Hey everyone! TheKingHHH100 here, FINALLY back with a new chapter for this fic! Now first thing I feel like I should do is apologize to any reader who's been waiting for this story in particular to update as the last chapter was a Christmas special I made over TWO Christmases ago... so, yeah, sorry about that. It's a long while since I last updated this, partially because I felt burn out and partially because there were many things going on with life, you know the usual stuff.
Anyways, if you've been looking for a new chapter then once again sorry for not updating for so long and I really hope this one makes the wait worth it. I promise that next one won't take this long. On to the story!
Chapter 10: HuntEd
In outer space, we see an all too familiar ship still orbiting the Earth. Inside the ship, on a levitating platform in a dark room, three spotlights shine on each of three aliens standing in line next to one another. The first one is a thin alien wearing a purple and black armor with a jetpack. He has hooved feet, purple pads covering his central joints, a belt, and four central lines on his helmet to provide outlines for his face, which are his eyes and mouth.
The second alien resembles a robotic half-human fiddler crab with a goldish brown-colored armor, a sideways mouth and four scythe-like legs. He has a regular-sized, human-like right hand but also has a large, powerful pincer for a left hand. He has orange lines running over his body and his eyes have the same color as the highlights of his pincer.
Finally, the third one seems like the most mysterious of the trio, he wears a metallic-looking bulky gray armor and has a pillbug-like shell covering his face with a green triangle on the front. This triangle is also on the center of his utility belt, and there are markings resembling it on both of his shoulder pads.
"Begin the audition!" a voice suddenly announced through an unseen speaker, booming all over the room in a tone that commanded both fear and respect upon the ears of whomever heard it. Immediately after the voice said this, the first alien ignited his jetpack and rushed over at a circle of familiar looking drone-like robots, like all he needed was for the voice to command it, and he'd grown tired of waiting. He pulled a small blaster from a compartment on his joint and shot a few down.
A few of the drones fired back at him, but he rolled out of the way and fired small rockets from his wrist in retaliation, then pulled a grenade out of another compartment and threw it at another cluster of drones, making them explode. It seems that whoever this alien is, he's an experienced, well-trained fighter with a lot of equipment.
Right after this, the crab-like alien jumped down to join in, not wanting the first alien to get all the fun, pounding onto a drone on his way down while grabbing another with his massive claw and using it as a projectile against a third one. Two more drones rushed at him from both sides, but the alien merely caught the first one with his giant claw and crushed it almost instantly, then pulled out a katana-like sword he carried on his back and sliced the other one in two. It seems this crab-like alien is also a skilled fighter and a dangerous foe.
Suddenly, a platform opened up on the ceiling and a gigantic attack droid that looks just like the one sent to retrieve the Omnitrix sometime ago fell to the floor, ready to fire at them. However, before either alien could make a move, the third one unveiled a small device that unfolded into a hoverboard and rode it right into the droid's laser blast, taking it dead on.
Surprisingly, when the smoke cleared he seemed to be completely unharmed. Without a moment to lose, he flew into the droid's chest and punched a hole right through it, making the huge robot explode in the process. His hoverboard then flew back right next to him and the alien merely folded it and picked it back up. It seems that this mysterious individual is not only very strong but also pretty resilient too.
After there were no more drones left standing for them to fight, a giant holographic screen suddenly appeared in front of the alien trio, showing the familiar face of a squid-like alien, the very same one who was trying to steal the watch for himself before it ended up being sent to Earth. However, he seems to still be wielding the injuries sustained when chasing after the ship carrying the watch, as he's inside a medical tube and has an oxygen mask with small hosepipes connected to it, floating in an orange liquid that was slowly healing his body.
"Impressive. You are all hired" the squid alien, Vilgax, declared, laboring to speak due to his injuries but still showing a small amount of pleasure in his voice. The alien trio had immediately turned to look at him and were listening very carefully to his instructions, as if they were working for him.
"Your objective is to retrieve the Omnitrix, the one who succeeds collects the reward" Vilgax explained, while the screen flashed the picture of a familiar black and green wristwatch. "Do NOT disappoint me…" he finished saying in a serious tone that even though it left to imagination what the consequences of disappointing him could be, made pretty clear it wouldn't be anything nice.
Moments after Vilgax finished giving these bounty hunters their instructions, three pods jettisoned from his ship and fell to Earth, the three individuals inside looking to retrieve what they were sent after and collect their prize…
Meanwhile on Earth:
We shift to the city in middle of the night, where cars are parked and the lights dim as everyone's sleeping, or almost everyone. Suddenly, a black and blue blur comes passing by, furiously racing through the middle of the streets. This is none other than Eddy, transformed into XLR8, who's on another night of patrolling the city in his search for Kevin.
Eddy couldn't believe how quickly things had escalated for the worse, with Kevin finding out his secret identity and pretending to be his friend just to use him for his powers, then he had an argument and subsequent fall out with his true friends in Ed and Double D (and maybe Sarah too, he wasn't so sure of that though). But then Kevin turned out to be some kind of energy-absorbing freak and, what's worst, took some of his aliens' powers from the watch, which lead to him going after his friends and, worst of all, Ed getting hurt and send to the hospital. And it was all because of him, because he was too selfish and self-absorbed, thinking his dreams of being accepted in the Cul-da-Sac and being with the popular kids had come true and not having any second thoughts in ditching his friends for all that.
Truth be told, Eddy knew he deserved it. He knew he deserved all of this, but not his friends. They hadn't done anything wrong, only associating themselves with someone who didn't value them enough like him, and paid the consequences of his own recklessness. He owed them an apology, but more than that, he owed making up to them, starting with putting Mutant-chin behind some bars.
Yet Kevin was still out there, but seemingly nowhere as he wasn't able to find him after having patrolled the city every night since this incident, and he knew his secret. He knew who Eddy cared for the most and was no doubt plotting revenge, plotting of going after them just to make him suffer. Now, Eddy knew he didn't deserve friends like he had, but those same friends definitely did not deserve to pay for the mistakes he had made.
As XLR8 raced through the city streets, the cold night air whipped against his face, but he hardly noticed. His mind was consumed with worry and guilt, his thoughts swirling in a chaotic mess. He hadn't slept all night, too preoccupied with the fear that Kevin might return to cause more harm to his friends. The image of Ed lying injured still haunted him, a constant reminder of his failure to protect those closest to him.
"Man, I can't believe everything that's been going on. Kevin knows my secret identity and turned out to be some kind of freak, now he wants to hurt everyone I care about just to spite me, and what's worst… what happened to Lumpy, he's in the hospital and it's all because me…" the human-turned-alien thought as he patrolled the city for like the fifth night in a row, trying to find his nemesis before he could hurt anyone else, to no avail.
However, his line of thought was derailed when he caught glimpse of a figure perched atop a towering building, silhouetted against the moonlit sky, wearing a trademark green T-shirt and baseball red cap. And he only knew one person who could wear those things. "Kevin!" XLR8 yelled as, without hesitation, he darted towards the building, his heart pounding in his chest. Using his immense speed, the black-and-blue alien was capable of running upwards on almost any surface, and did so by climbing up the building on its outside. He reached the rooftop in a blur of motion, but to his confusion, there was no one there.
"Huh?" Eddy wondered as he scanned the area frantically, his senses on high alert, but there was no sign of Kevin. "I must've imagine-" but he was interrupted by something, or rather someone, smashing onto him and sending XLR8 to the floor. The speedster alien got up and had to remove his visor in order to confirm what he saw was actually real: Kevin stood tall back in his grotesque fusion of Four Arms and his human self, the same one he got from absorbing the watch's powers during their fight.
"Did you miss me, dork?" the monstrous figure of Kevin taunted him as usual, confirming indeed that this was the real deal.
XLR8's mind raced with questions, wondering how Kevin had regained his powers so quickly, as last time they face off he'd lost this transformation and reverted back to his human self. "Kevin! How did you get back to-?" but there was no time for answers as Kevin launched himself into attack once again.
The two clashed in a whirlwind of motion, but XLR8 found himself at a disadvantage as the exhaustion from patrolling every night and sleeping so little weighed heavily on his limbs, his movements sluggish and uncoordinated. Kevin seized the opportunity, his blows raining down on XLR8 with brutal force.
As the battle raged on, Kevin's taunts cut through the night air like knives. "Once I'm done with you, I'll pay a visit to your dorky friends" he sneered, his words dripping with venom. XLR8 gritted his teeth, his determination fueling his resolve to protect those he cared about.
"Stay away from them!" the raptor-like alien angrily shouted as he summoned the strength to fight back, but just as he did so, a jet of flames suddenly hit XLR8 like a mat truck, sending him close to the edge of the rooftop. As he removed his visor once again, XLR8 was shocked to see Kevin's form had shapeshifted back into what he looked like after absorbing Heatblast's energy before that, his face and half his body on fire.
But before XLR8 could react, a searing blast of fire sent him hurtling over the edge of the rooftop, his screams echoing in the night as he fell down, expecting to meet his end when crashing down hard against the ground…
And then, in an instant, the nightmare shattered and reality crashed back in as Eddy landed right on the floor of his room, now in human form. As the shortest Ed got up, expecting to see the mutant Kevin still looming somewhere in there, he found himself in his bedroom, everything as usual like he knew it. Oh, so it was just another nightmare then. He laid there for a moment, gasping for breath, his heart still racing with the residual fear of his dream. But even as he tried to shake off the haunting terror, a nagging thought lingered in the back of his mind—a chilling reminder that his nightmare could indeed soon become a reality.
Later on:
Eddy stood in front of the hospital doors unsure of what to do as he stared at the bright letters on the entrance. On one hand, he wanted to enter and check on his friend's well-being, make sure he was okay after all. But on the other, Eddy knew he probably wasn't welcome there.
His decision was made for him however, when he spotted his other best friend coming out to greet him. "Eddy! It's good to see you're here too, I was wondering when you would show up" Double D saluted with his usual friendly manners.
"How's Ed?" the words left Eddy's mouth before he even got time to blink.
Double D was taken aback by the suddenness of the question, but quickly regained composure and looked apprehensible as he earnestly spoke. "Well… he's awake. I think it would be better if you saw him yourself."
Eddy looked down to the ground in hesitation. "I don't know. Sarah's in there, she's probably still mad at me and's gonna yell at me…"
"Pardon the bluntness of my response, Eddy, but when has Sarah not been mad nor yell at you?" Double D remarked.
Eddy was momentarily silenced by this, though he was secretly grateful at his friend's comment for lighting up the otherwise somber mood. "You got a point there, Sockhead."
With that, the two Eds made their way inside the hospital and upstairs, Eddy following after Double D, who led him towards Ed's room. As Eddy entered the hospital room, his exhaustion weighed heavily on his shoulders, every step feeling like a struggle.
When he entered the hospital room where Ed lay recovering, Eddy couldn't help but feel a wave of relief wash over him at the sight of his friend awake and conscious. As expected, Sarah was already gathered around Ed's bedside, her expression a mix of relief and concern as she watched over her injured brother.
To Eddy's surprise, Ed was clearly recovered from the last time he saw him, his usual goofy smile tugging at the corners of his lips despite the bandages wrapped around his torso. The doctors seemed equally astonished by Ed's resilience, exchanging puzzled glances as they checked his vitals.
"Ed! You're awake!" Eddy exclaimed, his voice tinged with both relief and guilt.
"Eddy!" Ed bolted up at the sight of his friend, he would've gotten up and run to hug him in his usual manner had Sarah and the nurse right next to him not intervened.
"Ed, remember what the doctor said!" Sarah chided him.
"I know, I know, baby sister. Ed's gotta stay in bed" Ed replied like a small child, though his usual energy wasn't missing despite his injuries.
The doctors were just as puzzled at Ed's unexpected recovery and bright demeanor, exchanging amused glances as they checked his vital signs. "We weren't expecting him to bounce back so quickly…" one of them murmured to his colleague.
Another doctor checked some notes on a clipboard and mused something. "Excuse me, young lady. I'm afraid I'll have to ask again but, how did your brother suffer his injuries?" he asked Sarah, who shifted nervous glances with Double D.
"Uh… well, he…" but before either of them could respond, Ed did so by spilling out the truth in grandiose fashion.
"It was Kevin! He turned into a mutant after absorbing Eddy's watch, I was just trying to protect my baby sister!" he exclaimed, much to his friends' dismay and the doctors' amusement.
"Right…" the doctor blinked at Ed blankly, "Vivid imaginations are good coping mechanisms in situations like these" but fortunately did not believe a thing of what he just said, despite it being the truth. It did help that Ed was… well, Ed, and the medical personnel had gotten quite acquainted with him ever since he woke up. The nurses who had to bath him were specially distressed, considering the amount of resistance that they got from the boy.
"Y-Yeah, that's our Ed…" Sarah merely played along, mentally berating her brother for being so careless and spilling it out like that.
"Well, can I talk with your parents?" the doctor asked.
"Sure, they were out to get something to eat while I took care of my brother, they should be back soon" Sarah nodded.
"Please let me know when they're here" the doctor told the nurse as he walked out the room.
"Can I get some macaroni and cheese?" Ed asked with puppy eyes, pleading as his voracious appetite kicked in once again.
Meanwhile on another place:
The hoverboard hunter was perched on top of a building as he monitors a tracker that led him to Peach Creek, particularly to a small Cul-da-Sac. "This is where the Omnitrix was last activated" he mused to himself as he collected some samples of… wood from a broken fence?
The other two hunters were watching him from above a house. One of them, the purple one with the jetpack, spoke in an alien language, unintelligible to the human ear, then flew off over to where the hoverboard hunter was.
"You can say that again, SixSix. A rock like this is better off space dust!" the crab-like alien responded before following after him.
Meanwhile, the hoverboard alien continued tracking with his gadget until the jetpack alien, revealed to be known as SixSix, landed right in front of him and snatched the piece of wood he was holding right out of his hands with an extendible grabbing appendage coming out of his back, making it look like a tentacle.
Sixsix spoke in his alien language as he inspected the seemingly regular piece of wood, before the hoverboard alien grabbed the appendage and tugged it clean off, causing it to curse in his gibberish talk. The angered SixSix extended six more armed appendages and said something in threatening manner; while the hoverboard hunter put his hand on his gun.
"Woah! Big talk coming from a gearhead!" the robotic crab exclaimed behind them.
The hoverboard alien got right into Sixsix… uh, face, although it did lack the usual features, before speaking. "Get in my way again, and I'll teach you how to say "dismantled".
Surprisingly, Sixsix seemed to back down from the fight, sheathing his appendages and folding out his wrist rockets, and also a weird extra-arm that came from his shoulder… unsure what that was, really. The 'gearhead' alien spoke once again in his unintelligible language, which the other two aliens seem able to comprehend perfectly, before flying off with his jetpack.
The hoverboard hunter proceeded to let go of his gun and walked away, pulling out his aforementioned device to fly away as well, though in an opposite direction to his fellow bounty hunter. The remaining hunter, the crab-looking one, opted to go in a different manner as he leaps up and spins his four legs very fast, acting like a drill and burrowing into the ground to travel underneath.
Back at the hospital:
Eddy's exhaustion was palpable, his shoulders slumped and his eyes heavy with fatigue. Double D noticed his friend's weary appearance and gently suggested, "Perhaps you should get some rest, Eddy. You look like you could use it."
But Eddy shook his head, his determination unwavering. "I can't rest, not while Kevin's out there. He knows my secret, Double D. He could come back and hurt someone else" he explained, his voice tinged with apprehension.
Double D sighed, understanding the weight of Eddy's worries. "I understand your concerns, Eddy, but you can't blame yourself for what transpired. None of us could have predicted what Kevin would do."
Eddy's gaze flickered with uncertainty, his brow furrowing in contemplation. "But if it weren't for me and my powers, none of this would have happened" he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "Maybe I should have never found this blasted watch."
"Perhaps so, but since you're unable to take it off, there's nothing we can do about it at the moment" Double D offered encouragingly.
Eddy looked deflated as he shifted his eyes around. "Maybe. Maybe not."
"Eddy," Double D began carefully, his tone gentle yet firm. "I understand, and while I appreciate that you take your responsibility, you can't hold yourself accountable for what happened to Ed."
"Yeah, Eddy, Ed's not mad at you" Ed nodded, offering words of support and encouragement in his own particularly weird way. "We were just worried you preferred to be with Kevin than with us."
"Gee, Lumpy, thanks. But that doesn't change what happened, and that I may put you all in danger just because I was too selfish and wanted to be popular like Kevin was" Eddy admitted in a downtrodden tone.
Meanwhile, Sarah watched the exchange with a mixture of frustration and concern. She was still angry at Eddy for his role in what happened to Ed, but she couldn't deny the genuine care and concern he showed for her brother. It was a stark contrast to her previous attitude towards Ed, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for her past behavior.
"We're in this together, and we'll find a way to stop Kevin, I promise" Double D reassured, placing a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.
Before Eddy could respond, Sarah finally spoke up, her voice cutting through the conversation like a knife. "Enough!" she snapped, her eyes flashing with a mixture of both annoyance and genuine concern. "Both of you need to leave. Ed needs rest" she interjected, ushering Eddy and Double D out of the room with a gentle but firm hand.
"Aww come on, baby sister. Do Eddy and Double D have to go already?" Ed pouted.
"Yes, Ed. You need your rest, doctor's orders" Sarah firmly stated.
"It's alright, Ed. We'll come to visit another time" Double D nodded, knowing rest was important in order for his friend to make a full recovery.
"Yeah, Lumps. See ya later" Eddy weakly saluted, a stark reminder of the pain and turmoil his friend had endured.
Eddy and Double D reluctantly made their way to the door, while Sarah's gaze softened, a flicker of understanding in her eyes. Despite her anger towards Eddy, there was a newfound sense of compassion in Sarah's demeanor—a recognition of the bond that united them all, even in the face of adversity.
"Geez, since when does Sarah care so much about Ed?" Eddy wondered as he stepped out into the hallway.
"Well, considering recent events and how Ed put himself in danger to protect her, I think Sarah is finally beginning to see how much her big brother loves her" Double D noted with a slight smile, thankful that at least something good did came out of this tragic ordeal.
Eddy's weariness was impossible to conceal, the dark circles under his eyes a stark contrast to his usual energetic demeanor. Double D noticed his friend's fatigue immediately, concern etched into his features as he approached Eddy.
"You really should get some rest, Eddy" Double D urged gently, his voice laced with worry. "You've been up all night, and it's clearly taking a toll on you."
But Eddy shook his head, his jaw set stubbornly. "I can't rest Double D, not while Kevin's still out there. I gotta find him and clean up this mess I made" he replied, his voice tinged with frustration as he began to walk away, much to his friend's concern.
"Eddy, wait! Where are you going?" Double D asked, hopping he could stop him though he knew it probably was a lost cause.
"You already know, to find Kevin" Eddy replied as he walked out of the hospital, a steely determination in his eyes—a resolve to do whatever it took to keep his friends safe.
Double D sighed as he watched him depart, knowing there was nothing he could to do help ease his friend's guilt at moment, and that he was better off being there for his other friend while Ed recovered.
After leaving the hospital, Eddy quickly went to hide behind an ambulance and, with a swift motion, activated his watch, the familiar hum of its power coursing through him as he transformed into XLR8. The wind rushed past him as he raced through the city streets, his senses on high alert as he scanned around for any signs of Kevin's whereabouts.
Unbeknownst to him, his actions had not gone unnoticed. High above the city, SixSix flew on with his jetpack when suddenly the tracker on his hand started beeping, having caught signal of the Omnitrix activating and getting a bead on its location. He briefly studied it before flying away in the direction, descending upon the city with his sights set on that elusive prey.
As XLR8 continued his patrol, unaware of the danger lurking in the shadows, his movements were fueled by a sense of urgency and determination. He raced through the city streets, even though his fatigue weighed heavily on him, each stride feeling like a struggle against an invisible weight dragging him down.
But as he pushed himself forward, suddenly, the ground started to tremble as something underneath started heading straight for the alien hero. At first, XLR8 thought this was just a feeling induced by his severe tiredness, but soon noticed a massive clawed hand bursting from underneath, which he was only able to dodge thanks to his super speed.
Then, a metallic clang echoed through the air as a complete figure rose from underground, something that looked like a yellow robot with one normal arm and the other with that massive claw, as it began to walk with its crab-like legs towards him, clearly not intend on having a friendly chat, he figured.
"Oh, man… You put the 'ug' in 'ugly'!" XLR8 commented ironically as his visor went up, revealing his less than appealing alien face.
"Hand over the Omnitrix and I promise you won't suffer… much" the crab-like robot demanded with a pinch from his huge metal claw for emphasis.
"In your dreams, claw boy!" XLR8 exclaimed, ready to launch himself into battle. He was looking for Kevin, but truth be told he really needed to take out his pent up aggression onto something, and this tin can may not be Shovel-chin, but it could surely do for now. "I would keep those claws to yourself and turn around if I were you, I'm not in a good mood and you have no idea who you're messing with!"
"Funny, I was just about to say the same thing" the alien robot-crab retorted, sense of humor seemingly not lost on him despite his lack of facial features. Suddenly, XLR8 put down his visor and hurled at great speed, running circles around the giant crab-like robot before seemingly disappearing in a black and blue blur.
The mechanic crab however remained calm, stepping back and carefully looking around him, using his thermographic vision to track down the speedy alien's heat signature. The alien crab's head then spun around as it detected an incoming heat signal, turning around and catching XLR8 with his large claw while the raptor-like alien tried to sneak up behind him.
"You're arrogant as you are dim-witted!" the mechanic alien snarled as his eyes gleamed with malice, his grip tightening up to crush XLR8, then slammed him to the ground before hurling the alien hero through the air, sending him crashing into the side of a nearby building.
XLR8 gritted his teeth against the pain, his mind racing as he struggled to regain his bearings. "Ugh, who the hell's this guy?" he wondered with his visor lifted up, which allowed him to perfectly see the incoming mail box the alien crab had thrown at him with his large claw. Once again thanks to his superior speed, XLR8 was just able to move in time before the mail box crashed onto him.
Seeing the wreckage already left by the ensuing battle, XLR8 soon came up with a new strategy to face this foe. "I gotta get him out of here before someone else gets hurt" he realized, noticing the more-than-a-few bystanders looking in awe at the scene. "Hey, Crab cake! You want me? Come get me!" XLR8 taunted as he put his visor down and began fleeing from the area, though not at full speed so his opponent could actually follow after him, leading the threatening alien away from the more populated area.
Unbeknownst to him, another alien happened to be watching the scene, floating above them without being detected in his hoverboard.
Meanwhile at the hospital:
Inside the hospital room, Ed sat upright in his bed, a wide grin spread across his face as he watched his sister, Sarah, bustling around the room. Sarah moved with a quiet efficiency, tending to Ed's needs with a gentle touch that belied her usual tough exterior. She adjusted his pillows, fluffed his blankets, and made sure he had everything he needed to feel comfortable and at ease.
"You're looking better already, big bro" Sarah remarked, her voice soft yet filled with genuine concern. "Just a few more days of rest, and you'll be back to causing chaos in the Cul-da-Sac like usual."
Ed chuckled, a playful twinkle in his eye as he watched his sister fussing over him. "Thanks, baby sister" he replied, his voice tinged with gratitude. "I don't know what I did to deserve you taking care of me like this."
Sarah smiled, a rare expression of warmth lighting up her features as she met her brother's gaze. "You're kidding? Ed, you saved my life, you dummy!" she reminded.
"It was nothing, really. Just doing my duty as big brother" Ed replied, his voice tinged with merriment.
"You're really something, Ed" Sarah remarked, a hint of admiration in her voice. "Taking a fireball to the back and still managing to act like usual."
"Can't let a little thing like a fireball keep me down" Ed chuckled, wincing slightly as he shifted in his bed.
"You scared me, you know…" Sarah murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "I thought I was going to lose you."
Ed's response was a soft smile, his gaze meeting his sister's with warmth and affection. "Don't worry, baby sister" he replied, his voice tinged with reassurance. "I'm tougher than I look."
Their laughter filled the room, a brief respite from the tension and worry that hung in the air. For a moment, it felt as though nothing else mattered, as though they were just two siblings sharing a moment of lightheartedness in the midst of chaos.
As Ed and Sarah had their moment of bonding in the hospital room, the door creaked open, and the sound of footsteps echoed through the quiet space. Their parents entered the room, their expressions a mix of relief and concern as they approached their son's bedside.
"Ed, my boy," his father exclaimed as he crossed the room to stand by Ed's bedside, his voice filled with genuine warmth. "How're you feeling?"
Ed beamed up at his parents, a sense of joy flooding through him at the sight of their familiar faces. "I'm doing okay, Dad" he replied, his voice tinged with affection. "Sarah's been taking good care of me."
Their mother smiled, her eyes shining with pride as she gazed at her children. "We're so glad to see you're doing better, sweetheart" she said, her voice soft yet filled with emotion. "We were worried sick about you!"
As Ed's parents hovered around his bedside, fussing over him with parental concern, Sarah stepped back to give them some space. Despite their occasional bickering and disagreements, there was a deep love and bond that united them—a bond that had only grown stronger in the face of adversity.
For a moment, the hospital room was filled with the warmth of family, a sanctuary of love and support in the midst of uncertainty. And as she looked at her family gathered together, Sarah couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope that perhaps, despite everything, there was still a chance for them to come together as a family once more.
Back with Eddy:
As the battle raged on throughout the city, XLR8 led the mechanic crab to a place that he knew would be deserted and free of innocent people that could be at risk, and also a place that he knew over like the palm of his hand, err, claw at this moment: The Construction site.
Once there, he hoped to use the element of familiarity with the place in order to ambush his mechanical enemy, however his plan backfired as the alien crab was able to detect him with his sensors and batted him away with his claw, landing on top of a few wooden boards and breaking them to pieces.
"Oh, man…" XLR8 groaned from over the ground, still dazed and disoriented.
"You're hardly worth the haunt…" the robot crab muttered as he menacingly advanced towards the fallen hero, then lifted one of his mechanical legs to try to puncture him. Luckily, XLR8 was able to roll over in time to avoid it, then used his speed to hit the robot with a barrage of kicks.
As the battle raged on, XLR8 found himself struggling to keep up with his opponent's relentless assault. His fatigue weighed heavily on him, slowing his reflexes and dulling his senses. With a swift motion, the robot crab opened his big claw and unleashed a barrage of energy blasts, overwhelming XLR8 and sending him crashing to the ground.
The crab hunter then loomed over his fallen foe, his metallic claw poised to strike. But before he could deliver the final blow, a sudden burst of energy erupted from the sideline, sending the mechanic alien staggering backwards. XLR8 looked up to see a purple and black figure unknown to him arriving on a jetpack. The armor wearing alien muttered something as he stood in front of him, though XLR8 had absolutely no idea what he just said. Some kind of alien language for sure.
At first, he entertained to possibility that this could be a good guy for a change, perhaps some intergalactic patroller or superhero like those from Ed's comic books, it even certainly resembled a character from one of those Sci-Fi movies his friend loved so much. "Uh, hey there. Thanks for the assist, I guess?" XLR8 greeted as he uncovered his visor, only for the jetpack alien to retort with a swift punch to the face, sending the alien hero flying back into a pile of dirt.
Of course it had to be another bad guy, where would the fun be at otherwise?
SixSix began advancing towards him, but before the bounty hunter could make another move, he was blasted back by an electric blast, sending him flying away. XLR8 looked up to see the source of the blast, none other than good o'l crabby who had recovered from his own attack and was back with a vengeance.
"Back off! That reward's mine!" the crab alien declared as he turned his attention back to the inquired target. XLR8 was about to do something, but suddenly a familiar beeping was heard as the hourglass symbol on his chest began flashing a red light.
"Uh oh, not now!" XLR8 declared with some panic in his voice. "That's my cue to go!" he exclaimed before taking off at super speed, just in time as well to avoid another blast from the robotic crustacean, as the black and blue alien went into hide behind some rubble. Then, a red light flashed as he transformed back to his human self, though thankfully he managed to get far enough for the hunters to notice.
"Ah, just great!" Eddy muttered from behind his hiding place. Of all the times to time out… he knew he couldn't stay hidden for long, but he also needed to buy himself some time to recover and for the watch to recharge.
Back at the hospital:
Outside the hospital room, Double D paced anxiously, his thoughts consumed by worry for his friends, unsure on how to help either of them. While he was glad Ed had seemingly done a successful recovery, though the timetable on how quick that was surprised even him, Eddy had gone out of his way and seemed obsess in his quest to find Kevin, who was some big problem on its own alone.
Despite his advanced smarts, Double D felt quite useless at the moment. His train of thoughts was stopped once he spun around for like the umpteenth time only to find himself face to face with Sarah, who had stepped out of the room to get some fresh air. There was a heaviness in her gaze, a silent acknowledgment of the weight of their shared problem.
"Oh, excuse me, Sarah. I didn't happen to notice you standing there" Double D apologized politely.
"Listen, I know you're worried about Eddy" Sarah began, her voice soft yet determined. "But right now, we need to focus on Ed and making sure he gets the rest he needs to recover."
Double D nodded, his expression reflecting a mixture of gratitude and concern. "You're right, Sarah" he replied, his voice tinged with sincerity. "I just wish there was something I could do to help, I'm feeling of little use as of late" he admitted, his voice tinged with self-deprecation.
Sarah glanced over at Double D, her gaze lingering on his familiar features with a sense of warmth and affection. Despite the tension and uncertainty that surrounded them, there was a comfort in his presence—a silent understanding that transcended words.
"Are you kidding, Double D? You're the best friend I've ever known, other than Jimmy, and you always show how much you care for my brother and that knucklehead Eddy, even if they're nothing but trouble for you" Sarah said, her voice firm yet filled with sincerity.
Double D turned to face her, a faint blush staining his cheeks as he met her gaze. "Th-Thanks S-Sarah, I just like to be of assistance when they need me" he replied.
Sarah smiled, glad her words of encouragement were of some use for her downtrodden companion. "And I know they are glad you do, trust me. Ed cares a lot for you, and I'm sure that fathead does so too, just in his own little way. And well…" she paused briefly, nervously spinning her foot on the floor while looking down, like she was thinking about something else. "…I care for you too" she admitted, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as she said this.
Double D was taken aback, his cheeks flushing crimson at her words. "O-Oh, ah-I-I'm g-glad to hear t-that, ah-I always thought you just kind of… abhorred us" he stammered.
"Well, I do 'abhor' your little scams and shenanigans, but I always thought you were so smart and cool…" Sarah replied, her voice filled with affection. "And a bit of a nerd, but I guess that's part of your charm."
Double D nervously chuckled at her teasing, though part of him seemed to enjoy hearing this words coming from Sarah, especially at a moment of need like this one. "Th-Thank you, S-Sarah. Your kind words really alleviated me" he replied, his voice tinged with gratitude.
"Don't mention it, thanks for being here for Ed… and, uh, thanks for being here for me too" Sarah blushed, unable to help but feel a flutter of warmth in her chest—a feeling that had been growing stronger with each passing day she was closer to Double D. She glanced at him, her heart racing with a mixture of anticipation and uncertainty, wondering if he felt the same way.
And as they sat together in the hospital hall room, bathed in the soft glow of the afternoon sun, Double D couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps, just perhaps, there was something more than friendship blossoming between them. Just as he thought of how incredibly radiant Sarah looked when covered by the afternoon sunlight, his eyes caught glimpse something not so enlightening.
On a TV located in one of the walls for the waiting people to watch, a news flash reported of a recent alien fight breaking through the city, and of course one of the figures in there happened to be a familiar one, a blue-and-black raptor-like creature running at high speeds and barely even caught by the cameras, whom Double D was more than familiar with.
"Oh my! Sarah, look!" he pointed across to the TV, unwittingly breaking up the moment between them to take care at the pressing matter ahead.
"What?" Sarah asked, a little annoyed at his sudden change of demeanor, only to look at the television and realize what was going on. "Oh, great. That fathead got himself into trouble again, didn't he?"
"Well, while that would be a usual thing for Eddy to do, I got the feeling that he may not be the instigator for once. I have to contact him" Double D hurriedly exclaimed as he took out his cellphone, recently bought after his latest one suffered an unfortunate 'accident' in one of their past heroic escapades, and called over to his friend.
Meanwhile with Eddy:
Eddy looked over from the stack of wooden boards he was currently hiding behind, thankful that there weren't any sights of the crab guy or the spaceman wannabe yet. Suddenly, a sound started coming from his pocket, startling him. He then realized it was only his new cellphone, which his parents had bought him after weeks of pleading and vain promises to up his grades.
"Now's not a good time, Sockhead" Eddy spoke upon picking up the phone, having seen whose number was calling.
"Eddy, what happen? I just saw XLR8 fighting a large crustacean creature on the news!" Double D's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"You know, the usual, some jumbo-sized crab guy appeared out of the ground and attacked me. It said it wanted something called the 'Omni-I-don't-know-what-else and now it looks like it has a friend, only that it's not really its friend because he attacked it, but he also attacked me so he's not my friend either" Eddy explained in a hurried tone.
"Think, Eddy, why would some aliens take all the trouble to tack you down?" Double D asked in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Uh… because of my good looks?" Eddy replied obliviously.
"No, Eddy! The watch! He's talking about the watch!" Double D exclaimed with a bit of exasperation in his voice.
"Oh, right…" Eddy muttered in realization. "Well, how do I beat them? I just timed out and couldn't do anything with XLR8."
"Remember what I always tell you, Eddy. Don't just try to muscle it, think before acting and use some strategy. Might isn't always right!" Double D advised.
"So no going Four Arms on them? That's just-" Eddy was about to complain, but he got cut off when a mechanic claw came crashing through the wooden boards. It seems the crab hunter heard his loud voice from behind them and finally found his prey.
"Eddy? What was that?" Double D asked worriedly from the other end, but all he could heard was some unseen commotion going on.
"Oh, I'll call you back, Sockhead. I got a crab to deal with!" Eddy exclaimed as he pocketed back his phone, not wanting to risk it getting destroyed like his friend's that one time.
"The Omnitrix! Give it to me!" the crab alien demanded with another pinch of his claw, extending his regular hand for emphasis.
"Sorry crabby, but the watch and I are kind of 'attached', if you know what I mean" Eddy replied as he backed away, looking for a possible escape route.
"Not for long…" the crab guy responded in a menacing tone as he started advancing towards him with clearly evil intentions on his mind.
Eddy frantically looked around, grabbing a nearby piece of wood from the destroyed boards and throwing it at the crab in an attempt to slow him down, only for him to easily catch it with his large claw and crush it instantly. Undeterred, Eddy started throwing more junk he found spilled on the floor at the alien, including some rocks and a rubber tire, however none of it had any effect as he merely batted them away with his claw.
Deciding this was of no use, Eddy quickly turned around and started running away, all while desperately tapping his watch in an attempt to transform. "Come on, you stupid thing! Do something! Anything!" he pleaded.
The crab hunter on his part, decided to just shoot his energy blasts at him with his claw, though thankfully Eddy was more than skilled in running away, so he managed to avoid each shot just barely and got behind a pile of dirt for cover. As he regained composure, Eddy's eyes suddenly spotted a magnet crane nearby in the distance and recalled Double D's words about thinking instead of muscling it and that 'Might isn't Right' or something like that, as an idea came to mind.
Just at that moment, another blast hit the pile of dirt, blowing it into the air and leaving Eddy without any cover. He started running in the direction towards the mechanic crane, with the robot crab in hot pursuit. After dodging a couple more blasts on the way there, Eddy quickly entered into the crane and looked at its controls, hoping this would work out as he yelled, "Hey, crab face! You want the watch? Come get it!"
"Huh. What a pathetic excuse for prey!" the mechanic crab mocked as it advanced towards where Eddy, and the magnet crane by default, were standing.
"Come on, just a little more…" Eddy silently prayed and, once his foe was just in the position he wanted, he activated the magnet crane, causing for the huge metal crab to be lifted up in the air and leaving him hanging in there. "Ha! Who's pathetic now, you oversized lobster?" the boy taunted from inside the crane, only to suddenly feel a tumble on the rooftop and then for a circular blade saw to start cutting open the ceiling.
"What the-?" Eddy exclaimed, as the familiar face, if you can call it a face, of the purple alien from before appeared above him. SixSix teared up an opening in the crane's roof and started reaching to grab Eddy, only for the screaming boy to avoid him and get out through the open side window, going back to running away for his life.
"That orange cat was right, Mondays are the worst!" he shouted while fleeing, the jetpack wearing alien flying off and landing right in front of him, cutting his escape short. "Ah! Err, can we talk about this?" Eddy asked as he started backing away, only for a familiar beeping sound to interrupt. He looked over to his watch and found out it was back to its regular green color, meaning it had fully recharge and could be used to transform once again.
"Ha! You're going to regret messing with me, you walking soda machine!" Eddy taunted as he popped up the watch's core and selected his alien of choice, then pressed it down and a green light enveloped him as he began the transformation process. Once it faded away, instead of the tiny boy standing in there, the bulky Diamondhead stood instead.
"I'm gonna put some dents into you!" the now deep voiced alien exclaimed as he turned his arms into blades and lunged forwards at the bounty hunter, who promptly caught them and engaged in a tussle with the alien hero, then ignited his jetpack and the two took off flying into the air while struggling with each other.
Back at the hospital:
"Eddy? Eddy, are you there?" Double D called out, his voice echoing through the hall room, but there was no response, only silence on the other end of the line.
Sarah glanced up from where she had been sitting, her eyes widening with concern as she caught sight of the boy's troubled expression. "What's wrong, Double D?" she asked, her voice filled with worry.
Double D hesitated for a moment, his mind racing with fear and uncertainty. "It's Eddy…" he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "I think… I think he's in trouble."
Sarah's eyes widened with alarm, a surge of determination coursing through her veins. "Then we have to go help him!" she declared, her voice filled with resolve.
Double D was surprised at hearing her say this but hesitated, torn between his concern for his friend and his desire to keep Sarah safe. "It's too dangerous, Sarah" he argued, his voice tinged with worry.
But Sarah shook her head, her determination unwavering. "That's exactly why I'm coming with you!" she insisted, her voice filled with a conviction that left little to no argument.
Back with Eddy:
As the two opponents continued their struggle in midair, the two flew all over the Cul-da-Sac, before landing in another familiar location for Eddy in The Junkyard, crashing right onto a pile of junk.
Upon recovering, Diamondhead was ready to swing back at the alien hunter, but a sudden tremor interrupted him. Its source soon emerged from the ground right next to him, in the form of the mechanic crab man, who had freed himself by blasting off the crane controls after the two got entangled in their aerial battle and followed after them.
"Remember me?" he said, spinning his four legs in midair before slamming right onto a surprised Diamondhead, then picking him up with his big claw and tossing him right onto another junk pile.
SixSix soon got up and approached him, telling something in his own language.
"You stay out of this! I saw him first" the crab guy retorted, only to get another unintelligible response, at least to us because he seemed to understand it quite well. "How rude! You don't have to get personal!" he lashed back.
Before another battle between the two rival bounty hunters could break out however, Diamondhead emerged from the pile of junk he was thrown at and leaped at the alien duo, only to be easily dodged and punched by the two hunters. He was unable to defend against both of their attacks, their combined battle experience clearly overwhelming him.
Diamondhead however wasn't about to quit, turning one of his hands into a blade and throwing some swings and punches at the two, but before he could hit SixSix his blade was caught by the crab robot, then he got blasted with a laser beam from the tech-armored hunter, punched by the former and then by the latter, and finally thrown back into the junk.
As the two hunters seemed to come to a momentary truce to battle their common foe, a metallic ball resembling a grenade fell to the ground at their feet and released an electric pulse, shocking them both and momentarily knocking them out. A few feet away from them was the third hunter, floating on his hoverboard while holding some kind of bazooka which he used to fire the grenade. As he put his weapon down, the hoverboard alien picked up the unconscious Diamondhead from above the junk by one of the spikes on his back and carried him away from the other hunters.
Once they were a good couple of feet away, he tossed Diamondhead right into another junk pile, causing for the green alien to rudely awake upon impact. "Hey! What's that all about?!" the alien hero exclaimed, clearly annoyed at the abrupt landing.
Seeing his target was now awake like intended, the hoverboard hunter proceeded to speak. "Billions of beings on this planet, and the Omnitrix winds up on the wrist of a foolhardy youth!" he declared in an irritated tone that indicated his disappointment with the supposed hero in front of him.
Diamondhead shifted his eyes back to this unknown figure who, based on his previous experience with the arrival of the second bounty hunter, could only mean more trouble for him and narrowed them as he said, "Yeah, well, like I told your buddies, this thing doesn't come off. Trust me, I've tried."
"Of course it doesn't! Its power utilizes alien DNA, which binds to the host's own genetic structure! It cannot simply be removed like-" to Diamondhead's surprise, this seemingly new bad guy just started to monologue and explain something he didn't understand a word of like he was Double D under that armor.
Seizing his chance and deciding to punch first this time, he tried to sneak behind him while the hunter turned his back to speak, readying a blade and jumping at him, only for the grey armored alien to spin around, expertly dodging his attack and countering with a solid punch to his face. "-taking off a hat!" the alien finished saying as Diamondhead landed with a thud onto another pile of junk for what felt like the umpteenth time that day. "Your choice of warriors is based solely on brute strength, without regard for any strategy. Do you ever pause to consider your actions at all?" he questioned.
"Hey! I kick more than my share fare of alien butt!" Diamondhead protested as he got back on his feet.
"Such as your recent success against SixSix and Kraab?" the hoverboard hunter pointed out.
"It was two against one!" Diamondhead defended then, tired of being disrespected by this know-it-all alien, turned his hands back into blades and launched himself in another reckless attack attempt.
Of course, this was met by the same results as before, with the hoverboard alien easily blocking, deflecting and dodging all his attacks while continuing to berate and talk him down. It was clear to see how huge the gap in battling experience and skill between them actually was.
"You were moments away from losing your life…" he said while avoiding a blade swing. "…and the Omnitrix!" He shoved Diamondhead back with an open palm to his face, before continuing to speak, "Victory should've been swift-" he once again blocked another blade with his folded-up hoverboard, then counterattacked by spinning him around and shoving him back into the junk pile once more, "and effortless."
The alien began approaching the fallen Diamondhead, as he continued to state, "The Omnitrix is not some toy for your amusement. It's the most powerful weapon in the galaxy. The key to an epic battle between good and evil."
"Ugh! You sound too much like Sockhead!" Diamondhead exclaimed as he turned his blades back into hands, already tired of vainly attempting to strike this guy and getting shoved back into the junk. "Then which's side are you on anyways, Mr. Smarty Pants?" he questioned.
"You're still alive, aren't you?" the hoverboard hunter pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone, looking like he was narrowing his eyes at him despite not showing his face.
"So you're a good guy?" Diamondhead asked in confusion, uncertain about whether he should trust the guy who was beating him up and throwing him into the trash just a moment ago.
"My mission is to retrieve the Omnitrix at all costs. Since it is attached to you, I will bring you back for its removal" the armored alien revealed.
Diamondhead was taken aback by this, but remained adamant and certainly unwilling to leave his friends on Earth, especially at a moment like this and with Kevin still out there. "Oh, no. I got lots of stuff to do here, I'm not going anywhere!" he firmly declared.
"It's not your choice" the alien merely replied.
"It is now, no face!" Diamondhead exclaimed before taking advantage of this guy being so close and with his guard lowered to tackle him to the ground, causing for him to drop his folded hoverboard and for it to roll over and get lost amongst the junk.
Clearly not happy with this, the armored alien grabbed Diamondhead's face as the two struggled on the ground, easily throwing him off. "It's disturbing how little you know of this alien's strengths and weaknesses. You barely scratched the surface of its potential!" he declared as he got back up.
"Yeah? What makes you such an expert anyways?" Diamondhead inquired as he slowly got back up, visibly tired from all the fighting but ready to continue battling if necessary.
To his surprise however, the hoverboard hunter didn't continue their brawl, opting instead to answer his previous question by lowering his metallic-looking helmet and revealing a face practically identical to Diamondhead's, although his crystals have a more blueish hue and he has green eyes.
"Y-You're… me!" Diamondhead gasped in shock at seeing another member of his current species.
"Wrong. I am a noble warrior, while you are an impulsive annoyance!" the Diamondhead lookalike spoke up and, as if to prove his point on how different they actually were, the hourglass symbol on Diamondhead's chest began beeping at that moment, the Omnitrix having timed out and enveloping him in an all too familiar bright red light, fading back to reveal Eddy back in human form.
"We wasted enough time here" the alien said as he suddenly picked the human boy up, taking advantage of his vastly superior strength now that he was back to his regular self. "Come on, time to go."
"Hey! Let me down!" Eddy protested, kicking and wailing, just like when Ed use to pick him up in similar fashion. But just like those many times, his struggles were in vain as he couldn't break free from the way stronger hold of his captor. The Diamondhead twin looked for his missing hoverboard, trying to spot it amongst all the other metallic junk that was around and mentally fuming at this human kid for making him drop it, he really liked that thing.
However, his search was stopped once a metallic clang began to be heard around, then the crab hunter, revealed to be fittingly named Kraab, walked out from behind a junk pile with the folded hoverboard in hand. "Looking for this? You're not getting out of this planet with the Omnitrix, but just to be sure…" he spun his head around, signaling for someone to come.
Suddenly, SixSix emerged from behind him, also holding something, or rather someones, in his hands, much to Eddy's shock and horror. "Double D! Sarah!" the boy exclaimed with concern as he saw the familiar figures of his friend and his other friend's sister being held captive by the bounty hunter.
"Hands off, freak!" Sarah protested as she struggled in vain to break free.
"Please, let her go!" Double D insisted, hoping to reach some sensible vibe from this spaceman that would allow to at least let the poor little girl go, no results there.
"Friends of yours, right? See, we found them while looking for you and decided to work together! And split the reward - and you, in half!" Kraab declared with a pinch of his claw for emphasis.
Eddy couldn't just believe his luck. First he got ambushed by not one, not two, but three aliens on the same day. That was just too much even for him, but now not only were his friends in danger once again, it was all because of him. Again. And he thought dealing with Kevin was bad enough…
The two groups stood off in the setting sun. Diamond-twin still had hold of Eddy and wasn't planning on letting go of him anytime soon, but the same could be said about SixSix and Eddy's friends, holding out weapons to their faces with his extra limbs, much to the aforementioned boy's horror. "Hey, let them go, space can! It's me who you want!" he tried to negotiate, but wasn't really in terms of doing so here.
SixSix replied in his alien language, which no one seemed to understand, while Kraab and the Diamondhead clone were not really about to tell them what he just said. Let's just say it wasn't nice.
The alien crustacean was the one to make the first move when suddenly he shot some beams at the alien and the boy, the former blocking them with his resilient back and protecting the latter from it. They took shield behind some junk, all while Kraab continued to fire at them, before SixSix told him something in his language that made him stop, presumably something about not hurting their objective more than necessary and putting the Omnitrix in danger, only that he said it a bit more rudely than that.
"Don't blow a gasket, 'metal-mouth', I know what I'm doing!" Kraab replied while continuing his attack.
Meanwhile, the Diamond-clone dropped Eddy to the ground behind the junk pile they were currently hiding behind, with the boy clearly wanting to go back out and save his friends. "What are you waiting for, Diamondhead? We gotta save Double D and Ed's bratty sister!" he exclaimed.
"First of, my name's Tetrax, not that ridiculous thing you just said" the Diamondhead twin, revealed to be named Tetrax, kindly pointed out by picking the boy back up from the collar of his shirt. "Second, don't be foolish. Keeping the Omnitrix secure is the only priority here!"
"Not for me! Those are my friends!" Eddy shot back, struggling to break free once more.
"You cannot save them. You would soon be overpowered and captured. The obvious choice is for me to retrieve my hoverboard, so that we may leave the planet. Stay here!" Tetrax stated before dropping Eddy back to the ground, then jumped out of his cover behind the junk pile to engage the two bounty hunters in battle.
He leapt through the smoke of Kraab's fire and fired crystals of his own, not unlike Diamondhead's. They pierced right through SixSix's armor, staggering him to the ground, causing for the hunter to drop both Double D and Sarah.
As Kraab saw this and turned around, Tetrax was already running up to him. He leapt over an attack and snatched the hoverboard out of Kraab's hands. He opened it and flew away, dodging blasts from the now-recovered SixSix.
Tetrax circled back and leapt off the board, landing on SixSix and causing a massive cloud of smoke to push back Kraab, all while giving the human kids some time to flee for cover.
"Come on, let's get out of here!" Double D exclaimed as he quickly took Sarah's hand and they ran behind some junk pile to shield themselves from the ensuing battle between all three bounty hunters.
Meanwhile, Tetrax picked SixSix out of a small crater that his landing had made and punched him back repeatedly. SixSix shot a rocket from his wrist, but the Diamondhead lookalike used those same abilities to form a diamond construct in front of him and shield it.
Kraab appeared and swung at him, but Tetrax grabbed him and threw him over his head, landing with a thud close to where Eddy was watching the battle going on in front of him. The boy saw this and looked down at his wrist, just in time to see his alien watch had recovered its green color and beeped, meaning it was ready for use once again. And just in time, as the crustacean alien looked up and found his prey close by, getting up and ready to go after him while Tetrax was busy continuing his fight with SixSix.
"Alright, hero time!" Eddy exclaimed as he fled behind some other junk pile in order to get some distance between himself and the bounty hunter. He turned the Omnitrix on and the dial first showed him the familiar silhouette of Four Arms, his favorite alien to use. Just perfect!
However, before he could press the core down to transform, Eddy suddenly recalled Double D's words of advice from before, followed by Tetrax's rude but own, 'Your choice of warriors is based SOLELY on brute strength, without regard for any strategy. Do you ever pause to consider your actions at all?'
Then he had flashes of both being beaten down by the bounty hunters, as well as outsmarting Kraab with the magnet crane when he thought about it. Maybe thinking out a strategy wasn't such a bad idea after all…
As he pondered about this, Eddy began turning the dial past Four Arms' silhouette and through his many aliens, trying to think which one would be better suited for a situation like this. He went past Ghostfreak, Upgrade, XLR8, before finding…
Kraab was looking around the amounts of blasted junk there was in this dirty rock of a planet, much dirtier than his crystal clean ocean of a home-world, trying to find that pesky child with the Omnitrix. Thankfully, that gear-head of SixiSix was finally of some good use in keeping the Petrosapien busy.
Suddenly, a bright flash of green light came up from behind some of the endlessly junk that was around (Seriously, he hated how disgustingly filthy these humans were) with a loud sound, catching the bounty hunter's attention. So that's where the kid was hiding?
Without second though, Kraab launched his big claw into the junk and obliterated it, leaving no traces behind. That was not good, did he accidentally vaporize the Omnitrix? No, that could not be. The kid had to be hiding somewhere else…
As he spun his head to look around, he suddenly felt a small thing leap right on top of it, causing him to shuffle around. "UGH! GET OFF ME, YOU TINY LITTLE…!" Kraab cursed, clawing at his head but unable to reach the spot where, indeed, the tiny alien known to his wielder as Grey Matter stood perched up on top.
Grey Matter then slipped down into Kraab's neck and rooted around in the electronics underneath. "There should be a nerve cluster in here somewhere…" the brainy alien muttered as he looked inside, then finally found some wires and ripped them out.
As the tiny alien did this, Kraab stumbled backwards while yelling in pain, trying desperately to catch the small nuance in his back to no avail. Eventually, Grey Matter was able to rip a wire that caused Kraab's entire head to spin around frantically, before coming to a stop… and falling to the ground, completely out of commission as the mechanic alien went haywire and shut down.
Content with finally having taken down one of his foes, Grey Matter leaped off the fallen bounty hunter's body as it cheerfully exclaimed, "One down!"
Meanwhile, Tetrax continued his fight with SixSix, throwing a couple of punches at the armored alien and dodging a few, before the purple hunter suddenly snuck behind him and wrapped his arms around, igniting his jetpack to take him up to the skies, then throwing him down. Tetrax landed hard with a thud, leaving another small crater where he fell, to the shock of the two humans watching and a gasp from the alien-turned one, which caught the bounty hunter's attention.
SixSix spotted Grey Matter and aimed his wrist-rockets at him, but before he could fire his shot was deflected as a tin can slammed onto his head, causing for him to miss. A furious SixSix cursed out in his unintelligible language as he turned around to see just who dared throw such trash at him, spotting the small human girl looking nervously and trying to run away.
He was about to aim a blast at her, but the human boy leaped off onto him upon noticing his intent. Fortunately, the boy was even weaker, as the bounty hunter threw him off to the ground and menacingly started spinning his circular saw close to his face as he said some threat in his native language that humans didn't understand.
"Double D!" Sarah cried in concern, not ready to see her beloved get hurt just like her brother in order to protect her.
"NO!" Grey Matter shouted as he leaped off onto SixSix's back, grabbing onto the pikes on his jetpack. "You better stay away from my friends, metal head!"
From over the crater, Tetrax noticed the tiny alien fumbling with SixSix's jetpack. "I told you to stay out of my way!" he demanded.
"You're no boss of mine" Grey Matter responded as he manipulated the jetpack, causing it to ignite and take both him and his wielder up in the air. "Wonder what'll happen if I do this?" the small alien mused as he ripped a couple of wires in SixSix's jetpack, causing for him to fly in several directions before turning off and slamming into a giant pile of junk, which soon began toppling down right towards the paralyzed Kraab.
"I hate this planet…" the crustacean alien muttered before being completely buried by the falling junk right on top alongside SixSix.
Moments later, Grey Matter emerged from the huge pile, completely unscratched. "Now that's what I call takin' out the trash!" he exclaimed triumphantly.
Tetrax walked up to him and surprisingly nodded, seemingly impressed with his quick thinking. "Pretty smart… for a human" he complimented, or at least sort of did.
Grey Matter nodded appreciatively, then paused for a second to process what the large alien just told him. "Hey!" he exclaimed upon realize.
Later on:
After tying up and restricting the two knocked out bounty hunters, Tetrax pulled out a device from his belt that contained what seemed to be a cube, then fired said cube at the two bounded hunters as it grew to engulf them before shrinking back to its original size, and them along with it. Tetrax then placed the cube in his pocket.
Meanwhile, Grey Matter timed out as the red light engulfed him and turned back to Eddy, who quickly went to tend on his friend. "Double D! Double D! Are you okay?" he asked in concern as he helped the beanie wearing boy to get back on his feet.
"Fortunately yes, Eddy. It seems I only hit my-" Double D began to reply before being abruptly caught in a bear hug, just not from Ed this time around but surprisingly Sarah of all people.
"Double D! You had me so worried! I don't know what I've would done if that freak hurt you!" she exclaimed, tightly constricting the poor boy with a bone crushing hold, not unlike her brother's.
"S-Sarah, p-please… I can't breathe!" the boy cried out desperately.
"Sorry" Sarah quickly apologized with a blush, letting go of him as he dropped to the ground a little out of air. "But you were so brave jumping onto that robot thing just to save me" she complimented.
Double D immediately blushed at this as well. "Oh, re-really? I was just acting to protect you, like Ed would've done…"
Eddy saw the perfect opportunity to tease and soon chimed in, "Yeah, pretty brave for you, Sockhead. Just, you know, next time leave the muscle parts to Four Arms" he chuckled while flashing his now redden Omnitrix.
"Speaking of which, I'm surprised you didn't go for the brute strength option this time around, Eddy. What give?" Double D inquired with genuine curiosity.
"What can I say? All those talks of yours about thinking up are really rubbing off on me I guess" Eddy shrugged.
Double D was about to respond when they saw Tetrax approaching.
"Is that Diamondhead?" Sarah asked with surprise.
"Why does everyone around here keep on calling me that?" Tetrax asked in serious manner.
"Err, I tell you another time, buddy" Eddy nervously replied, still not used to seeing another species member of one of his transformations. "So, about that whole going to space thing…" he carefully began to approach, not sure on how to refuse without breaking into another fight. God knows he didn't want to be thrown into the junk another time on this already long day.
However, much to his surprise, Tetrax's response was a different one this time. "I'll return as soon as I am able."
Eddy raised his eyebrows in shock at this. "Wait, you mean I don't have to go now? What gives?"
"I see now that the Omnitrix is in good hands. Until then, this may be of some use in the meantime" Tetrax said as he handed his now folded-up hoverboard to an astounded Eddy.
"Oho, man! Are you serious?!" Eddy exclaimed excitedly, before a sudden pause. "Wait, I thought you said you needed this to get off the planet?" he asked.
"Selective disinformation" Tetrax merely stated, causing for a confused Eddy to look at his smartest friend for clarification.
"That means he lied" Double D explained to him.
"Hey!" Eddy questioned upon notice.
However, by this point Tetrax had already slide his helmet back on and taken a few steps, taking out another small device and pressing it before a red light engulfed him, the brightness of which momentarily blinded the human kids. Once it faded away and they opened back their eyes, there were no traces left of the grey armored alien anywhere, having seemingly teleported away.
The kids remained silent for a moment, before attention went back to Eddy and the folded hoverboard in his hands.
"How come you get all the cool alien stuff?" Sarah questioned, mostly just to break up the silence.
"What can I say? It just fits my style" Eddy quipped.
Later on, at the hospital:
After getting back to see Ed, the group asked for some alone time with him to tell their friend about the events of that day.
"Wow! I can't believe it! I wish I could've been there with you guys fighting those space hunters! I would've loved to meet Diamondhead's brother!" Ed exclaimed excitedly after they finished getting him up to date on everything that transpired.
"It wasn't really Diamondhead's brother, Lumpy. He just looked like him" Eddy pointed out with a friendly smile.
"Still, it was quite surprising to meet an actual member from one of the species we've seen you transformed into so many times, Eddy" Double D added.
"Yeah, and once I get out can I please have a ride on that flying skateboard he gave you, Eddy? Please!" Ed begged his friend like when asking for permission from his parents.
"Hang on, mister. We don't want you getting hurt again and being brought back here now, do we?" Sarah questioned in motherly fashion.
"But Sarah…" Ed protested in childlike manner.
"Besides, if anyone's gonna ride that thing first, it's gonna be me!" Eddy pointed at himself with his thumb.
"Yeah, once you learn how to ride it. Also don't you have to be taller for that?" Sarah teased.
"You're just jealous I won't let you get a ride, brat!" Eddy argued back.
"Calm down, you two. I think we had enough emotion for a day" Double D interfered, trying to quell any possible fighting before it happened. Though he had to admit it, he was quite glad things were getting back to normal. Well, normal for them anyways, which had gone pretty abnormal since summer started.
Just then, Ed's parents returned to visit their son once more. "Hey there, champ!" his father greeted as he reached out to ruffle his son's hair.
"Hey Dad, Mom! You won't believe this, Eddy has a new alien skateboard!" Ed exclaimed at the sight of his parents, much their friend's and sister's concern.
"Ed!" Sarah yelled at him, not able to believe her brother's dimwittedness despite being so used to it.
Luckily for them, Ed's parents were also used to their son's 'disconnection' with reality and usual mentions of Sci-Fi elements he mistook for real from his movies, so they didn't make much of it. "Of course, Edwin" his mother replied with a sympathetic nod. "We're just glad to see you're on the mend with your friends and sister here."
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Lancer, it's always a pleasure to see you" Double D politely greeted them.
"Yeah, good to see you" Eddy added as well.
"Hello, Eddward and Eddy. Thanks for being with our Ed while he recovers" Ed's father told them appreciatively.
"Oh, no problems" Eddy smiled.
"Yes, it is the least we could do for our good friend, Ed" Double D nodded.
"Can either of you tells us how Edwin got injured again by the way?" Ed's mother inquired, her tone curious but also a requesting one.
Eddy and Double D looked at each other, unsure of what to tell.
"Oh, err, you see…" Eddy nervously began.
"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Lancer…" Double D also muttered with uncertainty.
"It was one of those scams they usually do, Mom" Sarah quickly answered, covering up their heroic activities but also earning a questioning glare from Ed's parents.
"Scams you say?" Ed's father asked with a furrowed brow.
"Err, well…" Eddy mumbled, casting a side glance to Sarah as if to scowl at her.
Ed's mother crossed her arms. "Don't tell me you boys have gone back to those misbehaving ways? Sarah here told me you had been acting quite well as of late."
"N-No Mrs. Lancer, of c-course not…" Double D began to sweat nervously. It was some quick wit from Sarah to use their well-known scamming past as a cover, but it also arose some new problems for them to deal with in the form of parental disapproval.
Luckily for the Eds, a sudden knock at the door interrupted the awkwardly interrogatory moment. Ed's parents exchanged curious glances before his father rose from his chair to answer the door.
Standing in the doorway was a doctor, a serious expression as he held a folder of papers in his hands. "Mr. and Mrs. Lancer" the doctor began, his voice grave, "I'm afraid I need to speak with you about something concerning your son."
Ed's parents exchanged a worried glance, their hearts sinking as they followed the doctor out of the room and into the hallway, leaving the Eds and Sarah to breathe in relief.
"Seriously, brat?! A scam?! Why did you think of that?!" Eddy questioned in annoyance.
"Well pardon me, fathead, but if you didn't spend all this time doing your dumb plans maybe I wouldn't have had to use them as an excuse" Sarah defended.
Eddy gritted his teeth at her in response, "Grrr… why you-"
"Eddy, please, Sarah was just doing us a favor here. Need I remind you how our parents would react if they knew about the kind of dangers we face on a regular basis?" Double D chimed in, preventing an argument from beginning again.
"Whatever" Eddy crossed his arms, hating to admit it but his friend was right once again, his folks would gladly accept his scams over him fighting aliens any day of the week. He then paused to look at the door for a moment before asking, "What did that doctor want to speak with your parents for anyways, Lumpy?"
"I don't know, Eddy" Ed shrugged in response.
Meanwhile in outer space:
Back on his ship, Vilgax, still inside that recovering tube, and a droid lieutenant watch a feed of Earth. It showed a spec of light exiting the planet and shooting off into space.
"Betrayed…" the still recovering warlord muttered as he watched the footage.
"Sensors indicate the Omnitrix is not with the mercenaries" the droid informed, confirming his master's suspicions.
"It would appear the creature who possesses the Omnitrix is as clever as it is fierce. But I shall not be denied. Soon, I will take possession of the Omnitrix myself!" Vilgax laboriously growled from inside the tube, his red eyes flashing a bright warning that he would soon go to Earth after finishing healing in order to retrieve what's rightfully his.
Aaaand that's all for today folks! I really hope you liked this return chapter and once again sorry for the loooong hiatus, this fic isn't dead yet! There's not much trivia or references I could collect for this chapter, but I'll left what little I gathered.
Trivia:
1) The title and plot of this chapter are based on the original Ben 10 episode, "Hunted".
2) The plot of Ed in the hospital is also based on the original Ben 10 episode, "The Alliance", where Grandpa Max is the one to be hospitalized. I did this because I want to expand on Ed's and Sarah's characters a bit more in future chapters.
3) Eddy's nightmare sequence is based on The Spectacular Spider-Man's episode, "Blueprints", where Peter has a similar dream about Venom.
4) Eddy's inner description of SixSix looking like one of Ed's SciFi movie characters is a reference to how he looks like Boba/Jango Fett from the Star Wars series.