Hey guys! Time for another chapter. The title gives off some interesting assumptions when it comes to the events to come. There's some rather interesting stuff going on up in here. Before any of that, let's answer some reviews.
UltimaOwner1: Lol! I can see what you mean.
Reader: I'm glad that I could explain the Omnitrix well. Ben's definitely got something strong growing, and it'll only get stronger.
That's the last one, so let's begin. I don't own Ben 10, Jackie Chan Adventures, or any other series that might appear. I do own original characters, concepts, creatures, and other such stuff unless stated otherwise.
Voices
"Talking."
'Thinking.'
"YELLING!"
[Language Indicator]
"Author/Guest/High or demonic entity talking."
"AUTHOR/GUEST/HIGH OR DEMONIC ENTITY YELLING!"
"Whispering."
"Author/Guest/High or demonic entity whispering."
Rustbucket, Earth
Chan Yu, AKA Jade, had never felt more miserable in her life. Her period had gone from bad to worse ever since the day the Omnitrix nearly impregnated her, as well as when her vitality was stolen away by Zombozo. From what she understood, the vitality drainer had put her body into a state of panic, thus making her period cramps much worse in menstruation. Thus she was constantly taking up space in Kevin's guest bed while wearing her nightgown, her week to this point having been extremely painful. She groaned from another cramp, Kevin looking apologetic.
"Look on the bright side," offered the teen. "At least you're not round as a beachball from having a baby in you." Jade felt a strong need to vertically rotate a bird before a heating sensation below her caused her to moan softly.
"Maybe keep stupid comments to yourself, Kevin," growled Ben. He finished pushing the pad under Jade, the girl lightly squeezing his arm in a form of thanks. Kevin rolled his eyes, his arms crossed.
"All I'm saying is that she should have listened to that Azmoth guy or whatever his name was. I tried to point out that she was probably on her period but now suddenly I'm the bad guy." Ben made mocking motions with his mouth, causing Jade to giggle.
"As much as I hate to admit it, he's right," huffed the girl. "He could be a little less blunt but he's right, Ben." The magical boy rubbed her forehead, massaging it a bit before gently placing a kiss on the area.
"I'll make you some tea," offered the boy. "I've been practicing with Grandpa so that it won't be so watery like last time." Jade slowly pushed herself up, pushing past the boy's attempt to stop her.
"I need real tea, Ben. I'd ask Max but I'm scared he'd add something to it… like crickets." She winced both at the thought of cricket tea and from another cramp, only for Max to shake his head.
"Now, now," argued the elder. "I wouldn't ruin a good tea. I might know a few blends from my days as a Plumber but I can understand not messing with any recipe. Just lay back down and I'll have a nice oolong tea ready for you." Jade then looked towards the man, smiling lightly.
"Some honey and cinnamon would be nice too." Max nodded as he began setting up a pot, making sure he grabbed the right equipment. Jade then laid back down, sighing to herself. "I swear unless I'm about to die or something terrible happens, I am never using the Omnitrix on my period unless I'm actually trying to have alien kids." The old man set the pot to boil before beginning to put some water in.
"You're not dying anytime soon. I also wouldn't say never because you never know if you'll need to do it. Just learn to space yourself and to know when it's the right time to use it." Ben looked towards the nearby clock, humming as he saw the time. He then looked towards the calendar, nodding his head.
"Right," stated the boy. "I need to go grab a surprise I have in store. Kevin, mind giving me a hand. It's not far, just by the old witchcraft museum." He had his back to Jade, silently winking at the two other guys in the vehicle as Kevin made his usual smirk.
"Beats being treated like a bad guy just for a few comments," stated the teen. "I'm game." Ben rolled his eyes, chuckling a bit.
"Okay. I get it. Let's go. This could take a bit so we'll try not to be out too late." The boys walked casually out of the vehicle, Kevin using his trained skills to silently swipe his shinobi garb and equipment.
Ben waited behind a public restroom, looking at his wrist as if he had a watch on it. "You sure took your time." Kevin dropped down from the roof of the building, a smirk hiding behind the mask of his uniform.
"Not like you have to change in a public place and hope no one sees you. So, what's really going on?" Ben frowned, his eyes glowing a bit.
"So in my timeline, a very strong sorcerer named Hex tried to steal a magical book from the witchcraft museum on this very day. He can be kinda scary right now, especially with those charms of his. I think they were called the Charms of Bezel but my memory isn't entirely one to one. Last time we destroyed them when we got them away from him but I have a nagging feeling that we might not get them all tonight. We need to at least get the Charm of Luck so that we can have an easier time fighting him."
The boy then activated his magic power, forming the Jackalope armor over himself. "We don't have long so just try and keep up." He ran at a speed he believed Kevin could follow, the teen not disappointing as he matched it with parkour skills. They rather quickly reached the museum, landing in a nearby tree as they watched inside. Kevin sat down on one of the limbs, his hands behind his head as he subtly kept a close eye on the book that was encased in glass.
"So… what exactly is this guy packing? Gotta know what to look out for." Ben nodded his head, beginning to count his fingers.
"There's the easy ones like the Charm of Telekinesis, which lets him toss you around the room or hold you to the ceiling. Then there's Fire which can pretty much burn down an entire forest. The Charm of Lightning allows him to shoot lightning and control electricity, the Charm of Reincarnation means he can't be killed and will completely heal or even wake up immediately after being knocked out… Then there's the Charm of Luck, which basically makes it where he never has any bad luck and comes with a bit of danger sense."
He then readied himself a bit, his eyes narrowing. "As for magic in general, he can pretty much do anything you'd see a fake magician or a cartoon character do with magic. The Charms are the real danger. From what Gwen explained to me about magic, it's kinda drawn from nature and life or whatever. The Charms, on the other hand, have a basically unlimited source of magic inside them."
He then lightly popped the tree, Kevin already having moved into a similar position. "There's the tour. Get ready as the attack could happen at any moment. Another thing we need to do is keep Hex from getting that book. It's supposed to be the Arkamada Book of Spells, the only copy in existence."
Ben pointed upwards in a mocking tone, imagining his cousin in his head. "'It contains ancient witchcraft and rituals from the late 1600's.' Sorry. Had to make fun of my absent cousin but that's actually what it is. If Hex gets that, there's no telling what he could do with all the spells inside it."
The boy frowned, his eyes glowing a bit. "He could even use it to time travel for all I know. We never exactly grabbed the book because Grandpa thought it should stay with the museum. Actually, before Gwen destroyed the Charms, he was gonna have us take the Luck Charm to the Museum too." He raised his hand, stopping Kevin from talking as the ears of his helmet suddenly twitched.
The people inside suddenly flew upwards, hitting the ceiling as the boy expected. "Charm of Telekinesis. He's here." A red spark of lightning swirled into existence, a gray skinned man with black symbols on his shoulders and white face paint appearing in the air. He wore a red and black dress and hood, black pants that were torn beyond his knees, black arm guards and long socks that didn't cover his heels or toes.
"The Arkamada Book of Spells," growled the man, "All of its power shall soon be mine. Fah-me-doof!" As soon as Hex said the magic incantation, the glass surrounding the book immediately shattered. The book itself was unharmed, Ben squatting as he prepped his legs.
"And our cue's coming up. Hope you like dramatic entrances." The people suddenly began to fall, the armored boy blitzing forward as he broke through the glass. He grabbed a nearby huge banner, wrapping it around some sturdy spots to make a makeshift slide for the people to slide down. He was surprised by how slow the people were moving, as if they were floating in the air.
He narrowed his eyes, almost thinking he saw a pink aura around them. Once everyone was on the ground, he pointed towards the exit. "Everyone out, NOW!" The people began running the boy hopping in place as he turned towards Hex. "So, never heard of a library?"
Hex looked like he was ready to cast a spell, only for a shuriken to nearly cut into the hand with the book as he gasped. Kevin jumped through the other window, covered in metal as he cracked his neck. He then sent a deadpan towards Ben.
"Seriously, Dude?" questioned the teen. "Not the time to be cracking jokes." Ben shrugged, not taking his eyes off Hex.
"Just feelin' nostalgic. Anyway, let's get this done fast." The armored boy began moving around quickly, making Hex growl as he readied his scepter.
"Foolish child," growled the man. "Do you think I have not fought wizards like you? You are but a naive nuisance compared to a true master of-" He cried out as he received a punch to the face, Ben being back where he was before. The boy went back to bouncing as his serious frown was hidden behind the helm he had on.
"Magic isn't everything in the world. I don't rely on it for everything, unlike you." The man growled, chanting an incantation under his breath. Ben suddenly jolted, landing on his feet as his armor dissipated. The man glared, his eyes narrowing.
"You believe yourself powerful because of this magic, yet you have never faced someone who can challenge you." The man went to strike with his staff, only for Kevin to block it with his metallic arm. The teen punched the man in the gut, sending him reeling back.
"I don't got magic gramps," growled the boy. "So try this on for size!" He then slammed the man's jaw, sending him flying back a bit. The man growled as he readied his scepter, only to be forced to dodge as Kevin threw more shuriken. Hex growled as he lifted his staff into the air, creating a barrier around him as the two boys stood side by side.
"I have spells for you as well boy, were it not for the anti-magic field I produced. You may have forced me to disrupt it to form this shield, but with a flick I can cast it again. You are nothing in the face of real power." The charms on his body began to glow as power formed in them, only for his own staff to glow pink as it hit him atop the head. The weapon hit him a few more times before warping away, a resounding smack filling the air.
"Real power?" questioned a feminine voice. "Guess you've never met pure power." Ben jerked, his eyes widening a bit as he slowly looked up. Floating in the air was a girl made of a dark purple mass, glowing pink energy flowing off her head like hair. She had a masquerade mask on her face, a black unitard, and a purple sash around the waist.
The boy felt that the girl was strangely familiar, unsure what was going on as she spun the staff. "Maybe I should ask someone on Anodyne if they know how to use one of these." She then looked back, a bright pink shine in her eyes. "What's the matter, Doofus? Lose that one brain cell of yours?" Ben's eyes finally widened in realization, seeing a red haired girl in place of the floating figure for a brief second.
"GWE… LUCKY GIRL!?" cried the boy as he caught himself. "What the heck are- why are you- EXPLAIN!" The glowing girl put a hand on her hip, a smile on her face.
"Aw! You remembered! If you're so upset that I'm here I could just leave. Not like he needed any of these." She held the staff in one hand and the Arkamada Book in the other, Hex's eyes widening as he looked around.
The girl then grinned, teleporting in front of the man as she placed a form of seal upon his forehead. She took the time to pluck out the five Charms of Bezel before sending them and the Arkamada Book away, giving the boys a wink. "See ya later! I'll say hi to Grandpa and be back later!" Kevin whistled, nodding his head.
"Dang, we got outplayed," stated the teen. "...That was kinda hot." Ben looked towards the other boy, growling in annoyance.
"Shut up. Let's tie this guy up and get the Charms." Kevin laughed, noticing that the villain was trying to sneakily form a bolt of lightning.
"You're just jealous that a chick beat the enemy you were struggling with." He threw a kunai, tagging Hex's outfit as the man was pinned to a wall. Ben formed the Komodo armor over himself, growling in anger.
"Just come on." The boy turned invisible, the sound of Hex crying out in pain filling the air. This was echoed in the Rustbucket as Jade held her stomach, her eyes squinting as she took a sip of tea. The Chinese girl found the drink passable, though she dared not tell the old man that his tea was not to her standards. Max rubbed her head, sighing as he shook his.
"It shouldn't be much longer, Jade," reassured the retired Plumber. "It could only be two to three days before you'll be back to spending time with the boys." Jade sagged a bit, sighing as she shook her head.
"Two to three days too many if you ask me," huffed the Chinese girl. "Stupid watch. I can handle periods fine most of the time now but this thing had to make it worse." The air in the room suddenly shifted, Jade looking around as her eyes narrowed. She leaned back to lay down, only for pink eyes to look back at her.
"What made what worse?" questioned the pink being. Jade screamed in shock as she sat up, only to groan as she grabbed her lower stomach. "Ah, period. That explains that. I don't really have those right now, at least until I remake my body." Max smiled as he heard Jade grumble, rubbing the back of her head.
"It's good to see you too, Gwen," greeted the old man. "How's your grandmother?" Gwen stomped her foot childishly, crossing her arms.
"No fair! How did you know!?" Max laughed, shaking his head.
"I was the one who told your grandmother about your spark suddenly showing up. The first time my radar went off around you, I thought she had finally come to visit after so long. The last time she was here was five years ago. Hopefully she's been treating you alright." Gwen suddenly grinned, floating in the air a bit.
"You won't believe how fun Grandma can be, Grandpa! We've been to SO many planets, but there's nothing as beautiful as the planet Anodyne." Max smirked, nodding his head.
"I see you're forming that outfit. Not used to having no clothes yet?" The girls' cheeks turned pinkish purple as she leaned into Hex's staff.
"I can do it fine on Anodyne and other planets here and there. Humans are… kinda another story." Jade slowly shuffled to where she turned around in the spare bed.
"Hang on," requested the Chinese girl. "You're Gwen, as in Ben's cousin Gwen? Max said you were off on some Summer thing. That's why you couldn't come this time… right?" Max rubbed the back of his head, shaking it a bit.
"Well, that wasn't entirely true," revealed the old man. "That was a cover story her parents and I came up with to explain her absence. She's been with her grandmother, Verdona, learning to control her powers. From the looks of things, you're doing a good job." Gwen grinned, playing with her energy hair a bit.
"Grandma said it'd take me up to seventy years to master all this stuff but it's actually a lot easier than I thought. She thinks I might master it all early at this pace, maybe even in thirty years." The redhead sat on Hex's staff, her hands behind her head as she smiled. "So, who's this?" Max placed a hand on Jade's back, mostly to help her through her pain.
"This is Chan Yu, though she prefers Jade when speaking English. She's a family friend who I was asked to bring along for the Summer." Gwen leaned back a bit, humming as she closed her eyes.
"Right, Plumber stuff. I've met a few but not a lot of them are very nice. Heck, I think a lot of them don't like Anodites. From what I can tell, the feeling can be pretty mutual." Max nodded his head, a frown on his face.
"Anodites are able to bypass most tax laws because they lack the need for clothes, foods, and spaceships. The only thing Anodites pay taxes on are planet security taxes really." Gwen chuckled a bit, slowly looking towards Jade as she noticed the Omnitrix on her wrist. Before she could say anything, the door to the Rustbucket swung open with a growl. Her clothes began to fade for a moment before she restored them, Ben stomping in with a large bag of chocolates in hand.
"Well if it isn't the Dweeb," growled the boy. "Have fun at the 'Summer Program?'" Gwen smirked as she leaned back again, her legs kicking lightly.
"As a matter of fact, YES. I think visiting Grandma and other planets in the galaxy can be considered a 'Summer Program'." Ben blinked multiple times, sending a frown towards Max.
"You lied to me, again? Really?" Max frowned softly, crossing his arms.
"A white lie, Ben. I didn't think you knew anything until you told me about the loop." The boy waved his hands frantically, only for Gwen to actually cry out in understanding.
"So that's what happened. I thought magic was involved to make me go back in time. I told Grandma about it but she said not to worry. That doesn't exactly help but-" Ben's eyes narrowed, his fists clenched.
"YOU KNEW about this!?" cried the boy. "Why didn't you think about coming back?" Gwen frowned, her eyes narrowing.
"I JUST lost my human body, basically being held together from falling apart by Grandma. She was taking me to Anodyne where I was able to fully become an Anodite. I couldn't do anything for a week outside of traveling the planet and learning about my own powers. How would you like me to yell about how you lost the Omnitrix?" Ben held his arms up, growling a bit.
"News flash, I DID lose the Omnitrix. In fact, I think I quite like it in someone else's hands because I sucked at using it the first time!" Max held his hands up, keeping the duo from butting heads.
"OKAY!" growled the grandfather. "We have company here so calm down. I don't need you two fighting like children." Kevin hauled another bag of chocolates into the vehicle, huffing as he shook his head.
"Tennyson, maybe tell me when you're gonna run ahead of me," growled the teen. He looked towards the group, humming as he noticed the girl. "Oh hey. Want a cookie or something?" Gwen waved her hand, an annoyed look on her face.
"I don't really have a stomach right now so-" began the girl. She then stopped as she blinked a few times, slowly looking towards the boy. Her outfit suddenly disappeared, nothing left to the imagination yet nothing explicit showing. "Ben… Is that…" The magic boy looked down, a frown on his face.
"Yeah," confirmed Ben. "A lot happened while you were gone. In fact, a lot about time has changed. Also, maybe make your clothes come back because I did not need an education on how Anodites look." Gwen looked down, blushing as she covered the areas. Jade slowly stood up, a frown on her face.
"Why do you need clothes if your body is just the figure of a girl?" questioned the Omnitrix Wielder. "You look like you're in one of those morph suits with eye holes cut out." Gwen shakily made her outfit reappear, shaking her head.
"I-I'm still getting used to this, okay? I grew up as a human, not an Anodite. I'll get used to it. Grandma said I would live forever so I shouldn't be embarrassed by this." Ben walked over to Jade, handing her one of the chocolates as Max nodded his head.
"That's true," stated the old man. "As long as an Anodite has mana, she'll live forever. Just try to get used to the form." Ben gently rubbed Jade's back before making sure her heating pad was still plugged up, earning a confused look from Gwen.
"Hey Doofus, maybe don't mess with things you don't understand. This is girl stuff." Jade held up her hands, slowly making herself stand up.
"It's fine, alright?" argued the Chinese girl. "I need to change my pad and get some more tea." Kevin looked between the group, a small smirk on his face.
"So I can't help noticing that this alien stuff is pretty normal to you guys," stated the teen. "Is there anyone in your family not related to aliens?" Ben shrugged a bit.
"Well my dad and uncle are brothers so they're out," stated the magic boy. "Mom's normal just like Gwen's Mom is… Looks like she accidentally turned the heat down at some point. I hope that didn't cause her to hurt more." Gwen sat down at the head of the bed, Hex's staff still in hand.
"What's all changed while I've been gone?" questioned the Anodite. "Including the obvious." Kevin felt the strangest feeling that he had been referred to in a not so subtle manner, crossing his arms as Ben chuckled.
"Oh the things I can tell. The Omnitrix was broken when it fell onto Earth so it latched to Jade to repair itself. Then we found a magical amulet at the bottom of that lake with the Krakken in it. That's how I got my magic, which has been great for helping Jade." Gwen chuckled at this, shaking her head.
"Wow. You got that from the lake? Maybe I should have actually taken a swim that night so I could find it. It sounds fun." Ben blew raspberries at her for a moment before he began pouring Jade a new cup of tea.
"Anyway, Ghostfreak or Sc'Carlett now started coming to life when the Bounty Hunters attacked but Jade made friends with her. Also, we just learned that Tetrax is the last Petro…Petra… the last Diamondhead other than Crystal in the Omnitrix. Back on track, we ran into Kevin in New York and found out he was being raised by a mutant rat with mutant turtle kids. He's a lot better than the old Kevin and he's traveling with us until the end of the Summer when he goes to see his Mom again. Space laws can be a real pain in the butt but at least Grandpa's helping him."
The boy set up the cup of tea and a ring of chocolates around it. "Also, Sparksville is now a city with a Rubberland theme park which was actually really cool. We also met the creator of the Omnitrix. Kinda a jerk but he's got a good heart. The Omnitrix is actually a peace keeping device meant to stop all wars in the galaxy which is a lot better than what I was doing just punching bad guys."
Max watched Gwen wince, having a suspicion she had already seen the turmoil first hand. Jade waltzed out of the bathroom, throwing a bag away before taking her spot back on the bed. "I poured you more tea and gave you some chocolates. It was the tea that was already made so I didn't make it myself." Jade nodded her head, taking a sip of Max's tea as she sighed.
"Um… since when are you this considerate?" questioned Gwen. "Last time I had a period you just whined when I asked you to do something." Ben frowned at her, his eyes slightly glowing.
"For your information that was old Ben. I may have done stupid stuff as a kid and still do stupid stuff nowadays, but I'm considerate." Gwen crossed her arms, rolling her eyes.
"RIGHT. So all those times you 'play' hero and demand stuff for doing it is your way of being considerate." Jade frowned this time, shaking her head.
"How about backing off?" questioned the Chinese girl. "I don't know what you're talking about, but Ben's been helping me a lot to figure this out." Gwen rolled her eyes, a soft smile on her face.
"Sure he's nice now but just wait. Ben doesn't just do 'nice' out of the goodness of his heart unless there's something for him. I grew up with him in TWO different timelines so I know him better than you. I'm not saying he's a bad guy and I think the Omnitrix did him some actual good but it doesn't change how he really acts." Ben took a deep breath, trying to not let one of his armors creep up.
"I'm not ten anymore," huffed the boy. "I've changed and still am changing. Stop comparing me to that kid who played hero." Gwen leaned forward a bit, her eyes narrowing. Ben didn't like the look he was getting his eyes slightly glowing as he huffed.
"Really? The boy I saw in the museum certainly looked like the same ten year old that didn't take things seriously. Ben, I know you're a good guy but I also know you can be immature and self-centered. All people are in some way or another." Ben took another deep breath before walking towards the door.
"I don't have to take this and I'm not making a scene. I need air." The boy stepped out, Gwen disappearing as she followed him out.
"Walking away doesn't solve anything, Ben. You can't-" The boy turned around, his eyes in a full glow.
"What do you want from me, Gwen? You show up talking about me like I'm still the same Ben from the past. I'm not trying to fight, but it feels like you're looking at what came before and not what's here now. Let me tell you from personal experience with this time stuff, that's not exactly healthy." The pink girl's eyes and body glowed, her clothing constructs going away as the Charms of Bezel appeared around her neck.
"Alright then, 'hero'. You wanna say you're different? Then show me that you've actually grown up." Ben took a few steps back, his eyes narrowed. His eyes glowed like hers, his fists clenched.
"Gwen, this isn't you. Not in the past and definitely not what I remember from this life. This won't prove either of us right. Just drop the charms and let's talk this through." Ben could have sworn he saw another glowing pair of eyes in the shadows, only to dodge on instinct as a pink energy almost enveloped him.
He dodged another attempted grab, trying not to get into a fight with his cousin. "Gwen, grow up and stop already." Gwen only grinned, forming pink flames in one hand and pink lightning in the other.
"Grow up? HA! I'm more grown up then you'll ever be. Wait until Jade finds out you're just a little kid playing boyfriend." Ben took a deep breath as he gritted his teeth, trying not to lose control.
'She's not herself. Unless… unless it's little Gwen like I had problems with little me! Little Gwen can't handle me being grown up just like I couldn't handle Kevin being good! I have to stop this before she ends up tearing herself apart!' He formed the Jackalope armor as he immediately dodged a lightning bolt, his eyes narrowing as he saw the girl scoffed.
"Is that really all the magic you have? Why am I not surprised you're relying on some dumb relic." Ben sighed, shaking his head.
"Pot meet kettle, miss charms. You're getting onto me when you're relying on a bunch of rocks." He watched Gwen grit her teeth, her eyes wavering a bit.
"I'm channeling my mana through them, Dweeb. Why else would everything be pink?" Ben frowned, his eyes showing through the helmet.
"Teen Gwen stopped calling me that years ago. She also actually cared about what she was doing or if she could accidentally hurt someone." He watched the Anodite girl growl, her hair fritzing a bit.
"Shut UP!" Ben dodged another lightning, only to freak out as it neared an RV. He took a gamble as he moved in front of the attack, using his horns to absorb the energy before he punched into the ground. He gritted his teeth as the mana overload began to hurt his chest, only for him to shake it off as it ended. He stood up, his temper running thin.
"Excuse me but WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!? You almost hit that RV! There could be people in there! What are you, stupid!?" Gwen began to rise in the air, her body glowing more.
"I could fix it! That's more than what you can do!" Ben sighed, swapping to the Zon armor as he took a few steps back.
"Gwen, this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you." The boy flew at high speeds, his wing crashing into the girl's gut as he sent her flying into a tree. Her body suddenly went from a dark purple to a dark pink, the tree behind her looking a little less lively. She crashed into him, making his mana armor begin to lose its focus. Ben headbutted her, causing her to gasp as they both fell to the ground.
Ben stood up first, his eyes narrowing as her body was cotton candy pink. "Gwen, stop it! Your past self and present self aren't melding right. You're going to tear yourself apart!" The ground around the girl began to wither and die as she slowly rose, groaning as she grabbed her head.
"You… you don't know what you're talking about! Stop it!" She began to stumble to her feet as her mana was struggling to hold her body together. Ben's eyes widened, almost like he could understand what was happening. He took a deep breath, his eyes closed.
'If I don't make it out of this, Jade is going to kill me.' He suddenly hugged his cousin, holding her close as his skin began to wrinkle slightly. He began to gasp, his hair beginning to lose its color. "Gwen… stop." The boy suddenly felt himself be pushed to the ground, a slow stream of life flowing into him.
"That's quite enough, Children," stated a woman's voice. Ben opened his eyes, only for them to widen as he saw a much taller version of what Gwen looked like with a much more mature body and energy hair that reached the ground. The woman had the Charms of Bezel floating above her head as she pushed energy into both him and his cousin. "Good on you for trying to resolve the fight, Benjamin, but let's not give that girl of yours a reason to cry." Ben slowly rose to a sitting position, gulping as he tilted his head.
"You… you're what Gwen is. Are… are you Grandma?" The woman chuckled, making herself look like an old human woman in a rather outdated outfit. "You look like the pictures, but do you have to look old?" Verdona actually laughed, shaking her head.
"I have to look the part of a grandmother, don't I? I could have made my skin younger but that would just make Max feel older than he already is. Now, shall we see my husband. It's been a few good years, after all. March, young lady."
Gwen looked away with a huff as she looked ready to teleport, only for Verdona to snap her fingers and cancel her action. "I said march. You're not running away. As punishment, no clothes for a month and these little trinkets are staying with me unless I say otherwise." The younger Anodite placed her hands on her hips as if she had pockets as she marched towards the Rust Bucket.
Once they were inside, Ben found himself forced to sit on the guest bed as Jade hugged up to him. Apparently the fight outside had been more visible than he would have liked, the girl refusing to let him go in her current state. Max sighed as he began pouring a cup of tea, his eyes looking towards Verdona.
"Thank you for stepping in," thanked the old man. "I never expected them to fight like that, especially not Gwen starting it." The woman happily took the tea, nodding her head with a frown.
"I thought Gwen solved her inner demons," stated the ancient woman. "I suppose I was looking in the wrong places." Kevin hummed, crossing his arms.
"So, you're one of those Anodite things too?" questioned the teen. "I thought you'd look younger." Verdona chuckled at this, shaking her head.
"Well I can't exactly pull off the look of a grandma if I look like I could be my husband's daughter now can I? While that does sound rather fun, I'm afraid now isn't the time for games." Gwen looked towards Ben, a glare in her eyes.
"He started it," huffed the young girl. "He's the one acting like he grew up." Her grandmother looked towards her with a glare of her own, causing Gwen to look away as if she was sweating.
"Child, do I have to take more from you? You're already in trouble with that stunt at the museum and now this? I told you not to interfere in human affairs, the one rule I gave you to see if you could restrain yourself. Clearly you can't." Ben narrowed his eyes, tilting his head.
"Why couldn't she interfere?" questioned the boy. "You guys seem pretty strong as these Anodite things." Verdona then looked towards her grandson, her frown lessening slightly.
"Ben, while Anodites don't normally 'follow' the rules we do have rules, the biggest of them being to not get involved in other species' problems unless it can be a problem for us Anodites. That young wizard is not someone I foresee harming us Anodites." The boy righted his head, humming a bit.
"So even if he had the Charms, his staff, and the Arkamada Book of Spells, that wouldn't be a threat? He could do a lot of damage with them." The mature Anodite shook her head in denial.
"I'll admit those trinkets are powerful, they're not as powerful as a Lantern Corp ring or many other powerful objects of great magical power in the Galaxy. I'm currently keeping an eye on the only thing here that could be a true threat, but she's been doing some good. I can't exactly say her name as you never know who could be listening and names are powerful. You'll understand at some point in your life." Jade scrolled through the Omnitrix's files, humming to herself.
"So the Omnitrix has no record of the Anodites," informed the Chinese girl. "Actually, I'm surprised that it hasn't tried to scan you at all." Verdona chuckled, shaking her head.
"That's because Anodites don't have DNA. We're pure energy, Mana of nature itself. The very energy that makes up magic makes up our entire being. We even naturally feed off the mana of the world around us, which is why we spend many years on our home planet Anodyne learning to control the feed so that we don't harm the world around us. Young Gwen did exactly that, which I'm sure you noticed." Ben looked down at his chest, placing his hand on it.
"Yeah. It was like just touching her was slowly killing me back there. I felt like something was wrong and just couldn't stop. Like if I did, she wouldn't have made it." Verdona frowned again, her eyes narrowing.
"She had brought herself near to death, so her body was in survival mode. I never expected her to be so foolish. She was so focused on the fight that she didn't think about how much Mana she was using. She lost control of her mana, something I thought I had drilled into her before we had left Anodyne. At least I know what to focus on for the next year or two." Ben reached up to where the Amulet of Serval had merged into him, humming a bit.
"It felt so weird to have the armor just drain from me. I have got to get a better handle on this thing because the armor tends to break no matter how durable I make it." He gasped as his grandmother was suddenly in front of him, her hand on the same area.
"I would actually suggest getting this thing removed before it shatters. If Gwen had shattered your armor with her mana, your own Spark would have shattered. IF you survived, it would not be an easy recovery. I recommend learning how to replicate the amulet's power with your own mana and strengthening your own magic. The more you push into the pour trinket, the faster it'll break." Ben looked towards his hand, shaking a bit.
"I… I didn't know it was breaking. I just focused on trying to be better at what I can do with it." He felt Jade's glare on him, sweating a bit.
"So that stupid thing has been killing you?" questioned the Chinese girl. "If I knew it was dangerous magic when we found it, I would have sent it back to Uncle and Jackie to be locked away in a vault or a museum." Verdona removed her hand from her grandson as she nodded her head.
"It is killing him, but it's his Spark that's taking the damage. The spark is his lifeforce itself. If a lesser human had used it they could have died after the armor shattered once." Ben gulped, his body still shaking a bit. Gwen leaned forward a bit, her eyes narrowing.
"Wait, 'his' Spark?" questioned the magical girl. "YOU MEAN HE'S AN ANODITE!?" Verdona nodded her head, her frown still on her face.
"He has a Spark, even if it's strangely mutated, but that would indeed mean he's an Anodite. Now I've seen some mutated Sparks here and there but it's like something more ancient has mixed with it. It doesn't help that the amulet has been integrating its power into him the more he survives the shattering armor. Its magic is so rooted in that I could remove it right now and he'd still be able to use its power, albeit with a little relearning of how to make it." Jade hugged Ben even closer, ignoring the cramp in her lower gut.
"Um, I'd like to not lose my future boyfriend here," interrupted the Chinese girl. "If you wouldn't mind getting rid of the stupid thing that'd be nice." Ben looked a little unsure as his grandmother's hand gave way to her Anodite form. As soon as she touched where the amulet was, a bit of green flashed into her eyes as they widened slightly. She carefully pulled the Amulet of Serval out of its place, the relic crumbling into dust in her hand.
"This is unheard of. Not only is your spark actually green, but your mana feels more masculine than a natural Anodite. I've seen a green spark here and there from specific mana based species, but never in existence has an Anodite actually been able to be described as male." Gwen huffed as she dropped her head into her palms, looking downtrodden.
"Right. So now I'm not special anymore." Verdona wiped her hand of the broken amulet, her frown darkening.
"I'll have to remove you from your current vessel sometime in the future. The council should be involved to prepare for this anomaly. If any bounty hunters learn about an anomalous Anodite existing, you'd become the target of a number of groups of interest that hunt Anodites. You're nowhere near ready for that kind of attention and your Spark is nowhere near ready to come out yet. I need to let it heal from the damage that little amulet has done before I remove you from your body." Jade gulped, her hand raising.
"Um… He can have his body back later, right? Not gonna lie, I like his cute face." Verdona laughed as Ben blushed, the boy looking away as he heard Kevin snicker.
"You have nothing to worry about. If Ben is as skilled as his cousin, then he should be able to create a new skin for his Spark to take as a host in no time. If Gwen could get over her insecurities, she'd probably be able to make a skin herself rather soon. In any case, you'll need a focus for your mana until your Spark has healed." She hummed as she made the Charms of Bezel and Hex's staff appear in the air.
"W-WAIT!" cried Gwen. "Isn't there something more his speed that he can use? He doesn't know the first thing about magic and I won those fair and square. I-" The girl found a strip of mana used as tape to silence her, her grandmother not even looking back at her.
"Hush now, young lady. You're still in big trouble. Besides, Ben can't use the amulet now that it's gone. The Staff of Merlin will help him focus his mana and the Charms of Bezel will help him experience different kinds of magic." Kevin suddenly held up his hands, his eyes narrowing.
"Hang on a minute," huffed the teen. "THAT'S the staff of Merlin? As in THE Merlin from those bedtime stories and old movies about Camelot? Because if all that's real then one of my bros is going to flip out and the other will have a brain shortage." Gwen huffed as she looked away, Verdona nodding her head.
"Indeed it is. It's a rather basic relic but with the right training Ben can easily use it." The boy in question gasped as the staff was tossed at him, fumbling it in his hands a bit. A long necklace formed around his neck as the Charms of Bezel popped into place on its sides. The beak changed into the skull of a saber toothed tiger, the boy humming in uncertainty.
"So… I have no idea how I'm supposed to use this, other than to whack someone over the head if necessary. I also don't have any magic stuff to learn from." Verdona smirked, shaking her head.
"I'm sure you'll come by a spell book eventually and I'm not letting you have too much power with the Arkamada Book of Spells. Besides, the point of giving it to you is so that you can focus your mana through it. If you really want to wait then you can just hold onto it and focus mana through the charms. I'm sure you'll figure it out." Gwen began to panic as she tried to remove the magical tape, Jade smirking as she shook her head.
"Well if I ask Uncle the right way I could get him to send pictures from his Chi spell books," offered the young Chan. "Of course, that's if he can remember how to use a smart phone. I could always ask Tohru I guess. I know Jackie would tell me 'magic is not to be played with' and give me a lecture. I guess Viper could do it too so I could call her. So many options." Verdona actually let loose a laugh, holding her stomach.
"Well aren't you clever? She's a keeper." Ben blushed brighter, coughing into his hand in embarrassment. "Well, Max, I need to take a certain someone somewhere she can hopefully learn her lesson. I believe a trip to see her parents will do Gwendolyn some good."
Gwen began waving her hands, her eyes widening in terror. "I'll stop by and visit once this Summer trip is over. Ben is a very serious case so I'll need to keep an eye on him. Besides, we could stop by the fun places we used to go. Dinner at your favorite restaurant, movies I haven't seen in ages, something new and exciting, some personal fun like the old days, maybe pop out a new uncle or aunt for the kids…"
Max chuckled as both Ben Gwen sounded out their discomfort in the blatant words. "See you soon!" The two Anodites disappeared, leaving the group alone.
"TOO MUCH INFORMATION!" cried the boy. "I DO NOT NEED THAT IMAGE IN MY HEAD!" Jade giggled at this, still hugging close to him.
"She can make herself as young as she wants," reminded the Omnitrix wielder. "You'll probably be able to do the same soon. I wish I could do that, avoid all the wrinkles and spend a long lifetime with a big family… Yell at a certain SOMEONE when he uses a killer artifact or goes on important time stuff without me, whether I'm on a period or not." Ben chuckled, looking away with more sweat.
"TO be fair, I didn't know the amulet was killing me. I also didn't want you to be upset that you couldn't use the Omnitrix. I also technically didn't lie because the chocolate was a surprise I planned already… Please don't be too mad." Jade rubbed her head into his back, a devious smirk on her face.
"Oh don't worry. You'll regret not taking me or at least telling me. I just have to think of a good punishment. Maybe I'll take away cuddle time or I'll use one of Uncle's spells to turn you into a girl for a few days, if he has anything like that. OH!"
Ben mentally screamed as he held his hands together. "We can't forget Max's cooking. There'll be plenty of 'food' to try after all. Oh the ways I can make you pay." Kevin cleared his throat, looking away.
"So I take it we aren't destroying those charm things like your cousin did in the past," stated the boy. "That was in the plan to happen." Ben jolted as his stomach was squeezed tightly, Jade looking back at the teen with a growl.
"ARE YOU TWO INSANE!? You don't just destroy magic without consequences! I learned that the hard way when I destroyed Shendu. Luckily he's trapped in Section 13's vaults now but the fact still remains that you can't break the balance! There could be some kind of terrible curse placed on you, like losing the ability to have kids or having a world ending event land smack dab on your head!" Kevin snickered, shaking his head.
"Well your thought being about not having children says there's something for 'Benny-boo' to look forward to. You better start reading up dude." Ben's whole body was atomic red as he shook his head, Jade leaning into him as her eyes narrowed.
"Of course I want to have kids someday. I'm a girl and a big part of my culture is carrying on the legacy of the family. It's an honor only I can do, both for my own family and the one I make with Ben. SOME people could learn to appreciate it." Kevin rolled his eyes, making Jade huff.
"I'm just saying the little guy better be happy he's got a girl thinking that far ahead with him. While we're on the subject, how many kids you thinking?" Ben glanced back as his embarrassment grew, Jade smiling proudly.
"As many as my body can carry if I could get my way, but the law back home says only three kids per household. If I could come to America and stay, I'd probably have enough to fill a sports team. Spaced out of course as I do not want to try handling five little kids at once." Ben hid his face in his shirt, wishing Gwen had buried him at this point. He only wanted to enjoy time with his girlfriend, though it would seem she had big plans for the future. Max chuckled under his breath, shaking his head.
"Like an Anodite in human skin," chuckled the old man. "I hope we can make this work for them. She's good for Ben."
And with that the chapter has come to a close. Ben and Gwen have a not so happy reunion where Ben has to prove that he has matured. Verdona needed to step in, both to stop Gwen and remove the Amulet of Serval from Ben before it could kill him. Now Ben has to learn to use magic in a new way AND relearn how to make the armors. Of course he could probably start soon if Jade's dream for a large family didn't take up a space in his mind.
I know you're all probably be interested in what Gwen's been up to and what exactly will happen next for her. That will have to be another story for another day, perhaps once this one is done. For now, let's just enjoy Ben and Jade trying to make a relationship work in a crazy mixed timeline. They have enough to deal with as it is. In any case, it's time we actually put an end to the chapter.
What did you guys think? Did you like the surprise arrival of Gwen? Will Ben be able to learn to harness his Mana and handle Jade's big dream. Let me know your thoughts down below and I'll try to respond ASAP. This is Inkaliber, signing out.