Disclaimer: I do not own Ben 10 or Bleach
Hello, everyone. I know it has definitely been awhile and I apologize for the wait. I'll explain more at the bottom of the page because I'm pretty sure you guys are eager to get to the actual chapter.
But first I would like to thank Pyromania101 for his editing and advice for this chapter.
And now, on with the show:
Settling In
"Stick with us or you'll get lost," Lilynette said as they walked along down the hallways of Las Noches.
"No kidding," Ben grumbled as he looked around the seemingly endless hallway. "Do you guys have a directory or something for this place?"
"Nah," Lilynette said playfully. "We just know our way around."
"Lucky you," Ben muttered. "How far is your room anyway?"
Lilynette grinned at him. "Room? Each of the Espada get their own palace!"
Ben blinked. "Palace? Really?" He looked up at the ceiling. "Well, this place is pretty big. Kinda cool that you can each have your own palace."
Starrk shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah."
Lilynette glared at Starrk before sighing. "Good grief." She looked back over at Ben. "Don't mind, Starrk. He's a lazy bum but he definitely deserves to be the Prime Espada."
Ben just smiled and shrugged at her.
"So," Lilynette eyed the Ultimatrix. "How many aliens do you have in that thing?"
Ben grinned at her. "Plenty," he replied slyly. Lilynette scowled at him, though her young face made it look more like a pout.
"Come on!" she coaxed. "How many can you turn into?"
"Give it a rest, Lilynette," Starrk half-heartedly snapped at her.
"Oh come on, Starrk!" Lilynette whined. "I'm betting you're curious too."
"A little," Starrk admitted. "But it looks like he's not gonna tell us and it's too much work to try and get it out of him."
"You lazy ass!" Lilynette kicked Starrk in the back of his leg, causing him to stumble forward and fall over. Lilynette followed this up by jumping onto his back and continued doing so like he was a trampoline while Starrk protested.
Ben couldn't help raising a brow at the sight: the most powerful Arrancar and he was letting himself get kicked around by a little kid. Despite this, Ben had enough experience to know appearances can be deceiving. Still, he wondered just what Starrk was capable of to earn his rank.
After a few more jumps, Lilynette leaped off Starrk's back (said Arrancar let out a sigh of relief at this) and landed in front of Ben. The hero felt a bit uncomfortable with the scrutinizing gaze the little girl was giving him.
"What?" he asked with an awkward grin. "Do I have something on my face?"
"I'm trying to figure you out," Lilynette said, narrowing her eye at him.
"What do you mean?" Ben inquired.
"Humans usually can't see us because of their low spiritual energy," Lilynette said.
Ben tilted his head. "Spiritual energy?"
"Yeah, Shinigami, humans, Hollows, Arrancar, we've all got it," Lilynette said. "But like I said, spirit energy from humans is really low and they're not usually spiritual aware. So I'm wondering why you can see us."
Ben wanted to retort but he was too curious by Lilynette's words. So Shinigami, Hollows, and Arrancar were completely invisible to average humans? Then how was he able to see them exactly?
"Maybe it's because he's from another universe," Starrk said drowsily as he stayed on to the floor, his eyes closed.
Lilynette glared at him. "How does that make any sense?!"
Starrk gave a half-hearted shrug. "Maybe there's something about the nature of his universe that lets him see us while he's in ours."
Lilynette made a face. "That sounds completely ridiculous, Starrk." She said dryly.
"Hey, I'm not a scientist," A nonchalant Starrk said, turning over so that his back was to her. "If you want better answers, go talk to Szayelaporro."
Lilynette cringed. Apparently she wasn't any fonder of the Eighth Espada than Ben was.
Still, Starrk could be onto something. After all, spirit energy sounded like it was this universe's equivalent to mana. But…was that really all there was to it?
Ben decided he would stop worrying for now and tackle it at a later time.
"Alright!" Lilynette suddenly cried, startling Ben and making Starrk flinch. "Up and at 'em, Starrk! We're not even at our chambers yet and you're already lying down!"
"You're the reason I'm on the floor in the first place," Starrk mumbled. Nonetheless he pushed himself back on his feet and brushed himself off.
Ben chuckled awkwardly at the strange comedy playing before him. He just knew spending time with these two was gonna be interesting.
…
"And this is our room!" Lilynette declared.
Ben found himself in a wide, circular room. Although, the hero felt it was kind of underwhelming for the Number 1 Espada. All that was really here was a bunch of pillows thrown together in a big pile. Starrk made his way over to the pile and laid down.
"Make yourself at home," Starrk said nonchalantly. "Now if it's alright with you two, I'm gonna go back to sleep."
Lilynette rolled her visible eye. "He was having a nap before you came along and Lord Aizen called the Espada together." She explained to Ben.
Ben scratched the back of his head as he stood there awkwardly. "Uh…sorry?"
"Don't worry about it," Starrk weakly waved his hand before dropping it on the pillows. "Now…goodnight." Starrk closed his eyes. Ben stared at him for a moment when the Arrancar started lightly snoring.
"Huh," was all Ben could say.
"Yeah, that's usually what he does when there isn't something happening," Lilynette grinned at Ben. "I told ya he was a lazy bum."
"So...do you guys just lay around here?" Ben couldn't help but ask.
Lilynette grinned sheepishly. "Sorta."
"Sounds pretty boring," Ben commented.
Lilynette shrugged. "It is pretty boring but hey, it's bearable." Then her grin got bigger, almost Cheshire-like. "But things are gonna be more exciting now that you're here."
Ben chuckled weakly, thinking back to Szayelaporro, Nnoitra, and Grimmjow. "I guess so."
Lilynette smirked. "Yeah, I saw how eager Nnoitra and Grimmjow looked when they were talking to you. Those guys think they're better than everyone else so they like trying to pick fights to prove it."
Ben slumped. "And they're gonna try to pick fights with me, aren't they?"
Lilynette laughed. "Probably."
Ben pinched the bridge of his nose. Terrific.
"It also looks like you're already on the hit-list of Harribel's Fraccion." Lilynette laughed.
Ben raised a brow. "Fraccion?"
"Oh yeah, you don't know about that," Lilynette sat down on the floor cross-legged. Ben joined her. "See, Fraccion are weaker Arrancar the Espada take as underlings. Those three with Harribel are Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun. They're really loyal and really protective of her."
"I noticed," Ben muttered, thinking of the death glares they had been sending his way.
"But they argue almost all the time," Lilynette threw her head back and her arms out for emphasis. "Usually Apacci says something stupid, Mila Rose chews her out for it, they start yelling at each other, Sung-Sun mocks them both, and then they both yell at her."
Ben blinked. "Wow. And they really do this all the time?"
"Yep," Lilynette nodded. "Just wait until you actually talk with them, you'll get the idea."
Ben gave her a weak smile. He felt it was best for his health if he gave those three a wide berth right now.
"So, how come Yammy, Aaroniero, Szayelaporror, Zommari, and Ulquiorra don't have Fraccion?" He asked. "Can an Espada choose not to?"
"Uh huh," Lilynette answered. "Oh and Szayelaporro has Fraccion. But he has over a dozen or something…"
"A dozen?" Ben parroted in surprise.
"Yeah, I think he experiments on them or something in his lab," Lilynette replied. The fact that she was so casual about it caused a chill to Ben down Ben's spine. "Anyway, aside from Harribel's Fraccion, the only other ones you should really watch out for are Grimmjow and Baraggan's Fraccion. Grimmow's Fraccion are a bunch of thugs, they might try to pick a fight with you if he wants."
Ben groaned, picturing Grimmjow's group trying to jump him while walking down the hallway or something. "What about Baraggan's?"
Lilynette scoffed. "Those guys are doormats, always kissing up to him and stuff. But if you do something to anger Baraggan and he orders his Fraccion on you, they'll do it in order to please him."
"Oh, this is going to be lots of fun," Ben grumbled.
"Don't worry," Lilynette assured him. "Lord Aizen can deal with them. Besides, as long as you're with us, there's no way they'll try to mess with you."
Ben looked over at the snoring Starrk. While he was still certain Starrk was probably hiding some crazy power, seeing him lying around like that wasn't exactly filling him with confidence.
"So," Lilynette said, getting up in Ben's face and causing the teen to reflexively lean away from her. "Mind showing me some of your aliens now?"
Ben scrunched his face up as he weighed his options. Since he was going to be working with these guys, they were bound to see more of his aliens sooner or later. Besides, he had plenty to show without revealing his whole hand and he had a feeling Lilynette was simply curious rather than trying to pry information out of him. Not like there was anything better to do anyway.
"Why not," he said finally. "Uh…" He cast an eye over at the still snoozing Starrk. "Know someplace we could go without disturbing him?"
Lilynette gave him that toothy grin again. "I know just the place. Follow me." She grabbed Ben's arm and made a break for the door, Ben having no choice but to follow her. Behind them, Starrk just slept on obliviously.
…
"Where are we going?" Ben asked as Lilynette dragged him down another hallway.
"You'll see~" Lilynette replied playfully, causing the wielder of the Ultimatrix to worry immensely. She laughed when she saw the concerned look on his face. "Relax, will ya? I'm not leading you to a trap. We're going outside."
"Outside?" Ben repeated. "What about Runuganga? Is he gonna be okay with us out there?"
Lilynette chuckled. "Oh, right. You don't know about the other outside yet."
"Other outside?" Ben inquired.
"You'll see when we get there," was all Lilynette said, leaving Ben puzzled.
"How far is it?" He decided to ask instead.
Lilynette frowned as she pondered Ben's question. "Hmm. Pretty far. We might need to speed things up."
"What are you…" Ben started to ask, when all of a sudden he heard a boom and the world seemed to speed past him; everything a great big blur not unlike whenever he used one of his speedy aliens. Ben tried to ask what was going on but he was so caught off guard by this development that the words failed him.
Suddenly another boom filled Ben's ears and he found his vision completely filled with light.
"Aaaah!" the hero cried, rubbing his eyes fiercely from the sudden brightness.
"Heh, sorry about that," he heard Lilynette say sheepishly. "Guess I got a little carried away with my Sonido."
"Sonido?" Ben asked, still rubbing his eyes.
"Yeah, all Arrancar can do Sonido," Lilynette said. "We can use it to go really fast."
"Huh. And all Arrancar can do this?" Ben inquired as the spots began fading.
Lilynette huffed. "Of course. It's one of our natural abilities."
"Hey, cut me some slack," Ben said as he shook his head. "I hardly know anything about you guys." Now that his eyes had adjusted, he took a look at his surroundings. He stared in confusion.
Just as Lilynette said, they were indeed outside. But it was extremely bright and sunny out. Ben looked around, the dome was nowhere in sight and instead there were several buildings he didn't recognize.
Lilynette grinned at Ben's baffled look. "Surprised?"
"Uh, yeah," Ben said as he looked around. "Where…where are we? Why is it suddenly day? This doesn't look anything like when I was outside the first time?"
Lilynette chuckled. "Because we're still in the dome."
Ben blinked at her. "We are?"
"Yeah, Lord Aizen created this fake sky and sun inside of Las Noches." Lilynette explained.
"So this is what you meant by the other outside," Ben figured.
Lilynette grinned. "That's right. I did say we were going outside. I just didn't say where we were going outside of."
Ben chuckled as he realized Lilynette's little trick. "Okay, you got me there." He looked up at the apparently fake sky and whistled. "Wow. Aizen sure did a convincing job. It looks so real." He looked back at Lilynette. "But why'd he make it?"
Lilynette shrugged. "Nobody really knows. Some think he simply created it to bring light to Hueco Mundo's darkness. Others think it's some sort of fancy surveillance system so that he always knows what's going on."
Ben frowned as he stared back up at the sky. A surveillance system even in this place, huh? Ben had to admit that was pretty clever.
"So," Lilynette said, turning towards Ben. "Show me some of your aliens."
Ben bit his lip as he looked at his Ultimatrix, Lilynette, and then the sky. Sure these guys would be seeing more of his aliens sooner or later but the idea of being watched while showing them off reminded him way too much of Harangue and his Stalker robot. He really needed to be careful.
"Alright," Ben said as he activated the Ultimatrix. Lilynette watched in awe as the dial popped up and a green hologram of Ben's aliens were displayed.
Ben scrolled through, deciding to settle on an alien Aizen would probably already know about. He slammed the dial down and Lilynette closed her eyes as Ben was engulfed in green light.
Once the light faded, Lilynette saw Cannonbolt standing in front of her.
"Whoa," Lilynette said as she looked the Arburian Pelarota up and down. "Who's this guy?"
"I call him Cannonbolt!" The newly transformed hero declared in a much deeper voice. Cannonbolt seemed like a good choice. Aizen already knew about him and despite being one of Ben's top powerhouses, the guy did have a limited move set. "Watch this."
Cannonbolt curled up into a ball. Lilynette, extremely unimpressed, crossed her arms and frowned.
"Is that all he can do?" She asked in disappointment. "Curl up into a..."
Her words died when Cannonbolt began spinning in place before shooting off with such force that the small Arrancar was blasted off her feet and sent sprawling onto the sand.
"Hey!" Lilynette yelled indignantly. "What was that for?!"
Cannonbolt chuckled as he uncurled. "Sorry about that. Got a little carried away that."
Lilynette grumbled as she got back on her feet and started brushing the sand off of her clothes. "So you just curl up into a ball and…shoot yourself at people?"
"Pretty much," Cannonbolt said, shrugging his massive shoulders.
"Hmm," Lilynette scrunched her face up. "I don't know. Not really impressive."
The hero smirked. "Don't underestimate Cannonbolt. Cirucci can testify to that."
Lilynette's eye widened. "You used this guy on Cirucci?"
"Yeah," Cannonbolt scratched his chin. "That reminds me. I wonder if Aizen let her off the hook."
Lilynette shrugged. "Probably. Lord Aizen can be really lenient at times. Besides, you put in a good word for her so I don't see why he wouldn't. You should probably stay away from her though. She's a really sore loser."
"Would it help if I said I was sorry?" Cannonbolt asked hopefully.
Lilynette scoffed. "Doubt it. I think the only thing that would satisfy her would be your death or something."
Cannonbolt gulped, unable to shake the feeling that Lilynette just might be serious. "Well that's just great. Is there any girl here who doesn't already hate my guts?"
"I don't," Lilynette said, giving him an encouraging smile.
Cannonbolt chuckled. "Well that's a start."
"Come on," Lilynette said suddenly. "Show me another alien. Oh, did you use any of them to get past Runuganga?"
"Sure did," Cannonbolt said before touching the Ultimatrix dial on his chest. In a flash of green light, Armodrillo stood in his place.
"Whoa," Lilynette stared at the Talpaedan. "Who's this guy and what can he do?"
"I call this guy Armodrillo," The wielder of the Ultimatrix replied. "As for what he can do." Armodrillo dove into the ground. Lilynette looked back and forth, trying to figure out where he went, when all of a sudden he burst out of the ground right behind her. The action startled the small Arrancar, who yelped in shock as she went diving headfirst into the sand.
"What?! Again?!" Lilynette snarled angrily at a chuckling Armodrillo as the Talpaedan shook sand out of his armor.
"Sorry about that," Armodrillo said as he shook some sand out of his helmeted head. "I couldn't resist."
Lilynette grit her teeth and she picked herself off from the ground yet again. "So this guy's specialty is digging? I can see why you used him to escape Runuganga. But is that all he can do?"
"Nope," Armodrillo said. "If you couldn't already tell by his physic, he's one of my strongest aliens. His fists are like jackhammers." He then chuckled at his own inside joke.
Lilynette stared at Armodrillo, then at his piston-packed arms. She had a feeling that when Armodrillo said his fists were like jackhammers, he meant it literally.
"So," Armodrillo said. "I've show you some of my aliens, why don't you show me some of what you can do, Lilynette."
The Arrancar blinked in surprise. "Really? You want to see what I can do?"
"Sure," Armodrillo said. "If we're going to be working together, it's only fair I know what my allies can do so I don't get in the way."
That and it would allow Ben to see what these Arrancar were truly capable of.
Lilynette smirked. "Alright. Just watch what I can do."
Lilynette turned her head away from Armodrillo, as if she was looking at something. Armodrillo looked in the same direction but couldn't spot anything. He was about to ask her what she was doing when a glowing orb of green light started gathering around her left eye. Suddenly that orb erupted into a beam that Lilynette shot off in the distance.
"Whoa," was all Armodrillo could say to that.
Lilynette smirked at him again. "That's my Cero. And yeah, in case you're wondering, all Arrancar can do that. We gather spirit energy and release it into a big blast."
Okay so Arrancar had super speed and energy blasts as part of their repertoire. Oh and swordfighters too. Hmm.
"Now," Lilynette said, interrupting his musing. "Watch this."
Her hand went over to her broken stub of a horn. Armodrillo's eyes widened as it seemed to be glowing and some sort of object that resembled a hilt was starting to emerge from it. Lilynette grabbed the hilt-like object and proceeded to pull. Sure enough, it was a hilt, attached to a wicked looking scimitar.
"I did not see that one coming," Armodrillo said.
"What? None of your aliens come with weapons?" Lilynette asked, stabbing her weapon into the sand and leaning against it.
"Nope," Armodrillo admitted. "Unless they're part of their body like this guy's." He flexed his arms for emphasis.
Lilynette scratched her chin at this, but then shrugged. "Eh. No big deal. A lot of Arrancar lose their weapons when they go into their released state."
"Released State?" Armodrillo asked. He tapped the Ultimatrix dial on his chest and was transformed back into Ben in another flash of light. Sure Azmuth said he stay as his aliens longer but why waste power if you weren't going to use it?
Lilynette, who had shielded her eyes from the flash, glared at him. "Do you always have to do that every time you transform?"
Ben shrugged. "That's just the way it works. If you want somebody to complain to, you'd have to complain to the guy who made it."
Lilynette grumbled before clearing her throat. "Anyway, did Cirucci transform when she fought you?"
Ben nodded. "Yeah, she said some sort of chant or something and suddenly changed into this birdlike creature."
"That's an Arrancar's Resurrecion," Lilynette explained. "See, when a Hollow becomes an Arrancar, their main Hollow powers get sealed into a weapon, usually a sword but there are some exceptions like Cirucci's giant yo-yo."
At least Ben wasn't alone in thinking that way about Cirucci's weapon. "So when an Arrancar wants to use their full power, they go into this released state?" Ben figured.
Lilynette nodded. "Yep. Gotta say though, I'm pretty impressed you were able to hold your own against even a Privaron Espada, let alone one in their released state."
"Privaron Espada?" Ben asked. "Is that some sort of rank before Espada or something?"
Lilynette laughed. "Oh no. Privaron Espada are Arrancar who got kicked out of the Espada for one reason or another. Usually because a more powerful Arrancar came along and took their place or they did something that made Lord Aizen demote them from the group entirely."
So there were Espada and then there were Privaron Espada. He wondered how powerful Circucci was compared to the rest of them. Plus, these Released States...
"So, Lilynette," Ben said. "What's your released State like?"
Lilynette suddenly frozen, her eye darting back and forth. "Uh, um…my released state is a little different from other Arrancar."
Ben was surprised at how suddenly hesitant Lilynette was being. Was her released state embarrassing or something?
"Okay, okay," he said soothingly. "You don't have to show me if you don't want to."
Lilynette's eye shot back at him. "Really?"
Ben chuckled as he held his hands out. "If it bothers you that much, I won't press you."
Lilynette seemed to relax at that. "You know what, Ben? I never thought I would say this about a human but…you're alright."
Ben chuckled again as he scratched the back of his neck. "I'll take it."
The two laughed together. Ben had to admit, it was nice to at least make a…semi friend in this unfamiliar place.
But then Lilynette saw something behind Ben that cut her laughter short. "Uh…Ben?"
"Yeah?" Ben asked as his chuckles started dying down.
Lilynette gave a nervous smile. "Remember when we were talking about Harribel's Faccione?"
Ben slumped. "They're standing right behind me aren't they?"
Lilynette slowly nodded. Ben turned around. And sure enough, Harribel's Fraccione were standing not too far away from where they were. Ben took this moment to get a better look at these girls.
The first girl had heterochromia, with an ice blue right eye and an amber left eye that also sported a red outline around it. She also had jaw-length black hair and a horned, band-like object on her head. Her uniform had shoulder-length sleeves with black cuffs and a v-neck line. Gloves and collars over her wrists completed her look.
The second girl was dark-skinned, with green-eyes and sporting long, thick, wavy brown hair as well as large breasts. Her Hollow hole was located right between her breasts and her navel. She wore a white necklace around her neck and a three-sectioned crown that wrapped around her head. The rest of her outfit consisted of a white skirt and multiple armor covering her breasts and upper arms, along with gauntlets on her forearms and a broadsword as her weapon. All in all Ben thought she looked like an Amazon straight out of Greek Mythology.
The last one was a slender girl with long, flowing, olive-green hair and lavender eyes with long eyelashes. Ben could spot three pink dots located just below her right one. On the right side of her bangs were three extensions that looked like hair-clips. She also wore a furry black necklace around her neck and her outfit consisted of a long white dress with long sleeves, which extended well past her hands. The sleeves both sported single slit, and she bore two thin belts that crisscrossed around her waist
Judging from the glares that all three were sending his way, they obviously didn't come here to strike up friendly conversation.
"Um…hey there," Ben said, giving them a small wave. "So, uh…come here often?" He joked, hoping against hope that a little humor would lift the mood up. Judging from the sound of Lilynette smacking her forehead behind him and the other girls narrowing their eyes, it didn't work.
The one with the horn stomped her way towards him and before Ben could do anything, he was grabbed by the shirt and pulled to where the two of them were just a few inches away from each other.
"You've got some nerve, human," the girl snarled. "Who do you think you are?!"
Ben held his hands out in peace. "Whoa, hey, hold on a second. I'm not looking for any trouble here."
"Oh, you're not looking for any trouble?" the girl mocked. "Well too bad! You should've thought of that before you ogled Lady Harribel the way you did!"
Sheesh, Lilynette wasn't kidding.
"Apacci," the Amazon said sternly. "Remember, we're only here to teach him a lesson. Lord Aizen still believes he can be useful to us."
"Shut up, Mila Rose!" the now named Apacci yelled at the also named Mila Rose. "I am just gonna teach him a lesson! I don't need someone like you trying to tell me what to do!"
"What was that?!" Mila Rose snarled. "Why don't you say that to my face?!"
"Gladly!" Apacci shot back.
"My, my," the third girl, obviously Sung-Sun, said as she covered her mouth with one of her sleeves. "Look at the two of you, yelling at each other and making complete fools of yourselves in front of the human. I know you two can't help it but please try not to make me look bad as well."
"Stay out of this, Sung-Sun!" Apacci and Mila Rose yelled at her simultaneously as Sung-Sun looked off the side, as if ignoring them. "This doesn't concern you!"
Ben stared in wide-eyed amazement at the scene before him. It was just like Lilynette said. He looked over at Lilynette, who grinned back at his reaction.
"See?" she said. "I told ya."
This drew the attention of the other three girls. "Told him what, Lilynette?" Apacci demanded. "I saw how chummy you were getting with this human."
"Oh, I just told him how you three always argue," Lilynette said with a smirk. "Including just how you argue. You three are so predictable."
Mila Rose scowled at Lilynette, who just smiled cheekily back at her.
"And it happened just like she said," Ben couldn't help pointing out. "Wow. So…if you three argue all the time, why are you even on the same team?"
Unfortunately, this brought him back on the receiving end of Apacci's anger. "That's none of your business, human! The only thing you need to know is that we're gonna make you pay for looking at Lady Harribel like she's something for you to slobber over!"
"Wait, what?" Ben's eyes bugged out. "Hey, wait a second. You've got the wrong idea. Yeah, maybe I think she's really attractive but I didn't…"
This turned out to be the wrong thing to say as he found the tip of Mila Rose's sword pointed right at his face.
"Watch your words carefully, human," Mila Rose warned him coldly. "We will not tolerate you speaking anything ill of our leader."
Yeesh. This was beyond just loyalty and protectiveness. These girls practically worshiped Harribel.
"Look," Ben said firmly. "I'm sorry if I came off as rude but I wasn't trying to be. Your leader is a really gorgeous woman. I couldn't help but notice that." Apacci's grip on his shirt tightened. "That's all! Honestly."
"It better be," Sung-Sun said. "No man is worthy of Lady Harribel so I suggest you get any sort of notions out of your head."
Okay, this was getting ridiculous.
"I wasn't thinking anything like that," Ben argued. "Just because I think she's good-looking doesn't mean I'm thinking about asking her out or something."
"Oh, so now you think she's not good enough for you, is that it!?" Apacci said.
Oh for the love of…
"No! That's not it at all!" Ben said. "Look, just because I think Harribel is…"
"That's Lady Harribel!" Apacci snapped. "Say her name with respect!"
"Will you let speak for just one minute?!" Ben shouted, taking all four girls by surprise. Ben took a deep breath before speaking in an even tone. "Now look. I am sorry if I was disrespectful to Lady Harribel. I didn't mean to and I'm not trying to be. It was all just one big misunderstanding."
"Heh. I don't see what the big deal is."
Everyone turned to see none other than Nnoitra standing behind them, watching the scene play out with great amusement. All four girls fixed a glare at him. Ben's eyes were more focused on the strange weapon Nnoitra had slung over his shoulders. Attached to a long, black handle were two huge blades that slightly resembled crescent moons, stuck together at their backs. At the other end of the handle was a large looped chain that connected to Nnoitra's waist. What kind of weapon was that?
"Nnoitra," Apacci spat.
"So," Nnoitra said as his eye rolled over each of them. "Getting acquainted with our new guest are we?" He turned his eye towards Ben now and it was all Ben could to suppress a shudder. Just being near this guy made him feel all kinds of wrong. "You're quite the ladies' man, aren't you?"
"Something like that," Ben muttered, Apacci still gripping his shirt tightly.
"What are you doing here, Nnoitra?" Mila Rose questioned, the grip on her sword tightening. Nnoitra just sneered at her, showing he wasn't intimidated in the least.
"I just wanted to see how our new teammate was doing," he replied, though that unsettling smile of his strongly implied other intentions. "And I couldn't help overhearing the bad rap you're giving him just because he was giving Harribel the eye."
Apacci ground her teeth.
"You can't really blame him though," Nnoitra chuckled. "I mean, with the way she dresses, she's begging for men to stop and stare at her. Showing off her legs and her boobs like that? Someone really wants some attention. Of course, if she wanted to, my door's always open."
Ben scowled at Nnoitra's lewd comments. Lilynette began moving back. She knew what was going to happen if the angry looks on Harribel's Fraccione were anything to go by.
"Watch your mouth, Nnoitra!" Apacci yelled. "Espada or not, how dare you badmouth Lady Harribel?!"
"Apacci," Mila Rose hissed fiercely. She too despised Nnoitra's blatant disrespect but she was also smart enough to know Nnoitra was way out of their weight class.
Nnoitra's toothy smile grew and his visible narrowed. Ben had a bad feeling. "It's not my fault she's a shameless slut."
Oh that did it. All common sense for those three flew right out the door as Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun's faces screamed bloody murder.
Howling with rage, Appaci released Ben and lunged forward at the Fifth Espada. Mila Rose and Sung-Sun went from furious to panic-stricken, Apacci's actions snapping them out of their own rage.
"Apacci!" Mila Rose cried.
"Don't be stupid!" Sung-Sun shouted.
Apacci cocked her fist back, looking ready to deck Nnoitra right in the face. But with surprising speed, Nnoitra struck her with his strange weapon, knocking her to the ground.
"Apacci!" Mila Rose yelled while Sung-Sun's eyes widened.
Lilynette winced at the sight.
Ben froze, his mind still trying to wrap around what had just happened. Both at the fact that Apacci had been badly, and the fact that Nnoitra swung that…thing around like it was nothing. Guess Ben could add Super Strength to the list.
Nnoitra's blow had done a number on Apacci. The poor girl was in a lot of pain, her arm was possibly broken, and her body was too stunned to move as Nnoitra towered over her.
"Pathetic," Nnoitra hissed in delight. "Figures Harribel would have such weaklings as her Fraccione. But that's all you can expect from women."
Ben blinked rapidly. So this guy wasn't just a perverted creep, he was sexist too?
"Damn you!" Mila Rose yelled. She and Sung-Sun charged now. Mila Rose raised her sword high while Sung-Sun produced a sai from her sleeve. Nnoitra almost lazily battered them to the side with another swing of his weapon, sending them sprawling to the ground.
Even if they hated his guts, there was no way Ben was going to sit there and let them get knocked around like this. He quickly activated the Ultimatrix and began scrolling through, trying to find the best alien to put this jerk in his place. Luckily Nnoitra wasn't paying attention and he needed to take advantage of that as quickly as possible.
"This is just sad," Nnoitra said, looking at each of Harribel's Fraccion. "You three are all bark and no bite."
Okay this guy was really getting on Ben's nerves and spurred him on to scroll through his aliens faster.
Apacci weakly tried pushing herself back up. Nnoitra saw this and frowned. He raised a leg and proceeded to stomp on her, causing her to cry out in pain.
"Apacci!" Mila Rose yelled from her spot in the sand.
Nnoitra raised his foot to stomp on Apacci again. So caught up in his sadism, that he failed to noticed a green flash of light right beside him. He brought his foot back down…
Only for it to collide with a large, green crystal that suddenly erupted from the ground, shielding Apacci from any more harm. All the Arrancar stared.
"What the…" Nnoitra started to say until something rammed into him from his side. The blow was powerful enough to knock him flat off his feet and sprawling onto the sand just like his three victims. Angrily, Nnoitra sat up, determined to find out who had just attacked him. His eye widened as he stared at his new assailant.
Standing before him was a crystalline creature with an indigo body, with a face and muscular arms made of green crystals, along with two spikes that protruded from his shoulders and two smaller ones that protruded from his chest, and the dial of Ben's Ultimatrix in between.
"T-Tennyson?" Nnoitra wondered.
The alien grinned at him. "In this form I like to be called Diamondhead." Suddenly he shifted his body into a fighting stance. "And if it's a fight you're looking for, I can fill the part."
Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun all stared at Diamondhead in shock. After everything they had done, he was defending them? Why?
As if voicing their thoughts, Nnoitra laughed. "You're protecting them? Why? They yelled at you, threatened you, why would you want to help them at all?"
Diamondhead narrowed his eyes as he held his fists up. "Because I'm a hero. And helping people is what I do."
Nnoitra laughed even louder. "That's right. Apparently you're a superhero." He clutched his side in amusement. "Well here's something you should know, hero. In Hueco Mundo, it's kill or be killed. There are no heroes!"
Diamondhead simply smirked at him in response. "Then I guess that makes me Hueco Mundo's first."
Nnoitra's merry attitude quickly changed into an annoyed scowl at Diamondhead's defiance.
"Lilynette!" Diamondhead called over his shoulder, startling the little girl.
"Uh, yeah?" she asked.
"Help get these three out of here," Diamondhead instructed her. "I'll deal with this guy."
"Are you insane?!" Lilynette protested. "He's the Fifth Espada! Cirucci was nothing compared to him!"
"Just do it!" Diamondhead yelled, startling Lilynette further. She was going to yell at the Petrosapien for assuming he could tell her what to do, but her rant died on her lips when Diamondhead turned his head slightly in her direction, giving her a fixed look that clearly showed he was not in the mood for arguments.
"Alright, alright," she said in resignation. "I'm going, I'm going." She ran over to where Mila Rose and Sung-Sun were, no doubt finding it easier to get them up than the much more wounded Apacci. "Come on you two, get up."
"He's…he's really going to fight Nnoitra," Mila Rose whispered, staring at Diamondhead. "For us."
"Yeah, yeah, I don't get it either," Lilynette said, giving the other Arrancar a slight kick, causing Mila Rose to yelp and glare daggers at her but Lilynette was nonplussed. "Well move your ass."
Mila Rose grumbled but knew better than to argue with Starrk's charge. She picked herself up just as Sung-Sun was doing the same. The three used their Sonido to appear next to Apacci, behind the crystal. Sung-Sun and Mila Rose picked up their battered teammate with a surprising amount of gentleness before fleeing.
Nnoitra paid them no mind. After all, he had a more interesting opponent to face now.
Diamondhead braced himself. He didn't know what Nnoitra was capable of and since this guy was the fifth most powerful Arrancar, he probably had some nasty tricks up his sleeve.
"I was hoping I'd get to fight you," Nnoitra said gleefully. "I honestly didn't expect it to be so soon but I'm not complaining!"
"Not complaining about losing?" Diamondhead taunted. "Works for me!"
Nnoitra's toothy smile grew, having a feeling that he was going to get a real fight on his hands. "Show me what you got, hero!"
And without further ado, the two combatants charged. Nnoitra raised his arm, aiming to his bring his massive weapon down his new foe. Diamondhead saw this and leaped forward, ramming into Nnoitra and knocking him down again.
The Petrosapien grinned smugly at this. "That weapon's pretty useless if you manage to get in close enough."
Much to his annoyance, Nnoitra just chuckled as he picked himself up. "Not bad, but a little disappointing. Come on, hero, try to make this fight interesting, why don't ya?"
Nnoitra charged again. Diamondhead braced himself for an attack when suddenly the Espada disappeared. Before Diamondhead could figure out where he went, a powerful force struck him and sent him sprawling across the sand. Shaking his head, Diamondhead looked up to see Nnoitra smirking smugly at him.
Right. That Sonido thing.
"Come on, hero," Nnoitra taunted. "That can't be all you can do."
Diamondhead looked around. No sign of Lilynette, Apacci, Mila Rose, or Sung-Sun. Good, they had managed to get away. Now to deal with this guy.
"You want to see what I can do?" Diamondhead grinned. "You got it!"
He slammed his hands onto the ground. The Espada was curious as to what he was doing when a crystal shot out of the ground and struck Nnoitra right in the gut. The sudden attack caused the Arrancar to keel over and Diamondhead saw that as his chance. He leaped into the air and by the time Nnoitra looked up, Diamondhead was coming straight at him.
"This is for Apacci!" Diamondhead roared as he cocked his fist back and socked Nnoitra right in the face. Even if he was a guest in Las Noches, there was no way he was going to let a creep like Nnoitra get off easy for his actions.
The blow knocked Nnoitra for a loop. Seriously, he actually spun in the air before hitting the ground. Growling, the Arrancar started picking himself back up, only for Diamondhead to clutch his hands together and bring them down on Nnoitra's back, making him face-plant into the sand.
"Now that's what I call a sandwich," Diamondhead laughed at his own horrible joke.
Nnoitra shook his head furiously, trying to remove the sand on his face. "Is that the best you can do?!" He yelled.
"Not really," Diamondhead taunted back. "I'm just getting warmed up."
"Really?" Nnoitra grinned. "So am I!"
Diamondhead was about to move, but at that moment, Nnoitra, swung his leg, tripping Diamondhead and causing the Petrosapien to fall flat on his back.
"I'll admit you've got some moves," Nnoitra chuckled as he stood straight up. "But my Hierro is the strongest of the Espada. You're gonna have to do better if you want to really hurt me."
Hierro? Now what was that?
Nnoitra prepared to attack again and Diamondhead prepared to defend himself…
Only for Starrk to appear behind Nnoitra and grab onto his weapon. Needless to say, Diamondhead and Nnoitra were shocked by his sudden appearance.
"Starrk?" Nnoitra stared at his fellow Espada.
"What do you think you're doing?" Starrk asked, a hint of seriousness in his normally casual tone.
Nnoitra snarled at his fellow Espada. "This doesn't concern you, Starrk."
"Lord Aizen put me in charge of watching over our guest, Nnoitra," Starrk countered. "I think it does concern me."
Nnoitra snarled again and tried pulling his blade out of Starrk's grasp. Starrk merely tightened his grip, causing Nnoitra to grind his teeth angrily as he failed to free his weapon.
"This is my fight, Starrk!" Nnoitra growled.
Starrk just looked at Nnoitra, looking sort of bored. "Leave, Nnoitra."
"What?!" Nnoitra exclaimed.
Starrk sighed as he scratched his head with his free arm. "I really don't want to use force, Nnoitra, but if it's the only way to make you go away, I might have no choice."
Both Diamondhead and Nnoitra were stunned by this declaration. But Nnoitra quickly recovered from his shock and smirked.
"Well now," he chuckled. "This human must be pretty special if you're actually willing to fight for his sake."
"Lord Aizen wouldn't like it if I let anything happen to him on my watch," Starrk said with a shrug as his free hand went to his katana. "Besides, Lilynette seems pretty fond of him. If I let him get killed, she'd never leave me alone about it."
"Gee," Diamondhead said dryly. "How thoughtful."
But Nnoitra didn't back off at the idea of the Primera Espada fighting him. In fact, he looked excited. Really excited.
"Alright, Starrk," he said gleefully. "If that's the way it's gonna be, bring it o…"
"That will be enough, Nnoitra."
Nnoitra, Starrk, and Diamondhead all quickly turned to see Aizen standing before them, Tosen and Gin standing on either side of him.
"L-lord Aizen," Nnoitra muttered.
Seeing that this fight was over, Diamondhead was engulfed in a flash of green light before being turned back into regular Ben. Everyone present gave him the briefest of looks before facing each other again.
Starrk let go of Nnoitra's weapon and the latter quickly put it at his side.
"I was informed of some very interesting news," Aizen said. "Aside from the fact that Emilou Apacci was badly wounded by Nnoitra, I also heard that he was fighting with our guest. I decide to look into the matter and now I find two Espada about to attack each other. What exactly brought this all this on?"
Nnoitra averted looking at Aizen directly, probably realizing he might be in serious trouble. "That bitch attacked me just because I said some stuff about Harribel, so I had to defend myself."
Ben glared at Nnoitra's ridiculous excuse as he got up. Judging from Starrk's deadpan look and Gin's smile widening, nobody else really bought it.
"Defend yourself, hmm?" Aizen said. "That's very interesting, Nnoitra. Harribel must be training them really well if you had to defend yourself against three Fraccion."
Nnoitra winced as he realized what he had set himself up for. Ben couldn't help but feel a little smug at seeing his newfound adversary dig himself into a hole.
"He started kicking Apacci while she was down. So I stepped in," he interjected. Now Nnoitra was the one glaring at him. "I fought him so that the others could get away."
"How considerate of you, Ben," Aizen commented. "That was very brave and very risky, choosing to fight someone like Nnoitra, especially for the sake of those three. I was under the impression that Harribel's Fraccion weren't particular fond of you."
"I don't care," Ben said firmly. "Even if they hate my guts, I wasn't just going to sit there and do nothing."
Aizen smiled softly at the human. "You truly are a noble person, Ben. And considering that you don't look worse for wear, it seems you were able to hold your own against Nnoitra. The fact that he was still in his sealed state does not take away the impressiveness of this feat."
"Tch," Nnoitra scoffed.
"Is Apacci okay?" Ben asked, deciding to change the subject.
"She is currently in the medical room, undergoing treatment," Aizen said. "Starrk can escort you there if you wish."
Ben looked over at Starrk, seeing if he was up for it. The Prime Espada sighed, rubbing his head.
"Sure thing," he said tiredly.
Ben shot one last look at Nnoitra, who sneered at him once their eyes met. Aizen noticed the animosity between them.
"Ben," Aizen said, drawing the hero's attention to him. "I will deal with Nnoitra. You may go check on Apacci."
Nnoitra gaped at Aizen, shocked at the idea of his leader punishing him for anything. Ben was more than willing to go another round with this creep but he had a feeling that Aizen's word was final.
But he was definitely going to keep an eye out for Nnoitra from now on.
Starrk took that as their cue to leave. "Come on, Ben," he said as he put a hand on the hero's shoulder. The next thing Ben knew, everything was a big blur again. Obviously Starrk's Sonido.
The next, next thing Ben knew, he was back indoors.
"Come on," Starrk said, already walking off. "The medical room's this way."
"Right," Ben nodded, hurrying to catch up.
"Have to admit, that was a pretty bold move," Starrk said as they walked. "Taking on Nnoitra like that."
"I had to do something," Ben replied.
"Still, you should consider yourself lucky," Starrk told him. "Nnoitra's brutal and he gets worse when a fight excites him."
"I'll keep that in mind," Ben said, refusing to back down to somebody like Nnoitra.
Starrk saw the determined look in Ben's eyes and sighed. "Suit yourself."
The rest of the walk was done in silence but both paused when they heard the sound of someone running down the hall. They didn't have to wait long when the runner came into view from around a corner. And it was none other than Lilynette. Her eye went wide when she saw who was in front of her.
"Ben!" she shouted. "You're alive?!"
"Heh," Ben said as he crossed his arms. "Surprised?"
"Uh, duh!" Lilynette retorted, causing Ben to slump in annoyance. "I can't believe you're still alive, let alone standing, after a fight with Nnoitra!" Her eye completely bugged out. She pointed a shaky finger at the wielder of the Ultimatrix."Did…did you win?"
"I stepped in before things got heavy," Starrk said. Lilynette pouted, apparently disappointed that Ben hadn't actually defeated Nnoitra. "But…from what I saw, they were completely at a stalemate."
Lilynette stared at Ben in newfound awe. A human who not only stood up to the Fifth Espada, but was capable of fighting him to a standstill?
"Okay," Ben said. "To be fair, Nnoitra hadn't gone into that Released State thing."
"So?" Lilynette snapped at him. "The Espada are still pretty strong without using their Resurrecion." She grinned. "Oh, man. This is big. I wonder how everyone else is going to react."
Ben gulped as Lilynette's words weighed heavy on him. He had a feeling his skirmish with Nnoitra was going to be the talk of Las Noches. How would the other Espada react to this? Especially Grimmjow, who had shown an interest in him too?
"What were you doing anyway, Lilynette?" Starrk wondered.
"Oh, Harribel went to go check up on her Fraccion," Lilynette replied. "It looked like they wanted to be left alone so I decided to give them some privacy."
"How's Apacci doing?" Ben inquired.
"Not bad," Lilynette said casually. "Nnoitra got her good but it's nothing that can't be patched up. The nurse said she should be just fine."
Ben let out a sigh of relief. "Well that's good. What about the other two?"
"A little sore but that's about it," Lilynette informed him.
Ben smiled. "I'm glad they're going to be alright."
Lilynette huffed as she crossed her arms and stared in Ben with a scrunitizing gaze similar to the one she had used on before this whole happened.
"What?" Ben asked.
"I don't get it," The little Arrancar said. "Why are you being so nice to them after everything they did?"
"Well, I'm not gonna lie, it was really annoying the way they kept twisting everything I said," Ben admitted. "But at the same time, they didn't deserve to be treated like that."
Lilynette groaned. "I think you're a little too forgiving."
Ben laughed. "I guess I can be. I mean, my best friend's a guy who tried to kill me when we were kids."
Starrk and Lilynette both gawked at him. Their reaction was so priceless, Ben couldn't help grinning.
"Are you serious?" Lilynette asked.
"Uh huh," Ben said, still amused at the looks on their faces. "Of course, it's a long story and all but…"
"Ben Tennyson."
Ben paused at the sudden appearance of Tia Harribel, who was standing at the end of the hall. The Third Espada crossed her arms under her breasts and began walking towards the other three.
"Hello, Harribel," Starrk said casually.
"Starrk," Harribel replied civilly. She gave Ben a brief glance before looking back at her comrade. "I would like to speak with him alone."
Well this took Ben by surprise.
Starrk looked back and forth between Harribel and Ben. "Alright," he said. "Come on, Lilynette."
"What?!" Lilynette exclaimed. "What's the big deal? Can't we stay?"
"I said come on," Starrk said, a bit of firmness in his tone.
Lilynette glared at the other Arrancar but relented. "Fine, fine." She ran after him.
So now it was just Ben and Harribel alone in the hallway. The two said nothing, just looked at each in silence. For Ben it was an awkward silence but he didn't know what Harribel thought about it. Eager to end it, Ben opened his mouth to say something but Harribel beat him to it.
"I have some things I wish to say to you, Ben Tennyson," she told him.
Ben flinched, worried that she was upset with him for some reason. Was she as mad at him as her Fraccione were? Did she think it was his view fault they got hurt?
"First," Harribel began. "I would like to apologize on behalf of my Fraccione."
Well that took Ben by surprise. "Uh…"
"They had made it perfectly clear how much they hated you for your apparent disrespect towards me. I told them not to worry over such a trivial thing but it seems they, especially Apacci, refused to let it go. I should have known they would do something foolish and did more to rein them in."
Well now, Ben looked at the ground, unable to think of anything to say. It was nice to know that at least Harribel herself didn't hate his guts.
"Second," Harribel went on. "You had every reason not to help my Fraccione. Yet despite their treatment of you, not only did you protect them, you were willing to face one of the Espada to do so. I thank you for your kindness."
Ben couldn't help smiling at her words. Not because of the praise, but the fact that Harribel seemed to really care about her Fraccion's wellbeing. Maybe their zealous loyalty wasn't completely unfounded.
"I am also impressed you are still alive, let alone in perfect health, after facing Nnoitra Gilga," Harribel commented. "But be cautious, Ben Tennyson, for you have gained a deadly enemy. Nnoitra does not forgive and he will go to any lengths to settle a score."
Harribel was then taken by surprise at the sudden look of determination on Ben's face.
"Well you know what I say to that?" he said. "I say bring it on. I've faced tons of guys back home who've tried to kill me but I always came out on top. I'm not gonna back down from a jerk like him. He's just another name to add to the list."
Harribel just stared at Ben, amazed by his words and conviction. She closed her eyes. "You are either extremely brave or extremely foolish. Perhaps a bit of both."
Ben grinned. "Okay, I'll admit I am a little of both. But hey, I've gotten this far."
"Hmm," was Harribel's reply before she turned around and started heading back the way she came. "I am going to check up on Apacci and the others again. Then I'm going to remind Nnoitra why it is ill advised to attack another Espada's Fraccione."
The sudden coldness in her voice left a shiver running down Ben's spine. He did not want to be in Nnoitra's shoes right now. Not that he ever would on a good day.
Before turning around the corner, Harribel spared Ben one last parting glance.
"Thank you again, Ben Tennyson. And good luck." With that, she left.
Once she left, Ben let out a great big sigh. Well, this has been quite the eventful day. And he had only just gotten here.
Still, he couldn't get Harribel's words out of his head. While all the advice was appreciated, he already figured Nnoitra would be gunning for him. Ben had managed to hold his own but he had a strong feeling the Fifth Espada hadn't been going all out. Sure Ben himself hadn't gone all out either but with all these things Arrancar can do; Sonido, Cero, Resurrecion, Hierro and possibly much more, it would be risky to fight Nnoitra again unprepared. Now Ben was used to fighting new enemies blindly (especially when he was a kid) but it sounded like doing that here might get him killed. If he wanted to stand a chance, he needed to find out all he could about Arrancar.
Ben turned around and walked back the way he came. He hoped Starrk and Lilynette didn't go too far, he wasn't in the mood to get lost in this place. But it seemed he didn't need to worry because the two were walking right towards him. And the grin on Lilynette's face probably meant they had overheard his conversation with Harribel.
"Well look at you, making friends with Harribel," Lilynette teased him.
"I don't know if we're friends," Ben said to her. "If anything, we're just on positive…ish terms."
"That's more than any of us can say," Starrk told him. "Harribel and her Fraccione usually keep to themselves. The fact that you're on her good side is an accomplishment in itself."
"Hmm," Ben said as he crossed his arms. Then he remembered what he wanted to talk to these two about. "Hey guys."
"Yeah?" Lilynette asked.
"I need your help," Ben said.
"About what?" Starrk asked.
"I would like to learn more about Arrancar," Ben answered.
"Hmm. Want to be ready in case Nnoitra wants a rematch?" Starrk guessed.
Okay, what was it with people here knowing exactly what he wanted to do? First Aizen, now Starrk? It was scary. Or was he really that obvious?
Since Starrk wasn't bothering to beat about the bush, Ben didn't either. "Yeah."
Starrk sighed, acting more as if he had just been asked to move a mountain. "Well, I guess I can't always be there to bail you out and Lord Aizen would probably prefer you being able to handle stuff on your own. Alright. But let's get back first so I can least rest while I'm explaining."
Ben grinned at his good fortune. "Works for me."
With that, the three started on their way back to Starrk's palace.
End of Chapter
Well guys, I hope this chapter was worth the wait. I'm really, really sorry for the delay. Even though I've picked up multitasking between working on my own stories and helping my friend out with his, I was constantly drawing blanks on what to write for this chapter. In fact, I had a completely different idea in mind before scrapping it and creating the official one.
The main reason for the delay is because I'm trying to keep things better proportioned than my previous Ben 10/Bleach crossovers. Due to my past failures, I find myself walking a tightrope to get this story just right. Hopefully I'm doing a decent job.
You'll notice how this chapter focused around Ben instead of jumping around like usual. This is because I'm trying something different, focusing on just Ben's POV along with any characters who happen to be with him at the time. I was going to go back and edit all my previous chapters so that they had Ben's part, but due to the content of the chapters, I realized doing so would just make things confusing. So I left them as is and informing you all that from now on, the story's just going to center around Ben.
Also, I've started to see that two completely different series like Ben 10 and Bleach don't really go together. They're just too different. But I want to reassure everyone I am not quitting this story. After all the stuff we've been through, I'm not just gonna drop it all together. I'm seeing this through to the end and I hope to finish this whole series on a high note.
I also had a talk with my buddy Blazorna Ibara. While we're still planning on crossing our stories together, he was also giving me some story advice. He suggested I make sure I don't have Ben make the actual protagonists of Bleach redunant. Now this is perfectly reasonable and while the story's going to focus primarily on Ben, I won't have him do everything. The other characters will still carry their own weight.
But some of Blazorna's other advice made it seem like he didn't want Ben to really do anything of significance. I think he was trying to tell me that Ben can have adventures in Bleach, but they shouldn't affect the actual canon or something.
But we talked some more and he told me that he just meant I needed to be careful not to do anything overly drastic that would completely derail Bleach's primary plot and this does make perfect sense. Along with that, I've decided to see if some original adventures could be good for the story instead of only using the canon plot. This could allow me to work some of the anime filler characters like that rogue Arrancar Patros into the mix. But at the same time, I want to make sure any original adventures can actually fit into the story and not ruin it. I'll have to careful and thorough.
Also, I'm thinking about changing my username again. I had mentioned this before haven't I? Well, I want to change my name and come up with something original instead of just using a character's name. Haven't thought of any yet but you'll know when I do.
That's all for now. Again, I'm sorry about the wait and I hope you liked this chapter. See you all next time. Hopefully the next update won't take long but no promises. Especially if my job has anything to say about it.
Take care
