Galactic Shift Extend

by Seanzilla1988

A familiar Beastkin goes through a familiar abandoned Cauldron. However, she doesn't end up in another timeline, but Bellwood, home to a teen with a watch he wears on his arm that can change his shape to save the world from harm.

98. No Honor Among Bros

GT: Okay, I'll bite. SZ…Z0…Why are we at a gym?! I haven't been to one since a few weeks before moving from Florida to Missouri!

SZ: *pants while running on the elliptical*gotta..pump them irons, bro!

Z0: YEAAH! *lifts giant weights*

GT: *shakes head at the two* Hi, readers. Chapter 98 and, as you can tell, it's gonna be one of workouts, sweat, and stereotypical men stuff it seems.

Z0: MUSCLE! *rips through clothing with a body of pure muscle* Now we begin the story! *lifts car* Begin disclaimer!

SZ: WHOO!*flips over to the treadmill and runs*we own nothing aside from original content!

GT: Please start the chapter while I just go get a massage from the waterbed machines here.

SZ: FAir enough!

Z0: YEAH! *throws car at the screen*

---

It was the middle of the night in Plumber HQ. Currently, most of the Plumber agents were fast asleep with the Graveyard shift doing their part to keep things running for the night. Thankfully, there were a handful of Plumbers who were Nocturnal aliens so they had no worries taking the shift. But for most normal humanoids? It was the worst as someone had to, on the regular, make rounds to ensure the supervillains didn't try something in the dead of night. Especially since their Superpowered Heavy Hitters mostly went home off base to rest. At the moment, the only strong ones on base for the night were Jin and Rook, but they probably already went to sleep.

Speaking of which, tonight's graveyard shift was being overseen by Alpha Squad. They drew the short straw and the Omni Team was allowed to head home for the night. For those who didn't know, among the many small teams within Earth Plumber HQ, Alpha Squad was, despite their name, often seen as the B team to Ben's friend group. This was partly to do with a rather silly rivalry from the time Ben was forced to attend Plumber Academy, which sadly did not dwindle down when they were assigned to Earth Base.

"Basalisk, Banockt…" a Plumber patroller spoke as he looked over each cell, "…Fistina."

"Nighty nighty, Popper," Fistina waved as she had a white and pink-heart printed blanket over her.

"Ugh…" he shivered a bit at that before moving to the next cell, "Fistrick….Fistrick….Hey. Fistrick!" he began knocking on the door of Fistrick's cell, said gang leader currently lifting some weights, "Light's out!"

"Hang on, Bro!" he grunted, "Twenty more reps!" He lifted the barbell up a few more times.

The Plumber sighed as he walked off to continue the roll call of all the captured criminals and supervillains. After his voice could no longer be heard, Fistina got up and walked over to the mirror over the sink on the side of her cell before pulling it out, revealing a small tunnel which led to another removable mirror moved by Fistrick.

"You sure this will work?"

"I 100 percent guarantee it," Fistrick nodded before looking to his left as if to check the time, "But we gotta go now! Or we're gonna miss it!"

Fistina nodded before tapping her arm to open a secret compartment, holding a vial of strange caustic looking orange liquid. She grabbed it in her left hand before detaching said hand and letting it walk it through the tunnel and over to Fistrick's cell. Fistrick, on his side, took a towel and used it to…wipe under his arms and collect his sweat. He quickly took the towel and began wringing it out into a spray bottle, which seemed to already be over half-way filled. He then turned to the hand and grabbed the caustic orange compound. He poured it into the bottle, making the entire thing mix and bubble up, which then began to produce a thick stench that could visibly be seen. He gave the vial back to Fistina's hand as it returned to her.

"Hey! It's working~" Fistrick smirked in pleased surprise before grunting and coughing as the stench hit his nose, well no one said it was going to have a pleasant odor due to what went in it.

He quickly capped the spray nozzle on before turning and aiming at the lock on the cell. He pulled the trigger and sprayed the caustic orange mixture…which began rapidly corroding and eating through the metal locking mechanism to the point it melted into a puddle. Without a mechanism to hold the door, it just automatically opened. He ran out of his cell and up to Fistina's before doing it once more and melting the lock off her cell, letting her go free. The two silently nodded and began running for the exit, hoping to get away without alerting the Plumbers.

"See? What I tell ya?" Fistrick whispered, neither aware the lock to Fistina's cell jammed as it tried to close all the way and was letting that horrible stench go right into the Base's ventilation system.

It flowed through, and into the living quarters for the Plumbers. Sadly, one thick cloud went right into the room Rook was using for the night, the poor Revonnahgander breathing it in…causing him to groan in his sleep as he turned over in the bed.

"B-Bro…" Rook grumbled.

---

The next morning came around without a concern as far as most could tell. Rook groaned while getting up, having a rather unpleasant night's sleep. He'd forgotten how stiff the mattresses in the HQ barracks could be. He really should have gone home with the others, but he wanted to double check his report for the night…which was such a drag. He blinked at that rather alien thought that popped in his mind.

But he shrugged it off as he entered the bathroom. He looked himself over and began scratching his side before moving to under his arm. Like any man of literally any species…that intrusive thought won out and he lifted his fingers to his head well specifically his nose and gagged at the stench of Body Odor from a sweaty night's sleep. Yet oddly…not as terrible upon a second whiff, which he again shrugged off before looking himself over in the mirror. Mainly his hair, which…most people did not know, the black markings on his head's fur…were in fact his hair just combed back tight that it looked like markings in his fur. He focused on his hair for a rather long moment…

"No…that is not going to work…" he raised his hands to his head and began running his hands through his hair before lifting and styling it upwards like a mohawk, he took a moment to ensure it would stay in place before smiling, "Now that…" he smiled pointing at himself in the mirror, "...is a Bro who means business~" he smirked as he began flexing his muscles before raising his hands as finger guns, "Bang~Bang~"

He smirked as he walked out of the bathroom and found his Proto-Tool resting on a small workbench. He took a moment to look it over before smirking as a brilliant idea popped into his mind.

---

Meanwhile across town at the Omni-Team's shared home, the rest of our heroes were in the middle of their morning routines. Getting ready to head in for work and see what danger would need their attention today. Or at least what wacky adventure called to them. Ben yawned as he walked in, dressed for the day before he was given some breakfast.

"Thanks, Lambda~" he yawned as he sat down, "Where's Rook?"

"Stayed late to finish up our overdue reports," Lambda explained as she gently slapped Noel's hands away from the stove.

"I can help…" Noel complained.

"I wondered why I didn't hear the sounds of his morning alien tai chi," Ben muttered, "Well chances are, he's already waiting for us with some cases."

"I swear he's like a male alien Tsubaki when it comes to the job," Makoto noted as she walked over, wearing a red tee and brown shorts with baggy pockets on the lower half of the legs.

"Ah, he's just got that farmboy work ethic," Ben chuckled, "At least he doesn't have what I could only call a dangerous addiction to cacao products…"

"I do not!" Tsubaki shouted from the living room.

"Don't you start your days with a hot chocolate?" Mai argued, "Without fail?"

"Don't you usually start with Coffee Noel made for you?" Tsubaki retorted.

"Why am I part of the example…?" Noel slumped.

"Arf!" Drei barked as he pushed his food bowl forward with his nose with Mari.

"Oh! Sorry, Drei, Mari! I'll get you your breakfast right away, sweeties," Noel spoke, her mood doing a complete flip as she grabbed the bowls and zipped to go feed her pets their breakfast.

"Good pets," Ben smiled as Drei jumped into his lap, "But picking on Tsubaki aside…"

"I will end you, Ben…" Tsubaki grumbled.

"...I am just waiting for a call from Grandpa about what nonsense happened during the Graveyard Shift." Ben sighed, he then waited before they heard ringing from their badges, "Yep, that tracks."

"Can't even enjoy my morning dose of Fulminite DNA…" Skurd grumbled, fully sliding out from under the Omnitrix, he then slapped the Omnitrix to answer, "Yes, what is it?"

=Ben, Fistrick and Fistina escaped last night= Grandpa Max spoke up.

"Really…them?" Ben asked, Drei barking in response, "Good point, boy, one of them is a walking suit of combat and the other some sort of idiot criminal genius." the call being taken over by Tsubaki so as to get all the details.

"Okay, he did not say all that," Sari spoke up.

"Drei? One bark, yes. Two barks, no. Now…did you say all that?" Ben asked.

"Arf!" Drei happily barked.

"To be fair, that puppy actually tested with a higher IQ than most of you…" Kajun muttered.

"...You gave a puppy an IQ test?" Sari asked, raising a brow.

"Consider the following…Mari the Mink, Bluey the Blupee, and Funkfreed the Elephant-Sword," Kajun countered as she pointed at the trio…the biggest of them turning a page in the newspaper as the Blupee was reading the comics on his back while Mari was scribbling in a tiny notebook, "We have pets and a blade with higher sentience in comparison to other animals in the animal kingdom and most weapons without an AI…and with an AI in some cases. Of course I'd test their IQ."

"Also, we did save him from Inspector 13. Only makes sense whatever he did made a dog smarter than most humans," Ben held, Drei up who panted happily from the act, "It's just you know…this is still an actual puppy, so probably not much he can do with that well of knowledge at the moment." he then put Drei down as Noel returned with his and Mari's food, the corgi barking happily as he and the mink began running around her legs in excitement, "But…also still a puppy."

"So wait…that dog is smarter than most of us?" Makoto asked, "Which of us?" she leaned in.

"...Let's say the top five…and some of you are not…" Kajun said carefully.

"...Fair, I guess," Makoto shrugged..

=But still, back to the matter at hand?= Steel spoke up =Escaped convicts?=

"Oh right. We'll be over to start to help with the investigation, Grandpa," Ben informed.

=Thank you. I'll have J-=

=Magister Tennyson, something's up with Blonko= Jin's voice spoke up.

"Have you met Rook, Jin?" Max asked, raising a brow.

=Have you ever seen him with a mohawk and has he ever called you 'Bro'?= Jin retorted.

"...I'll be right there…" Ben blinked, "I put the dog in charge of the house with the mink as his second in command."

"Arf!" Drei barked at that as he sat proudly.

"Alright, this sounds important," Makoto sighed.

"I'll get the brain scanner," Kajun walked with them.

"Uh…I rather not get involved in this," Noel admitted.

"It smells of boy nonsense and stupid already," Lambda added.

"Weirdly? I feel the same…" Sari muttered.

"Ditto," Mai added.

=I'm recording this for blackmail= Steel laughed.

---

"Okay, so…this is totally not normal," Naoto muttered as he and Jin watched Rook radically alter his Proto-Truk.

As for said alterations, it was now mostly reflective gold with large all terrain tires, two diesel exhaust pipes along the cabin, a row of search lights attached to the top, and golden push bar bumpers on the front and back. There were also alterations to his armor. The sleeves were entirely ripped off, save for the parts that formed his gloves, and even then he cut the fingers off the gloves. His chest armor also had a large white skull pattern on it as well with multiple spikes decorating his shoulders, back of his gloves, belt, the sides of his legs and around his boots.

"Yo bros, mind helping me out here?" Rook called out, "I'm almost done with the upgrades to my Broto-Truk."

"I'm sorry. I'm just in shock, but…did you just say Broto-Truk?" Jin asked.

"Well yeah. Much cooler name," Rook replied, "Much like how I upgraded my Broto-Tool."

"That's…er…really something, Rook," Naoto noted, blinking a few times, "...Where did you get all the gold?"

"Just a paint job. No real gold used in any of it, bro," Rook assured.

"...Are you sure you're feeling okay, Rook?" Naoto asked.

"Never better, bro!" Rook assured as his 'Broto-Tool' reconfigured into a pair of planks with springs in the connection part of it that he started to use to do reps with his right arm, "I got in a dozen extra reps on the Bro-flex this morning!"

"Lab?" Naoto asked Jin.

"Now…" Jin nodded, "Blonko, we're going to the lab this instant."

"You can get in some more reps on the way," Naoto offered, trying to see if this would get him to willingly follow them.

"Awesome!" Rook smiled as he followed them.

---

Rook grunted, doing pullups on his Broto-Tool which reconfigured itself into a pullup bar for him, the entire time blaring dubstep could be heard playing from a set of earbuds he put in. The fact everyone could faintly hear it spoke of how high the volume was. But he was in the lab and being scanned by their medical technology to see what in the world was happening with their friend.

"Okay…now this is weird…" Ben muttered, "He's acting…like Fistrick…but weirdly slightly less annoying."

"Hmm…almost done…" Blukic muttered as he tapped on the screen of the device they were using to scan Rook.

"Are you talking to me?" Driba asked with a frown, "If so, I'm not hearing it!"

=What crawled into his suit?= Steel asked as he floated over to Blukic.

"One of his Mr. Smoothie collectable crunchy straws is missing," Blukic explained before glaring at Driba, "And he thinks Ah stole it, which Ah did not!".

"Well someone did! And until then, I am not speaking to any of you!" Driba declared.

"Aw, what? Those are pretty rare to come by," Ben noted, "Mostly for the fact they got discontinued due to parents worried about the straws breaking with how kids bite a little too hard on them."

"Ben, I love you to the ends of the universe and back, but focus," Makoto reminded, gesturing at Rook before raising a brow, "I swear those fangs in his mouth are bigger than usual."

"Kajun?" Max asked, "What have we got on Rook here?"

"I am 110 percent awesome!" Rook declared, "Right, bro?"

"One, don't call me 'bro,' or I'll figure out how to regrow your bin'thak," Kajun warned as Blukic turned the screen he was looking at to her, "And two? …You are not awesome with these results. There is a toxin inside of your body that is overstimulating several parts of your brain, primarily in your temperamental lobe!" she walked over to him and poked him in the shoulder with a pen-like device, making him hiss as she took it off, "I'll do some blood work. See what's in this toxin and I swear if Toxzon is involved, he is losing Mr. Fishy for a week!"

"Aw come on. Does it have to be a week?" Max asked, feeling a bit of sympathy for the mentioned villain.

"P'li was pink for two weeks the last time the madman got out of his cell! And he smelled of elderberries! Elderberries!" Kajun ranted in disgust, "You know how nauseous those make me, Maxwell!"

"Yeah, but he becomes such a baby without it, and that becomes my problem," Max sighed, "That one rampage where he lost it, he was actually close to doing damage to the ecosystem."

"Well he won't be able to this time when I'm done with him," Kajun stated.

"The scary thing is I'm more afraid of her," Max muttered.

"Kajun, we all agreed after the last time his…ahem…pet fish was not to be involved with his punishments," Grandpa Max reminded.

"Hmmm…oh well I can get creative…" Kajun grumbled.

"Okay, as riveting as this conversation is…what the heck's a Temperamental Lobe?" Ben asked.

"The Temperamental Lobe is the part of the Revonnahgander's brain that dictates their personality," Driba spoke up, "Is what I would say if I was talking to any of you!"

=Can I zap him?= Steel complained.

"That's way harsh, bro," Rook muttered.

"?! ...He used a contraction," Ben noted with wide eyes.

"Hey, no disrespect…" Rook began as he flipped over to the group, "And no offense, but there's nothing wrong with me, bros! Why don't we head out and look for Fistrick and Fistina…and knock their heads against each other?"

"Ben, he's your partner," Grandpa Max turned to his grandson, choosing to trust his judgment.

"Well he talks funny and has lousy taste, but that's never stopped us before," Ben shrugged, his trust and loyalty to Rook making him hope this new personality wouldn't change things too much, "Plus with all of us it shouldn't change things that much."

"It's freaky hearing him use contractions," Makoto admitted, "But he's still our by the book cop buddy."

"Damn right I am," Rook grinned before catching Ben in a headlock and began to give him a noogie, "Now let's go put the hurt on some jailbirds!"

"This is going to be a disaster," Jin sighed.

"Can I change my mind?!" Ben groaned.

---

"Guess not…" Ben muttered, crossing his arms as he sat in the passengers side of the Proto…er…the Broto-Truk.

"Keep looking, bros," Rook frowned as he looked around the streets as he drove, "They could be here somewhere…"

"Rook…is the idea to drive around 'till we find them?" Makoto asked from the back.

"Uh…" Rook muttered, "Is that not a good idea?"

"...The one time we need his detective skills…" Makoto sighed.

"Huh…With how Rook's acting, maybe we don't need the detective part," Max noted.

"You have an idea?" Ben asked.

"Maybe. One of our missing convicts is Fistrick and with how Rook's acting? He could easily think like the guy," Max explained.

"I could?" Rook asked.

=Of course ya can, buddy! Now think, man, think! Where would you go first after getting outta jail where ya couldn't do your normal business and had only prison food?= Steel asked.

"Oh! That totally sick vacant warehouse!" Rook smiled, "With a pitstop for some brain food! Ya know, vitamins and proteins and whatnot!"

"It's not a bad place to start," Ben nodded, "I mean you'd have to be a total bonehead to go back to the place where you first got busted. But given Rook is thinking like Fistrick, we know where said Bonehead went…"

"Oh the memories…It's the same place you time barfed Tsubaki!" Makoto laughed.

"And where I unlocked Gravattack," Ben recalled, "Pfft…And I remember Tsubaki kept asking questions about stuff you didn't have in 2199…like cars."

"Can you blame us? We had flying boats to move between the mountains that had our thirteen cities, but streets too small for vehicles like cars. Just bikes," Makoto reminded, "...Oh! You think that guy you spooked at Rath will be there?"

"I mean Fistrick going back there is one thing, but those guys can not be that stupid to…"

---

"They are that stupid," Jin muttered as they found Fistrick's goons just sitting in the warehouse…clearly living out of it.

=I do like their setup= Steel noted =One of these guys do a side business in home decor or something?=

"Steel…"

=What? I'm curious=

"Hey guys, check it!" one of the goons shouted as they got up out of the couch, "It's Ben and the boys…and they brought a girl with 'em!"

"Excuse you and your testosterone-fueled ego?" Makoto frowned.

"Thrash your thirst with an electrolyte-fueled beverage?" the goon asked, ignoring the Beastkin as he opened up a mini-fridge.

"Oh totally, bro! I can really chug on one right now!" Rook grinned, "Ben, you…"

"This isn't a social call, Corvo," Ben sighed to the goon, "We're looking for Fistrick…any chance you guys might've seen him?"

"Woah woah woah. Keep cool," Corvo chuckled as he closed the mini-fridge, "I haven't seen him…yo dudes! You guys' seen Fistrick?!"

"Who?" one goon asked.

"Nah, I haven't heard anything," another added.

"Nope and someone square me up!" one exclaimed as he was busy lifting weights.

"...They're lying," Makoto deadpanned.

"Obviously," Jin muttered, "Meaning their leader is hiding out in here somewhere…"

"Hah…" Ben sighed, tapping the Omnitrix and turning into Wildmutt. He then began walking around and sniffing for the scent of Fistrick and Fistina.

=Psst…Rook= Steel whispered =Get the deets from 'em=

"Huh?"

=You're one of them right now. You think like 'em, talk like 'em= Steel explained quietly as he gestured at the men =Go be a bro and get info from them=

"...Ahh. Gotcha," Rook nodded before he walked over and plopped onto the couch, "Ooh…this couch is rad! Does it come in black leather by any chance?"

"Nah…leather's just too messy to clean right," Corvo shook his head.

"Ah bummer. Can totes get it though, bro. At the house, we had to replace the old one because of that same reason."

"Ah that's a bummer, bro."

"I hear the word 'bro' one more time, I'm gonna snap…" Jin muttered with an eye twitch.

"Calm down Jin, we have actual problems to look for." Max sighed.

"That's easier said than done," Naoto groaned, "These guys are either really this stupid, or maybe they just got done taking some herbal relaxants~"

"That makes sense…" Makoto muttered.

"Rah!" Wildmutt growled, getting their attention as he stopped in front of a large stack of crates.

Before anything could be said however, something came charging through the stack of crates, making Wildmutt tense up before a large dune buggy knocked him away as it skidded to a halt, revealing the driver to be Fistrick with Fistina sitting in the passenger's seat.

"Woah! Neat Doney!" Rook awed.

"Farewell, little Rook!" Fistina waved.

"...So what was that about him not being here?" Makoto asked, giving them the stink eye.

"Ya didn't specify where 'here' was," Rook pointed out.

Makoto let out a strangled noise at that response, her eye twitching madly. Fistrick glanced over his shoulder at Rook before grinning on seeing the new look. Fistrick then pushed on the gas as they took off, climbing over a stack of crates and then right through the one door that was still closed.

"...ugh," Jin sighed before taking his badge out, "Tsubaki, we found Fistrick and Fistina…proceeding to pursuit."

=Understood. Keep me updated if anything happens=

"Right we'll be in tough." Jin sighed.

"After them!" Makoto shouted, jumping on top of Wildmutt as she raised a fist in the air," High ho, boyfriend!"

=I seriously worry about her…= Tsubaki sighed.

"You and me both," Skurd deadpanned.

"Blonko get the truck!" Jin called out.

"I'm on it bro!" Rook cheered as he and the others rushed for the Broto-Truk just as WildMutt ran off to chase after Fistrick.

---

"Come on come on…" Fistina whispered, impatiently patting her hands on her knees as Fistrick drove his vehicle into the abandoned train tunnels.

"I'm hurryin', okay?! I don't wanna be late as you!" Fistrick argued before he heard a revving sound, seeing the Broto-Truk driving straight towards them just as they drove into a cave entrance on the side, "Well damn, bro's got some skill!"

"Punch it, will ya!?" Fistina snapped, "...vait. Where is Tennyson?"

"RAH!" Wildmutt roared landing ont the back of their car, his claws digging into the trunk to keep him in place.

"BRO Not the paint!" Fistrick snapped, only to flinch as a claw strike almost hit him, "Not the hair! Not the hair!" he swung a punch only for Wildmutt to grab his fist, "Not cool!" he grunted as his arm was twisted around making the car swerve.

"Bad doggy!" Fistina growled raising her hand only to grunt as Makoto kicked her, "Was you riding on him!?"

"I alone have that privilege!" Makoto declared.

"Rah…arf…" Wildmutt complained.

"Well your the one who took it that way," Makoto smirked.

"Rah! Rah!" Wildmutt barked as he swung Fistrick around, making him smack his head into the steering wheel a few times.

"Bro-Gah!-Not-Gah-Cool!" Fistrick grunted with each bash of his face against the solid metal/non-padded steering wheel he installed.

"What's your game? What could be so important that you teamed up with this jabroni?" Makoto catching Fistina's punch.

"Very important~" Fistina smirked, "To achieve a childhood dream!"

"That can mean an untold amount of potentially weird things!" Makoto grunted as she began overpowering Fistina.

"Grr? Rah! Rah-Rah!" Wildmutt barked as he pointed ahead.

"What…Oh crap!" Fistrick grunted as they were reaching the end of the tunnel showing a small practically closed off section of Undertown.

"OH GEEZ!" Makoto yelped as she and Wildmutt quickly hopped off just as Fistrick crashed into a support beam.

"GH!" Fistrick grunted as the crash nearly shot him and Fistina out of their seats, "Ahh…that better not have dented my ride, bro!"

"Worry later! We're here!" Fistina exclaimed as she hop out of her seat, Fistrick sighing as he followed suit before the two began to approach one big building in the back, a banner displaying a golden fist with the words' Golden Fist Tournament' written underneath it, "I've dreamt of this since I vas a tiny little girl," she smiled as she imagined a little girl version of herself receiving a large golden gauntlet.

"...yeah. It's pretty sick alright," Fistrick noted with a grin..mostly focusing on the golden fist on the banner as he imagined himself wearing it on a chain over his neck, all while the crowd chanted 'bro' over and over again.

"Mmm?" Wildmutt asked as the Omnitrix timed out and reverted him to Ben, "Okay what is happening here?" he asked looking at the sign, "Unlimited Class Fighting, the Golden Fist Tournament?"

"A fighting tournament?" Makoto blinked.

"I feel whoever came up with the name is a few words short of a lawsuit from Namco Bandai," Skurd commented just as the Broto-Truk caught up with Ben and Makoto.

"I'm sorry what?" Jin blinked, him and the others quickly getting out of the vehicle as he read the sign.

"They escaped just to fight in a knock-off Tekken tournament?" Max raised a brow.

Rook on the other hand…couldn't help but look at the banner in awe, mostly at the Golden fist as he imagined wearing it on a chain over his neck..all while people cheered on his name, "That…is genius! Bros, we gotta enter!"

"Uh say what now?" Ben blinked.

"Oh…the Bro-ness is strong with this one…" Makoto sighed, "If Fistrick thinks its a good idea…Rook will too."

=He ran off just as you were saying that= Steel deadpanned.

"Wh-?" Ben began before looking ahead, seeing Rook running right into the building just as Fistrick and Fistina did, "..oh come on, man…!"

"Wait…we're not going to enter right?" Jin asked.

"Pattern recognition points to…we are." Naoto sighed.

"I mean…most of these guys look like the normal idiots we beat up." Max spoke, "If they are willing to escape for this, the prize has to be something worth the trouble. We could either fight all of them at once, or beat them up one at a time, win, book them, and lock up this prize back at HQ."

"..."

=..you'll get the chance to fight Ben=

"ONWARD!" Jin shouted as he ran off.

"Steel!" Max snapped.

=What? It was the only way to convince him=

"One thing I hope there isn't for this? A volcano and a dad and son or grandpa and grandson in this," Makoto stated.

"Ah ha! See?! Even she sees it!" Skurd exclaimed.

"...I'm gonna be the mature one and call people to help us…" Naoto sighed, pulling out his badge, "Man that is weird to say out loud."

=Tsubaki here, what's happening?=

"We're entering a fighting tournament." Naoto stated bluntly.

=Makoto what did you do?= Tsubaki demanded.

"First off; totally not me," Makoto stated, "Second off; We tracked Fistina and Fistrick into a knock-off Tekken Tournament…and Rook and Jin are entering."

=Oh, I se-WHAT?!=

"He wants a chance to fight Ben."

=Oh for…JIN!=

"No, yeah, he already ran off to sign up…" Naoto muttered, "Chances are things are gonna get crazy. And pattern recognition points to us being sucked up into it."

=Makoto no!=

"Wha…I wasn't gonna…It's not fair! Why does my boyfriend get to enter but I don't!? I'm the martial artist in this relationship!" Makoto complained, "Besides, Fistina's joining, so why can't I?!"

=Because chances are you'll end up destroying the entire arena with your monster strength= Tsubaki deadpanned.

"That's not fair, Ben can turn into Ultraman, a small-scale Kaiju, a walking supernova, and elemental disasters!" Makoto complained.

"Yeah but isn't Ben more or less the walking Super soldier of any alien he turns into? So he's kinda winning even with his normal aliens?" Naoto pointed out.

=Also, Ben can end most fights fast if it's one on one. At the very least, we need a stealth expert to scope the location out while we prepare backup to bust and capture the criminals. And our Stealth expert is who?= Tsubaki asked slowly/tauntingly.

"...Me…" Makoto sighed as she slumped.

=Exactly. Besides, I know you, Makoto. You will go overboard to win; and, if you face Ben…he will let you win…so he can't stop you=

"Well…that's just love," Makoto sighed, "But fine, I'll do the boring job while the boys enter a fighting tournament…and have fun!"

=Don't you have a cheerleader costume meant to cheer Ben on from another universe?= Steel asked.

"Mmhmm~" Makoto smirked.

"Well, that will either inspire Ben to victory…or distract him at the worst moment," Max muttered.

"This day is going to get nuts…" Naoto sighed.

"Very nuts," Ben sighed, "...Still, good luck, b-" he began as he looked to his side…and saw no sign of Makoto, "?! Wh…"

"Psst…look there," Skurd spoke as he pointed a tendril at a Squirrel running straight for an air vent on the building's side.

"...Huh. Guess she managed to master it," Ben noted.

"Mastered what?" Naoto asked.

"Something we got from Ban's universe."

=So she can turn into a full-on squirrel now?!= Steel asked, his optic displaying an exclamation point in his surprise.

"Yeah."

=...= Steel spun around and grabbed the sides of Max's face =SEE?! YOU SEE?! I TOLD YOU I WASN'T GOING INSANE WITH THAT SQUIRREL IN THE TOP HAT AND CANE OUTSIDE THE WINDOW DOING A DANCE ROUTINE ALA MICHIGAN J. FROG!=

"Okay…Makoto doing it makes sense…" Max muttered.

---

"Oh! Dudes!" Rook wavered, pausing in lifting some weights as Ben and the others began to approach him, "You decided to join me and Jin in the tournament?!"

"Against my better judgment…" Naoto spoke.

"Against all logical sense…" Max added.

"Against my sheer desire not to…"

"Yes," all three nodded.

"Sweet~" Rook grinned.

"Still better be careful," Ben muttered as he looked around, "Fistrick and Fistina are probably hiding amongst these meatheads…" he flinched when a muscular green alien in armor growled at him, "Uh…no offense."

"You need to work your lats, bro," Rook spoke as the alien turned towards him, "Remember, it's all about the core!" The alien just growled in response as he began to walk away, "...So, Ben, where's Makoto? She skipping out? If so…I honestly thought she'd jump at the chance to join, too."

"She's doing actual work," Max sighed.

"Which is what you should be doing," Naoto added.

"But I am…" Rook argued before pointing to the side, showing Liam currently lifting some dumbbells, "Liam's here, so chances are he may know where Fistina is."

"Hey Chick-Fil-A!" Ben called out, making Liam flinch, "Where's your buddy Fistina?"

"Bukaw! I don't know! I'm clean! I swear!" Liam freaked as he held his hands up…which resulted in him dropping the barbell on his feet, "?! BUKOWWWWW!"

"Dude seriously needs to cut down on the millet," Rook muttered, "That stuff makes you crazy paranoid."

"Look we're not here for you, for once…" Ben sighed, "We just want Fistina and Fistrick. Point them out, I'll drag them to jail, and you can go about your day. Don't…and well I'm entering this thing and your chances of fighting me go up. And so far? Fistrick has put me in a bad mood."

"I don't know!" Liam yelped, "I've-bukaw!-just been working out to get hyped for the tournament."

"...Fine. Then…"

"We'll need to win," Jin stated as he walked over, his sword already out, "And before you ask..I was looking into the prize a bit…turns out this Golden Fist has some power to it…also…" he sighed before muttering something, "...gn…."

"...I'm sorry?" Ben blinked.

"Infin…"

"Infin-what?" Naoto repeated.

"It looks like the Infinity Gauntlet!" Jin hissed to the boys.

"Oh no…" Ben sighed, "Well I guess we kinda have to take it. Even if it's just a really cool power glove…can't let these idiots take it." he sighed, earning some glares, "Oh everyone knows you're stupid; just accept it!"

"So all we need to do is just fight our way, hope one of us wins the Golden Fist, and we lock it up before Captain Testosterone and the rest of these guys get it," Naoto noted, "...know what? May as well enjoy myself then…"

"You're gonna use your heavy hitters?" Max asked, making all the contestants pause with tense forms.

"Nope. I'm going to do this a little differently," Ben replied, "Skurd?"

"Which playlist?" Skurd asked.

"Surprise me," Ben replied, "For this tournament, you get to pick the alien in each fight and I have to improvise on how to win with them."

"Ooh~ Devious," Skurd beamed.

"Oh I am so pumped!" Rook grinned widely, "I can't wait to start knocking heads with my skills!"

=...Anyone else feeling weird hearing Rook use contractions here?= Steel asked, earning a few mutters of agreement from some of the contestants.

"You're not the only one…" Skurd admitted before a bell rang.

"Oh! That must be the signal!" Rook beamed as the other aliens began to walk out, the Revonagahnder currently pushing Ben and the others, "Let's hurry so we don't miss our spot!"

"When did you get so strong?!" Max exclaimed in shock.

"I blame whatever's in him that's making him like this!" Skurd declared.

---

=Ladies a~nd gentlemen! Welcome to the 227th annual Golden Fistt Unilimited Fighting Class Tournament!= a robotic alien with four eyes declared, riding on top of a hover platform while speaking to the crowd of cheering people.

"Oh no…not this jerk again…" Ben groaned, "It's the jerk who turned me into a Space Slave Gladiator!"

"Wait, what?" Jin looked at Ben in surprise.

"Well, I was ten and…"

"Say no more," Jin held up a hand, "I can already tell this story is going to give me a headache."

"Weird. He sounds more…uh…emotional…and flashy…" Ben muttered, "Maybe he went legit…"

=Before we get started, I'd like to go over the rules…!= the robotic alien spoke up, earning silence from the crowd =...There are no rules in the ring!=

"...Well, kinda legit," Ben muttered, "Well before today's over…I'm smashing him into a paperweight."

"Okay, so clearly this guy really upset Ben," Naoto muttered.

=Guys pact: no one gets between him and the announcer when it's time= Steel suggested.

"Agreed," Max whispered.

=Now…!= the announcer began just as Liam and Fistina walked out onto the area =Let the beatdown commence!=

"Buk-kay…Now we'll finally find out who is the better fighter between us!" Liam gave a few practice swings as he stared down his coworker in crime and misdemeanors, "Bukaw, I've been waiting a long time for this!"

"Little Chicken…somebody get Fistina a bucket!" Fistina smirked.

With that, the fight began, but it wasn't much of one as Fistina opened with a rocket punch to Liam's face before grabbing her hand to reattach it. She then wrapped her arms around Liam…and swung him up for a piledriver. Liam groaned only to cluck in pain at an elbow drop to his back, acting as the finisher to this battle as the humanoid chicken was knocked out cold.

=Winner! Fistina!=

"Saw that coming a mile away…" Max deadpanned as a pair of paramedics carried Liam off on a stretcher.

"So if Liam is a gym bro…why is Kickin Hawk like twice his size still?" Ben blinked more so to himself and Skurd.

"He's a regular gym going meathead…you are the prime example of the species…your Kickin Hawk form is what he wishes he could be." Skurd explained.

"That first butt kicking must have done a number on his price as a muscle head." Ben muttered.

=Next up, Kilgorax VS Fistrick!=

With that a Tetramand Gladiator stepped out, with Fistrick standing across from him. Fistrick grunted, knowing he stood very little chance in a fair fight with a Tetramand. His many battles with Ben proved that. So the criminal decided he needed an edge. In his hand he had a salt shaker…which he gripped till it broke in his hand. As soon as the gong rang, he swung his hand and tossed the shattered glass and salt into Kilgorax's eyes, making him groan in pain. Fistrick then smirked before raising his knee and landing a low blow to the Tetramands groin making him grunt and double over…leaving him wide open for a rising headbut to his jaw from Fistrick. Kilgorax groaned as he stumbled back from the combined dirty attacks, and fell over to the ground. After a moment to confirm he wasn't able to get up to continue the match, the gond was rung again and Fistrick smirked, holding his hands up in victory.

=Winner! Fistrick!=

"Ugh…" Ben groaned, "This is gonna take forever…"

"It's just dirty tricks and overpowering strength." Max noted.

=Should be easy for us= Steel added =Just gotta go Strength and boom! We sweep to teh finals=

"Don't be so sure." Jin spoke.

"Oh you're going full ham on this aren't you?" Naoto sighed.

"This is my chance." Jin stated.

"Bro it's my turn!" Rook cheered, jumping out of the window of their viewing area.

=Rook vs Solid Plugg!=

Sure enough standing across from Rook was Solid Plugg wearing headgear. Rook smirked as the gong was struck and he rushed in and began punching the shorter alien…to literally no effect. Rook jumped back and swung his leg firing a Rankyaku…but it just hit Plugg and washed over him to no effect.

"Bro…" Rook blinked as he pulled his Broto-Tool and turned it into a tonfa before he dashed forward and struck Plugg, but again to almost no effect.

Plugg yawned as he crossed his arms and ignored the onslaught of strikes. Rook began to pant as he started to tire out, sweat pouring off him as it dripped onto the floor. Plugg grinned as he began to approach Rook..only to end up slipping in the puddle of sweat as he fell back first onto the floor. Everyone blinked, as it seemed this fall dazed Plugg enough that it counted as a down.

=Winner ROOK!=

---

"Did you catch that bro?! I owned the little dude!" Rook cheered walking up to Ben.

"Seemed kinda like a cheat…" Ben shrugged.

"Whoa-Whoa! The title's on the line!" Rook argued, "No Honor Among Bros!"

"Uh-huh…" Ben rolled his eyes.

=I saved the moment to watch and laugh at later= Steel chuckled =And I thought that only happened in cartoons. Bravo, Rook, bravo=

"I mean it is a No Rules tournament…" Max sighed, "That means technically anything goes. Weapons, tricks, dumb luck."

"So chances are Jin's probably gonna be perma-freezing his opponents just to fight Ben," Naoto muttered.

=Oh! I wonder if they have a betting booth. I wanna put a bet on him doing just that only to lose to Ben using a form that makes him laugh=

"You mean that betting booth?" Max pointed.

=Hahaha!= Steel flew off with Max's wallet.

"Wh-?! Ahh, Steel!"

=Money! Money! Money!=

"Well he's gone full Mr. Krabs…" Ben sighed.

"Well it is easy money…" Skurd sighed.

---

"Okay…what could this place be hiding…" Makoto's voice whispered out of the squirrel Ben saw earlier, her headfur done up exactly like Makoto's hair as she crawled along the ventilation shafts.

=Next Round! Jin Kisaragi VS Thunderpig!=

"...Well, I feel sorry for that poor porker," Makoto muttered, peeking down from a nearby vent as she saw both Jin and Thunderpig standing across from one another.

"I, Thunderpig, will take pleasure in bashing your face in…like putty wh-hey!" Thunderpig snapped as Jin began to walk away, "We're about to fight! ...Or are you surrendering to Thunderpig, knowing you are a c-"

"No…" Jin whispered as he was already halfway sheathing his katana, "You already lost…"

"Huh?" Thunderpig blinked at that as Jin finished sheathing Yukianesa…resulting in Thunderpig being engulfed in a large ice crystal, "?!"

=WOW! I HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH A FAST VICTORY!= the announcer gawked.

"Easy money…" Makoto chuckled, "Hmm…wish I could go back and put it all on Ben…for now, mission," she whispered as she resumed running through the vents. As she made a turn, a glow soon caught her attention, making her blink as she began to run towards it, "What is this…?" she whispered as she looked through the vent…before blinking a bit as she quickly rubbed her eyes, seeing a giant golden gauntlet…with six…different colored…gems….on it…, "...is….is that…no…that has to be some knockoff…"

A sudden tremor made her blink and run back the way she came to see what happened, blinking as she saw Max, in Turbo Strength mode, slamming an alien headfirst into the dirt of the stadium.

=Winner Max Steel!=

"Well…I let them try…" Max sighed, scratching his helmet, "Hopefully this doesn't take long."

=Agreed= Steel agreed as Max left the field to go back to the gym part of the arena =Heads up, you've got the squirrel on your right=

"Right," Max noted as he leaned against the wall by the vent, the height boost of his Strength form making it so his head was practically right next to it "...How goes the sleuthing?"

"The prize…is an Infinity Gauntlet!" Makoto declared in a hushed tone.

"...Come again?" Max blinked, 'I thought Jin was exaggerating about that…'

=Excuse me what?= Steel blinked, popping out of Max's torso.

"I-I mean it looks like one. Got all the stones in the right places and everything!"

=...Marvel comics are real?!= Steel gawked.

"I don't think it's the real thing, Steel," Max noted, "Still…This tournament's been a thing for 227 years, right? It could be the Infinity Gauntlet in the comics is based off what Makoto found or something. Like the xenomorphs in Alien."

"I still can't believe those things are used for cooking and that Grandpa taught Noel how to cook them," Makoto groaned before shaking her head, "Ah, focus! Some sorta Infinity Gauntlet is the prize! Please tell me you guys have got a plan!"

"Yeah…turns out there aren't any rules here, so at best we're gonna try and breeze through," Max replied.

"...ah man…" Makoto slumped before shaking her head, "Right…I wish you guys luck. I'm gonna go further examine that knock-off Infinity Gauntlet…and hope it doesn't work like the legit thing."

=Well, if you do snap its fingers, just think acorn rain instead of wiping out half the universe=

"I'm not gonna do that! But Acorn rain…does sound hilarious~" Makoto giggled.

"This thing is filled with a lot of meatheads…chances are an instruction pamphlet?" Max offered.

"Oh there has to be one…" Makoto whispered, "Gonna go look a-"

=Next round! Ben 10 vs Yetta!=

"...Ahh mou~~~" Makoto whined as she pulled on her bangs.

=You want to go watch Ben win, don't you?= Steel sighed.

"Yes…yes I do…but the mission…"

=I'll record them…= Steel groaned.

"I owe ya one, buddy!" Makoto shouted as she ran off.

=Oh it will pay for itself, this will be either quick or entertaining as heck= Steel chuckled.

---

"Well I guess I'm really doing this." Ben sighed, standing across a female Gimlinopithacus as they both stood in the arena.

"Oh I do apologize, little man, but I'd like to win that golden fist don't you know?" the female Gimlinophitacus informed.

"Yeah, I'm sure everyone here does," Ben sighed, "But this is literally my job to prevent that from happening. Personally…I just want this to end…so I can smash his head into a hubcap." he pointed to Slix who froze at that not so subtle threat, "He kinda tried to enslave and kill me…so it's personal." he dialed up the Omnitrix, "Alright, let's see who we get."

"Oh you really want to crush that robot…I love this side of you~" Skurd teased.

"Trust me…this is personal," Ben whispered to him as he looked through the list, "So who's up first?"

"Hmm…this one," Skurd replied as he pushed down on the core.

A green flash enveloped Ben before replacing him with Mole-Stache. Everyone blinked at the short alien before laughing. Yetta laughed as well before the bell rang and she was suddenly punched by a giant fist made from Mole-Staches partial namesake mustache. She blinked before more punches began hitting her, knocking her around before an uppercut sent her sprawling to the ground.

"I dare say, good lady, mayhaps you shouldn't judge a small package before it opens a right good can of butt kicking, yes~" Mole-Stache smirked as he made his mustache hand construct 'crack' their knuckles.

"..Ooh you can hit harder than I thought now, eh?" Yetta noted as she got up "...ok. Then I am sorry for this."

"I am sure you are, but I also think you enjoy this…" Mole-Stache sighed before being zapped by a powerful bolt of electricity she fired at him, "S-Smashing…" he coughed up a bit of smoke.

Mole-Stache shook it off before he slammed his mustache hands into the ground and used them to lift himself up into the air to avoid the next electric blast. He used the hands to jump before he brought his mustache around behind his head, and intertwined them to make propeller blades that kept him aloft. Yetta blinked as she shot a few more electric blasts, Mole-Stach smirked as he dropped down behind Yetta who was still looking up.

"Excuse me, Madam," Mole-Stache tapped her shoulder with his mustache hand, "But I need to call this an end to this game." he punched Yetta, sending her flying and sliding across the dirt, "Oh you don't want to do the electrical generation thing while covered in dirt…" He flinched as a bright flash went off and Yetta coughed smoke this time, "I learned this the hard way. Too much dirt in the fur and the conductivity is ruined." he lifted a hand and bonked her on the head, making her flinch…and fall over face first.

=Winner Ben 10!=

"We could have finished that faster as Feedback or Shock Rock." Skurd noted.

"Maybe, but I consider this a challenge towards myself." Mole-Stache stated as he flashed back to normal, "I have so many aliens, some I haven't even used yet. Some that yeah…not really combat heavy. But it is worth seeing what I can do."

"Good point, besides, we would have ended it sooner if I added something to the mustache." Skurd added.

"Plus Omni-Kix after that…hmm…we might be overpowered Skurd." Ben joked.

"Oh indubitably~" Skurd giggled.

=Next round! Naoto Kurogane Vs Captain Nemesis!=

"And that's our cue," Ben chuckled as he began to leave the arena, raising his hand up as he and Naoto high-fived just as they passed each other, "Knock 'em dead, buddy."

"Got it," Naoto grinned as he cracked his knuckles.

"Hmmph." Nemesis adjusted his gauntlets as he walked in, "So if I win…I fight Tennyson next."

"Huh…didn't think of that." Naoto muttered before his hair flashed white, "Sadly for you…that might not come."

"Everybody has a gimmick these days…" Nemesis grumbled seeing this.

=FIGHT!=

"RAAGH!" Naoto roared as he charged at Nemesis, his fist reeled back as blood-red energy came off it.

"Unlucky for you however…" Nemesis began as he quickly side stepped, letting Naoto punch a metallic sphere..which soon engulfed both his hands in metal, "I play smart."

"Wh-? Hey!" Naoto grunted as he tried to free his hands, "What…is this stuff?!"

"Liquid metal, my boy. Unless you have some fire powers, you…" Nemesis began before leaning back from a kick from Naoto, "?!"

"Doesn't mean I still can't kick ya!"

"Why you snarky little…no wonder your part of Tennyson's gang of hoodlums…" Nemesis grunted as he avoided another kick.

"Hey, we're Space cops, you're the rich guy who went mad with power and ego to the point he turned evil!" Naoto argued, spinning around to land a kick that Nemesis blocked, but it still sent the armored man flying back, "Ben's told us about you pal, I'm not gonna listen to you complain about the people who do the actual hero work."

"Why you little…!" Nemesis growled as he fired a laser from his wrist armor, prompting Naoto to roll out of the way as he came charging at him, "?!" he tensed before he jumped back form an overhead kick from Naoto.

"So this is your gamplane huh? Gonna try and t-" Naoto began as he prepared to move, only to grunt when his leg wouldn't budge an inch, making him look down to see it stuck against some tar.

"Grr…most of these were meant for something bigger…or Tennyson…" Nemesis groaned, "So I'm chagrined to use them against what seems to be a teenager with demon magic…but I really rather have another swing at Tennyson."

"Oh dude don't even blame Ben…" Naoto sighed, "You totally screwed over your own life…like twice…"

"Watch it…" Nemesis frowned.

"Oh what? I touch a nerve? Please..l-" Naoto began before a laser shot hit him in the leg, "Gah Dick!"

"I'm not the one immobile," Nemesis countered with a grin, "Now then…let's play a game. Heard of paintball?"

"Let me guess, remove the 'T'?"

"..." Nemesis gave an annoyed frown before hitting Naoto's shoulder with another laser, making him grunt out in pain, "You ruined my bit."

"Not yours…you just took it from an internet parody sh-" Naoto began before another laser hit him in his other shoulder, "GH!"

"Will you just shut up already?!"

"No…not really, I kinda like speaking my mind. Which…is odd cause I'm Japanese, but what can I say? I play by my rules. Kinda why I like hanging with Ben." He chuckled.

"Grr…"

"Honestly surprised I'm not getting called out, I am unable to move after all." Naoto sighed, looking up at Slix, "I mean…Ben is watching." the robot flinched at that as if feeling a rising intent to harm in the air.

=Uh…well…= Slix stumbled.

"Oh you're not getting away that eas-…" Nemesis aimed but stopped when a crystal shard shot past him, making him flinch and look up at the viewing area for contestants as Diamondhead lowered his arm.

"Hurt my friend…I break you." Diamondhead warned dangerously, his eyes darting to Slix.

=...ulp. W-well..due to Naoto Kurogane being unable to fight back and suffered a few injuries, Nemesis wins!=

"In battle yeah…but not verbally," Naoto whispered as a few paramedics came out to check on him.

An annoyed growl came from Nemesis before he began to walk off, calming himself as he shot Diamondhead a smug grin.

"Oh he's gonna be a treat…" Skurd sighed.

"I'd hoped he learned some kind of lesson after last time. But I guess some people just can't change." Diamondhead admitted.

"Then when our turn comes...let's give him what for," Skurd stated in a serious tone.

---

"Tch…freaking cheapshotting asshole," Naoto whispered, his hands free of the liquid metal as he had some bandages on his leg and shoulders, "Couldn't even get past the preliminaries...worth verbally owning one of Ben's enemies though."

"Don't worry about it man," Ben sighed, "Honestly the fact he used some tricks I'm sure he made to stop Rath and Humungousaur, shows he was scared of you." he took a seat, "Honestly this whole thing is getting more weird then I wanted. I just wanted to take Fistrick and Fistina down in the lobby, but…Rook and Jin…"

"I'm surprised, I figured you'd love this, Ben." Max noted.

"Eh…well I guess when you get kidnapped into slave gladiator arena nonsense once…the charm of no rules tournament fighting is lost on you." Ben shrugged, "Sides…this stuff is more enjoyable in anime. At least then we get an interesting backstory to intercut the fighting. Here…it's just a majority of the losers I've taken down."

More of the contestants growled at that, only to be silenced by Ben turning to them with the Omnitrix held up.

"You can fight me here, or in the ring." Ben smiled.

"Come on, we'd love to cut the wait time for the finals down~" Max smirked.

"Grr…" Jin added with a growl, using his thumb to slightly unsheath Yukianesa as he gave them all a deathglare, "Go ahead…make our day…"

Most of the contestants tensed up…before they began to flee out of there, leaving only a very few left…Fistrick and Fistina amongst them.

"Knew it..no honor amongst bros," Rook shook his head.

=I'm just hoping Tsubaki rallied the troops for arrests or we're all in trouble because of how many just fled= Steel quietly noted.

"I'm sure they should have covered the only exit out of this…little secret area…" Ben muttered.

---

"...huh. Look at that," Sari whispered, standing with Tsubaki and Mai as a group of the former contestants ran towards the train tunnel leading outside, "Right on the dot…"

"I had a feeling," Tsubaki sighed before looking back at some Plumber agents they brought with them, P'li and his team amongst them, "Remember, do not let a single one get away! Injured or not, they still committed crimes and must be brought in!"

"Yes, ma'am!" they all saluted.

"Just another day for us," Mai sighed as she whipped out her spear.

---

=Ahem! Due to some…technical difficulties…and many of our contestants fleeing, we're now officially in the quarterfinals!= Slix declared =As such…the following fights will be Fistina VS Fistrick, Rook VS Jin, Ben 10 Vs Nemesis, and Max Steel Vs Trumbipulor!=

"Huh…guess the boys scared most of the others off," Makoto figured, currently in the trophy room as she tried to look for the instructions to the Golden Fist, "Also…no instructions…do these guys legit just give this thing out as a trophy without telling them what it does?...oh wait. I forget most of the people fighting that fight in this are meatheads."

=And what timing! Our first match of the quarter finals is Fistina and Fistrick!=

"...well, I gotta see this," Makoto whispered before dropping an acorn, engulfing the room in smoke for a moment as she shot into an air vent in her squirrel form. Zipping through as she found herself back at the vent overlooking the arena.

"Thank you, Fistrick," Fistina smiled as she bowed her head, "For helping this Accrotian girl follow her dream…now the best fighter must win!" she declared as she got into position.

"...about that…" Fistrick began as he pulled out a remote, "I can't take that chance, so….bye," he grinned as he pressed a button on the remote, sending out a wave that caused Fistina's body to fall apart.

"Vhat are you doing?! No no! Not like this No~!" Fistina whined as she fell apart, "You terrible cheating bad person!"

"Sorry baby, that's how I roll," Fistrick grinned, "Plus you know what they say…bros before hoes."

'...oh he is so lucky I'm not fighting in this tournament!' Makoto mentally snapped as a paramedic carried off Fistina in her individual pieces.

=Winner Fistrick!=

"Okay that had to be cheating…" Max sighed, "I forget that guy is kinda clever…"

"The whole Gym Bro thing confuses you huh?" Ben muttered.

"It throws me off…" Max admitted.

=Well you can throw him off and out of the entire building once we reach the finals= Steel offered.

"Ye-wait…who says you're reaching the finals?" Skurd questioned as he glared at Steel.

=Heh heh…well chances are you may end up slipping into a different alien...one that can't keep up with whatever form we choose= Steel stated

"I really don't like when the aliens that help control our powers talk for us…" Ben muttered.

"Tell me about it…" Max sighed.

=Next round! Rook Vs Jin!= Slix called out, making both Ben and Max look out as they saw Rook and Jin walking onto the arena.

"Heh…this is totally gonna be a breeze," Rook smirked as he cracked his fingers a bit, "You lose to Ben most of the time, so it should be easy for me to beat your icy butt down, Bro."

"Hmph…I will accept you as a skilled martial artist, Blonko," Jin spoke, "Easily the best in this world. However, the Blonko I respect as a detective and fighter…is not standing before me."

"What's that, Bro?" Rook blinked.

"You are under the effect of a toxin making you act similar to Fistrick, if you were the regular Blonko you would have already dashed to a better vantage point," Jin went on using his thumb to flick Yukianesa out, "If I had been facing the regular Rook Blonko, I would have been hit by now. But thank whatever being is listening, I'm not fighting that Rook Blonko, I might as well just be fighting a better version of Fistrick." he let the sword fall and resheath itself.

"Wha…?" Rook blinked frozen from the neck down in a large glacier-like chunk of ice that went up to the tall of the arena and part of the bleachers for spectators…freezing most of them as well, "Bro…not…cool…"

"I think it actually is," Jin smirked, "Like I said, if I was fighting the real Rook Blonko…that never would have worked, you'd have moved, evaded, looked for an opening. Instead you grandstanded and gloated like a fool. Don't worry Blonko…we'll make sure you get proper medical care for whatever is going on in your brain."

"...brutal," Makoto whispered from her hiding spot as a paramedic pushed Rook out of there.

=Winner Jin!= Slix declared as Jin began to leave the arena =Next up…Ben 10 VS Captain Nemesis!=

"Eee! I get to see Ben fight this time!" Makoto silently beamed as she watched Ben and Nemesis walking onto the arena.

"Your buddy may have made me reveal some of my tricks Tennyson, but…I am gonna enjoy putting you in your place," Nemesis stated as he crossed his arms.

"And what place would that be?" Ben asked.

"If I recall this boy used to idolize you…you were his hero. And now…you're just a thug." Skurd spoke up, "What place could you possibly put him? Nay I say! Nay! You shall be put in your place, you knock off Tony Stark!"

=That's why he reminds me of something!= Steel shouted, =Eh…RDJ makes a much better looking armored hero!=

"Shut up!" Nemesis barked at that.

"And that's my cue," Ben smirked as he tapped the Omnitrix, unaware he had slid his finger a bit too faster as his original choice was changed, but it was already too late as he pressed down on the emblem, engulfing him in green light as…Omniketsu took his place, "..."

"Oh no…Hubris…our true mortal enemy…" Skurd spoke up.

"Oh no…" Makoto whispered.

"AHAHAHAHAH! Really?! Out of the many aliens you can turn into, you change into clothes?!" Nemesis laughed, "What, you're gonna try and kill me with bad fashion?"

"Well that is most unfortunate…" Skurd spoke, "Is what I would say if I didn't have the ability to do this!" he formed Tetramand arms and used them to jump and punch Nemesis before he could respond, sending him stumbling to the ground, "I'm more than enough to even this unfortunate outcome!"

"Gh…maybe…but…" Nemesis began before pulling out something from behind his back, "Not much he can do without you…"

"Oh please! Wh-" Skurd began before Nemesis tossed out what he had pulled out, knocking Skurd off the Omnitrix as he was encased in a bubble, "...oh dear."

"Oh no…" Omniketsu whispered in worry, his eye darting around, "Makoto…Where are you~?"

"Now I burn you…" Nemesis aimed, only to blink as Omniketsu got up and jumped over the laser, "It…It can move…" he gawked before shaking his head and shooting wildly as Omniketsu kept jumping around. Blast after blast, the flabbergasted former hero turned supervillain missed as he blasted enough times that the entire arena was covered in a giant layer of dust.

"Man, his aim sucks. …Oh…Could it be that he can't lock onto me because Omniketsu has no signs of life he can lock on to?" Omniketsu blinked, "Oh thank goodness! If even one of my threads were burned off, I wouldn't know what to do!"

'I forgot how concerned he gets about his fabric when he's like this,' Makoto thought, a drop of sweat going down the back of her head. She then took notice of the thick dust cloud formed by all the shooting, 'Hmm…would anybody even notice me? Well, I can't let Ben lose to this jerk, so it's not really cheating. Technically, this form only works with me so it's just incomplete~! Good thinking, me~!'

"Damn it, Tennyson! Stand still!" Nemesis snapped

"Ah that's right. The dingus can't even hear me…" Omniketsu muttered.

"Psst…Ben…" Makoto's hushed voice got his attention as he was suddenly picked up.

"Oh thank you, Babe! I was stuck in an impossible situation!" Omniketsu cheered, tears welling in his uncovered eye, "Was starting to feel woozy to tell you the truth."

"Almost forgot you need a bit of blood to stay awake in this form," Makoto admitted softly, "This guy ain't gonna know what hit him!"

"Seriously, where are you, Tennyson?!" Nemesis snapped as he tried to look through the dust cloud, "Tch…I can't even sense him with my suit…Grr! Come out and fight me like a man!"

"Just shut up!" Makoto grunted as a green star-filled flash was seen in the dust before her figure, clad in Omniketsu in his transformed state, ran through the dust cloud and landed a powerful uppercut to Nemesis's jaw…and launched him upwards, his helmet shattering as he slammed headfirst into the roof of the cave…and was buried up to his waist in the stone ceiling.

=...What just happened?= Slix blinked as the dust slowly began to settle, he then looked up to see what happened to Nemesis, =O-Oh…it seems Nemesis has been knocked out! Winner, Ben 10! …Do we have anyone who can get up there to get him?=

"Phew…" Omniketsu sighed alone on the floor as a schoolgirl uniform once more, "That squirrel form makes undoing this combination thing so fast…"

"True, very true, Benjamin. But…one thing," Skurd spoke before inhaling deeply, "GET ME OUT OF THIS BUBBLE!"

A green flash went off before Ben groaned, getting back up, "I'm doing it!" he called back as he grabbed the bubble, "Wow…Here I figured it'd take a trip to Azmuth to get you off the Omnitrix unwillingly…"

"I was unprepared for this. Rest assured, this won't happen again with this method."

"Whatever you say, you little snot demon," Ben chuckled, "We owe Makoto something nice later."

"Perhaps."

"If this goes well, I think I've got an idea," Ben smiled.

=And now for the last of the quarter final matches: Max Steel vs Trombipular!=

"Well mama sure fed you huh?" Max muttered as Trombipulor looked down at him.

"Laugh it up buddy, a friend of Tennyson is an enemy to me!" Trumbipulor declared.

"You're the peanut guy, right?" Max asked.

=I think he is. Hopefully, he ain't got none on him= Steel noted.

"Unfortunately no one in this area sells them! But I don't need them to beat you! Not only am I a powerful fighter, I am a genius!"

"Uh-huh…" Max nodded as the gong was struck, "Go Turbo Heat!" He transformed into his Heat mode before aiming down and blasting fire at the ground, making Trombipular blink as he was now standing on red hot sand that was slowly melting into glass.

"AH!" he panicked jumping around as his feet began smoking, he then yelped when he was blasted in the back by a stream of fire, "My buns are burning!"

"And down you go." Max bonked him on the head making him fall over face fist into the scalding sand.

"OH THIS BURNS SO BAD!" he cried out.

"Ben told me you don't do so well in a game of hot foot. Sorry buddy, but you should be fine with some ointment." Max laughed.

=Winner Max Steel!=

=So next we fight Fistrick…Max you know the plan right~?=

"Hah…yeah I know…you better deliver on double what I had in that wallet after this." he sighed.

=Oh ho don't worry buddy...I will~=

---

"Okay…that was close," Makoto whispered as she hid behind a pillar, a pair of guards guarding the Golden Fist as it was locked up in a glass cage, "Guess they take this prize more seriously than I thought…still doesn't change what these meatheads are planning though," she muttered as she peeked out..and saw Fistina laying against the wall while eying the Golden Fist, "...what's she doing…?"

'As soon as finals start…I will take what's mine,' Fistina thought as she eyed the Golden Fist, 'and first thing I will do…punch Fistrick in his stupid, cheating mean meathead face!'

'Oh I know that look…it's the look all us girls have when Fistrick opens his mouth…' Makoto blinked, 'Let me think like a stupid lady in a big metal suit…steal a giant glove…punch Fistrick in the face…' she rolled her eyes, "Well I don't blame her," she noticed Fistina walking up to try and 'distract' the guards, "Oh…oh girl that is not the type of role you should take…" she sighed pulling an acorn from her tail, "Well…I hate to cause a scene, but better they zap you than me~" she tossed it down and let it bounce off one of the guards heads before landing in Fistina's hand.

"Uh…" Fistina blinked as the guard growled, "Uh-oh…"

"No good punk…!"

"Ahh!" Fistina yelped as she began to run from the guards.

"Huh…this is actually fun, I guess point for maturity." Makoto muttered.

"What nonsense…" Jin blinked while watching the scene.

"Well looks like Fistina tried to get a sneak peak at the prize." Max muttered.

"B-Bro…w-way harsh…" Rook shivered with a blanket over his shoulders.

"Shh…go back to the sauna Rook." Max gently guided their Revonnahgander friend literally infected with toxic-masculinity towards the sauna to warm up his flashfrozen body.

"Y…yeah…heat…"

"Did you need to make the ice that big?" Ben sighed.

"Yes…yes I did." Jin nodded.

"Well I guess I can help keep an eye on the trophy room." Naoto sighed, "So she doesn't go and steal the glove."

"It's for the best, the last thing we need is to see what it does first…hand…unfortunate pun…" Ben muttered.

"No…god no," Skurd shivered.

=Will contestants Ben 10 and Jin Kisaragi report to the arena?! It's almost time for your battle!= Slix's voice shouted from the PA system.

"Oh man…we're still doing this." Ben sighed.

"It's the semi-finals man…the sooner we're done the faster we can get Fistrick locked up and get to a day to relax," Max assured.

"I know…"

"...just know Tennyson," Jin began as he started to walk away, "I'm not going to hold back against you…"

"Hah…at least we're gonna bust this place, the property damage is gonna wrack up." Ben sighed.

"True…" Naoto sighed.

---

=Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Semifinals of the Golden Fist tournament!= Silx declared as the crowd cheered on =And let me tell ya, these next fights will be a doozy! First up, we have our intergalactic hero and purveyor of badguys everywhere…give it up for Ben 10!=

"Thank you! Thank you! You are too kind!" Skurd laughed as he waved to teh cheering crowd just as Ben stepped out onto the ring.

"Dude, they're cheering for me."

"Yes but I'm the face of this outfit, you know~"

"Yeah, yeah…" Ben sighed, "Let's just get this over with."

=And his challenger…a rather…scary yet amazing up and comer for the tournament!= Slix declared as a blizzard began to blow into the area =The ronin of ice, the white wolf of vengeance, the master of the blizzard itself, Jin Kisaragi!=

"Wh-?! How come he gets a longer intro!?" Ben gawked as Jin began to walk in through the blizzard, "..and an awesome entrance!"

"Yoru ego is showing…" Skurd whispered.

"I know, but after that…oh ho no. I'm not holding back either," Ben stated with an annoyed frown.

"Hmph…provided you can win," Jin stated as the blizzard subsided.

"Jin…we are work friends at best, but at times like this…it's best if we just do this and I can say 'sorry' afterwards," Ben stated.

"Fair enough," Jin nodded as he got into a stance, "Now…prepare yourself, Tennyson…"

"Trust me, Jin, I may not show it in a way you respect… but I'm always ready," Ben smirked, raising the Omnitrix, "Skurd, just for this fight…let's take this seriously."

"Oooh-hoo-hoo~ Goody~" Skurd clapped his little pseudopods together before they both pushed down on the dial.

The green flash was all it took to set off the fight as the two rushed forward. Jin swung but flinched as his blade just swung through, as he was face to face with Swampfire. The Methnosian smirked as he swung and punched Jin, sending him stumbling back. Jin swung Yukianesa and fired off several ice spears…only for them to pierce through Swampfire to no effect.

"Physical and cold attacks don't work on me~" Swampfrie smiled as he ignited his fist with fire and punched making Jin block with Yukianesa, "But I bet you can feel the heat?" he swung his hand…and let his hand get cut…and form around Yukianesa making Jin flinch as the hand stopped in front of his face before it blasted a stream of fire.

"Gh!" Jin grunted, leaning back to let the fire pass over him. He growled and swung his leg up…only for it to pass through Swampfire's stomach, "Wha!?" he grunted as his leg was grabbed by Swampfire and he was swung around before being tossed to the ground, "I…forgot you have so many aliens that you mastered so well…"

"People think the 'Jack of All, Master of None' thing is my weakness," Swampfire smiled, "But I just never have a reason to show them what one alien can really do if mastered." He lifted his arms before slamming them into the ground, making vines erupt from the ground and surround Jin.

Jin grunted, swinging and slashing the vines as they shot at him. He jumped back and stabbed Yukianesa into the ground, creating a path of ice which began growing before a cliff of ice shot out and slammed Swampfire into the wall of the arena. Jin charged and swung with the intent to decapitate, knowing that his Methnosian form could survive, but was stopped when another green flash went off, making him tense as the ice shattered. Jin jumped back only to grunt when he was slammed into the ground by a green blur. Crashhopper jumped off and began bouncing off the walls before slamming headfirst into Jin's back as he got up.

Jin grunted, rolling along the ground, before forming a wall of ice that blocked the next strike. The Cryomancer swordsman shook his head before swinging Yukianesa through the ice and cutting it down. He tensed as he saw nothing but an imprint of Crashhopper's head in a chunk of the ice. He turned around and blocked a swing from Rath's claws. Jin tensed as he jumped back as the two began swinging, claws and blade clashing rapidly. Jin blocked a punch/thrust from Rath before he began pushing the arm up to try and put Rath in a compromising position, but grunted when Rath retracted his claw and swung around with a large reverse roundhouse, which Jin barely ducked away from, the power blowing his hair back wildly. Jin stumbled back a few steps before flipping Yukianesa around and stabbing it into the ground to balance himself. He then smirked as he formed ice along the ground as it quickly formed into a large ramp of ice that slammed Rath away and rolled across the ground.

Jin got back to his feet as he sheathed Yukianesa and stood in an iai stance as Rath growled and got back to his feet. Rath smirked as another green flash went off. Jin flinched as he drew his sword and slashed, but he hit nothing. He looked around before grunting as the ground under him erupted as Armadrillo popped out and grabbed him by his coat. The alien growled as his arm began violently vibrating, shaking Jin's body to the core and preventing him from doing anything. Jin grunted as he began focusing as ice rapidly began spreading along Armadrillo's arm, making him flinch before tossing Jin to the ground.

"I…I can see why so many people fall to you…" Jin coughed as he tried to balance himself, "This…probably isn't even close to the version of you who fought Vilgax…"

"Tsubaki told you about that, huh?" Aramadrillo asked as he pumped his arm piston and shattered the ice off his arm.

"...She said she wasn't ever scared of you 'till that fight," Jin admitted, "That it was the most intense battle she'd ever witnessed. Which says a lot if she has any memories of battles from our world…"

"Don't take this the wrong way, Jin," Armadrillo spoke, "But you're not gonna get that Ben. That Ben is only for certain people. Vilgax, Aggregor, and anyone else who has made me so mad…that I'm done being the nice guy with. I'm fighting you seriously…but…not that seriously."

"I'm more than aware of that, you're still holding back a lot," Jin sheathed Yukianesa again as he took his Iai stance again, "And frankly…I'm not sure what it makes me feel. Pride that, by really trying, I can get some effort…or frustration that no matter what, the strongest version of you is something I won't face."

"Well…if it will make you happy…" Armadrillo tapped the Omnitrix as he was replaced by Heatblast, "Okay…I'll give you something…big." he raised his hands as he made flames in his hands form into letters spelling: Come on!

At that, everyone began stepping away as intense heat and cold began filling the arena rapidly. In an instant, a giant wave of ice clashed with a stream of fire that instantly turned into a scalding steam. Jin rushed as he swung a swing only to miss as Heatblast jumped over it, the Pyronite swung his hand and punched it unleashing a stream of fire that Jin blocked with a wall of ice, but it quickly began melting away into steam. Jin swung and cut through the remains of the ice wall and the flames making Heatblast grunt as he was sent skidding away, his arm covered in rapidly melting ice.

Heatblast smirked as he lifted his hands and clapped them together before he slammed them into the ground. Jin blinked before flinching as the ground began cracking apart around the Pyronite. Jin flinched as chunks of ground began floating up, all of them encased in fire, before Heatblast stood up and aimed with his finger before the flaming earth chunks began flying at him. Jin swung Yukianesa and began slicing through each chunk of burning stone sent his way, but grunted as a large one hit with enough force to counter the strength of his slash and knock him back. Jin growled, stomping his foot to stop himself from being pushed further before swinging up and slicing through the rock only to see Heatblast was already before him. He raised Yukianesa to block his flaming punch, the clash of cold and heat causing the air between them to hiss.

Jin grunted as he was pushed back further as Heatblast released more fire from his fist. Jin smirked as he put more power into Yukianesa as the clashing opposite temperatures began building up a small speck of light between them. Heatblast blinked noticing it first, he swung his free arm up and grabbed Yukianesa making Jin blinked as he was now grabbing onto the blade, this normally dangerous act confusing him. Heatblast grunted as ice formed along his hands…before it quickly evaporated away, Jin then flinched as his sword was now beginning to heat up rapidly from the act. Jin tried to jump back but Heatblast refused to release the blade, keeping Jin trapped in place.

"Alright, Jin, you want me to show you what I got? Okay," Heatblast smirked as his flames began growing brighter, "But after today, no more pouting or complaining…you are going to accept I beat you."

"Y-You wouldn't…you'd go supernova here?" Jin realized.

"Hmmm…Nope," Heatblast replied as he took a deep breath before he began breathing fire down at the ground, surrounding them in a ring of fire, "But…well I'm living fire…and you're still a bag of meat that needs oxygen. Fire burns with oxygen, and heat lifts air upwards…so…how much longer can you go without air?"

"I…" Jin gasped as he realized how hard it was becoming to breathe, "You're…making this a battle of stamina!?"

"You should really stop talking, man. You're gonna use up your air." he suddenly let go of Yukianesa and punched Jin in the stomach, making him cough…and waste more air, before a punch to the face sent him falling to the ground, "Kinda like that." Heatblast smirked as he took a deep breath and sucked up all the fire, he then looked down as Jin groaned, trying to get up, "Hah…go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep!" he called out as he began punching him several times.

"The stamina on this man…" Skurd muttered as Heatblast jumped and landed an elbow drop on Jin.

"Now I know how Ragna feels…" Heatblast sighed, wiping his brow as if sweating.

"Gh…I'm…not finished yet…" Jin grunted as he forced himself up, panting heavily as he ignored the pain in his body.

"Ugh…I really am impressed," Heatblast sighed, "But frankly? If I mess you up anymore, Tsubaki will be mad. But on the other hand? If I don't knock you out, you'll just keep getting back up." he tapped the Omnitrix and turned into Gutrot, "Don't worry, you'll wake up with only a mild headache. Capisce?"

"W-Wait…that's…" Jin began before a cloud of gas was blasted in his face, "Mmmm…" he passed out.

"Hah…" Gutrot sighed as he flashed back to Ben, who just walked over and sat on Jin's sleeping body, "Ref!"

=Jin Kisaragi has been knocked out! Winner Ben 10!=

"Okay…come on you…" Ben sighed, picking up and sheathing Yukianesa before flinging Jin over a shoulder in a fireman's carry, "You are a lot heavier than you look, buddy. What do you eat?" he complained.

"Mmm…"

"Yeah, yeah…vengeance will be yours, ya big baby…" Ben muttered as he carried him off.

=Now that's what I call a stunning battle, folks! Let's hope the next one is just as amazing!= Slix declared as the crowd began to cheer on once more =Next up we have the strong, the slick, the tactful, the biggest bro out there…Fistrick!=

"Boo ya!" Fistruck shouted as he stepped out, taking in some of the cheers as most of them began to chant 'bro' over and over.

=And his opponent, the multi-shifter, the man with the brawn, the speed and flight of a falcon, the heat of a Pyronite, and the literal man of iron and steel himself…Max Steel~!=

"Ah…well this has been an eventful day," Max sighed, "Alright Rick…"

"Fistrick!"

"Rick," Max committed this bit to upset him, "Let me just ask one thing, after you get the Golden Fist…you plan to turn it into just a blinged out neck chain to wear while you hit the club after workouts, right?"

"...well duh," Fistrick grinned, "What else are you gonna do with bling like that? Not impress the bros and get the bitches?"

"Yeah, okay, just had to be sure 'cause that's literally all Rook could talk about…" Max sighed as he rolled his shoulders a bit, "Let's keep this fair. I won't even transform for this one, and don't worry, your tricks or laser blades won't pierce my suit…so…go nuts, bro."

"Oh it is so on!"

With that, Fistrick rushed as he began swinging only for Max to sigh as he weaved around each swing, his hands swinging to deflect his punch away. Max raised his arm to block a kick, before he ducked under it and swung a hand to grab Fistrick's other leg and pull it out to make him fall flat on his face. Max then groaned as his chest plate flashed indicating Steel was saying something to him via their link, so as to not be heard. With a groan the armored Hero just stood their and waited as Fistrick flipped back to his feet.

"Alright…so…you can fight without going big," Fistrick grunted.

"Dude…hand to hand combat is basic for Plumbers, even guys like me who skipped the academy," Max sighed, jumping back to avoid another kick, "Even without super modes, I'm already a super strong alien hybrid." he paused and let a punch hit his helmet, which while it looked to do nothing…most blinked as they saw Max fall to the ground, "Just follow the plan, Max…" he whispered inside of his helmet as the lights of his armor dimmed and he tilted his head to the side to simulate passing out.

=Gasp!= Steel gasped as he ejected from the chest plate =He's out cold! You fiend! You hit his glass jaw!= he dramatically declared while floating down and slapping Max's chest, =Get up, man! Get up!= he sobbed.

"Stop overselling it…" Max whispered.

"W-wait…what?" Fistrick blinked.

=Well what's this?! Max Steel has suddenly been knocked out!= Slix gasped as the crowd booed =...Well that was a def cop out folks, but…the winner is Fistrick!=

"What?!" Fistrick gawked as paramedics began to carry Max out, "Aw come on, man, no! I was in the zone! You can't blueball me like this!"

=Hey, why do you think I make sure he's in one of his other forms?!= Steel complained =But nooo~! He thought you'd be easy to fight so told me not to!= he huffed before pointing at Fistrick =This insult shall be avenged another day!= he flew off =Avenged I say!=

"...tch. Whatever…" Fistrick huffed as he began to walk off, "I just got Tennyson to beat next…then I get the bling…and possibly embarrass him in front of his girl…heh. The ultimate shame in Brohood…"

---

"...I don't know why, but I feel like I really wanna punch Fistrick in the face right now," Makoto muttered.

"Lady, are youse gonna make another bet or what?" a Splixson in the betting booth asked.

"Oh, right," Makoto nodded, "Mmm…Know what? I'm gonna be crazy and my bet is Ben wins…without turning into any alien."

"Say wha?"

"You heard me. Ben wins and he doesn't turn into another form. He beats Fistrick as his normal untransformed self," Makoto stated.

"...are you nuts lady?"

"Nnope."

"One moment," the splixson spoke before splitting into two, "What are da odds?"

"I'm checkin'," the other replied as he walked off and came back after a minute, "She's da only one makin' da bet, so it's currently…364 to 1."

Another poked his head in, "Dat's goin' by just da bets of one per alien he's got! Yer forgettin' da multiple bets made by just one person! Make da odds of dat bet of hers 934 ta 1!"

"WHAT?!"

"Wow…" Makoto whistled, "I am gonna put some big money on my bet~"

"Ah yeah, fine, we already lost a big chunk to that cop out fight that just happened…"

=Excuse me…my winnings~= Steel smirked as he floated up to the booth.

"Oh youse took a dive and you know it!" he complained.

=What suddenly this isn't a highly illegal betting ring?= Steel replied, =Look buddy, either play the game…or get a better job=

"Hey, Steel, wanna join me in my bet?" Makoto smiled.

=Ooh~! You always know the best details for this sort of thing. Put down all my winnings on the same bet as the lady!= Steel declared.

"What?! But…we'll be flat broke i-"

=I don't hear a no~=

"...ugh. Bet fer the robot again!"

---

=It's finally time folks! We've reached the finals for the Golden Fist tournament!= Slix declared as the crowd rapidly cheered on, both Ben and Fistrick standing across from each other in the area =Who amongst these two will bring home the legendary golden Fist?! Ben 10 or Fistrick?! The hero vs the streetpunk! The thin twig vs pure muscle! The space cop vs the gang leader!=

"Alright Bro, I've been waiting for this, it's time for some payback." Fistrick smirked as he threw a few punches while dancing around in place.

"Finally, we can end this," Ben sighed, "This has been the longest afternoon of my life. Look dude, I just want to go home and canoodle on the couch with my girlfriend. You know, like a normal guy. So how's about this…you give up, I let you look at the Golden Fist through your cell…cool?"

"..ppft! Yer jokin' right?!" Fsitrick laughed as the crowd laughed with him, "You want me to give up?! Ha! As if I'd give up to a scrawny ass like you!"

"Dude you know I've put you in jail and broken your bones like three times in one week…" Ben reminded, "Alright look man, I'll make you a deal, I used up a lot of charge fighting Jin. I probably can't even transform for long. So…how about I just fight you in normal human form…and if you win…cool, but I'm only letting you have 10 seconds to get a swing in."

"Hahahaha! Oh yeah right! What can you do without transforming?" Fistrick laughed pointing his finger at Ben, "Hahaha…let me…" he flinched when Ben grabbed his finger…and twisted it around before flinging Fistrick into the dirt, "What hit me…?" he groaned confusedly.

"Jiu Jitsu…" Ben explained still holding Fistrick's finger, "I think if I do this…" he began twisting his finger as Fistrick yelped as he was flung around and slammed into the wall of the arena…before Ben twisted his finger again and slammed him into the ground again, "Hmm…when Makoto showed me this, she was able to slam the dummy like a dozen times in that same time frame…" he mused as he let go of Fistrick's now swollen and dislocated finger.

"Gah…you little…" Fistrick growled getting up, he closed his other hand into a fist and swung only to blink as he lost track of Ben, before flinching as his sense of balance vanished and suddenly he was falling over, he looked down to see Ben crouched down and used his shorter size to his advantage as he ducked down and tackled into Fistrick's legs to trip him over. Fistrick grunted slamming face first into the floor of the arena again.

"You don't really know how to fight do you?" Ben sighed as he got back up, dusting his shoulders, "I know I'm not the biggest of guys, heck compared to you and Rook I'm short. But if you knew anything about fighting, people have turned that into an advantage for martial arts for centuries."

"This…that's unfair…how are you doing this?"

"Already told you…Jiu Jitsu." Ben explained, "You know I'm dating a girl who is crazy into martial arts…half our dates consist of her taking me out to train with her. As a man who swallowed his pride and accepted his girlfriend can kick his ass…it opened the doors to my learning things. Learning some basics of boxing and karate help when I'm an alien with a body better adapted to those kinds of hard styles of combat. But I'm just a regular athletic guy, so I learned a martial arts that doesn't rely on me being big."

"But…and…you…why…?" Fistrick couldn't find the words as he punched again, only for Ben to weave his head to the side, before spinning around and grabbing Fistrick's outstretched arm and using it as leverage for an over the shoulder throw that slammed him into the ground again.

"Why don't I fight without transforming?" Ben asked, "Dude…I'm still a normal guy, most of the freaks I fight shoot lasers, are made of rocks, or toss buildings…you…uh…no offense Bro…but you're just a guy…"

"I…am not…'just a guy!'" Fistrick growled as he tried to free himself.

"I just mean that compared to the alien overlords, space demons, monsters and mutated freaks I fight…" Ben twisted Fistrick's arm around, making him grunt in pain, "You're just a guy who learned how to profit off alien tech and got into the big level crime game." he smirked as he let go and backed away from Fistrick, he then smirked as he avoided another punch before rolling out of the way of a kick.

"I'm…I'm not just a guy! I am a real master criminal! I did what no loser thought of, profiting off these aliens!" Fistrick growled, "And I'm gonna win this Golden Fist! Cause I am that Bro!" he swung a kick only for Ben to catch it.

"Time for another important lesson," Ben gently swung his leg and swept Fistrick's, knocking him off his footing. Fistrick then grunted as Ben palmed his face and slammed him into the ground again, "Don't let the other guy bait you into wild swings."

"Bro…what is happening…" Fistrick groaned as Ben jumped away, "You…you still wanna go?" he grunted before realizing Ben was waiting in a stance with his legs held wide and both arms held with his fists pointed forward, "Wha…what now? Huh? Gonna hit me this time!?" he rushed, only to flinch as Ben grabbed his shirt before rolling back and kicking his leg into Fistrick's stomach and flinging him back first into the stadium wall.

"That one was a tough one to learn," Ben smirked, "I'll just give you one more out, man. I've learned how to fight from someone who traveled space as its greatest officer, a girl made of magic and master of martial arts, a girl who swings way faster and hits way harder than you, and let's just say that compared to how hard that was…dude, you're just sad. All those muscles look nice, but you don't even know how to throw a proper punch."

"Told ya, easy money," Makoto smirked as they watched Fistrick be flipped and slammed all around the arena.

=To be fair? It was a loaded bet. You trained this into him!= Steel laughed.

"True. He told me he hit a bit of a roadblock with his cousin, so I thought 'Well, why don't I show him some stuff that might fit his build?'" Makoto explained, "You can see the results for yourself."

=Did you also teach him how to make it hurt so bad?= Steel noted as Fistrick was slammed head first into the wall of the arena again =That has to be doing some type of brain damage=

"Well, duh~! How else do you make sure they stay down if you don't have knockout gas or something like it?" Makoto asked.

=...The sad thing is when it comes to meatheads….you're not wrong=

---

"Oookay…was not expecting this," Max admitted as he was watching in the medical area with Jin, "Were you expecting Ben to know how to do this without being Rath or Kickin' Hawk?"

"No…I didn't," Jin whispered in disbelief.

"Now I'm worried if we hadn't known this and decided on arm wrestling for choosing something," Max joked.

"Why…oh…oh…" Jin remembered the principles of Jiu Jitsu.

"Wait…doesn't that mean Ben is still holding back against folks?" Max chuckled.

"GH?!" Jin froze at that, 'DAMN YOU, TENNYSON!'

---

"You okay, Rick?" Ben asked as he patted a wobbly Fistrick's shoulder, getting little more than a groan of pain as his face was bruised and swollen, "Nah you're not okay." he sighed, slapping his face a few times, "Well I'll be sure they give you extra protein shakes in your cell." he sighed before lightly punching him once, sending him falling down, "Medic!" he called out as he turned his back to his downed opponent.

=And in a surprise upset, Ben 10 wins without a single transformation!= Slix exclaimed as the crowd cheered on =Meaning that this year's Winner of the Golden Fist Tournament is Ben 10~!=

Ben chuckled as he waved a hand to the cheering crowd, "Well this was fun."

"Indeed," Skurd agreed before looking in the audience, "Fifth row on your right."

"Huh?" Ben looked and started to blush.

"Whoo-hoo, Ben-kun~!" Makoto cheered, wearing her cheerleader uniform from the BHA universe, while jumping and waving her pom-poms, "That's my boyfriend right there!"

"Best…girlfriend…ever. Of all time," Ben whispered with a growing grin on his face.

=And to the winner goes the prize!= Slix declared as the guards brought out the Golden Fist.

"Wow, that's big," Ben muttered looking at it, "Reminds me of that power gauntlet Vilgax used to have…" the guards turned it over as he slid his arm in, and the gauntlet began compressing and resizing to fit Ben's arm, "Alien tech never fails to impress."

=Anything to say to the audience, Ben 10?= Slix asked.

"Uh yeah. The Plumbers got this place surrounded, you're all getting booked," Ben smirked, "And I got words for you, Slix."

=Not the face!= he cried as lasers began shooting from within the ring.

---

"This has to be one of the biggest busts we've ever had," Ben smiled, holding the Golden Fist under his arm, as a dented and smoldering Slix was wheeled away.

"Well…I didn't like this, but you did get more than two criminals in a single mission, so I guess this counts as a positive," Tsubaki sighed.

"Also we made mad money!" Makoto cheered.

"You gambled?" Tsubaki looked at Makoto.

"It's not gambling if you know the outcome. It's cheating!" Makoto smirked.

"That doesn't make it better!" Tsubaki snapped before turning to Jin whose face was covered in bruises and bandages, "And what happened to you?!"

"Ben/I beat him up…" everyone blurted out.

"What is wrong with you?!" Tsubaki grabbed Jin by the ear so as to yell directly into it.

"Ite!" Jin winced as she began dragging him off, "It was…a tournament…!"

"Oh, so if the team jumped off a bridge, you'd do it!?" Tsubaki snapped, twisting his ear.

"ITAI!"

"Oh don't go too hard on him; I did give him a good deal of effort!" Ben called out, "Which he did come at me with 100 percent intent to kill!"

"Curse you, Tennyson!" Jin yelped as the ear pulling grew worse, "Gomenasai, Gomenasai, Gomenasai!" he pleaded, 'When did she get so terrifying?!'

"So what do we do with the would-Be Infinity Gauntlet?" Max asked.

"Hmm…" Ben blinked looking at it, "Oh right, well it is gold…hmm…Here, Makoto," he handed it to her, "Consider this a random gift from me. It's not like I need it. And you've been eyeing it like crazy~"

"Ooh-hoo-hoo~! Best boyfriend ever! Of all time!" Makoto cheered, hugging Ben and pecking his cheek with several kisses.

"Sides, the only other idea I had was to hang it in my closet's trophy collection next to all of Vilgax's weapons I found and kept," Ben admitted, "But that already has a big power gauntlet; now me and Makoto match."

"You have a closet full of trophies?" Max blinked.

"Well, I kept tons of stuff from the bad guys I beat. I probably would have chucked stuff like Ascalon in there if Azmuth let me keep it," Ben explained, "Animo's first DNA changer, parts of my broken Original Omnitrix, tons of monster fangs I punched out…"

"It's actually a big collection," Makoto added.

"Hmm…makes me wish I kept some stuff from all the times I beat up my rogues," Max smiled.

"Not to ruin the mood? But what do we do about Rook?" Naoto pointed to Rook, who was doing push ups while playing annoyingly loud dubstep from his Broto-Truck.

"..." Max pulled out his badge, "Uh, Kajun…any word on a fix for Rook?"

=Uhm…in as many words…no…= she responded.

"Oh come on…" Ben and Makoto complained.

=I'm sorry, but there is no method of flushing his system…at least not in any way he will survive. We just need to wait for it to wear off naturally in a few days…or…weeks…=

"WEEKS!?" they all barked.

"..." Tsubaki spun around to a few Plumbers that weren't busy with the processing and shouted while pointing at Rook, "23-19! Rook Blonko! 23-19!"

"Wait, what?" Rook looked up in time to scream as several Plumbers dog-piled him, "Ah! Bros, not cool!"

"Huh…I forget we have that…" Makoto muttered.

"Well it has been a while since the last time Tsubaki needed that thanks to Alf," Ben noted.

"Bros!" Rook shouted as he was tied up in a straight jacket and carried away, "Don't let them touch my wheels!"

"Babe, you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ben smirked.

"Drive in?" Makoto smiled.

"You know it," Ben smirked, tossing her the keys, "The one kind of date we can't go on with a motorcycle!"

"Rook's gonna need to do major repairs by the time he gets that truck back…" Max muttered.

=He was gonna do it anyway after he realized how insane he modified it= Steel pointed out as they drove off.

"Well…excuse for a weekend off to repair the whole thing once he's back to normal," Naoto smirked before clapping his hands together with a sly grin, "Now let's go taunt the thugs we arrested."

"Best part of the booking process!" Max laughed.

=And I have money to count!= Steel cheered..

"You and Makoto are donating half of your winnings to the Plumbers," Tsubaki ordered.

=Aw virus infections…=

---

GT: Yeah…Been a long time since we last had to call a 23-19.

Z0: Alf is good company to talk to. But yeah I totally forgot that when we planned this chapter, so good on you for bringing it back GT.

GT: You're welcome. Have to practice what Oda teaches a good storywriter to do: Goda never forgets!

SZ: Eeyup, its never failed him yet, nor will it fail us!

GT: And we have one more chapter to go before 100!

Z0: Then we move into two rather heavy plot arcs. So stay tuned folks!