Sorry for a day delay. Also, new Pokemon is fun. I like Maushold.
After this chapter, we're gonna take a week off to edit / relax for the holidays.
The next day, Ceres held up the modified Null Void projector and carefully examined it. "So, Blukic and Driba connected the exhaust energy dispenser to the main core. An overabundance of primary energy has the potential to destroy the entire universe, or at least a significant portion of it," the Archimedian said.
"It's a disgrace that we're related by species," Albedo said, shaking his head.
"How soon do you think you'll be able to finish a proper version of this?" Kirby asked.
"About a day or two," Ceres answered.
"We'll get there faster if we don't sleep," Albedo added.
"We're still accounting for snack breaks, right?" Ceres asked.
"An occasional chili fry break couldn't hurt. I'll do one every twelve hours," Albedo hummed.
"Wait, seriously? A day?" Kirby asked, "I thought it'd take longer."
"They've laid the groundwork. They just failed to 'check their work,' as it were. They somehow got the right answer from...all of this," Ceres stated, "By the way, don't EVER let them touch the Omnitrix. I'd gladly travel across a multiverse to mend that thing for you."
Kirby nodded, "Noted."
"For the meantime, I suggest you familiarize yourself with your surroundings," Albedo suggested, "This may be Bellwood, but it is the furthest thing from YOUR Bellwood."
"Fair," Kirby had noted how odd the work schedule was here. For Albedo, it made sense, given his Galvan nature, but even Galvan needed sleep. For Ceres, he was hoping that wasn't a normal thing for her.
Kirby walked out of the lab and looked around. This base doesn't seem too different from the one back in my home dimension. Maybe I should check it out, so I know where everything is when I get back, he thought to himself.
The base itself was livelier than Kirby had expected and, in time, maybe this is what his Bellwood base would be like, full of officers ready to come to the town's defense in case things got really bad. Since he'd probably spend some time there himself, he decided to check out the training rooms first. He went over to an elevator and...oh wait, he had no idea what level of the base those were on. Max never got to say the specifics before everything happened.
Kirby hummed, "Now, if I was to put a training facility in a Plumber Base...where would I go?"
"It's on B3F," a familiar voice answered. Kirby looked up to see Ruby, walking into the elevator. She was wearing a strange outfit and also carrying a weird weapon on her side.
"B3F?" Kirby asked just to confirm it as he found that button on the elevator panel and pressed it, "Thanks." The weapon Ruby was carrying caught his attention, even though he tried not to stare.
"Sleep well?" Ruby asked.
"Huh? Uh, yeah. I just...kinda wish someone mentioned Grandpa Max passed in this world," Kirby said, "Felt weird sleeping there.
Ruby looked away. "O-oh, yeah. Sorry."
The two rode the elevator down in silence, for a bit.
"So, you never met me in your universe, right?" Ruby ventured to ask.
Kirby scratched the back of his head, "I don't even know if you exist where I'm from. It's kinda weird."
"What's weird?"
"You're his best friend, right? You have to know everything about me, but...I know nothing about you," Kirby clarified.
'Well...more than best friends, really," Ruby said, "It just took us a while to figure that out."
"O-oh," Kirby blushed, "That's something I wish they ALSO mentioned to me."
"Didn't want to overwhelm you. I mean...you woke up in a lab with one person you thought was an enemy, and you thought Kevin got the Omnitrix in this universe."
"Hey, I adapted. Took a while, but I got used to it," Kirby said.
"Fair," Ruby had to admit, he did take to the differences rather well. Or about as well as anyone would when they enter a parallel universe.
"Speaking of Albedo, is he like...your arch-enemy or something in your universe?" the red-hooded reaper asked.
"Albedo was just a guy who built an Omnitrix, and then ended up looking like me," Kirby explained, "He tried to take the original Omnitrix because...I dunno, he wasn't smart enough to fix his own problem?"
"Huh. Our Albedo would probably ask him about that. So would Neo, honestly."
"I'm more shocked that Albedo has a girlfriend here," Kirby said, as the elevator came to a stop, "What about you? What's your story?"
"Well...remember when we told you about the Grimm?"
"Yeah, monsters and such. Do you like...hunt them?"
"Yep. Huntsmen and Huntresses. We're the ones called out to deal with the Grimm when they get too close to a village or any settlement. Both of my parents hunted monsters, my sister hunts 'em, a lot of my best friends hunt them. Hell, we have schools dedicated to it."
"Huh. Really are like a parallel for the Plumbers," Kirby nodded.
"If all the Plumbers had super powers, yeah."
"...where do the superpowers come..." Kirby shook his head, "Never mind."
"Oh trust me, if I'm gonna explain Aura and Semblances, we'd be here awhile."
"...can you give me a cliff notes version?" Kirby asked sheepishly.
"Sometimes I have protection from attacks and superpowers. Sometimes I don't," Ruby said.
"...I guess that makes sense," Kirby shrugged.
Soon enough, the elevator would come to a smooth halt and the doors slid open, Ruby stepping off first, looking over her weapon as she did so.
"So, that your scythe or something? Doesn't really look like one," Kirby said. Ruby smirked, as she quickly unfolded the weapon for Kirby, transforming into the tool she knew and loved.
"It's also a gun," Ruby said proudly.
Kirby's eyes widened when he saw the scythe swiftly shift from the compact form Ruby had been carrying.
"If my Bellwood base got better Galvans, I would ask them to build something like that for me," Kirby admitted without hesitation.
"Hey, you have your signature thing," Ruby said pointing to the Omnitrix, "this is mine. And before you ask, yeah, most Huntsmen have some kind of kickass transforming weapon."
"...can I see it in action?" Kirby asked.
The Plumber training rooms were very similar to the ones in Atlas, at least in appearance. It was a spacious chamber with grids crossing over the entire thing to allow for different scenarios to be brought up. It wasn't as flashy as an Atlas sparring room, just a plain room without the signature neon blue lights of the arctic Kingdom, but it got the job done, especially when those training rooms also came complete with training bots equipped with holographic overlays that could be programmed to resemble pretty much anything. As was the case with Ruby finishing off a pack of holographic Vulpimancers, leaping onto the back of the Pack Leader, hooking her scythe under it and pulling the trigger, blasting herself upwards while bisecting the training target. She gracefully landed behind the two pieces of the bot, scythe blade digging into the ground and the handle of the weapon resting over her shoulders.
Kirby watched in awe- Ruby was utterly astonishing, with her fast movements and her even faster dexterity. "Woah." Kirby said.
"Woah indeed." Kirby looked over to see Blonko. He never had the chance to interact with the Revonnahgander yesterday, mainly with all the confusion going on around him.
"Oh, hey. Uh, Rook, right?" Kirby asked.
"That is correct," Rook nodded, arms crossed as he finished watching Ruby's training session. The bisected wreck of a bot on the training room floor had its overlay flicker and fade, showing the thin frame it truly had underneath.
"So...what history does your Ben have with you?" Kirby asked.
"Ben has been like a brother to me. He and his parents allowed me to live under their roof for a time being, under the guise of being a transfer student," Blonko explained.
"Seriously? My parents grounded me when they found out I could turn into aliens," Kirby said.
"That is...not a reaction I was expecting," Rook admitted, "They find out that you have the ability to change into aliens...and they grounded you?"
"I know. It's the dumbest thing they could've done!" Kirby frowned.
"I recall the Carl and Sandra of this universe treating me like one of their own. It was very kind of them," Blonko smiled.
Kirby did smile a bit at that too. Nice to know not everything was different in another universe. Some things are just universal constants.
"So, what kinda talents do you have, exactly?" Kirby asked.
"Marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, staff fighting, swordsmanship," Rook started listing off.
"Wow, a well rounded player. You would've been helpful in taking down the Highbreed," Kirby chuckled.
"The citizens of Augstaka are planning a revolt? Perhaps that's something the Plumbers should look into," Blonko hummed.
"Oh, so you guys do know them over here?"
"Sort of. The Plumbers have been trying to establish diplomacy with the Highbreed Supreme for some time now, but they've made little progress," Blonko explained.
"Are they anything like the Highbreed I know? As in, they have a massive superiority complex and think themselves above us 'lesser species'?"
"...No. They are struggling and the Plumbers are trying to get them the support they need, hence the diplomatic efforts. That does warrant some caution, though," Blonko admitted.
"Oh. Maybe you guys have better Highbreed? The ones in my universe were...well...let's just say they had a thing for secret invasions," Kirby said.
"I will make note of that immediately." Blonko nodded.
"You're more of a by-the-book guy, aren't you?" Kirby snickered.
"I...have been called that before, yes," Blonk shrugged, "It has its advantages and drawbacks, sometimes."
"You seem alright to me," Kirby said, patting Rook on the back. He looked back to Ruby, who was still going at it.
This time, Ruby was going up against a swarm of small, blue creatures with two claws, red eyes, and circular mouths lined with razor sharp teeth. The training bots were very versatile when it came to opponent type.
"So where's Ben?" Kirby asked.
"He's attending a brunch with his family right now." Blonko explained.
"Ah," Kirby said, watching Ruby spin her scythe and send several of the small "beasts" flying into the walls of the training room.
"Ruby has been most effective on the field these past few months. And I cannot blame her. She has become quite the leader, ever since the Fall," Blonko bemused.
"The Fall?" Kirby asked.
"You see, we attended a school for Hunters last year, for a short period of time. During that time, the entire city came under terrorist attack. I was quite brutal, as is to suspected of Zs'skayr and his allies."
"Wait, Zs'skayr did that?" Kirby asked, taken aback that the specter would even think about allying with aliens not from Anur.
"Indeed. Him and his cult helped, while defense androids were turned against us and the Grimm ran rampant in the city. A majority of us were injured pretty badly, and nearly fractured by indecision of what to do next," Blonko explained, "Ben almost died via an arrow."
"Almost...died? From an arrow?" That didn't sound like Zs'skayr's m.o.
"Yes, usually the blow would have been fatal and no doubt that was the Fall Maiden's intent," Blonko said, "Thankfully, she must have overestimated her abilities, as it only punctured a lung. Ruby fought valiantly to protect Ben from that madwoman."
"...I...wow," Kirby said, honestly just trying to put words to the feeling of being shocked to your core.
"You have been through a lot in this universe, Kirby. I fear for your future, since we are not around to help..."
"Starting to worry about that, too now," the alternate Ben shuddered.
"I am sorry for causing that worry," Blonko said. "I thought being blunt would've helped."
"No, it's...fine. There might be a chance whoever almost killed...Ben doesn't exist in my universe. That still feels weird to say," Kirby admitted, "Almost like I'm talking about myself in third person."
"Do not worry. If we were on your home turf, we would be calling Ben 'Kirby'. We would most likely have a field day out of it," Blonko chuckled.
"Ok, that would be funny to see," Kirby chuckled at his universal counterpart's expense.
"But, for now...we should probably get you to establish some connections with the others. I find that communication leads to better banter and cooperation."
"So, who do you think I should start with then?"
"Well, there is one soul I know for a fact would love to hear your stories," Rook said.
And that is how we ended up in Atlas, working for the good guys, Neo finished her story, leaning back in her chair with a triumphant grin. Kirby blinked a few times, processing the entire rollercoaster of a story he'd just heard from the multi-colored trickster. Kirby knew about how terrible of a boss Zs'skayr was in his universe, given how the "High Ectolord" was more an emperor-in-exile. With all the oppression he put his own people through, it wasn't a big surprise that he had so few loyal followers.
But Salem was a different disaster altogether. From what Neo said, this lady knew exactly how to mix charisma and intimidation. Most of Zs'skayr's followers were loyal out of fear, but these people sounded genuinely enthralled with the dark queen's promises.
"And…she just let you walk?" Kirby asked.
Sorta. She didn't send anyone after us. Probably cause she didn't expect us to turn. When I did, well, the Grimm didn't throw the best going away party.
"I…I bet. I still don't get the Breach part," Kirby admitted, "Like…who is she? What is she? Not a Grimm, not an alien.."
Oh believe me, if we knew that, I could sleep much easier. Just the idea of one of her portals opening up at night while you sleep-
"And I'm cutting you off right there. The 'Dollhouse' was enough nightmare fuel, thanks."
Yeah that's fair. Now its time for you to tell me more about this…other Albedo. I could use some ammo to poke fun at mine.
"I don't think he'd appreciate that," Kirby countered.
Oh come on, it's fine. It's just part of our dynamic.
"Well…there's not really that much t-" Kirby was interrupted by Rook's Plumber badge going off, followed by Neo's Scroll. They each answered in turn and, judging from the expression on their faces, Kirby knew exactly what they were talking about. A few short seconds later, the duo hung up and nodded to each other.
"Is it-?" Kirby asked, getting up from his seat.
"It is. Or at least, it will be. Thanks to what our Ben, we are well aware of the energy signatures of Celestialsapiens. There is a slight rise in energy given off by this Watch Collector's species in a certain area. The Plumbers have already sent out a force to try and at least contain the Collector."
"Doubt it'll work, assuming you guys have the same tanks," Kirby crossed his arms.
"With that in mind, however, there is a simple plan we wish to enact," Rook explained.
"Which is?" Kirby asked.
"As I said, it is simple. It does not need an in depth explanation."
Which means, knowing our friend group, it's reckless, insane, and a pure spectacle. Get ready for a show, Kirby, Neo signed.
"Ok, I'll take your word for it. Where we headed?" Kirby asked, ready to go for round two against this rogue.
"Where do you think?" Rook asked back.
"Bellwood…" Kirby said. At first he looked a little uneasy, the idea that a monster like the Watch Collector was close to his home, or a version of it at least, wasn't a comforting one. In truth, thorough, the uneasy feeling lead to resolve. He wasn't gonna let the Collector just waltz through the multiverse "Looks like its Hero Time again!"
Neo and Rook gave each other a look, the former more amused and the latter more confused. Chalk up another multiversal difference between the two Bens, then.
In what could be described as a flash of deja vu, a void-like rip opened up in the air outside of Bellwood maybe an hour or two later. A figure slowly floated through, their green eyes scanning their surroundings for anything they've seen before. This universe was similar to the previous one, at least from what he could tell. No summer road trip to catch this Ben unaware and isolate him.
Depending on who was in this universe, he'd need to plan accordingly. If he had to deal with the Schnee again, he could handle it. What's one more ice sculpture in his repertoire? If it was Kevin and Gwen, a simple enough solution there as well, he just needed to watch out for the Anodite, if she even WAS one in this universe. All the different permutations of the encounter were planned for and he was ready to put any of those plans into action. Considering the massive energy flare his tear would no doubt let off, he just needed to wait.
The Watch Collector was a patient individual. Tennyson would come to him, sooner or later, and when he did, he'd rip the Omnitrix right off of his arm, just like all the others. The Watch Collector opened his eyes to see where he was. He knew where he was in proximity to certain landmarks and, were he to guess, he was about twenty miles from Bellwood. Close enough to attract Tennyson's attention, but far enough to not catch too much attention to himself.
Now, all he had to do was wait.
He hated having to wait for his meals. He was patient, true, but even the patience of gods had limits, just take a look at any classical mythology. He thought about making a scene, help speed things up a bit. No, that would just be a waste of precious energy.
But then he realized something. Surely the Plumbers would have detected him by now. After all, one doesn't just open a tear in the fabric of reality and it goes unnoticed. There should be a scout ship or a patrol moving in on his location. He scanned the horizon, eyes darting to the sky, back to ground level, then looking skyward once again.
Nothing.
Had the Plumbers of this universe been wiped out? Or did they simply lack the proper equipment to find him? If either proved true, then this universe's iteration of the secret organization would have to be the most inept he'd ever cross.
…
Then again, overconfidence always allowed smaller things to be overlooked. With that in mind, the rogue reality-warper closed his eyes again and focused, searching for any energy that was out of the ordinary.
To visualize what the Watch Collector was doing, it was as if he was looking through an infrared scope, only attuned to certain energy types. What he saw was like standing in the middle of a ring of fire. He quickly opened his eyes, a little amused to be taken off guard in such a manner. When they realized their cover was blown, the Plumbers decloaked. In such a small amount of time, the Plumbers had dispatched a veritable army to confront the Watch Collector. Soldiers were clad in black versions of the usual Plumber Suit, no doubt with special built-in stealth tech. There were even APCs, more like tanks really, dropping cloak. Each and every unit here had rifles or cannons trained on him, ready to fire at a moment's notice.
As amusing as this was, there was still something off about it. Detecting him was one thing, but being this prepared, organizing an entire army was something else entirely. So that begged the question: how did they know?
"Attention Celestialsapien!" the commander of the Plumbers barked over his Plumber badge, thanks to a megaphone function, "We have been informed that you have committed numerous acts of assault with intent to kill in multiple universes! You will stand down and submit yourself to our jurisdiction!"
Oh, this was cute. An officer of galactic law thought he could bring a god to yield.
"I will not. However, I do enjoy your conviction here. This display is utterly pointless…but I thank you for the amusement," the Collector said, almost mockingly.
Green energy gathered as orbs in his hands as soon as he finished. As soon as the orbs formed, the Plumber agents opened fire on him. The Collector didn't even bother trying to defend himself; the Plumbers' weapons wouldn't even give him the smallest hint of a scratch. Surely they had to know that. He closed his eyes before he began levitating above the assembled forces, their gunshots following him up. When he came to a halt the APC cannons moved up and locked onto him. They fired off a barrage of shots, each one thundering out in turn. After four shots had been fired, the Collector was obscured by a thick cloud of smoke.
"Cease fire!" the commanding Plumber shouted and the rattle of blaster fire came to a halt. Some of them knew they hadn't done anything, but others were hopeful.
They were fools who had never even heard the legends of Celestialsapiens.
With a simple wave of his arms, the Collector dismissed the smoke cloud, his hands still encased by the green energy.
"My turn," the rogue divinity said, before closing his eyes and thrust his arms out, palms lowered. Beams of energy fired out from his hands and he rotated in place, slicing through the tanks and any officer unlucky enough to get caught in the blast like a saw blade. Any survivors who were lucky enough to avoid being vaporized quickly retreated, some even firing volleys back to cover their comrades. The Watch Collector didn't even flinch at the shots, nor did he even bother retaliating. His job was done. If the energy of those blasts didn't draw Tennyson out at first, then maybe this massacre would.
And thankfully for the rogue divinity, he didn't have to wait long.
Despite all the chaos of scorched earth and fleeing Plumbers, the Watch Collector could clearly hear something flying overhead, just a few miles up in the air if he were to guess. Based on the sound of the engines alone, there were actually two ships. One was Plumber patrol ship, nothing to actually worry about in terms of armaments. The other ship was much more interesting, more resembling an SR-71 Blackbird in appearance but colored green and black. It was more than likely that the ships were just an eye in the sky to monitor the status of the strike force. At least, the patrol ship was; he still wasn't sure on the purpose of the mystery craft.
And then the on-ramp for the patrol ship lowered.. That caught the rogue divinity by surprise, albeit minorly. The cosmically-powered dimension-hopper's confusion only grew when he saw a vague figure stand at the edge of the ramp. The Celestialsapien narrowed his eyes as he saw the figure take a few steps forward and then jump out of the ship, rapidly falling towards the Celestialsapien.
There was just one detail that made things a bit more interesting. The figure was steadily getting larger.
The Watch Collector soon realized what he was looking at, as the form went from the size of a normal human to the colossal and unrecognizable silhouette of a To'kustar plummeting towards him. Way Big was locked onto the rogue reality bender and rapidly getting closer, ready to leave this threat behind in a smoking crater.
"So it begins again," the Watch Collector muttered. He really shouldn't have been surprised. This was exactly the kind of move Tennysons just loved to make: flashy, dramatic, and above all, a heavy-hitter to open with.
Predictable as ever, almost to an enjoyable degree really.
The Collector's green eyes glancing down at the Omnitrix symbol on Way Big's chest. He didn't even move from where the titanic alien would crash down, nor did he try to stop Ben's descent. He was just going to let this behemoth of a form crash into the earth. Ben had taken up the form of a double drop-kick and, when he made impact, the ground cratered around him. The resulting cloud of dust that reached into the air made those still aboard the jet-like vessel and the patrol ship a bit more hopeful about their chances.
"Ok…I know you said 'simple,' but I was not expecting a Way Big airstrike," Kirby said to Rook, both of whom were still in the borrowed Plumber ship.
"And it is as Neo said. Reckless, insane, and a pure spectacle," Rook countered, "Now, given what you told us all…I believe Ben will be in need of our help very shortly."
With that, both airborne ships made their way to land. On the jet-like ship, Ruby loaded a fresh clip of Dust ammo into Crescent Rose and took a breath. If even half the things Kirby and Ben said about Celestialsapiens were true, which she didn't doubt, this was gonna be the hardest fight the Outcasts have ever taken part of up to this point.
Ben grinned as he looked around at the crater he'd just left. Part of him thought that even Vilgax would have a tough time trouble getting back from this kind of move, if not dead outright then definitely unconscious.
"Some 'harbinger of doom' he was," Ben taunted, "He went splat, just like th-" the victory taunts were cut off early as he could feel something slowly lift him up.
"Oh, yeah. Celestialsapien," Ben frowned, realizing his mistake.
The Watch Collector didn't even struggle as he lifted the massive To'kustar up, capping off the beyond herculean feat with a massive shove of telekinetic force. Way Big was thrown off balance and tried his damndest not to fall back from that.
"Okay, so THAT didn't work," Ben grumbled as he stumbled back from that. He quickly regained his footing just in time to see the end hints of the Celestialsapien teleporting away.
The Watch Collector warped up to Ben's face and stared him dead in the eye. All he did was flick his wrist upward and the ground beneath Ben started to shake. Soon, a massive chunk of the earth ripped itself free, rising up from the ground with Ben atop it.
Ben grunted, as he was sent flying, completely unprepared for that kind of move.
The Celestialspaien then quickly threw his hand down, bringing the floating earth and Ben back into the ground with an earth-shaking slam. Waves of dust flew up from the impact site as if a sandstorm had just rolled in.
Ben gasped in pain as he started to recover from the return trip. Definitely could've started this fight a bit better.
"Ok, that…that really hurt," the Omnitrix wielder coughed a bit from the impact, but he quickly shook it off.
"C'mon watch, gimme something good here!" Ben yelled before he slammed down on the dial.
In a flash of green energy, Ben's form had been replaced with that of a large energy being contained in stony armor. "Shock Rock? Thank you, Omnitrix!" He cheered as he got up, channeling the purple-green energy into a double-bladed ax.
The Watch Collector sneered, "Another Ben with this sample. Concerning." The Celestialsapien simply teleported in front of Ben again, this time giving a bit more space between them.
"So, you are this world's Ben Tennyson. You've lasted longer than most," the Celestialsapien stated, a bit amused at this scenario.
"Only cuz I've been expecting you." Ben sneered.
"That you have. Which can only mean he finally did it. He actually arrived before me. It only took him about twenty or so attempts," the Watch Collector said, shifting one of his hands into a lance-like weapon while the other became a shield.
"Who arrived before you?" Ben asked, a bit confused. He couldn't know about Kirby, could he? The Watch Collector responded by thrusting the lancer forward, aimed at a part of Shock Rock the stony armor didn't cover.
Ben quickly formed a forcefield around himself, blocking the Celestialsapien's attack. "I dunno about you, but I'm not giving up this Omnitrix! You got enough as it is!" Ben pulled out some gravity Dust, and absorbed it into his body.
The Celestialsapien charged up the lance, rearing it back. Green lightning surged up the length of the weapon, condensing into the point. The glowing sphere at the end grew larger and larger until, with a forceful jab, the entity struck the barrier again, forcing the lance through with the accumulated energy.
Ben quickly absorbed what he could of the attack, and launched it back from his other palm. The attack was able to rattle the rogue celestial a tiny bit, it wasn't too terribly impressive, but hey, it was a hit.
"It's not like Ben Tennyson to fight defensively," The Watch Collector noted. He looked around the area before remembering two important details.
"Where are your friends, Benjamin? Still filing out from the ships?" the Collector taunted.
"What's wrong? Don't think I can take you alone?" Ben said, hoping the act was good enough to trick him, keep his attention.
"I know you can't, but I'm allowing you to humor me," The Celestialsapien frowned.
"Confident, huh?" Ben said. The Watch Collector raised a brow at that before he heard an attack from behind. He turned on a dime, bringing his shield up to block a very familiar kind of fireball.
"Am I right in assuming a variant of Levin was responsible for that?" the Collector gave out a tiny chuckle before turning to look at the approaching party. Kirby, who had now transformed into Bogburn and was already preparing another fireball, locked eyes with the Watch Collector.
"Guess again, buddy! You miss me? I'm sure you did!" Bogburn roared before firing another fireball, this time joined by an unexpected bolt of ice. The cascading blast stunned the darker being. He wasn't expecting this Tennyson again. Of course, this was Ben Tennyson, after all. The irritating brat always found allies in the most unexpected places.
"Took you guys long enough," Ben said as he managed to land in a quick shocking hit to the cosmically powered alien, before hastily leaping back to the group.
"Is everything ready?" he glanced at Ruby.
"Everything's ready!" she confirmed, as additional tanks surrounded the Watch Collector.
"You didn't think we didn't bring more tanks, did you?" Ben took a close look at the being; it was as if the universe itself had come to life. The stars on its body were numerous and illuminated a dark abyss.
"Creepy, isn't it?" Kylie whispered.
"Yeah, kinda. Never really fought a God before," Ruby said.
"Consider it practice for the Brothers," Ceres said, popping out of one of the tanks.
"Regardless, we have a lot at risk here," Weiss remarked as she rapidly positioned herself, weapon drawn.
"I mean, it's the first time I've gotten to hit a god-like person in the face since Cinder," Yang chuckled, shrugging her shoulders and slamming her fists together. Blake followed her lead as she readied Gambol Shroud.
"Is this what you've brought to stop me, Tennyson? Your little band of outcasts and some tanks, as if I was just another rampaging Grimm or run-of-the-mill conqueror," the Collector began. Ruby actually had to do a double take on that. He knew about the Grimm?
"Do you have such a low opinion of me?" the Celestialsapien just folded his arms and began to drift closer to the ground.
"Yeah, kind of. I've faced Vilgax, battled Zs'skayr and lived, and came back from the edge of death at Cinder's hands. You may be a god, but I believe we can bring you down for good," Ben stated, "Your Omnitrix collecting comes to an end here!"
The divinity took that in, remaining silent for a good long while. His expression was unreadable, so no one could tell if he was surprised, annoyed, angered or anything else.
"The last one said something similar."
Ben actually stopped for a second before looking to Kirby. Was that who this rogue celestial meant by "the last one?" Either way, he seemed a bit hesitant after that. No one had actually called his bluff on something like this before.
"It doesn't matter which Ben you've heard that from, or how many times you've heard it, we're going to stop you. You think you can just toy around with the lives of innocents across the multiverse and get away with it?" Ruby countered as she stepped beside Ben.
"Your words. Always so spirited, yet always so hollow. Allow me to add some context. I have taken the Omnitrix from every Tennyson I've defeated. Most were simple enough, but others fought back, as is their nature," the divinity began to approach the group slowly, letting them hear every word it said.
"And, in the end, it is that very nature that led to their sparks being snuffed out," the Collector closed his fist to emphasize the point.
The Zeta Squad found themselves almost pushed back by the sheer force of this creature's malice as he slowly rolled his neck, glancing at Ben and Kirby.
"My fight is only with Tennyson…both of them. The rest of you are mere collateral. If you value what time remains in your finite lives, you'll let the Omnitrix wielders fight their own battles and stand aside."
"And what of Ultimatrix users?" a voice caught the Collector's attention.
Albedo stepped out of another tank, helping Neo out, "Surely, in the grand spectacle of the multiverse, you must have tangled with someone like me."
"The Ultimatrix," the cosmic deity hummed, "I am familiar with the device, Albedo of the Galvan. Most universes had them destroyed for their highly experimental and unstable tech. And yet" The divinity glanced between Kirby, to Ben, and then to Albedo.
"Hey. Eyes on me. Make that a solid four." Kevin said, holding up the AntiTrix.
"Don't pester me with an inferior imitation such as that," the Watch Collector growled, "An unstable device like that is nothing more than a joke."
"Oh really? Well maybe ya wanna see how 'unstable' this device really is?" Kevin hopped out of the tank and stood alongside Albedo and Neo.
"Give it up, Collector; we've got you outnumbered, out-Omnitrixed, and honestly, we might just be better than you here," Kirby yelled before beginning to smirk, and Ben simply followed suit as he spoke up.
"Yeah, you should return the stolen gadgets now before you discover how twisted up you're about to get-" The sound of laughter cut Ben off.
The rogue celestial was laughing, a loud and thundering chuckle that made Ben irritated; did this freak have no regard for any of them?!
"Do you think I'm interested in listening to you bluster? Ignoring that one of those is factually incorrect-"
"Hey, it's how you use the Omnitrix, not the number," Ben interjected.
"If you four are so certain, I'll give you a chance to prove it. As for your friends…because I'm less concerned with them, I'll give them something else to worry about," the rogue divinity said. The Celestialsapien then lifted his hand slowly before smashing the earth underneath him, producing a startling black inky mark that grew and expanded.
"What the hell is he doing?!" Yang shouted. "Is he just taking a shot at the entire planet?!"
"Wouldn't put it past him!" Ceres said, firing off a barrage to try and stop him. None of the shots hit, stopped by a cross-shaped barrier made of the same cosmic material as the Celestialsapien's own form.
"I can only accomplish so much without their support," the deity spoke, annoyance obvious in his tone, "Deliberation is required to decide the fate of an entire planet, something you all should be thankful for. That doesn't lock away all of my abilities."
"Everyone, get ready!" Blake quickly got ready to throw Gambol Shroud, only for the ground to start shaking as the large mark suddenly started to show signs of growing outward. It was then that a large, almost rounded "hand" rose out of the scar, pulling a larger figure out.
"What the-?!" Weiss yelled. Another arm, topped off with a large spike, swiped out at the group before it and nearly slammed into them all. The being from within the inky blackness crawled out of the cosmic scar and it seemed to resemble a creature made out of plant matter, with rounded sections of body held together by fibrous sinew. Four spider-like legs slammed into the ground as the creature's single eye opened. Much like the being that summoned it, the beast was seemingly formed from a portion of space with stars dotting its massive form. It reared back and let out a sudden loud roar to break through the skies.
"He can make…copies of existing lifeforms," Rook gasped.
"You know what this is?!" Weiss asked.
"A creature from Flors Verdance, the homeworld of Wildvine! A Maceroot!" Rook dodged out of the way from another strike of the cosmic plant.
"To me, nothing more than a houseplant. To them, a proper challenge," the Collector said, "I'll let the fodder deal with this beast. If they can." The cosmic god snapped his fingers and snatched Ben, Albedo, Kirby, and Kevin into a mental grasp. He hurled them across the skies while the rest of the Zeta Squad stood in astonishment, watching their friends and the Celestialsapien racing into the sky. The Celestial Maceroot grabbed their attention by taking aim and firing off a barrage of cosmic spines at them, forcing them to scatter.
"GAHHH!" Kevin shouted as Doppler fashioned a jetpack from Aerosmith's DNA to keep him aloft. Albedo easily flipped back up and changed into an Aerophibian.
"Remain vigilant!" Albedo screamed, "Right now, our only approach is to go all-in on offensive. He can break past ANY resistance!"
Kirby swiftly switched to Slipstream, his version of Jetray, catching this universe's version of Ben before they all landed.
"Ok, great. How are we going to get past something like that?"
Ben grinned. "Easy! We draw his attention to one of us before leaving him exposed." He pounded upon the Omnitrix, his body shifting and expanding as he slammed his fist down. Now transformed into Humungosaur, he let out a loud roar, ready to fight. The group of 'trix-users could see the Celestialsapien racing towards them like a bullet.
"You might want to go larger, Ben!" Kevin suggested, as Doppler equipped his arms with Black Hole Sun's powerful rock arms, "Use the stupid Drive!"
The ferocious alien nodded before slamming down the Omnitrix symbol. Humungosaur's body was instantly wrapped by armor as its shape began to ascend higher and higher. The divinity roared before it threw a punch at the enlarged dinosaur-like alien, using the momentum to hover down to the ground before them all. The divinity then held its arms wide before he too increased in size, reaching the same size as Humungosaur's.
"Come. Accept oblivion," the cosmic god invited.
Kevin was the first to "accept" that invitation. Black flames shot out of his hands, as Kirby and Albedo fired off some neuroshock blasts from their eyes and tails. Ben's maw opened up, as green energy started to build up in his mouth.
"Pathetic," the Collector chastised.
The divinity instantly put out its palm, simply absorbing the flames and neuroshock attacks like they were nothing. He turned just in time as the armored Vaxasaurian finished charging. Ben's maw unleashed its explosion; it was a blast strong enough to completely engulf the god-like being. But even with all that power, the Celestialsapien remained untouched. The Watch Collector awaited the next onslaught.
"You're kidding me," Kevin said as he summoned a giant fireball.
"He isn't," Albedo's form evolved into Ultimate Aerophibian. His eye lasers became more powerful as he launched an even more powerful burst of energy.
The Celestialsapien held his arm out, the energy forcing it to swell and with each larger blast that came his way; immediately, though, he began to move off to the side, flying off to put some distance between himself and the four of them.
"What the hell is he doing?" Kirby asked, as the Celestialspaien's arm suddenly flashed and transformed into a cosmic whip.
He raised the whip, and flicked it with the force strong enough to create a shockwave with the SNAP! It tore through the ground, acting more like a snake as it slithered directly for the Omnitrix wearers.
Ben was lucky enough to be the only one who got hit by the whip, his large form actively being knocked back, but it was enough to allow the others some time to begin attacking again.
"This is getting annoying already!" Albedo groaned before shifting into Ultimate Fasttrack. The evolved Citrakayah was fast enough to bolt through the air, almost warping over to the Alien X within seconds. He threw a powerful haymaker that caused the Watch Collector's chest to ripple like water.
The Celestialsapien began to glare at Albedo, giving him more opportunities to attack before he was thrown to the ground by an axe-kick from this speedster form. The divinity simply righted itself, took a step back and rolling his neck.
"Perhaps you'd like the opportunity to compare our speeds?" He inquired before assuming a runner's posture, his body instantly surrounded in a blue glow.
Albedo grimaced, his body tinged with crimson lightning, each arc cracking as black blotches formed behind him. "Of course," the Galvan said. Albedo and the Celestialsapien charged towards each other simultaneously, the two of them suddenly colliding multiple times over as they began to move as fast as they could, Albedo's black spots beginning to pass through more as Ben and Kevin could barely see them barring the clashes and shockwaves from each strike.
Kirby turned to the other two 'trix-users, "Think one of us should go aid Ruby and the others. Doubt he copied that thing exactly. Probably gave it…like a supernova power or something."
"As much as I want to, I don't think this thing will let us," Ben remarked. The group heard a big explosion, a massive dust cloud rising up from where the others were left, no doubt the handiwork of the beast in question.
"...ah screw it," Kevin said, "I got it!" Kevin volunteered before recreating Aerosmith's jetpack and launched back towards the others.
"Kevin, wait-!" Ben yelled out. The Watch Collector saw the red trail of energy Kevin left behind and warped away, just in time for Albedo to miss an energy infused punch.
"Damn it all!" Albedo cursed.
Ruby dashed around the battlefield, taking pot shots at the cosmic cactus replica as she dashed. She could try aiming for the eye, blind it and give the others an edge, but that probably wouldn't work. If it was made of the same stuff as a Celestialsapien, it might be just as durable.
"That thing just left a crater the same size as Way Big's!" Yang yelled before trying to fire off a number of shots. The creature managed to swipe upward to knock Yang back, its limbs surprisingly long for its size.
"Good thing we stopped him from reaching the city," Ceres yelled. "Shit, how the hell do we take this thing down?!"
"We should probably stop treating this thing as just any other alien monster or Grimm!" Weiss pondered for a "Ruby! Biggest threat from this thing are those spines! Think you can use that speed of yours to help defend me? I got an idea!"
"On it!" Ruby nodded.
"And if you need some portals, I got you covered!" Min yelled, trying to create a massive magic barrier to contain the beast.
Weiss swiftly launched herself back, thrusting Myrtenaster into the ground as she began to concentrate. "Keep that monster away from me for as long as you possibly can!" She shouted, "Use everything you can!"
"Got it!" Min yelled, as her eyes turned black, "Alright...let's see if this can restrain it." Black ooze began to melt from under her feet as it snaked along the ground.
The monster grunted angrily before pushing against the barrier, its hand opening to fire a few smaller blasts of comic power that arced at Min. Yang aggressively jumped in front of the blasts to stop them with her titanium arm.
The dark sludge surrounded the beast, swiftly crawling up its body and squeezing its limbs. Min began to sweat profusely; she'd never had to employ that spell on a target this large before.
Blake and Yang were quick to start assaulting the beast with Bumblebee, whirling around it and unloading a series of bullets on it. The beast hissed as some of the stars on its body turned to needles and began firing off as more destructive projectiles.
"Our shots aren't doing anything!" Blake yelled. "This thing's skin is just way too thick!"
"Allow me to test that theory!" the AntiTrix user called out.
Kevin raced past the two, his body transforming, "I'm gonna need some shade for this form!"
The Watch Collector suddenly appeared in front of him, stopping Kevin dead in his tracks. The rogue god wagged his finger a bit, almost disappointingly.
"Always the rule breaker, Levin, this is why you and that blond failed to protect the Tennyson of another universe before!" the Collector roared, before landing an incredibly strong haymaker that actively tied Kevin up with its whip arm, slamming him back into one of the wrecked tanks. It was around then that the other three 'trix users arrived in their respective speedster forms.
The divinity suddenly appeared behind Yang and performed a VERY devastating punch onto her back. The attack was unneeded; Yang hadn't even been involved in the battle up until this point.
Weiss gasped, her concentration wavering for a moment. She couldn't afford to break concentration now.
"Kylie, get in the tank!" Weiss called out. Kylie turned to see a massive glyph hovering over the barrel of the cannon.
"Oh…this is the best plan," Kylie said as she made a break for the tank's controls. She hopped into the gunner seat and took aim at the still bound Celestial Maceroot. She lined it up with the beast's head and fired. With a glyph-induced power boost, the tank's cannon shot blasted right through the celestial replica's head, turning it to smoke like any other Grimm.
"Yeah!" Kylie cheered. Weiss held out her hand and Kylie hi-fived her girlfriend.
Ben was angered when he saw Yang getting sucker-punched like that. "Oh, that's it he is SO going down now!" Ben growled.
Ben slapped down the Omnitrix, transforming into Diamondhead. He slapped down the Omnitrix again, and gained armor to turn into his Omni Drive form. "Kirby! I'm gonna need you to hit my back with some of your space pancake's neuroshocks!"
"Slipstream!" Kirby corrected him.
"Whatever- just do it!"
As Yang found herself falling to the ground, panting a bit as she tried to keep herself from passing out right there, she realized that such an attack was like heaven for her Semblance.
Kirby was quick to blast Diamondhead with a number of neuroshocks from its eyes, causing the armor to spark and glow brighter
"YANG!" Ben yelled, as he aimed his cannon arm, "LET'S GIVE THEM EVERYTHING AND MORE!"
"YEAHHHH!" Yang yelled, hair burning so bright it almost looked white.
The Celestialsapien looked surprised that Yang's spine had not been turned dust.
"Very interesting indeed..." the deity mused.
Ben unleashed a massive energy charged crystal that flew through the air, piercing the Celestialsapien's chest. "HAMMER IT IN, YANG!"
Yang charged, firing off two rounds to blast her right at the Celestialsapien. She was about to punch the crystal projectile when she was suddenly blown back by a powerful burst of energy.
Yang thudded and skidded along the ground like a ragdoll. The Watch Collector was not going to let anyone get the chance to hurt him like that. He pulled the crystal free of his chest before locking back on to the blonde brawler. Yang had gotten back on her feet, getting to strike back. Instead, the Celestialsapien simply ignited the tips of two of its fingers with a black flame and then snapped, extinguishing the flames. Right as the snap echoed out, Yang's body suddenly burst into a pure white flame.
"G-gahhhh!" Yang yelled out in pain. What the hell is happening to my body!? How the fuck did he do this?! Yang mentally panicked.
Her mouth, nostrils, almost any part of her body that could produce air was suddenly blasting out a white hot flame, her insides were burning, it was like she was being blasted with a suns worth of heat inside and out and it hurt as The Watch Collector simply looked ready to do more than just that to her.
"YANG!" Blake screamed.
Albedo suddenly transformed into Big Chill, and grabbed her. He tried to cool her off, breathing cold air on her. It was a long shot, but maybe it'd work, extinguish the flames.
"Do not bother. Those flames will burn her to ashes, no matter what method you try. It's a shame though. None of the others ever really put up a good fight. It seems fitting she dies first," the Collector said. The rogue divinity could practically feel the anger and fear rise from every one of his enemies.
Yang began to take deep breaths, trying to steady herself."I...I can't...I can't die this way," she huffed, the words themselves a bit labored, "I can't- I WON'T abandon you! ANY OF YOU!"
Albedo's face was crestfallen as he stared at her.
"Y-yang?" Ruby observed the white flames from her sniper point.
Neo merely returned Yang's gaze before raising her umbrella and twirling it, ready to take on the deity. What The Watch Collector didn't figure out was that while Yang was being burned, her Semblance was being cranked up to 11. Her body may have been burning, but her spirit blazed hotter.
After all, this wasn't the first time she was burned.
"Albedo...I need you to toss me at the jackass," Yang scowled.
"W-what!? Are you crazy?" Albedo shouted.
"Just go for it!" Yang shrieked, her gaze fixed on The Watch Collector, "I've got a plan. Just work with Weiss and me on this one." She exhaled more fire. Neo continued to try to score a strike, and Ruby raced over to assist.
"Yang!" Blake raced over to help, unable to actually touch her girlfriend, "So, what are we going to do? We can't... you can't..." the usually composed Faunus seemed on the verge of tears.
Steam began to rise off Yang's form. Seeing Blake this stressed, this worried for her, it moved her to tears. The flames just evaporated the tears as soon they began to fall.
"Listen. I know...it looks bad, but that's not what I want you to focus on right now," Yang said,
"What?" Albedo merely stared at Yang as if she were insane.
"We need to take care of this thing before someone else ends up like me," Yang said, as Ben, Min and Kirby rejoined the group. Kirby was flying low, providing some cover for Kevin, now transformed into Black Parade. While Min raced over to try and help out the still burning Yang.
Min braced her hands against the heat and drew a rune on Yang's back. "This isn't a fix, if anything it's a last ditch effort. It'll at least keep you together for a few more minutes..."
"Got it...I ain't dying so easily. No chance at getting you to lower the pain from this? Cause this hurts like hell," Yang joked as she got prepped, the flames around her starting to actively add on to her already glowing hair
"...I can't even hug you one last time." Blake said, a bit saddened.
"Oh, believe me, this isn't the last time," Yang grinned and turned to face The Watch Collector, "Hey big guy!"
"You again? I'd have thought you'd be completely burned up by now. Impressive," the Celestialsapien admitted. Was he genuinely impressed or just trying to mock her? Who could say?
"Really think that fire's gonna be enough to take down a dragon?" Kevin asked.
"Huh, you know what her name means. That's actually a nice one-liner," Ben noted.
"Albedo, do it. Making this work, one way or another," Kirby added as he looked to Yang, worried that this would be like how Gwen and Kevin in his universe might have ended up. Truly a horrifying thought.
"Right," Albedo said.
"If this really is goodbye..." Ben said, a bit scared, "then Yang?"
"Yeah?" the ablaze blonde asked.
"I'll make sure the bastard gets what he deserves."
"Don't count on me dying. if I go then expect me to punch my way outta the afterlife just to beat him up for you," Yang joked as she quickly started to get up, shakily standing on her feet as her body kept burning.
At this point, she knew that even if she did die, she'd at least be able to say that she went out swinging. Call it deja-vu from the last time she fought someone like this.
"How touching," the Watch Collector said, already enacting his own horrific punishments for others. He dodged another strike from Neo's blade as his eyes locked onto two more targets. His eyes flashed black and then a darker shade of green.
"We can take him down. We will," Blake promised Yang,"I swear on my life, we'll..."
Blake paused.
"We'll..."
Blake began to feel weird.
"Blake? What's happening?" Albedo quickly looked to the Faunus, unsure on what he was seeing. It seemed as if her body suddenly started to show signs of darkening, as if was someone
"I...I...I don't know." Blake huffed, falling to her knees. "This…this is him, isn't it? He's…doing this."
Neo and Ruby were suddenly thrown back, the Collector taking advantage of this distraction.
"Blake! Come on, stay with me!" Min quickly rushed over to try and put a rune on her as well, only to be blasted back by a star-powered shot from the Collector's hand. The others were helpless as they watched Blake's form start to resemble TV static, shifting multiple times over.
"BLAKE!" Yang yelled.
"She got off easy..." Kylie said, walking over...or, more crawling over. Kylie looked like she was melting.
"What are you doing to them?!" Ruby yelled finally as she perked herself up with her scythe, the Collector just glancing at the red huntress.
"Simple. I'm forcing them to experience warping beyond your comprehension. And soon, the rest of you will join them. The original plan was to let my creation end your suffering, but with it dead…it seems most of you will have to simply adjust. A pity. But I'm not that cruel. It seems as though the lovers won't be waiting for each other on the other side," the cosmic deity motioned to Blake and Yang as the former was actively screaming as the static was only getting worse.
"STOP IT!" Kevin yelled, before the Collector looked at him and seemed to turn one of his own Omnitrixes. With the turn of a dial, Kevin's own body began to mutate out of control, as if Doppler had just served the most fatal error imaginable. "G-GAHHH!"
"KEVIN!" Min yelled, racing to his side to try and stabilize him with her magic.
Ben growled. "Weiss, you good to go? Because its time for us to fucking MURDER this guy!"
"Couldn't agree with you more," Ceres grimaced, readying her gauntlets for a new assault, "Nobody messes with my crew!"
Weiss looked at her weapon before getting back up to her feet. She spun the chamber to land on gravity Dust. She looked around at the rest of her squad. Kylie was doing her best to hold on, still holding onto True Rebel as a support. Yang finally began to push forward since she wasn't going to let this guy get away with hurting others like this.
"Together," Weiss nodded.
Ceres accelerated into the air, her blue flames shooting her across the sky before she rocketed at the Watch Collector.
"Come on, big guy! Let's see you handle MY FLAMES!" Ceres yelled.
The Watch Collector dodged Ceres' first powerful punch, moving in to strike himself. The two of them engaged in a back and forth of fisticuffs, before Ben got involved, now in the form of Armodrillo. A heavy-hitting seismic punch slammed into the Watch Collector's back, forcing him to the ground. The piston in Ben's arm activated and he began to try and pulverize the star-powered bastard. The Watch Collector tried to power through, but suddenly the force of the attack seemed to increase looked over to see that Weiss had created a gravity Dust-infused glyph around Ben's piston, boosting the pressure of the attack. It then grew larger and larger, until it felt as if the weight of Jupiter was coming down on him. The heiress was exerting all her energy right now, just to give Ben the extra power he needed!
Panting a little and feeling the sweat hit her brow, Weiss then quickly lifted her weapon and aimed right at the crater that was quickly forming around the Celestialsapien.
"BEN, CERES, NOW!" Weiss yelled, spinning Mrytenaster's chamber to the fire Dust cylinder. The two jumped away, watching the glyph above the Watch Collector turn red. A flame burst forth, crashing down into the divinity with what must have been the heat of a sun, or damn well close enough for the difference not to matter.
Weiss grinned a bit.
Then her face started to crack.
Not just her face, either. Weiss' whole body started to crack, her shape ready to fall apart as her glyph dissolved. The flames roared around the crater her attack had created and there seemed to be nothing left of the Collector.
Weiss grinned, as her body fell apart, like shards of a mirror. "I...did it..."
"W-weiss..." Kylie said weakly. Ben, Kirby, and Ceres shared a horrified look. Rook shifted the Prototool into its sword form, before the rogue god appeared behind him and Ceres. With a flick of his wrists towards the both of them, they both suffered incredibly horrific punishments. Ceres' body felt like it was freezing from the inside out, her movements slowing down gradually while Rook seemed to be literally rusting away like he was metal.
Aside from the three still stable 'trix-bearers, Ruby was the only member of the Outcasts still standing in this fight.
"You're the last petal I need to pluck, Ruby," the divinity said, approaching her slowly, "Your team is...busy, let's say."
"No! S-Stay back-!" Ruby found herself readying her weapon as she started to glance at Yang, Blake and Weiss. All of her friends were mutated and warped beyond comprehension. Neo still tried to attack the divinity from behind, only to find her weapon stabbing through the inky blackness to no real effect.
"Begone, illusionist. Since you're so good with mirrors," the divinity levitated her, and summoned up a sharp shard of glass. He then pushed her body into the reflection with the smallest amount of effort. Neo let out a gasp as she ended up in the reflection of the shard, slamming against the glass to try and get out of this trick.
Ruby's tears began to flow as her eyes started to spark. She wasn't about to let this creature get away with this. She couldn't. She wouldn't!
Then the void-like horror put his hand on Ruby's head.
"...Come," he said, "Ascend with me."
Ruby suddenly started to try and push back against The Collector's encroaching power, her eyes sparking. She was trying desperately to unleash the power of her silver eyes, but all she could do was watch as her body was subjected to this torture.
"You are the reason he's like this. Suffer…just like he did," The Watch Collector frowned.
"N-No! Get…the FUCK off of me!" Ruby cried as she struggled to get free. Her entire body was quivering as she urgently tried to shoot at him or slash him apart to no avail, frightened breaths spilling out of her.
"RUBY!" Ben yelled, aiming his cannon at the divinity. "LET HER GO, YOU BASTARD!"
"Revert. The lot of you," the Watch Collector said. Suddenly, Ben, Kirby, Albedo and Kevin turned back to normal.
"Wh-?" Kirby quickly started to try and use the Omnitrix, only to find that it was like his hand was being forced to his side.
"You've wasted my time, boy," The Watch Collector said. Ben's eyes shrank, as Ruby continued to be transformed. A black substance was crawling up Ruby's body, notable white glows were present throughout the inky, almost living fluid. One could say that it reminded one of space itself in liquid form.
"N-no...you...you wouldn't!" Ben yelled.
"I would. I will. It shall be," The Watch Collector grinned, ready to finish off his macabre plan.
But then a portal opened up behind him.
"Get your claws away from them, you bastard!" a voice yelled out as a sudden volley of blasts erupted from the portal. The Collector was actively forced back as he found himself glancing toward the portal in question
"Old man," the divinity growled. Ben's eyes shrank in shock, if it was somehow possible for his pupils to get any smaller by now, as Ruby nearly snapped out of her trance.
"Is...is that-?" Kylie mumbled, using all her strength to try and look towards the portal.
"No…no way," the still ablaze Yang couldn't believe what she was seeing, nor could anyone.
Grandpa Max had stepped through the rift, Hawaiian shirt, metallic arm and all, aiming maybe one of the most advanced guns ever seen at the Collector before shooting again. The resulting explosion ripped right through his arm and caused the seemingly invincible deity to shout in surprised pain.
"Are you fucking with my grandson's team again?" Max stated as he pulled out his Temporal Reversal device, "Do not play with people. They are not your toys."
"You have no right to say those words to me, hypocrite. I should erase you where you stand for all your interference! But...this girl is already too far gone. Perhaps letting her destroy you could simply be more amusing to watch," the Celestialsapien said as he tried to accelerate Ruby's change to its final stage.
Ruby's eyes gradually began to glow, softly at first, but their intensity was rising fast. "I. Will NOT. Be. YOUR WEAPON!" Ruby shouted, her silver eyes flashing brightly.
"What?!" The Collector was thrown back by the silver blast, his body feeling a sensation comparable to agony. Sections of his body melted away as a result of the explosion piercing his cosmic barrier. Maybe mixing her with a Celestialsapien wasn't the smartest idea after all.
Ruby landed on the ground, huffing and puffing, trying so desperately to catch her breath. She looked up at the Watch Collector, who was stumbling around from the sudden flash, smoke rising off his form. Her vision was blurry, and her ears were ringing, but for a moment, it looked like there was something underneath the cosmic layer of the Celestialsapien.
A person.
"This…this shouldn't be possible," the divinity muttered as the melted parts of him began to reform, "I...I must retreat. Recover…come back for them later," With those last words, he warped away.
Ben, Kirby and Albedo were released from the hold, hitting the ground. A still semi-cosmic Ruby ran over, helping Ben up.
As he watched The Watch Collector warp away, Max cursed under his breath. Just as quickly though, he began scanning each of the kids with the Temporal Reverser. Forms were restored, flames extinguished, and Ruby's own cosmic change was dispelled. Luckily, the damage seemed to be minimal, save for Yang and Ruby. Out of all of them, they seemed to have taken the brunt of the Collector's wrath.
"Jesus...I'm glad I made it in time, kids," he sighed.
Yang hugged Blake fiercely, as if for dear life. Blake was still a, let's say "sore" from almost fading away.
"I thought...I nearly lost you forever..." Blake whispered, returning the hug.
Yang coughed a bit as she continued to lurch forward while still embracing Blake.
"Same. I thought…I thought he was gonna-" Yang began.
"Don't. Just…don't think about it now."
Meanwhile, Min was hugging Kevin like there was no tomorrow, "It was terrifying! I was putting everything I had into making sure you didn't- you know!"
"Yeah...I appreciate that. I'm not going to let something like that happen to me again," Kevin added as he held Min. Ben looked up to Max with a puzzled but nevertheless relieved expression.
"I know that look," the new version of Max sighed and removed his mask, showing that this version of Max sported a white beard, "I'm...not here any longer, am I?"
"Yeah you're…" Ben paused, unable to say the word, "You haven't been around for a while." Ben added as he just stood up and looked at him with a small smile, "It's still good to see you though, Grandpa." He quickly hugged Max as tight as he could, trying not to break down after witnessing what had happened to his friends. Ruby joined in the hug just as fast. Maxamillion sighed as he held the two close.
"It's good to see all of you again, too," Max said.
"Not to ruin your rather touching reunion," Albedo interjected, still locked in a hug with Neo, as he looked to Ben and Ruby, "But our 'Watch Collector' friend still escaped."
"Hush. Touching moment," Ruby said, shooing Albedo away.
Please leave a review! It helps us figure out what to focus on later.
And it better not be one word.