Chapter 23: Paradox
Hey everyone I'm back with a new chapter and in this one I bring in one of my all time favorite Ben 10 characters. I hope you like what I have planned. Please Review and Enjoy.
It was the dead of night as we find ourselves in a high-tech lab but it was closed for the night when suddenly a large figure broke through the window causing the alarm to go off as he grabbed various parts.
"Intruder! Intruder!" The alarm said as security ran in and turned on the light to see what seemed to be Dr. Animo but his head was in a jar as his body seemed to be attached to a gorilla.
"Freeze Animo!" The guards said aiming their guns at him.
"Sorry folks but this doctor has an appointment with destiny." Animo said as he threw an entire bookcase at the guards knocking them to the ground.
Grabbing the parts Animo assembled them to create a belt. "Here I come Rogers!" Animo declared pressing a button and disappeared.
Little did he know a shadowy figure saw him. "Hmm he got here earlier than I expected." A male voice said as he reached into his bag and pulled out a pocket watch. "Hmm if he's going where I think he's going I should arrive just before him. I look forward to meeting everyone again." The man said disappearing.
We find ourselves at Monster High as all the students were gathered outside on the hill as a movie was about to be projected on the wall of the school for Movie Night.
"I must say this was a very good idea." Dracula said looking to Mary.
"Yeah we used to do Movie Night all the time when Drake was little." Mary said.
"And the popcorn and sodas really sell it." Harriet said as all the students were sitting in the grass, on blankets or in Cleo's case a lounge chair.
"Hey Cleo want some popcorn?" Lagoona asks sitting next to her.
"No thanks too buttery." Cleo said laying back in her chair. "Ooh this movie under the stars total selfie."
Cleo holds her iCoffin up but when she took the picture Lorna appeared behind her and gave her the bunny ears.
"Lorna!" Cleo growls sitting up to see Lorna and Lagoona laughing at her reaction.
"Nice one mate." Lagoona said as the two water ghouls high fived.
As Kai and Gwen were sitting down Jinafire walks over.
"Popcorn?" Jinafire offers but when they reached over all they saw were kernels.
"Uh Jinafire?" Kai asks.
Smiling Jinafire breathed fire popping all the kernels with ease.
"Ooh freshly popped." Gwen smiles.
Gob had a handful of snacks and as he sat them down to take his seat Kevin moved in and swiped two bags of popcorn when he wasn't looking. "Gob?" Gob said not sure where the popcorn went when Toralei took two of his drinks. "GOB?!"
Behind him, Kevin and Toralei laugh as they enjoyed their free snacks.
As Drake got his popcorn and a can of soda he looked around for a place to sit when he noticed a spot by Draculaura and he also saw spots by Frankie and Hope causing him to be nervous as he remembered the kiss Frankie gave him not too long ago not to mention all of Hope's constant flirting.
Needless to say, this was not something easy to figure out. Draculaura and Frankie were the first girls he ever met, they created Monster High together. When Draculaura admitted she liked him at Dance the Fright Away he really did have feelings for her, but when Hope came along and then the Baby Chills his love life had changed drastically.
Sighing he sat down in an open area when Julie and Ship sat next to him.
"So what's the movie?" Julie asks sipping her soda.
"Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship." Drake said when Julie giggled. "What's so funny?"
"No it's just the movie has people of different species working together for a common cause. Kinda like this school." Julie said causing Drake to smile.
"Hey yeah you're right." Drake chuckles.
"Alright students quiet down. The movie is about to begin." Rook said as Mary turned on the laptop, but just as the logo appeared a portal opened up right in the middle of the wall.
"Whoa, you didn't say this movie was in 3-D." Deuce said.
"It's not." Drake said as a figure exited the portal. "Hex give a path!"
Raising his staff Hex created a bridge for Drake to run over. Activating the watch he slams down on it and turns into Swampfire.
Leaping up Swampfire grabs the figure just as he walks out revealing him to be a man with black hair, a white lab coat, and goggles around his neck. This was Prof. Paradox.
"This school is private property. I'm gonna have to ask you to leave." Swampfire said as Prof. Paradox looks at him and smiles.
"Swampfire, now that takes me back or is it forward. It's so hard to tell anymore Drake. Have we met?" Paradox asks confusing him.
"How do you know my name?" Swampfire asks.
"Have we met YET I suppose the question was." Prof. Paradox said as Mary turned off the movie allowing Dracula, Harriet, Hope and Kevin to run over.
"Who are you? And how did you know where find us?" Dracula asks.
"Not where, when. Gumball?" Prof. Paradox asks taking out a bag.
"No thanks I'm good. Who are you? What's your name?" Swampfire asks.
"Hmm that slipped my mind several hundred years ago." Prof. Paradox said.
"Did he just say several hundred years ago?" Kevin asks.
"Did you just say—" Swampfire turns back only to see he was gone. "Hey."
"Forgive me, been awhile since a I had my favorite drink." Looking over they saw Prof. Paradox drinking a can of soda.
"What is he?" Frankie asks as she, Draculaura, Clawdeen, Cleo and Lagoona stood up.
"By the way has Animo dropped by yet?" Prof. Paradox asks getting their attention.
"Animo? I put that weirdo behind bars a long time ago." Swampfire said.
"Yes but not this Animo. This one is very different from the one you battled before." Prof. Paradox said.
"Different how?" Draculaura asks only to see Prof. Paradox was gone again.
"The dangerous kind of different." Prof. Paradox said appearing next to her startling her.
"How does he move this fast?" Ben asks when Prof. Paradox appeared next to him.
"It's called walking or perhaps strolling." Prof. Paradox said.
"What kind of magic is he using?" Hope asks as Hex stepped down with his staff.
"I've never read any kind of magic that allows a user to do this." Hex said as Prof. Paradox appears next to them.
"Because it's not magic, rather science." He said.
"So what are you then?" Swampfire asks turning back into Drake.
"I guess the preferred term is time traveler." Prof. Paradox said.
"Time traveler? That exists?" Julie asks.
"But time travel is impossible you could create so many paradoxes." Frankie said.
"Can you tell us what's going on Mr uh…Paradox?" Draculaura asks.
"Paradox? Yes I like that." He smiles.
"So what's going on about Animo and frankly how are you able to time travel?" Drake asks.
"Same old Drake Rogers. You're even more like yourself in the future. Which for obvious reasons I can't really tell you about." Paradox said.
"You want me to hurt him?" Kevin asks.
"Not yet." Cleo said.
"I'll tell you my story in a way you can understand. My story starts during one of my experiments having discovered special properties in quartz crystals I had received government funding to break a hole in the space-time continuum which would allow us to travel to past and future events." Paradox said.
"And it didn't go the way you planned?" Lagoona asks.
"No it didn't. Something went wrong and I was hurled into the Event Horizon. I must've spent 100 thousand years there, I didn't age, need to sleep, eat, I just existed." Paradox said.
"Doesn't sound very fun." Clawdeen said.
"At first I went mad, but after a few millennia that got boring and I went sane, very sane. I began to learn and now I have a complete understanding of the space-time continuum. Now I can travel anywhere and anywhen I want within reason." Paradox explains.
"So where's your time machine?" Harriet asks
"He doesn't have one, has a map." Drake realized.
"Exactly, I know where all the short cuts are." Paradox smiles.
"But that doesn't explain about Animo." Frankie said.
"That's easy. In the future Animo had been working on tech so he can come back in time to this school and defeat the one person who constantly gets in his way to stop him again and again." Prof. Paradox said walking right up to Drake. "You see Drake, Animo plans to use this his future abilities to kill you so you can't get in his way anymore." He declares shocking all the students and staff.
"Me?! He went through all this trouble just to get rid of me?" Drake asks.
"Yes, but lucky for you I beat him here so that I can explain everything." Prof. Paradox said.
"This is crazy." Drake said holding his head.
"How long do we have?" Draculaura asks as Paradox took out a pocket watch.
"If we do this right I'll take Animo back with me to the future and none of you will have to worry." Prof. Paradox said before walking up to Draculaura and handed her a folded-up piece of paper. "Wait an hour and take the people on that paper to that location."
"Wait what are you gonna do?" Draculaura asks.
"Catch up with a good friend." Prof. Paradox said patting Drake on the shoulder. "Come along Drake walk with me."
Drake was nervous at first, but if he knew a plan to keep Animo from killing him he best listen.
Walking a few miles away from the school, Paradox sits down on a rock and sighs.
"Ah nothing like a calm peaceful night before a battle." Paradox said.
"Uh Paradox I'm not sure what's going on. I mean I don't get this whole time travel thing I mean I can barely figure out what girl or ghoul I like." Drake said causing Paradox to chuckle.
"Oh Drake, no matter when I see your love life never fails to amuse me." Paradox smiles.
"Gee glad I can be of some entertainment." Drake mutters.
"Look I'm not one to speak of romance. I haven't had a date in over a hundred thousand years, but you are looking at this whole thing from the wrong perspective." Paradox said.
"What do you mean?" Drake asks.
"Your looking at your romantic situation from a human perspective but you are not a normal human you are surrounded by monsters, aliens even a few mages. You're not seeing the big picture. To find the answer sometimes you need to look through another perspective." Paradox said.
"Wow, that's really good advice. Thanks." Drake said.
"Anytime old friend." Paradox said as he took out his pocket watch and stood up. "Brace yourself, here he comes."
"What?" Drake said as a portal opens in front of him and Animo steps out.
"Rogers, long time no see." Animo grins.
"Animo? Whoa time has not been kind to you." Drake said.
"That's because of you! Drake Rogers, the Great Unifier!" Animo declared.
"The Great Unifier?" Drake said wondering how he got that title.
"I hope you're ready because I am gonna destroy everything you love startng with your school!" Animo declares before looking around realizing where he was. "Wait, where's Monster High?"
"It appears you got the when right, just not the where." Paradox said walking into view.
"You!" Animo growls.
"You locked onto Drake's location but unfortunately for you I moved his location." Paradox smirks.
"Grr. No matter I'll deal with you myself!" Animo said swinging a fist.
Going for the watch Drake slams down on it turning into Rath who caught his fist.
"Let me tell you something Monkey Animo, no and I mean no tries to kill Rath and gets away with it!" Rath yells pushing back knocking Animo down into a small canyon before Rath jumped after him.
Landing down on a ledge Rath looks around for any sign of Animo when suddenly something grabs his leg. Looking down Rath yelps as Animo yanks him down and slams him against the cliff.
"You can't beat me!" Animo said throwing Rath onto the ground and diving down.
Rolling out of the way Rath dodges the attack before punching Animo in the chest knocking him back.
Roaring Rath tackles Animo smashing him against the rock wall but just as Rath threw a punch Animo moves his head out of the way and grabs Rath before turning him around and smashed him against the wall.
Payback she truly is the worst." Animo said punching Rath again and again into the wall.
When the assault finished, Rath drops to his knees and turns back into Drake.
"I have waited years for this moment." Animo grins ready to finish him off when suddenly Draculaura in her bat form flew in and scratched the glass covering his face. "AH! Hey not the glass!"
As Draculaura flew back roots shot out of the ground tying him up.
"Looks like you might have to wait a little longer." Looking up Animo said Venus glaring down at him before Kevin touched the cliffs and his body turned to stone and punched Animo knocking him to the ground.
Landing down Draculaura turns back into a vampire as Kevin and Venus landed next to him.
"I take it this is what Paradox's note said?" Drake assumes.
"Not just that." Draculaura said when Paradox and Jinafire walk over.
As Animo stands up Jinafire breathed fire creating a wall in between them.
"You didn't do half bad." Paradox said helping Drake up.
"Still wasn't enough." Drake groans.
"Remember what I said, sometimes you need to look at things from another perspective." Paradox reminds.
Drake looks around and when he gets a closer look at Animo he knew what he had to do. Openig the watch Drake fidgeted around before slamming down on it and turning into Ditto.
"Hey Animo!" Ditto calls out as Ditto made 6 copies of himself. "You want me? Come and get me!"
Roaring Animo runs after Ditto but the 6 of them ran down the canyon dodging rocks and branches which Animo plowed through.
Upon reaching a dead-end 4 Ditto turn to see Animo glaring them down.
"Got you now." Animo said.
"Actually, we got you." Ditto said as the other two jump down from above and started pulling at the jar Animo's head was in.
"What?! No get off me!" Animo said trying to shake him off but the two Ditto ripped the jar off causing the Gorilla body to shut down and fall to the ground.
"Aw did the bad scientist lose his head?" Ditto asks looking at the head in the jar.
"I hate you so much." Animo growls.
Back at Monster High, Paradox opens a portal and Kevin threw the Gorilla body into it while Paradox picks up Animo's head.
"Don't worry I'll see to it that your old cell is the way you left it." Paradox said before throwing it into the portal.
"Thanks for all your help." Drake said walking up to him.
"Of course, Drake after all you once said whether you're human, monster or even alien, you can always count on friends to help you when times are tough." Paradox smiles.
"Sounds like something you would say." Draculaura giggles.
"I hope you'll take what I said earlier into consideration." Paradox said.
"I will Paradox. Will I ever see you again?" Drake asks.
"Of course you will Drake, the only question is when we'll see each other again." Paradox smiles before pulling out his bag. "Last chance for a gumball. Take it, it'll calm your nerves."
Smiling Drake reached in and took one.
"Farewell Drake." Paradox said before disappearing.
After all that craziness, everyone had decided to go to bed.
Walking to his room he past by the Library when he remembered the advice Paradox gave him.
Opening the door, Drake walks in and sees Hex meditating in the middle of the room.
"Hey Hex." Drake said.
"What is it?" Hex asks.
"Nothing just browsing for a book to read." Drake said looking around.
"Very well. Just don't make too much noise." Hex said as Drake looked around the room when he noticed a red book and opened it.
"All monsters are different in many ways but they are also similar. One similarity is that they do not bind themselves to a relationship where each has only one spouse. If multiple monsters have feelings for the same person a platonic relationship can be created assuming that the receiving end's feelings for them are mutual." Drake read as he paused remembering the times Draculaura and Frankie kissed him and confessed their love for him.
"This has been a wild and confusing day." Drake groans putting the book back before pulling out the gumball Paradox gave him and ate it. "Hmm what do you know I do feel a little calmer."