Chapter 10: War for all Worlds + Vampire, Part 2
Coming to his senses, Ben woke up... and was greeted by the sight of thousands of warships! "BEN!" He heard someone call for him, it was his cousin Gwen, sliding down the crater Way Big made. She was soon joined by everyone else.
"Oh my gosh, Ben! Are you hurt?!"
"Please don't die on us again."
"We haven't gotten to the part where you save the day and I reward you!"
Said a witchling, Yuki-Onna and succubus in that exact order. Gwen and Inner Moka were the ones to help Ben back up.
"We're too late" said Gwen worriedly.
"If you have any ideas, now's the time" said Inner Moka. Though she tried to hide the concern in her voice, Ben picked up on it. Ben pondered for a moment.
"Ok, new plan!" He announced.
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...
...
He was stared at for about 10 seconds before he spoke up again. "Workin' on it! Gimme a minute!"
"Your silence is VERY reassuring" said Kevin.
Ben snapped his fingers. "Got it! We break into the Highbreed control tower and force the commander in charge to order a retreat" he said proudly.
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...
...
"Waltz in, and ask them politely to leave?... THAT'S your big plan?" Asked Darkstar, clearly unimpressed.
"Yeah, that one really kinda sucks" commented Vampire Ben.
"Hey, how many times did I beat you? Twice?" Ben asked Darkstar, either ignoring or not hearing his vampiric self.
"Technically once. Though I can't imagine how at this point" said Darkstar.
"The control tower will be the most heavily guarded building, how do you purpose we get inside?" Asked Azmuth.
"Leave that to me" said Kevin.
"You have an idea?" Asked Inner Moka.
"Yes... yes I do" Kevin said.
-TIME BREAK-
"Drive in a car, that constantly gets damaged as a running gag... THIS is your idea?" Asked Gwen. She, Ben and of course Kevin went into his car upon his request.
"Yup, thought we'd go out in style" said Kevin, pressing a button on the dashboard that no one noticed before. Kevin's car transformed before their very eyes! First; circuitry designs resembling Upgrade glowed around the car, then 2 guns with 3 barrels sprouted out in front, the wheels grew in size like a Hummer-H2, and a missile launcher popped out of the trunk and placed itself on top of the car.
"Whoa, when'd you get all this stuff?" Asked Ben.
"When didn't I? Whenever we came across alien tech, I threw it in the trunk and..." Kevin was saying.
"Worked on the car" finished Gwen.
"Bingo" said the Osmosian. Everyone outside was surprised (except Paradox. Maybe he knew this would happen?), they've never seen anything quite like this before.
"WOW! Human technology is amazing, it's just like magic!" Said Ruby with sparkling eyes, not realizing what it really was, earning sweatdrops from those who did (again, excluding the Time Walker).
Ben, Gwen and Kevin emerged from the vehicle that would put the Mach-5 to shame; and re-discussed the plan once more. Everyone knew what they would do, how they would do it and where to go to complete their tasks. Their was a hair pulling, washtub bashing, flash freezing argument between certain females about who would go in Kevin's car to sit next to a certain boy.
Kevin saw this coming from a thousand miles away, and pressed another button. The car grew longer, adding another row of passenger seats. It was now a Highlander of Death! "Never thought I'd owe Argit one..." Kevin said, as it was the alien porcupine's idea to install an extra one in the first place.
Getting back in the driving arsenal; Inner Moka, Kurumu, Mizore, Yukari (who wanted to sit on Ben's lap, but got a assertive "no" from the other girls. Especially Gwen), Ben, Gwen, and Kevin drove off. The Great Ice Cube of China was blocking their path... nothing that a few missiles couldn't fix. Then came a brown truck driven by a DNAlien in an attempt to stop them.
"Your gonna stop, right?" Asked Yukari.
"Nope." Smirked the driver, pressing his favorite button again.
KA-FLOOSH!
Whatever was in that delivery truck, its gone now... but it WAS flammable! Focusing her power, Gwen managed to surround the car in a dome of mana and made it float through the flames safely. The artillery-mobile returned to ground floor with a crash and kept driving. Everyone in the back seats flew up for a second due to the G-Force.
"This is why we wear seatbelts!" Said Ben.
"And drive sober." Inner Moka commented.
"And also why no one likes backseat drivers," Kevin commented back. He then had to drive through buildings, for some of the Highbreed warships began firing at the car in an attempt to stop it, but they managed to get to the control tower in one piece. Millions of DNAliens were already there or joining from other locations, intent on not allowing the trespassers to get inside. Everyone currently in the car got out.
"Fight our way in?" Asked Gwen.
"Control room... then we fight" Ben said, thinking of taking a more strategic approach. If they saved their energy, they'll have an easy time taking out the Highbreed commander, who was most likely gonna be stronger than a normal one.
"I was afraid you'd say that..." said Kevin in a sad tone, then leaned into the car and pressed his least favorite button. A command called: Auto Attack, which made the car drive itself and it began firing at the DNAliens, blasting them out of the way. As the group ran up the stairs, Gwen called to him to come on. "Gonna miss that car..." he said, joining Gwen and the others as they went up several flights.
"Ha, ha... so aliens can create starships of mass destruction..." said Mizore as ran with the group.
"But not escalators?" Finished Yukari.
-TIME BREAK-
All was calm in the control tower...
Until the front door was burned down by Swampfire, him and his team running inside to the shock of the DNAliens and Highbreed. "Team Tennyson... that's who you all are, isn't it?" Asked the Highbreed Commander. He's never seen Ben in person, but he was unimpressed when he did. And some of his Highbreed brothers fell before this vermin? The commander expected more, but some of those females were new faces... they were still placid to him though. And the energy coming from them, what was it? "All you lesser species look alike to me" he continued.
"Yeah, yeah... your all so pure and everyone else is a maggot. Heard it all before" said Swampfire.
"If your so superior, why do you enslave us vermin?" Asked Mizore, mockingly.
"Shouldn't you do it yourselves, unless you meanies aren't as strong as you think" Yukari mocked too.
"Sounds ironic to me" finished Inner Moka, completing the taunt.
"Mock us all you want. You can either accept your fates with the rest of your race and die quickly... or long and miserable at my hand" said the Highbreed Commander, as over 30 DNAliens surrounded the group of 'lessers'.
"How about... neither! Call. It. Off" ordered Swampfire.
"Foolish children... destroy them, but Tennyson is mine" said the Commander, pointing at his group of enemies. With over 30 hisses and screeches, the DNAliens charged at the group, eager to carry out the request.
Taking care of the DNAliens wasn't too big of an issue. Kevin, who absorbed a wall before coming in, punched away any to got in range. Gwen karate chopped and spun kicked DNAliens as they got close, and also blasting distant ones with mana. Yukari of course, used washtubs. Five DNAliens went for Kurumu, but she took flight, causing them to collide; then for reasons the Highbreed didn't understand, somehow the wiring from their tech came to life and wrapped around the human slaves before she kicked and punched each one via flying around. Mizore, just like all the other times before, just froze the DNAliens, and used her ice claws to keep closer targets at bay.
Inner Moka however, merely sidestepped and kicked them with maybe 10% of her strength. Not only were these things not worth the effort, but she wanted to save her power for the Higbreed themselves, knowing she was going to need it for those aliens, and most likely the Commander himself.
Swampfire charged at the Commander, but he was pushed aside by one of the other Highbreed who came out of nowhere. Swampfire slid on the floor toward the feet of the 3rd Highbreed, where his head was stomped in. "And so it ends, another insect falls... just as your grandfather destroyed himself trying to stop us. As for the rest of you, you will join him soon" said the Commander, pointing to the group and the 2 Highbreed officers made beelines to the insects that dared interfere with this worlds imminent destruction. They stopped 10 feet in front of their targets however. "What are you fools doing? I said to..." the Commander attempted to say.
2 forms burst with immense power, the 1st ones eyes turned redder than usual and the others human skin evaporated off her person.
"You bastards need..." said the 2nd form.
"To know your PLACE!" Roared the 1st form. Both Highbreed officers were sent out of opposite windows by either a blast of energy or a bone-shattering kick.
Inner Moka leapped at the Commander, but he was well-trained and blocked each of her assaults with his large arms. Gwen, in her true Anodite form, floated motionless. "So much power... I can defeat the Highbreed alone!" Said Gwen, her powerful voice scaring the monster girls that didn't know she had this side to her. Even Inner Moka, who was still kicking away, though this momentary distraction gave the Commander the chance to almost slice the vampire in 2 with his claws. Thankfully, she saw it coming at the last possible second, and dodged the attack, then jumped up to kick the Commander's face. It didn't seem to do much to him though.
Kevin rushed over to Gwen and grabbed her shoulders. "Gwen, you gotta shut it down! Your grandma said it would take 75 years to master this power" He reminded her, practically begged her to stop.
"We don't have 75 years... THEY NEED TO BE STOPPED, NOW!" Said the Anodite.
"You'll lose your humanity... you won't remember your life, remember Ben... or me. You didn't want that, right?" Kevin said, remaining as calm as possible, and also pulled the powered-up alien into a hug. "Come back to me, Gwen... I can't lose you." said Kevin, pulling the powered-up human/Anodite hybrid into a hug. After what seemed like 75, painfully long seconds; Gwen returned to her human self, and returned the hug.
"That was scary, but so romantic!" Beamed Yukari, still shaken up by seeing her idols overwhelming level of power.
"If your all done being lovey-dovey, we're in the middle of a fight here!" Inner Moka reminded them, giving the Commander a kick straight into a control panel. But Inner Moka wasn't done yet, she charged at him again only to be grabbed by her foot and thrown into the back wall. The Commander wasn't finished either, and got up to continue.
"I heard you like things cold..." Said Mizore, using her power over ice to trap the Highbreed in a giant block. They were about to head to where Swampfire laid... but the ice cracked and the Commander broke out forcefully from the inside. Mizore was in his reach, so she was grabbed and tossed into a wall, the poor snow woman bouncing off of it like a ball and hit the floor with a groan. Yukari used another spell Gwen taught her called Meena Goh, which is a concentrated beam of heat; something the Highbreed are weak to according to Moka, Ben and Kurumu. It shot from the star in her wand and sizzled on the right side of the Highbreed's chest, making him grunt in discomfort.
This didn't stop him however, and she would have been grabbed if not for Kurumu coming in hot. He sensed her coming, and quickly turned to fire darts from his fingers, forcing the succubus to pull back and fly off, but the Commander kept his aim and eventually struck Kurumu's left wing. Grunting in pain, the demon lost control and fell to the floor, sliding across it while still grunting. Yukari managed to summon her well-known washtub on his head, slightly disorienting him, but he still had good enough vision to kick the smaller monster, sending her into Kurumu, their bodies banging together and making them groan. The Commander lifted his hand to fire his fingers at Gwen and Kevin this time... but a silver-haired blur prevented this and sent him into another control panel, sparks flying. Inner Moka roared at him as she dashed at him again, she was really losing her patience with this guy.
She unleashed a barrage of lightning-fast kicks, the same attack she used on Kuyo last year, only this time she was at full strength. Kicking him to the right into yet another panel, the commander struggled to get to his feet. He's never felt such power from a vermin before, it's like she wasn't a human... but a monster... they didn't REALLY exist, did they? He's heard some reports of a kicking vampire and an apparition-casting succubus, he didn't believe them and those Highbreed and DNAliens were relived of duty. But was there some truth behind them? The one called 'Kurumu' seemed to create a mirage of some sort, so was it possible that this 'Moka' was the vampire?
Only one way to find out.
As the vampire lunged at him for another possible round, he opened a drawer-like slot from behind him. One of the DNAliens insisted on drinking bottled water, something to do with its host apparently. Having no idea on how to open the accursed thing, he poked a finger into the top behind his back and whipped the water bottle forward, make it rain straight for...
BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!
Inner Moka lit up like a neon "OPEN" sign. She tripped over herself, weakened and she was hissing in pain. Getting up, the Highbreed Commander walked over and picked Inner Moka up by her long silver hair. "It appears the legends are true. Your not a regular mongrel... but a vampiric one," he said as Inner Moka struggled to free herself. The Highbreed Commander then began pulling his free arm back to strike the helpless vampire...
GRAB!
Before he could actually use it, it was grabbed by a headless plant! It began to reform back into Swampfire's pretty face. "Put. Her. Down." He growled, with his free hand holding a fireball and his emblem glowing dark green. The commander tried to get free, but the Methansian's grip was tight as a noose, so much so that the Highbreed holding Inner Moka couldn't move his own arm no matter how hard he pulled!
"Why do I always have to save your perfectly-shaped ass?" Asked/Stated 'Ben' to himself, who had somehow taken control of Swampfire.
Inner Moka used her body as a swing to... well, swing a kick in the Highbreed's chin, making him let go of her hair. Now that she was safe from further harm, Swampfire did something that he normally couldn't do: threw the captain of the invasion across the room... with one hand and VERY little effort. But he wasn't finished. The leader was thrown into a wall, but he wasn't finished with the Commander just yet. Swampfire then blasted him with fire, using both hands, and with an odd look in his eye. Was that... pleasure?
'What the hell are you doing? Your not supposed to kill him!' Said the human Ben, hoping to stop this crazed vampire self of his.
"Look here, ya green-eyed faggot. This red-eyed bag of pot tried to kill you and your friends'... and you wanna just let him live?! Get your priorities straight, dickweed!" 'Ben' practically yelled in his mind to his human self.
'But we NEED him to order the invasion off!' Human Ben yelled back, getting annoyed at his vampire forms lack of thinking. As much as Ben wanted to stomp these Highbreed into the ground, killing the one who literally held the key to freedom wasn't the smartest move. Seeing as his vampiric half wasn't listening to reason, he had to take back control... somehow.
Inner Moka was a bit shocked. This wasn't like Ben at all, but knew she had to stop him. She tried to turn Swampfire around, but when that didn't work, she tried pulling his arms down instead... no dice. It's like his limbs were locked by rigor mortis! She knew better though, Ben would never deliberately kill someone unless there was no other choice. Something... or rather, someone... was wrong. Nothing a good kick to the weak point couldn't fix, but Inner Moka couldn't bring herself to do it for some reason. Why? She had no idea. She had no problem attacking Big Chill when he was in labor...
"Captain, we have extra cargo coming in on the stern. Oh man, but if this was Kurumu or if Moka had her bust..." crackled the Vampire Ben, feeling Inner Moka's bust line on his back when she tried to move him. While he was having perverted thoughts, Ben was able to get back control and stop the streaming flames from burning the Commander to death... he's alive, but severely weakened. He has seen better days. "What the...? Goddammit, I was distracted!" Said 'Ben', annoyed he lost control.
'Look pal, we share a body. So we need to learn how to get along... AND listen to each other, don't do that again' Ben reprimanded.
"Or what, you'll cry to mommy? Oh, mommy! My inner vampire is making me do awful things! WAH, WAH, WAH!" Mocked the vampire.
Swampfire ignored that and approached the downed captain, and threw some seeds at him. They grew into large vines and trapped the alien, which he did try escaping from but it was pointless. "Give the order... your invasion's over" Swampfire said.
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...
...
"Hehehehehe, hahahahahaha, HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Laughed the Commander of Breed.
"You think he's joking?" Asked Kurumu in an annoyed tone.
"Or did Ben burn away your sense of hearing? Pull your ships back, you've lost" said Inner Moka.
"You fools! I don't have the authority to end the attack. Only the Highbreed Supreme can and unfortunately for you, he's safe on the home world, beyond your reach. You'll never reach him in time. In less than 1 earth hour... this entire planet is forfeit." Said the Commander, revealing that while he can start the invasion, he does not have rights to end it. So was that it? All hope was lost?
"Well, this can't get any worse" said Kevin... and 60 DNAliens armed with laser guns ran up to them.
"So I COULD have killed him then?" Asked Omnitrix Ben, off topic.
"Yup" said Swampfire, but it wasn't clear if he was answering Kevin's question or Vampire Ben's. Just as all the DNAliens raised they're guns to fire...
SMACK!
One went up in the air.
SMACK!
Then two.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
Three, four and five...
"Move over, alien freaks! Your in my way!" Said a Fourarms-looking teen, knocking away the DNAliens easily. Then, a blue blur swiped all of the blasters from the DNAliens that Fourarms-mini didn't get to, it stopped to reveal an XLR8-like female who dropped the guns in one big pile. That's when another teen that had what looked like quills on his face and elbows appeared, shooting said quills into the guns and destroying them.
"Helen?" Asked Gwen.
"Pierce?" Asked Swampfire.
"And Halloween reject?" Asked Kevin. Inner Moka also recognized them; Helen Wheels, her brother Pierce Wheels and Manny Armstrong. These 3 were last seen in the Null Void trying to settle things down there.
"Wait... but that means..." said Swampfire.
SCREECH!
"How's it going, kids?" Asked a voice from outside. The next thing everyone saw was a giant Wildmutt-like bat with tentacles flying inside and scaring the DNAliens off, someone was sitting on the creatures back, riding it like a horse. He landed next to the trapped Highbreed. Seeing who it was, Swampfire flashed back into Ben and Gwen ran with him to hug...
"Grandpa Max!" They both said, having a family reunion as the eldest Tennyson dismounted his ride and hugged his grandkids in return. It was a nice tender moment...
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...
...
Until the Commander ripped himself free and raised his hand! "BEN! LOOK OUT!" Shouted Inner Moka, failing to hide her emotions. Looking behind them, the 3 humans saw the Highbreed's claws and were taken totally by surprise.
PEW, PEW, PEW!
"ARGH!" Grunted the Highbreed in pain and backed off a bit, grabbing his shoulder in pain, which was pierced by thorns out of nowhere... but they weren't Pierce's as they would have paralyzed him. Which everyone had to ask, where did they come from? The Commander looked up, also taken by surprise, and saw his attacker. "YOU!... You traitor...!" He tried to say, but he was silenced by more thorns into his chest, knocking him into the controls for at least the 4th time that night... and he passed out. Not dead, just exhausted.
Looking at the downed Highbreed, Ben noticed the darts in his chest... strangely familiar GREEN darts.
"I believe the human phrase: need a hand... is entirely appropriate" said the attacker, coming out of the shadows with an equally familiar arm. Unlike the last time this arm was seen however, it appeared to be a normal natural part of the attackers arm rather than placed on.
Upon seeing the new Highbreed, some of the others immediately prepared to attack him. Yukari got her wand up; Mizore took out new ice claws; Pierce, Helen and Manny and Grandpa Max took fighting stances (Max's new ride also snarled); Kevin reached over to absorb one of the consoles and Gwen powered up mana in her hands. Before any of them could strike, Kurumu and Inner Moka stopped them.
"Wait, hold up!" Kurumu said, gently grabbing one of Gwen's arms.
"He's good." Said Inner Moka, putting a hand in front of Kevin.
What really got everyone to stop was Ben approaching this alien, no fear or hesitation in his steps. "Reiny!" He said, using the aliens nickname. This got everyone to raise an eyebrow.
"You guys know him?" Asked Gwen.
"We've met allot of people" said Kurumu.
"He's actually the same one your chased into the teleporter thing" Inner Moka explained further. Gwen and Kevin were NOT thrilled to hear it was the same Highbreed that they tried to corner in that warehouse, but they trusted what they told them. If this Highbreed and them worked together to survive where they ended up, and went as far as to attack one of his own, maybe he was worth the benefit of the doubt. That didn't mean they'll let they're guards completely down, he was still a Highbreed.
"What are you doing back on earth? I thought you exiled yourself?" Ben asked his former ally.
You could tell Reiny had a hard time admitting what was said next. "... I did some thinking, Ben-Ben Tennyson... allot..." he began. "I still have not properly thanked you for saving my life... I believe the human term is, owing a favor."
"That's great. But our planet is about to be blown off the face of the galaxy, and we don't have a plan" said Kevin.
"Sure we do," Ben suddenly said, turning back to the group. "The Jump Gate is like an open door from the Highbreed home world, right?"
"... Yeah? That's what it seems like" said Yukari. Despite how smart she was, this was out of her realm of expertise.
"I thought she's supposed to be the smart one..." commented Vampire Ben.
"So what's your point?" Asked Kevin.
"So, an open door leading out... is also a door leading in," Ben concluded what his new plan was. If the giant arc functioned as a teleporter in one direction, then it only made sense it could work in reverse. He then turned back to Reiny. "Is that right?" He asked.
"This is true." Reinrassig confirmed.
"How the hell are we gonna get close enough? Just like with the car, those ships will shoot us on sight" Mizore pointed out, which was a valid point.
"We can take my cruiser. The armada won't target one of our own. You can sneak in, undetected" Reinrassig offered. This honestly caught everyone, even Ben and the two monsters that knew him best, by surprise. He was going pretty far against his own kind.
"No, Reiny. I don't want..." Ben was going to say he didn't want to lead his Highbreed ally into an awkward position, but he just held up his normal hand to stop Ben's speech.
"I'm already unwelcome as I am now," said Reiny, lifting up his Methansian arm. "As far as my kind is concerned, I'm one of you." Everyone did feel a bit sorry for him, as that sounded pretty harsh, treating your own kind like garbage just because of even the slightest difference. However, they also couldn't pass an opportunity like this up.
"Grandpa? You guys hold the line here?" Ben asked his grandfather.
"You mean prevent them from taking back the control room? Consider it done" said Grandpa Max, more than willing to do as his grandson asked. He and his own squad will remain here, while Ben and his team will head to the Highbreed's planet to finally put a stop to this war.
Reiny lead them to a hanger, where a cruiser was left. "Alright. Time to get in my flight suit" said Ben, using his Omnitrix manually to change into Brainstorm. "With my oversized cranium and intellectual..."
"No." Reiny pushed him aside.
"Hey!" Said Brainstorm. "Reinrassig, I assure you I..." he wanted to explain that even though he's human, this alien form knew how to pilot a ship, but the Highbreed wanted none of it.
"My ship. I'm driving." He said, pointing to himself with a green finger.
"Sounds like someone we know..." Inner Moka said with a smile; her Gwen and Kurumu sharing that same smile to look at Kevin.
"Can you blame him? Remember what he did to my car?" Kevin said.
"That was in another time" Kurumu joked. The other monsters' cocked an eyebrow, not understanding what she was talking about.
As the ship took off out of the hanger, Gwen sent Julie a text saying 'look up'. The tennis player, who was riding on top of Ship in his battleship form, did and sure enough, a small ship was heading to the origin point of the Highbreed armada. She seemed to already know what this meant. "Be careful, Ben" she said to no one in particular.
-TIME BREAK-
Brainstorm: No. I'm not implying that I'm smarter because my head is bigger.
Azmuth: Good.
Brainstorm: I'm merely stating the simple fact... my BRAIN is bigger!
Azmuth: Really? And how many Omnitrixs' have you made in your lifetime?
Reinrassig (Reiny): One more word out of either of you two cretins, I turn the ship around.
Brainstorm: (is silent for 3 seconds before pointing a claw at Azmuth) He started it.
"So, why is bug-eyes still with us again?" Asked Kevin, as the Galvan appeared out of nowhere.
"If your referring to me, surely you'd realize I can't leave the Omnitrix unattended. Ben might go off on his own again and do something foolish" said Azmuth.
"He worries about you too, Frogger" said Inner Moka, making 'bug-eyes' go buggy-eyed for a split second.
"Ridiculous, I'm only concerned about the Omnitrix. NOT Ben" Azmuth assured.
"Of course you are" said Gwen, sarcastically agreeing with him.
"And you call me dishonest" Inner Moka said, having fun pushing Azmuth's buttons. He got a few cheap shots at her before, but now... how the tables have turned!
"We are approaching the Jump Gate, you may want to grab onto something" Reiny said.
"So uh, how does teleporter-thingy work?" Asked Kurumu.
"The Jump Gate is Level 5 teleportation technology, far beyond your Level 2 of a planet" Reinrassig began, which got the monsters a bit surprised. They didn't know there were levels to these sort of things.
"It converts you into faster-than-light tachyons..." Azmuth took over, with everyone looking at the new speaker, much to Reiny's annoyance.
"Broadcasts them to the receiving Gate its connected too..." Brainstorm piped in, everyone's attention now on him, now to Azmuth's and Reiny's annoyance.
"Then reconstitutes you on the other side." Azmuth jumped in, gaining the attention again, finishing the explanation.
"Did anyone tell you mongrels' about backseat drivers?" Reiny said, having to turn around to the offenders to say that, then looked back out to see where he was piloting the ship.
"See? Told ya" Kevin commented.
"So... what's that mean in English?" Mizore asked Reiny, wanting to know in simple terms how this alien transportation system actually worked.
"I believe the correct term; is a bumpy ride." Reinrassig said. Right as he said that, they approached the Gate and went on through, a sea of blue energy propelling them across the galaxy before arriving at their destination... Augstaka, the home of the Highbreed. The force was so great, it had forced everyone to recoil backwards due to how fast they were going. Reinrassig, having done this many times before, appeared to completely disregarded the effects. Inner Moka just had her arms crossed and while she was stoic as ever, she couldn't deny this was a rather uneasy feeling. She kind of wondered if this is how Gin felt when he ran on the night of a full moon... then again, they were going faster than that at the moment. Gwen and Yukari thought it was cool, moving their fingers back and forth, having a delayed effect. Their voices were also echoing because of it. Kurumu also thought it was cool... at first, because the moment of her breasts also had the same effect as their fingers. Yukari couldn't help but laugh at her, much to the succubus' chagrin. Kevin, Azmuth and Mizore weren't as thrilled by the experience, just happy it was over.
Brainstorm?... He puked on Azmuth. "Oh, my dear fellow... sincerest apologies." He apologized with his pincers held together in a respectful gesture. Reiny, though lacking a nose, pinched what must have been the bridge of it.
"You too?" Asked Inner Moka, as almost everyone on board did the same thing to try and shake off the disorienting effect of the Jump Gate.
"... I just cleaned this ship." He said with a groan. He then landed near the council building. "We have arrived. The rest is up to you."
"Wait, your not coming?" Asked Ben, flashing green and changing back to normal.
"I told you before, Ben-Ben Tennyson. I am unclean. I do not wish infect my kind anymore than you will... we're even." said Reinrassig, making it clear while he was willing to help just this once, he still wanted no part in the human's mission to save earth.
Azmuth then got annoyed for some reason. "Can we dispense with this purity nonsense?" The Galvan asked. "The only reason you Highbreed started this war is because your race is dying out. You've inbred, became sterile and your immune systems have paid the price." There were mixed reactions at this. Gwen and Kevin were silent, but they grimaced.
"So... Highbreed's are impotent because of...?" Asked Kurumu, with a grossed-out face.
"And they had babies with their...?" Asked Mizore, with a less-than-stoic grossed-out face.
"That's so gross" whined Yukari, shivering and hugging herself with the most grossed-out face here.
"THAT'S what grosses you out?" Asked Inner Ben, considering all the kinky and weird stuff Yukari longed for.
While Inner Moka was disgusted at this, she knew royal families used to do this in ancient times, so she wasn't as surprised as the others. Ben stepped up to his Highbreed ally and asked pointblank: "Reiny... is this true?"
Reinrassig's expression darkened. "What lies are these? How dare you accuse me of dishonesty?!" He growled, the royal Highbreed now royally pissed off.
"Lies? You mean to tell me that you didn't know your race is on the verge of extinction?" Asked Azmuth.
"Extinction? There is nothing wrong with us!" Reiny snapped.
"So then, did your race do inbreeding or not?" Asked Ben. He learned the effects during sexual education back in middle school; close genetic make-ups may lead to disease, disorders... or even death.
"And what of it? There's no difference! All species, even us superior Highbreed, are bound by the circle of life. We are born, we live, then die" Reinrassig said. It was now pretty obvious that Reiny (and perhaps all the Highbreed in general) have no idea of the dangers of inbreeding. But why would this set off a switch to start a universal war, that didn't make a lick of sense!
"So that's why your superiors started all this, so you all wouldn't have to die alone" said Azmuth.
That did it... "Get out..." the Highbreed said as lowly, and as calmly, as he could.
"Reiny wait, I..." Ben tried to say.
"I told you, my is REINRASSIG! Now all of you filthy creatures, GET OUT OF MY SHIP! NOW!" Reinrassig roared. Not waiting to anger the alien any further, they exited the ship as quickly as possible. "Ben-Ben Tennyson, whether you succeed or perish is not my concern. I merely owed you a favor for saving my life... nothing more. I want no part of your crusade!" Reinrassig continued and with that, he slammed the door of his cruiser shut.
Ben looked at his friends, and noticed... "Hey, where's Moka?"
-TIME BREAK-
"Grrrr... and they wonder WHY their kind disgusts us!" Reinrassig said to himself out loud, and he was actually considering joining them on their little quest. So what if his race practiced inbreeding, that's no excuse to throw a wild accusation that his people are dying! Then again, how long has it been since other Highbreed were conceived? Months? Years? 'No, it's all lies! The Highbreed Supreme would never keep the truth from us!' Reinrassig kept telling himself.
He headed for the cockpit to get as far away from here as possible, but a certain female stood in his way with her arms crossed. "Moka Akashiya?" He said, recognizing who this was. She didn't look too happy... then again, did she ever? "If your here to argue on Ben-Ben Tennyson's behalf, I'm in no mood" said Reinrassig, walking past the vampire, sat on the cockpit, and was about to start the ship...
"What you said would've made her cry if she was out" said Inner Moka.
"Excuse me?" Asked Reiny.
"The other Moka, I mean. Don't tell me you haven't noticed our differences?" The vampire responded.
It's not that he was looking or anything, but yes Reiny has noticed. The change in demeanor and personality, the hair, the eyes... and both her front and back. Based on his limited human/monster interactions, he gathered for some reason those... attributes... were considered 'attractive' in lesser beings cultures. Why? He had no idea, nor did he intend to find out. How 2 blowup bags and a shaped rear end would capture male attention was beyond him.
"So... your human form is NOT you?" He asked, turning around in his seat to face her.
Inner Moka did not respond to that, but she did glance away for a second before looking back at the Highbreed. "I get why your people keep your blood pure, kings and queens in our world used to do it" said Inner Moka. Reinrassig looked at her in surprise, he had no idea other races purebred, even 'genetically inferior' ones!
"Used too? Then why did you stop?" Asked Reiny, his interest peeked.
"... We were killing ourselves," she revealed. "True it was considered a high status, but at what cost? There's a reason why everyone and everything is different... for the balance of nature. If everything was the same, the circle of life would fall apart... and its now happening to your people as well" Inner Moka explained. Reiny's expression was unreadable, even to Inner Moka. This was allot to take in for him it seemed. "I will agree with you though, Azmuth has a way with words. But I've taken his advice, and I think its made me a better person" Inner Moka admitted, she just hoped Reiny would NOT repeat that to the others. And if inner Ben found out... oh, don't even get her started!
"Which was?" Asked the green-armed Highbreed. Inner Moka began to leave, but responded to his question before she walked out and joined the others: "Do the right thing."
Reinrassig just watched her go...
-TIME BREAK-
2 Highbreeds were strolling down the hall...
BANG!
Their day was ruined by a door opening and slamming ONTO them. One of these poor aliens managed to stay conscious to push it off... and met the face of a seemingly-human female that set off warning bells in its head. She also radiated... something, but this Highbreed was only trained as a council guard and as a result, never left the home world. "Take us to your leader" she ordered in a flat tone.
"Man, I wanted to say that" said a second female, with glowing hands that turned off as she lowered them. She also sounded disappointed.
"You said: Ben, break down the door" said a dinosaur-like creature.
"Well maybe if you stopped screaming your name as you transform..." said the energy-radiating female.
Making use of his transformation now, Ben (now Humungousaur, of course) helped the Highbreed up and pushed him forward, silently ordering it to move along. None of the group sensed that the other Highbreed got up and was about to strike them with rapid-fire fingers, but he was knocked down yet again by a shadowy figure behind him.
-TIME BREAK-
BANG!
Highbreed: ARGH!
The twice-pushed Highbreed fell before its superiors... all 5 of them.
These 5 Highbreed were much different, and much older, than the others Ben and this team had seen. For one thing, they were bigger and rounder; and their skin was a darker color of white. The one at the end of the room was most likely the true leader, having an orange crown-like cowl on his head that was attached to his body; his wings were also folded down like a cape, and he had 6 eyes around his head unlike the 3 to 5 eyes the other Highbreed usually had on their faces. The real distinguishing feature was he had a hole in his belly... er, maybe he just gave birth? That, or it was never sewn shut.
"Forgive me, Master. They took me by surprise and..." The Highbreed tried to apologize, but the Highbreed King just held a hand up to silence him. The former just left bowed and left without another word, shutting the door behind him. The King took a good look at those who dared invade his throne room. From reports; he recognized Ben, Gwen, Kevin, Azmuth, Kurumu and Inner Moka immediately. The other 2 were a mystery to him, but due to the energy he felt coming from them, he gathered they were monsters' like Kurumu and Inner Moka. Guess those that were relived of duty were being truthful after all.
"Ben 10, the earth vermin who can transform into other vermin, and his band of dung" said the Highbreed King.
"Yeah, and your the Highbreed Top Banana? Right?" Humungousaur 'asked'.
"I have read all accounts of your tenacity and courage, but... your gall truthfully exceeds all description" said the King. Humungousaur was going to answer back with a sarcastic thanks, but Inner Moka beat him to it.
"He appreciates the compliment, can we cut to the chase?" She said.
"Ah... you must be Moka Akashiya. The S-Class chutzpah vampire" the Top Banana said.
"And?" Inner Moka 'asked'.
"Oh, no reason. It's just been a long time since I've seen a monster... after the Great Migration, that is" said the Highbreed King. Everyone was confused at the term the King had used. What was that supposed to mean?
"The Great..." went Mizore.
"Migration?" Finished Yukari.
"The hell's that?" Asked Kurumu.
"Look, as interesting as that is, I'd like you to call off the attack on earth. If that's not TOO much trouble" said Humungousaur to the Highbreed King.
"You barge into our home, just to ask that?" 'Asked' the King.
"Pretty much. What do you get to gain from destroying us anyway? What did we ever do to piss you off?" Asked Humungousaur.
"You should already know the answer, pawn scum. You are inferior life forms. Your very existence is an affront to our..." stated the King.
"Time out, your highness. We already know your going extinct" said Kevin.
"Your ridiculous belief in racial purity lead to your loss of resistance to disease and shorter lifespan. Healthy Highbreeds' can life for thousands of years... but this, is the final generation of Highbreeds', is it not?" Azmuth stated.
"You are correct, mongrel. The day of the Highbreed is drawing to a close... but we will not perish alone" said the King. He then pointed upward to a pod that held monitors in it. Images of all kinds of planets, people, wildlife, etc. were projected on it. "In just a few short hours, my fleet will destroy not only earth... but EVERY known form of life in this galaxy. Including..." he continued, then the screen made a giant picture of...
"YOKAI ACADEMY!" Humungousaur said, shocked beyond reason, which was shared with the rest of his team. How did these aliens know about the monster realm?!
"Correct. That foolish vampire honestly believed that complex would bring about universal peace... to all human, alien, and monster. This unfortunately... lead to her demise..." said the King, then looked down a Inner Moka. "My condolences to you, Miss Akashiya..." he said to her, which didn't make any sense to any of the students. Why was he calling out Moka now? If he was destroying their world too, why not extend it to all of them here? The King then continued, as an image of Azmuth's home world appeared, being blown to smithereens. The team stared up in horror... this was serious... this was really happening! "The destruction of Galvan Prime, was only a signal for the attack to begin. Enjoy the view, for your all about to witness the end of all life... across the universe" said the Highbreed King. Ben, his friends and his monster harem just looked up at the images, speechless... there was nothing else they could do...
No one noticed the small movement of the door...
"All is lost then. There's nothing more we can do to fight them" said Azmuth, sadly. Even he, the smartest being in 3 galaxies (or the whole universe according to Paradox), couldn't think of any possible solution to this problem.
"Not really. If I was selected a chapter ago..." commented Vampire Ben. Humungousaur was about to tell him to pipe down, but then realized something...
"The Omnitrix can splice portions of DNA or fuse them to substitute for any lack of available data." Echoed Azmuth's voice from the private conversation last chapter. And these aliens were attacking because because they had nothing to lose since they were dying because of generations of DNA damage, right?... Maybe...
"Your right... we can't fight them..." The Dino agreed with Azmuth, which got everyone's attention. "But we can help them."
Everyone on his side looked at Humungousaur like he was crazy. "... these guys are about to make confetti of the entire universe, and you wanna help them?!" Asked Kurumu, confused and concerned on her Destined One's response.
"Have you lost your mind?" Inner Moka asked.
"Yeah... even I'm confused." Said Vampire Ben.
"Probably..." Humungousaur said. He didn't know IF this would work, but has his Hero's Intuition ever steered him wrong? "Omnitrix? Is it possible to repair the genetic damage to the Highbreed? Every single one?" Humungousaur asked his emblem. What surprised everyone is... it answered back!
"CALCULATING PROBABILITY OF DNA MANIPULATION..." said the Omnitrix, beeping while it did its thing. "ANALYSIS COMPLETE. GENETIC REPAIR ON THAT SCALE WILL REQUIRE ALL AVAILABLE POWER; INCLUDING DEACTIVATING CURRENT TRANSFORMATION, ENTERING RECHARGE STATE FOR 72 EARTH HOURS, AND RE-LOCKING MASTER CONTROL TO INCREASE ENERGY OUTPUT."
Although they've heard it speak before, that was only to Azmuth's voice. The monster girls couldn't stop the Japanese word for "amazing" from exiting their lips. Still, the fact that this watch could repair other life forms instead of just the user was astonishing, but Ben would be without his powers for some time. Knowing him, they knew he'd do it for the sake of others... and at the cost of Master Control! Back in Japan he told them about it, which sounded nice to have. Unlimited access to 10,000+ aliens... without a time limit!
"You just got EVERYTHING unlocked... NOW YOUR GONNA GIVE IT UP FOR 5 WALKING FICUS'?!" Asked Vampire Ben, sounding aggravated.
'Got a problem with that?' Asked Ben.
"Uh... HELL YA! I can be out for 20 minutes if I wanted... screw that, the whole damn day! If you re-lock it, I'm gonna be stuck in here for 3 fucking days! DO YOU KNOW HOW HOT IT GETS IN HERE?!" Screamed 'Ben', clearly not liking this idea. Ben ignored the outburst, though. He flashed green and changed back to his human form. He was really going through with this. "YOUR AN IDIOT, TENNYSON! A COMPLETE FUCKING MORON!" The vampire continued, but Ben just tuned him out.
Whirling and more beeping noises came from the Omnitrix, the device preparing itself for what it was about to do...
"GENETIC RECOMBINATION SEQUENCE IS READY. FINAL WARNING: MASTER CONTROL WILL BE RE-LOCKED, AND DNA TRANSFORMATIONS WILL BE UNAVAILABLE FOR 72 EARTH HOURS. DO YOU STILL WISH TO ENGAGE?" The Omnitrix asked for the final time.
The Highbreed Council members looked at one another, this action was followed by Ben's team... and all eyes were glued to the human in question. "What are you doing?" Asked the Highbreed Supreme king, not understanding what this creature was trying to do. Was he gonna blow them all up? Sounds like something an idiotic human would do, but what would that solve? Sure it would kill all Highbreed on this planet, but that wouldn't stop the destruction of this dirty universe. And what was with that smile?... was he mocking them?
...
...
...
"Yes." Was all Ben said.
"ACKNOWLEDGED." The Omnitrix responded and with one last humming and whirling noise...
FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!
An enormous flash of bright white light erupted from the Omnitrix, spreading in all directions and even passing through walls! The Japanese monsters' and the others had no idea what Ben was doing, they just hoped whatever crazy idea he had was working. Unbeknownst to them, this shockwave also passed into the Jump Gate and made its way back to earth, this included the other planets and the monster world the Highbreed were targeting. DNAliens across the galaxy reverted back to their normal selves, unconscious but alive. As for the Highbreed themselves...
The Highbreed Kings vision returned to him, but he felt different for some reason. Looking around, his fellow members changed into... things! It was disgusting, their purity was robbed and... wait a minute. Ben 10 asked his watch-like device to 'repair' them, so if his 4 other brothers were affected, then...
"YOU!... What have you done?!" He asked in shock, looking down at himself to see he had also changed.
"Yeah, what exactly did you do?" Asked Mizore. It was a good question, as the Highbreed now appeared much different than they were before, and also came in different colors. The Supreme King was now red, still having his cowl but it was now light blue; the two on his right were purple and brown; and the two to his left were green and dark blue. They still had the same body types however.
"Isn't obvious? The watch fixed them" said Yukari, having figured it out on visual cues alone.
"CORRECT. WITH THE DNA REPROGRAM COMPLETED, ALL HIGHBREED IN RANGE OF TRANSMISSION HAVE BEEN FUSED WITH RANDOM SPECIES FROM OMNITRIX DATABASE, CURING GENETIC DAMAGE AND SAVING THE RACE FROM EXTINCTION" responded the Omnitrix, answering the question as to what happened.
"In range of transmission?" Repeated the Highbreed King, slowly understanding himself what exactly was going on. "But with the Jump Gates open for the attack, that means..."
"That now every Highbreed across the galaxy is uh... how did he put it?" Azmuth 'asked' Inner Moka.
"Mongrel, maggot, vile parasite... the list goes on and on" she said.
"Looks like your part of the family now" joked Kurumu, seeing as now the Highbreed no longer had a reason to destroy 'lesser creatures' anymore, considering they were now the very thing they went after for so long.
"Welcome to the kettle club, amigos" Kevin added.
"How could you do this to us? Do you realize what you have just done?" Asked the Highbreed Supreme, his tone becoming angry.
"I... don't understand. I just saved all of you" said Ben, him and everyone else confused. He just gave up all his power to save a dying race and by the looks of it, he was successful. So why the hostility?
"What you DID... was take away the only thing we've had since the Great Migration. The ONLY thing we treasured for generations! You've made us... impure! There is only one honorable act we can perform" said the Highbreed King, then he and his court became pointing their claws at themselves. The team could not believe it. They were so obsessed with there racial beliefs, that even when they were technically cured, they STILL couldn't let it go! They were about to 'do the honorable thing', when the King had an epiphany. "... though before that..." he continued in a low tone, then instead pointed his large claws at the smaller vermin below them, with this action being repeated with the other four. "YOU should join us!"
PEW!
A thorn barely missed his giant head and hit the wall behind him before he or his fellow council could make a move... a green thorn. A new form stood in the doorway behind these vermin who not only dared invade his home, but 'cure' them.
"Do not harm Ben-Ben Tennyson." Everyone turned to see Reinrassig, with one of his fingers missing on his Swampfire arm before it grew back. "And as a Highbreed myself, I do not appreciate being lied to by my superiors."
-TIME BREAK-
5 minutes earlier...
"Just do the right thing... If I get there before Ben-Ben Tennyson, perhaps I can straighten this out" said a green-armed Highbreed. Thinking over what Inner Moka told him, he decided he had to get the truth for himself, then he would consider what was the right course of action. He really hoped they were wrong though, being taught about purity was all he knew and to his knowledge, there were no foul consequences for it. To add more to his plate, he just attacked yet another member of his kind to save his "friends" yet again. He was prepared to accept any and all punishment should this be nothing but false information. Although, he felt... dare he say stronger, after getting Methanosian DNA up his arm, so was there SOME truth to it? There was only one way to find out...
Taking another route, Reiny avoided Ben's team in an effort to get to the throne room first. He WAS next in line to lead and he had big plans when he became king, so it's only natural that he knew all the corridors by heart. He finally made it to the door and was about to open it, when...
?: ... gain from destroying us anyway, what did we ever do to piss you off?
?: You should already know the answer, pawn scum.
Reinrassig recognized those voices, belonging to Ben-Ben Tennyson and the Highbreed Supreme. He was aggravated that he didn't get here first, but at least Ben-Ben Tennyson was trying to reason with his master. This once again, contradicted what Reiny was taught growing up. Other life forms, especially humans, attacked first and asked questions later. Ben-Ben Tennyson never ceased to surprise him.
?: ... belief in racial purity lead to your loss of resistance to disease and shorter lifespan. Healthy Highbreeds' can life for thousands of years... but this, is the final generation of Highbreeds', is it not?"
Ugh, and that Galvan was still with... hold on? Did he just say Highbreed life was reduced?! Reinrassig was unaware of this, assuming it was true. Well, it's now what humans call: moment of truth. Reiny prayed in his head that his lesser allies were just wrong, but if anyone would know its the Highbreed Supreme. As king, he held the responsibility and knowledge of all births.
Highbreed King: You are correct, mongrel.
Upon hearing those words, they echoed in Reinrassig's head over and over. His legs felt weak, so he leaned on a wall to balance himself. It didn't work and he slid down the wall into a sitting position. It was true, confirmed by the king himself. Suddenly, he felt a wave of... something, along with a flash of white light originating form the throne room. Looking back inside, Reinrassig noticed Ben-Ben Tennyson was now in human form... with the Highbreeds' around him transformed!
Highbreed King: YOU...! What have you done?!
Mizore: Yeah, what exactly did you do?
Yukari: Isn't obvious? The watch fixed them.
Omnitrix: CORRECT. WITH THE DNA REPROGRAM COMPLETED, ALL HIGHBREED IN RANGE OF TRANSMISSION HAVE BEEN FUSED WITH RANDOM SPECIES FROM OMNITRIX DATABASE, CURING GENETIC DAMAGE AND SAVING THE RACE FROM EXTINCTION.
Fixed? Saved? Even after all his people have done to Ben-Ben Tennyson, all the blood-baths they been through, every scheme towards the goal of purging all the "vermin"... he saved them?! Just like he did back on Turrawuste, he helped save his behind (or arm, in his case) without a hint of hesitation. Truthfully, it looks like those who thought they were superior, were actually just the opposite and almost killed themselves. Now thanks to the selflessness of a lowly human, one of the many things he was taught to exterminate, just rescued Reiny's people... from themselves.
It was around this time, that Reinrassig went in.
-TIME BREAK-
Present time...
Walking as he spoke, Reiny approached his leader, also standing in front of Ben's team protectively just in case. "But there IS another way. We let go of the past, and move forward. That is exactly what I did. This human and two of his monster allies were generous enough to heal an ailment of mine by lending me their strength, and changing my DNA," Reiny began, presenting his altered arm and making a fist with it, showing that it did work to full capacity.
"... wait. We didn't..." Kurumu said, thinking Reiny must have gotten the details wrong, but Inner Moka slapped her mouth shut. The vampire realized what their unlikely ally was doing now, and she wasn't about to have the airheaded succubus ruin it.
"At first, I thought I was cursed and should exile myself... but have since learned it was the opposite. They've given me a gift; a second chance. In fact, I've never felt better!" Reiny continued. "I felt stronger than I've ever felt in my entire existence, and their combined power helped me survive on the harsh world of Turrawuste. Fellow Highbreed, thanks to this human and his monster friends, we can thrive once again! Is this not what we want? To continue our legacy as the greatest race in the universe?"
It was now here at this point, Ben's team was fully aware of what Reinrassig was doing... he was using their beliefs and twisting them slightly to try and get his fellow Highbreed to see that there was no longer a need to fight or go on about this senseless war. Adding the fact that he was standing in front of them with an impure arm and still alive after all this time just strengthened his case. It was brilliant, but they hoped these older aliens would listen to reason from one of their own. "Now there is no longer a need to continue the lie. WE CAN LIVE!" Reinrassig finished.
The 4 other council members muttered amongst themselves, also using croaking noises (which might have been their native tongue), though the king remained silent, appearing to take all this information in. "And you... trust these vermin?" He asked, still using derogatory terms for the group.
Reinrassig glanced down at the 'vermin' in front of him for a second, then looked back up as his master. "With my life." Was the Highbreed's answer.
The council muttered and conversed some more until the king finally answered again. "... Then it has been decided..." He said, directing his statement to Reinrassig. "Since you have firsthand experience with this, the council has elected you the new Highbreed Supreme. Lead us wisely, Reinrassig" said the king, translating and agreeing what was just discussed.
Reinrassig took a respectful bow. "I will try. But please... call me Reiny" said Reinrassig, which honestly caught to Ben and his team by shock, not expecting that to come out of his mouth. They also felt happy for him, gaining a new position of power. He turned to leave the room, to carry out his first order as the new leader, but not before winking a set of eyes at Ben-ben Tennyson which everyone noticed. It looked like be began to pick up on what he used to call 'uncharacteristic behavior'. Getting into a room that had to technology to send out his voice across the galaxy, which was at the top of the tower of the council building, Reinrassig issued his first command as Highbreed Supreme:
"TO ALL HIGHBREED WITHIN THE SOUND OF MY VOICE, THIS YOUR NEW HIGHBREED SUPREME SPEAKING. I UNDERSTAND YOU MIGHT BE CONFUSED AS TO WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU... YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE. THE WAR BETWEEN US AND THE UNIVERSE... IS OVER! RETURN HOME! SO WE CAN MAKE A BRAND NEW FUTURE, TOGETHER!" Said the voice of Reiny, commanding every single Highbreed to come back. After that, Reiny turned around to see Ben and the rest of his allies, who had followed him here, and he held out his green hand.
After a moment of staring at it in confusion, then smiling upon realizing what the alien wanted, Ben shook it. "Thanks Reiny" said Ben.
"No... thank YOU, Ben-Ben Tennyson." The new Supreme thanked the human.
"So, this is what it feels like saving the world?" Asked Kurumu, slightly joking. In honesty, she felt pretty good. She's learned and seen so much in her time here and in America, making many memories she never will (or be able) to forget.
"I think my heart stopped about 8 times tonight" said Yukari, finally feeling able to relax. Just like Kurumu, even though her time was shorter, this was an experience she'll always remember. It opened her eyes to just what else was going on out there, not just what's happening in her own world and/or country.
"Do you ever get used to it?" Mizore had to ask Ben. While it might seem she was being passive about this whole ordeal, it was definitely a wake up call.
"Eh, sort of" Ben answered the snow woman.
"And also, Ben-Ben Tennyson," Reiny suddenly added, getting Ben and the others' attention. "Do try and stay out of trouble. I won't be able to watch your back all the time," He said and everyone couldn't help but think... was that supposed to be a joke? He used the exact same tone as he always did, so it was hard to tell. If it WAS a joke, then it seemed the alien was also learning what a 'sense of humor' was, and it kind of seemed similar to Ben's. Guess lesser culture was starting to rub onto him. "But if you or your allies need anything; anything at all... don't hesitate to reach out." He offered.
Ben and the group were touched. "Wow... thanks, Reiny." Said the Omnitrix teen.
"You've showed me the error of our ways and even after that, went out of yours for all of my kind, and I thank you deeply for that, Ben-Ben Tennyson. Your always welcome here on Augstaka. Our home, is your home" Reiny said, also offering residence in the future should it ever be needed.
"I'll keep that in mind" Ben said.
-TIME BREAK-
After all was said and done, and the team went back to earth; the Highbreed armada went back through the portal from whence they came, returning back to their own planet to start a new chapter in their lives. "Well, that's the last of them" said Ben, as she and everyone else had watched them go.
"Beautiful sight, isn't it?" Asked Grandpa Max. He then took a device out of a holster he had on his belt, and tossed it as high as he could. When everyone thought it would return to the ground due to gravity, it somehow rocketed upwards with some kind of propulsion system. It hit the arc of the Jump Gate all the way at the top, where it destroyed the arc by looking like it was eating away at the alloy from 2 points. It even caused the main generator to vanish. Before anyone could ask what he did, "Fusion grenade."
"Niiiiice." Complimented Kevin, impressed with the tech Max had just used.
"So was that bomb level 6 or something?" Kurumu asked, seeing as none of their weapons worked on it before and since the now-gone Jump Gate was level 5, then it must have made sense the bomb was a higher level, right?"
"4 actually." Grandpa Max admitted, which got the succubus to grab her head. This alien stuff was still so confusing.
Julie looked at her watch. "Well, seeing as its NOT the end of the world, I still got curfew." She said.
Ben held her hands in his; but that got his cousin, grandfather and Kevin to stare at him almost teasingly. A succubus, snow woman and small witch also stared; but not for the same reason. "Uh... see ya tomorrow then?" Ben asked his girlfriend, and she responded with a kiss on his cheek. She would have been dogpiled by a certain trio if Gwen didn't put up a mana wall in warning, slightly telling them to back off. The tennis player then boarded Ship, who was still in his battleship form, and fly off back to her own home.
"So, you going back to the Null Void again, seeing as you borrowed one of the guard dogs?" Inner Moka asked Grandpa Max.
"The null what?" Asked Mizore; and all the other monsters' except Kurumu were confused, not understanding nor familiar with the term the vampire used. And guard dog? That bat-like, tentacles-for-feet Wildmutt?
"I'll tell ya later" the succubus promised.
"Nope. Everything's been taken care off. But after seeing those recruits in action, I think they need some training from an old pro," said Grandpa Max; mentioning Alan, Cooper, Helen, Manny and Pierce.
"Humph. Then their in good hands," Inner Moka complimented in her usual tone. She's seen the way Max fought despite his age, and he's earned her respect. This was quite the shock to the monsters' however, including Gin and Ruby. Inner Moka rarely, if ever, praised anyone, mainly due to her vampiric pride.
"Look out, Ben. Your mistress' a Panther" Vampire Ben slid in there.
"Besides, Ben doesn't need me anymore" Grandpa Max added.
"I'll always need you, Grandpa" said Ben, hugging his favorite grandparent. Sure he might not need Grandpa for help, but he loved him so much. Grandpa Max returned the hug himself before calling the recruits over to stick with him from now on.
"Oof. I'll need a bigger Rust Bucket," the old Plumber joked before leaving on the Null Void Guardian.
"Hey. What happened to Darkstar?" Asked Ben.
"You mean the flying zombie? He snuck off when you went on your trip across the galaxy" Ruby said.
"Eh, we'll get him." Said Gwen.
"Not today..." said Kevin, then approached what USED to be his car... all dented, scratched, crushed... the worst case of it being destroyed. "I need a new ride." He left to go to the Auto Shop for a new car, seeing as this one was beyond repair, and Gwen went with too, surprisingly enough. While she didn't like cars as much as the ruffian, she liked him.
"It was nice working with you again, Ben," said Paradox, who either was there the whole time or just popped out of nowhere, with Azmuth beside him. "But we all must get going. It's time for everyone to get home."
It was then the monsters' realized this too. It was true. School was going to be starting very soon, so it was time for everyone to get back to their lives, and where they belonged. "Oh, that won't be necessary. We can use my magic and..." Ruby began to say, but that's when she felt an uneasy surge of power. Glancing to her side, she saw looks from the monster girls, Inner Moka and Kurumu more-so, basically saying: 'We are NOT. Doing that again.' No matter how much they wanted to stick around with Ben, it wasn't worth all the stress that unstable magic indirectly caused in the first place.
Gin, not understanding or wanting to get on the girls' foul side, just scooted away.
"Ben," called Inner Moka. Ben looked towards her, the vampire in question having her hand out, knowing exactly what she wanted. He reached into his pocket and pulled out her Rosario, tossing it to her. She caught it easily, but didn't put it back on. She'll do that once they get home... but, why was there this funny feeling in her chest she was feeling? If she was gonna be honest with herself for a second, seeing Ben again was nice while it lasted. But at the end of the day: he's human, she's monster. They were worlds apart, and merely met by pure, dumb chance.
The other Moka was gonna be crying for a few days... she could already feel it...
Once again, Ben was forced to say goodbye to some very good friends of his, but also thought the same way Inner Moka did. It just wasn't meant to be, but at least he got to see all of them, one last time. Gin didn't give Ben a hug but instead a firm handshake. Kurumu hugged the human the tightest, tears rolling down here cheeks knowing what was about to happen. "Can't you change history or something?" She asked the Time Traveler, but never got a response. Silence was enough of an answer however.
Azmuth also said his farewells to Ben, giving him a warm smile. "Once again, Ben Tennyson. You've used the Omnitrix in a way, even I never considered," the Galvan said for what seemed like the thousandth or so time, Ben used his greatest invention in an unorthodox way, and it worked out in the end. This human never ceased to surprise him. He was proud of Ben. "Do take care of yourself... and try to keep your promise to that Highbreed. There's lots of rebuilding to do back on Galvan." Azmuth continued, also making a small joke.
"Wait, before ya go, can you reengage the Master Control?" Ben asked, extending his arm down to the Grey Matter. "I tried using that voice command you used earlier, but it didn't work for me."
"Yes. It appears that way, doesn't it?" Azmuth said while putting his hands on his hips and looking at the device in question, using his humorous tone that he rarely uses. "Have fun figuring it out." This heavily implied only Azmuth's voice had the power to unlock the full power of the Omnitrix via voice command. The monster girls; mainly Yukari, Kurumu and/or Mizore; looked like they were about to say something, maybe call out Azmuth for acting that way, but they all disappeared in a flash of light, Paradox having wrapped them all back home.
Ben smiled. The war was over, and the universe itself was saved... then he frowned, looking depressed. Sure he saved the world, but once again had to say goodbye to some good friends... maybe this time forever. Putting his hands in his pockets, he walked off toward the exit of Los Soledad. Maybe he could catch up with Gwen and Kevin before they left.
-TIME BREAK -
Ben's parents of course asked what happened to Moka and Kurumu, seeing as they didn't come home with Ben. The teen explained they had to return to their own world, and the Tennyson adults didn't pester him about it further. He looked like he needed some time alone. Days later, Ben was in the middle of getting his school supplies ready for the new year starting tomorrow when his mother called him downstairs. A Japanese man in a fancy suit was waiting for him on the living room couch.
"Benjamin K. Tennyson? Also known as the Shape-Shifter with no class ranking?" Asked the man. Ben didn't know what he meant at first, but realized it was a class system for... wait, could that be why he's here?!
Now, now Ben. Let's not jump the gun. Besides, unless the Plumbers are involved, there's no way' Ben thought. "Yeah, that's me" he answered, taking a seat himself.
"Good, then I'm in the right place. I was asked to give you this" said the man, pulling an envelope, one that was strikingly similar to the one he got from school when he was transferred to...
'No way, that's just a coincidence. Anyone can pick similar envelopes' Ben thought again, keeping his mind rational. He went to open it.
"Oh no, no, no. Don't open it yet, it's confidential information. You may see the contents while you are alone" said the man.
"Ooooooookaaaaaaaay" said Ben, confused.
The man then got up from his seat and bowed. "Thank you, I'll be on my way" he said, heading for the door.
"Wait sir, would you like some tea before you go?" Asked Sandra.
"Oh no, that's quite all..." the man kindly began to say, but he wasn't paying attention were he was walking and he hit the front door, hitting the side of his face. Ben managed to get to him.
"Geez, you ok mister..." he began, but stopped when he noticed something drooping from his face... a tentacle?!
"Y-yes, I'm alright. N-now I must be going" he said, exiting the premises.
"That SOB was wearing an ID Mask" said inner Ben.
2 hours later...
Later that night at 10:57pm, the clock just changed a minute ahead. Ben had a hard time falling asleep, his mind kept rethinking about what happened earlier with that man. It was a DNAlien in disguise, but why? The war was over, so there wasn't a need for them, right? Did the Omnitrix miss one?
"Why don't you quit overthinking this, and just open the letter?" Asked Vampire Ben.
Ben agreed with that, as he still had not opened the letter he got. Getting up and getting the letter he placed at the other end of the room, he carefully peeled it open, and slowly grabbed the sheet folded inside. He unfolded the paper, reading what was said on it...
It was a notice that his current school initiated the Student Exchange Program again... to Japan...
...
...
...
For Yokai Academy!
Ben's heart burst. He was going back, he really was! He was so happy. He was about to return to bed, when he heard a crumble from beneath his foot... another piece of paper! It must've have fell out while he was jumping for joy. He picked it up and read it:
Ben-Ben Tennyson,
I noticed that as you were with your monster mates, your behavior changed slightly, differing from reports prior to meeting with you in person that day. You appeared happy, and your current mate doesn't seem to completely fill this requirement. So after all you've done for me and my people, and by "pulling a few strings" (I'll never understand that phrase, there were no strings attached), myself and the Plumbers were able to grant you entry to Yokai Academy in Japan. This is beyond me, for while you all share the same planet, yet you are divided by "society".
Think of this as payment for your honorable deed, despite what we Highbreeds' have put you through. Have a long and prosperous life, perhaps we shall meet again someday. My former offer still stands. If you ever need anything, do not hesitate to ask, it's the least I can do.
There was no signature, who could this be from? Smiling and putting the thought and letter aside, Ben laid down and let sleep overtake him. For even a hero needs his rest, especially for the next school year...
And there you have it. Highbreed problem has been crossed off the list and now Ben will return to Yokai. What misadventures await? What monsters will he encounter? Will his Vampire Form make things better or worse? Too many questions to name, but all will be revealed next time.
I love you all, see ya then! :)
XOXOXOXOXOXO