with Breaker, but that didn't mean that Twilight Healing could get rid of his fatigue. As he moved to get up though, there was something weighing down his chest. Made it difficult to move. Looking around blearily, he smiled once he saw what it was. Airi looked so peaceful, her cheek pressed against his head and her arm wrapped around his chest. He twisted round to kiss her cheek, before untangling himself from her grip. As he moved to get off the bed, he found himself having to extract himself from the pile of Gal Monsters around them. Hard to believe that three girls could fit in the bed with him. Once he was finally on solid ground, the stone floor cold against his bare feet, he took a deep breath. And nearly gagged as a horrendous odour started suffocating him. Was there a rotting corpse in here he didn't know about? But then he grabbed his sleeve and gave it a sniff. Right. It was him. All that work, all the sweat and blood. No wonder he smelled like he rolled in a pigpen. Grumbling to himself, he headed off towards the bathroom. From there, he could wash his clothes out and get rid of the muck stuck to his skin. He missed having a washing machine, but he's been here long enough to handle things without one. Luckily, Airi had left out towels for everyone before they went for their battle.
As he opened the bathroom door, clad only in a towel and his clothes soaking in a wooden tub, he smacked into something warm and soft. Two large bouncy things pressed against his head, and a feminine voice grunted from the impact. He stumbled back, one hand busy keeping hold of his towel. As he shook his head, he looked upwards to see Bri staring at him. Her towel was wrapped tightly around her body, her breasts threatening to break free.
Ben paled and shivered in disgust, turning away and facing the wall.
"Sorry." He apologised. "I didn't know you were in there. I'll just…" He trailed off. His only set of clothes were currently completely soaked. And he couldn't get dressed in front of his female counterpart. That would be unbelievably awkward.
"It's ok." Bri placated him. "Sad as it may sound, with Issei around I've gotten used to someone walking in on me during my bath. At least I finished before you came in." He heard her grunt as she stretched, fabric hitting the floor. He kept his eyes fixed determinedly on the wall as he listened to her scrabbling for the towel. The sound of water being pushed aside and dripping filled the room as she got her clothes from the tub (how could he have not noticed them in there?) Before she hung them from a line Airi had set up not too far. After a few moments of rustling cloth, he heard the sound of the Omnitrix being activated. Heat blossomed from behind him. "Ok. You can turn around now." He did so, seeing Heatblast standing near Bri's clothes. Her body was slightly thinner than his form, but the chest was much bigger. Her limbs were also thinner, and her head was curved more into an oval shape.
"I'll… I'll just… Have my bath then." He said lamely, tiptoeing past her. He made absolutely sure that the door was completely closed before finally dropping his towel and hopping into the bath. He sighed in relief as he sunk into the warm water. "Man. Changing forms a lot really wears you out."
"I know what you mean." Bri replied through the door. "The first time I ever changed forms quickly without the Master Control Switch was when I was fighting a creep named Darkstar. Pounded him into the ground, but I was about to pass out by the end of it." She chuckled. "Still worth it though."
He smiled. "I know what you mean. Hard to believe we used to settle for just one form at a time until it timed out."
"Did you have that time where you were too short for the Riptide Rapid slide?"
"Oh man, yeah. That was a bit of a nightmare. Of all the forms I had to change into, it just had to be the shortest one." He shivered as he remembered how the Forever Knights were all ready to dissect him alive. Only Grandpa and Gwen arriving just in time prevented it. "Hey, you know more about the Omnitrix. Why did that happen anyway? I was going for Ripjaws, not Grey Matter."
"Who knows? I'm certain that it's got an AI. That could've been what caused it."
"S… Dumb AI." He pouted.
"Yeah. I'm sure it's all amazing and useful when you've got time to stop and choose. But when do we ever have time like that?" They had a quick chuckle over that. Ben ducked down to wash the muck from his hair, running his fingers through it to get everything. Only when he was certain he didn't smell anymore did he hop out. "So what's the plan now?" Bri asked him.
"Who knows?" Ben replied as he towelled off. "Breaker's been beaten now for everyone to see. I'm sure you guys would love to help stop Eon, but I feel like it would be better to get you all back home. After that, maybe the girls and I can come up with a plan of our own."
"Yeah. It's kind of a downer to be stuck away from home. Even if we won't be quite going back to my home yet."
"At least you don't have to worry about people calling you a monster and trying to kill you for helping them." He replied whilst stretching. "From the way Asia talked, you're pretty famous in their world." He wrapped his towel back around his waist. "Hey, could you cover your eyes for me?"
"Sure." He opened the door to find Bri doing exactly that, her flame-hair poking out over her hands. He grabbed his own clothes and hung them up next to hers, feeling them to see how wet they were still. They were actually pretty dry by now, only a few patches still wet. He blushed as he ran his hand over her underwear, before sitting down on the wooden stool nearby. He positioned it behind her. The room became silent as he pondered over his thoughts.
"You know… I don't think I ever asked you this before. But how are things where you're from?" He asked.
Bri shrugged. "Pretty good. Definitely enjoyable by your… current standards. I'm actually galaxy-famous, you know."
"Seriously?"
"Yep. World-famous too. Got my identity outed in the process, but after a few fights everyone got the message not to mess with my family."
He released the breath he was holding when she mentioned that she was outed. "Good to hear. I don't know what I'd do if Mom and Dad were ever in danger."
"Probably leave a few villain-sized holes in the ground." He listened as she shifted from foot to foot. "Me and Gwen worked together when I got back into the superhero business again. Get along as well as we usually do."
"So, you care about each other and can work together, but you make fun of each other at the same time."
"Not as much as when I was your age, but yeah. Oh, and Kevin's with us too." Ben looked up in shock, twisting out of his seat to face her.
"Kevin? You're telling me that Kevin 11 is part of your team?" He stared at her back in wide-eyed shock. "You did run into him the same way I did, right?"
"If you mean that we ran away from grandpa in a huff, met him at the arcade, teamed up to steal the new Sumo Slammers game before his next job went nasty, then yeah. I did." She turned slightly to face him, before looking away sharpish. Ben blushed as he realised that his towel had come loose. He scrambled for it. "He's changed now. Part of why he was so nasty was that absorbing energy drives him insane. He spent some time weaned off energy, and now he's… calmer, I would say. He's pretty much my best friend now."
Ben walked around her, checking his clothes again. They were dry enough. He grabbed all of them and walked back behind Bri, getting dressed quickly. "Just your best friend? You guys aren't something… more?"
"Ugh. Nope. No way. Not in a million years." He heard Bri reply. A green flash lit up behind him. "No peeking."
"Wouldn't dream of it." He muttered. At least his pants were on now. "You said that you and Gwen worked together. Past tense. What changed?"
"College. Gwen managed to skip a few grades and headed for one outside of Bellwood. Kevin followed her since they were… you know, dating."
"Of course she'd skip a few grades. That's just like her. But don't you dare tell her I said that. She'll never let me hear the end of it."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Bri smirked as she tugged her shirt down, fully dressed now. They both left the bathroom area and headed for the dining area, where apparently the others had stared waking up.
"Morning." Yuuto said as they walked in, cooking some food over the fire. Asia and Xenovia were also there, ladling some soup out of another pot. The Tennysons greeted them all, joining the queue for some heartfelt breakfast. Bri's stomach gurgled as they approached, making him giggle. As they tucked in, others started to join them. Koneko and Stella entered together, talking animatedly about the new technique Koneko learnt. Ruby was behind them, sorting through a small satchel hanging from her belt. She barely looked up as she grabbed a piece of bread from the table, gnawing on it as she kept going. Gaspard tried his best to sneak into the room inside of a wooden crate he somehow found. Then it was Gwen after him, face completely red. Bri sighed as she saw her expression of shock.
"You walked in on Rias and Issei in bed together?" She asked wearily.
"No." Gwen said nervously. "Going to the bathroom together."
"Really?" Ben asked excitedly. Wow. That guy seems to get a lot of action. Gwen glared at him. "What?" He said defensively.
Gwen pointed a finger at him. "Don't you get any ideas dweeb. You're still way too young to be thinking about things like that." Ben rolled his eyes.
"Gwen, in case you haven't heard, I've got a girlfriend now. Multiple girlfriends."
"And Airi could be considered your mistress." Koneko piped up, still talking in monotone.
"And that too." Ben admitted, picking up some bread and tearing it in half. "I think I'm old enough now to at least know about that kind of… stuff."
Gwen shook her head as she grabbed a bowl. "Bri, you must never tell Aunt Sandra and Uncle Carl about what your alternate self has been up to."
"Gwen, I have never been stupid enough to say anything like that. Mom would rip a whole in space/time to scold him." As they finished that, Rias and Issei came into the room, Issei still blushing a deep red. Airi was right behind them, moving around them to hug Ben from behind. He smiled as she rested her cheek on top of his.
Good morning everyone." Rias said cheerfully. "We've got quite a few things to cover today, so we need to get started as soon as possible. Ben, Bri, Airi, if you could all join me and Issei in the map room after breakfast. The rest of you can do whatever you want. You can join us too if you really want."
"I'm good." Yuuto replied, Koneko nodding in agreement. Ben looked around as he realised that they were missing someone important.
"Hey. Where's Cerate? And Akeno?" He asked, puzzled.
"Akeno was gonna take a bath when we left. I think she wanted to join in though." Issei explained.
"That'll teach her not to sleep in." Rias smirked. They all started as a slight boom echoed through the castle. Ben and Bri raised a hand over their Omnitrixes, ready for a fight. After several tense seconds, Cerate was led into the room by Akeno. Both were still only wearing their towels.
"Rias, I caught this little one molesting me in the bath." Akeno explained, smiling serenely. "Can I have her as a pet?"
"Pet?! Look lady, I belong only to…" Cerate started talking angrily until Akeno hit her with powerful lightning.
"Only for a short while Akeno." Rias replied, a glint in her eye. "I'd be a terrible guest if I walked off with one of our host's people."
"Thank you Madam President." Akeno said sweetly, dragging Cerate after her. "Now come along you. I've got some riding crops I've been dying to try out on someone."
R-Riding crops?" Cerate asked fearfully. She pulled herself free of Akeno's grip, only to fall over as Akeno grabbed her tail. She was dragged away, her fingers grabbing for the floor stones. "Wait! Someone! Help me! I don't like where this is going!"
Airi snorted. "Hopefully this might teach you some manners Cerate." The Gal Monster wailed as she was dragged into the castle.
They all heard a loud crack, and her wailing reached the heavens.
(**/*\**)
"Pain. So much pain." Cerate moaned later, resting her head on the table and with tears pooling from her eyes. "Akeno said that I'm a terrible Submissive."
"Um, I think that might be a good thing." Stella said nervously, watching the perverted gal with worry and fright.
"Oookay then." Airi said warily. "Cerate's learnt to never attempt to grope Akeno ever again. Perhaps we can move onto important matters now."
"Uh, hold on. There's something else I just remembered." Issei said suddenly, hand fishing into his pants pocket. "President, we found this when we beat Demon Breaker. I think you might recognise it." He turned to her and handed over a bright red chess piece. The castle, mainly known as the rook. Rias frowned deeply as she held it between her fingers.
"…How did he get this?" She finally asked, looking tense.
"According the Ani we met, it was given to him by Zs'Skayr. That was why he was there in the first place. He apparently thought he could use it somehow. Lucky for us, it turns out that he can't."
"Hate to think what he'd do with it." Bri added. "Zs'Skayr is pretty dangerous. And a brilliant schemer."
"Uh… Zs'Skayr?" Ben asked in confusion.
"Ghostfreak." Bri explained to him. Ben's eyes widened in understanding.
Rias placed the missing piece into her skirt pocket. "Well then, I must thank you all for recovering it for me. Not only would we likely find a use for it in the future, but it would be seen as embarrassing if it turned out that I lost it." She smiled at Bri and Issei. "I'll have to find a way to thank you both when we get back."
"Speaking of which, how are we going to get back home?" Bri asked. "I could use Ultimate Clockwork, but without a proper idea of our home coordinates we'll be flying blind."
"Easy." Ben plopped Breaker's purple wristband on the table. "We use that. Raynare said that it was how she got to your world in the first place. So it's got to have the coordinates locked in, right? Just need to learn how to operate it, and we're good."
"Great idea Ben." Rias replied. "I'm sure that Grey Matter could figure it out. But there is still one more thing we need to discuss."
"Raynare." Issei explained. "What are we going to do about her?"
Ben scratched his head. "Uh, forgive her? She did save your life after all."
"Only thanks to the Twilight Healing she stole from Asia in her dimension." Rias said. "A dimension where she killed us all, helped start the Apocalypse, and sided with Eon and Breaker. I'm afraid we can't just ignore those things, no matter how much help she was in this battle." She looked around the table. "Though I will admit, right now our options are limited. If we bring her back with us as a prisoner, then the Three Factions will want to meet her. Given her actions, both in her home dimension and the actions of her counterpart, I feel as though they would punish her accordingly. Death, if she's lucky."
"Not. Happening." Ben said firmly. That wasn't a way to thank someone for all their hard work.
"Couldn't we just send her home?" Issei asked. "As some form of exile or something?"
"That is a possibility." Airi said. "I don't fully know about Fallen physiology, but she might not need food like human races do."
"But she'd be all alone." Ben argued.
"But she wouldn't be a potential threat to anyone there." Bri replied. "Ben, I know you're worried about her. But don't forget that she was willing to kill Asia to gain her Sacred Gear. She did kill Asia, and all of us, before killing even more. She's no angel."
"I know she isn't, Bri. But this isn't right. Her only options are to be punished or abandoned? I thought we were better than that."
"It's our only options Ben." Rias said. "What would you have us do?"
The idea had already come to him even as they were debating about this. "Leave her with us." He said.
"I'm sorry?" Rias looked surprised.
"She can be under house arrest with us or whatever you call it. We can keep an eye on her, help her recover, and stop her if she tries to start anything. Between all of us here I'm sure we could manage her."
"Sounds like a plan to me." Issei said. Cerate and Stella agreed. Rias held a hand to her chin, pondering.
"Well, it does save us the hassle of trying to force her elsewhere. But I'm still worried about leaving her on another world with people. If they get injured it would be my fault for leaving her."
"We'll take full responsibility for her." Airi replied. "Any actions she does – good or bad – will be our problems instead." It looked like Rias didn't know how to respond to that. She, Issei and Bri all looked at each other warily. Airi sighed. "Before I met Ben, I was working for the Swamp Witch. The biggest enemy of mankind. I killed scores of people for her. But Ben gave me a chance to redeem myself, and for that I'm grateful. Anyone can change if given the chance."
Ben frowned deeply as he saw their glances. Why was it so hard for them accept that she's not a threat anymore? Was what she did really that horrendous. "Bri, you told me that Kevin was now your best friend. That he changed." Bri started as she heard that. "The Kevin I remember was a monster willing to kill dozens of people for a quick pay-out. How exactly he any different from Raynare?"
Bri looked away guiltily before sighing. "Ok." She relented. "I suppose that I'm not really in a position to complain. If Rias and Issei are for it, then Raynare can stay here in this world."
"I'm down with it." Issei said. "At least she won't be causing problems back home for us."
Rias nodded. "Very well then. Ben, we hereby release Raynare into your care. You will be in charge of keeping her under control and administering any punishment you feel is fitting for her actions." She smiled. "Now, unless there are other matters to deal with, I think we should take some time to just relax. Home can wait a few minutes longer."
"Aw yeah." Issei cheered. "We should totally make a pool and go for a dip."
(**/*\**)
And so that was what they did. Through the use of Four Arms and Water Hazard, Ben and Bri created a good sized pool within the castle grounds. Fortunately for them, this world seemed to have already developed bikinis and swimming trunks. Sadly for Bri though, none of the girls were quite as big as she was. She fidgeted nervously as she felt it all digging into her. Akeno and Rias were almost as big, but they didn't seem to mind if their tops started coming undone from their motions.
Of course, that didn't mean that she was the only one suffering.
"These things are killing my balls." Issei groaned, Ben's spare trunks too tight for his manhood. Yuuto, wearing the same size, didn't seem to mind as much.
"Having a swim was your idea Issei." He said casually as he sat down on the stone floor. "And we weren't packing swimsuits when we arrived. What, you were expecting us to skinny dip?"
"Not you. Just the girls." Issei replied as he sat down next to him. "That would've been great."
"Well I'm certain that only President and Akeno would've agreed with that. Everyone else would've pounded your face in."
"Well they still could've gone to town and gotten us some new ones. Although I do like that tight look on Bri."
"The nearest town with access to swimsuits is at least a dozen miles from here." Airi said as she passed, her clothes changed into a frilly swimsuit. "Even with XLR8 it would still take at least half an hour to get there, much less get back. And the people of this world would instantly attack, thinking that Ben or Bri are demons. Far too much hassle for just a couple of hours of fun."
"And yet you're not exactly taking your eyes off Ben, are you?" Airi blushed as Issei said that, her eyes locked onto Ben's back. Even with the scars, it was still rather good-looking. Near him, Stella was currently floating through the water, her tail pushing her along.
"Cannonball!" Cerate yelled as she did a running jump, curling up to make the biggest splash. Stella opened her eyes long enough to see her blotting out the sun. She gave a quick squeal before Cerate landed on her, both of them sinking to the bottom. Water splashed everywhere and on everyone, causing them to laugh as Stella came up trying to strange her fellow Gal Monster. Akeno floated above them, wings flared out and with a dangerous smile on her face. Cerate turned as white as sheet and ran out of the pool. She ended up running into Puia and Plum, pushing them both into the water. When they came back up, Puia seemed to be punishing her by smothering her with her breasts. Arane walked past them, her spider-hair legs, somehow supporting her on the surface of the pool. At the other end of the pool, Rias, Xenovia and Asia were sunbathing, their tops undone. Asia was staring glumly at the other two, likely seeing how much bigger they both were.
"Hey." They both looked up to see Bri standing over them. One arm was held under her breasts. "Mind if I join you guys?" She asked.
"Not at all." Yuuto said as she moved to sit down. "Though I'd be careful around Issei. He's made it clear that he likes how…" As she bent over, Bri's top sprung open, the fabric flapping outwards. She quickly covered herself, barely catching her top in the process. "…tight your swimsuit is."
Bri glowered as she tried to do her top back up without either of them seeing anything. "Speaking of tight, I'm amazed you two even managed to get into those things. They look even smaller than your waists."
"It was certainly a struggle." Yuuto admitted. "In fact, I think I might go and get changed. We'll probably be heading home soon."
"Yeah. Just need to go over our ticket home as Grey Matter. But before you go, I just want to do something really quick." She stood back up, clapping her hands loudly to get everyone's attentions. Once everyone was looking at her, she tapped at her Omnitrix. Upgrade stood in her place, a camera held between her hands.
"Who's up for some photos?" She called out.
(**/*\**)
Paradox looked out the window of the large manor he was borrowing, watching as the city went by. He wouldn't put it past Eon to now be focusing his efforts in finding him and the prisoners again. But fortunately, they seemed to ignored for now. He headed away from the window, checking in on the former prisoners down in the guest wing. They were all sleeping away, some still afflicted with nightmares. It was a sad thing what Eon had done to them. But what was even worse in his opinion was that he had to let it happen. He couldn't have gotten there first and protected them. Their capture was vital to the continued future. And Eon just loved rubbing that in his face every time they met. Closing the door quietly, he headed off towards another part of the manor.
"I know you're there, Miss Belladonna." He said aloud. "If you have questions then you don't have to hide in the shadows to answer them." There was a quiet thump from behind him, and he turned to see the cat Faunus watching him carefully. One hand was wrapped around the hilt of her recovered weapon, Gambol Shroud.
"What are you exactly?" Blake asked warily, keeping a few steps away from him. On his part, he didn't react to being threatened. Honestly, after being threatened by literally tens of thousands of people it all started getting rather boring. "Are you like Eon? Some kind of time traveller?"
"I am." Paradox admitted. "But you have no reason to fear me. While Eon focuses on using time to suit his own ends and changing it to his whims, I'm more about preserving it and restoring the rightful path."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "'Rightful path' isn't always the 'good path'. I'm pretty sure you'd let my people suffer if it was how things were meant to be."
"Unfortunately, yes. The White Fang had to have a change in leadership. It's tied to far too many things to simply be removed. But whenever I can, I try to make things right." He reached behind him and grabbed his bag of gumballs, popping one into his mouth.
"So how do you do it exactly? Some kind of Semblance, or technology?"
"I suppose Semblance is close to what I have. Through an unfortunate accident I sent myself outside of time, beyond its effects. I cannot be affected by it in any manner or form, frozen at the age I was pulled through. And to answer your next question, Eon's power is even more natural than my own. But with lesser control."
"What do you mean?"
"While he can detect the alteration and repetition of time, he is less capable of acting differently from it. I, however, can repeat the exact same time multiple times, and achieve differing goals. Actually managed to get him stuck in a time loop for a few hundred years. Though since we can both travel through time, the difference was minimal."
"So what are your plans for us now? Why did you save us?"
"While I couldn't do anything to stop him from abducting all of you before, the timeline only required that you be brought here to lure certain parties as well. Eon had further plans for you all, plans that would upset the delicate flow around us. I chose to rescue you all, since doing so is no longer against my mission. As for now, there are some people who are waiting to meet you. Even if they are not yet aware of it. A few days here to recuperate and throw Eon off our trail, and then we'll be on our way."
Blake kept watching him though, pulling her sword free. She pulled back on the slide, her blade folding onto itself. She stepped closer and pointed it right at his head.
"If you're lying to me in any way, I will end your life." She threatened. Then she turned and walked away, heading for the larder. It was only once she had left that he pulled a notebook from his jacket pocket, scribbling down inside of it.
"And that makes 300,425 'lying' threats." He muttered to himself, closing the book with a snap.
(**/*\**)
They had taken several pictures that day. The first was a bit of a mistake. Cerate had been intrigued by the device, and accidently pushed the button while staring at the flash. Everyone had laughed at her startled expression once Bri printed out the picture. Even Cerate had joined in.
The ones after were all of them goofing off, reminding Bri of when she and Gwen had been to Sparksville. Xenovia was standing on Koneko's hands, while holding Stella aloft in her arms. Plum was cooing over Wildvine, sitting on top of one of her vines. Ben wearing Arane's orbs on his head. Akeno and Rias kissing Issei. Puia holding Yuuto's head between her breasts. Cerate shoving her hands up Bri's top. Bri standing over Cerate, who had a giant knot sticking out of her hair. Gaspard holding Asia in the air with his powers. Airi and Ben holding hands. Issei doing Dress Break on the girls. Bri sitting on Issei as Four Arms. Ben even got a startled picture of Raynare, who had been sulking in her room. A picture of Ben and Bri together, Omnitrixes held up. A picture of Issei and Bri together, standing back to back, holding the Omnitrix and Boosted Gear with their energy glowing. And then a final picture, of as many of them as they could standing together.
They now stood in the empty courtyard, Bri holding the dimension shifter in front of her. She tapped away at the controls, remembering the steps Grey Matter's logic had shown her. The wristband fired a purple beam forward, a large portal appearing before them.
"You sure this leads home?" Koneko asked.
Issei stepped forward. "Only one way to find out." They all turned to face Ben and his allies. "Thanks for the assist while we were here. Glad to have Asia back and all that."
"And thanks for helping us beat Breaker." Ben replied. "One step closer to getting to Eon."
Bri stepped forward and pulled Ben into a hug. "Stay strong Ben. Don't let this stuff push you down. Remember, you're a hero no matter what you say. And you're better than Breaker ever will be. She stood back up, looking at Airi. "Airi, I'm expecting you to keep my counterpart on the straight and narrow."
Airi smiled back. "Of course. I intend to."
"Yo." Koneko called out. "Let's get going already." Bri rolled her eyes and headed back to the others. They all gave one final wave before entering the portal. They vanished into purple light, and the portal closed behind them.
Ben wiped a tear from his eye, looking down at the pictures they now had of new friends.
Woo! Man, it feels great to be back. Felt like it's been forever since I last did a proper chapter. (No offence meant, Blazorna. I know how easy it is for the days to just blur on by.) Part of why I'm so happy to do this final part is that my contribution felt so small compared to the absolutely massive chapters Blaze did. What I believed would've started as a two chapter piece, each at about 10 thou words max ended up becoming three chapters, with the previous one so big that Blaze had to put a checkpoint in partway. Absolutely huge.
Now, here's my plans for what happens after this chapter. We're going to have a filler chapter just to help me ease back into the story, since it's been so long since we've been back here. And then we'll have our final story arc, and then Ben DxD will be finished, and I can try and focus on some of my other stories now that they're piling up on me. I had an incredible time with this crossover (never thought I'd get so popular as to get a crossover with a crossover), but it's time to draw this to a close before I start running out of ideas and flounder is a writer's block quagmire.
Also, a funny thing happened when Blaze asked me if I wanted to finish the crossover. I was so excited to be offered it, that I ended up churning this whole thing out in a single night. Two – three hours tops. So I've been sitting on this for a few weeks until Blaze sorted out everything on his end and double checked everything, and I figured I'd give it a week before I released this chapter. It's amazing how fast you can write when you're really excited again.
So see you guys again later. Hopefully it won't take me too long to churn out the next adventure.