Ben10 & Digimon Tamers
Heroes and Humanity
Part 02: Humanity and Heroes
Another Myself – Chapter 101
Originally Written: Friday, October 20, 2017 938PM to Sunday, October 22, 2017 1258PM
Song: One Ok Rock - The Beginning
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A/N: This is one of the last chapters I'm comfortable with posting until I finish up writing the end of this lovely story. So I do not know if I'll post a new update next week. I don't feel right leaving this arc unposted with a giant cliffhanger like that though. I will most likely post to the end of this arc, and then focus on writing. My motivation is really slacking when it comes to writing lately. I already have the ending of this story planned out and outlined. All I need to do is write it. I know I don't have the best track record for finishing stories, but this particular story will be completed. I'm just letting you know that if there isn't an update next week, it's because I'm focusing I'm writing the next story arc. I apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you all so much for reading!
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"Did anyone get the license plate number on that bullet train?" Kazu groaned softly rolling onto his side.
Albedo curled up tighter in a ball on the street. He covered his head with his hands, and shut his eyes tightly.
"I did not imagine this happening when we caught up with those Ben's." Takato said, looking around.
"I'm kind of sleepy!" Guilmon whined.
"How the heck are you sleepy?" Swamps commented loudly.
Albedo switched to covering his ears. Then to covering his eyes. Nothing seemed to work. His body shook. Chills filled his frame. He felt sweat slowly form on his skin, making him feel sticky and uncomfortable. He switched back to covering his head. Nausea attacked him, as his stomach did somersaults and back flips. Tears filled his eyes.
"I am not here. I am not here. I am not here." He murmured softly to himself.
"I do not like this, Rika." Renamon said.
"Me neither. Why are the streets so empty?"
Cyberdramon growled.
Albedo felt cold touch his skin, but it wasn't from him. He peeked between his fingers. Fridge's wide green eyes looked at him in curiosity and concern. Immediately he regretted looking. He jumped and scrambled backwards.
"Shhhh." Jenrya grabbed him, holding him in his arms. "It's Fridge. It's just Fridge."
"He..." Fridge breathed out a heavy fog as his words caught in his throat.
"T-This is Bellwood." Hugh looked around. "H-how did we..?"
"Dammit." Ryo spat as Cyberdramon growled. "I didn't see Eon. Did you?"
"I did not sense him."
"You're okay." Jenrya whispered in his ear. "You're okay."
"Uh, Henry." Terriermon looked down from Jenrya's head. "This is-"
"-Shut up Terriermon." Jenrya growled out.
"It's so cold." Rika rubbed at her arms.
"It shouldn't be." Jeri commented.
Albedo wondered how she could be so calm. Ben Tennyson was going to kill them! He pushed at Jenrya's hands and body.
"You're safer with us."
He shook his head, staring at Jenrya's calm eyes. "He's gonna kill us." He murmured.
"Who?" Swamps asked at the same time Jenrya spoke.
"No he's not. We won't let him."
"Nice pep talk, but don't think I can digivolve."
Albedo looked at Terriermon. He felt tears running down his face.
"Terriermon," Jenrya snapped.
"Excuse me for not wanting to be killed again."
He pulled at his hair and screamed so loudly it only served to scare himself further. He felt Jenrya hug him and rock him back and forth. Every single fiber of his being told him to run, even though there was nowhere for him to go.
"Geeze, loud much?"
He looked at black eyes and pale skin. A male with straight black hair, wearing a black shirt and jeans looked back at him. Voices around him spoke, but he couldn't find himself to be interested in what they had to say. He covered his mouth with his hands. His arms shook so badly he wondered how he was even able to hold them up. He tried to step backwards, but Jenrya wouldn't let him. He looked at Jenrya with wide eyes. He shook his head. Kevin Levin had a serious streak of killing people. He fit right in with Tennyson.
"Shhh." Jenrya ran a hand through his hair. "We're all right here. Nothing will happen to you."
"It doesn't matter." A girl with orange hair in a ponytail and bright green eyes folded her arms. She frowned at them and shook her head. She wore a red v-neck sweater, and a black mini skirt. "We'll take care of you, easily." Her heeled shoes clicked as she took a few steps forward. She formed bright pink mana in her hand.
He dropped to the ground on his knees, taking Jenrya with him. He covered his head with his hands. He felt heavy energy run underneath his skin. It sent his senses on high alert. He shut his eyes tightly. Even distant sounds seemed loud in his ears, as though the source was right next to him.
Something exploded sounding like a firework. He breathed quickly. Jenrya murmured senseless words in his ears. Cold touched his skin, even though his clothes. Against his better judgment, he risked opening his eyes. Shards and sparkles of pink floated lazily to the ground.
Albedo looked at Jeri. She hovered above the ground. Her brown hair spiked out wildly from her head. Wings of pale flesh and purplish gray cables spread out wide behind her. A string of glowing pulsing red connected to an odd gray creature with four arms shaped like cylinders. The creature had raised one of its four arms, and a yellow glow formed from the widest part at the end of its arm.
"It'll be by yourselves." She growled out, yellow eyes glowing.
"Jeri." Ryo commanded, voice fierce as it was during the Incursean Invasion.
"I'm fine." She grinned baring her teeth. "Let's not scare the kiddies too much."
"I hope you're talking about those two." Kazu spoke, voice shaky.
"What the heck!?" Swamps yelled, "We didn't even do anything!"
"We just have to wait a bit before you do. Better to squish the bugs before they swarm." Kevin Levin reached a hand out to touch a light pole. The grin on his face reminded Albedo of Tennyson, right before he launched into chasing him.
"This doesn't make sense." Kenta spoke.
"It won't. Don't try to make it. This setting isn't real." Jeri explained. "We're still in the digital world."
Jenrya pulled Albedo's hands to him. "Don't move from this spot." He held his hands gently.
Albedo stared at him wide eyed. He shook his head. "He'll kill us."
"Like hell he won't!" Swamps yelled
Albedo flinched, and shook his head.
"You're safest with us. I promise. Trust me. Trust us. Not him."
Fridge, Swamps and Hugh surrounded him in a circle, almost as though Jenrya had wordlessly commanded them. Rika cursed after Renamon told her she was unable to digivolve.
Gwen Tennyson launched mana bolts at them with ease. Jeri countered with the assistance of the creature connected to her, and another she summoned. Guilmon looked at Kevin confused, until Takato gave him permission to 'lightly tap' him. Why Takato didn't want to go all out on him was beyond him. Kevin responded by throwing a mean right hook. Guilmon stumbled back, dazed. Takato and Guilmon seemed like the two who would go all out right before someone killed them.
Albedo lowered his head. Tires screeched against the ground.
"B-Ben?" Hugh questioned. "I-I don't like the way y-you're looking at us."
A Tetramand (Four Arms) dropped down from the roof of a building off to the side. The alien left a moderate sized crater in the ground.
Terriermon jumped down from Jenrya's head. Albedo wasn't sure what good it would do, but he found himself picking up the digimon anyway.
"The other Ben's?" Ryo asked.
"No." Jeri eyes flitted around, helping her assess the situation. "Both are registering as our world's Tennyson. Permission to increase energy output for level 4 fifty percent."
"Granted." Ryo replied.
Albedo's eyes widened. The more of Tennyson's aliens that dropped, the more of those odd 4 armed creatures Jeri she summoned. About 20 lines of red split from Jeri's form, some of them splitting up into 2 or more lines. At least 50 of the 4 armed creatures soon surrounded them, and fired freely into the air aiming at Tennyson's flying alien forms.
"Oh goodness." Kenta muttered, "They're all Ben?"
He shut his eyes tightly, shivering.
Terriermon sputtered in his arms. "I can't fight with you squeezing so tightly. Not that it would-"
"-Terriermon!" Jenrya snapped.
Various aliens laughed mockingly, as they swarmed their attacks. Fire, ice, metal, vines, and other attacks launched towards them. Albedo opened his eyes. Jury Rigg sat on top of some large gun shaped thing on a stand. He ducked his head.
Rika shouted, "You've gotta be kidding me!"
A loud boom rang out as the thing fired.
Cyberdramon roared, "Desolation Claw!"
He heard something metal smack into Guardromon. The digimon sputtered in disgust as Kazu shouted in disapproval.
More metal objects flew and collided into things. He heard Terriermon shout out a 'Bunny Blast'. Then he heard a cross between moan and a groan.
"O-ow."
His eyes snapped open. He looked up. Hugh held a piece of smoking metal. Somehow, the tip of the metal beam-resembling object was on fire.
"Echo Echo!" Jenrya yelled, "Don't let it scream!"
He watched Hugh haul his arm back and throw the object straight at the alien. Blood dripped from Hugh's hands, flying through the air. Swamps followed up the move by launching fireballs after the metal beam. The beam smacked the alien in the face, and it tumbled and rolled over itself against the pavement.
"H-Hugh?"
"I-I'm okay." The Vaxasaurian shook out his hands. Blood dripped from them. "I-it doesn't hurt much."
"You said this isn't real?" Takato asked.
"It's not." Jeri replied.
Albedo watched Fridge fly past him, and exhale out a large gust of icy wind. An alien encased in ice fell to the ground. Small pieces of ice broke out from its frame. Vines wrapped around Fridge's arms and legs, and pulled the Necroffriggian forward. Terriermon jumped on Albedo's head and spit out more shots of green energy.
A bright light filled the area for a few moments.
"Jeri, can you get a bird's eye view?" Jenrya asked.
"What am I looking for?"
"Juggernaut."
Some of the creatures Jeri summoned burst into red bubbles as they took too much damage from Gwen's mana. The bubbles burst into data, and returned to Jeri, almost as if she were a magnet.
Albedo looked at her confused. "She's so strong..." He whispered.
"It's not her. It's you." Terriermon spoke.
He tried to look up at the digimon, but wasn't able to do so well, since he was on his head. Terriermon didn't respond, too busy firing off another round of Bunny Blasts.
An immensely strong gust of wind filled the area, blowing towards them. He grabbed Terriermon as the digimon started to slide off his head. He curled up against the ground. He heard the tamers and their digimon scream as the wind battered against them. He heard Jeri shout, and Takato shout for her. Hugh's form covered his own. He looked up at the alien. Hugh smiled at him. His friends tumbled past them. More a mess of tangles and more in number than he would like.
"'Not real' my ass." Rika muttered. She had tumbled onto her back in front of Albedo. She gasped and dodged an electric charged plug from Ben's Feedback.
"This may not be real, but we're still in the digital world." Kenta commented. "That's what Jeri said, right?"
Kevin Levin flew past them, having been thrown by Justimon. He crashed into the Wildvine that was trying to tear Fridge limb from limb. Fridge freed himself, and attacked them with ice, only to scream terribly as he was assaulted by another alien.
"What-Ow...-what am I looking for again, Henry?" Jeri spoke softly.
Albedo looked around Hugh. One of those creatures had caught her with its odd limbs, and set her on the ground.
"Juggernaut." Jenrya stumbled against Hugh's side. He looked at him with gratitude, as he let go of his arms. "He's detecting something odd, but I can't figure out where he is."
"Better find him quickly." Renamon backflipped off an alien and launched a Diamond Storm attack at it. "I fear we'll be overrun soon."
More aliens surrounded them replacing the few that they managed to force back.
"Can you blue card, Takato?" Rika asked.
"No. I don't get why. You?"
"Regular Digivolution it is then. Why are we so weak here?" Rika spat out greatly dissatisfied.
Albedo covered his head as alien attacks launched at them. He felt Hugh shout and jerk forward suddenly.
"I-I won't let you get hurt. J-just like you asked." Hugh smiled a pained smile at him.
Tears filled his vision. He curled himself up even tighter.
"What could cause this?" Justimon questioned. "The only ones getting hurt are us."
"Like in a dream!" Kazu shouted. Guardramon fired off an attack.
"What?" Kenta questioned disbelieving.
"You know, you get caught in a bad dream where the bad guy is fine, but he's wrecking your shit?"
"I call those nightmares." Kenta muttered, "So who's nightmare are we..."
Albedo suddenly felt a bunch of eyes on him. He lifted his head, and looked at the tamers digimon and aliens taking time to look at him.
"You've gotta be kidding me. We could just be telling Albedo to wake up?!" Rika shouted.
Albedo shook his head in response. Everyone moved quickly, trying and mostly failing to dodge Ben's various aliens.
"No, it's more than that." Justimon replied. "Albedo going to sleep wouldn't drag us all with him."
"Then what did?" Jenrya questioned. "I know he's dreaming, but he's too deeply dreaming, and too scared. We won't be able to wake him up like this." He fired off a few shots of his guns, but they had little to no effect against Ben's aliens.
"So we find what did and get out that way." Justimon dropkicked another alien.
A loud warbling scream broke out in the area. Albedo covered his ears, screaming. He felt liquid run down the sides of his face. Hugh fell to his knees, nearly falling on top of him, screaming as well. Around him the majority of the others fell down holding their ears just the same. His eyes widened, as he watched them writhe on the ground in pain, blood flowing out of their ears.
Justimon stumbled, but remained standing. He leaped and backflipped and flipped over a slew of aliens, energy surrounding his body as he somehow dodged them all.
Everything sounded dull, so far away. He knew this feeling. He wouldn't be able to hear anything soon. Tears filled his vision. Every direction he looked, the tamers and their digimon seemed injured in some way. Fridge attacked an alien, while Swamps tried to stand. Hugh lost his balance again, and fell over. His large frame towered over Albedo, as the alien held himself up with his hands. His glasses slid off his face. Albedo caught them with ease. He took large deep breaths trying not to throw up.
'Re-calibrating.' Juggernaut's familiar voice sounded loud in his mind.
He felt his nausea slowly ease up. A pale hand rested on his thigh. He blinked slowly, and looked off to the side. Jenrya looked at him. His pain filled silver eyes bore into him, even as he kept trying to close his eyes tightly as though it'd shield him from the pain, demanding something from him. Jenrya grabbed his hand.
He shook his head. He couldn't hear himself speak, but he kept trying to speak anyway. One by one all around him, Ben's aliens snatched up his friends, choosing victims. Despite the cold fear overcoming him, a small part of him felt a fiery rage.
Hugh's arm suddenly shot by him in a downward motion. The ground shook. He looked down at the Splixson (Ditto), Hugh had smashed into the ground. The things crawled all over the Vaxasaurian like ants. Hugh smashed another into the ground. The various Ditto's reached for his neck, and tried biting through his skin, and dragging him to the ground, but he wouldn't let himself go down. Blood dripped slowly from the various wounds. Small amounts from each wound, but enough that with time it would weaken and slow him down.
He shook his head at Hugh. The alien kept smiling that annoying, pain filled smile at him. Usually when Hugh smiled, it was an unsure, nervous smile. This one Albedo might call confident. Determined.
Justimon smashed into a building. Sparkles rose from his frame as part of the building fell down around him.
Growlmon and Kyuubimon shielded their tamers from the assault. He couldn't see anyone else anymore.
He growled. He hung Hugh's glasses on the front of his shirt. He reached around the large alien and summoned a particularly powerful blast of dark blue violet mana. He launched it at a group of the annoying Ditto ants.
Their mouths opened in screams he couldn't hear. They burst into bits of sparkles far more easily than he expected. He looked at the space the aliens had been in confusion. More Dittos took their fallen comrade's places.
Terriermon struggled in his arms, 'It's you, dummy!'
He ignored the digimon in favor of attempting that mana attack once more. The Dittos disappeared. More replaced them just the same. Something made him tilt his head. 'I just took down one of Tennyson's aliens. Twice.' He took a deep breath. He hadn't been expecting to do much of anything if he was honest with himself.
Terriermon whined loudly in his head. It sounded like an exasperated groan. 'Remember way back when I tried to tell you he's not stronger than you in your own head unless you let him be?' Terriermon dropped into his arms.
'Then...what do I attack?' He looked around, trying to ignore the aliens overcoming his friends. 'They're all...' He shook his head. 'Juggernaut.' He looked up at Hugh.
Hugh looked down at him for a moment, still somehow standing with all the Ditto's attacking him. He stepped away from his tall friend. His eyes widened as Hugh pushed himself to his shaky feet somehow, and took two steps forward towards him. Hugh looked at him with eyes that had a sudden fiery determination. It gave Albedo pause.
He clenched his fists, and nodded. Terriermon climbed up on his head. Bluish violet mana surrounded his hands. He turned around, and ran. He could do this faster, but he couldn't, would not leave Hugh behind. Hugh who seemed so determined to follow him, despite the damage he was taking. Hugh who was not a fighter. Hugh who really should not be fighting.
'If Hugh can defend himself from Tennyson, then so can I.' He threw a ball of mana at an alien. A shock went through it, and it shuddered, falling to the ground long enough for him to run by. He turned down a side street, and then another. The more he ran the louder Juggernaut's voice sounded in his head. It seemed to be reading off some kind of code. Code that Albedo didn't understand in his adrenaline rush.
Odd gray winged creatures attached to red glowing strings followed him, hovering a few feet above him. The ground shook again, prompting Albedo to look around. He immediately called mana to his hands, and threw it at the heavily persistent Dittos. Vine's from Ben's Swampfire had wrapped around Hugh's arms and legs. It only hindered his movement ever so slightly, but it was enough for the ditto's to overcome him and bring him to the ground. Hugh grew himself to his full towering height, and yanked on the vines. Ben's Swampfire flew forward. Hugh grabbed the alien with a large overbearing hand, and smashed it into the ground, even as flames engulfed Hugh's arms.
Albedo felt a scream rip from his throat. Hugh looked at him with that same stupid determined smile. Things suddenly made sense that he hadn't thought ever would.
Behind Hugh, the others were still somehow able to fight, and somehow seemed stronger than he last thought they were. Was it...was it really him? He closed his eyes for a moment, and focused.
'Stop looking and go, silly!' Terriermon shouted at him.
His eyes snapped open as he felt a jolt of energy from Juggernaut. He turned on his heels and ran, pushing himself forward. Another jolt of energy flowed through him. 'What is that?'
He felt Terriermon think for a few moments. 'Yuggoth. I think.'
'The deletion program Juggernaut assimilated?' He turned another corner.
'Uh huh. I don't like the way that Way Big is moving.'
He couldn't hear himself say it, but he still found himself cursing. The red and white alien had indeed moved from his position sitting on the roof of a building. He frowned a particularly fierce frown. Albedo saw a glimpse of it raising its arm. He pushed himself to get away from the buildings, or at least someplace he'd be able to see the hand.
A building too close to him tumbled to the ground like a child's toy as the To'Kustar's hand crashed down. Albedo stopped, and stared as the ground shook. His eyes widened and his mind raced for ideas of anything to do, as the alien dragged its hand and arm pushing the building's remains towards him and Terriermon as an angry person would when they decided that knocking everything off the table in one fell swoop was a good idea.
'Teleport!' Terriermon shouted. 'Teleport!'
'And how do I do that!?' He started backtracking, even though it would be useless. He could turn into an alien that could fly, but he'd just avoid the debris and slam into the To'Kustar's arm afterward.
'Pretend you know how!' Terriermon dropped to his arms. 'I can't pull you with me if I do it! I'm not strong enough.' Terriermon shot out green bursts of energy from his mouth.
Albedo shut his eyes and concentrated. He felt quite silly, but figured it'd be better than the crushed sensation he'd soon be feeling. He focused on Juggernaut. Shortly after, he felt a pulling sensation that felt familiar. He felt himself rise some height off the ground, and then fall. He opened his eyes in just enough time to stumble on his feet, and fall to his knees.
He shook his head, trying to gather his bearings. Terriermon's ears flapped as though he were clapping with them. The small digimon pointed ahead of him.
A Neumina (Pesky Dust) wearing a tattered and torn black dress with horizontal dark green zig-zag stripes floated in front of them, some distance away. Its neon green eyes, speckled with hints of a dark grayish violet glared at Juggernaut. The matching omnitrix symbol on its chest shined brightly against the darkness. Its pale dull violet wings fluttered about.
Albedo glared at the alien, feeling a deep growl form in his throat. That was not the Tennyson he was expecting. He clenched his fists, formed mana in his hands. He held them together, and fired a long stream of energy at the pest.
How long was this thing in his head!? How many nightmares did it give him!? How many nightmares did it make worse!?
The Neumina tumbled through the air. Its form fluttered and fizzled, sparkles rising from its body.
He stepped forward. Terriermon climbed on his head, and fired more green bullets of energy at the alien. He raised his arm, still coated with mana, and attacked it once more. It crashed into a building. He narrowed his eyes. This one was oddly strong.
The alien said something to him that he couldn't hear, and waved a black glove towards him as though commanding something. The ground shook shortly after. Albedo leaped back as the To'Kustar's hand slammed down at the ground.
'We're kicking this thing's booty!' Terriermon mentally spoke, his voice sounding a bit giddy.
Albedo then realized he was floating off the ground, a barrier of blue violet mana coating his entire body. The months of sleepless nights this thing potentially gave him! He'd never forgive this alien. How many Albedo's had this one tortured!? He raised his hands and threw another mana beam at the alien. It barely dodged and tumbled through the air.
'Neumina are faster than that...' He also noted that Juggernaut wasn't warning him on energy usage.
'Don't give it strength, dummy!' Terriermon called.
'It is me?'
'It's your mind! That jerk can only do so much to you! So let's kick it's butt so we can go kick Eon's butt for giving this craptastic Tinkerbell this stupid idea in the first place!'
Albedo dodged the To'Kustar's hand crashing down once more. He grabbed Juggernaut's blue lined hand, and made some distance between himself and the To'Kustar. Terriermon aimed another Bunny Blast at the Neumina. He felt another burst of energy from Juggernaut.
He landed on the ground and summoned more mana. 'How dare you, you stupid, heartless, monstrous, insane, selfish, wretched-' He felt his throat vibrate painfully as he screamed. 'Get the hell out of my head!'
The area around him flashed a bright bluish violet, so blinding Albedo closed his eyes in response. The light died, and he saw the Neumina burst into sparkles of data and fade. The scenery around them faded as well, until all that was left was black. Albedo saw his friends shaken, and fallen against the assault across the sea of black.
He sighed, and dropped to his feet, standing in the black. He breathed heavily, watching as his friends disappeared. Suddenly he felt himself fall.
Itchy sand scratched against his skin. The light surface felt hard and soft against his back. He opened his eyes, breathing heavily. He stared at the partly cloudy blue sky of what Juggernaut told him was the Digital World. He spread his arms wide against the sand. He clenched pale sand tightly in his fists. He cried as he stared up at the sky.
