SZ: *resting in bed snoring*Zzzz….
Z0: Shh...he's sleeping.
GT: *puts a blanket on SZ* So we gotta be quiet. Which, sadly, means we can't destroy the stage.
Z0: Oh on the contrary my old friend *holds up a jar labeled building eating nanobots* Feed little guys, feed *lets them lose as they begin eating the building...and our clothing* Fade to black!
GT: *censor bar on him* Yes please.
Ben rolled around in his new room before yelping as his Plumber badge went off on the nightstand. He groaned while picking it up. After a quick change of clothing and morning hygiene rituals, he was rushing out the door and into the Proto-TRUK with Rook. Within moments, they were out and about.
"So let me get this straight...we are here...at...6 in the morning cause someone...broke into a pet shop…" Ben yawned as they halted the truck before a store, "Why?"
"I believe this makes it a problem of the Plumbers," Rook pointed to a metal door which was shredded to ribbons.
"Yikes," Ben cringed as the two got out and approached, "Kinda looks like it was cut apart."
"Yes...by very sharp claws…" Rook spoke, noting the slash marks were bunched together, "Big...claws."
"Alright...so what was taken?" he asked, walking in slowly as he began cycling the Omnitrix for an alien to help solve the mystery.
"That is what we are here to figure out," Rook replied.
"Of course we are," Ben sighed slamming the dial as he turned into Eye Guy and began scanning the area, "Well they made a big mess of the place…" he spoke, seeing things tossed around, opened and spilled out, "Whoa wait a minute...why's the cat aisle...empty?"
"The fish tanks are broken and the fish are gone as well," Rook noted, looking at an aisle with the aquarium part of it littered with broken glass, spilled water, and no fish in sight.
"So...they only stole cat stuff...and ate the fish," Eye Guy spoke.
"We can not be sure they ate them...but...it is very likely," Rook sighed.
"Just what I need...an evil cat lady..." Eye Guy sighed, "Maybe I can sniff out whoever did this as Wildmutt."
With that, he slapped his emblem. In a flash of green light, Eye Guy was replaced with Wildmutt. Giving a roar, the 'gills' on his neck flared. Wildmutt walked around, sniffing out the area.
"Anything?" Rook asked.
Wildmutt growled as he sniffed before stopping and picking up a scene. He began barking before pointing outside, telling Rook to follow. Wildmutt rushed out as Rook followed after him. The Vulpimancer began to sniff around before leading them down the street for a crafts store. Rook questioned with a skeptic look, only for Wildmutt to walk out holding a ball of yarn in his mouth.
"They came here next?" Rook realized as he dropped the ball, "Where next?" at that, Wildmutt sniffed before running off once more, "I feel as though this shall take some time…" he realized before taking out his badge.
"Feline themed capers...you have got to be kidding," Makoto asked into her badge, walking around in the kitchen with a cup of decaf, wearing a pair of black pajama shorts and a black baggy shirt, "Oh wow you totally aren't kidding...who steals Cat stuff?"
=That is what Ben is trying to find out...No Ben stop!=
=RAH! RAH RAH! GRRR!=
"Wildmutt chasing some cat?"
=Yes...it seems his instincts are very strong…=
=BEN TENNYSON!=
=Ruh-roh=
=Mr Baumann, I humbly apologize for my partners action but it is in relation to what happened to your fish supply=
"What's going on…?" Noel mumbled, walking in wearing a pair of yellow pajamas she borrowed from Makoto for the night.
"Cat themed robberies. Ben is currently an alien called Wildmutt which is essentially a giant orange doggy," Makoto explained.
=Raah-rah!=
"You are so! You're a big ol' smoosh face dog…" Makoto argued.
=BEN!=
=Rook rid rit…=
"...Ugh...I'll be right over," Makoto groaned as she hung up, "Tsubaki, you coming?!"
"I can't! I need to help Noel adjust still!" Tsubaki replied from the next room.
"...Okay," Makoto shrugged as she walked out to get changed, "See ya when we get back, Noellie."
"Rah Rah rah!" Wildmutt roared, running in a circle in the park.
"...Should...should I be concerned?" Rook blinked before Makoto walked into the area, dressed in a yellow and white tee with a gold star stretched across her bust area, and a pair of night-blue jean shorts.
"Okay...what's he chasing n-" Makoto began before noticing Wildmutt growling at a squirrel in a nearby tree, "...Grr…Ben cut that out right now!"
"Ruh-Roh…" Wildmutt gulped as he changed back into Ben, "I swear I had no control over that!"
"...You're lucky it was unintentional…" Makoto muttered, "Okay...catch me up to speed. What did you guys learn so far?"
"Aside from the obvious?" Ben deadpanned.
"...Well, we did learn something from one of the stores that were attacked in this cat-themed heist," Rook spoke as he pulled his notebook, "One of the store's security cameras caught a glimpse of something catlike in a large coat."
"Large coat?" Makoto asked.
"Like a big rain coat with giant sleeves...and cat ears on the hood...oddly they turned towards the camera but their face was shadowed...couldn't see a thing," Ben added, "I followed the trail here...then...I think Wildmutt speaks squirrel...since it said something and next thing I know...I'm chasing it around the park."
"Wait….big raincoat with giant sleeves...cat ears on the hood...their face shadowed…" Makoto muttered before it dawned on her, "...I think I know what's behind this."
"You do?"
"Yeah...someone from the Kaka Clan."
"I am sorry...but the what clan?" Rook asked.
"You mean those cat people you told me about?" Ben blinked, "Well that just makes sense…"
"Hmm?"
"Let me explain, Rook," Makoto spoke, "The Kaka Clan...they act like any normal cat. They hunt, play with string, nap, eat...well just about anything...basically anything a cat can do, more or less."
"But they are the shape and size of a human...with dangerous amounts of strength?" Rook finished.
"Yeah...doesn't help a majority of them...well they can be kinda dumb...Especially this one by the name of Taokaka."
"Tao?"
"Me and the girls met her during a trip to Dr. Litchi's clinic," Makoto explained before chuckling sheepishly, "I...ended up falling out of a tree and hurt my noggin."
"So...are we in for a long day?" Ben asked.
"Considering how energetic she is...oh ho yeah."
"I get the feeling we shall run into a lot of characters from your home timeline," Rook sighed.
"Same," Makoto nodded, '...And hopefully the NOL...or, god forbid, Azrael didn't follow suit.'
"Any idea were she'd go?" Ben asked.
"Unless Litchi's clinic got dragged here...can't say for sure. Let's check Undertown." Makoto offered.
"Maybe she's done something down there," Ben agreed.
"That seems…" Rook began.
"Highly likely…" he muttered, seeing several streets a mess down there.
"So...she...must be excited...or panicked," Ben muttered, "I wonder if Ragna ran into her?"
"Ugh...ran into who?" Ragna groaned as he got up from behind a wrecked stall, "Last time I try that KO Burger...that did not look like a burger…"
"You look like crap…" Makoto stated bluntly, "Wait. Did you sleep through...ALL this!?" she motioned to the devastation.
"The hell you talking about?" Ragna groaned as he held his head, "Last I remember was a bunch of meowing and...and…" his eyes began to widen...before twitching in annoyance, "...GOD DAMN IT, TAO!"
"Yep he knows her..." Ben sighed.
"She stole a bunch of stuff only a cat would steal," Makoto added.
"Cat toys, catnip, fish, yarn, fish, more fish...and then apparently the world's largest scratching post from the park," Rook listed reading from a notepad, "She also may have assaulted a family of rodents...but...that might have been a joke I did not understand."
"Ugh...damn it. Should've known she'd be here…" Ragna groaned as he facepalmed.
"Well at least we know she's consistent." Ben sighed, "Any ideas where she might be?"
"...Know any places that sell meat buns?"
"Huh?"
"If there's one thing Tao can't resist, it's Meat Buns."
"...Rook...order take out," Ben spoke.
"But it is not lunch...oh bait. Right," he realized.
A figure ran through the streets of Undertown, tail swaying as they bolted from alleyway to rooftop, sniffing out for something to eat. They skidded to a halt when they smelt something..something good..something they've been wanting for a while.
"...MEAT BUNS~!" the figure beamed as they rushed right for the source of the scent.
"...And you are sure this will work?" Rook asked, holding a battery-powered fan before a plate of Meat Buns Ragna was holding as Ben and Makoto stood ready.
"Trust me. If there's one thing in the world she can't resist, it's these," Ragna answered.
"I'm inclined to believe them about things from their time," Ben argued.
"That is fair," Rook nodded.
"...I think I see her coming in the d..." Makoto began.
"MEAT BUNS!" a voice beamed before a blur knocked Ragna over, sending him tumbling into a abandoned stall.
"She's fast..." Ben muttered.
"Ugh...damn it Tao, get off me!" Ragna barked at the figure.
Munching loudly on the meat buns, sitting atop of Ragna, was a young woman with brown skin that was only visible on her legs due to the large, obscuring, dark-yellow jacket with a zipper on the front keeping it closed that she wore. The piece used to zip the zipper resemble a big red cat paw while the hoodie obscured her face in shadows, leaving only a pair of red eyes and her mouth visible. On the lower half of her legs was a pair of dark-yellow combat boots resembling cat legs with grey heels. Yellow patches on her hood twitches from the cat ears beneath it as the bulky coverings on her arms resembling cat paws with yellow pads resembling the pads on a cat's paws scooped up more meat buns to shove into her mouth. All the while, a long grey cat tail with a white tip swayed happily, the movement at times exposing a pair of red short-shorts she was wearing.
"Mmm~ Meat buns nya…" the cat girl mewled, lickign her lips before noticing who she was on top off, "...Oh! Good guy, nya!"
"Tao…" he groaned.
"Why is her face still….obscured?" Rook asked.
"No one knows," Makoto shrugged, "Nobody really knows what they look like under their hoods."
"Wait, really?" Ben raised a brow, "So...no one knows what their faces really look like?"
"Nope."
"That...is rather amazing," Rook admitted.
"Can we focus!?" Ragna snapped.
"Nya! Good Guy seems angry at something, nya," Tao noted before looking at Ben and Rook.
"...Uh...hello?" Ben greeted before the cat girl began to sniff them, "So...what do we do? She seems uh...down their in a certain mental department."
"You have no idea…" Ragna deadpanned, "Also heads up...she's not good at remembering names."
"...Good Guy, Armor Guy, and Green Guy smell weird, nya," Tao spoke, looking over at Ragna as her tail swayed.
"Well not the worst nickname ever," Ben sighed.
"She must latch onto the first defining feature of someone she meets and uses that as the designation from then on," Rook figured, "My armor and the prominent color on Ben."
"Uh...Tao was it?" Ben spoke up, getting her attention, "Why did you take all that stuff?"
"Stuff...stuff…?" she muttered.
"Toys...food...all that stuff," Ben explained.
"Oh! You mean Tao's shopping!" she realized.
"Called it kinda," Makoto deadpanned.
"Oh! Fluffy Girl! H-"
"TAO FOCUS!" Ragna barked, making the catgirl jump, "Why did you take all that stuff!?"
"...Honestly...Taokaka can't remember, nya."
"Seriously...you stole ten tons of fish from nine different store and can't remember?" Ben complained.
"Nyo. Tao would've remembered eating fishies, nya."
"Wait, what?" the group blinked at that.
"Did you take fish?" Ben asked again.
"Nyo...All the Kaka kitties got them before Tao did, nya," Tao admitted, "...Though they were acting weird after cat lady appeared in Kaka Village, nya."
"Wait...You're telling us that your whole village is here?" Ragna asked.
"Nyep."
"Is it wrong I bet the kitties are cute little mini-versions of her…?" Ben asked Makoto.
"They are...minus the tails to determine which species of cat they are," Makoto answered.
"I'm interested in investigating this more," Ben admitted, "Plus we need to keep an eye on…"
"Where did she go?" Rook asked.
"Huh?" Ben blinked before immediately noticing something...Tao was no longer there, "..."
"Okay, I'm done..." Ragna sighed.
"You know if you leave now, she's just gonna keep causing a mess around Bellwood and Undertown as well as always taking a break inbetween to get to bugging you," Ben pointed out.
"...Find and follow that cat!" Ragna shouted as he ran off.
"You are good at that…" Makoto realized.
"I just do what I did to make Kevin actually be useful," Ben admitted.
"Oh."
"Yeah...anyway, time to go Wildmutt a-"
"Upupup!" Makoto quickly grabbed his hand, "Not a good idea…"
"...The Kaka Clan hate dogs?"
"Like you would not believe…The moment she'd see you as Wildmutt, she would attack you."
"Well I sure don't want to go Rath either…" Ben muttered, as he looked through his roster, "Hey...I think Fasttrack could be a compromise."
"Then give it a shot," Makoto stated.
Ben slapped the watch before shrinking. He was replaced by a short green skinned alien with rather frog like appearance, six little sprout growths on the back of his head, and a green tail swishing around behind him. His mouth and belly where a lighter shade of green along with the claws ending his fingers and feet. The Omnitrix now located in the middle of this aliens pudgy belly. The alien blinked his green eyes as he looked at his new form.
"Aw man~ Upchuck…"
"...Rook, you go assist Ragna," Makoto sighed, "I'll stay and help Ben find the right alien to transform into."
"Good luck," Rook said before walking off.
"Don't even think about it…" Upchuck spoke to Makoto.
"What?"
"I know what you're thinking…" he crossed his arms, "All girls think it...so don't."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Really?" he raised a brow, "Okay…"
"Mmm...I can't hold it!" she cried, picking him up, "Why is this little frog thing so adorable!?"
"MHHP!" Upchuck gave a muffled yell, his face trapped within her mounds as he struggled to free himself.
"Oh I wish I had a camera...Noel would love you~!"
"MMMRR!"
"Hmm...wonder if…" Makoto began before Upchuck managed to tap her hand, making her blink as she looked down, "...Oops. Eh heh...did it again…" she chuckled sheepishly as she dropped him.
"This is why I don't use the Green Upchuck anymore…" he groaned, "All the sites voted him as 'Number 1 to hug' with Ditto a close second."
"Then change! It's really getting hard not to glomp you again!"
"No no! None of that!" he panicked, slapping the Omnitrix before growing up and into Gravattack, "Well this is better…"
"Kinda, but will be hard to hide from whoever this 'catlady' Tao mentioned is," Makoto countered.
"Ugh…" he groaned slapping the symbol again as he turned into Heatblast, "Okay, now I think you're just doing this on purpose, Omnitrix…" he grumbled before slapping again as he turned to Spidermonkey, "Ah-ah! Well...this...is preferable. At least it didn't turn me to Way Big and made my head bust a hole in the ceiling of Undertown."
"Well better than nothing, I guess," Makoto shrugged, "Let's get to searching then….hopefully we'll find some clues."
"Hopefully I don't end up a toy to the Kaka Kittens, ah-ah-ah!" Spidermonkey cried as he began climbing buildings to get a higher vantage point.
"...Nah. I'll let him figure it out on his own," Makoto whispered to herself as she followed him.
"Damn it...where is she?" Ragna muttered, looking around the streets of Undertown for a certain hyperactive catgirl.
"I don't knyow…" Tao spoke as she mimicked Ragna's actions while right beside him. "Nya?" she blinked when he turned to glare at her, "...What?"
"...You were behind me this whole time, weren't you?"
"Maybe, nya."
"...You…" Ragna began before Tao jumped over him, "Damn it!"
"Let's play, Good Guy!" Tao laughed as she ran past a few aliens on all fours.
"This is not a game Tao! You get back here right now! I will not let you turn my peaceful life here upside down! Because for once, I can say that unironically!" Ragna shouted, running after her.
"They...get around fast," Rook sighed, catching up before he took his ProtoTool and used a grappling hook to propel himself up into the network giant catwalk like pipes above their heads.
"Trust me! They're worst after they have some catnip!" Ragna shouted as he turned corner
"Wait...if they act exactly like cats do…" Rook realized as he landed on a building ahead of them as he took out his ProtoTool in rifle mode and aimed at the ground...and used the targeting laser to mark a dot on the ground in front of Tao.
"Nya?" Tao blinked as she skidded to a halt, looking down at the red 'thingy' for a moment before trying to paw it, only for it to move on one side, "...Nya?" she tried to paw at it again, only to get the same result. She began to give an annoyed cat-like growl as she kept trying to paw it, tail swaying as she kept trying to catch it, "Hiss! Stand still, red thingy!"
"Huh….how did you?" Ragna asked.
"I believe humans call them...cat videos," Rook explained, "In many of them, humans enjoy tormenting cats with a laser pointer, their feline hunting instincts telling them to catch it, only for them to never realize what it is," he smiled, "I...once did the same thing with my brother back home."
"NYA!" Tao hissed as she slammed face first into a wall, "That hurt…"
"...Remind me to find one later…" Ragna muttered as he walked ovr, grabbing Tao by the back of her jacket before pulling her off, "Now Tao...this is serious. Whoever this 'cat lady' is...they are causing trouble for the people here in Undertown, and the people above. I need you to focus and help."
"Yes...Focus...focus…" she nodded, "What where we talkin' 'bout, nya?"
"You got any idea?" Ragna turned to Rook.
"...Uhm...I am uncertain. Perhaps we may goade her into...going after this 'cat lady' of whom she speaks. She seems rather prone to extreme reactions. So maybe if we entice her to think this 'Cat lady' is her enemy…" Rook offered, "Though if I am being blunt, it might cause more damage...but at least we could follow that trail of destruction to her village and the perpetrator of this feline crime spree."
"You...are smart." Ragna complimented.
"I have been called that, yes."
"Tao!" Ragna snapped.
"Nyes!" she saluted with a dopey smile.
"What do you remember of this Cat Lady?" Ragna asked.
"Annoying...really annoying...and Super annoying," she listed, "Did Tao mention annoying…?"
"Anything specific!?"
"...oh! Tao remembers her name! IT was….um...tanny...ammy...oh! Nyancy, nya!"
"...You're bluffing," Ragna deadpanned.
"Does it really matter?" Rook argued, "We do not really need to know their true name just how to stop them, given it seems she has a control over Tao's clan. And if any of them are even half as...capable as Tao herself, I fear for all our well being."
"You know...you make a damn good point. I actually don't care, and I really don't want an army of Tao's sisters running wild around where I live," Ragna sighed, "Tao...do you like this cat lady?"
"Nyope," she shook her head.
"Want to kick her out of your home?"
"Yes!"
"Good. She's a bad guy...so go nuts."
"...What?!" Tao hissed as she got out of Ragna's grip, "Nyancy is bad guy?! Tao is gonna pulverize her, nya!"
"I feel a headache from this somehow." Rook sighed.
"You've seen nothing yet…" Ragna deadpanned before grabbing Tao just as she was about to rush off, "Lead us to the village, then you can kick this 'Nyancy's' butt."
"Okay!"
"I'll turn on my badge ping so the others can find us," Rook spoke, jogging with him.
"Let's hope this doesn't get so crazy, we need that much backup."
"Ben, what's up with the badge?" Makoto asked, holding up her badge as it was blinking.
"Must be Rook…" Spidermonkey spoke, somehow finding a smoothie down in Undertown to drink, "I think that's the badge find other Plumbers thingamajig...ooh-ooh!"
"...Maybe he wants us to track him," Makoto suggested as she took a sip of her drink, "...Wait. What if they found a lead to whoever's controlling the Kaka Clan members?"
"You know, honestly? I was never much of a cop…" Spidermonkey spoke, "I was always just a hero, so Rook truly is more useful in this sort of work." he admitted, "..." his four eyes looked at her with a serious expression, "Tell him I said that and I'll deny it."
Makoto chuckled at that as she got up, finishing her drink before tossing it over her shoulder and into a trashcan, "Then come on. Let's hurry after them. I'm not missing out on the action."
"Okay, okay," he spoke, walking while drinking.
"It is hard to explain how this appeared here…" Rook spoke as they followed Tao up to a village hidden in a distant cavern at the edge of Undertown, "Alien X truly is amazing…"
"...Another of the kid's forms?" Ragna guessed.
"A Celestialsapien...they can remake reality. He used the form to save the world from being erased." Rook explained, "In the process they ended up, as he called it, 'borrowing stuff' from your time to patch the damage caused by the Anihilaarg here in our present otherwise known as your past."
"...Not even gonna bother asking," Ragna groaned
"I do not grasp it either...but it was amazing. I was able to obtain a picture to share on the forums to provide proof even," Rook admitted as they walked into the village, "Tao? Kaka clan members?" he called out just loud enough to be heard from inside any homes.
"...It's quiet…" Ragna frowned, gripping the handle of his sword as he cautiously looked around, "Too quiet…"
"In my Earth research, I find that those word alway precede...an ambush by enemies or a horrific monster attack which claims the life of the least serious person around," Rook noted, taking his ProtoTool and turning it into rifle mode.
"Trust me when I say this: most of the time, it's always the former," Ragna stated, "I should know...I…"
"Oh kitties~!" a female voice shouted.
"Come out with your hands…um...paws up!" Rook shouted, aiming towards the voice as they turned a corner.
"NYA!"
"Oh fu..." Ragna began to curse before he and Rook were piled upon.
"They...are very fast…" Rook grunted, his ProtoTool knocked out of his hands as it folded into a default safe mode once out of his hands.
"Purr~ Who do we have here?" the voice said as the piled moved off of Ragna and Rook, but kept their arms and legs binded to let them see who was talking.
Before them was a teen of Asian descent around Ben's age with her long black hair with purple streaks pulled into a ponytail that more resembled the tail of a cat with two bangs framing her face. Atop her head was a pink bow with a dark-blue cotton resembling the fluff in the ears of a cat while a pair of triangular purple glasses covered her eyes. Four purple markings on her cheeks gave a resemblance to feline whiskers. She wore a form-hugging white dress with a purple skirt, pink tights, light purple sneakers resembling the feet of a cat, and all trimmed with a dark-purple fluff. Dark purple fluff covered her lower arms, ending in white gloves with pink claws on the ends of her fingers and thumbs while she sported a purple collar with a silver bell that jingled whenever she moved.
"...Let me guess, Nyancy?" Ragna guessed.
"Nyes."
"...Somehow, I feel let down."
"As do I…" Rook muttered, making her nearly facefault, "I had expected something….more."
"How dare you!" Nyancy snapped, "Nyancy is very intimidating! Right, my precious kitties?!"
"Hai, Nyancy-Chan, nya..." the cat girls and woman declared in a monotone voice.
"Oh...She controls cats...and they are cats…" Ragna realized.
"What an oddly thematic ability…" Rook spoke, "But also limiting…"
"Huh/Eh?"
"Ben's mortal nemesis, Dr. Animo, can do the same...with all animals...and he often mutates them to be strong enough to fight his super powered aliens," Rook explained, "However, I do believe controlling a clan of humanoid felines with the power to wreck Bellwood...is more useful in this moment…"
"How much freaky shit is in this time?!" Ragna demanded.
"Hmm….How long do we have until she tries to kill us?" Rook countered.
"...Don't give her ideas," Ragna groaned.
"As if! Nyancy has no time for executions! But…" Nyancy paused as she grinned a bit, "She can punish those in her kingdom~"
"...Kingdom?"
"Oh kitties~!" Nyancy called out, earning the Kaka Clan's attention, "Toss them into the dungeon."
"Dungeon!?" Ragna shouted before the cat girls began to drag him and Rook off, "What kind of looney toon shit is this!?"
"Why did her voice suddenly become deeper for the menacing part?" Rook asked.
"Don't know, don't ca-ahh!" Ragna shouted as he and Rook were tossed into a dark room.
"...Why does it smell weird in here?"
"How should I know?! The only thing I can think of...is…" Ragna began before it dawned on him, "...Oh you gotta be shitting me."
"Please refrain from those specific profanities please...I...do not wish to think of it…"
"...Nevermind. Thing is...well not sure why, but the Kaka Clan village has this huge skillet in the middle of it...most likely used for cooking up fish or whatever,"Ragna explained.
"Let us just hope Ben and Makoto follow my badge…" Rook sighed.
"...Good thing I'm wearing my armor," Makoto muttered, having changed into her armor on the way as she and Spidermonkey were now trudging through the sewer near the edge of Undertown.
"Speak, Ah-Ah-Ah, for yourself…" Spidermonkey groaned, walking along a wall with one hand pinching his nose, "I...have a lower center of gravity…"
"Yeah, but I'm closer to the water," Makoto countered, "You know how hard it is to get that stench out of my tail? And don't get me started on...know what nevermind."
"How did they make it through here anyway…" Spidermonkey muttered.
"They always find a way," Makoto replied, "Most of the time it's climbing on pipes to avoid falling into the water, or a shortcut that leads right to the village without any problems whatsoever."
"And we had to get stuck with the long way…" Spidermonkey groaned in annoyance.
"Well at least it makes getting there hard," Makoto shrugged.
"Fair…" he groaned as they reached the end of the tunnel, "...I think I see something ahead...is that…?"
"Yup. Kaka Village," Makoto nodded.
"...Why did I feel it was gonna be cat-themed?"
"My first thoughts on it when I first saw it, too," Makoto shrugged.
"I get a bad feeling though...Call it my Monkey Sense," Spidermonkey spoke, propelling down via a web from his tail, "Like when you see that one frenemy walking towards you and you just know they are gonna start some nonsense!"
"Soka...though shouldn't you call it your...Spidermonkey Sense?" Makoto quipped.
"Hey...Look over there," he pointed in one direction, making her turn her head before one of his extra arms pushed her over into the water.
"EEK!" Makoto screamed as she fell in, quickly gasping for air once she reached the surface, "..."
"You deserved it for that one and you know it," he smirked, lifting her out via a web attached to her back.
"...Fair, but I won't say when...I won't say how…" Makoto paused, giving him a stink eye as she got back onto her feet, "But I will get back at you."
"Yeah yeah, do your worst. I had a cousin who knew magic growing up...I once spent a weekend trapped in the body of a dog," he countered.
"Oh trust me...you won't see it coming," Makoto threatened as she leapt over to the entrance to the village, "Now come on...the sooner we can finish here, the sooner I can get into the shower."
"The signal says they are in there...but it looks quiet," Spidermonkey spoke, "Where did they go?"
"Tao don't knyow…" Tao spoke, sitting beside them. The two Plumbers turned to her before panicking and holding each other in said panic, Spidermonkey flashing back to Ben in his panic, "Hello, screaming people!"
"Tao?!" the two exclaimed, "Wh...how…?!"
"Tao been sitting here for a while, nya," Tao shrugged
"Why aren't you with Ragna and Rook?" Ben asked.
"Tao got bored and decided to look for something more fun, nya." she explained, scratching her ears, "Then Tao took a nice nap till loud splashing woke Tao up."
"...Do you know where exactly they are, Tao?" Makoto asked.
"Nyo...Tao fell asleep when kitties catpiled on good Guy and Armor guy, nya."
"...Can you at least lead us to whoever is…"
"Oh! Hello!" Tao waved, making them blink as they turned...to see a few Kaka Clan members staring them down.
"Are they brainwashed?" Ben asked.
"Eh? You can wash your brain?" Tao blinked before the cat girls began to charge at them, "Oh! I think they're coming to greet you!"
"For our queen, nya…" the Kaka clan kitties droned out.
"...Yup! Definitely brainwashed!" Makoto exclaimed.
"So what do we do?" Ben asked, cycling the Omnitrix.
"Well for one…" Makoto began before jumping onto a nearby rooftop, "Run!"
"Yipe!" Ben panicked, slapping the Omnitrix as he turned into XLR8, he quickly grabbed Tao and blurred off. He skidded to a halt atop a building with Makoto.
"Again! Again!" Tao cheered now on XLR8's back.
"I am not a ride!" he complained, spinning around and sitting her down, "Also why are we running?!"
"One of her can knock someone like Ragna over. Imagine an entire group of her, only more…" Makoto began as the Kaka Clan kitties began to climb the building after them, "Energetic!"
"Oh come on…" XLR8 groaned, picking up both girls and blurring off quickly stopping at the other side of the village, "I don't want to hurt them but what can I do really? We can't let them beat on us...and I don't wanna turn into Diamondhead or NRG and let them hurt themselves trying to break the unbreakable."
"Agreed, and I'm sure Noel would not like it if she heard we baet up a bunch of brainwashed innocent kitties," Makoto sighed, "So our best bet is to find whoever is controlling them and knock them out."
"But who could it be?" XLR8 asked
"...Think it's Animo?" Makoto guessed, "...Nah...Tao here said 'cat lady', so it's obviously a woman."
"Well Animo wasn't the first guy to have power over animals...Clancy had control over all bugs…" XLR8 muttered, "So...does this mean control over animals is a power anyone can just...learn?"
"...Good question," Makoto noted before tensing, "...You don't think there's someone out there that can control squirrels do you?!"
"Honestly I kinda thought you could already do that since I met you." XLR8 spoke.
"...What's that supposed to mean?" Makoto asked as she narrowed her eyes.
"Well from the way you describe folks like you, I'd figure you all had some kind of power to communicate with the animals that make up you other half. Lord knows you almost beat me to the moon this morning with Wildmutt and that squirrel in the park."
"Uh no. That's because I hate that people speculate that squirrels live to annoy and be chased by dogs!" Makoto barked, "Do you know how many times I got chased by dogs when I was a kid?!"
"Is...is it a lot?"
"YES!"
"Well I'm sorry it's not like I know a whole lot of your world...plus why don't you learn that trick yourself and control an army of squirrels?" XLR8 argued, Tao looking back and forth between them during the argument.
"While that would be kinda cool, I'd rather not rob them of their free will like what Animo did with those ants or whoever's doing this to the Kaka Clan!"
"I mean Clancy seemed like he lived in weird symbiosis with his bugs so I gotta figure there are levels to it…" he muttered to himself.
"I don't know who this Clancy is, but the way you talk about him makes it sound creepy!"
"Dude wore an armor of roaches…" he shrugged, "But I mean I wasn't implying you do what they do...but hey if you can communicate and get them to help, wouldn't that be like a city spanning network of spies?"
"Tao is oddly entertained…" Tao muttered to herself as she sat down and continued watching the back and forth, "Only thing missing is the violence."
"I...oh...you…!" Makoto seethed at him, "...Mou~! Why does that sound so cool?!"
"Because I made it sound so cool?"
"Oh don't go feeding your own ego! Just because you saved the universe god knows how many times doesn't mean you have the right to think you're better than everyone else!"
"I don't think that!"
"Uh...first day we met? You claimed you could handle things by yourself!"
"I could!" he defended.
"Yeah you sure had it handled! That alien dog would have eaten you!"
"Dog!?" Tao snapped, getting their attention, "Where?! Where is the filthy disgusting dog?!...They're not a Koko are they?!"
"Koko?" the two repeated.
"...wait. As in...the Koko Clan?" Makoto asked, "I thought they were a myth."
"Kaka cats...Koko...dogs?" XLR8 blinked.
"Wolves, but close kinda," Makoto whispered.
"They are real, and they keep taking food just as we get them, nya!" Tao hssed, her tail poofing up as her claws came out, "Grr...if Tao sees filthy Koko mutt, Tao is gonna…!"
"Wait wait wait!" XLR8 shouted as he lifted and moved them away again just as the controlled Kaka Clan climbed the building they had been on, "For safety's sake," he explained to Makoto, "So let me get this straight...a clan of wolf...things just attack you to steal food...and its recurring?"
"Nyes!"
"Rumor has it both Kaka and Koko Clans have a huge hate towards eachother and fight for territory for good food sources," Makoto explained.
"Food sources?"
"Yeah. Since they live underground most of the time, food...well it can be kinda scarce unless they go up to the surface," Makoto added, "...Doesn't help each Clan can only have up to 100 members in each village."
"...So we gotta fight 99 of her!?" XLR8 pointed at Tao, "Okay...wait...maybe we can use this…"
"How?"
"Tao, when do they normally show up to do this bit?" XLR8 asked, "And has it happened since you found your home here in Undertown?"
"It has, nya…." Tao explained, "And...honestly, Tao...doesn't know. She thought they died after the big war."
"...oh…" Makoto cringed at that before whispering to XLR8, "I think she met a survivor or what could've be what's left of the Koko Clan."
"Oh…" he realized, "Well here I was hoping they were in equal numbers so we could use their next raid as a distraction to snag the crazy mind control lady and I'd run her as far away from here to a Plumber power dampening cell….wait. What happens if they go over 100..."
"..." Tao's ears began to droop at that, "Nothing...only way to keep the number at 100 is if someone finds a mate...or if someone...dies."
"Doesn't help...well it's sciency stuff but it's encoded in their DNA that they CAN'T go over 100," Makoto whispered to XLR8.
"Oh the future is weird…" he sighed, "Sad...but weird."
"It is…" Makoto nodded in agreement with a sigh.
"...Okay. New plan," XLR8 spoke in a serious tone, "We find Rana and Rook, locate whoever is controlling the Kaka Clan, and send them packing."
"Where are they?" Makoto muttered.
"Best bet...captured," XLR8 sighed, blurring around then back, "Yeah, I heard them locked in a dungeon...least I think it was a dungeon."
"Eh? What did it look like?"
"It looked like...a large skillet."
"Nya?! Cat Lady turned skillet we use to cook into a jail?!" Tao exclaimed, "Grr...Tao is gonna cat scratch her!"
"Question...why is Tao immune to this mind control?" XLR8 asked, "I'd figure she'd fall under her control the moment she entered the village...but...nothin'. In fact, she's probably not even feeling anything." he emphasised by tapping on Tao's head gently.
"Nya?" Tao blinked.
"...Good point," Makoto noted, holding her chin in thought, "Maybe she's immune because...well she's really not much of a thinker."
"Odd...you'd think that'd make it more likely," XLR8 shrugged, "Normally mind control never works on the smart people...unless...Tao...are you a genius?"
"...Nya? Genius?"
"...Nah," both of them shook their head in unison while patting her head.
"Found them…"
"?!" the two tensed as they turned and saw the controlled Kaka Clan members coming towards them.
"Yipe!" XLR8 cried as he timed out, "Double Yipe!"
"Quick! Maybe w-" Makoto began as she turned, only to see more of the brainwashed catgirls coming in from behind, "...Triple yipe!"
"Halt!" a voice shouted, causing all the Kaka Clan members to stop.
"We're alive?" Ben blinked.
"For now, possibly," the voice stated as a few of the cat girls parted, letting them see Nyancy as she approached them, "Hello, nya."
"..."
"..."
"...Why are we silent?" Tao whispered to Ben and Makoto.
"Cause I am left confused as to what the heck is going on…" Ben admitted.
"Feeling rather anti-climatic myself…" Makoto added, making Nyancy facefault.
"How dare you!" Nyancy snapped as she shot back up, "I'll have you know you are talking to the queen of cats and these precious and loyal kitties...Nyancy-chan!"
"Told ya...Cat Lady!" Tao pointed.
"Not what I expected," Ben sighed, "But...she has control of your clan...who are all superhuman...which is not good."
"So...does she do...just cats?" Makoto asked.
"Apparently so…" Ben noted.
"Not just cats! Nyancy-chan can make all forms of feline fall before her!" Nyancy declared, "Even the weird yet cute looking ones from the stars!"
"Okay...that can be troublesome," Ben admitted.
"So...can she control Rath?" Makoto whispered.
"Let's hope we never find out," Ben said, cycling the Omnitrix, he quickly slammed the device as he morphed into Water Hazard, "Alright!" he cheered aiming as he blasted water, making the Kaka clan members hiss and back away.
"Ahh! Water!" Tao screamed as she jumped on top of Makoto, "Get Crab Guy away from...wait…" she took a look at Water Hazard, "...Crab~"
"...Uh…" Water Hazard blinked before noticing the hungry looks he was getting from all the Kaka clan members, "...Why do I feel like I'm the main course?"
"Cats like all forms of seafood," Makoto spoke jumping to a different building.
"Great...You find the others; I'll be a distraction!" he spoke, blasting water at the others as Tao pounced on top of him, "TAO! Stop trying to eat me!"
"Crab~!" Tao beamed as she kept gnawing on him.
"Seriously i'm not f-" Water Hazard began before he noticed a shadow casting over him, making him look up...and see both groups of Kaka Clan girls and women pouncing towards him, "...Oh crud."
"CRAB~!"
"Gyahahahaha!" Water Hazard screamed as he quickly aimed his hands down at the floor and fired blasts of water down, sending him away from them as they gave chase, "I am not dinner!"
"You are to my kitties!" Nyancy declared, "Oh my lovelies...LUNCH TIME~!"
"Why did her voice get low?!" Water Hazard freaked as he ran faster.
"RAAAAH!"
*CLANG!*
"That did not work," Rook deadpanned.
"No way...I can do this…" Ragna muttered as he stepped back, sword already out as he charged for the blocked entrance, "RAAAAH!"
*CLANG!*
"Once again, that did not work," Rook noted, still in a deadpan.
"Oh shut it," Ragna growled in annoyance, "This is reminding me of my first time invading an NOL base…" he shuddered, "Fuckin' Sigma…where the hell did she get all that leather...?"
"...Who is…"
"Trust me. You don't wanna know," Ragna said as he backed up, "Okay...one more time…This time, I'll…!" he began before whatever was blocking the door was suddenly punched into the 'room,' crashing into him and into the metal wall.
"Whew! It reeks in here!" Makoto exclaimed, pinching her nose, "When was the last time they cleaned this skillet?!"
"...Judging by the grime, quite a long while," Rook replied as he looked at that wall, "Still, thank you for the assistance."
"No p-" Makoto began before the blockade she had punched collapsed, revealing a groaning Ragna, "...Oopsie. Sorry…"
"God damn...squirrel girl…" Ragna groaned as he pulled himself out of the indent in the wall, "Now...let's hurry and knock out that crazy cat girl…"
"Where is Ben?" Rook asked.
"I am not a crab!" Water Hazard's scream was heard from the other side of the village.
"KANI~!"
"He's, uh...he's doing distraction detail for us," Makoto replied, trying very hard to not look at the blasts of water mixed with yowling, hissing, and cat screeches in the distance.
"...He has a form that looks like seafood, doesn't he?" Ragna deadpanned.
"We should not allow them to meet Officer Patelliday," Rook noted.
"Oh ho no…" Makoto shook her head, "But on the bright side, Nyancy has no one protecting her….hopefully."
"...She made her voice deeper with you as well, didn't she?" Ragna asked.
"On Ben, actually, but dang was it freaky!" Makoto shuddered.
"That I can agree on…" Rook shuddered a bit.
"Least once we knock her out, we won't have to hear that annoying voice of hers anymore…" Ragna muttered, "...Hopefully."
"BAD DAY BAD DAY BAD DAY BAD DAY!" Water Hazard freaked as Tao and the Kaka Clan members kept chasing after him.
"Nyahahahahaha! Nyes, my kitties! Hurry and feed so that we may march onto the surface!" Nyancy laughed, "DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!"
"Seriously that's freaky!"
"I am not freaky!" Nyancy argued.
"You are freaky! Very freaky! Especially when your voice goes deep! Then you sound like a guy!" Water Hazard argued, "Als-YEOW! Dang it, Tao!"
"Tao hungry for kani, nya!" Tao declared.
"I am not food!"
"KANI~!"
"Alright, now this is getting ridiculous!" Water Hazard growled before slapping his emblem and Tao spat quickly.
"Ugh! Ew! Nyasty!" Tao exclaimed.
=Well excuse me= a nasally voice noted, seeming to be heard through a speaker.
In place of Water Hazard was a green humanoid-shaped slime. It had solid green eyes and the Omnitrix emblem on its chest area. Hovering above the slime was a tiny disc resembling a UFO with green blinking lights on the bottom.
"Nya?! Crab Guy became a Green Squiggly?!" Tao exclaimed, "You keep away from the Kaka kitties, Green Squiggly!"
=Beg pardon?= the slime blinked before yelping when Tao slashed at him =Ahh! I am not a 'Squiggly!' I'm Goop!=
"You're slimy, so you're related to Squiggly! Tao will not let you eat Kaka Kitties, nya!"
=I don't eat anything in this form!= Goop argued =...Wait a second...=
=There's something that EATS Kittens?!" Goop and Nyancy exclaimed.
"All kitties away from it! The rest of you rip the green slime apart and keep it away from the kitties!" Nyancy shouted.
=The things I do for being a hero…= Goop sighed before yelping when the cat women tried clawing at him =Easy! I...okay. Seriously, those are some big and seriously sharp claws!=
"Get him! Get him before he eats the p-" Nyancy began before tensing, quickly ducking under an attempted grab from behind from Ragna.
"Damn it! Is she part cat t-Gh!" Ragna grunted when Nyancy rose up and headbutted him from underneath and jumped back from him, "Gah...stupid cat brat!"
"I got her!" Makoto shouted as she tried to grab Nyancy, only for her to jump out of the way, "...She's fast."
"Nya ha! You can't catch me!" Nyanc laughed as she jumped onto another building, "But if you want me so badly…" she ducked under a grappling hook that tried to wrap around her, "I'll just have to summon my personal bodyguard, nya~!"
"You are not a cat! Y-" Ragna began before a black blur suddenly knocked him on his side, "Gah!"
"Hmm?" Tao blinked, stopping her attack on the 'green 'squiggly' when she noticed the figure, "Oh! Tora!"
=Tora?= Goop repeated, one of the Kaka women panicking due to her being stuck halfway through Goop's stomach area with two tugging at her sleeves to pull her out.
The figure that had knocked Ragna over was a Kaka clan member. Unlike Tao's blond hair being pulled into braids, her visible brown/orange hair was done in pigtails. Where Tao's jacket was dark yellow, hers was a deep black and seemed to stretch a bit on her bosom area. The paw-like zipper was blue while her skin was much darker than Tao's with her tail being an actual tiger tail.
"...Aw crap. She got her too," Ragna muttered.
=I take it she's dangerous?= Goop asked.
"Think Tao, only not a complete ditz, mature…" Ragna began as Tora brought her claws out, "...And really good at fighting."
"My guardian…" Nyancy began before pointing at the group, "Kill the intruders and the green slime!"
"Oh, this does not b..." Rook began before he barely got out of the way of Tora's claw slash, the attack alone causing the water silo he had been on to be sliced right down the middle.
"See? Told ya!" Ragna replied before using his blade to parry Tora's claws, "Gh! Dammit! This feels like the first time I came down to the village all over again, except with less me reeking of fish from that asshole who used frozen fish as throwing boomerang weapons!"
"Nya?!" Tao gasped, "Tora, why are you attacking Good Guy?!"
"Blame her," Makoto replied as she pointed at Nyancy.
"...Tao remembers nyow...Cat Lady bad guy!" Tao hissed before bouncing off the UFO that Goop used to keep hsi shape and pounced right at Nyancy, "Cat Lady free Kaka Clan nyow!"
"No," Nyancy replied as Tao pounced her, "In fact...why nyot join them~?" she offered as her eyes began to spiral and become slit, looking right into Tao's eyes.
"..."
"Nyes...good...be a good kitty and help my guardian d-" Nyancy began before tensing and barely moved out of the way of a claw jab, "Gh?!"
"Nyo! Tao doesn't wanna hurt Good Guy, nya!"
"Wh-What?!" Nyancy gawked, "Nyani?!"
"Guess you can't control all felines," Makoto noted before yelping as she barely pulled her tail out of the way of a slash of Tora's claws, "Watch the tail! Watch the tail! Even hypnotized, you should respect the Tail Code, dammit!"
=There's a Tail Code?=
"You shut it, Mr. Slimey!"
=Goop=
"...Nyo nyo! I can control her!" Nyancy shouted as she looked into Tao's eyes again, "Listen to me! Obey me and destroy the green slime and the intru-"
"Nyo! You made kitties do bad things! You're making Tora do bad things..you're trying to hurt Good Guy!" Tao hissed, "Cat Lady evil...Nyancy evil! Nyancy get lost, nya!"
=Yep. A complete failure to control= Goop noted before looking down to see the two that had been pulling were now stuck =...Now I feel embarrassed= the UFO moved to the side and his slime body followed, freeing the panicking trio =And again, I do not eat anything in this form!=
"...Nya? Green Squiggly didn't eat them?" Tao blinked upon seeing that, "...Nya?! There's a good Squiggly?!"
Nyancy quickly took advantage of Tao's surprise as she managed to slip out and began to run, "Nyo nyo...impossible...nyo way is there a cat I can't control~! I control all the precious kitties of th..."
*CLANG!*
"Nyoi~" Nyancy groaned as she fell to the ground.
"I believe the term is...shut down," Rook stated, lowering a frying pan shaped like a cat's paw.
"Shut up," Ragna corrected, grunting from another slash from Tora.
"That as well."
Tora was about to slash at Ragna again before groaning, nearly losing her footing as he grabbed her head, "Nya...my head…"
"Nya...why does my head hurt~?" One of the other Kaka Clan members groaned as one by one, they felt the 'strange pull' leave their heads, "...Did I catnip too much catnip again, nya?"
"Eek! New green Squiggly!" another, one of the trio that had been stuck in Goop, yelped.
=Oh for the love of…= Goop began as Tora tackled him...ending up stuck just like the first one did =...I think I just want to give up on today. Anyone else?=
"Yo," Ragna held a hand up.
"...You don't smell of blood or corpses, nya," Tora noted, "More like...mint?"
Goop facepalmed, releasing Tora before timing out, "Yep. Done with today. Rook, cuff Nyancy, read rights, the usual please, then off to smoothies."
"Hold...the worst part ain't done yet," Ragna spoke.
"...What c-GAH!" Ben cried when he was suddenly ponced by the younger Kaka Clan members.
"Wow! He was a Green Squiggly, but now he's not!" one awed, poking him.
"He's a Changing Guy!" another awed while trying to climb up the back of his jacket.
"Can you change into more things than a Green Squiggly, Changing Guy?" a third asked in awe atop his head.
"H-hey! Cut it out! I...heh heh...that kinda tickles," Ben began to chuckle.
"You did something no one's seen before, so you got the kittens curious," Ragna chuckled.
"Could I ask for an explanation please?" Tora asked.
"Nyancy was making kitties and you do bad things, Nya!" Tao shouted, using her tail to point at Nyancy as Rook cuffed her up and began reading her her rights.
"Beg pardon?"
"That girl did something to make everyone except Tao to do things like steal food and anything cat related on the surface and down here in Undertown," Makoto explained.
"Under...town? What did she make us do to our home?" another Kaka woman asked.
"Not here. Another town that's underground," Makoto replied.
"Are more Koko now about?!" a third gasped.
"Oh for the…" Makoto groaned as she facepalmed in time to avoid a flash of green light.
"Lemme tell ya somethin', Kaka Kitties; don't touch the Omntrix," Rath scolded as the kittens all awed...while also earning the attention of the Kaka women.
"Ooh~! He's a hunk!"
"Oh me-wow! What muscles!"
"And that voice is so manly~!"
"Oh dear…" Tora muttered, "...You may want to rescue your friend before they reveal their faces to him."
"...why?" Makoto asked.
"Simple: If a Kaka Clan woman reveals their real face to someone, they've chosen them as their mate for life."
"Lemme tell ya somethin', Kaka Clan ladies: you stay away from Rath!"
"Just look at me, please nya!"
"No me!"
"Me, me, me!"
"Ah! Someone help Rath!" Rath shouted, running away from the women on all fours, "Lemme tell ya somethin, Kaka Clan ladies: Rath is getting over a relationship that ended badly because of Rath! Rath doesn't need more!"
"Oh! He needs comforting!"
"I can comfort you, nya!"
"No, me!"
"Me, me, meow!"
"Ugh...I'll help him," Makoto groaned as she ran off to go help Rath.
"...Please tell me the Elder is ok," Ragna groaned to Tora.
"...I hope so. Hopefully that nyasty Nyancy didn't make us do anything to her," Tora answered as she ran off, 'Stay there! I have a feeling she'll want to know what's going on, nya!"
"That would save a lot of trouble..."
"Seriously, help Rath before he…!" Rath began before he timed out, "...Oh phew…"
"Huh? Where'd the hunk go?"
"There was a flash and he's gone."
"Aw poo~! I wanted to be his mate!"
"No, meow!"
"Me, me, me!"
"...He went that-a-way," Ben pointed to the other side of town.
"Thank you, nya!" the women cheered as they ran off.
"...Well you certainly dodged a bullet," Makoto noted as she walked over to him, "...Then again, so did I, because Kaka women can get pretty territorial when it comes to their possible mates and kittens."
"Noted," Ben replied before frowning as he felt a tail poking him, making him look down at Tao.
"You're really neat, Changing Guy!" Tao beamed as her tail ended up poking the Omnitrix, causing the green to turn blue.
=GENETIC DAMAGE DETECTED=
"Huh/Eh/Nya?" the three blinked at that.
"Oh right...the hundred limit," Makoto recalled.
"Guess Azmuth really liked that feature," Ben smiled as he put his finger to the touchscreen, "Omnitrix...can you help all of them?"
=AFFIRMATIVE: ALL SUBJECTS WITH THE SAME GENETIC DAMAGE ARE WITHIN RANGE=
"Alright...Omnitrix...heal them. All of them," Ben smiled as the pad slid back and the dial popped up with the symbol glowing blue.
=ORDER VERIFIED: ACTIVATE GENETIC RESTORATION PROCESS=
"And now sign here," Max noted as Noel wrote her name, "Initials here, here, here, he-not there! Almost got yourself volunteered for an off-world apprenticeship if you initialed there." Noel sighed in relief, "And finally, full name right here."
"Was that the last thing?" Noel asked, rubbing her writing hand's wrist while wearing a white shirt with a cute dog face on the chest area and a blue skirt reaching her knees.
"Yes, that was the last thing," Max assured as he placed a Plumber's badge with a star-shaped necklace by it before Noel, "Now I'm glad that Driba and Blukic made these in bulk by mistake."
"Oh. Th-thank you," Noel nodded as she took the item.
"We're back~!" Makoto called out as she and Ben walked into the room, "Sorry we're late. Got caught up in something big...possibly species saving big."
"...What did you do?" Tsubaki asked with a sigh.
"Caught a new criminal responsible for multiple counts of theft, public destruction, and mental manipulation of an entire race," Ben replied.
"In short, we caught this Nyancy girl that had brainwashed the Kaka Clan into doing her bidding," Makoto simplified.
"There's members of the Kaka Clan here, too?" Tsubaki blinked in surprise.
"More like their entire village."
"...And she was controlling every single one?"
"Yup...except for Taokaka and the Elder."
"Turns out the Elder was taking a day long cat nap," Ben explained.
"And turns out they all love Rath," Makoto snickered, "They chased him all over, trying to get him to look at their faces until he timed out."
"...I take it that's why it took you so long?" Max guessed.
"No, it was doing our best to calm down some freakouts from the genetic damage being repaired...and then having to make sure Ben kept a blindfold on until we left when they realized that he was the reason they could have more kittens," Makoto replied, smirking.
"You led me into that water on purpose," Ben accused.
"Told ya you wouldn't see it coming~" Makoto smirked.
"Genetic damage?" Noel repeated.
"The Omnitrix has a feature in it that can help repair genetic damage. Like say someone's been infected by a parasite that's altered their body into something else? Poof. It's fixed. Though for really bad cases, the DNA has to be added on to," Ben explained, "Like an entire race ending up sterile, you have to mix their DNA with other species to help them live on."
"...Wait. Are you saying you helped the Kaka Clan with their hundred limit?" Tsubaki asked before looking to Max, who had a brow raised, "The Kaka Clan are from our time. Due to some genetic issues, they could only have a hundred alive at a time. No one knows just how or why, but that's how it is or, rather, was." she looked at the Omnitrix, 'I'm of mixed feelings of Kajun being here. If she is, the good feelings are having another friend to be comfortable being around. If she is, the bad feelings are her being around the Omnitrix.'
"...so...what's going to happen to them now?" Noel asked.
"Eh, they'll more than likely stay in their village and go out to find guys to hook up with to have kittens," Makoto noted, "Though I did hear some wanting to work together to find Rath..."
"And now I fear for whenever I turn into Rath," Ben sighed, "Seriously, those ladies freaked Rath out. Rath."
"When a Kaka Clan woman wants something, they won't stop until they get it," Makoto stated with a snicker.
"Makoto...y..." Tsubaki began with a sigh
"Let meowt!" Nyancy's voice shouted, "I WANT MY KITTIES AGAIN!"
"They are not yours and the elder has been given paperwork for a restraining order on you for the entire clan," Rook's voice informed, "However, good behavior will allow you to request things that cannot be used to escape confinement."
"...Nyancy wants a kitty doll, nya…"
"...Does….does she really talk like that?" Tsubaki slowly blinked.
"Yup…" Makoto deadpanned before shuddering, "And that deep voice of hers is freaky…"
"Really freaky…" Ben added, "And don't let any Plumbers that look like fish or crabs or any sea-based life be near a Kaka." he shuddered, "That was no good."
"...why…?"
"He nearly got eaten as Water Hazard," Makoto explained.
"You could've tried to warn me!" Ben hissed at her.
"Yet you went for the one Alien that looked like a crab," Makoto countered.
"I thought I could scare them back with water!"
"Be glad I warned you they don't like dogs," Makoto replied, "And that you don't have a wolf form."
"..." Max and Ben tried to not look at her at that.
"You have a wolf form?" Makoto asked, "Yeesh, what can you not turn into?"
"The alien I want most of the time," Ben sighed.
"Which is because you don't bother to look at who you choose, moved a bit too far or too early, or jinx yourself," Makoto replied.
"...Hey, Noel, I think Makoto wants your best meal for dinner tonight," Ben noted, causing Makoto and Tsubaki to freeze up.
"Oh good! I was hoping to make it tonight as thanks for saving me yesterday!" Noel beamed.
"Why…?" Makoto rasped out, utter terror on her face as Noel was completely distracted with planning dinner.
Ben shrugged in amusement, "Well, Makoto, as you're the apprentice and I am the teacher, your orders are to eat what she cooks for you tonight."
"No~" Makoto slumped at that.
"...Is there something I'm missing?" Max blinked.
"We love Noel like a sister, but…" Tsubaki began as she whispered to him, "...She can't cook. We tried to get her to taste her cooking, but she made a rule to never taste it...ever."
"Really now? That's something," Max noted.
"Yes...one night for dessert she made something that was cold but was as hard as a diamond in the center, and some sort of chocolate sauce that was more...crispy than chocolatey…"
"Oh! You're talking about my Mousse, Tsubaki?"
"THAT WAS A MOUSSE?!" Tsubaki and Makoto gawked.
"Huh...That actually sounds like a Petrosapien Quartz Mousse," Max noted.
"Eh?" Makoto and Tsubaki blinked at that.
"I know a good place for some ingredients," Max offered Noel.
"Oh, thank you, sir!" Noel beamed.
"...What kind of pandora's box have you opened?!" Makoto hissed at Ben.
"No clue, but I get the feeling I'll be experiencing the eating experiences I had when I went with Grandpa and Gwen on those two road trips when I was ten and eleven," Ben replied.
SZ: *yawns as he got up*man what a nap….what did I miss?
GT: *wearing a barrel* Z0 released a clothes-eating bug in the place then ran off.
SZ:...He did what?! I...know what nevermind….we are done with the original chapters for now...right?
GT: I believe so, yes.
SZ: Good, then we can get back to season 1's canon episodes and wrap that up soon given how we combine two parters usually.
GT: Indeed.
SZ: Read and review folks.