So I actually had this idea before Confrontation. I even began to write it up and got pretty far before I lost interest in Ben 10 for a bit. As I got back into the series again, I started writing for this story again. It's not finished just yet, but I do have another chapter written up completely that'll be posted tomorrow. After that, I can't say for sure when the next upload will be.
Also, this is set before Frogs of War and during the time when the Incurseans are preparing for their invasion of Earth.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Ben 10 series.
"Boid, I do believe we've got ourselves quite the haul this time," Octagon laughed as he ran away from the remains of the jewelry store they had just robbed and blown up, his pack so overstuffed with jewelry that it was spilling out.
The larger Vreedle let out a few chuckles of his own, "Ma oughta be real proud of us this time. We got her all sorts of shiny valuables. And we blowed something up real good!"
"Hey! You do know all of those are fakes, right?" Ben yelled after rounding the corner, Rook hot on his heels with the Proto-Tool ready.
Both Vreedles skidded to a stop when they heard him. "Fakes?" Rhomboid repeated dumbly, reaching into his bag and pulling out a pearl necklace to inspect it. "It don't look very fake to me," he said finally, turning to send a confused look at the two plumbers.
"That is the point of fake jewelry. It looks real, but its value is much less than that of its real counterpart," the Revonnahgander informed, his weapon slightly lowered now.
"Aw, Octagon! We did it again, didn't we?" the larger Vreedle asked, sounding very disappointed that their latest heist was actually a total bust.
"I believe we did, Boid," the other Vreedle sighed. "But we better get with what we do have in our possession."
"Oh, no you don't," the teenage hero smirked, bringing up his arm and dialing up an alien on the Omnitrix. He raised his other hand, ready to smack it down on the watch after the faceplate popped up, but he paused when he heard a quiet, high-pitched purring noise. Everyone else seemed to hear it as well, and it was slowly but surely growing louder. "What is that?" he asked, turning his gaze to the sky to search for the source while lowering both his arms back to his sides. And why did it sound vaguely familiar to him? He almost felt frantic to find the source, like it was something precious to him that he didn't fully remember.
"I am not sure, but we should keep our attention on the Vreedle brothers," his partner suggested, aiming his weapon back at the distracted villains and hoping to take advantage of the diversion.
However, Ben didn't shift his concentration back to the pair of villains just behind them. He kept his eyes locked on the small, blue figure that was slowly descending to the street from the sky. Whatever it was, it was too small for him to make out properly with it so far away. It was only when it became about level with the buildings that he realized it was a baby Necrofriggian fluttering its way down to him. As soon as he saw it, he understood why the chirping had been familiar and why the creature was currently headed for him rather than anyone else.
The tiny alien eased its way down to him, making various chirps and purrs the whole way, and, once in front of him, stared expectantly at him with its large eyes. His gaze flicked briefly to the Vreedles just behind the creature, briefly panicked by the thought that they were about to blast the infant where it hovered, but to his surprise, they looked just as shocked to see the alien as he was. He didn't waste the chance to grab it, quickly but gently, and bring it close. "What are you doing here?!" he whispered to it, not really expecting an answer. It only responded with an affectionate purr, seeming content to be back with its parent.
"Boid, good fortune has smiled upon us," Octagon said as he eyed the tiny alien Ben held. "That there is what you might call a baby Necrofriggian, and accordin' to Ma, a mashed Necrofriggian makes an outstanding meal for her pretty boys."
Both plumbers visibly stiffened at that, clearly put off by the idea that they were willing to turn an infant alien into a dish. Before Rook could fire his Proto-Tool at the pair, though, Ben had let go of the baby and slapped his Omnitrix. Once the green light had gone away, Big Chill was left in his place. The moth-like alien turned semi-transparent and sank through the ground. A moment later, he floated back up behind the Vreedles and ripped their bags from their backs.
They both swung around, blasters ready, but neither found a target. Without warning, his claws shot up from the ground, phasing through their blasters and causing them to freeze over in a thick layer of ice. Big Chill quickly rose from the ground again, grabbed hold of the blasters, and gripped them so hard the now-brittle equipment split in half and clattered to the concrete. Both Vreedles stared, mouths agape with shock at how swiftly they had been disarmed.
Before they could reach for any other weapons they had on them, Big Chill grabbed their collars and pulled them so close they could feel his frigid breath on their faces. "If you try to harm any of my children, I will make your next deaths the most agonizing you will ever experience in your many artificial lives!" he threatened, making both Vreedles eye the alien fearfully. The Necrofriggian tossed them back to the sidewalk, where they landed on their rears. "Now, get lost!" he added, unfolding his wings to appear even larger than he already was.
"Y-Yes, sir!" Octagon stuttered, already trying to get away from the alien. The villainous pair got to their feet and bolted around the street corner as they were instructed to do.
The Omnitrix beeped before he was enveloped by the green light again, leaving a confused teenage boy where Big Chill had been. He blinked, confused by the sudden disappearance of the Vreedles. He turned around to face his partner, only to be further confused when he saw the shell-shocked Revonnahgander. "Um… What just happened?" he asked.
"You… threatened the Vreedle Brothers," Rook said after a moment, sounding like he was still having a hard time believing it despite seeing it.
"I can't believe this is happening again," Ben groaned, now seated in the passenger side of the Proto-TRUK with the purring infant Necrofriggian in his lap.
"I would not know what is happening again. I was not there for its first occurrence," Rook said, trying to subtly remind him that he had yet to explain anything to the Revonnahgander.
The teenager grimaced, not wanting to explain the story but knowing he needed to. He'd made sure the whole incident wasn't on his plumber file for a reason. "About a year ago, I started having these blackouts when I used the Omnitrix," he started reluctantly, deciding to just suck it up and get the humiliation over with.
"You mean like the one you just had?" his partner raised a brow.
"Yeah, pretty much," he sank into the seat, wanting nothing more than to be totally invisible at the moment. "Except-"
"You were having them because of Big Chill's natural reproductive cycle?" Rook finished for him, turning an expectant gaze to him while they were stopped at a red light.
His eyes widened, surprised at how his partner had hit the nail on the head. "Wait, how did you-" he stopped short, frowning with realization. "Let me guess: Gwen told you?"
"No. I am aware that one of the reasons the Omnitrix was created was to help with the preservation of alien species, so it only makes sense that your aliens' reproductive functions would remain intact," he reasoned. "I also assumed as much since you mentioned your children when you were threatening the Vreedle Brothers," he added with a smile.
At that, the teenager groaned again, reaching up to cover his face with his hands, "I hope no one got that on camera." Harangue would have a field day with the scene if he got his hands on it. As if that weren't bad enough, he knew he'd never hear the end of it from any of his human enemies, like Animo, Billy Billions, Captain Nemesis, and the like. The same would go for any intergalactic threats if they heard as well. Not to mention the danger the Necrofriggians would be placed in. He wouldn't put it past any of his enemies to go after them just to get at him. It would be best if they just remained a secret that only those in his close circle knew about.
Noticing his discomfort, the alien let out a short, worried chirp, nuzzling against his chest in an attempt to distract its parent. He couldn't help but crack a small smile at its efforts to distract him. Ben shot a quick glance at Rook to be sure his gaze was back on the road before he gave the Necrofriggian a loving pat on the head. "I'm fine," he reassured quietly, trying to keep his partner from hearing.
Of course, the Revonnahgander heard despite his efforts to keep his voice low. After all, there was only maybe a foot between them. Rook smiled as well, though he didn't say anything about it. He knew his partner well enough to know that he would deny any accusations of caring for the creature in a parental sense. "I did not see anyone nearby at the time," his partner said, trying to put him at ease.
The teenager sighed with relief, "Good. I did not want to hear what Harangue would have to say about that."
"Now, we must figure out why it is back," the Revonnahgander said, trying to get them back on track. "From what I understand, Necrofriggians are rather independent even from an early age. They hardly depend on their parent for anything, much less survival."
"Do you think something's wrong with it?" he asked, sounding concerned as he turned his eyes back to the alien in his lap. Even though it was sitting, it hadn't folded its wings into a poncho and had instead let them go limp, which was only making him more concerned. Besides the reproductive cycle and Big Chill's powers, he knew nothing about Necrofriggians and what was considered normal for them.
"I am unsure. Nothing appears to be wrong," Rook said after taking a moment to observe the larvae. It wasn't acting injured or sick. In fact, it seemed perfectly content sitting in Ben's lap. "Perhaps it just missed you," he concluded with a smile.
The brunet returned his attention to the Necrofriggian. It was definitely a possibility. If the soft, perpetual purr was anything to go off of, it was certainly happy. "Maybe…" he muttered, turning the suggestion over in his head. "I guess they wouldn't have to go very far if they did want to see me."
"Actually, Kylmyys is quite far from Earth," the Revonnahgander corrected him.
"Kyle-what?" Ben raised a brow and looked to his partner, evidently confused.
"Kylmyys," Rook repeated flatly. "And it is the planet that Big Chill's race hails from."
"Kevin said they'd live in space, not Kylmyys," he frowned in confusion.
"He was not entirely incorrect. Necrofriggians born off-world travel to Kylmyys and live in the space outside of it," his partner explained. "I suggest we make arrangements for a group to return it to its flock."
"We'll take it back," the teenager said a little too quickly. A tad surprised, Rook side-eyed his partner with a knowing grin. "Y'know, so it'll behave better," he continued in a slightly quieter voice, intentionally avoiding the Revonnahgander's eyes. "It might start freaking out or something if it's surrounded by a bunch of strangers."
"Very well," Rook conceded, still smiling at the teen's behavior. "We will have the Necrofriggian examined and then prepare for a trip to Kylmyss."
I thought it would be fun to post the headcanons for Necrofriggians that appear in the story. It would give me a chance to explain my ideas a little more. Keep in mind that these are just my headcanons and my take on this species. Absolutely none of this is canon by any stretch of the imagination.
- Necrofriggians will flare their wings out to appear bigger and thus scarier when faced with predators or anything they need to intimidate. It's kinda like how animals will make their fur stand on end so they look bigger. That's what Big Chill was doing to the Vreedles at the start.
- The babies are still very affectionate towards their parent since they still provide a sense of comfort and security. They don't need them, but they like to have them around.
- The protective instincts are what kicked in this time around and made Ben "blackout" when he transformed.
There are more, but I'll wait to post them in the notes of a chapter where they're more relevant.