SZ: Behold...yet another original chapter!
GT: Yus! Is sorta continuation of last chapter what with Gwen and Kevin gonna be in this one.
SZ: Yup, so we hope you enjoy...and GT, don't do anything reckless before Z0 gets here…
GT: I'm still in a cast from last chapter. What could I do?
SZ: You find a way man….you find a way. Ahem...we own nothing aside fmo original content, so story begin!
Z0: Oh its my turn this chapter *presses button as our office implodes*
"Alright, alright, alright. Let me get this straight. You…" Gwen pointed to Makoto, "Were on a mission, was knocked out by someone that was most likely a Chronosapien, regenerated by a few years, and then dropped nearly two hundred years into the past."
"Yep," Makoto replied, popping the 'p.'
"And when Ben, as Clockwork, saw you, he...became sick and made a tear in the timestream that not only brought your friend Tsubaki," Gwen continued as she motioned to the mentioned red-head, "But also made her younger and caused her mind to regress to the day you graduated from a military academy."
"Corrrrect," Makoto replied, rolling her Rs.
"And then when a device you call the U-Bomb since you can't pronounce how it's said went off, Ben went Alien X and ended up pulling some things from the future to repair the current time we're in to fix it which is how Noel, this Ragna fellow, and those women in cat costumes called the Kaka Clan we saw down in Undertown here, also making Noel younger," Gwen went on.
"Yep-yep-yep!"
"...If I hadn't seen Clockwork doing it earlier, I would have been checking for mental trauma," Gwen sighed.
"Yeah...Tsubaki more or less said the same after she arrived…" Makoto chuckled sheepishly.
"You've seen what Clockwork can do, plus Alien X's race," Ben pointed out, smoothie in hand, "Honestly, how is this any different then when You, from a few years from now pulled us into the future?"
"You went to the future?"
"A future," Ben corrected, "And, yep. Man, future me was a jerk."
"Wow...kinda puts a damper on 'wanting to meet your future self,'" Makoto noted, "...Then again, I'm technically from a bad future, so...yeah…."
"Well technically that future might not even exist so...It's more that we went to a potential timeline or dimension...since given there is the theo..." Gwen began.
"Stop...Dweeb talk. I need another smoothie to dull the brain…" Ben spoke, walking off.
"Yeah. I barely understand how I got here...so...I'm good, too," Makoto agreed, walking off.
"Those two are perfect for each other…" Gwen sighed.
"Stop saying that!" both of them snapped.
"Stop providing writing material for Noel then we'll talk," Tsubaki joked.
"Gh?!" the two tensed as they nearly tripped.
"...Writing material?" Gwen repeated.
"Noel likes to make poems and possible romance novels depending on what material she sees or is given," Tsubaki answered.
"And I've barely been here for a few hours and I can tell you're just giving her a lot of material," Mai added.
"D'oh…"
"...So Mai, what were you and Kajun up to after graduation?" Tsubaki asked.
"Wel...not much really. It's a…long and complicated story," Mai answered, "Key points more or less...found out Kajun was working for Sector Seven, I more or less made up with my father, trained with my mother...had some encounters with Meifang Lapislazuli."
"?!" Tsubaki nearly spat her drink out at that, "Wait...Meifang? As in Colonel Meifang of the 0 Division, the Wings of Justice?!"
"Well...yeah," Mai replied.
"...What did you do to get her to go after you?" Tsubaki asked in worry.
"...When we first met, she wanted my body-not in that way, Makoto!-and...attacked me," Mai explained, "After that...yeah. She's pretty much a masochistic somewhat psychopath."
"...But...that can't be…" Tsubaki whispered, "She's supposed to…"
"Yeah, what you heard? A cover up to hide who she really is," Mai sighed, "...Then again, the Wings of Justice themselves barely even represented the word."
"...Why?" Gwen cautiously asked.
"The Wings of justice...well they only deploy if the Imperator orders them to do so, or if someone just below her in terms of rank gives the orders in her place...and they go after someone that's a traitor to the NOL and judges them, or is a true 'possible threat' to the NOL or Imperator themselves," Mai explained, "The majority verdict...is death."
"?!" Tsubaki's eyes widened at that.
"Yep. Future sucks...um...our present...future present? ...Guh! I hate time travel!" Makoto exclaimed, tugging on her ears in frustration as she walked back over, a smoothie poking out of her tail.
"...Makoto," Tsubaki spoke, earning the squirrel girl's attention, "Do...you know what squad I was in?"
"...why?"
"After hearing what Mai, said...something...came back up in my head, and…" Tsubaki paused, gripping her shaking hand a bit, "I...I need some confirmation."
"In all honesty, Tsubaki, I do not know where you went to in the NOL," Makoto replied as Kajun entered with Rook and Kevin...the purplette poking Kevin's left arm which was covered in wood.
"So you are capable of creating a malleable armor utilizing various materials? Fascinating," Kajun noted.
"Hey, Mai?"
"A moment please, Makoto."
"It's kinda important."
"A…"
"I'll get Ben to turn into someone that makes you seem dumb."
"Excuse me?" Kajun questioned.
"Don't drag me into the insanity!" Ben called from the kitchen before looking over at Noel and cringing a bit at seeing her grinding up something that looked like a moldy tomato...with teeth.
"You're a smart gal. You know where each of us went to in the NOL?" Makoto asked, "Tsubaki lost her memories due to Clockwork."
"Again, your fault for making me sick in that form!" Ben called over the blender.
"You already know yours, Makoto, but I do know where you each went," Kajun replied, tapping on a tablet she pulled out of her coat before turning it around, showing a set of three files, "But if you need refreshing. Noel became the secretary to Jin, you went into the information department under Captain Hazama, and as for Tsubaki…" she noticed the red-head's current state and sighed, "It was in the Zero Division, codenamed the 'Wings of Justice.'"
"...I knew it…" Tsubaki whispered.
"...What...did you remember exactly, Tsubaki?" Makoto cautiously asked.
"For now...an order and what division I was in…" Tsubaki answered, "I...I don't recall who ordered it, but…"
"...But what?" Mai asked in concern.
"...I…." Tsubaki paused, grabbing her shaking hand as she took a slow breath, "I...was ordered to go after Noel and Jin for betraying the NOL."
"?!" Noel dropped her cooking utensils at that, eyes wide in shock as she slowly looked at her friend, "Wh…..what?"
"Hmm…" Kajun looked at her tablet again, scrolling on Tsubaki's file, "Ah, yes. Before arriving here, I was able to get your recent orders. Your orders came from Captain Hazama himself."
"...I knew it. I KNEW that guy was bad news!" Makoto exclaimed, "Oh-hoh-hoh! Ben, go Clockwork and spew things out 'till he shows up so I can punch him to the moon!"
"Not doing it!" Ben replied.
"Good. If he did, there's a good chance he could summon Azrael or worse…..it," Kajun stated, making Makto pale at that, "And before anyone ask, no. If I say what it is, there's a chance it could cause a butterfly effect, alternate timeline/universe or not."
"...Okay seriously, I don't know what 'it' is, but all I do know is something caused the aliens to leave Earth in the future," Ben spoke, "Can you...I don't know, tell us what 'it' is called at least, or show us a pic of it to give us a partial idea?"
"...Are you sure you want to know?" Kajun asked in a grim tone.
"Yes. You think it can be worse than Dagon? A literal ancient being of evil with telepathic powers and reality manipulation?" Ben argued.
"Still can't believe you just stabbed the guy and didn't do something nuts like go Ultimate Alien X," Kevin muttered.
"And risk forming more personalities?" Ben laughed, "No thanks. I'm good with the two I already got."
"...Fine…" Kajun sighed as she tapped something on her tablet, "Just to warn you…you were the one who asked."
After a moment of silence, Kajun placed the tablet at the center of the table and a holographic image popped up. The image itself...it made those in the past...er, present's blood run a bit cold. It seemed to resemble a giant, demonic 8-headed dragon with scales as black as the night with blood-red lines going along its body, each head sporting a pair of demonic red eyes.
"What...is that?" Rook asked.
"The Black Beast," Kajun replied, "It appeared one day in Japan, killing everyone and destroying everything in its wake, producing something known in our time as 'Seithr' that created mutations in any organic being that came in contact with it. By the time it was destroyed, the world population was cut in half…and even with the Black Beast finally gone...the damage it caused was too severe. The ground...became uninhabitable."
"...It's why we had the Hierarchical Cities built up on large mountains...to stay safe and prevent mutation from the Seithr," Makoto added, her ears drooping a bit.
"..." Ben scratched his chin, seeing how badly the mood dropped he needed something to revitalize everyone's moods, well for starters he put his ice cold drink up to Makoto's head, making her jump in shock and fall over, "Better?"
"...Cold...but a bit, yeah…" Makoto muttered as she stood up.
"I still say not as bad as Dagon," Ben smirked, "He turned the entire universe into his slaves. We still stopped him. I bet if that thing ever does show up...we can just borrow Ascalon from Azmuth."
"Azmuth?" Kajun repeated.
"Smartest being in three, arguably five, galaxies," Kevin explained in a tired tone, implying it was something that they were reminded of...A Lot.
"The famous sword from the story of St. George and the Dragon was one of his inventions, a sword that can harness the fundamental powers of the universe itself...making the user the strongest living being just shy of Omnipotence," Ben explained, "It took me a second to figure it out...George was so much better at it. I bet if he were still alive, he could have taken it out..."
"Amazing," Kajun noted...before looking at the Omnitrix once more.
"I still can't believe how simple it is to hear that such amazing things happened…" Tsubaki sighed.
"I can't believe St. George lived for centuries and wasn't a dragon slayer but a demon god slayer…" Makoto added.
"I still figure after Alien X, nothing can shock me," Ben muttered.
"Alien X?" Kajun repeated.
"...Do I have to tie you up, Kajun?" Makoto asked.
"..."
"Yeah. I thought so…"
"...I suppose I'll look around for now then," Kajun sighed as she began to walk off, "...Oh Tsubaki? You wouldn't happen to have any notes of each of Benjamin's forms, do you?"
"Laptop's over there," Tsubaki sighed.
"Th-"
"Nothing on Alien X or Clockwork," Makoto ordered.
"...Fine…" Kajun pouted a bit.
"Yeah...I am apologizing for her in advance," Makoto apologized as Kajun walked off to get it as Mai patted Tsubaki's shoulder in a comforting gesture.
"It's fine. Just…" Ben paused as he shuddered a bit, "Those eyes...now I see what got Argit so freaked out."
"Oh trust me...you haven't seen her Science Mode at full blast," Makoto stated.
"It's not as bad as Gwen when she's mad at me and Kevin, is it?" Ben asked.
"Hey!" Gwen scowled.
"Just...just trust us," Mai spoke, "If you see that unsettling gleam in her eye...one that practically screams 'science'...run."
"We joke around that the safest place is jumping into a volcano, so make sure to be Heatblast when she does get that look," Makoto noted.
"Yeesh...noted," Ben muttered.
"Man...Ben knows how to pull all kinds of girls towards him, eh Rook?" Kevin jokingly asked, only to get silence from him, "...Uh Rook?"
"Hmm?" Rook blinked as he looked over at him, "Did you say something?"
"...That Black Best thing got you that spooked, huh?"
"A bit, yes," Rook replied, "But I was also paying attention to Noel cooking."
"Oh that...ah. Ben, squirrel girl, and her friend were probab…" Kevin began as he looked in the kitchen, doing a double take once he saw the food, "...Why is it censored?"
"Gh?!" Makoto and Tsubaki tensed at that, "...Cen...sored?"
"Yes!" Mai beamed.
"Is she producing something from the Anur System using ingredients for a pizza?" Rook pondered with a raised brow.
"..." Makoto and Tsubaki slowly looked at one another, not sure how to answer that.
"I don't know what an Anur System is, but I can't wait for that pizza…" Mai smiled excitedly.
"...I feel like we're missing some context here," Ben muttered.
"Mai has some really sensitive taste buds, so much so that whatever she taste...she feels the memories of what it belonged to," Makoto answered.
"I-I'm sorry. She feels the 'memories' of what she tastes?" Gwen asked before looking over at the excited bluenette, "?" her eyes turned a solid magenta for a moment before she groaned while holding her head, "Ow! What the heck?"
"Gwen, what's wrong?" Tsubaki asked.
"I was trying to figure out why that was happening," Gwen explained as Kevin was quick to be by her, "I could only get a glance before my head started to feel like it was struck with a wrecking ball."
"...Uh... it's really complicated…" Makoto scratched the back of her head, "...Tsubaki, you try and explain."
"...like Makoto said, it's really complicated…" Tsubaki explained, "But in our time, we have some powerful items called Grimoires, relics capable of producing great magic. For example, there's the Truth Grimoire, which takes the appearance of a hand mirror and has the ability to let you see who your true self is."
"Then there was that Compensation Grimoire that gave Mai amnesia. Though how the heck one of Noel's riceballs equaled memory loss I have no idea," Makoto recalled.
"Then there was the Conversion Grimoire that Mai used to turn some cookies Noel made into a dinner," Tsubaki continued to add.
"Oh! Remember when Mai ended up as the Intermediary Grimoire and gave Taro Noel's cooking skills for a bit?" Makoto asked.
"Don't remind me," Tsubaki shuddered.
"...Okay, but why does that have anything to do with Gwen getting a sudden headache after looking at your friend?" Kevin asked.
"...Funny enough. I…" Mai began with a sheepishly chuckle, deciding to get in on the explanation while waiting for the food, "I was temporarily one, and...this will sound weird, but I have one inside of me…"
"...huh?" everyone looked at her.
"Like Makoto and Tsubaki said...really complicated."
"Th Grimoire fused with Mai is called No Name, also known as the Pure Grimoire," Kajun spoke upon entering the room, not once turning to face the group as she focused on Tsubaki's laptop, "Normally it's a blank Grimoire that gains the power of any code put into it. For example, if an Earth coding is put into it, it would have power over earth, wind would give it wind powers, and so on. It's even capable of gaining the powers of the Azure, making it possible for it to become another Azure Grimoire."
"Which...I was temporarily," Mai added, "I won't say how...but before our first year ended, I lost the power of the Azure, but it made No Name stronger."
"...Say wha?" Makoto gawked.
"No wonder I'm getting a headache from trying to look at you with mana," Gwen noted, "This 'Pure Grimoire' you're fused with doesn't have a defined state. Looking at it is like trying to make sense of a puzzle on a roller coaster that's also spinning around at a high velocity...while having a cold."
"Yeah...Grimoires can be pretty confusing at times…" Makoto chuckled a bit, "...Then again, they were created by the Great Mage Nine, one of the Six Legendary Heroes that took down the Black Beast."
"I'm honestly surprised you remember that, Makoto," Tsubaki noted.
"Hey. I can pay attention at class," Makoto argued, "...I just choose not to most of the time."
"Like Ben," Gwen noted, "Which reminds me...did you complete those online courses I suggested?"
"Tsubaki lost that bet when he did," Makoto noted.
"...Greymatter or Brainstorm?" Gwen asked.
"Greymatter…" Tsubaki sighed.
"Of course," Gwen sighed.
"Yeah. He uses Brainstorm for minigolf to get a hole in one on all the holes," Kevin joked.
"He's not wrong," Makoto chimed in while shooting Ben a slight stink eye, "We took Rook to a minigolf course once on a day off...and he used Brainstorm on each one."
"Hey, not my fault no one makes a rule to not use devices like the Omnitrix," Ben replied, an amused grin on his face.
"...At least I got you back during that lacrosse game we played," Makoto smirked back.
"They're even going on dates," Kevin noted.
"Was a bit worried after watching that tennis match in Paris on TV on the first day of classes when Julie kissed that guy," Gwen admitted before whispering to a confused Mai, "His last girlfriend."
"Ah," Mai nodded, "...Wait. How…"
"I'd rather not talk about it," Ben groaned with a slump.
"...Fair enough," Mai nodded a bit.
Makoto noticed Ben's current mood, a slight sigh escaping her lips as she took her own smoothy and placed it on his neck, making him jump a bit, "Better?"
"Ack! Why you...huh. Think so," Ben replied, rubbing the back of his neck where she put the cold drink on, "Thanks…"
"You did the same for me. Just returning the favor," Makoto replied with a light wink.
"Aw…" Gwen sighed teasingly, "Look at you two bonding."
"This is payback for calling you a dweeb, isn't it?" Ben asked.
"You got it, doofus," she smiled.
"...Fine. B-"
"Done!" Noel called as she came in...carrying out a censored out pizza, "Sorry it took a while. I had to keep checking the oven to make sure it came out just right…"
"Kevin, you wanna handle that…?" Makoto and Gwen spoke, shoving him forward.
"I don't think they've forgiven ya yet…" Ben muttered.
"...I'm so getting you back for this, Tennyson," Kevin hissed as he picked a slice up and took a bite, "...huh. This isn't th…"
"D'oh…." Kevin groaned as he laid on the couch, his face a pale green as he held his stomach.
"...Not sure if it was worth it," Gwen admitted, putting a cold cloth on Kevin's sweaty forehead.
"Kill me…" Kevin groaned.
"Good. Now he'll know never to do this nonsense again...Ever...again," Makoto crossed her arms.
"Ah~! So good~!" Mai moaned between bites of the pizza, "Oh I missed your cooking so much, Noel…"
"I'm really glad you like it, Mai," Noel smiled, "Oh! I was gonna make some more cookies later, along with some...oh! Better yet...I can make some kitchen sink brookies! You w-"
"YES PLEASE!" Mai beamed.
"Can Mai eat all that?" Ben asked, "Not asking health wise...talking stomach capacity wise…" he explained with a sigh as he started slowly scrolling the Omnitrix.
"Be thankful she's not a Beastkin, otherwise Noel would run out of cooking materials," Makoto answered.
"Wouldn't that be better since then you'd never have to...you know…" Gwen motioned to Kevin as he burped and groaned in pain.
"With Makoto's appetite added to it?" Tsubaki chimed in, "While tempting...no. The academy...nay, the entire Hierarchical City the Academy is in would run out of food."
"Alright I got it." Ben sighed, slapping the Omnitrix as he shrank into Upchuck. He bounced into the kitchen before landing on the table, "You good?" he asked a confused Mai.
"I am," Mai answered before taking another bite of her pizza slice
"Good, then dibs!" he smirked as four tongues slithered out grabbed the entire thing and pulled it into his mouth and swallowed it in one bite. He then burped, letting out a bit of smoke as if an explosion went off inside him.
"Hey~! I wasn't even done yet."
"I asked if you were good." he smirked, sitting down and patting his belly before becoming very aware of Makoto and Noel looking at him, "...Don't you dare...don't you dare...don't you d…"
"Kawaii!" the two squealed as they hugged him.
"Should've turned back the moment you finished, Ben," Gwen noted in amusement.
"Mmph!" Upchuck groaned...his face stuck once more in a certain area of Makoto's.
"...Makoto, you're doing it again…." Tsubaki sighed.
"But he's so adorable!" she argued, moving aside to let Noel hold him, "Look! He's a pudgy cute froggy thing...the tongues are weird...but the rest is adorable."
"How was he capable of consuming Noel's cooking?" Kajun pondered.
"Gourmands are capable of consuming anything, even entire planets," Rook explained.
"Ben took that up one...he ate an actual small star," Gwen added, "Like an actual star of limitless energy...and he ate it...then belched out a beam so big...he obliterated Mt Rushmore and the old Plumber base within. Also probably destroyed the Forever King..."
"...Please tell me Kajun didn't hear th-" Makoto began before something blurred by.
"Eh?" Noel blinked before looking down, seeing that Upchuck was no longer in her arms, "...Oh dear."
"You were able to consume a star? Yet you're still alive," Kajun's voice noted, her head in Upchuck's mouth, "No burn damage and I cannot even see that far in your throat…" she pulled her head out as she looked at him, "Interesting…truly interesting...Could it be you have a pocket dimension for a stomach?"
"...Makoto, I'm starting to see that unsettling gleam in her eyes!" Upchuck freaked.
"Quick! Different form!" Makoto yelped as she jumped over and poked the Omnitrix, replacing Upchuck with Ditto.
"Kawaii!" Noel squeed.
"Oh great...Out of the cute pan and into the cute fire!" Ditto complained, "I'm telling ya I don't get paid enough for this."
"What is this and why is it so adorable?" Mai asked.
Ditto sighed, "I'm not getting out of this unless someone gets to hug me, am I?"
"Considering the last time you turned Ditto before I left? More than likely," Gwen replied, "Ditto is a Splixson, an alien race that can duplicate."
"Duplicate?" Kajun asked before Ditto split into five.
"Ta-dah!" the five cheered before the fifth yawned and laid down on his side.
"You barely even showed up and you're lazing off already, Five?!" Ditto 2 exclaimed in disbelief.
"Meh…" Ditto 5 lazily waved off.
"Hello~ Nurses!" Ditto 4 exclaimed with a wolf whistle at Mai and Makoto.
"Take him down!" Ditto 3 yelped as he and 2 jumped 4, grabbing some rope.
"Ah...this has been happening ever since I got this form back...This never happened as a kid." Ditto Prime sighed.
"Hey! Not my fault they've got curves in all the right places!" 4 argued before a sock was shoved into his mouth, "Mmph!"
"This is why we always send you in first when we use Ditto to fight," Ditto 2 sighed.
"Adorable!" Noel cooed, hugging Ditto 5, who merely shrugged and just let her carry him, "And soft...it's like hugging a stuffed animal."
"Only drawback to this guy is that when one of us is h-YOW!" Ditto Prime began before all five yelped.
"Sensory feedback. Quite a downside to this form," Kajun noted as Ditto 3 grumbled, rubbing the cheek she had pinched.
"Wise woman, huh?" he asked, rubbing his face before taking her laptop, "Keep away!"
"Ah! Come back!" Kajun called as she gave chase.
"Huh...I wonder if this is what Grandpa saw the time he did this to me when we were on that first summer vacation and he used Ditto to do this with my laptop," Gwen noted as 3 tossed it to 2.
"Ooh! Makoto, I just thought of something. Didn't you wanna know what Tsubaki was looking at last week?" Ditto 2 asked, "I got the search history up~!"
"...Toss it here. Toss it!" Makoto beamed as she held her hands out.
"Don't you dare!" Tsubaki barked, cheeks red.
"Hut Forty-two! Hut Forty-two! Hut Ten!" Ditto 2 cried, forming more clones as they began tossing the laptop around before finally tossing it to Makoto.
"Mine!" Makoto cheered before Tsubaki caught it.
"Oh no you don't!" Tsubaki called, running away with it before a Ditto grabbed her leg, causing her to drop it into another Ditto's hands.
"Ooh...Shiny…" the Ditto giggled with glee.
"12, don't get distracted by how shiny it is!"
"Rook, help! We can't let them see our project!" Tsubaki shouted.
"Alright, Ben...s…" Rook began before the Ditto's all turned to him.
"DOGPILE!" one Ditto shouted, jumping Rook and multiplying 'till it was too much for him to carry.
"Woohoo! Bonding!" one Ditto cheered running with the laptop, "RUN AWAY!" he panicked as Kajun chased him.
"I am so sorry for my other selves," another Ditto apologized, bowing repeatedly to everyone, "Please forgive them."
"I'm open!" Makoto shouted as she held her arms up.
"Go long!" the laptop-carrying one called, tossing it.
"Got it!" Makoto beamed as she caught, "Now to see what this 'project' is~"
"I am sorry for this," Tsubaki sighed as she tackled Makoto over and out the open back door.
"...So what was it like?" a slightly chubby Ditto asked, removing the sock from 4's mouth while he had stars in his eyes.
"Heaven~ And Tsubaki is really risque if you know what I mean. Even more than Makoto," Ditto 4 giggled in glee.
"NO, I'M NOT!" Tsubaki squeaked.
"I wish I was willing to stub my toe to shut you up." Ditto Prime sighed.
"...Wait, did you look up our skirts?!" Makoto exclaimed.
"No, I was tied and pinned to the floor on my back. You're the ones who came over me," Ditto 4 replied.
"Eek! Don't kill him! You'll kill us!" Ditto Prime yelped.
"Aw great. Now we gotta protect Four from himself...again!" Ditto 8 exclaimed.
"Makoto, close that laptop this instant!" Tsubaki barked.
"Oh relax! It can't be th…Teenage Heroes? ...Wait. Was this because of that one comment I m-hey!"
"Rook, heads up!" Tsubaki shouted as the laptop was tossed towards Rook, who managed to get out of the pile of Dittos.
"I got it!" one Dito shouted, attempting to jump up and grab the Laptop before Kajun's hand shot out and grabbed it, "Aw poo…"
"Ah, finally," Kajun noted, not paying attention to the floor.
"Ooh-la-la~ Not as risque as Tsubaki's but still nice," Four giggled in perverted glee.
"...Four...Whyhyhyhy~" Prime groaned, facepalming.
"RUN!" one Ditto shouted, "It's the end of days! Every Ditto for himself!"
"I'm too handsome to die!"
"I'm too young!"
"Meh…" one Ditto shrugged indifferently.
"Zzz…" Ditto 5 gave a squeaky snore, now asleep in Noel's arms.
"Ben, why don't you just turn back?" Gwen sighed, rubbing the side of her head to work through the headache this all was causing.
"...Huddle!" Prime called as his duplicates, minus 5 and the tied up 4, were pulled into a huddle with loud muttering going off in it, a Ditto at times poking up to wave at them before another grabbed their head to pull them back into the pile, "And break!" two Dittos grabbed 4 and 5 before a green flash went off as Big Chill replaced them, "And now...I hide." he turned transparent and phased through the floor.
"...I wanted to keep one…" Noel pouted.
"Check the trunk of Ben's new car," Gwen replied, giving Kevin a look, "Kevin still had some stuffed dolls of Ditto from a bad idea."
"It was clever! Oh...regret...oh...the pain...it's like heartburn...but my heart's really on fire…"
"I feel for you," Kajun nodded as Noel sped off to get the doll.
"And this is Plumbers HQ here in Bellwood," Ben stated as they exited the elevator the next day, "And, yes, all the Plumbers here are also trained to be the repairmen plumbers to keep cover for the store it's beneath."
"...I...I am...I…" Mai muttered in disbelief, wearing a pair of jeans with a white tee under a brown vest, "..."
"Yeah...still surprised we once had Aliens living here on Earth," Makoto nodded...while keeping her tail wrapped around Cajun, wearing a blue skirt, a teal blouse, and her lab coat.
"Makoto...please let me go."
"No...Jerry doesn't need you blowing up HR with complaints." Makoto sighed, "Poor little guy has so much work as is after the attempt at break out a week back."
"You went Clockwork around Makoto again, Ben?" Max asked as he walked up.
"It was an accident...I wanted Cannonbolt!"
"Mai, Kajun, this is our Grandpa, Magister Max Tennyson," Gwen introduced, "Grandpa, Mai and Kajun."
"The same Kajun Makoto, Tsubaki, and Noel keep warning me to keep away from the more dangerous things in the base?" Max asked.
"Yes…" the other four girls all nodded.
"Pateliday," he motioned as the second in charge took a picture.
"I'll be sure to warn the Tech teams and research division that this one can be a might bit...jumpy…" he spoke, "But I'm sure she'll also be right at home in those same divisions of the base, so...that'll be interesting."
"...If you see an unsettling gleam in her eye that screams science...run," Tsubaki advised.
"Provided you have something to distract her and keep her focused on it," Makoto added.
"Good to know," Pateliday nodded
"Well I have the paperwork from before to help them out all ready," Max sighed, "I had a feeling I'd need a couple copies."
"A...Are we getting drafted?" Mai asked.
"It's easier than making false paperwork and hacking computer systems," Makoto replied.
"Plus making you Plumbers means you can live on any planet in the Milky Way," Max added, "Also remarkably easier then exactly what Makoto said...I can just tell folks you're human looking aliens."
"...Given how certain people are in the future, I...suppose that's not wr-" Mai began before tensing, "...where's Kajun?"
"I was just about to let her go with Patel…" Makoto began before noticing her tail was wrapped around...nothing, "...Code S. We got a Code S!"
"Makoto, don't shout a C…" Max began before a yellow light began to flash as a whooping siren went off, "...Code S…"
"I take it that it means something else than what Makoto calls it," Mai deadpanned.
"Spill. Toxic spill," Max sighed as he pulled out a badge, "False Alarm!"
"Oh...eh heh...my bad…" Makoto sheepishly chuckled as the siren turned off, "...But seriously, we need to find Kajun before…"
"You two are doing it wrong," Kajun's voice spoke.
"...Please tell me she isn't near Blukic and Driba's workstation…." Tsubaki sighed.
"What are you talking about?! We…" Blukic's voice began.
"You forgot an equation in this formula."
"Told ya…" Driba deadpanned.
"Did n-"
"And you didn't add this up correctly."
"Told ya," Blukic stated.
"...eh?" the group blinked as they rushed over, peeking inside to see Kajun focusing on a blackboard as Blukic and Driba...well argued as usual.
"Perhaps if you add it like this…" Kajun muttered, taking a nearby marker as she began writing some stuff, "...Done."
"Wha…" the two Galvan blinked as they looked at the equations on the blackboard, "..."
"...Should we check her and see if'n she's a Galvan in a suit or another Albedo?" Blukic pondered.
"Maybe."
"You…" Makoto began before blinking, "...Actually given how smart she is…"
"How smart is she exactly?" Ben asked.
"She was the smartest girl in the entire school," Tsubaki answered.
"You...you could give her a test to prove it," Noel offered.
"That's a good idea. We'd know where she'd do best," Max nodded.
"...This should be interesting," Kajun noted with a small smile.
"Okay. These should be simple enough," Driba said as he and Blukic placed some papers before Kajun.
"Just be sure to turn them in o-" Blukic began.
"Done."
"That fast?!" Blukic and Driba gawked.
"Yes," Kajun nodded as she pushed some paperas forward, "After reading on some notes Tsubaki had before coming here, it was simple enough really. Oh and those trick questions were a nice challenge."
"Are we sure she's human?" Driba asked.
"I can assure I am 100% human, yes," Kajun answered.
"Yeah she….she's really that smart," Makoto added.
"Honestly? I think she has a photographic memory," Mai noted.
"Well...what a twist." Driba muttered.
"She's almost as smart as us," Blukic added.
"Good in human standards, not so much in the Galvan standards." Ben explained.
"Am I to take it...they are...not the highest rung of the Galvan brain ladder?" Kajun asked.
"Ehem!" Driba coughed reminding them they were still there, "I'll have you know that we are on Earth because we were chosen to help in a one of a kind mission...which we have yet to accomplish due to the enemy fleeing! But still we are more than trustworthy!"
"We done lost it at Area 51…" Blukic blurted.
"Area 51 yet again," Ben shook his head.
"W-wait...that...that's real?" Makoto asked, "That super silly ancient story of a secret base filled with alien stuff is real...and seperate from the Plumbers!?"
"Kinda...it's not a secret base so much as...a glorified storage warehouse," Ben shrugged.
"And previously performed illegal incarceration," Max scowled.
"...Yikes," Makoto cringed.
"Yeah, I try and forget that so I don't end up visiting the guy who ran it as Humngousaur and return his car to him after practicing origami with it," Ben added.
"...Noted."
"...How's Mai holding up?" Makoto asked as she looked over at Noel, who was sitting near the bluenette as she focused on some papers.
"Here...and here...ahh..please tell me this is the last one…" Mai begged a bit, her wrist starting to hurt.
"Just one last signature here," Noel noted.
"Oh thank god…" Mai sighed in relief as she did so, "And done...ahh...not even training with my spear with mom was this hard…"
"Spear?" Noel repeated.
Mai held out a hand. For a few moments, nothing happened. Mai blinked twice before holding her hand out again. The moment became awkward as she shook her hand.
"Time travel, Mai," Makoto reminded, "Whatever you're trying to call out may not even exist right now."
"...Rats…" Mai slumped, "It was such an awesome spear, too…"
"Oh me and the boys can try and make you a temporary replacement," Kajun spoke as the Galvan hopped onto her shoulders, "It'll be my first project."
"A spear...primitive, but effective," Driba muttered.
"No it ain't."
"Yes, it is."
"No, it ain't."
"They do that," Max chuckled.
"I get the weirdest sense of Deja vu…" Ben muttered.
"Me too…" Max sighed, with a teasing smile.
"Takes me back to when I was eleven and you were ten, Ben," Gwen noted, "Though not as loud and more friendly between the two."
"Hehe...not as loud...hehehe…." Max laughed, "Oh good one, Gwen…you haven't seen them get bad...lasers...lots of lasers."
"While we tend to try to do this as quick as possible, there's going to be a small delay in processing this today," Max noted, "So they'll have to report here tomorrow for their uniforms."
"Understood."
"We could use today to check out Undertown," Gwen noted, "At least this time, we can actually look and not be attacked by Tetramands due to Kevin."
"Trust me, Kevin, a crossed Tennyson woman doesn't forget easily," Max chuckled.
"Urp...noted…" Kevin groaned, finally speaking after trying to keep his stomach contents down...only for his face to turn green again, "D'oh...I can still see grey…"
"...What?"
"We had him try Noel's latest Dea-I mean Dish...Everything Pizza," Makoto replied.
"Ghh…" he covered his mouth, "My stomach is dying…didn't she even taste it before cooking it?"
"Oh no. I make it a rule to never taste my own cooking," Noel answered.
"I need to...die…" he groaned, falling over, "I think I need a full body detox...and a new stomach."
"Oh don't worry. I'll get ya something similar," Max sighed, dragging Kevin away.
"Well, we're down a guy," Ben noted.
"Meh. I'm sure he'll be fine," Makoto shrugged, "Anyway, let's head to Undertown. Ragna's probably doing something interesting down there anyways…"
"Damn it, Tao! Come back here!" Ragna snapped as he chased after Tao, a bag in her mouth as she ran on all fours, "I just paid for that damn it!"
"You're it, Good Guy!" Tao beamed behind the bag in her mouth.
"Ugh! Not this shit again!" Ragna groaned as he ran past Ben and the others, "Hey kid!"
"Again, my name is not kid!" Ben argued.
"Beat me in a fight and we'll see!" Ragna shouted.
"What was that?" Gwen asked.
"That was Taokaka, or 'Tao' for short, and Ragna," Makoto replied, "This...yeah. This is their usual bit when Ragna's not busy helping around."
"Tao, I swear to whatever Space Gods are out there that you better give me my lunch back or…!" Ragna began as he leapt at Tao, only for her to jump out of the way of his lunge as he crashed into a cart.
"My cabbages!"
"Damn it, Larry...I keep telling you to move it…" Ragna groaned as he lifted himself up, bits of cabbage on his head.
"Same old, same old," Ben sighed, walking over as he helped him up, "What did Tao steal this time?"
"Some BBQ chicken wings…" Ragna replied, earning a look from Ben, "...Oh relax. It's not from that idiot chicken Liam. I just went up to the surface with some Earth cash I found during a delivery for Pakmar. Moment I get back? Tao instantly snatched it from me and we're playing tag…again."
"...Need help catching her?"
"Would appreciate it, but trust me...trying to chase after a Kaka clan cat is like trying to catch a speeding bullet...said speeding bullet being energetic as hell."
"..." Ben slapped the Omnitrix as he turned into Chromastone, "Hey Tao!" he called, getting her attention, "Want the shiny?" he asked, flashing a simple light around to get her attention.
"?!" Tao tensed from her perch, tail shooting up as she looked at that light, "...Shiny dot~! Tao...must…CATCH~!" she declared, dropping the bag as she leapt for the light.
"Oh look! It's over there! No wait! Over there! Up there! Down there!" Chormastone spoke as he began shining the light at different spots each time Tao landed where the last use to shine. This kept up until she became a blur of motion...and finally just fell face first with a tired groan and slight growl of anger at her inability to catch the dot.
"Meow...Changing Guy mean, nya…" Tao whined.
"More like you just have too much energy…" he sighed, "Ironic from me but ah what you gonna do?" he spoke as he shone one final light in her paw, "There. See? You caught it."
"...I keep forgetting to buy a laser pointer…" Ragna muttered as he grabbed his bag, "Still...thanks, kid."
"One day I'm gonna get you to say my name like a normal person." Chromastone replied.
"Yeah. Like to see you try," Ragna smirked as he walked off, "Also good luck...Tao's your problem now."
"Tao...you wanna go home?" he asked the still tired Kaka clan guardian.
"Nyes…"
"Good...then let's go. I'm giving a small tour anyways."
"...nya?" Tao blinked before noticing Gwen, Mai, and Kajun..who was focused mostly on her tablet at the moment as she took notes, "...Oh hello, nya!"
"This...is kinda adorable," Gwen admitted, "She's like an adorable, hyperactive girl version of Rath."
"...Huh. She makes a good point," Makoto noted, "Tao is like a girl version of Rath."
"Oh! Kaka women still looking for him, nya!" Tao beamed.
"He's hiding somewhere up top!" Ben quckly declared pointing up.
"Oh...in the ceiling nya...Tao slept up their once…" she muttered.
"So...what's with her face? Its veiled in shadows like some kind of cheshire cat." Gwen pointed out.
"Something they do. Kaka clan women only show their true face to their mate." Makoto added, "And seeing their true face is the same thing as getting yourself hitched to them...so…" she shrugged.
"...Ben…." Gwen began with a frown.
"I swear I didn't see anything!" Ben quickly held his hands up, "I ran as fast as I could as soon as I heard that as Rath!"
"And I had to hide his face and lead him safely outside the village once they found out he healed their genetic problem," Makoto added, earning a raised brow from Gwen, "...Oh yeah. The Kaka Clan originally had a genetic problem here they can't go over 100, and Ben used the Omnitrix to fix that."
"Seemed like no big deal. Now all of them can live life however they want. As long as it doesn't involve me..." Ben added, muttering that last part.
"You do know one's gonna wait for the chance to reveal their face to you, right?" Makoto asked as she smirked a bit, "And at this point...heh. You would almost have a harem."
"Harem?!"
"Yup. One certain Kraaho girl, a certain Tetramand princess...whatever Kaka gal or lady that reveals their face to ya…"
"You…" Argit said as he walked by.
"...Excuse me…I need to go teach a rat some manners," Makoto frowned, making Argit tense as he ran, "Argit! You ruined a perfectly good joke!"
"Makoto, wait!" Mai shouted as she chased after her.
"No, I'm not thinking that," Ben told Gwen, who was giving him a look, "Ester is just a friend...for now...maybe… Looma is Kevin's fault." he reminded, making her chuckle, "And I am not keen on the concept of insta marriage. Also...hi. Yeah...I don't want to be that kinda guy. I wanna be like Dad...one girl...rest of my life...the right girl. For now, a date or flirting doesn't make me a jerk...does it?"
"...No. It doesn't. Just…" Gwen began with a sigh before giving Ben a stern glare, "Whoever you choose...don't screw this up like you did with Julie…"
"You can not turn this around on me," Ben smirked, "You lost an argument and had to resort to that. Come on. Let me have this, Gwen. It's been five plus years in the making. Come on...say I win the argument...come on...come on!" he laughed, elbowing her repeatedly.
"...I suppose…" Gwen sighed, "You have grown a bit...if not just barely."
"Oh...your humility...it's so sweet…" he laughed, leaning against Gwen to annoy her, "So humble~"
"Cut it out, Doofus!" she laughed, shoving him away.
"Can't 'cause you're my dweeb of a genius cousin," he replied, "Now I need to stop Makoto before she does something that makes the Plumbers pay for Argit's next half brained get rich scheme."
"AHA! My armor blocks your stupid quills!" Makoto shouted, swinging around a golf club she took from a random stall to chase Argit.
"Oh geez!"
"Makoto, stop! You might cause too much damage!" Mai shouted as she chased her, "We don't want a repeat of the carnival during our second year!"
"Not 'till I jam this club into his brain through his ear!" Makoto declared.
"Ben, help! Get your crazy girlfriend away from me!" Argit screamed.
"Again! Not my girlfriend!" Ben shouted as he ran off to chase after Makoto.
"For now," Gwen smiled jogging after him.
"...Hmm. Been a while since Makoto found someone she likes in that way," Kajun whispered to herself, looking up from her tablet as she followed after them, leaving a confused...yet snoozing Tao behind, 'Just hopefully this one sticks…'
-linebreak-
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of town, three figures were seen as a storm began to brew above. They looked around before setting their sights on Bellwood. As they did...the storm seemed to follow them, as if they commanded it. A flash of lightning exposed the figures to be a trio of robots of different sizes.
-linebreak-
"Hmm?" Makoto tensed, "Weird...got the weirdest chill just now."
"But it's hot out...how?" Ben asked as they found a place to relax.
"That's why it's weird." she countered.
"...Maybe it's the animal part of you," Ben guessed before holding his hands up.
"...actually that might be a good point," Makoto blinked, "Animals due tend to sense change in weather a lot better than humans."
"So...the weather has changed?" Ben asked, "That's new...never faced anyone with that kind of gimmick…"
"...Wonder who they are?" Makoto pondered, "...Think they might go with a goofy villain name like 'Weather Master?'"
"This...I don't miss." Gwen sighed, "New random villains...its what I hate about being a famous hero…"
"You kidding? I loved this part, we stopped so many random masked villains all the time that summer." Ben laughed, "Weather powers are new so I wonder who I should use." he smirked looking at the Omnitrix.
"Ooh ooh! Go Big Chill or Arctiguana! Fight a thunderstorm with a snowstorm!"
"Oh god. You two really are made for each other…" Argit gagged from a barrel.
"Anybody wanna play Blackbeard!?" Makoto shouted, getting the attention of several aliens, "It's simple! You just jam a sword in the barrel until the stupid figure inside ejects out." she explained as she pulled a sword out of no where and aimed it at the barrel.
"Gh?!" Argit tensed at that, "I take it back! I TAKE IT BACK!"
"I'll try…" Plugg spoke, poking out from between two chubby aliens..
"Don't try! Don't try!" Argit freaked as he struggled to get out..
"Oh stop torturing him already." Gwen sighed.
"But...it's so...Fun!" Makoto complained.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...Oh she has that stare…" Makoto paled, dropping the sword before shooting behind Ben, "Shield me!"
"Hey cut it out! Stop!" he laughed, "Oh come on Gwen. Argit deserves this...he sold Kevin and us out more times then he's had get rich quick schemes."
"Not true! I've done that a lot more in the off time we don't run into each other." Argit argued.
"And which of us nearly sold a universe destroying bomb to a group of war hungry space mafia frog?" Makoto countered, poking out from behind Ben.
"You're never gonna let that go, are ya?"
"Ever gonna fix your own mess?" Makoto asked, earning silence from the rat, "I thought not. Face it rat face...you're a goof. You'll only cause more trouble for us, so may as well get use to these bits."
"...Mmm…" Argit slumped before tensing when he saw Plugg pick up the sword, "...AH!" he freaked, smashing right out of the barrel as he ran.
"Hey uh...get back here!" Plugg shouted, "I haven't had my turn at Blackbeard yet!"
"Not my fault…" Makoto muttered, "Plugg just does what Plugg does."
"It's true!" Plugg shouted chasing Argit.
"See?" Makoto grinned a bit before flinching at the stern look Gwen gave her, "...Let's just go to where the baddies are."
"What about Mai and Kajun?" Ben asked.
"They'll be fine. Mai's taking her back to the base anyways."
"Let's go top side to see what's going on." Ben sighed.
"Right/hai."
Back up on the surface, the storm had reached Bellewood as the robots walked through the streets, examining the area before coming to a stop near Mr. Smoothy's.
=...Phase 1...commencing= one of the robots spoke, its hand going into its wrist before firing at a few tables, unleashing a blast of air that knocked the tables over.
=I would be pleased if I felt anything…= another of the three spoke before hold its hands out, causing a deluge of water to crash down on a statue of the place's mascot =Which I don't=
=First, the humans will fear us…= the last of them stated before unleashing a flash of lighting, causing the people nearby to flee and run as the lightning hit a car =Soon after, the rest of the universe will tremble in fear at the mere mention of the Weatherheads=
"NOOO-ho-no!" Ben panicked, seeing the damage to Mr Smoothy's.
"That...was inappropriately big for just a place where you buy drinks…" Gwen muttered just as a green flash went off.
"NOBODY HURTS THE SMOOTHIE!" Rath shouted, "They were gonna release a new flavor today!"
"Seriously? It's not l-"
"It involved chestnuts!"
"THEY MUST DIE!" Makoto roared.
=?= the three robots stopped in their attack as they turned to see the trio.
=The arrival of the interlopers altered a few facts within our plan…= the short Weatherhead stated.
=This is when a person with feelings would be panicking= the Weatherhead with a yellow tie added.
=We will implement Phase 2 ahead of schedule= the lead Weatherhead said, looking down at the briefcase in its hand as a red light was blinking on it.
"Rath's got a phase for ya! Phase beat your…!" Rath began as he charged, only to get blasted back by a blast of lightning.
"Lightning shooting robot...that's new." Makoto muttered before she was pelted by bullets of ice, making her crash into Rath.
"That hurt…" both of them groaned.
=Pain is something we do not feel= the short Weatherhead stated
=The only emotion we will bring to the galaxy will be fear= the yellow-tied Weatherhead stated.
=Something you humans will only have= the lead one added as it put the suitcase down.
"We get it..your robots...you have no emotion…" Makoto groaned.
"But they just...and the...OOh! Lemme tell ya somethin' alien robots with weather themed powers here to take over the earth; You messed with Mr Smoothy's! You can hurt me! You can hurt the thing I stand for! You can even hurt my feelings if I had any! But nobody...BUT NOBODY! HURTS! THE SMOOTHIE!"
"Or the chestnuts!" Makoto snapped as she shot up.
=We are doing you a favor. This place brings joy, and joy is a needless emotion, much like laughter, crying, and anger=
"ANGER IS ALL RATH IS!" Rath roared as he jumped and tackled over the Lightning shooter pinning him down.
"Wait. What about that…" Gwen began.
"SPOON!" Makoto declared as she charged, punching the short robot before grabbing the yellow-tied one and threw it into a car, "Hahaha...you guys go down really easy."
=Mockery...I'd be insulted...if I had emotions=
"Is that all you guys do?" Makoto asked, "Deny you have emotions you're clearly showing?"
=Lies!=
"Ha!" Rath roared punching his robot relentlessly, "You...are...surprisingly...sturdy!"
=We are made of a high durable metal, ergo..we do not feel pain=
"God such a b-ahh!" Makoto screamed when she was deluged with water before being blasted back by wind, "Oof…"
"I don't think physical attacks are the best pick with these guys." Gwen said, forming two barriers to block both their attacks from hitting Makoto.
"Grah!" Rath roared, being blasted into Makoto, The two having their fur/hair poof up from the residual static on Rath's fur, "Oh zapping doesn't feel nice...go figure…"
"Ya think?" Makoto deadpanned, "Mou...I wish Noellie wasn't busy…"
"And this is the garage for all the ships, tanks and other dangerous vehicles in the Plumber base." Noel motioned to Mai, "Apparently, Ben's not allowed in here for longer than ten minutes." she said as many an agent panicked upon hearing Ben's name as they ran to their personal vehicles.
"...What...did he do exactly?" Mai asked out of curiosity...and nervousness.
"I'm not sure...I think it involved an Alien named...Jury Rigg?"
"He made a sentient robot…" one Plumber muttered, walking past them.
"...Actually, you know what? Forget I asked…" Mai sweatdropped.
"I think Ben's joke about being a Vehicle Destroyer might be...accurate," Noel sighed.
"HA! Rath roared, tossing a car as it struck two of the Weather heads and sending them skidding back, "Oh yeah!" he roared before using his claws to slice up a car and turn it into boxing gloves.
"Oh come on, Ben…" Gwen sighed, seeing the destruction Rath was adding.
"What? She's done way worse," Rath pointed at Makoto.
"No I have not!" Makoto argued as she dodged a lightning blast.
"Yahuh!" he countered, punching the two Weatherheads and making them stumble back before he sent them flying away.
"Nuh uh!" Makoto countered as she grabbed a nearby trash can and tossed it onto the head of the lead Weatherhead.
"Have so!"
"Have not!"
"Liar liar plants for hire!"
"It's 'pants on fire,' baka!"
"Takes one to k-"
"STOP ARGUING LIKE CHILDREN AND FOCUS ON THE FIGHT!" Gwen snapped, her form changing for a moment as her eyes flashed magenta.
=The energy being is getting agitated=
=What an organic response=
=Yes...but how it benefits us= the lightning manipulator spoke looking at his arm as an energy bar began to refill =Your negativity is most useful=
"Wait...I'm not negative!" Gwen argued before turning to Rath crossing his arms, "Wha...I'm negative!?"
"Lemme tell ya somethin', Gwen Tennyson, my beloved cousin who has been my oldest friend since childhood...you are a Major buzz kill!" Rath declared.
"Wait a minute…" Makoto blinked, looking at the Weather Heads as they checked their arms, "AH!" she shouted before slapping Rath, knocking him down before grabbing Gwen and shaking her, "Stop! That's it!"
"Wha-What's it!?" Gwen panicked.
"They gain energy from negative human emotions! You're both just recharging them!" she declared, shaking Gwen more.
"Seriously?!" the two exclaimed.
=The oddly dressed evolved one has figured us out=
"Rude!" Makoto snapped.
=I'd be angry...if I had emotions=
"Wait...d'oh! He made me mad!" Makoto facepalmed.
"So...we can't fight them with negative emotions?" Gwen asked.
"Rath can't do that yo! He's ALWAYS ANGRY!" he roared as Makoto slammed her hand on the Omnitrix changing him to Shocksquatch, "Oh thank goodness, eh!"
"We need to do positive emotions, so...think of something funny to do!" Makoto suggested before looking back at the suitcase, the beeping getting faster, "I'm not liking the look of that suitcase!"
"I got it!" Shocksquatch smirked before rushing and tackled them over. He then jumped as he slammed his electrified fist into the shorter Weatherhead, pinning him to the ground.
=I...feel no negativity from this one…=
"Yeah, because nothing makes me happier than messing up the schemes of bad guys! Also, sorry, eh!" he chuckled.
"How did you know Shocksquatch could fight them?" Gwen asked.
"I dunno...I just know if you slap his Omnitrix, you can make him change," Makoto shrugged, "Honestly...I wanted him to turn into Way Big! I haven't seen that one yet!"
"Really Makoto…?" Shocksquatch deadpanned.
"I wanna see an Ultraman, dang it!" Makoto whined.
"You're a pretty big fan of toku stuff, ain'tcha eh?" Shocksquatch groaned, grappling with the lightning manipulator as their electricity surged around them.
"...Maybe…" Makoto muttered before jumping back from a blast that made a block of ice form where she had been, "Whoa-geeze!"
=Slight denial. Another negative emotion…=
"Guh...Not getting negative in a battle is harder than it sounds," Makoto cringed, her ears drooping a little before a mana barrier shielded her from another blast of ice, "That is so cool!"
"Thanks. Been training since I was eleven," Gwen replied before a strong blast of wind blasted into the barrier with the ice blasts, "Okay, now I'm getting annoyed. Venari glacies!"
The formed ice behind the two robots blasting at the barrier glowed before transforming into a pack of wolves and one bear made of it. The snarling and growls made the two robots pause in their attack to look behind them.
=Gust-O...If I had emotions, I'd be terrified= the shorter robot gulped.
"Then why did you gulp just now?" Makoto countered with a grin before the ice animals attacked the two, "How did you do that?!"
"Spellcaster," Gwen replied, "One of my teachers at college is actually a sorcerer, so I've been training under him. Feels nice to be learning it from someone and not just through a book and solo-practice."
"...Aliens...intergalactic space cops...transforming watches...and now witches and wizards that aren't prosecuted. ...Is it wrong that I'm starting to consider not trying to find a way back to my time and stay here?" Makoto pondered, "I mean if my family ended up here in this time, I'd love to get a place."
"Another point for the past, eh?" Shocksquatch laughed as he tossed the Weatherhead he was punching into the others.
=Gust-O, what do we do?= the electric robot asked.
=I am planning that, Shock-O=
=I think that they want another round= the short one noted, pointing at the ice wolves and bear.
=We see that, Hail-O= Gust-O replied.
"Wait...those are their names?" Makoto blinked.
"Considering they're named 'Weatherheads,' it fits, eh," Shocksquatch noted as Gust-O looked over at the Mr. Smoothy's building and then at Shocksquatch and Makoto.
[Those two generate a great amount of negative emotions when that was damaged] Gust-O observed in the form of a series of beeps.
[Agreed, Gust-O] Shock-O agreed in the same form of beeping.
[Shock-O, Hail-O, destroy it and make sure to have them see the machinery in it be destroyed] Gust-O advised.
[But what about the animate ice?] Hail-O asked.
[I can handle it] Gust-O replied.
"...They're not thinking what i think they are…" Shocksquatch realized as Shock-O and Hail-O aimed their arms at Mr. Smoothy's as Gust-O faced everyone.
"That they're gonna try and destroy Mr. Smoothy's, restaurant, masot, and all? Yeah...I think so…" Makoto whispered.
The ice wolves and bear charged only for Gust-O to swing an arm, unleashing a cyclone from his arm that shattered them and sent the shards at the trio.
"Spread!" Shocksquatch exclaimed as the trio quickly got out of the way.
"If anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears!" Makoto said before yelping, ducking under a lightning blast while pulling her tail down, "Watch the tail!"
"Don't...you...think what I think you're thinking, eh!" Shocksquatch as he used his electricity to cling to a light post, preventing him from being blown away.
=Commencing destruction of object that brings joy=
"And they thought it…" Shocksquatch growled before tapping his emblem once more, making a flash of light and being replaced with NRG, his bulky suit causing him to drop to the ground, "Da. I can work with this."
"Oh clever!" Makoto cheered, hiding behind him to avoid the wind.
"Step away or be smelted!" NRG shouted as he fired a radiation beam at the ground, making it warp and melt.
=Interloper has changed to a being with high radiation...It will not stop us=
=Correct. We do not feel fear=
"These guys are a broken record…" Makoto deadpanned.
"Da, but I guess that's to be expected of defective clunkers of robots," NRG added, "It's time to recycle them into something more useful," he spoke as his arms began glowing.
He then grunted as he jammed his hands into the ground. As the heat in his hands grew so powerful that sparks of energy came off them, the heat traveled along the ground as it melted the pavement into a lava-like state which swallowed the three Weatherheads up to their waists.
=...Well...this disrupts our new plan…= the short Weatherhead spoke.
=But Phase 2 is still in effect= the yellow-tied one stated
=Indeed. It is too late now…=
"Too late?" Gwen repeated before looking back at the beeping suitcase, "Oh shoot!"
"Get behind me!" NRG shouted.
"Already ahead of ya!" Makoto shouted just as the beeping hastened, "Wait...what is that thing anyway?! A bomb?!"
=Typical human response...it is Phase 2...A weather machine=
"...Huh?"
"Wait...Is that what's making the storm above us?" Makoto asked.
=Correct=
"So...if I break it...will it stop?" NRG asked.
=...Correct, but…=
"Too late! Going to break!"
"Ben, wait d-" Gwen began before NRG fired a blast that hit the suitcase, "...Oh my god…"
"Vhat?" NRG demanded.
"He said 'but!' You always wait when someone says that!" Gwen groaned.
"Since vhen have I ever done that, Gwen?" he argued simply, "Besides, what could possibly happen?"
"...Maybe that?" Makoto asked as she pointed at the storm above, which looked like it was starting to get a bit more violent.
=If I could display exasperation, I would= Gust-O noted, facepalming.
"...Okay. Maybe zat was my bad…" NRG muttered.
"YA THINK?!" Gwen and Makoto snapped before barely dodging a huge bolt of lighting from the storm.
=If we could, we'd be showing joy. The storm will cause so much fear=
"You know as it stands...you three could get blown up…" Makoto pointed out.
=...=
"...Seriously? It n-" Makoto began before some fierce winds began to blow into the area, "Ahh!"
=Makoto, what's going on up there?= Tsubaki's voice came from the communicator
"I...shall take...partial responsibility…" NRG grunted, planting his feet as the girls clung to his giant suit of armor for cover.
=...What did Ben do?=
"He destroyed something a bunch of weather controlling robots were using to control the weather," Makoto explained, "...Wait. How bad is the storm gonna get now?"
=...First; I'll be repremending Ben later with Gwen…= Tsubaki sighed =Second...I already sent an SOS signal to the town. The storm is slowly evolving into a Class 5 Hurricane=
"OH COME ON!" NRG complained, "Okay...think brain." he grunted, smacking his head several times, "Who can fix this…? Who…?"
=I would suggest Feedback= Rook noted =Conductoids have been known to absorb the kinetic energy within storms=
'Okay, something fishy is going on,' Makoto thought as she managed to see Gwen cringe.
"That...is not an option!" NRG grunted, "Someone else…" he groaned, "Days like zis make me wish I still had the Evolution Feature of the Ultimatrix. Even if it did give me the creeps..." he blasted the ground, making the trio drop into a sewage tunnel beneath the ground and out of the harsh winds, "Da. Zis is better."
"Ugh! It reeks!" Makoto groaned, covering her nose, "Why?!"
"For a better thinker," NRG replied as he tapped his Omnitrix, replacing himself with Brainstorm, "Better. Had I become my Cerebrocrustacean form upon the surface, the high velocity winds would have tossed us all away. Now then, what to utilize to handle this storm?" he looked out at the opening he made, "Category 5. Current wind speed appears to be 240 miles per hour. On the surface, those three weather-altering automatons that deny their ability to feel emotions that are more than likely getting more powerful by the second with all the negative emotions more than likely being displayed by those living on the surface." he looked over at Gwen and Makoto, "Down here, a Beastkin that, at maximum potential, can punch someone out of orbit, my intellectual cousin capable of performing spells through the utilization of mana, and myself. Perhaps a counter-rotation would more than likely cease this storm's assault, yet we would still have to deal with that insufferable trio of elemental manipulators." he turned to Makoto and Gwen, "Is there a way to get you to your maximum potential, Makoto?"
"I'd need a lot of Seithr to do that moon-reaching punch," Makoto admitted, "At best, I'd be able to get them into the Mesosphere with a good punch."
"Could we utilize mana as a substitute for that Seithr stuff?" Gwen asked.
"A sound theory, dear cousin. I have missed this," Brainstorm spoke up, "Though, this is all based on conjecture as, in her time, magic uses Seithr...but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Besides, it's not like you have a limited amount of Mana what with your being an Anodite."
"Right. If I could use it in place of Seithr, I might be able to pull off my Astral," Makoto agreed, "But those guys are so annoying! They can keep us away from them with those attacks of theirs."
"Yes, but they also display a noteable flaw: a denial of emotions," Brainstorm noted, "Come closer. I do believe that I have come up with a formula for our victory over this trinity of weather manipulators and the storm above."
=Despite the destruction of our weather controller, the negative emotions being produced all over the city are fueling us quicker than our estimations hypothesized= Gust-O noted, looking at his arm.
=Perhaps the interlopers did a better job than we anticipated= Hail-O noted =Will this hasten to Phase 3?=
=Indeed, Hail-O. Upon Phase 3, our true mission will begin!= Shock-O replied.
=Ha! Hahaha! Ahahahahaha!= Hail-O laughed before noticing the other two giving him looks =...um...This is the laugh I would laugh if I experienced excitement, which I do not=
A green flash of light went off from the hole in the ground the trio had fallen into. The Weatherheads looked in time to see a blur shoot out before they barely avoided the blur.
"Sorry, but I gotta run!" XLR8 called as he raced off.
=It appears he is fleeing= Shock-O noted =If I were programmed to pity, I would for the fact that this storm will continue to grow to cosmic proportions, unable to be escaped=
=And even then, it would take a force strong enough to blast us into space...which is unlikely= Storm-O added.
=If I had emotions, I would be...sarcastic to your premature boasting= Hail-O replied.
A moment passed before XLR8 stopped on a dime on the edge of the storm, several miles outside of the city. He looked around before nodding. His visor slid down once more before he began to run in the opposite direction of the storm's turning.
"Hoo boy, I hope I'm right about this…" XLR8 muttered as he ran as fast as he could.
=...Error. The wind is starting to slow down…= Gust-O noted
=...Did you somehow jinx it?= Hail-O asked.
=Negative. There is no such thing as jinxing= Shock-O stated.
=If I could display anger, I would do so upon you both for arguing= Gust-O frowned.
=What is going on up there? Ben, what are you doing?= Tsubaki asked.
"Oh, just a little storm rustlin'," XLR8 replied, "Yeehaw! Get along, little stormy! Not as fun as the last time I dealt with a machine that did storms, though."
=I still have the guitar you played to beat it= Max noted with a chuckle.
=If I were to be capable of displaying shock, I would be doing so right now= Shock-O admitted as the storm stopped blowing winds as the clouds had ceased their rotation.
"Then why's your jaw dropping?" Makoto's voice noted as she and Gwen emerged from the hole on a mana-made platform, "Seriously, what is your problem with emotions anyway? Did your maker have them a lot and because things happened, you thought him displaying emotions caused 'em or something?"
=...That is top secret= all three Weatherbots replied.
"...Fine. suit yourselves…" Makoto shrugged before smirking, "Just hope you guys have a first class ticket to space~"
=Why would we?= Hail-O asked =We do not require…=
=The mixed humanoids are doing something= Gust-O spoke.
"Potest etiam!" Gwen called out, her eyes glowing magenta.
She placed her hands on the center of Makoto's back and the Beastkin shuddered, closing her eyes. Magenta energy flared off of Gwen before travelling along her arms and right into Makoto's back. As the last of it went into her, Makoto took in a deep breath before exhaling with a shudder of excitement. Her eyes snapped open, revealing them to be glowing faintly.
"Ooh-hoo-hoo~! Now this is gonna be fun!" Makoto grinned, cracking her knuckles.
=...If I was able to show fear...this is where I would be showing it…= Hail-O gulped as Makoto reeled her fist back.
"Now rise…" Makoto began, star-colored and light-azure energy starting to form around her fist as a symbol faintly appeared behind her, resembling a diamond with tree branches climbing it as the Beastkin shot forward towards the three bots, "Power of the Stars! Astral Heat!"
=Astral…= Gust-O began to ask before she unleashed a barrage of punches, actually leaving dents in them.
"Gather, the great last strike! Teryayayayayayayaya!" Makoto roared, her fist becoming blurs before ducking down, her left fist practically glowing like a star, "With my mighty fist, fly up to the stars!" a crack of thunder erupted from the impact of her fist with the robots as the storm above was dispersed by the trio breaking Mach 34, "PLANET CRUSHER!-!-!"
Out in space, a meteor practically the size of the moon floated. As it passed by Earth's moon, three objects slammed into it, leaving a massive indent shaped like a fist in it.
=Ugh...I am regretting my entire existence= Shock-O groaned.
=We will meet those humans again one day= Gust-O stated =They have not heard the last of us=
=...The ground is breaking underneath us…= Hail-O spoke.
=...If I could display annoyance, I would do so now as I would say 'Shut up, Hail-O'= Shock-O groaned before the meteor exploded.
"Those guys were just another foe unworthy of my fist," Makoto snorted before groaning as she fell over, "Ugh...Mana feels weird~. I haven't felt this bad after my Astral since I first used it when...huh...when I was exactly this age, actually. ...Dammit. I have to retrain, don't I? Blarg..."
"...You…" XLR8 began as he blurred next too Gwen, both their eyes wide in shock, "You...saw that...right?"
"The symbol that appeared behind her, how the mana enhanced every single muscle, bone, and fiber in her body to their absolute limits, or the final punch that actually broke the storm you halted?" Gwen asked.
"Yes," XLR8 replied, "...You think the others at the base saw that?"
"Most likely."
"I….I...I do not…" Rook muttered in disbelief, unable to form coherent words right now as everyone in the base looked at the screen, "How…"
"...I'm not sure if I'm still reeling from that pizza, but...you all saw that...right?" Kevin asked.
"Okay...That? That right there should not have been possible," Driba noted.
"That was an Astral Heat," Kajun noted, "Though how she was able to utilize it despite there being no Seithr…" a glint appeared in her eyes, "Oh, the science in learning that!"
"Eek!" Noel, Tsubaki, and Mai screamed as they fled.
"She said it!"
"Oh god! Oh god! Oh god! We are doomed!" Mai freaked.
"Quick! Go get Ben! Go get Ben!" Tsubaki panicked, "He has a form that's like a volcano in terms of firepower!"
"Oh no need for that, kids," Max sighed, "No science here...just magic. If I was a gamblin' man, which I ain't...well not anymore." he laughed, "I'd say Gwen used her magic to give Makoto the power to replicate this...what was it…'Astral Heart?'"
"Astral Heat. It is when one utilizes the Seithr in their general vicinity in a copious amount to amplify their abilities to their absolute limit," Kajun noted, "Why, the one time Mai was able to use it, it could be equated to the explosive force of an atomic bomb."
"Yeah, I thought so…" Max sighed, "From how you kids describe it...It seems like a funky version of Mana. Nothing but magic, and...out of your field, Kajun." he smirked while crossing his arms in a manner not unlike a parent reminding a child of their place.
"Mou…" Kajun pouted before pausing to think, "Wait a moment...Makoto is currently in the physical age of sixteen. She didn't display it until she was seventeen, meaning...ooh. She may require physical therapy."
"Hm?" Max looked at Kajun.
"Yep. Just like she said. Sprained and pulled every muscle in her arms, waist, legs, and tail in that," Patelliday noted as Makoto whimpered on a medical bed, her arms, waist, and legs bandaged up while on her bed back in the house, "She'll need to have spend thirty minutes every two hours with ice packs, then thirty minutes of a heating pad, plus two asprin every four hours. And her bandages changed twice daily along with applying that medical cream with each bandage change. If all is said and done, she'll be fit to go back to duty in...mmm...two days."
"...You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Makoto asked, noting the smug grin on Kevin's face.
"Given all the flack you gave me after we first met? Oh yeah."
"You are just full of snark, ain't ya? Eh, can see why you and Ben are buds."
"In that case, I motion for him to take care of ya."
"Wait, what?" Ben blinked before Kevin wrapped his arm around him.
"Consider it payback for all the times you wrecked my car, and of course your half of the flack squirrel girl gave me."
"...Gwen, have you forgiven him yet?" Ben crossed his arms.
"Nope!" she instantly declared.
"Yeah...I watch anime too. None of those shenanigans," Ben spoke, walking off, "Sides she doesn't even let me touch her tail."
"He's right...only Noellie and those I really trust can touch it," Makoto added.
"...Fine…" Kevin muttered.
"Honestly Kevin...how Cliche," Gwen sighed.
"I'm offended you think that of me…" Kevin said in mock hurt.
"Well, you're spending all this time being snarky...but not a lot of time fixing," she motioned to the garage, "Get to it, grease monkey," she added tossing his rag he used to clean his hands in his face.
"And I'd love to help...but you don't like me being in the garage at the same time as you so I'm gonna go out and be awesome, later Kev!" Ben smiled jogging out.
"...I walked right into that…" Kevin groaned.
"I would like to assist," Rook offered.
"Sure. I could use an assistant," Kevin smirked.
"Oh...no no...I believe the Earth term is...that is adorable." Rook smirked, picking up a wrench, "You...shall be my assistant."
"Hey, hey, no tough guy tensions in my room unless you're sweaty and without shirts and are single," Makoto scolded, "Take that to Ben's across the hall."
"..."
"...Don't even think about it," Makoto frowned in annoyance.
"Allow me," Gwen offered as she grabbed Kevin and Rook by their ears and pulled them out.
"Why are you not displaying pain?" Rook asked, grunting a little from the tugging.
"I had one of the marbles Gwen made for me in my hand," Kevin replied, the tugged ear covered in a layer of bronze.
"Ah...clever."
"Ahh...what am I gonna do while I'm in recovery?" Makoto groaned.
"...Maybe see what's on TV?" Ben suggested as he walked back in, carrying a smoothie.
"Sure...got nothing better to do…" Makoto muttered as Ben turned the tv on.
=In other news, Bellwood had been hit by a mysterious Category 5 hurricane= Harangue stated as he frowned a bit =And who was there on the scene just as the storm hit? None other than that menace Ben Tennyson, and his army of freaks! Why, when the storm was at its worst, where was he? Taking laps outside of it without a care in the world! In fact...I think he's the cause of this storm!=
"His family name's kinda fitting," Makoto snorted.
"Huh?"
"You seriously don't see it? Harangue means mean or nasty speech," Makoto explained.
=And where was the epicenter? Why, one of his 'favorite' places. The Mr. Smoothy's on 4th and Bakes on the very day they were going to debut a new chestnut flavor for their smoothies. What's wrong, Tennyson? Not a fan of chestnuts and want to deny those that enjoy it their treat?=
"...Change the channel...Change. The. Channel…" Makoto said through gritted teeth, her eyes twitching violently.
"Already doing it," Ben noted as he changed it to show a cartoon purple fox with a red nose in a red shirt being flattened by an anvil, "Heh-heh. Ah, Zingo. A classic." he put the smoothie he brought in on the table by Makoto's bed before putting several straws together so she could drink it, "And one thing he left out is that I went back there after getting you here. A little Clockwork and they were back in business."
"...The new smoothie flavor?" Makoto guessed.
"I asked for a chestnut parfait smoothie," Ben replied.
"..." Makoto said nothing before taking the straw into her mouth and began to sip, "?! ...It...it…." small tears began to form in her eyes, "It's...perfect~"
"You are welcome." Ben chuckled, "Kinda my fault for suggesting you use your super scary punch of doom. But Brainstorm didn't take into account it'd hurt you."
"It's fine..but hey. We saved the day, right?" Makoto offered with a chuckle before wincing, "Ahh...regret~"
"Yeah...we did. Feels good having Gwen and Kevin back even if just for the week." he smiled, "But I think I'm getting used to a new team of weird…"
"Watch it…"
"And awesome friends." he chuckled.
"Aw…" Makoto giggled, "You're a pretty weird and awesome friend, too."
"Heh heh…" Ben chuckled again, "Still...get better soon. Otherwise, I'll be stuck with just Rook for patrols."
"He'll get joking sooner or later," Makoto joked.
"Hopefully soon…I can't tell you how many times I've had to stop and tell him: 'Earth expression.' How does a planet evolve to not have metaphors and stuff like that?"
"Honestly, I do not know," Makoto replied before smirking a bit, "...But don't worry. As soon as I'm healed, I'm back to whooping bad guy butt and making puns."
"Well you rest up. We got nothing big going on soon anyway. Me and Rook are just gonna go fishing with Grandpa and Pateliday."
"...and the girls?" Makoto asked.
"Dunno...I figure they'd hang here to take care of you…" he admitted.
"...eh. Most likely," Makoto noted, "Plus, it would give me a bit of time to catch up with the girls...and it makes me excited. Team Remix Heart is back!" she cheered, pumping a fist...before freezing up with wide eyes, "Ahh~ Ahh~ Regret…"
"You have got to stop doing that." Ben chuckled.
"I can't help it...I'm just so excited…" Makto pouted as he helped with the pumped fist, "Back at the academy, we were just a club that solved mysteries around the school. But here...well we could do that, but also be teenage superheroes."
"...Actually, now that you brought that last thing up, recall what you saw on Tsubaki's laptop?"
"Hmm?" Makoto blinked at that, "Kinda...just the name of a list...why?"
"And remember what Tsubaki said to Rook? They're up to something with that list," Ben noted, "I can try to get something out of Rook if you try to get it out of Tsubaki."
"Oh, I know how to get secrets out of her. I know...Mwahahahaha!" Makoto laughed in a cartoony evil way.
"...Did you just copy the bad guy's laugh in the cartoon or did you practice that?" Ben asked.
"...yes?"
SZ: And original chapter done..and before you all raise your pitchforks and torches on why we have something from the Ben 10 reboot...well…*ducks under a cannonball*...guys! Please explain!
GT: While the animation is strange at times with a weird redesign for Stinkfly-I am a believer that it's like the Murk and Perk Upchuck forms-, it's not all that bad when given a chance. But I am not letting out Xingo from the TV. Plus some villains in it...are really good villains.
SZ: Cool. And you z0?
Z0: I firmly stand by the Reboot as being Good *freezes time* Wait...wait *unfreezes it* I'm saying its a Good 'Show' I'm not saying its is at ALL better then the classic continuity. Cause...its not, animation wise the classic first show is...an artistic masterpiece that needs to be preserved in a museum. But...ugh did Ben and Gwen fighting get old fast. Reboot...they act like normal cousins...I never fought with any family that badly. But I suppose that's more behind the scenes concept layover thing...but still I will stand by the Reboot as being a good show and seasons 2 and 3 are where it begins hitting its stride.
GT: True. Very true.
Z0: Also...just the villains...they are fun...and come back...not just Animo and Vilgax. It was rare for the bad guys to come back after Ben defeated them unless they where an exceptionally important nemesis.
SZ: Mm hmm. And while I haven't seen the show fully outside of clips, it does look interesting. Reason I was hesitant on it is...well…*points to a certain show that shall not be named*
Z0: Yeah but this is a reboot...with the original creators still in charge of many aspects for those who don't know. Man of Action is still really involved in this. But that's enough about that just be sure to expect more from the Reboot to pop up like say...aliens~
SZ:...Fair enough. Ahem, anyway..thats all for now. Tune in next time for a canon episode. Read and review guys.