NOTE: We're here for part 2! Sit back, grab some popcorn, and have some fun!
There is a big surprise instore for you guys in this chapter, so I hope you like it.
Enjoy and Review!
Chapter 67: Ben 10 Vs The Negative 10 (Part 2)
"Previously on Priestess 10…"
-Secret Filled Saturday-
"After seeing the look on young Zak's face, I figured it was best to leave them out of whatever issues continue with the Forever Knights. Their specialty is cryptids, not aliens." Kenji explained.
"So, what is it that you found?" Yu got them back on topic.
"This." Kenji held out a small file, handing it to the kids, allowing them to see the name on the file.
PROJECT - N10
"N10? Number 10? What does this mean, Grandfather?" Naoto asked.
"That's the thing, I don't know."
-Persona Day-
An hour later, Enoch, who was hooked up to the dream machine, was found by his fellow knights. One of them attempted to unhook him from the machine to awaken him.
"No."
The knight froze, turning to see the Forever King stepping out of the shadows. "As expected, Enoch has failed me for the last time. From here on, I will personally deal with the Tennysons."
-The Final One-
Naoto didn't waste a moment in asking the question. "Senpai! What happened? Are Dojima-san and Nanako-chan okay?"
"They're fine…but they aren't what worries me. At least not anymore." Yu said tensely.
"What is it?" Kenji asked, feeling unnerved himself. It was as if some form of viper had surrounded the three of them in a suffocating grip.
"There was a prison break a few days ago."
"Yes, and…?" Naoto pushed.
"Most of the prisoners were found and taken back to the prison, but only a few of them are still unaccounted for…and one of them is Adachi."
-Ben 10 vs the Negative 10 (Part 1)-
Max opened the door to the RV. "Hey, guys, this is Cooper! A grandson of an old Plumber buddy of mine-"
"Take a look at this. I just picked this up from one of the security cameras at Fort Knox." Max showed his grandkids live footage of the Forever Knights breaking into the military facility. One of the knights looked up to see the camera, pointed his blaster at it, and destroyed it.
With all of the knights tied up, the Tennysons and Cooper entered the vault. However, they were shocked to see that none of the gold had been taken by the Forever Knights. "All of the gold is still here!" Gwen exclaimed.
"Maybe they were after something else?" Cooper suggested. He was standing by a broken cage where a huge hole in the wall had been dug. "Check this out!" The hole led to a secret underground bunker that looked like it hadn't been touched for years.
"A blast from the past. It's an old Plumber base." Max answered.
"Now it makes sense why the Forever Knights didn't take any of the gold! It was never on their radar in the first place!" Yukiko realized.
Dr. Animo, sitting upon a creature hidden in the shadows, scoffed at the notion. "I don't have to waste time with such pointless robbery, I would much rather hurry and showcase my newest creation!"
"Fret not, your time is soon approaching. The Tennysons have now been put into a state of questioning. Now is the time to give them our answer."
"What's so important about that thing anyway?" Ben asked.
Max quickly got to explaining the situation. "Many years ago, the Plumbers helped capture an alien convict. As a show of gratitude, his race gave us a sample of what they call Sub-Energy. A subatomic power source so powerful that it made our own nuclear plants look like wind-up toys by comparison! Despite its enormous potential for good, the Sub-Energy was too unstable and dangerous to use. The Plumbers decided it should be put away for safekeeping within a super secure force field inside the Mount Rushmore complex."
"And the only way to shut down the force field is to bring together the two oddly-shaped keys that were stolen from here and Fort Knox?" Gwen clarified.
"A mastermind who has access to top secret classified Plumber information." Max answered.
"Tohru Adachi…!" Yukiko hissed out his name like poison. "And I don't know how he escaped from prison and got here, but all I know is that he's going back no matter what!"
"I guess we beat them here-"
BOOM!
Ben jinxed it, causing several energy beams to strike the ground by the Rustbucket, forcing Max to come to a sudden halt. Yukiko and her siblings approached the front of the RV to look out of the windshield. The Tennysons and Cooper stared in horror at the line-up of villains they had faced this summer that loomed over them.
The Forever King stepped forward, allowing the Tennysons to finally see who was behind it all. "Welcome, I wish I could promise you a swift demise, but alas, I believe my new partners have other ideas. Behold the NEGATIVE 10!" The King declared, his voice booming throughout the forest.
"Oh man…" Ben muttered.
OP: Glory by BAND-MAID
A stream of stardust appeared, flowing like a peaceful river. The stardust joined together into a string of green DNA, twisting together before entering a single star. The star exploded in a blinding flash of light.
Trapped in conventionality, even denials are obvious!
The light disappeared to reveal Ben, who was busy playing his handheld game. His headphones placed over his ears as he engrossed himself in Sumo Slammers.
(That, there, this, whichever - Hey, isn't it true?)
A green flash changed the image to show Ben now preparing for battle. His eyes filled with a strong sense of confidence. His hand hovered over the Omnitrix's dial, ready to transform into Four Arms.
Why is it before you wake up you build a wall, saying it's impossible!
The scene switched over to Yu Narukami, the Fool was dressed in his Yasogami High uniform. He was peacefully making his way through the streets with his school bag draped over his shoulder.
(No discussions, no ideals)
This time a tarot card shattered the screen to reveal the teen now in his battle stance. His eyes were brimming with determination, his sword gripped firmly in his hands. Electricity bristled around his blade like a static coil.
Calling, calling, calling now!
The Omnitrix, Gwen's spellbook, and Yukiko's fan all popped up with each 'calling' that was spoken.
Even together, it's not the same!
Yukiko and Gwen were next to appear by each other's side. Yukiko was dressed in a pink apron with pink mittens on her hands. In her hands was a pot of disgustingly boiling purple liquid that threatened to spill out.
Gwen floated in the air, her spellbook in hand. The young girl was comfortably curled up as she read the book to herself.
Break yourself though, go way!
A tarot card shattered the screen again, showing that the girls were now battle ready. Yukiko's smile was dangerously beautiful, her left arm was raised into the air while the right held her fan, pointed right at the screen. She stood with the grace of a maiden, but a threatening aura could be seen on her.
Gwen was still floating in the air, her hands were extended outward, brimming with pink mana. The young sorceress' eyes were bright pink, burning a fierce intensity with a cocky smile.
Even if you lose your way, keep moving forward!
Max and a young chubby boy were up next. The ex-plumber was dressed in his fishing gear, a long green rod held in his left hand and a bucket of worms in the right.
The young blond chubby boy stood nervously next to him. His eyes looked everywhere but straight, his knees buckling with fear.
Our desires won't be stopped!
Another screen shatter brought forth a change from them both. Instead of his fishing gear, Max was wearing a grey exo-suit with blue markings on the suit's visor. His gauntlets vibrated with power, an excited grin making its way to the elder's face.
The chubby boy was even more different. Instead of his usual nervousness and fear, he hovered in the air, covered in blue energy. His eyes were completely white as his hair raised from the power radiating off of him, the boy almost looked omnipotent.
Oh, ah!
Mount Rushmore was the next thing to appear, but the screen cracked like glass, revealing that half of the National Monument had been utterly destroyed.
The whole wide world! Let your emotions spill!
Standing in front of the bright red background was the Forever King. His large frame towering above everyone else. Right under him was the Forever Ninja, Dr. Animo, Charmcaster, baby Hex, Kangaroo Kommando, Rojo, Zombozo, Clancy, and Adachi. The full force of the assembled villains was for all to see.
Keep rewriting, only glory!
The screen shattered once more to show a wide shot of the Tennyson family clashing against the Forever King and his new army of villains. Ben was facing against the king, while the girls and Max were going against the rest of the Negative 10.
If we're together! We can seize it! The war is just beginning!
Finally we have the Tennyson family standing together in front of the Rustbucket. Yukiko and Ben stood in front, her arms draped over his chest, holding the boy close to her. All of their wide smiles could be seen as they enjoyed being with one another.
The final shot was of the spinning Omnitrix, before the dial pressed down to envelop the screen in a blinding flash of green light.
The Tennysons and Cooper stared at the league of villains, now dubbed at the Negative 10, confirming the villains with their very eyes. "Animo, Zombozo, Kangaroo Kommando, Rojo Clancy, Charmcaster, Hex(?), and that Adachi guy!?" Ben listed them all off. "Oh man…!"
"Are you sure that's Hex?" Yukiko squinted her eyes, unsure of the child sitting on Charmcaster's shoulders.
"That's definitely Hex, the fountain's water must've deaged him too much." Gwen would've found it comical if it wasn't for the situation they were currently in.
"Who are the metal heads?" Cooper asked, pointing at the Forever duo.
"Must be Forever Knights creeps. What's up with the horns and the cape on that one guy?" Ben asked.
"Since we took out Enoch, maybe he's their new leader?" Gwen suggested.
"Or maybe Enoch was never really in charge." Max realized the truth.
Clancy descended off the cliff to attack the Rustbucket, but the RV was protected by an electric bug zapper, sending the bug man flying into the rock wall. Max activated the lockdown protocols for the Rustbucket to keep them from getting in. Rojo tried firing a beam, but it didn't work, allowing the RV to counter with a charged blast attack at her.
Kangaroo Kommando reached into his utility belt, tossing out several kangaroo boomerangs that were reflected back at the superhero. He quickly activated the boosters in his boots to avoid getting hit by his own gadgets.
Charmcaster tried to destroy the RV with large rocks, but each one just shattered against the barricaded motorhome. Her uncle rolled his eyes at her before unleashing a torrent of red shards into the ground. They exploded underneath the RV where it wasn't protected, destabilizing the lockdown system.
The Forever King realized something as he watched his allies approach the Rustbucket, while Adachi was the only one not attempting to break into the RV. "Do not go in there!" The King ordered, but they didn't listen.
Zombozo blew the door off with his pumpkin grenade, chuckling madly at the sight of the horror-stricken Tennysons. "Surprise! Time for the finishing act!" His arm extended like a spring to grab Ben, but his arm just went through them, revealing the Tennysons inside to actually be nothing more than holograms. "BWAH!?" Zombozo cried cartoonishly.
"They're holograms!" Rojo shouted. "We've been punked!" She and Zombozo stared down at the beeping ball that hologram came from before realizing what it actually was. "Shit…"
BOOM!
Hiding behind the bushes were the Tennysons and Cooper, who had snuck away with the use of Gwen's magic. Max turned to the kids. "We better hurry before they figure out what happened!"
"Too late!" Gwen cried, pointing at the Forever Ninja, who had snuck up behind them. The robot pulled out its blades to slice them into ribbons. Cooper ran, screaming in fear of his life, forcing Gwen to chase after him.
FLASH!
Four Arms approached the ninja, cracking his knuckles. "Nobody likes a show off, ninja-boy." He pulled back his fists and pounded the robot through the air, sending him flying into the Rustbucket, which just so happened to alert the rest of the Negative 10 where they were hiding.
"There they are!" Charmcaster yelled.
"You guys go! I'll meet you at the hatch!" Four Arms jumped away to battle the group of villains.
Yukiko's eyes shifted to Adachi, who was sitting idly by as if he was waiting for something. The man looked way too disinterested in what was happening, confusing her slightly, but she still didn't feel comfortable leaving Ben alone. "Ben, I'm-" Max pulled her back.
"Yukiko, we need to get to the hatch, Ben can handle himself!" Max yelled.
"NO! Why does Ben always have to fight alone!? I'm not going to just leave him to fight alone with a bunch of villains!" She was going to rush into the battle, but then she noticed something had changed. Adachi was no longer sitting on the cliff and wasn't battling Four Arms like the rest of the villains were. "Oh no…"
"Cooper!" Gwen called out for the boy, trying to find where he had run off to. This wasn't exactly the time or place to get separated, and that boy could be anywhere in these trees.
"Gah!?"
"Cooper!?" Gwen followed the sound of his voice, coming into a small clearing to see the boy had fallen onto his rear. Standing in front of him was the man who had her older sister shaking in fear an hour ago. "You…!"
"Yo!" Adachi greeted Gwen as if he hadn't tried to kill her an hour ago.
"You're Adachi! The guy who tormented Yukiko and her friends a year ago!" Gwen's hands vibrated with mana, prepared to fight the man.
"Oh, she told you about me? I'm flattered." He responded, not feeling threatened at all.
"Get away from Cooper!" She fired off several bolts of magic at the twisted Fool. His Persona came to life, effortlessly blocking each attack. Cooper took this chance to move out of the way as the battle commenced between the two.
Magatsu Izanagi slashed at the younger girl, who back flipped out of the way before retaliating with pink tendrils that went straight for Adachi. A gunshot shattered the red tarot card, allowing Magatsu Izanagi to blast the tendrils away with a gust of wind.
Gwen was blown back into a tree, stopping her momentum for a brief moment. The twisted Persona user approached her. "Not all that strong, are ya? Well, you are just a kid after all, shouldn't expect much."
Gwen's eyes snapped open, glowing bright pink. "SHUT UP!" A burst of mana from her was blocked his Persona, but Adachi realized that the force of the attack was pushing him back. Adachi pushed himself out of the way of her attack, allowing it to blast most of the forest behind him to pieces.
"Huh? Maybe you're not so weak after all. Guess I know your sore spot now." Adachi whistled.
"MARAGIDYNE!"
He looked up lazily as a massive burst of fire rained down on top of him, not too concerned with it. Yukiko and Max arrived at the clearing, the ex-Plumber grabbing both Gwen and Cooper. "Get away from them!" Yukiko hissed dangerously. When the flames cleared, she expected to see Adachi's charred remains, but instead the twisted Fool was nowhere to be seen. "Where did he go!?"
"Yukiko!" Max grabbed her attention. "We have to hurry to the hatch!" But there was a slight issue with the plan in the form of Animo and Ah Puch swooping down to attack them.
"Agidyne!" The heiress fired at the scientist, but her flames were deflected by Ah Puch.
"There's too many of them!" Max yelled. "Even when we get to the hatch, I won't have enough time to get it open before they're all over us like stink on a skunk!"
"What do we do!?" Gwen asked.
"I-I have an idea!" Cooper spoke up. "Follow me!"
"What!?" Gwen and her family followed Cooper, who stopped at a rock wall. The boy's eyes glowed blue for a brief moment, revealing the hatch to the Plumber base.
"Cooper, how did you-!?" Yukiko stopped her question as the boy wobbled over. She caught him in her arms, picking him up to carry him.
"He did say he was good with mechanical stuff…" Gwen reminded them.
"C'mon!" Max ushered his granddaughters into the hatch. Before Yukiko could try and go help Ben, Max shoved her down the hatch. He knew how much she wanted to help him, but with Animo hot on their trail, it was best to not get caught up in another fight.
The kids crashed into the floor of the base, while Max landed expertly. The ex-Plumber hurried to the large computer, bringing up the feed of the battle outside.
"We can't just leave Ben out there alone!" Gwen also argued.
"We're not, we can help him in here as well!"
Four Arms dodged several swipes from Clancy before smashing the bug into the dirt, picking him up by his leg, and smashing him against a tree. The Tetramand noticed the rest of the villains were surrounding him. "C'mon, I'll whip you all with three hands tied behind my back!"
Kangaroo Kommando whipped out his pistol, firing several electric rounds at the Tetramand. Four Arms dodged them before clapping his hands, creating a sonic boom that knocked him back.
Two rock mutts attempted to jump onto his back, but Four Arms whipped around and smashed them both between his hands. Zombozo tossed some pumpkin grenades at him, forcing the Tetramand to block the attacks. When the clown tried to punch him, Four Arms grabbed his arm and swung him around like a merry-go-round, then he smashed the clown into the floor like a hammer.
Four Arms looked to his side to see the Forever King watching him. The Tetramand cracked his knuckles and approached him. However, the Forever Ninja returned to stop him from getting to its master. With a bit more knowledge of Four Arms's fighting style, the ninja evaded the rough attacks before jabbing its plasma staff into his gut.
"Gah!" Four Arms went flying towards the hatch, crashing against the wall. He was about to return to the fight until a familiar beeping sound entered his ears.
FLASH!
Ben still stood his ground against the Negative 10, who were all ready to put the meddlesome kid into an early grave. "Who's hungry!? Because I've got a couple of knuckle sandwiches right here!"
"Grandpa!" Gwen cried, hoping he could help Ben. Max reached for the controls to activate the defense systems for the base, but that was before Yukiko's hands stopped him. Max, Gwen, and Cooper stared at like she was crazy. "Yukiko, what are you doing!? Ben's going to get creamed!"
"No, he's not!" She grinned, knowing something they didn't.
"What do you mean?" Cooper asked.
"The cavalry has arrived!"
Ben was growing a bit worried when his grandpa wasn't intervening to take care of the Negative 10, who were getting too close for his taste. He started to reach for the Omnitrix, even though the watch was still recharging.
Rojo smirked, pointing her blaster at him. "Time to die, brat-"
"Come forth, Izanagi!"
"Go! Susano-o!"
"Now, Suzuka Gongen!"
"Crush 'em, Rokuten Maou!"
"Come, Yamato Takeru!"
"Here goes! Kamui!"
The Negative 10 weren't given any time to react as several elemental attacks rained down on them, blasting them away from Ben. The only one who wasn't blasted away was Adachi, who simply grinned at the sight of the familiar group of teens.
[Reach Out To The Truth - Persona 4 OST]
Ben stared wide-eyed at the group, who were posing dramatically across from them, recognizing some but not all of them. The first one was a teenage boy with slightly unkempt fawn colored dyed hair and brown eyes. He was dressed in the Yasogami High school uniform, with a pair of orange headphones around his neck.
The next one was a teenage girl with a light brown bowl cut and brown eyes. She was wearing a light green, high-collared athletic jacket adorned with several decorative pins, and underneath her miniskirt was a pair of black compression shorts.
The next guy was the tallest amongst the group. He had bleached-blond sweptback crew cut hair with a widow's peak and gray eyes, a scar above his left. He was wearing multiple piercings, metal jewelry, and a black long-sleeved shirt with a skull-and-crossbones design on the front under the school uniform. The school's jacket hung off his shoulders as if he were some anime character.
Finally, the strangest one of all was a walking anthropomorphic bear. It looked like he was wearing a red and white jumpsuit.
Suddenly, Ben felt himself being lifted into someone's arms, but it was someone he recognized pretty well. "Kenny!?" He gasped at his older cousin, who grinned at him.
"We'll explain in a bit, but at the moment, it's best if we get out of the way!" Kenny jumped down the hatch with Ben in his arms, taking them out of the battle.
"Yu, Naoto, Rise, Kenny, and I'm guessing the rest of your friends!" Gwen listed off the sudden arrival of the Investigation Team and her brother.
"But how are they here and why are they here!?" Max turned to Yukiko, who was grinning.
"Looks like my message got to Yu-kun in time!" She giggled.
"Wait, that's what you were doing on your phone earlier!?" Gwen realized, thinking back to before they arrived at Mount Rushmore.
"Yes, I called him to inform him of Adachi's appearance and the villains he was with, but he didn't answer the phone, so I just left him a message. It seems he didn't decide to come alone either." Yukiko smiled at the sight of her friends, appreciating their well-timed appearance in the battle.
"AAAHHH!"
THUD!
"And Kenny too." Yukiko added mentally as both her male siblings arrived.
The Negative 10 regrouped, facing off against the Investigation Team. "Who the hell are these guys!?" Rojo demanded.
"Some party crashers, that's what!" Kangaroo Kommando responded.
Hex and Charmcaster recognized Yu, and recognized the similar magic energies coming from the rest of the teens. "They're the princesses' little friends, they can all use the same abilities as her!" Charmcaster informed them.
The Forever King disliked this little thorn in his plans, but in the end it didn't matter. Everything would end the way he wanted it to, regardless of the factors present. "Destroy them! Do not let a single one of them live!"
Yosuke turned to his best friend. "Partner, you got a plan for this!?"
"They have us outnumbered, so focus on holding them off for now. Give me some time as I get to Adachi."
"Got it!" His team responded. The Persona users and Negative 10 clashed, giving Yu the chance to go straight for Adachi, who was next to the Forever King. The Forever Ninja attempted to intervene in Yu's way, but before he could, a red beam blasted the bot away from him.
The king turned to see Adachi, who was the culprit behind the attack. "Adachi, what are you doing!?"
"Backstabbing you, duh." Adachi shrugged.
"How dare you-even after breaking you out of jail-"
"Never asked for anyone to do that, nor did I ever agree to stick to being a part of this supervillain team you put together. I simply followed along to see a certain someone again, and now he's here, meaning that you've outlived your usefulness." Even if he couldn't see the man's face, Adachi enjoyed the flabbergasted noise the king cried with.
"Then you will die with the rest of these fools!"
"Not today! Cleave!" Izanagi struck the ground between them and the king. Yu turned to his team, who were struggling to fight against the strange abilities of the Negative 10. They were too used to the unorthodox ways of Shadows rather than actual people. "Everyone! It's time to retreat!"
"You all heard Senpai! Let's move it!" Rise, who was riding on Kanji's back, yelled to her friends. Her Persona was currently shielding them from Hex and Charmcaster's magic spells.
"Chie, Teddie, cover us with ice!" Yosuke ordered as he backed away towards the hatch. The two listened, blasting the Negative 10 with ice spells, creating a barrier to block them off.
Kanji jumped down the hatch first alongside Rise and Naoto, quickly followed by Chie and Teddie. Yu and Adachi were the last ones to make it down the hatch, looking back to see the Forever King staring them down with bloodlust.
The king looked over to see a camera watching them all, he pointed his gauntlet at it. "Nothing will stop this little reunion." He declared before blasting it to pieces.
After everyone made it down the hatch, Max made sure to reinforce it to prevent the Negative 10 from following behind them. Yukiko was quick to rush over to her friends, hugging Chie the moment she saw her. "Chie-chan!"
"Yukiko-chan!" Chie returned the hug. Their hug lasted for a few seconds before the kung-fu fanatic pushed her best friend away with a glare. "Why didn't you tell us you've been fighting supervillains this entire summer!? I'm freaking jealous!"
"That's why you're upset?" The Tennysons and Cooper sweatdropped.
"I know we all haven't formally introduced ourselves, but I'm certain Yukiko-chan has mentioned us before." Yosuke expected them to know who he was.
"Ah yeah! The pervert!" Ben exclaimed.
"That's what you told them!?" The magician yelled at Yukiko.
"She's not wrong." All of his friends responded.
"She is! She's totally wrong!"
"She has you down correctly, Yosuke!" Teddie grinned.
"Shut up, you damn bear! You're not any better!"
Chie shoved Yosuke aside. "Ignoring this idiot, my name's Satonaka Chie…or is it the last name after the first in America?"
"Kanji Tatsumi."
"Teddie! It's beary nice to meet you!"
"Yosuke Hanamura."
"Ben Tennyson." Ben started.
"Gwen Tennyson."
"Max Tennyson."
"A-and… I'm Cooper."
"Now that we've got introductions out of the way, I think it's time to explain as to why we're here and everything else." Naoto took charge.
"Right, we should do this while we have the time." Yu decided to take over the explanation. "When I got Yukiko's message, it left me pretty shocked to find out Adachi was here, but we already knew he was broken out of prison. It was after that when I decided it would be best to assemble everyone together to tackle this problem."
"But how exactly did you get here? I'm pretty sure half of you were over in Japan." Gwen asked the real question.
"Margaret." Yu smirked.
The Investigation Team members sat inside of the Velvet Room, digesting everything Yu and the others explained to them about the situation. Only one person was giddy with excitement.
"I knew the aliens were real! I knew it!" Teddie bounced in his seat. "You were so wrong, Yosuke!"
"Shut the hell up already! How was I supposed to believe something like that was real!?" Yosuke yelled at the bear.
Kanji whistled, not sure how to really respond. "Man…to think Yukiko-senpai was going through all of that this summer."
Chie, on the other hand, was pissed. "What I'm more concerned about is why she didn't tell us-tell me!? I'm her best friend, dammit! If I knew she was going around fighting a bunch of supervillains like a superhero, I would've done everything I could to join her! It sounds so cool!"
"That's what you're more upset about?" Naoto sighed.
"Obviously! She has so much explaining to do!"
"Chie-senpai really has a one-track mind, huh?" Rise sighed.
"Sorry we couldn't tell you guys sooner. Yukiko really wanted to tell you all herself, probably once she got back home." Yu said.
"It's fine, Senpai." Kanji spoke up. "What Yukiko-senpai did and didn't want to tell us doesn't matter right now."
"Yeah!" Chie got over her anger pretty quickly. "What matters is coming to their rescue and kicking some ass! Yukiko-chan and her family need us!"
Kenny, who tagged along for the ride, scratched the back of his head. "It means a lot to see you guys are willing to help."
"She's our friend, of course we're gonna help her when she needs us." Yosuke responded.
"Time to save Yuki-chan's alien cousin and earn myself a smooch from her!"
"YOUR REAL DESIRES ARE OBVIOUS!" Chie and Yosuke roared at the bear.
SMACK!
Yukiko wasted no time in bashing the bear into the ground for the stupid comment he had made earlier. "Die a hundred deaths."
"Y-Yuki-chan's f-fury h-hasn't gone down at all…" Teddie wheezed out.
"That explains them, but why are you here?" Gwen turned to her brother.
"What? You expected me to sit around while you guys were in danger?" Kenny felt a bit insulted.
Gwen shook her head. "No, just proud of you is all." She earned herself an embarrassing hug from her brother.
"And why exactly can you guys speak perfect English?" Ben asked.
"Margaret."
"Of course…" Ben muttered.
Max shook his head at the kids, but he was feeling a bit hopeful. "Well, I'm grateful that we have more hands on deck now. Stopping this Negative 10 doesn't feel as impossible as it did earlier."
"We're more than happy to help, Tennyson-san!" Rise exclaimed.
CLAP!
Everyone stopped talking, turning to see Adachi standing a few feet away. "Not to cut the reunion short, but I think there's bigger fish to fry now, aren't there?"
Yukiko instantly got in front of Ben and Gwen, hissing at Adachi. "Why are you here!?"
"He betrayed those Negative 10 guys, so I'm more inclined to believe he's going to help us." Yu quickly explained.
"And why should I believe him after he almost killed Gwen!?" Yukiko hissed.
Yu turned to Adachi, not entirely surprised, but also wondering why the ex-cop would do something like that. Instead of explaining or defending himself, Adachi simply shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't matter what I say, because Amagi's feelings about me aren't going to change. However, I will say that whatever that Forever King has planned doesn't exactly bode well. That guy might be more insane than I am."
"He's right." Max said, catching the teens and kids off-guard.
"Grandpa!" Yukiko gasped.
"As long as he doesn't do anything, then he's fine." Max knew they were on limited time and arguing about the murderer in front of them was wasting it. "We need to focus on stopping the Forever King and his team." Max walked back over to the computer, bringing back the footage from before it was cut off.
"Besides, if he tries anything, I'll just reintroduce him to my four-fisted knuckles!" Ben pointed to the watch. His words didn't bring any comfort to Yukiko, who didn't even want him anywhere near Adachi.
"Do you have any idea of who this king may be?" Naoto asked.
"I have a suspicion." Max replayed the footage of what the Forever King said before destroying the camera. "There's something about what his highness said that makes me wonder." He brought up footage of another man.
"Driscoll, ID number #12906."
Max overlaid the voice recordings and received a complete match, revealing the true identity of the Forever King. Max was disappointed to learn the identity of the leader of the Forever Knights.
"Grandpa, what is it?" Gwen asked.
"The Forever King is an ex-Plumber! When I was still a rookie, a scandal rocked the Plumbers. Driscoll, one of the veterans, was caught stealing advanced technology from alien perps, then using it to attack and kill any aliens he came across, innocent or not. Eventually, he was stopped and thrown out of the Plumbers in disgrace, and as far as anyone knew, he was never heard from again." Max explained, all of the pieces falling together. "But now it's obvious that Driscoll worked his way up through the Forever Knights until he became their leader!"
"So, that's how the Knights knew about the Plumber complexes!" Yukiko exclaimed.
"The sub-energy, the keys, and all of that stuff was being supplied by Driscoll!" Ben yelled.
"And Driscoll knows Mount Rushmore like the back of his hand. He'll find a way in, it's only a matter of time." Max warned them all.
"Then let's come up with a plan of attack." Yu suggested.
"And as we're doing that!" Chie rounded on the Tennyson kids. "You guys can tell me all of the embarrassing stories about Yukiko-chan this summer!"
"What!?" Yukiko cried.
Ben grinned, liking the sound of that. "Sure, as long as you share yours."
"I like you already, kid!" Chie and Ben shared a fist bump.
"NO! Don't do any of that!" Yukiko chased them around in hopes of keeping her dignity.
Ben sat with displeasure as Teddie played around with the Omnitrix, scrolling through his aliens; he'd rather be doing anything else at the moment, but Yukiko told him to placate the bear's curiosity for the time being. "Are you done yet?"
Teddie ignored his question, still mesmerized by his watch. "So, these are the aliens that you can turn into!?"
"Yes, figured it was obvious." Ben replied rudely, but the bear didn't pick up on it.
"Could you also turn into Shadows? You've encountered them, right?" Teddie asked.
"We did fight them some time ago, but no the Omnitrix didn't scan them. Whatever they are, they don't count as aliens, I guess." Ben replied. Then he remembered a certain detail Yukiko told them about Teddie. "Aren't you a Shadow too?"
"Yup! But, I'm just as human as everyone else!" The zipper to the bear's suit unzipped itself, allowing the head to pop off. Jumping out of it was a young teen with blond hair and blue eyes. He wore a white blouse-like shirt with various adornments like a red rose and a flamboyantly designed collar. "See? Aren't I pretty!?"
Ben flinched from the radiant shine that seemed to bounce off of Teddie. "Gah!? Why are you so freaking bright!?"
"That's just my beary bear-utiful self, Ben-chan!"
"Don't call me that."
"Whatever you say, Ben-chan~!"
"Ugh…" Ben suddenly understood why Yukiko barely tolerated the bear sometimes. But still, he couldn't help but admire the bear's willingness and loyalty to his friends. "So, you got your body after getting your Persona?"
"Yes! It was thanks to this that I was able to leave the TV and join everyone else! The outside world has so much to offer, so much of it that I haven't seen yet, and I can't wait to see it all with Sensei and everyone else!" Teddie replied enthusiastically.
"See the world, huh?" Ben could relate to that. This summer opened his eyes to the unbelievable; that there was so much in the grand universe that he had yet to see. "I understand the feeling."
"Yo!"
Ben and Teddie turned to see Yosuke approaching, the magician's hands in his pocket. "This bear isn't bothering you too much, is he?"
"Nah, he's pretty cool." Ben shrugged.
"Not sure if I'd use that word to describe this weirdo." Yosuke said jokingly. That was until Teddie wrapped him up in a hug, snuggling close to him.
"Don't be like that, Yosuke! You know you love me~!"
"Get the hell off me!"
Ben watched the scene with an uncomfortable sense of deja vu, it's as if he's seen and experienced something like this before…
"Ben, come here and give me a hug~!"
"Get off me already! What's with you and hugs!?"
Wiping that image from his memory permanently, Ben chose to leave the scene before it could get any weirder.
Kenny was examining the Plumber weapons that were kept in the base. All of them looked so high-tech and weird; nothing like normal weapons you'd see in real life or video games. "Ugh…this is much harder than I thought it would be-"
"What is?"
"BWAH!?" Kenny squealed in fright, turning around to see Kanji and Chie right behind him. The older cousin gripped his heart, trying to calm himself down. "Jeez! Don't scare me like that!"
"Not our fault you had your guard down! A fighter should always have their guard and awareness up at all times!" Chie declared as if she were some wise sensei.
"Not really much of a fighter…" Kenny mumbled.
"I mean, yeah, you're pretty skinny and easily scared." Kanji said bluntly, before blushing a bit. "N-not that it's a bad thing! I-it's just that-"
"I'm not really special like Yukiko, Ben, or Gwen? Yeah, I've pretty much accepted that at this point. They all have their special abilities, but I can't really do much." Kenny sighed.
"That ain't true!" Kanji exclaimed.
"Huh?"
"So, what if you don't have some Persona, magic, or alien watch? You can still help in your own way! Even when I felt like I was just a bother to my Ma, she still loved and cared for me, and taught me everything she knows! I help her in any way I can, even in the fields I'm not too strong in!" Kanji tried to encourage him.
Kenny was a bit lost. "W-what?"
Chie rolled her eyes, knowing that Kanji lost the boy. "What Kanji is trying to say is that you still came here willing to help, even if you're weaker than us and the group outside that's trying to kill us. Don't get too hung up on what you can't do, and instead focus on what you can do!"
"What I can do…?" Kenny muttered, turning back to the weapons. He didn't really understand the point of the question, because there wasn't a clear answer. He wasn't much use in a fight without any powers, so what could he possibly do?
That's when he noticed a sword hilt sitting by itself on a shelf. "What is this?" Grabbing the hilt, Kenny noticed a button, and pressed it. The light that exploded outwards from the hilt caused a smile to form on his face.
"I don't like this…" Yukiko muttered, glaring at Adachi.
"I know you don't, but we just have to deal with it for now." Yu said as Yukiko leaned into his side, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry that I…"
"You can't control how you feel, so know that I'm not angry at you." Yukiko stopped his unnecessary apology. "I know the way you, Nanako-chan, and Dojima-san feel about him is complicated, and I don't think I'll ever see the reason why you guys care about him so much. He hurt us so much because of his own selfish desires, drove a man to insanity, and he doesn't even regret any of it. He never will regret the things he did."
Yu attempted to ease her worries, softly stroking the back of her hand. "I'm not so sure about that. I'm sure there are things he regrets and things he doesn't, but I can feel there's a part of him that wishes for something. Whatever it is, I think he's also fighting like the rest of us to reach it."
"I don't understand."
"I know."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize, there's no reason to apologize."
Gwen, Rise, and Naoto found Cooper working on the security bots. On the way there, the idol was talking Naoto's ear off, annoying the detective with her constant ramblings of her and Kenny' little misadventures. Gwen was slightly grossed out, but she was his little sister, she was supposed to be grossed out.
"Cooper! How's it going?" Gwen asked, cutting off Rise's ramblings.
"Good! The security drones are almost ready!" Cooper responded.
There was a question burning in Gwen's brain that she just had to figure out. "I have to know, how did you figure out how to access the hatch without even laying a finger on it?"
"S-sometimes when I concentrate real hard, I can see inside machines and junk like that. It's kinda like a Wi-Fi in my head." Cooper didn't see the way Rise tilted her head after hearing that.
"That is so cool!" Gwen exclaimed, still kissing his ass.
"Not really, it gives me a major headache." He said before stepping down from the drone. When the drone stood up on its own, Cooper tested it by tossing a soda can into the air. The can was instantly blown to pieces by the drone.
"Good job, Cooper!" Turning around, everyone saw Max, who was wearing an alien exo-suit, lift up a giant piece of machinery.
"Woah, Grandpa, you've been working out!" Ben complimented.
"Oh, it's not me, Ben. It's this exo-suit, alien tech that amplifies your own natural abilities. Cooper got it running again." Max explained as he tossed the piece down into the pile.
"You're really gifted with technology, aren't you?" Naoto looked down at Cooper.
"I-it's my specialty…" He responded.
"Now we just need a little help from Heatblast to finish it all up." Max motioned towards Ben.
"On it!" Ben dialed up his favorite hot-head and transformed for the newcomers to see.
FLASH!
Heatblast spent his entire time limit melting the metal, and once Max was satisfied with it, Ben turned back to normal. "Heh, I'd like to see that Negative 10 get past that."
"I wouldn't." Cooper disagreed.
"C'mon, kid, show some grit!" Chie slapped Cooper's back a little too hard, causing him to fall over. "Oops…"
"Good job, meat-head." Yosuke sighed.
"Shut up!"
"Kids!" Max got all of their attention. "C'mon, I want to double-check the sub-energy security field!"
Everyone except Adachi (Yu assured them he wouldn't do anything) followed Max to the sub-energy's location. They found themselves inside of a huge blue chamber with a large cylinder-like energy field in the middle.
"A real force field!?" Cooper gasped, running up to it to admire it.
"Too bad the Forever King now has the keys to shut it off." Max sighed.
"So where exactly is it?" Kanji asked, trying to keep up with everything.
"Maybe it's super tiny!?" Teddie guessed.
Max stepped on an invisible pad on the floor. "Not exactly." Popping up next to him was a small shelf with high-tech goggles. "The force field is just a cloaking device. Put these on, kids." Everyone did as told, hearing a weird static noise coming from the goggles.
"What's with the static noise, Grandpa?" Gwen asked, noticing the noise first.
"The goggles show the force field's sound waves, just turn the knob on the side to adjust the volume." Max showed them by adjusting Gwen's goggles first. Yukiko knelt down to Ben and adjusted his goggles for him, ignoring the way he complained about her babying him. Now that everyone had adjusted their goggles, the sub-energy was now visible.
"That dinky thing is the sub-energy?" Ben asked.
"I'm guessing it's the case of don't let the size fool you." Naoto assumed.
"Exactly, the material in that container is 20 times more powerful than the sun. Mishandle it and you've got an explosion big enough to blow a continent off the face of the Earth."
"That's…concerning." Kenny gulped.
"If that's all, Max-san." Yu grabbed everyone's attention. "I think it's time to put the finishing touches on how to deal with the Negative 10, and I've got the perfect idea."
"And what's that, partner?" Yosuke asked.
"Divide and conquer."
Max finished placing some explosive charges around the bridge to the sub-energy, listening to the sounds of his kids arguing again.
"Quit copying me!" Ben yelled.
"You're copying me!" Gwen yelled back.
"What are you guys doing?" Cooper asked.
"Winner gets your extra ticket." Ben answered.
"Extra ticket?" Kenny turned to Yukiko.
"They want to go to some dumb movie premiere and Cooper said he'll give one of them a ticket to it." Yukiko explained.
"Yeah, that does sound dumb."
BEEP! BEEP!
Everyone turned to the alert system going off, Max approaching the control board. "What is it, Grandpa?" Gwen asked.
"Motion sensor. C'mon-"
BOOM!
"THE DOCTOR IS IN!" Animo declared, still riding on the mutated Ah Puch. The two had smashed through the walls of the base, reaching the bottom floor where they were hiding. Ah Puch roared with madness, swinging its arm into Gwen and Max.
"Grandpa! Gwen!" Yukiko cried.
FLASH!
Wildmutt charged at the two, tackling Ah Puch to the ground, and knocking Animo off his ride. The Vulpimancer began biting and tearing at the mutant's skin, but was uppercutted into the ceiling. Before the mutant could continue fighting Wildmutt, Teddie jumped at the mutant with his claw encased in ice, and slashed it across its chest. "Taste my bear-claw!" His cheer didn't last for long as Ah Puch swung back and bashed the bear into the floor. "Awoo~" Swirls appeared in his eyes.
Wildmutt jumped onto the mutant's back, biting into his wings with his teeth, causing Ah Puch to scream in pain.
Chie stomped down on Animo's back, pinning the doctor to the floor. "Heh, you're not really all that menacing without your pet monsters, huh?"
"Chie!"
"Huh-"
BAM!
An extended punch from Zombozo, sent the kung fu girl flying into the far wall. Coming in behind him was the rest of the Negative 10, who were all more than prepared to kill a bunch of kids.
"Cooper! The security drones!" Max ordered. At Cooper's command, the drones surrounded the villains, but with a simple look from the king, they backed away and turned on the heroes.
"I love surprises, don't you?" The Forever King asked Max.
"Maziodyne!" Kanji bashed his tarot card. Lightning rained down on the drones, destroying most of the drones. "C'mon! I'll bash each one of you into the ground!"
"Loud mouths get silenced first!" Rojo declared, jumping at the punk with a raised boot. Before her attack could connect, Yamato-Takeru struck her from the side, knocking her into the metal floor.
"Seems you were right about being silenced first." Naoto huffed.
"Everyone, we need to retreat to the lower levels!" Max ordered the group. Everyone except Wildmutt started moving towards the sub-energy chamber. The Vulpimancer was still locked in combat with Ah Puch, getting tossed into the ground before smashing his paw against his jaw.
"BEN!" Yukiko called out to him, then lined up her shot. "Agidyne!" The fireball smashed into Ah Puch, blasting him into some of the attacking drones. Now free, the Vulpimancer and Yukiko joined everyone on the other side of the bridge before Max blew it to pieces with the explosives.
The Forever King was bothered little by their little plan. "We are in need of a detour." He told his allies before marching away.
With the little time they were given, Cooper got to work on the next step of their plan. As he did that, the others discussed the traitorous drones. "How exactly did those things turn against us!?" Rise asked.
"Driscoll must've overrode their primary functions." Max explained.
"It won't take them long to get here, meaning we need to decide who gets who now." Naoto looked towards everyone.
"I'll take the king!" Ben declared before anyone else. "It's only fitting that the hero dethrones the false king, right?"
"Ben-" Yukiko began, but Yu stopped her.
"I'll be fighting with him, so he won't be alone. Right…" Yu turned towards their silent party member. "Adachi?"
"Heh, of course, putting down that arrogant guy is what I've been waiting for." Adachi agreed.
Yukiko was about to protest, but Gwen stopped her. "I get it, Yukiko, but we don't have time to argue." Her words placated her older sister for now, but the heiress still looked uncertain about that group.
"Who's next?" Naoto turned to the group.
"I'll take the clown creep!" Chie offered. "He's not getting away with sucker-punching me like that!"
"Yukiko and I will take Hex and Charmcaster!" Gwen offered herself and Yukiko.
"Yosuke will take the bug guy!" Teddie offered up his 'brother'.
"Don't just offer me like that!"
"Understood Teddie, Yosuke will handle Clancy." Yukiko agreed, suddenly happy for some reason.
"Why are you so happy about that!?"
"And, I'll take the doctor guy!" Teddie now offered himself.
"I'll go for Rojo, she'll probably want to fight me after I hit her." Naoto took her turn.
"Then I'll kick the superhero-looking guy's ass." Kanji huffed.
"Which will leave us with the ninja as the last one. I'll handle that one." Max said.
"Let me help you with that guy, Grandpa!" Kenny exclaimed. The ex-Plumber nodded his head, agreeing to let his grandson help.
"Cooper and I will be with you two to cover support for everyone else!" Rise hugged the smaller boy, making him blush.
"With all of that settled, I need all of you to be serious about this!" Max's serious tone drew their attention. "No matter what happens to us, we can't let the Forever King get away with the sub-energy!"
"No worries, Grandpa! We'll win this!" Ben's confidence reassured his grandfather.
"Let's do this." Yu put his hand out, setting a familiar feeling through his team. The rest of them piled their hands on top of his, leaving Adachi to be the odd one out, who didn't want to join their little cheer. Yu looked down at Ben, the boy's hand was the one on top of everyone's. "Give us our cheer, Ben."
The boy was surprised that the teen didn't want to do it himself, but shrugged. "IT'S HERO TIME!"
CRASH!
BOOM!
The heroes turned to see the Negative 10 had finally arrived at the chamber, the villains lined up to seem as opposing as possible. "There's nowhere left to run, Tennysons!"
"Who's running, metal mouth!? Bring it on!" Ben shouted.
The villains began charging towards the heroes, unaware of Cooper, who had just activated their trap. The floor glowed yellow, breaking the floor apart, and stopping the villains' charge. Suddenly, walls began to sprout up from the floor, separating the Negative 10 into different sections of the chamber, each one being confronted by one of the heroes.
CHIE VS ZOMBOZO
Zombozo chuckled, not finding the kung-fu girl threatening at all. "Hahahaha! Seems I have my first volunteer for my opening act!"
"You wish, Pennywise! I'm gonna bring down your circus with a little kung fu!" Chie bounced on the soles of her feet. "Let's do this, Suzuka Gongen!"
CLANCY VS YOSUKE
"SCREEE!" Clancy screamed, ready to rip the teenager's face right off.
"Gyah!? Why did I have to get stuck with the freaky one!?" Yosuke cried, slicing up the bugs with his knives. "Ugh…! Fine, then, I'll just beat you nice and quickly! Let's go, Susano-o!"
GWEN AND YUKIKO VS HEX AND CHARMCASTER
"Pfft! Hahahahaha!" Yukiko was now given the chance to laugh at the toddler Hex, who growled in humiliation.
"Laugh all you want, child! My power is still great enough to swallow you up and crush you!" Hex declared, his staff brimming with power.
Charmcaster hissed at the sight of Gwen. "Of course, I get stuck with you, Gweny."
"My name isn't Gweny." Gwen raised her hand, snapping her fingers.
POOF!
Gwen's outfit had changed into something familiar, but different. She was now dressed in a dark purple short-sleeved bodysuit with a skirt that went down to her thighs, and matching boots. Her hands were covered by purple gloves and a familiar cat mask adorned her face, behind her a purple tail swished with the wind. "You're facing the new and improved Lucky Girl!"
Charmcaster growled, hating the sight of her. "Just my luck…!"
TEDDIE VS DR. ANIMO
"What a fascinating creature! I'll be sure to examine and probe your DNA after I've finished ripping you to pieces!" Animo declared. His pet Ah Puch was howling in anticipation of beating the bear down once more.
"Eeek! Not my bear-fect, and bear-utiful body!" Teddie hugged himself bashfully. "To think you experiment on all of the wonderful creatures of the world! I'll defeat you in their name! Fight with me, Kamui!"
NAOTO VS ROJO
"Tch! No more sneak attacks, punk! I'm going to beat your brains in until there's nothing left." Rojo cracked her knuckles.
"You're in a dire need of learning some manners. At least Kanji has the excuse of being young. You're a grown woman running around like she's still in a high school gang; such an embarrassment to women everywhere. Come, Yamato-Takeru!" Naoto's dry response cut through Rojo harder than any attack.
"And what would you know about being a woman, huh!? You're a guy!"
"I'm a girl."
"EH!?"
KANJI VS KANGAROO KOMMANDO
"Stand down, you little hooligan. This battle is between me and the brats who ruined my plans to get what's rightfully mine!" Kangaroo Kommando declared.
"Aren't you supposed to be some kind of superhero? The hell are you doing attacking some kids!?" Kanji yelled. "We're gonna beat this guy down, Rokuten Maou!"
KENNY AND MAX VS FOREVER NINJA
The Forever Ninja slowly walked towards Max, who was in his exo-suit, and Kenny. "Just calm down, son. We can take this thing down!"
"R-right! We got this, Grandpa!" Kenny agreed, shaking a bit. He pressed the button on the sword hilt, activating the lightsaber.
"You got this, guys!" Rise and Cooper cheered them on from behind.
The Forever King, with both keys in his possession, pushed them into the locks to undo the force field. He couldn't care less for the little plan of separating them, because none of it mattered once he got his hands on the sub-energy. Once the force field was down, he reached for the container but it was swiped away from him at the last moment. "What!?" He turned his gaze to see the traitor holding his prize.
"Yo, king!" Adachi held the container, spinning it like a basketball. "Missing something?"
"Adachi, your betrayal shall be fulfilled by the slow crushing of your skull." The Forever King promised, stepping to face the twisted Fool.
"Can't say I'm happy to hear your feelings about me, but just know that you're not the only one out for blood." Adachi grinned, twirling his pistol.
"Chill, Adachi." Yu stepped from the shadows, his sword resting on his shoulders. "Nobody is dying today." The Fool said.
"You goody-two shoes aren't any fun, ya know that?" Adachi sighed.
"The two of you alone are of no threat."
"Then it's a good thing there's three of us!" Ben stepped forward last, grinning like the cocky brat he is. "You went through the hassle of putting that team together for me, too bad we had to break it up."
The Forever King stomped towards the three, bloodlust leaking out all around him. "Ben Tennyson. You are the one I've been waiting to deal with the most. As soon as I get my hands on the sub-energy, I'll blow you and that repulsive device out of existence! Nothing will stand in the way of the Forever Knights!"
Activating the Omnitrix, Ben prepared for battle. "Then bring it on, Forever Dork!"
BEN 10, YU NARUKAMI, AND ADACHI VS THE FOREVER KING
To Be Continued…
NOTE: IT'S A 3 PARTER! Next chapter will be just battles and the conclusion to this story! So, I hope you're excited about it.
1. The entire Investigation Team is here! So, for those who have been constantly asking me about the entire team getting involved can finally rest assured. I've been building up to this for the entire story, the team slowly getting involved with the Tennysons as the story continued.
Margaret only helped here since it was an emergency, otherwise she wouldn't have been allowed to do so. She also just did a bunch of magic shit to bypass the language barrier. Chie, Kanji, and Teddie did not know how to speak English.
2. Gwen's new Lucky Girl outfit was given to her by Kanji off screen. Back during the Investigation Team chapter in S3, he was making this for her as a request from Yukiko. Gwen simply wanted to be dramatic with it.
3. Adachi betrayed the Negative 10 and joined the good guys just this once. I'm sure some of you saw this coming, so I hope I did Adachi fans justice here.
4. I hope I did the entire team (and Kenny) justice here. I'm not used to writing them all just yet, so this is a big test run.
Next Chapter - The Finale
