A/n: So…I was weak and wrote another chapter for this story almost immediately, I just have fun writing this one for some reason.
November 10, [8:57 A.M]
Bellwood, Tennyson Residence
The Tennyson family, comprised of Frank, his wife Natalie, and their daughter Gwen silently sat around their dining room table. The faint chatter of the television in the next room barely registering to them as they continued with their day.
"Of all the days something could happen." Frank groaned, his eyes narrowed in annoyance at the news report being played. An advisory to stay indoors for the time being, as a creature had appeared downtown and began wreaking havoc.
"Dad." Gwen lightly chided.
"I know sweetie." Frank sighed. "I'm sure there are people who got caught in the crossfire-"
"No, I'm sorry." Gwen shook her head. "I know what you meant." She debated fishing out her phone to call Ben, and have him deal with the thing on the news, but she paused.
What if he was doing something important?
After all, the first time she met Ben he had Superman with him. Wait, was Ben part of the Justice League now?
Just call and I'll come running, it won't matter where I am.
She reminded herself of Ben's words. She didn't want to see if everything Ben had said was just hyperbole, but it seemed like a good time to test it out. So Gwen had shot him a quick text, something along the lines of:
Something's attacking downtown Bellwood, can you handle it?
A few minutes had gone by, her phone was still silent.
"Gwen, you know the rules." Natalie cut in. "No phones at the table."
"That's for when we're having meals mom." Gwen replied, her gaze whipping back to the broadcast. The creature had picked up a car and was now brandishing it the panicked onlookers.
Then an orange mass of pulsating light slammed into it. The car dropped to the pavement, the creature incapacitated. The camera moved to catch up, and had caught on footage the briefest glimpse of a humanoid rabbit creature that was glowing bright orange like a hot metal. The rabbit had done a lazy wave then dashed off in a flash of fire.
"Finally someone dealt with that thing." Frank rose from his seat. "I need to get going, do you need a ride to school Gwen?"
"No thanks, my classes aren't until later."
"Suit yourself." Frank kissed Natalie goodbye, then headed out the door. Just as he opened the door he smiled. "Well I'll be, look who it is."
Ben popped his head into the house with a wave. "Hey Aunt Natalie." Ben waved. "Hey Gwen."
"Ben, what a lovely surprise." Natalie began. "I thought you were in Paris."
"The school offered me a leave of absence, and I took it immediately." Ben waved as his uncle left through the front door. "I wanted to check in with my folks after that incident a few days back."
"I can see that, would you like something to drink?"
"Orange juice, if you got any." Said Ben sitting beside his cousin. "Surprised to see me?"
Gwen looked over to her mother who had her back turned. "Took you long enough." She smirked.
"Cut me some slack." Ben leaned back into his seat. "I was in Parkville. I had to talk down a few bank robbers with hostages, and besides I got here the second I finished it."
"I'm not complaining." Gwen raised her hands in defense. "I saw what you did to that thing on the T.V. it was pretty cool. So what do you call that one?"
"Flare Hare."
"Really?" Gwen quirked a brow.
"What?"
"I don't know, I expected something more snappy?" Gwen pulled out her phone, and went into her memos. "I listed down some of your names, a lot of them are really…you."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"I meant it as one." Gwen smiled. "Some of my favorites are Big Chill, Terraspin, and Upgrade. Terraspin is a personal favorite, you've got quite the vocabulary on you."
"Thanks." Ben smiled as his aunt handed him his glass of juice.
"So I'm kinda disappointed that you stuck with Flare Hare."
"I'd like to see you come up with something better." Ben took a long drink.
"Solar Hare." Gwen immediately replied. "You know, like Solar Flare? Since I'm assuming this guy catches on fire."
"Show off." Ben huffed, and made a mental note to consider the name. Flare Hare wasn't one of his best ones, but who could blame him? With that many transformations not every name could be a snappy one, he could admit that some of them were plain bad choices. Ben made another mental note to keep thinking of names for his Loboan transformation, he was pretty sure he was going to get sued if he kept going by Blitzwolfer.
[3:02 P.M.]
Paris, France
Benjamin Kirby Tennyson lazily scrolled through on his tablet's newsfeed. While the access to the Extranet was nice, he decided it was time to get up to date on current events on his home planet. He swore if he saw one more article detailing the wedding of Gala Broks and their Florauna bride he was going to chew up his tablet.
Curiously several videos came to his attention, the most recent one seemed to be from a few minutes ago.
A shaky camera was being held up as the person recording hid around the corner. Some monster was attacking, and he would've been a fool to not recognize downtown Bellwood. It didn't take long before a ball of fire shaped like a humanoid rabbit slammed into the creature.
Ben paused the video.
His eyes immediately going to the device on the rabbit's belt. Then he moved to the next video. Same wanton destruction, but there were others in the same frame. The sidekicks from major players from the Justice League.
Fire spewing plant guy and a fairy with the same symbol.
The next featured a ball like creature fighting a shark, then eventually a large being who was made of living rock. "Yeah, I wouldn't forget you." Ben poked the screen. He'd come to learn that the rock creature was called a Galilean.
His mind returned to that moment. He was running for his life as the world around him turned into a war zone. Aliens were fighting all around him, all those aliens being him.
Ben immediately called Max. The older man's image appearing on screen.
"I'm surprised it took you this long to call." Max said.
"Wait, you knew?"
"A Max came with him." Ben knew that the him was well…him. "They're just stuck here for the time being, he even left a message for you, but you've been so busy I couldn't get ahold of you."
"Yeah, sorry about that grandpa." Ben rubbed the back of his nape. "No communication during that exercise, you know how Magister Hulka gets when he's training."
"No need to explain yourself." Max smiled. "Just keep doing your best."
"I will." Ben returned the smile. "So, what's the message?"
"He said you'd know what it meant, but he said: Still no gadget, but you're just as much of a hero as I am."
"Man, I'm motivating." Ben chuckled.
"Glad you got the message." Max shifted in his seat. "Also don't forget, we have to go get you fitted for the new standard issue Proto Armor."
"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Ben smiled. "Bye grandpa."
Then the screen went dark.
[9:44 A.M.]
Mount Justice
Recognized Ben Tennyson, B-10
Ben rubbed his temples as he exited the Zeta Tube, and scanned the locale. It was empty, save for the singular girl who sat at the couch. Ben and Zatanna made eye contact, the former looking away.
"Where is everyone?" He asked.
"Out." Was Zatanna's reply. "A lot of them have school, and Kaldur just doesn't go to school on the surface."
Then they were silent.
"I'll get out of your hair then." Ben turned away, and despite the awkwardness he didn't want to deal with the Zeta Tube again. His fingers glided over the faceplate of the Omnitrix.
"How does it work?"
"Huh?" Ben turned. Zatanna was still seated at her spot, but continued to gaze at him.
"Your watch, how does it work?"
"I just touch the dial and it does its thing." Ben approached her, and knelt down to show her the holographic display. "Here, you try."
Zatanna moved her hand over the sleek white and black faceplate of the Omnitrix. Though strangely it didn't seem to work for her as it did for Ben.
"Oh, right." Ben smacked the upside of his head. "Omnitrix, deactivate failsafe. Allow non-host user to utilize species selection function."
Accepted.
A quick beep, and suddenly the holographic ring from earlier had popped up. Zatanna squinted her eyes for a moment, and wondered how Ben worked this device when she could barely see what seemed like the faces of his transformations.
"Omnitrix, reconfigure display."
Another beep, and the ring had become significantly smaller, but now a full body holographic display of the transformations were shown. She slid her hand over the device, the holograms changed. One of them she recognized: the stone looking creature that tore through Klarion's shield.
"Try dialing up a flyer." Ben instructed.
She went through the transformations until she found one that she thought looked like it could fly.
"Now slide your fingers down." She obliged and the top part had slid down with her fingers revealing a component that had popped up. She recognized it as the same symbol that all of Ben's transformations had on them somewhere.
She looked to him for her next set of instructions.
"Slam it down, be my guest."
Zatanna slapped down the component, and in a flash of light Ben was suddenly a bearded rodent that stood on two legs.
"Well…this is unprecedented." He spoke with a stereotypical gentleman's accent. "I could have sworn the hologram displayed Big Chill."
Zatanna blinked. "Who…are you?"
"My dear sorceress, allow me to introduce myself." He offered her a bow. "This distinctive transformation has the moniker of Mole-Stache." Zatanna still hadn't spoken, she was still a bit taken back by the accent and everything.
"My guess is that this guy can't fly?"
"Quite right." Mole-Stache replied. "Though, not entirely." The ends of Mole-Stache's titular mustache stretched out, and coiled over his head then began to spin rapidly. So much so in fact that he achieved lift off and hovered off that ground.
Zatanna couldn't help but chuckle.
"I shall be taking my leave now." Mole-stache said, then hovered away. Though a thought occurred to Ben, did he ever realize how to get out of Mount Justice without the use of a Zeta Tube?
Eh, he'd figure it out eventually.
Unbeknownst to the pair, a certain batch of heroes had been watching the interaction. Though some of them weren't as thrilled to be intruding.
"This is getting a bit out of hand." Wonder Woman began. "That was nothing more than a harmless conversation, we did not need to listen to their whole exchange."
"She's got a point." Green Arrow nodded.
Other members who were seated at this meeting seemed to be neutral or in agreement with Diana's sentiment. Among them Black Canary seemed to be lingering on the feed of Zatanna sitting alone.
"See something, Dinah?" Batman asked.
"No, it's just that Zatanna spoke to him without any hostility." Her shoulders relaxed. "I'm glad she's getting better, but I think she still sees Ben as one of the forces that took her father away from her."
"I can't blame her." Hal Jordan spoke. "The kid turned into a Celestialsapien, and still didn't capture Klarion."
From what this group had learned about Celestialsapiens, they were incredibly powerful reality warpers. Omnipotent and Omniscient in a sense, but only because their powers were so great.
"I think it speaks of Benjamin's character." The Martian Manhunter interjected. "He had nigh unlimited power at his command, but he only moved to do the bare minimum: to restore the dimensions to their proper states, and even attempted to incapacitate Klarion."
"But that doesn't change the fact that he's dangerous." Hal added.
"Powerful and dangerous go hand in hand, but he is no villain." Aquaman defended. "Have you not seen the good he's done in only a few short days?"
To make his point Aquaman pressed a button that flashed detailed news reports. Images of creatures with a common hourglass like symbol somewhere on their body appeared. All of them caught in action shots, as they were fleeing from the scene after helping people, or being in battle with super powered criminals.
"Perhaps if we knew more about Ben, then some of our fears would subside." Red Tornado added. "What do we know of the symbol Ben wears? Is it a coat of arms of sorts?"
Hal shook his head. "It's actually a bit of a history lesson." His ring flashed and the same hourglass symbol had been projected into the air in front of them. "This symbol is the intergalactic symbol for Peace."
"So he is a good guy." Green Arrow exclaimed.
"Let's not jump to any conclusions." Batman turned to him. "We've had individuals who claimed to want peace, but have shown otherwise."
"Aye aye, Bat "Trust Issues" Man."
"The symbol was used by an organization called the Plumbers." Hal continued. "An intergalactic law enforcement organization. Essentially a downgrade of the Green Lantern Corps."
"Do not speak ill of the Plumbers." The Manhunter's voice became stern. "What they may lack in the power of the Green Lantern Corps, they make up for with steadfast and readily available service to those they protect."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hal asked.
"I did not mean to offend." Manhunter bowed his head. "All I mean is that the Plumbers have a system that is far more efficient. Compared to the two Lanterns per sector rule, the Plumbers grow their ranks consistently as to more efficiently police their designated areas."
Hal sighed. "Yeah…there's been some debate about that going around the sectors for awhile now. The Lanterns are stronger but the Plumbers are always there for them, both have their merits."
"Wait, does that mean Earth or at least its surrounding planets have Plumbers stationed on or near them?" Diana asked.
"I'm not too read up on their rules." The projection Hal's ring made changed. "But apparently, each planet is assigned a Magister; a high ranking Plumber that's in charge of overseeing a majority of that planet's activity."
"So do we know who Earth's Magister is?" Green Arrow asked.
"Funny you should ask." The projection changed to an image of a familiar elderly man in a Hawaiian shirt. "Earth's Magister is none other than Maxwell Tennyson." He sent a glance to the Manhunter. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"
"Yes." Manhunter replied. "Max Tennyson is regarded as the greatest Plumber in the universe, an elite among the elites for his morality and pension to go well beyond the call of duty."
"Looks like the old man's got some war stories." Arrow commented.
"That would be an understatement." The faces of the group became unreadable. Batman and Green Arrow especially seemed to have a newfound respect for the elderly man, they knew firsthand how dangerous the job was especially without any abilities to aid them in battle.
"Back to the matter at hand." Dinah's voice caught their attention. "So these Plumbers; Ben got the watch from them?"
"Not exactly." Hal sighed, the projection once again changing to the Omnitrix symbol with a different oddly shaped white object adorned with a red dot beside it. "This is the symbol for the Plumbers as of a few years now. The symbol Ben wears is actually the symbol of a race of aliens called the Galvan." Then the projection vanished with a sigh from Hal. "And the Galvan and Guardians aren't on good terms."
"So we know nothing?" Tornado asked.
"We're making this too difficult for ourselves." Diana cut in. "We have our sources of information standing shoulder to shoulder with our protégés. All we have to do is ask."
A new video window popped up from the middle of the table. A live feed of Ben in a transformation that resembled a small theropod dinosaur with wheels for feet was displayed.
"I believe he called this one XLR8." Martian Manhunter eyed the feed. "This one was highlighted in the dossier, it is a fast moving transformation that can circle the globe in mere minutes."
Meanwhile, Ben as XLR8 admired his handiwork. He'd tied criminals up before, but never as XLR8. The clawed hands just made it difficult, but for some reason he wanted to try his luck with restraining these people without transforming into something with opposable thumbs.
"You hang in there." XLR8 spoke, just as a squad car rounded the corner. Then rushed off.
The Team seemed to have other things to attend to, and not that he could blame them. But he didn't think that a group of superhero protégés would be in school, though he supposed it was a no-brainer.
What else would they be doing?
XLR8 suddenly came to a stop, he didn't know where he was. He let out a sigh. He'd gotten distracted and ran who knows how far?
"Are you lost?" A voice called out to him.
A figure hovered overhead, a girl who was probably around his age slowly descended to the ground. Then a flash of recognition coated her face.
"You're the new guy!" She exclaimed. "The one who beat up that monster with the other sidekicks."
"Uh…hi?" XLR8 waved. He didn't expect this reaction, most people when they see an alien usually go for the "Don't move freak!" Route, but this girl seemed too used to aliens.
"Icon's gonna flip, he's always been interested in other aliens." The girl began, and even fished out her phone.
"Who?" He found himself asking. "Look, slow down, I don't even know who you are."
"Oh, right." She playfully smacked herself on the head. "I'm Rocket." She held out a hand.
"XLR8." he replied and took the outstretched limb. "Well…for now at least."
"Yeah, you're a shape-shifter." Rocket said and moved out from oncoming traffic. "I guess it makes sense you'd have different names."
"Sorry for the tangent, but where am I?" XLR8 said. "I don't know where I am."
"Dakota City." Rocket said so matter of factly. She sent him a confused glance with a tilt of her head. "Did you not mean to come here?"
"I may have gotten distracted, and didn't bother to stop moving my feet."
Rocket chuckled. "Well that happens, I guess. So, where are you off to?"
"I don't know." He shrugged. "What's the next closest city."
Rocket pondered the thought for a moment. "Well…Metropolis is over that direction, and Gotham is the other way."
XLR8 sighed. "Well that's good to know." The visor went down. "Thanks, maybe we'll stop some bad guys together some time."
"What's the rush?" Rocket flashed blue and floated before the speedy alien. "Got a hot date?"
"I'm just trying to get the lay of the land." He said. "Hopefully I can finish all the states by dinnertime."
"Well that's a shame." Rocket huffed. "I was hoping to get to know you, maybe introduce you to Icon. He doesn't know any other aliens, aside from the ones that occasionally try to kill us."
"Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm human."
"Now you're just yanking my chain." Chuckled Rocket. "If you are human, I'm hoping you're at least cute."
"Hopefully." He said, the visor on XLR8's face sliding down. "See ya."
Then sped off.
[2:44 P.M.]
Mount Justice
"We're back!" M'gaan called out as she entered the cave. Her skin turning back to her usual green after another school day of being Megan.
The silent interior of the cave was their response. Conner stepped forward and found it odd. No Sphere, no Wolf to greet them.
"Wolf? Sphere?" Conner called out. "Isn't Zatanna supposed to be here too?"
"She should be." M'gaan confirmed, her clothes shifting into her mission wear. Her eyes glowing green. "I can feel someone's mind." She pointed to the far corner of the cave.
"I'll go straight, you circle back." Conner walked forward. He didn't turn back to see if M'gaan had gone, he trusted her enough to know she'd always have his back.
He could hear a heartbeat.
Conner quickly rounded the corner with the intent to swing on this intruder, but stopped immediately when he came face to face with a gray haired man in a Hawaiian shirt.
"Max." Conner breathed a sigh of relief.
"Afternoon Conner." Max greeted seemingly unfazed by the fact that he was going to be attacked had it not been for the fact Conner recognized him immediately. "Is it just you?"
"M'gaan, it's just Max." He called out, and the Martian girl appeared not a moment after. She returned to her civilian attire with a smile on her face.
Max had a few bags in his arms, bags which he placed on the countertop in the kitchen.
"You did our groceries for us?" M'gaan was shocked.
"It was the least I could do." Max said as he took out a few of the items he'd bought. Conner noted some of the things he'd bought: canned octopus, Ibex stomach, and what seemed to be clay?
"So, how many are we expecting tonight?" Max asked.
"If we're not all on duty, around four."
"Don't forget Z is staying with us." Conner reminded.
"Oh right." M'gaan slapped her forehead. "Hello Megan, speaking of which where is Zatanna?"
"I met her on the way in." Max seemed to fall deep into thought. Conner could her him muttering what he assumed to be potential food items that would be on the menu for tonight. "She said she wanted to take Wolf out for a walk." Max slowly turned to the pair. "How is she?"
"Better."
"That's good to hear." Max nodded. "A loss like that is never easy."
Conner hung his head. He wasn't really close with Zatanna, but he appreciated her company. M'gaan seemed unbothered, but took a few uneasy steps forward.
"Something on your mind, M'gaan?" Max asked.
"Is Ben not here?"
"Ben is out doing what he does best." Max set down a can. "He'll be back, he knows his limits."
"Wow, you actually trust him." Conner scoffed. "Wish our quote-unquote "superiors" did that."
M'gaan sent him a look. "They do trust us." She said.
"Not really feeling the trust from big blue." Conner grunted and moved to help Max unpack.
"Conner, I know you want his approval." M'gaan placed a hand on her boyfriend's. "But trust takes time, and it's difficult to earn."
"I know." Conner sighed and pressed M'gaan's hand into his cheek. "I just want someone to tell me that I'm doing good, and I don't mean Batman's robotic "congratulations" after every mission."
"You're all fine heroes." Max chimed in. The older man offered them both a kind smile, and Conner even intentionally lowered his guard somewhat. "I don't know how long you've all been doing this, but wanting to help people is enough."
"Do you tell Ben that too?" Conner smiled.
"No, Ben needs to hear something else." Max faltered. "Anyway, how does Clay roasted lamb sound?"
Black Canary - 13
A short flash came from the nearby Zeta Tube as Dinah Lance stepped through. She seemed to have immediately recognized Max and moved to approach the trio.
"I didn't expect Maxwell to be here." She began.
"Please, call me Max."
"Dinah." She held out her hand, then turned to M'gaan and himself. "Is it just the two of you?"
"School let out early." M'gaan explained, then hovered to Max and gave him a hand in unpacking the groceries. "Why're you here?"
"Training." Conner answered for her. He hoped M'gaan would just read his mind for the details, and see his reasons. Canary was one of the League's best hand to hand fighters, and ever since that day she put him on his ass. Conner had been a willing student in her sparring sessions, and even asked for advice on how to improve his style.
"Mind if I take a break though?" Dinah asked. "I might be part of the League, but I'm only human."
M'gaan hovered a drink to the blonde, which she promptly thanked the Martian for and then leaned against one of the countertops.
"Is Ben not here?" Dinah asked.
"Ben's on patrol, since this morning apparently." M'gaan shrugged.
"That's admirable." Then Dinah's gaze moved around the room. "But judging from Max's silence, you don't approve of him doing so."
"I will never not be proud of what he does." Max continued. "But Ben needs to rest, especially now that there are others that can share in the load he's carrying."
[4:22 P.M.]
Gotham
After another exciting day of school, Richard "Dick" Grayson sat cross-legged at a nearby Cafe. The low hum of city traffic and the chatter of the other patrons that he'd managed to tune out were sort of relaxing.
Still he remained vigilant. He might not have been in the suit as of this moment, but he still lived in Gotham. Not keeping tabs of his surroundings from time to time would make him an easy target.
"Didn't think you'd be here." A voice called out to him. Artemis sat in front of him and set her school bag aside.
"Do I know you?" He asked, trying to keep his identity secret. "You're that girl I met a few weeks back!" He gave his best shot at acting.
"Not fooling anyone Rob." Artemis muttered. "I'm not stupid, I see the other guy almost everyday." A server came and placed a glass of water in front of her, then took a sip. "Hiding your cheekbones isn't much of a disguise."
Dick shrugged. "Aw well, guess my fun had to end some time."
He'd miss the panicked Artemis he'd corner on some occasion by the Zeta Tubes. If she seriously thought he didn't recognize her in civies, then Artemis was seriously underestimating him.
"I'm surprised to see you here." She began. "What, no "extracurricular activities" with the big guy?"
"Figured there was more to life than just the mission." He smiled. "I'm trying to stop and smell the roses." Dick took a sip of his drink. "What about you? Why're you here?"
Artemis waved a hardbound book in the air. The cover read: The Wetlands of America.
"Book report?"
"Yeah." Artemis sighed, and pulled out a notebook and a pen. "It's just one page, but Mrs. McFarlane made sure we get our info from a book. She's not too keen on people just getting whatever information they want from the internet." She huffed. "No matter how easy it makes schoolwork."
"I don't envy you." Dick turned away, his eyes passing over the people on the street who went on with they day.
Then a woman was pulled into the nearby alley in an instant. He shot to his feet, and Artemis was quick to follow. The pair rushed out of the cafe, and immediately headed for the alley.
However by the time they got there, the woman who has been pulled in was just sitting there. Artemis moved to check on her, while he gave the woman a quick once over.
She was disheveled from the abduction, but otherwise fine.
"She's shaken up, but she'll be alright." Artemis said, and helped the woman to her feet. "Where's the person that did this to you?"
The shadows moved. Dick turned his gaze upwards and quickly got an eye full of the detained hoodlum who he assumed tried to mug this woman, but he was more concerned about the thing tying the man up.
A swirling mass of vines and plants that seemed to be able to scale the walls of the alley. It was green and seemed busy with the man, then it turned to them. Its head right inside what seemed to be a venus fly trap.
The woman screamed, then went limp in Artemis' arms.
"She's heavy!" Artemis struggled with the now unconscious woman. Her voice shook for a moment, obviously uncomfortable with the fact she was defenseless and an unconscious woman was weighing her down.
"Stay whelmed." Dick said, slipping into his Robin persona. His hand moved its way to his belt where he had a birdarang folded away.
"I'm not gonna hurt you." The creature suddenly spoke. Dick let a look of confusion coat his features.
"Right, and we're supposed to just believe that?" Artemis countered.
Then he got a closer look at the creature. More specifically the symbol on its chest.
"Ben?" He muttered, but that seemed to have been heard by their planty patron. A moment later he was being shushed rather aggressively.
"Wildvine." Ben corrected, and moved down to street level and touched the symbol on his chest. In a flash of green light, Ben had returned to human. "You don't see me yelling out your secret identities." Ben shook his head. "Seriously, and side note get better disguises. Hiding your cheekbones isn't really doing much."
Dick fought the urge to groan. That was the second time today he'd been told that.
"Ben, why're you here?" He asked.
"Just doing my part." Ben replied, his hand slowly fiddling with the watch. "Might actually head back home now that I've cleared the states."
"Good for you." Artemis called out, clearly not enjoying the exchange. "Now help me."
"I got it." Dick's hand went to the other side of his belt. His fingertips brushing up against a few cylindrical pellets, and crushed them. A white powder coated his fingertips, then hovered them around the woman's nose.
The woman jerked up, her eyes wide as she took a deep breath.
"What happened?!" She asked.
"You were almost mugged ma'am." Ben began. "You were lucky, my friends spotted you and screamed. Then the guy dropped you and ran off."
Dick moved forward, making sure to block the woman's view if she decided to look up.
"Do you feel okay?" Artemis said. "We could call an ambulance or something."
"No, I'm fine." The woman stood up slowly, shaking her head. "Thank you very much, I'll be going now."
"You sure you don't need any help-Miss?" Dick trailed off.
"It's Mrs. , Mrs. Flynn." She smiled. "I wish my son Derek were more like you. He's got a good head on his shoulders, but everything he does ends up going sideways."
"Then he's lucky he has you, right Mrs. Flynn?" Ben smiled.
"Damn straight." With that she smiled and left the alley.
Ben let out a sigh of relief, and then the muffled panic of the mugger he'd detained reached their ears.
"Well that was eventful, now if you'll excuse me." Artemis headed back to the cafe. "I've got a date with a book report."
"Yeah, school sucks." Ben added.
"Bet you're living it up since you're missing a lot of school." Artemis paused.
"Oh I don't go."
Artemis shot Ben a dirty look, but Ben simply motioned to the watch. It didn't really answer anything, but if he just kept going around the world helping people then it made sense why missing school didn't seem like a big deal to him.
"Well lucky you." The disdain was oozing from Artemis at this point.
"I've got a few brainy aliens that can help you with your report." Ben suggested. "You'll have to write though, they're not the most dexterous transformations."
Artemis quirked a brow, placing her hands on her hips. "How much do you know about the biology of wetlands?"
Ben shrugged. "That depends."
"On?"
"How much time do I get?" Ben asked.
Artemis turned to Dick. "What time does the public library close?"
"Around 9."
"You've got until 9 P.M." Replied Artemis.
"Plenty of time." Ben smiled as he began fiddling with the watch.
Dick simply followed the pair. He wanted to kill some time and distract himself from the mission for a bit, and he supposed this counted.
Artemis couldn't help but look over her shoulder constantly as she wrote. It was like her senses were in overdrive, the smallest thing set her off.
"You listening?" A smaller voice asked. She nodded and pinched the bridge of her nose, as the small frog like creature returned to the book she had set up.
"Lighten up, Artemis." Dick told her.
"Ben is literally a talking frog." She said through grit teeth. "In public, while we're in civies."
"I'm a Galvan." Ben corrected. "And the name's Grey Matter." He walked out of the upright book and down to the chair beside Artemis. "Keep a look out."
Ben returned to human form without any incident. However the librarian did shush them quite aggressively when the Omnitrix went off.
"So, how's the paper coming along?" Dick said as he offered the pair the bottles of water in hand.
"I can't believe it only took us like thirty minutes." Artemis continued to write, occasionally peeking at the notes she'd set aside.
"I can't believe your name's actually Artemis." Ben began. "And that yours is Dick."
"Yeah yeah, laugh it up." Dick smirked. "Kirby."
"How did you-?!"
"Paradox basically gave the League your autobiography." Dick shrugged. "I guess as a show of good faith, though some of them are still on the fence about you."
Ben shrugged. "I'll take what I can get, at least this time I'm not being held in an energy tube."
Artemis chose to ignore what "this time" implied, and decided to continue writing her paper. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she decided to ask offhandedly.
"So what are the other heroes in your world like?"
"There aren't many." Ben said propping his head up on his arm. "It's usually just me, grandpa, my partner Rook and the Plumbers." Ben shrugged. "Maybe if I'm lucky my cousin Gwen, and my friend Kevin are around."
Artemis nodded and found it quite easy to talk to the dimension hopper. He was a bit like Kaldur, but less serious. In fact Ben reminded her of the other members of the Team, but very toned down. The best she could liken Ben to was perhaps Robin? She really couldn't figure it out, but what she did know was that she'd managed to keep Ben talking and kept the conversation going.
"Wait wait!" Artemis reeled. "So the closest guy you have to Superman is weak to chocolate?" She couldn't help but smile, that information was just too much.
"You're definitely messing with us." Dick smirked.
"I'm not." Ben chuckled. "Ultimos almost died when I fed him chocolate when I first met him." Ben took a sip of his bottled water and set it aside. "But Ultimos is a good guy. I think he and Superman might get along."
"Everyone gets along with Superman." Dick chimed in. "If you don't get along with him, odds are you're a supervillain."
"Can't argue with that." Said Ben.
Ben sat back. When had he last just sat around and just had friendly banter? He knew when, it was before the trip came to an end. He sighed, it wasn't the time to think about that. He was doing his part.
"So you done yet?" Ben asked.
"Nope." Artemis finished her response with an enthusiastic pop.
"Aw man." Ben reached for his water once again, but noticed it ripple. He paused, and saw it ripple once again. Then he felt it, steady thuds that rocked the floor and rippled the water. "Guys do you f-" the nearest wall imploded sending dust and debris everywhere, some people were knocked back with the trio being among them.
Ben turned to face the newcomer, but he didn't have time to react. A shadow loomed over Ben and grabbed him by the leg.
He screamed, and felt something pop when the creature had thrown him. His back collided with one of the tables, and a searing pain ran up his left leg. Ben grit his teeth and looked to his attacker.
A hulking mass of gray skin and muscle that was barely being contained in a tattered suit. Its eyes were trained on Ben, and it was angry.
"Grundy…" It moaned. "Died on a Saturday…"
Ben sucked in a breath, and looked at his mangled leg.
"Hey, ugly!" A book bounced off this "Grundy's" head. Artemis stood tall, a few cuts on her forearms and head but she seemed okay. Dick was beside her, also armed with a book. Then Artemis threw another book.
Grundy roared, then charged at the pair.
"Good plan, now what?!" Dick exclaimed.
Ben looked around, people were running and screaming in a panic. "Perfect." He thought, then made himself as small as he could on the floor.
Dick and Artemis meanwhile jumped out of the way of the brute's swing. His fist collided with one of the shelves sending it barreling into several other shelves. Books and paper scattered everywhere, raining down like snow and hail.
Dick jumped out of the way as Grundy attempted to decapitate him with a punch once again, but the brute was quicker than he thought and was on him almost immediately. Dick crossed his arms in an attempt to guard. A useless act looking back on it, if Grundy could effortlessly break shelves then what use would his arms be in the way of defense?
But in a flash of green, a second brutish figure had collided with Grundy and threw him a ways off.
The newcomer was similar in build to Grundy, with a patchwork of skin that was graying with either age or decay. Dick had to eye the figure, and spotted the symbol on its belt, though his eyes were more drawn to the conductor coils on his shoulder blades.
"Ben." Dick blinked, as he stood up. "You're-"
"No time." Green lightning began to surge around Ben's new body. "Get clear. Then help." Grundy roared and rushed back to meet Ben. The two colliding the moment Dick had gotten clear.
"Solomon Grundy…buried on a Sunday." He growled.
"Yeah?" Ben growled back. "Well Frankenstrike is gonna zap you today!" A blast of green lightning shot out from Frankenstrike's arms and had enough force to knock Grundy back. Then he faltered, his leg was still broken.
And that was putting it lightly.
Grundy roared and kept coming back. He was relentless, the brute ate lightning bolt after lightning bolt and still kept going. This wasn't an ideal situation for him, if he kept on like this the Omnitrix would run out of power eventually.
Ben had gone through many changes since the day he'd first gotten the Omnitrix, but so had the device in its many iterations. Once he could only stay transformed for ten minutes at a time, but since putting it back on as a teen; the Omnitrix had since been relying on an energy based time limit.
Ben likened it to a phone battery, with his transformations and the other features and failsafes acting as apps for this hypothetical phone. Transforming would drain the energy within the device, but he'd soon learn that it was more intricate. Transforming was what the Omnitrix was made for, to show what any given species was capable of doing, but when pushed to its limits even the Omnitrix has difficulty keeping up.
Say the user had transformed into a Pyronite. Shooting fire? Easy, the user would stay transformed until the energy within the Omnitrix ran out naturally since it was something a pyronite can casually do without thinking.
But have the Pyronite go supernova? The Omnitrix would power down in a matter of minutes.
And right now, the consecutive blasts of lightning would eventually catch up to Ben. If he turned back to human, and Grundy decided he still wanted to fight, then Ben would really have to hope for an act of God.
Frankenstrike stumbled, sweat dripping down his patchwork face. The pain from his leg was starting to really bother him, he'd be able to deal with it, but not when this roided out chimp was trying to claw his face off.
Grundy had gotten close, the pain had made his mind wander for a moment and the brute had capitalized. Frankenstrike's vision was reduced to white blurs as he took a combination of blows to the face, then felt weightless as Grundy picked him up and threw him through a wall.
He could feel Grundy's approach, the ground shook with each step. "C'mon Tennyson, get up." he growled.
Boom!
"Get up!" Artemis' voice called out to him, she strained as she tugged on him. "You're the only one who can deal with that thing."
"Explosion…" Frankenstrike muttered.
"That was Robin." Artemis tugged on him. "He's got a whole armory in his civi belt, go figure." Artemis dropped her hold on him. "Get up! Or at least turn into something I can carry!"
"Just get me to the wall."
With some help from Artemis, Frankenstrike now had his back against the wall. He reached for the lid of a trash can, and tore it in half. He passed a fingertip over the jagged edge, then handed it to Artemis.
"What's this for?"
"You're going to cut off my leg."
"Ha?" Artemis' mouth hung open, she dropped the lid. "Are you insane?! Your leg is broken, not necrotic! You can't cripple yourself more, so get over it!"
"It's easier to regrow a leg." Frankenstrike said, then tapped the Omnitrix symbol at his belt. The patchwork behemoth had vanished in a flash of green, and now Swampfire sat in his place. His injured leg was nothing more than a mess of mangled vines and plant matter. "Cut it off, then toss it."
Artemis nodded, albeit hesitantly and brought down the jagged lid on Swampfire's leg. Not a moment later, the leg had reformed and Swampfire now stood tall, and ready for battle.
"Great, you're good." Artemis hurried. "We gotta go help Rob."
"I can't draw out the fight." Swampfire replied. "I don't know how much juice I've got left, if I turn back in the middle of the fight we all die."
"So what's the plan?"
"I'm gonna end it quick."
Robin rolled atop the pavement, narrowly missing a blow from Grundy that would have ended him. More Birdarangs were thrown, even a few smoke bombs, anything to slow Grundy down. He did not want to get close with Grundy, if Ben got rocked then what chance did he have.
Grundy stepped through the smoke, right in front of Robin. He cringed at his luck, but before Grundy could register him he was shot from behind.
Artemis stood tall, a scarf obscuring most of her face as she wielded what looked like a collapsible bow. He'd ask where she was hiding that later, as of now Robin quickly stuck an explosive Birdarang into Grundy's back and ran.
The following explosion did not do much, but get Grundy's attention.
Grundy charged, screaming bloody murder at him.
"I am not whelmed!" He screamed.
"Robin, down!" Artemis called out, and he did not hesitate. Robin dropped to the ground, as a large shadow passed over him and collided with Grundy.
Robin was in awe, part of him wanted to take out his phone and take a picture. In front of him was a 15 foot tall dinosaur like creature that seemed like a mishmash of other traits. An armored head that reminded him of a Triceratops, but with the wellbuilt body of a Tyrannosaurus.
It stood defensively in front of him as Artemis joined him and the dinosaur. Its massive body slowly morphing from olive gray to a brighter orange-ish yellow, and then it growled.
"Is this who I think it is?" Robin asked.
"Yeah." Artemis nodded. "He said he wanted to end it quick, he didn't know how much he had left in the tank."
"I think he's got it handled." Robin gulped, looking at the strong legs, and somewhat developed forelimbs. He wasn't going to be punching anyone, but he was surely going to be able to claw and grip onto things.
The long tail that seemed to make up most of the length of this transformation slithered around, and nudged them both to the side.
"We'll let you handle it." Robin said.
Ben snorted as if to say "Duh". Then bared his teeth at Grundy.
The two roared, and ran into one another once again. Ben ducked his head, and tossed Grundy to the side. The brute did not stay down for long, he jumped into the air, colliding with Ben's side and causing him to topple over into the nearby building. Grundy wasn't finished and ran in for a cheap shot.
His fist however was trapped, the long tail had grabbed a hold of by the tail before a powerful pair of legs kicked him away.
Ben was quick to recover, and growled. A biological armor not unlike Humungosaur's began to form down the length of his back, and tail. The long swishy tail stilled, and hardened. No longer a whip, but a bladed club.
Ben ran in, tail swinging at Grundy. The brute held out his hands to catch the appendage, but found himself cut, and thrown back. Grundy was now missing eight of his fingers, and sported a huge gash on his chest.
Ben pressed his advantage, rushing up to Grundy and clamping down on his upper half and began shaking his head violently. Blood sprayed and bone cracked as Ben continued this mauling, before finally releasing Grundy back to the street in a fleshy mess of broken bones and splattered blood.
Yet still.
Grundy moved, growling in defiance as he willed his broken body to move and try to fight once more. Ben growled back, happy to respond in kind.
"Ben, stop!" Artemis called out. Robin stood beside her, holding out his arms wide in an attempt to stop Ben from going further.
Light flashed and wind surged as a glowing golden Ankh materialized in front of them.
Doctor Fate had come.
"You disrupt the order once again." Fate's voice boomed.
Ben growled in response, but Fate did not react. A second Ankh formed overtop Grundy and seemed to swallow him as it passed over the brute. Another flash, and the group was gone.
[5:17 P.M.]
Mount Justice
Those present within the confines of Mount Justice could only jump in surprise as a golden Ankh suddenly formed in the middle of their common area. Black Canary was the first to step forward, then Max, then the likes of Superboy, Miss Martian, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Zatanna.
A literal dinosaur had dropped into their hideout, and then Robin and Artemis, followed by Fate who dismissed the Ankh.
The dinosaur vanished in a flash of green light, and Ben was the first one to step up to Fate.
"What's your problem?!" Ben screamed.
"You disrupt the balance of Chaos and Order." Fate began. "Cease your meddling."
"I didn't see you doing anything when Grundy came." Ben fired back.
"Fate was meant to intervene, but then we realized that you were the cause." Fate hovered down to meet Ben's gaze. "Your very existence is disrupting the balance, so the lords deemed it fit to revive that creature to deal with you."
"Deal with him?" Robin cut in. "You mean-"
"Yes." Fate confirmed. "I saw it fit not to intervene."
"You mean because Grundy could've killed me." Ben's tone was sharp. "You stepped in cause your attack dog was about to get put down."
"You are dangerous."
"I'll show you how dangerous I can be." Ben's hand moved to the Omnitrix, but Max was quick to act. He put a hand on Ben's wrist and then stood face to helmet with Fate.
"My grandson is not a danger to you." Max tried reasoning. "He is a force for good, and now you want him executed? I don't think that's how it works."
"You, I can excuse." Fate turned to Max. "You do nothing to upset the balance, but your spawn is another matter entirely. If the lords decide to move against him, if you defend him you will also-"
"Save your threats." Max's tone grew low. "My grandson will act in the interests of those in danger. He will always move in their interests, your vague words of balance mean nothing to us."
"Dad…?" Zatanna's voice cut through the tension. The young girl slowly took a few steps forward to meet the Lord of Order, but he hovered off the ground and slowly backed into an Ankh.
"I will not warn you again." He said.
Zatanna fell to the ground, tears falling from her eyes.
Ben and Max walked away from the site, both feeling that it wasn't their place.
"Where are you going?" M'gaan was the one to ask.
"Home." Ben replied. "I feel like we've overstayed our welcome."
"Enjoy the food kids." Max added.
"Wait." M'gaan's voice echoed within their minds. "Wally's birthday is tomorrow, will you at least come for that?"
Ben and Max shared a look, then nodded. "We'll be there." was their response, and M'gaan seemed content with that.
"I'm not taking the Zeta Tube, grandpa." Ben shook his head, and fiddled with the Omnitrix.
A flash of green, and Ben had been replaced by a small stout bug-like humanoid. "Portaler!" he cried out, then allowed his belly to radiate several multicolored rings before forcing the power outward. A portal had appeared right before Max who stepped through after being prompted.
Ben however turned back, and saw the crying girl being comforted by her friends, and wished that he could have done more for her, then stepped through the portal.
When Ben had stepped through the portal and transformed back, he was met with the wide eyed visage of his Uncle Frank.
"Hey Ben." Gwen had greeted.
"Hey Gwen." He responded, then felt somewhat awkward making eye contact with his Uncle. "Hey Uncle Frank, nice to see you again?"
"Ben, I told you no transforming in the house." Sandra scolded.
"I didn't really transform in the house." Then recalled that he returned to human form after stepping through the portal, he supposed that technicality was acceptable. "Okay maybe I did, but at least I transformed back into human instead of an alien."
"I'm sorry, what?!" Frank shook his head.
"Ben, why don't you take your cousin up to your room." Sandra instructed. "The adults need to discuss some things."
"Yeah, sure." Ben nudged his head, and Gwen followed. When she joined him at the hip, she looked back and saw her father barely holding it together.
"He's gonna blow a gasket."
"Maybe." Ben shrugged. "But in a world with Superman and other things, why would he be so surprised? I mean Grandma is an alien."
"She's a what?!" Gwen screamed, she pinched the bridge of her nose tightly. "You know what, I'm not even surprised anymore." Gwen raised a hand that glowed pink. "I can do this now by the way."
"Cool." Ben smiled.
"Yep." Gwen walked taller that day. "So how was your day?"
Ben shrugged. "Meh, a wizard threatened me and my way of life, and I mauled a zombie."
"You gotta tell me that story." Gwen replied.
"I'll tell you over pizza."
"Deal."
"Back in a bit." Ben simply smiled and darted out of the house as XLR8, and he swore the last thing he heard before he so casually broke the sound barrier was. "Ben, no transforming in the house!" Followed by the surprised screams of his uncle.
Unfamiliar Transformations Used:
Flare Hare / Solar Hare (Cast your vote for the preferred name in the reviews by putting it before your actual review.)
Source: Original Transformation
Species name: Wacincomorphs
Background: Wacincomorphs are a species native to the Andromeda Galaxy, on the Planet Tunga II, a planet that earns its namesake from the abundance of the material: Tungsten. They spend their days tending to farms and sport racing one another, and evolved numerous adaptations thanks to their Tungsten rich environment.
Powers and Abilities:
Super Speed:
Wacinomorphs are incredibly fast, reaching speeds comparable to that of a Citrakayah.
Enhanced Agility:
To go with the speed, Wacinomorphs are capable of achieving feats of agility such as quickly changing directions and even avoiding springboarding off surfaces.
Combustibility:
Thanks to their ingesting Tungsten rich food items, Wacinomorphs have evolved to have a Tungsten-like material that grows on them in place of hair. In oxygen rich environments Wacinomorphs have been shown to combust when running, while some more experienced individuals seem to be capable of doing so on command.
Heat Resistance:
Much like the material they consume, Wacinomorphs possess a high tolerance of heat.
Durability:
Wacinomorphs are not very strong, so to compensate their preferred method of attack is to gain a running start and ram into their opponents to inflict hefty amounts of damage. This feat is a testament to their durability as Wacinomorphs are shown to be perfectly unscathed after pulling off attacks such as these.
Sharp Teeth:
Much like their earth counterparts the rabbit, Wacinomorphs have well developed teeth that can easily chew through the Tungsten rich foods of their homeworld.
Weaknesses:
Overheating:
Wacinomorphs, while they may have a high tolerance to heat, are not immune to it. Therefore heatstroke is a problem that Wacinomorphs often have to deal with.
Physical Weakness:
Wacinomorphs are no better than humans in terms of physical strength, so an opponent who is physically stronger can overwhelm them.
Etymology: Originally called Tungamorphs, the name felt clunky so they were renamed to Wacinomorphs. "W" is the atomic symbol for Tungsten. "Acino" comes from the word Acinonyx, a group of cats that resemble the Cheetah. "Morphs" comes from the word Lagomorph, the genus of rabbits and hares.
Reference: My Neighbor's pet rabbit: Bono.
Tear-opod / B. Rex (Vote for your preferred name in the reviews)
Source: Original Transformation
Species name: Grantasauria Tauroaladon.
Background: Native to the Planet Terradino, home to familiar transformations such as Humungosaur, and Astrodactyl, and even familiar predators such as Kaosseffexx Ultimasauria more commonly known as the Tyrannopede. Grantasauria Tauroaladon are pack hunters that are opportunistic in their hunting. Up to eight individuals can be present within a pack, and a well coordinated pack can take down an Ultimasauria, however their preferred prey are Vaxasaurians. Packs have been observed to corner adult Vaxasaurians with children, to force them to grow to fight back, after which ambush tactics can overwhelm even maximum size Vaxasaurians which in turn becomes a large meal for the pack.
Powers and Abilities:
Enhanced Strength:
Tauroaladon packs can overpower Vaxasaurians at base size, and even break the bones of Ultimasauria if given the opportunity.
Prehensile Tail:
The tails of Tauroaladon can wrap around prey items, and force them to the ground. They have an astounding level of control of their tails, and their tails are reflective of their age. Ben Tennyson's use of their tail is interesting as he uses it similarly to a whip.
Armor Generation:
While they do not possess the size altering capabilities of Vaxasaurians. Grantasauria Tauroaladon is capable of generating armor down the length of their bodies similar to the plates of Vaxasaurians.
Bladed Tail:
When armored, the tails of Tauroaladon become rigid, and become bladed that can wound even Ultimasauria when swung.
Well Developed Legs and Forelimbs:
Tauroaladon's legs are capable of supporting their weight, and are capable of powerful kicks that can stun Vaxasaurians. Its forelimbs are armed with sharp claws that can rend flesh and allow it to hold on to prey it has mounted.
Strong Jaws:
The jaws of Tauroaladon can rip past the armored hides of Vaxasaurians and Ultimasauria.
Intelligence:
Tauroaladon are capable of coordinating with one another, and even manipulate prey items into acts that benefit the pack.
Weaknesses:
Size:
Despite towering over Vaxasaurians in their base heights, Tauroaladon's are incapable of growing to compete against stronger foes who are much larger.
Lack of a Pack:
A weakness that is specific to Ben Tennyson's Grantasauria Tauroaladon form, is his lack of a pack. The reason that this species is so efficient with hunting is because of the pack it often is surrounded by, but Ben Tennyson has no such pack.
Forelimbs:
While capable of grasping onto prey animals, and even touching the Omnitrix dial. The forelimbs of this creature are quite incapable of doing anything else.
Intelligence:
Despite possessing a level of intelligence that allows it to be eligible for the Omnitrix, this level of intelligence is nothing to be impressed at. Showing similar levels of intelligence to a Vulpimancer or an Earth dolphin.
Etymology: The name Grantasauria Tauroaladon is a play on the name Alan Grant from the Jurassic Park franchise. The words "Sauria" and "don" suffix are words that are often attached to dinosaur species. The "don" suffix however can be looked at in a different way, as a replacement for the "mon" suffix as the horns that Tauroaladon possesses is a reference to the horns that Greymon from the Digimon franchise has.
References: Various Dinosaurs (Canotaurus, Tyrannosaurus, Spinosaurus, Indominous Rex, Raptors) Glavenus (Monster Hunter Franchise) Greymon (Digimon Franchise) Razorwhip (How to Train Your Dragon Series)
Portaler
Source: Non-canon Transformations.
Powers and Abilities:
Portal Generation:
Portaler like his namesake is capable of making portals connecting two spaces.
Sphere form:
Much like Ben's other rolling transformation Cannonbolt, Portaler is capable of doing the same and has been shown in the game Fuel Run to be capable of smashing through various obejects.