Here's Battle Force 10's first original chapter. I hope you like it!

Chapter 3: Awaken the First Sign

(Intro)


Vert was sleeping on his bed in his room. But then he began to toss and turn as he started to have a strange dream.

[Vert's Dream]

In his dream, Vert sees a man with his back turned, standing before a wall of fire. He slightly turned his head to look at Vert. Vert was surprised to see that this man bared a strong resemblance to him, except with black hair and wore a red warrior battle suit. "It's time…to wake up…" The man whispered right as the flames engulfed around Vert.

[Vert's Dream End]

Vert jolted awake, panting heavily with his heart pounding. "What was that?" He asked himself after seeing that dream. After calming down, he got up and walked out of his bedroom to head down to the kitchen for breakfast.

As he got there, he saw Olivia and the rest of the team eating breakfast. Rayona was doing the cooking. "Morning, Vert." Olivia greeted. "Morning, Vert." The others greeted. "Morning, guys." Vert greeted back as he took a seat. "Here you go, Vert." Rayona said, setting down a plate of sliced eggs and bacon sandwich. Vert picked up a slice and took a bite. "Mmm! This is really good, Rayona." He said as he savored the taste. "Thanks. It comes with the great skill of a great chef." Rayona said as she went back to cutting vegetables for lunch. As Vert ate, he noticed the slugs playing with Agura, Spinner, Zoom, Stanford and Talia. "I take it you guys like the slugs?" He asked. "Well, these guys are so cute and very playful." Agura answered as she tickled Flint's belly, making him giggle. "OW!" Rayona yelled in pain. "Ray, what happened?" Ivan asked in worry. "I cut my finger while cutting up the tomatoes." Rayona said, showing the bleeding cut on her right index finger. "I'll get the first aid kit." Ivan said. "Don't need it." Vert said. The team was confused. "We got a healer who can help." Vert said as his Boon Doc, Aloe, hopped up to the counter. Then Rayona held out her finger and Aloe started to glow, using her healing powers to heal the cut. The wounded cut faded away as she successfully healed it. Rayona looked at her finger in amazement. The wounded cut was not only gone, but there wasn't even a scar left behind.

Even the team was amazed at what Aloe had done to Rayona. "Vert, what kind of slug is Aloe anyway?" Agura asked. "Aloe is called a Boon Doc. They have the power to heal just about anything. Like she did to Rayona for example." Vert explained. "And what about your other slugs?" Zoom asked. "Yeah. Like what species are they?" Talia asked. "And what kind of cool stuffs can they do?" Ivan asked. "Well, to start, Flint's a Flaringo. He can spew balls of fire that can light campfires and candles." Vert explained as Flint blew a tiny flame on a candle. "Nereus is called an AquaBeek. They can spout jets of water. And when they're underwater, they can squirt ink clouds and send out sonar blasts." Nereus spewed a small jet of water, putting out the candle. "Kahili's a Hoverbug. They're capable of flight. And they're also very playful." Kahili flew all around the heads of the team. She even popped in Spinner's face, making him fall out of his chair, startled. "And Marshal is a Rammstone. They're pretty tough for their size. When they hit velocity, they grow big ram horns and can bash through any kind of wall." Marshal lifted up a pile of plates like they were feathers and placed them in the sink.

"What about your slugs, Olivia? What species are they? And what can they do?" Stanford asked. "Poppy's a Vinedrill. She can sprout vines and release different kinds of spores from the flowers that grow on them." Olivia explained as Poppy sprouted a few small vines and released a few small spores, tickling Talia's nose. "Crab is called an Armashelt. He has a very strong armor-like shell that's as hard as metal." Crab smiled proudly. "Lorelei is a Frostcrawler. She has a breath that can freeze just about anything." Lorelei gave a small breath, freezing the leftover bacon. "Shockstorm's a Tazerling. He can shoot jolts of electricity that can short out any type of circuitry." Shockstorm hopped over to Horace's remote-control car with a dead battery controller. With a single jolt of electricity, the batteries were charged. Horace happily started driving the car as Shockstorm joyfully rode it. "And Sirenix is called a Slyren. She can sooth even the most savage of beasts to sleep with her soothing song." Sirenix started singing her song. And soon, the whole team started yawning. "Sirenix. Now, now." Olivia said. Sirenix stopped singing and everyone snapped out of their drowsiness.

"Every slug that exists in Slugterra each have their own name and abilities." Vert said. "And with their abilities, comes the need to protect Slugterra. And like with the Multiverse, it's our job to help them keep Slugterra safe." Olivia said. The team nodded.

Meanwhile, Sage was meditating in the deployment station. She was shown a vision.

[Sage's Vision]

Sage was holding the body of her late lover. He was badly injured and dying. "Please! Don't leave me!" She pleaded as she held him tightly, crying. Her lover held her face in his hand. "I promise you, I will come back for you. I shall be reborn into another body." Her lover said. And with those last words, his hand fell as he died in her arms. Sage cried in grief of losing her beloved.

[Vision End]

Sage snapped out of her meditation after that. Seeing that vision nearly made her break down into tears, remembering how much she missed him since his death. Then her thoughts shifted to Vert. When she first met him, she saw a strong resemblance of her late lover in him, making her think that her beloved has returned to her as he promised. Not to mention that he just recently discovered his fire powers. Fire powers that also belonged to her late lover. But Vert had no memory of his past life due to rebirth, making her sad. But she held on to the promise that her late lover made for a very long time. She just needed to wait a little longer until Vert remembers his past life as Zodiac Aries, the leader of the legendary Zodiac Guardians.

Just then, her eyes glowed as she sensed a Stormshock opening. "Battle Force 10, Stormshock opening." She said, alerting the team through the P.A. The team arrived in the deployment station, got into their respected vehicles and drove off into the Salt Flats where the Stormshock was located.

They passed through the Stormshock portal and entered a new Battle Zone. It was filled with lava lakes and rivers, and lava falls pouring from volcano mountains. "Alright, team, spread out and look for the Battle Key." Vert said. Battle Force 10 drove off in separate directions to look for the Battle Key.

Just then, as she searched for the Battle Key, Olivia noticed another portal opening. "Vert! We got a problem! Dwellers!" She called through her com as Sauron, Fidget, Krongo and Fury came through the portal. "Dwellers! Find that Battle Key!" Sauron ordered. Fidget, Krongo and Fury drove off in separate directions to find the Battle Key.

"Battle Force 10! We have to find that key before they do! Keep searching!" Vert called. "Hold on, Vert! I'm detecting a huge pressure buildup in one of the volcanoes. It'll be ready to go off in exactly 3 hours." Sherman said, examining one of the volcanoes. "That's not good. If we don't find that key, we'll be broiled hotter than our breakfast." Rayona said. "Then we better find that key quickly." Olivia said.

As Talia searched for the Battle Key, something whammed against her Pom-Pom Pouncer. She turned and saw Krongo waving his club around. "Krongo smash!" Krongo shouted. "Oh, you wanna smash, big guy?" Talia asked, as she activated her spiked-pom-poms. "Then let's smash." Krongo went pale until the spiked-pom-pom slammed into him and sent him tumbling to the ground.

Meanwhile, Zoom hand come into contact with Fury. The werewolf was trying to slam him into one of the lava lakes. "Hey! Watch the paint, furball!" Zoom exclaimed. Fury didn't care as he slammed into Zoom again, nearly sending him over the edge. "Getting a little hot over there, mortal?!" He asked mockingly. "Don't know. You tell me!" Zoom exclaimed as he managed to flip the Chopper over Fury as he attempted a third slam. Fury skidded as hard as he could. But as his Tarcycle stopped, he flew himself off and landed in the lava. He jolted up, screaming in pain and holding his rump and tail. "Hope you like your lava hot, Fury!" Zoom called as he glided the Chopper down the lava falls.

Meanwhile, Fidget was chasing Stanford and Horace, firing his horn missiles. "Whoa! This goblin doesn't mess around!" Stanford exclaimed as he continued swerving the Reverb to dodge the missiles. "Yeah. But he has very bad aim." Horace pointed out. "Me on the other hand…" He made a U-turn and readied his laser cannons. "…I have better aim." He fired the lasers. But Fidget dodged the blasts left and right. And then, as he readied one last horn missile, a sonic blast surprised him and knocked him down. Horace was stunned by this, looking at Stanford, whose sonic cannons were smoking. "What? I got good aim too." Stanford said sheepishly. "Huh. Good shot." Horace said, giving a thumb's up.

Meanwhile, as Olivia continued driving, she caught sight of the Battle Key hovering over a lava lake. "Vert, I got eyes on the Battle Key." She called on her com. "I see it. Good eye, Liv. But you better grab it quick, because you got company!" Vert said. Olivia turned to see Sauron heading towards the key. "Not to worry, Vert. I got it." She said as she sped up the Jetray. Both Olivia and Sauron stopped at 2 separate jumps on both sides of the lava lake. "You may as well surrender, mortal! The Battle Key belongs to the Dwellers!" Sauron yelled. "You think so? Then let's play Chicken!" Olivia yelled. They both backed their vehicles up to get a running start. They then revved their engines, preparing to drive for the Battle Key. And then, without a second to waste, they charged and drove up and off the jumps, towards the key. "Jet time." Olivia muttered, activating the Jetray's wings and jetting fast enough to beat Sauron to the Battle Key. She snagged the key and turned back. "I got the key, Vert. Time to head home." She called.

"Good work, Liv. Battle Force 10, head for the portal!" Vert called as Olivia landed next to his Saber. As the team started heading back towards the portal, the volcanoes started to rumble. "Oh no! The volcanoes are about to burst!" Sherman exclaimed. "Now things are about to get really hot in this zone." Ivan said. "We gotta hurry back to the portal and close off this zone before we get cooked!" Vert exclaimed. As Vert and Olivia went a little faster, the volcanoes started spewing balls of fire. "Vert, we got incoming!" Olivia called. "We can make it, Liv! Just stay clear of those fireballs!" Vert called. Unfortunately, Olivia couldn't stay clear of an incoming fireball. It struck the Jetray and sent her tumbling down a hill. "OLIVIA!" Vert cried as he stopped the Saber.


The Jetray tumbled and landed near another lava lake. Olivia groaned as she managed to get out of her car and collapsed. But just then, she was greeted by 2 sets of feet standing in front of her. She looked up and saw Krongo and Fury cracking their knuckles. "Liv, I'm coming!" Vert called as he exited the Saber with his sword in his hand. But then, something hit him on the back of the head and knocked him out. Sauron stood over Vert's body as he sheathed his sword. "Mortals. So emotional. So predictable." He said with disappointment.

Nearby, Ivan caught sight of this. "Guys! Big trouble! Vert is down and Olivia's been captured by the Dwellers!" He called on the com-link. "Copy that, Ivan. Battle Force 10! Let's knock these fantasy freaks back to the Abyss!" Talia called. "You heard the cheerleader! Let's ride!" Horace exclaimed. The rest of Battle Force 10 drove out to engage the Dwellers.

Krongo and Fury held up Olivia by her arms as Sauron approached the Jetray. "A valiant effort, mortal. But as you can see, ultimately futile." He said as he prepared to take the Battle Key. But suddenly, several sonic and laser blasts hit the ground around them. "WHAT?!" Sauron turned to see Battle Force 10 driving towards them. "Fury, Krongo, Keep that mortal under your guard! Fidget, come with me!" He ordered. He and Fidget mounted their rides and drove off to engage Battle Force 10. "Ugh…Vert…Help me…" Olivia silently groaned.

Vert was still unconscious while Battle Force 10 can be heard having trouble with Sauron and Fidget. His slugs hopped out of the Saber and went over to him to try and wake him. But they couldn't.

[Vert's Mind]

Inside Vert's mind, Vert found himself in a dark red void with flames everywhere. "Where am I?" He asked as he looked around. "We are in your mind, Vert Wheeler." A voice answered from behind. It was the same voice from his dream. Vert turned around to see his lookalike. This surprised him. "Who are you?" He asked. "I am who sleeps within you, Vert Wheeler." The mysterious man said. Vert was confused by what the mysterious man said. "I have been asleep within you ever since you were born after I died during a war against the forces of evil in an attempt to take over the entire Multiverse." The mysterious man explained. "But now, you must wake up, Vert Wheeler. It is time for you to embrace the power of Aries." Vert was completely confused on what was going on. But then he was shown a vision. A vision that began to show images of the past.

[Vision]

A group of ancient warriors who were resembled to Vert and Battle Force 10 using their cosmic powers to battle against the forces of evil. Then Vert's lookalike and Sage were shown with their hands intertwined with each other, showing that they had a relationship. But then Vert's lookalike was shown dying in Sage's arms as she cried in grief due to losing her beloved.

[Vision End]

Vert snapped out of it in shock at what he had just witnessed. They were visions of the past. His past. And the memories had resurfaced in his mind. "I…I remember now." He said just as a glowing red symbol of Aries appeared on his forehead, showing that he had awakened his past life; Zodiac Aries.

[Battle Zone]

Meanwhile, Krongo and Fury kept their guard on a still recovering Olivia. "I don't get why Lord Sauron wants us to guard this worthless mortal. It's not like she poses any threat to us." Fury said. "Mortals never pose threat. They not special like us." Krongo said. "Oh, is that so, Krongo?" Vert's voice asked. Krongo and Fury turned to see Vert standing before them. "Vert…?" Olivia muttered as she still recovered. "Get him!" Fury shouted. As the 2 Dwellers charged for him, Vert closed his eyes and the Aries symbol appeared on his forehead as it glowed red. Then his hands became engulfed in fire. Fury and Krongo stopped in their tracks, shocked by what was happening. "No! It can't be!" Fury exclaimed. Then Vert opened his eyes, showing that they were glowing bright red, shouted and thrusted his hands, firing a stream of fire at the 2 Dwellers and knocking them out.

Olivia groaned as she stood up during recovery. "Easy, sis." Vert said as he helped her. "Vert, what did you do?" Olivia asked. "Long story. I'll tell you once we get back to Earth." Vert said. "Think the Jetray can still work?" "Just a few dings and scorch marks. But she's got a lot of power left." Olivia said.

Meanwhile, the rest of Battle Force 10 were not doing so well against Sauron and Fidget. "Even though we have the numbers, we're way overwhelmed!" Rayona exclaimed. "Vert! Olivia! Are you there?! We could really need some help!" Agura called through the com. "Coming your way, guys." Olivia said. The team was relieved to hear Olivia's voice. "But you guys might wanna get clear of Sauron and Fidget." Olivia said. "Uh, for what?" Stanford asked, confused. "For this." Vert said as he and Olivia drove towards the fight. His fist was engulfed in fire. The team got the picture and drove away. Sauron and Fidget were confused by this sudden retreat. But then they turned and saw Vert firing a large fireball at them and knocking them down as the Wheeler siblings drove past them and regrouped with the rest of the team.

"Okay, Liv. Let's head home." Vert said. "Copy that, Vert." Olivia said, using the Battle Key to open the portal back to Earth. Battle Force 10 passed through the portal just as it closed. Sauron recovered and was shocked at what happened. The same thing that happened to him back in the Clockwork Zone. "It can't be." He muttered.

When the team returned to the Hub, Vert walked up to Sage as the team helped Olivia repair the Jetray. "Vert? Is something the matter?" Sage asked. Instead of answering, Vert brought Sage into a comforting hug. Sage was confused by this. "I remember my past, Sage. I remember my identity as Zodiac Aries." Vert revealed. Sage was shocked to hear this, but then she hugged Vert back, happy that her lover had finally returned to her. "I knew you would return. You kept your promise." She said as she started crying. The team watched this touching moment with confusion, wondering what this was all about.

"Battle Force 10, I think it's time I tell you something I should've told you a long time ago." Sage said as she and Vert broke their hug. "What is it?" Olivia asked as the team gathered. "It's about a team of legendary warriors I knew long ago. The Zodiac Guardians, the first protectors of the Multiverse." Sage started to explain. The team sat around her as she explained. "You all know the 13 ancient symbols of the Zodiac. Aries, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Libra, Virgo, Leo, Cancer, Gemini, Taurus and Ophiuchus. But long ago, the Zodiac was more than symbols. They were a group of gifted beings who were the ancient guardians of the Multiverse, known as the Zodiac Guardians. I know this because I knew them. Their leader, Aries, was my late lover." Sage explained. "What happened?" Stanford asked. "During a war against the forces of evil bent on conquering the Multiverse, the Zodiac Guardians were defeated and killed. Aries was the last one alive, but was dying fast. As I held him in my arms, he promised me that he would return to me, reborn into another body." Sage explained. "My body. My memories of my past life awakened back in the Battle Zone and gave me the power to help Olivia." Vert said as he explained. "Wow. That's a lot to process." Agura said. "Yes. In fact, this is another reason why I have chosen each of you as Battle Force 10. Each of you is a reincarnation of the Zodiac Guardians." Sage revealed. The team was surprised by this. "Us?" Horace asked. "Reincarnated?" Spinner asked. "Zodiac Guardians?" Agura asked. "But which ones are we?" Zoom asked. "Olivia is Ophiuchus. Agura is Virgo. Sherman and Spinner are the Gemini Twins. Stanford is Scorpio. Zoom is Sagittarius. Talia is Aquarius. Rayona is Cancer. Ivan is Capricorn. And Horace is Leo. I still have yet to find Pisces, Taurus and Libra. Though you may not remember your past lives at the moment. But I believe that like with Vert, your memories will awaken and gift you with your ancient powers." Sage explained. The team started thinking about all this.

"Come on, guys. Let's take some time to let all this sink into us." Olivia suggested as she stood up. The rest of the team agreed as they stood up and left. Olivia winked at Vert before she went to join them. Vert smiled, knowing that wink. Olivia was giving him and Sage some alone time. When they were gone, Vert and Sage turned to face each other. "I knew it had to be you, Vert. From the moment we first met, I knew that you had to be Aries." Sage said, cupping Vert's cheeks in her hands. "And you were right. I've kept my promise. And you'll never loose me again." Vert said. Sage smiled and pressed her lips against his. Vert kissed back as he wrapped his arms around her. TRINA, who was supposedly recharging, watched the whole scene, happy that Sage was finally reunited with her beloved.

Well, how'd you like that? While battling the Dwellers in a Battle Zone, Vert has awakened his ancient past powers of the Zodiac Aries, Sage's past lover. And now the Battle Force 10 know of their past and future as the Zodiac Guardians. But when will their powers of their past awaken? And what challenges will they face when they awaken? Leave a review if you want.