Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or Bleach
Hey, guys. So remember when I said in the last chapter that the story would focus on Ben's POV from now on. Well, I realized that doing that now, after already being a few chapters in, would probably throw the story off. So I've decided I will use multiple POV's after all. But, I'll be sure to keep the amount of POV switches to a minimum. I would also like to give a shout out to my good pals Pyromania101 and Vandenbz for proofreading this chapter, and also to Incredible Muffin and Diablo Ex Machina for their support. That's all for now: enjoy the chapter!
Friends and Foes
Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez was in a sour mood.
Of course by now everybody knew about what had happened between Ben Tennyson, Harribel's Fraccion, and Nnoitra. But what bothered him was the really juicy part of the rumors: the fact that Tennyson took on Nnoitra and managed to fight him evenly. Now Nnoitra made it very clear to anybody within earshot that he had not been fighting all-out. Anybody here could vouch for that claim because they would have sensed him entering his Released State if he had.
Still, the fact that this strange human was able to fight on par with one of the five most powerful Espada was enough for gossip…and concern. But what did this have to do with Grimmjow personally? Well, another major topic of discussion regarding Tennyson was how well he would do against the other Espada. And some were figuring that if he could hold his own against the fifth Espada, he could very well easily do the same against the Espada lower than Nnoitra…of which Grimmjow was included. The thought made the Sixth Espada growl in aggravation.
"You're troubled, Grimmjow," noted the leader of his Fraccion, Shawlong Koufang.
Grimmjow turned to face him. The Arrancar had a long face and black hair that was braided and hung over the side. The remains of his mask were located on his head in the form of a sort of hat. A dropped portion of it covered the upper left half of his face and a long spike jutted out from the right of the "hat".
"It's annoying how all those idiots think that just because Tennyson could fight Nnoitra without dying means that he's a match for me," Grimmjow said.
"I suppose it can't be helped," said Eldrad Liones. "Simply because Nnoitra is ranked just above you."
Eldrad was a large man with a half-shaven head, noticeably by the red hair that flowed over the unshaven part. His mask remains took on the form of what one could mistake for sunglasses resting on his nose. His shirt was open, revealing the gaping Hollow Hole in his chest.
"I don't like it," said Yylfordt Granz, a man with blonde hair and mask remains that resembled a helmet on his head. His Hollow Hole was just visible through the slit in the upper half of his jacket. "This kid shows up out of nowhere, claiming to be from another universe, with a gauntlet that turns him into aliens powerful enough to fight the Espada."
Eldrad smirked at his comrade. "I'll bet Szayelaporro's just itching to learn more about him."
Yylfordt groaned at the mention of his brother. "Don't even get me started on him."
"Nonetheless, I believe Yylfordt is onto something," Shawlong said. "We know that at least one of his transformations is as powerful as a sealed Espada, but we still don't know how strong the rest are, let alone how many the boy can become. Tennyson is a wild card and we're taking too much of a risk by letting him stay here."
"So," said Di Roy Linker, with a sinister smile on his face. "Should we deal with him?"
Di Roy was a short male Arrancar with mask remains consisting of a bulky helmet that looked a bit like a hammerhead shark. The right-hand side of his mask was wrapped in bandages, covering up his right eye. His square, shark-like teeth, were showing thanks to his wicked smile.
"Sounds like suicide to me," Yylfordt said with a frown. "He's under Starrk's protection, remember? You really want to tangle with the Prime Espada?"
"Not to mention that he's probably got Harribel on his side now," Eldrad pointed out.
Di Roy paled considerably when he took this into account. As eager as he was to put this Tennyson kid in his place, he wasn't up for facing two of the most powerful Arrancar in Las Noches to do it.
Grimmjow heard what his Fraccione were saying but kept his reactions to himself. While Shawlong had a point by saying the kid was a potential threat, that wasn't what truly bothered Grimmjow. No, what bothered him was the thought of a human being better than him. He refused to accept that a human, regardless of whatever power they had, could be superior to him. Ben Tennyson needed to be taken down. Now.
Grimmjow's Fraccion all froze when they noticed their leader sporting a wicked, bestial grin, like a savage animal about to attack.
"You have a plan," Shawlong stated, not asking.
Grimmjow smirked at his second-in-command. "Oh yeah."
…
Ben was walking down one of Las Noches' various hallways. He had been trying to memorize the place's layout so he wouldn't get lost, but at the moment he was too deep in thought. Earlier, Starrk had informed him more about the basic abilities of Hollows. Ben ran the list through his mind: Arrancar had super strength and speed, energy blasts, hardened skin, levitation, and a secondary form with additional powers. These guys were no joke, that's for sure. So what did that say about the Soul Reapers they were going to be fighting against?
Speaking of Soul Reapers, what exactly could they do compared to Arrancar? What could Aizen himself do?
"HEY BEN!" A shrill voice suddenly punctured his thoughts…and quite possibly his eardrums.
"Ah!" Ben cried out, jumping and doing everything he could not to fall over. He turned around and shot an annoyed look at the instigator, a smirking Lilynette. "Hello, Lilynette."
Lilynette just grinned cheekily at him. "Hey, Ben. You were really zoned out there."
"So you decided to try and make me deaf?" Ben asked, putting a finger in his ear.
"That's nothing," Lilynette grinned. "You should see the stuff I usually do to Starrk."
"You mean aside from stomping and kicking him around?" Ben commented.
Lilynette chuckled. "Oh yeah."
Ben blanched, wondering just what else she did to torment the poor guy. "I'll take your word for it," he said. Lilynette just crossed her arms and smirked proudly. The look reminded Ben a lot of the times he and Gwen used to play pranks on each other as kids.
The thought of Gwen caused Ben to immediately think of home. It was hard to believe that already a day or so had passed since he had first arrived here. He wondered how everybody was doing back home. They must've known he was missing by now...and probably worried sick. He could just imagine his parents freaking out over his disappearance and Grandpa Max trying to find some way to find him and bring him back, probably with Gwen's help.
Lilynette noticed the change in Ben's mood. "You alright?"
Ben gave her a small smile. "Oh nothing just…thinking about what might be going on back home."
Lilynette walked up beside him. "You really miss it, huh?" She supposed she could understand that. If she had been taken away from Hueco Mundo and forced to live in a completely different place, she would have missed the desert too.
Ben's smile grew. "Yeah."
"Is it scary?" she asked him with honesty. "Being in another universe."
Ben chuckled. "Well, this isn't the first time I've been away from my world, or even my universe…"
"Wait," Lilynette stared at him. "You've been to another universe before?"
Ben chuckled. "Yeah. You honestly wouldn't believe the adventures I've had back where I come from."
Lilynette scooted closer to him. "So tell me."
Ben leaned back at the sudden invasion of personal space. "Um…"
"Oh come on," Lilynette urged. "If you're gonna stay with us, we should know you a little better. And it's not like we've got anything better to do around here."
Well she had a point there. Ben had checked: No video games, no television, no smoothies. This place seemed be the land of boredom. What exactly did Arrancar do in their free time? Just lay around like Starrk did?
Realizing that he had very little choice in the matter, Ben sighed. "Alright. Where should I start?"
"Why not tell me about when you first got that…Ultimatrix?"
Ben chuckled as he looked down at the Ultimatrix. He knew it was a matter of time before somebody asked him more about that thing. Luckily he already had a plan for when that happened. "Well, in order for me to explain I got the Ultimatrix, I'll really need to start at the beginning. See, it all started when I was ten years old and going on a road trip with my cousin and grandpa…"
This already got Lilynette's attention. Ten years old? Ben had gained his power when he was just a child?
"When we got to the camping site, I decided to go exploring in the woods and then…"
"Well, well, you two seem to be having a good time."
Ben and Lilynette froze when they found none other than a smirking Grimmjow and his Fraccion standing before them. Ben resisted the urge to blanch again.
Lilynette wasn't thrilled to see Grimmjow either. "What do you want?" she demanded.
Ben had a feeling that he already knew what the Sixth Espada wanted.
Grimmjow's smirk grew. "Well, I heard about how Tennyson here did so well against Nnoitra. Congratulations. Looks like you've got some moves after all. So, I've decided that I want to see what you can really do. Why don't you and I have a nice little spar? No holding back this time. I want to see what you really got."
Before Ben could react in any way, Grimmjow shot forward and grabbed him by his collar. Lilynette was about to object when Nakeem came up behind her. He clamped one hand over her mouth and used the other to grab her in a one-armed bear hug.
"Hey!" Ben yelled. "Let her go!" He was about to go for the Ultimatrix when Grimmjow slammed him into the wall. He grit his teeth as pain shot through his back.
Grimmjow got right up in Ben's face. "Here's the deal, Tennyson. I want to fight you and I don't want her running off to Starrk and cutting our fun off early."
"Some fun," Ben groaned. If he could just reach the Ultimatrix and go hero fast enough, he could hopefully take all these guys down and bolt for it.
"Besides, you're a hero, right?" the Arrancar went on before looking over at Lilynette, who was currently glaring daggers at him. Grimmjow just sneered in amusement. "From what I hear, you're more willing to spring into action when someone's in danger." Lilynette's eyes widened as Ben easily picked up on Grimmjow's unspoken threat.
Lilynette shook her head furiously, kicking her legs against Nakeem in a futile attempt to break free. All she managed to do was get him to tighten his grip.
Ben knew he was in a fix. It was possible he could go hero and free himself from Grimmjow, but would he be able to save Lilynette before that big lug hurt her?
Grimmjow, who had looked back at him, chuckled when he saw the calculating look on his face. "Don't even think about going alien, Tennyson." He looked back at Nakeem and nodded. Nakeen nodded and tightened his grip even further. Lilynette's eyes widened as she felt her head being squeezed, her screams muffled by her captor's massive hand.
"Alright!" Ben yelled, seeing no way out of this, as he glared at Grimmjow. "I'll fight you, just leave her alone!"
Grimmjow's grin was as wide as could be, making him look like some kind of deranged Cheshire cat. He looked back at his Fraccion in triumph. "Let's go."
His Fraccion nodded, sporting their own smirks. Lilynette looked at Ben apologetically. Ben just gave her an encouraging smile. He would find a way to take down Grimmjow and his Fraccion and get her to safety.
…
Ben and Lilynette were led outside of Las Noches, the moon shining bright in the dark sky. Despite the situation, Ben wondered where Runuganga was. Could it be that he was in on Grimmjow's scheme, or did he sense an Espada was nearby and decided to back off?
Speaking of Grimmjow, his smirk was still on his face and his hands in his pockets as he and Ben faced down each other. His Fraccion, with Lilynette still in Nakeem's clutches, stood off to the side.
"Alright, Grimmjow," Ben said firmly. "You have what you want, now let Lilynette go."
"And have her go to Starrk?" Grimmjow asked rhetorically. "I don't think so! And don't even think it about using your aliens to just run away. If you want her unharmed, you need to fight me with everything you've got."
"And then you'll just let us go?" Ben asked skeptically.
"By then I'll already have what I want," Grimmjow replied. "What would be the point?"
Ben sighed through his nose as he weighed his options. He was used to handling multiple opponents but he couldn't risk taking on six different Arrancars, including an Espada, without knowing their capabilities.
Also, what would his Fraccion do if Ben beat Grimmjow? Would they try to gang up on him while he was exhausted? Or would they back off at seeing their leader beaten? Of course he could always let Grimmjow win but the Espada had to be pretty observant. Who knows how'd he react if he learned Ben lost on purpose?
Too many factors, too many possibilities. Ben saw that he had no choice but to wing it and wait for an opportunity.
"Alright," he said.
Grimmjow shifted his stance, taking more of a fighting pose. "Now you can go alien."
"Much appreciated," Ben muttered dryly as he activated the Ultimatrix. He needed to take Grimmjow down as soon as possible. And he knew just the type of alien to do it too. He slammed the dial down.
Grimmjow laughed maniacally as Ben's body was bathed in green light. Despite his eagerness to establish his self-proclaimed superiority, he found himself actually anticipating this battle for the sake of a good fight.
When the green light faded, what stood before the Arrancar was a red skinned, rather muscular, twelve foot tall alien whose most notable features were his two pairs of heavyset four fingered arms. He also sported two pairs of green eyes; a main pair with the second, smaller pair right underneath them. The alien had a black stripe that ran down from his lower lip to his chin, vaguely resembling a beard and a slicked-back black ponytail. His clothing was rather simple: gold wrist and ankle bands, black underwear with a golden waistband, and two golden sashes across his chest.
Grimmjow eyed this new form with interest. It looked tough, now to see if it was. "So, heard you give your aliens fancy names like that Diamondhead guy you used against Nnoitra. What's this one called?"
The alien grinned as he pounded his fists into his palms. "Meet Four Arms!" he said in a raspy voice.
Grimmjow actually paused when he heard the alien's name. "Seriously?"
Four Arms blinked with all four of his eyes. "What?"
Grimmjow snorted. "You actually named a guy with four arms...Four Arms?"
Four Arms scowled. "Hey, cut me some slack. I named this guy when I was a kid."
Grimmjow's eyes narrowed with interest. "Is that right? A kid, huh? So you've had these powers for quite some time."
Four Arms resisted the urge to smack himself, realizing that he just walked into that one.
"Which means you have quite a lot of experience," Grimmjow went on, the eagerness all but oozing out of his voice. "Good. That means this should be a really good fight."
The tetramand tensed up, slowly shifting into a fighting stance. He might not be sure what Grimmjow was capable of but he was confident he could handle it. He had just as much experience with Four Arms as he did Diamond…
Unfortunately his self-reassurance was cut short as Grimmjow used his Sonido to appear right in front of Four Arms and punched him right in the gut with enough force to make the mighty alien topple over. Grimmjow took the initiative to unleash a powerful kick that sent Four Arms sprawling to the ground. Just as the tetramand was starting to pick himself, Grimmjow shot forward and began unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks. Four Arms was helpless against the Sixth Espada's ruthless onslaught. Grimmjow was just as powerful as him, and had speed that rivaled XLR8. Said Arrancar finished his barrage with a spin kick that sent Four Arms flying a good distance away, his body eventually smacking into a dune of sand.
…
Lilynette screamed for Ben but it was too muffled by Nakeem's hand to be coherent.
"Ha!" Di Roy sneered. "This is the guy who fought Nnoitra to a standstill? He's pathetic."
"Di Roy," Shawlong chided his comrade. "Grimmjow caught him off guard. While I still doubt he's any match for our king, I'm certain he has more to offer than this."
Di Roy grumbled at being chewed out by Shawlong but nonetheless said nothing as he continued watching.
…
Four Arms groaned as he sat up from the sand. "Whoa. What a headache. His fighting style is completely different than Nnoitra's." He eyed Grimmjow's zanpakuto warily, "And he hasn't even drawn his sword yet. If he's this good in a fistfight, how good is he with a sword?"
Grimmjow had a bored look on his face. "Come on, Tennyson. Don't tell me this is all you got!" Though he did notice that despite the pummeling he just gave Four Arms, the alien didn't really look worse for wear.
Four Arms grinned as he wiped his mouth with one of his lower arms. "Buddy, I'm barely starting."
Grimmjow's face lit up again. "Ha! I knew you couldn't be taken down with just a few hits like that."
Four Arms flexed his muscles. "I may not have some fancy skin-hardening moves like your Hierro, but I can take a lot of punishment."
"Good! I'd hate for this to be over so soon!" He used Sonido again to appear right next to Four Arms, ready for another onslaught…
Only for Four Arms to grab his hand before it could make contact. Grimmjow's eyes widened while Four Arms decided to smirk this time.
"Also," the tetramand said. "I've got really good reflexes."
Four Arms swung Grimmjow overhead, smashing the Espada face first right into the sand. But he didn't get time to do anything before Four Arms swung him again, slamming him into the sand back first. Grinning mischievously, Four Arms hoisted his opponent into the air again, but instead of slamming him into the ground, he twirled Grimmjow like a bola before letting him go, watching the Espada soar through the air before slamming into the ground again.
…
Di Roy gaped but the rest of Grimmjow's Fraccion were more neutral than surprised. Lilynette let out a sigh of relief at seeing that Ben was okay and fighting back.
"See, Di Roy," Edrad said. "The boy is more impressive than you give him credit for."
Yylfordt smirked. "Sure, he's got some moves but Grimmjow still hasn't gone all out. He won't last."
…
That was fun but Four Arms readied himself, strongly doubting that was enough to finish him.
True enough, Grimmjow got back up to his feet, looking more amused than wounded.
"Now that's more like it!" Grimmjow laughed. "You do make good prey, Tennyson."
"Uh…thanks?" Four Arms replied uneasily.
"But just because you got a few good hits in," a red light started forming around Grimmjow's fist "Doesn't mean you can get cocky!" He thrust his arm out as if he was punching, sending what appeared to be a red ball of energy right at Four Arms. The brawling alien's reflexes kicked in and he crossed all four of his arms in front of him. The energy ball struck his arms, blasting him backwards while digging two trenches in the sand.
Four Arms remembered how Starrk told him Arrancar had two kinds of energy blasts. The first was Cero and the other was Bala. It was smaller and weaker than a Cero but it was faster and, as Four Arms just felt, had a lot of concussive force.
Four Arms lowered his hands to see Grimmjow shooting straight at him. He caught the Espada's kick, only for Grimmjow to pivot his body and kick out at Four Arms with his other foot. Unfortunately for the Arrancar, Four Arms grabbed that leg too. Smirking at Grimmjow's wide eyed expression, Four Arms punched him with both of his lower arms, blasting his opponent backwards. Although in pain from the blows, Grimmjow managed to adjust himself, sliding across the desert sand.
He charged up his fists and began unleashing another Bala. Four Arms moved out of the way in the time, only for a second one to come straight at him! This one however, hit the ground near Four Arms, sending him flying thanks to the sheer force of the explosion. The tetramand didn't have enough time to collect because Grimmjow appeared next to him, punching him across the face. Four Arms staggered, which Grimmjow saw as an opening.
But just as he got close enough, he was caught in a bear hug by Four Arms' lower arms. The upper ones reared back, before striking either side of Grimmjow's head. He yelled in pain from the blows. Snarling in anger, he managed to break out of Four Arms' hold with an impressive show of force before tilting back and kicking his opponent right under the chin. This stunned Four Arms long enough for Grimmjow to punch him right in his solar plexus, now it was Four Arms' turn to slide backwards from the sheer force of the blow.
Grimmjow went on the attack again but Four Arms had another trick up his sleeve. He reached back with all four of his arms as far as he could before slamming them together into one big clap. The force of the clap created a powerful shockwave that blasted Grimmjow all the way back to Las Noches. His Fraccion's eyes were wide as they saw their leader slam into the dome's wall.
Four Arms waited with anticipation. Was that it? Was Grimmjow done?
His answer came in the form of a massive red beam shooting straight at him. Grimmjow had fired a Cero!
"Oh boy!" Four Arms crouched down as low as he could, then leaped into the air. His legs were every bit as strong as his arms, and they allowed him to jump right over the Cero before it could hit him.
Unfortunately he had little time to celebrate his accomplishment because as the Cero passed under him, Grimmjow suddenly tackled him. Caught off guard, Four Arms wasn't able to react in time as the Espada grabbed his right lower arm. And with a sinister smile on his face, Grimmjow proceeded to tear the limb right off!
Four Arms roared as blood gushed out of his open wound.
Lilynette thrashed wildly in Nakeem's grasp. She managed to wiggle enough space to open her mouth and bite down hard on her captor's hand. Hissing in pain, Nakeem removed his hand, allow Lilynette to speak again. "Beeeeeen!" She cried as the human she could get along with plummeted to the ground, sand shooting everywhere from the impact of his landing.
Four Arms was in a world of pain right now. Sure he was used to his limbs getting torn off, cut off, shot off, but that happened whenever he was an alien that could grow it back! Four Arms clutched the stump where his arm used to be.
That feral smile still on his face, Grimmjow tossed said disembodied arm to the side. "Those extra arms of yours are a pain in the ass. So I figured I might as well get rid of them."
"You bastard!" Lilynette yelled at him before Nakeem covered her mouth again. She glared bloody murder at him but the bigger Arrancar gave her no mind.
"Now you got 'im, Grimmjow!" Di Roy cheered.
"He still has three arms left," Edrad pointed out. "He's not out of the game yet."
Grimmjow casually made his way over to Four Arms. "Edrad's right. You do still have three arms. I hope losing just one didn't weaken you too bad. Though you might want to call yourself Three Arms now."
Four Arms glared at Grimmjow.
"You're down but you're not out," Grimmjow figured. "Go ahead, turn into a different alien."
Even without his gloating, Ben knew Grimmjow was right. He couldn't risk continuing the fight in this condition. He grabbed the Ultimatrix dial and was engulfed in another flash of light.
Four Arms was gone and in his place was a tall humanoid, plant-like alien with a green and black colored body, a flame-patterned head and root-like feet that looked like they were latching onto rocks. His eyes were oval shaped with points at each end with pupils bearing a similar, yet smaller shape. His shoulders and head had red petals while his elbows and legs sported green frills.
"Hmm," Grimmjow eyed this new alien. "Not bad." Sudden he caught a whiff of a rotting scent, grimacing in disgust. Considering that the smell appeared the same time as Ben's new alien, it wasn't hard to put two and two together. "Ugh, so what's his name? Stinkweed?"
"Hilarious," the new alien muttered in a very nasally, stuffed up voice.
"If you think smelling bad is going to stop me, think again!" Grimmjow shot forward. Unlike before, the new guy didn't even try to defend himself. That suited Grimmjow just fine as he punched right through the plant creature's torso. Lilynette's eyes widened again.
Grimmjow and his Fraccion were certain he had dealt a fatal blow, only for Grimmjow to look up and see his opponent looking surprisingly nonplussed before grinning.
"Sorry, that kinda stuff doesn't bother this guy," he replied before slugging Grimmjow in the face, knocking the Espada back. Grimmjow glared at his opponent, only for his eyes to widen as the gaping hole he put in Ben's torso closed.
"High-speed regeneration?!" Grimmjow exclaimed.
"Yeeaaah, kinda the reason why I picked him. Oh and by the way," Grimmjow's eyes widened as fire suddenly ignited in the plant alien's hands. "This guy's called Swampfire!"
Now it was Grimmjow's turn to be under a barrage as Swampfire began pelting fireball after fireball at him, snarling in pain as the flames scorched him.
…
"What the…?" Di Roy tilted his head in confusion. "A plant creature with fire powers? How does that work?"
"Methane, or something similar," Shawlong noted.
Di Roy looked at him. "Methane?"
"The smell coming from this Swampfire," Edrad said. "This alien has the power to produce a flammable gas, most likely methane, and is capable of igniting it to use fire based attacks. This, combined with the power of high-speed regeneration does make him an admirable foe."
Yylfordt scowled. "This kid's just full of tricks."
…
"I'd say it's time we wrapped this up!" Swampfire said, ending his assault. But before Grimmjow had time to question what the methanosian was doing, Swampfire began throwing seeds at Grimmjow's feet. The Arrancar would've taken the time to mock his opponent for whatever he was trying to do if the seeds hadn't suddenly started growing into massive vines.
"What the…?" Grimmjow said as the vines began wrapping him up. He struggled to break free but Swampfire just kept adding more vines to the ones already constricting around him.
Shawlong narrowed a calculating eye at Swampfire. "So not only does he possess power over fire, he can also control plants produced from the seeds on his body. It can be assumed he is able to control natural plants as well."
"High-speed regeneration, creating flames, controlling plants, and he seems pretty strong," Yylfordt frowned. "Szayelaporro would just love to dissect this guy on one of his operating tables."
Lilynette, despite her predicament, couldn't help but be impressed too. But would this Swampfire's power be enough to stop Grimmjow?
"Dammit!" Grimmjow swore as the vines completely immobilized him. He shot Swampfire an ugly look, though he couldn't help but acknowledge his adversary's skills. "You just keep busting out one trick after another, don't you, Tennyson?"
Swampfire grinned. "Just wait for my next one." He raised his hands and began releasing a green gas from his palms.
…
"Ugh!" Di Roy exclaimed, covering mouth and nose with a hand. "That reeks!"
"So he can actually release the gas too," Shawlong commented. Suddenly his eye shot open as the implications of this dawn on him. "But that means…"
…
Grimmjow's eyes widened as he too had a feeling about what Swampfire was going to do.
Still grinning, Swampfire stopped releasing the gas, having created a sizable amount of the stuff around Grimmjow. Swampfire then raised his hand, snapped his fingers…
And Grimmjow found himself engulfed in an explosion of flame.
All the spectating Arrancar were stunned speechless at Swampfire's latest ability.
Edrad frowned deeply. "All of these abilities, and at one alien's disposal. Indeed, I can see why Lord Aizen would view him as a asset to our cause."
"But what if he turned on us?" Yylfordt pointed out.
"A fair statement, Yylfordt," Shawlong said. "But for now, let's just see what happens here first."
Swampfire looked at the aftermath of his explosion. There were burning remains of his vines everywhere but he had yet to find Grimmjow.
"Huh," Swampfire muttered as he rubbed his head, still looking around. "Maybe I overdid it."
Suddenly Swampfire found an incredible pressure raining down upon his body. Whatever it was, it was incredible, forcing him down to one knee.
"Hey!" he exclaimed. "W-who turned up the gravity?"
The smoke and flames were blown away by a whirlwind kicked up from ground zero, revealing Grimmjow. His skin was burned, his clothes were scorched, and he looked pretty angry. But that's not what got Swampfire's attention. No, what got his attention was the strange blue aura emitted around the Espada's body.
"That's new," Swampfire couldn't help saying at the strange sight.
"Ah, so you are not familiar with spiritual pressure yet," Shawlong noted.
"Spiritual pressure?" Swampfire couldn't help asking.
"We spiritual beings have the ability to release our energy as a physical force outside our bodies," Shawlong explained. "Our raw power, as it were. And depending on the amount of spiritual pressure one has, it can, as you put it, feel as if gravity has increased."
Swampfire scowled at Lilynette. "Would've been really nice to know that."
Lilynette shot him a helpless look and shrugged, or as close as she could.
"Spiritual pressure is also how the Espada are ranked," Shawlong added.
Swampfire stared at him. "Wait, what?" He looked over at Grimmjow. "You mean you guys are just ranked by how much energy you have? Not on your personal skills and abilities?"
"Perhaps Lord Aizen chose to do so for the sake of simplicity," Shawlong said with a shrug. Then he sported a light smirk. "Or maybe he did it so that enemies could underestimate the true capabilities of the Espada."
If Swampfire hadn't realized he was in a tight spot before, he was now. Not that he thought fighting Grimmjow would be easier than fighting Nnoitra just because he was a rank lower, but to learn the ranking had a really flawed method did not comfort him in the slightest.
"Ben Tennyson," Grimmjow said, his voice dangerously low and setting everyone else on edge. "I have to admit, I underestimated you. I thought that just because you could face Nnoitra didn't mean you were a match for me."
Swampfire narrowed his eyes.
"I thought toying with you would be enough, but all it did was let you…make a fool out of me!" Grimmjow's aura flared with more power and Swampfire felt the pressure increase on him.
"I guess," Grimmjow's hand went to his sword, "It's time to stop playing around. He drew his sword, a blue handle katana with a sort of crooked S for a crossguard.
Lilynette's eyes widened. Out of all the Espada, Grimmjow was the one who favored hand-to-hand combat the most, but he was just as deadly with a sword as they were. And when he finally got around to using it…
Shawlong noticed the smaller Arrancar's distressed look and smiled. "So you've come to the same conclusion as we all have." Lilynette's eyes darted toward him. "This fight is over now."
"Still," Di Roy said. "Tennyson got Grimmjow to draw his blade. He only does that against foes who really impress him."
"Ben Tennyson should consider it a great honor that he is to be taken down by Grimmjow's sword," Edrad said.
"Heh," Yylfordt chuckled. "This is the end."
Lilynette looked back at Swampfire. She was surprised at how concerned she was for this human who just came into their midst, and hoped against hope that he had some kind of trick that would get him out of this mess.
Grimmjow darted at Swampfire, who unleashed jets of flames from his hands, only for Grimmjow to disappear. The next thing the methanosian knew, something cleaved through his middle. His body split in two, both halves hitting the ground. Pushing his upper half up, Swampfire turned his head to see Grimmjow standing behind him. Swampfire scowled as vines from his upper body started reaching out towards his lower body.
"Huh," Grimmjow said, noticing this. "So you can also put yourself back together if you're cut up. Must be nice, being able to heal yourself like that. But I wonder…" Grimmjow sliced through Swampfire's neck, the hero's decapitated head face-planted into the ground. "How much you can recover from?!"
And so Grimmjow began hacking away at his body, slicing through his plant body even as it tried to heal itself from the injuries. But he couldn't regenerate fast enough at the rate Grimmjow was attacking. Needless to say, Grimmjow was pleased to know this.
"Now," Grimmjow raised his hand and began gathering energy for a Cero. "I wonder if you can regenerate from being completely obliterated!"
Lilynette thrashed harder than ever, kicking and screaming into Nakeem's hand. This couldn't be the end. It just couldn't be. She had come to see Ben as something like a friend. He couldn't die now! But all hope seemed lost. Even if Swampfire managed to regenerate in time, Lilynette doubted he could survive a point blank Cero, especially since it would ignite the methane in his body.
Grimmjow had that deranged look on his face as he prepared to fire. "Goodbye, Ben Tenny…"
But he was cut short as something struck his side, sending him flying away from Swampfire's remains, smacking into the ground. Angry at the unexpected interference, Grimmjow struggled to sit up. His eyes narrowed and a growl escaped his lips when he saw who had stopped him.
"Well, well," Nnoitra sneered, hoisting his weapon over his shoulder. "I was wondering what could be causing your spiritual pressure to flare up so badly, Grimmjow. And I find you deciding to get acquainted with Tennyson."
Grimmjow clenched his fists. Of all the people to stop him from establishing his dominance…
Nnoitra chuckled. "Let me guess, Grimmjow. You didn't like all those rumors about Tennyson being better than you and the other weaker Espada, so you decided to deal with Tennyson yourself."
"Damn you," Grimmjow muttered under his breath.
Nnoitra just gave a huge grin. "But you see, Tennyson and I haven't finished our fight. So I can't have you defeating him before I can."
"You bastard!" Grimmjow got to his feet.
"Gotta say though," Nnoitra looked Grimmjow's body over with amusement. "Tennyson sure did a number on you. Maybe there's some truth to those rumors after all."
"What?!" Grimmjow bellowed. "I would have won if you hadn't interfered!"
"Oh please," Nnoitra scoffed. "Seems to me you only would've won because Tennyson chose the wrong alien, not because you were better."
"What did you say?!" Grimmjow yelled.
Nnoitra looked over at the pile of weeds that started growing together and meshing into a slightly humanoid shape. "A plant alien with regeneration powers, eh? Hmm. I wonder," Nnoitra started lifting his blade up.
Grimmjow was absolutely livid now. "Don't you dare, Nnoitra!"
"Why not?" Nnoitra asked him mockingly. "In this condition, Tennyson's helpless. Might as well finish him off while he's like this."
"Why you...!" Grimmjow raised his blade, ready to attack.
"That will be enough, Grimmjow, Nnoitra,"
Grimmjow, his Fraccion, and Nnoitra froze when they saw Tōsen and Starrk approaching them. Nakeem quickly released Lilynette, who took the time to kick him in the shin before running to join Starrk's side.
Grimmow swore under his breath. "Tōsen."
By then, Swampfire had fully regenerated. The methanosian rubbed his head in annoyance. "Oh, man. Now I know what it feels like to get put through a blender." Then he noticed there were a few more people out here than before. "Tōsen? Starrk? Nnoitra?"
Tōsen did not react to Swampfire, focusing entirely on Grimmjow. "Did you think your actions would go unnoticed simply by being outside Las Noches, Grimmjow? You assaulted our guest and risked killing him. How can you possibly justify your actions?"
Swampfire said nothing as he changed back into his human form, though he and Grimmjow locked eyes. "Tch," Grimmjow looked away, a bored and uncaring look on his face. Tōsen grit his teeth at the blatant disrespect. "We were just having a spar and I guess I got carried away." But his tone indicated that he wasn't even trying to lie. And of course nobody believed him for a second.
Tōsen, in particular, was livid. Trying to kill someone while passing it off as a mere spar? He decided to really drive the nail in this time. "Lord Aizen is very upset."
That got a reaction. Grimmjow and his Fraccion all paled at this news. Lilynette shot them a smug smile, while Starrk remained indifferent. Ben crossed his arms, waiting to see what Grimmjow would do next.
Grimmjow became sour when he realized there was no way out of this. "Fine," he growled.
Tōsen nodded. "I'll leave Ben Tennyson in your care, Starrk. I hope you will keep a closer eye on him in the future."
Starrk looked at the ground guiltily. Whether or not it was because Ben had been in harm's way or because he let Aizen down was hard to tell. Tōsen turned around and started heading back towards Las Noches. Seeing they had no other choice, Grimmjow and his Fraccion followed after him. Grimmjow shot Ben a parting look. Much like with Nnoitra, Ben knew this was far from over.
Once Grimmjow and his Fraccion left, Starrk faced Ben.
"Sorry about that," he muttered, scratching his head. "I should've known Grimmjow would pull something like this."
"If I hadn't gotten caught, Ben would never have had to fight Grimmjow," Lilynette admitted.
"I doubt it," Ben said, bringing everyone's attention back to him. "Grimmjow's like Nnoitra, right? Doing whatever it takes to get his way?"
"That's for sure," Starrk said.
"And simply ignoring him wouldn't work," Ben continued, thinking about how vicious the Sixth Espada was. "He would do whatever it took to get me to fight him. Even if you hadn't been there, Lilynette, he probably would've ambushed me or something." He looked over at Nnoitra, who was eyeing him and grinning. Ben still didn't like the guy but hey, he was nothing if not grateful.
"I doubt you were doing it to be nice but thanks," Ben said.
Nnoitra just rolled his eye. "If anyone's taking you down, Tennyson, it's me. Grimmjow will just have to find some other prey." His grin got bigger. "And if he doesn't, I'll gladly remind him."
Ben grimaced as Nnoitra started walking back to Las Noches as well. So far the majority of the people here were simply charming.
"Ben," Starrk said to the hero. "For the time being I want you to stay in our chambers. Never go anywhere in Las Noches unless I'm with you."
Under normal circumstances, Ben would have argued that he could look after himself. But his fight with Grimmjow caused him to realize that he better lay low for the time being.
"Alright," he relented.
Starrk nodded. "Now come on. Let's go back."
"Yeah," Lilynette said, in an uncharacteristically quiet and subdued tone. She was still pretty guilt driven over how Ben got in his predicament. Ben saw this and put a hand on Lilynette's shoulder. The little Arrancar flinched at first before looking up at Ben, who gave her a warm smile.
"I'm fine, Lilynette. Like I said, Grimmjow probably would've done something else if he didn't threaten you. So don't blame yourself."
Lilynette sighed. She still blamed herself but she decided to take Ben's advice. "Okay."
Ben smiled before continuing his way back to Las Noches. Starrk lagged behind to speak to Lilynette.
"Never thought you'd get so close to a human," he noted. "Especially one you've just met."
For once, Lilynette didn't lash out at him, something that Starrk noticed, and was grateful for.
"I don't know," she said quietly. "At first I was just curious about him. He was different, he was new. But he's also really nice and actually kinda fun to hang around."
"We Arrancar aren't used to things like kindness and having fun. Maybe that's what draws you to him," Starrk guessed.
Lilynette tilted her head at Starrk's theory before looking back at the ground. "Maybe."
…
Later that day, night, whatever it was, Ben, Starrk, and Lilynette were all in the First Espada's palace. Nobody said anything, just sat around, trying to find some way to pass the time. Although Starrk was lying down on his pillows, he was wide awake and staring at the ceiling, more alert than ever.
Ben was sitting against the wall, replaying the day's events over in his head, which he considered a wake-up call. The Arrancar were a lot more dangerous than he had given them credit for. So Ben decided it was best for him to plan ahead in case this sort of thing happened again. And he had a really strong feeling it would. He was also grateful to Azmuth for upgrading the Ultimatrix, having an equally strong feeling that he'd need to use it to the limit in case any of the other Espada were just as bad as Grimmjow and Nnoitra. He gave Ulquiorra and Baraggan more concern since they were the most powerful alongside Starrk and Harribel.
Speaking of Azmuth's upgrades, Ben blinked as he realized something that hadn't occurred to him due to all the excitement. What were the odds that he would get sent to another universe almost immediately after Azmuth upgraded the Ultimatrix? Did Azmuth know this was going to happen to him? Were the upgrades done solely for when Ben came here? If that was the case, then why didn't Azmuth warn him or at least say something more helpful than a simple "Take care of yourself"?
Ben vowed that he would have a long talk with the Galvan once he got home.
Just then the door to Starrk's chamber opened, drawing the attention of the room's occupants. Though they were all stunned to see none other than Aizen at the door.
"L-lord Aizen," Starrk stuttered, shifting around to stand up only to freeze when Aizen raised his hand.
"No need for that, Starrk," The lord of Las Noches said. "Stay as you are. I simply wish to have a talk with Ben here."
Well this was rather unexpected. Ben thought he would have sent some messenger to get him, not come in person. But then again, having gotten into a fight with two of his warriors in quick succession was a serious enough reason.
"Of course, Lord Aizen," Starrk said. Everyone looked at Ben now, waiting for his reaction.
"Sure," Ben said, after realizing the spotlight was on him now.
Aizen smiled. "Wonderful. Walk with me, Ben."
Ben shoved his hands into his pockets as he followed the ruler of Las Noches out of the room and into the hallway. Ben wasn't sure where they were going but he took this time to start memorizing everything he could. Sure he was annoyed at easily one could get lost in a place like this but it was actually a piece of cake compared to the Perplexahedron. At least Las Noches didn't have death traps.
Or did it?
"Ben, I would like to apologize," Aizen said and Ben was not expecting the truly remorseful tone in his voice. Things got worse when Aizen turned his head to look at him with a guilt-stricken face.
"Uh," was all Ben could say.
"Despite being taken from your home, your loved ones, you offered to help me stop Soul Society, and my Espada have repaid your kindness by trying to harm you," Aizen pinched the bridge of his nose. "I thought it was only Nnoitra that I needed to worry about, which is why I wasn't too concerned. But now I find Grimmjow acting behind my back and attempting to kill you." He looked at Ben almost pleadingly. "I have been a horrible host to you and for that, I am deeply sorry. I would not blame you if you wished to have nothing more to do with us. While I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, if you do not wish to fight the Soul Society, then you don't have to. I'm sure I can find shelter for you in the world of the living until we have dealt with them. Then I will come back for you and help you find a way home."
Ben did his best not to let his frustration show. Aizen was so…different from how he acted when they first met. What brought about this sudden personality change?
Aizen gave a small smile. "No doubt you're curious as to my change in behavior." He chuckled as Ben made a face at his mind yet again being read. "It's perfectly understandable. Quite the contrast to how I was when you first met you." Aizen sighed. "The reason for my demeanor is because it's necessary for me to keep the Arrancar in line."
Ben tilted his head at this answer. "How come?"
"Because while there are Arrancar such as Harribel and Starrk, who leave well enough alone, most only respect power," Aizen explained. "As you could not doubt tell due to how so many of my soldiers have treated you with hostility. I must appear aloof and cold in order for the majority to listen. Even though I helped them become more human-like, their bestial nature does not fully go away."
"Law of the jungle," Ben figured. "Survival of the fittest."
Aizen smiled in admiration. "Very good, Ben. That is exactly the mindset of Hueco Mundo."
Ben sighed as he scratched his head. Not that the clemency made the situation any better. Could he really be able to work with people so anxious to kill him?
"So, Ben," Aizen said. "About my offer? What do you choose?"
Ben looked Aizen square in the eye. He still didn't fully trust Aizen and while it was dangerous to say here, at the same time staying in Las Noches was the only way to keep an eye on whatever was really going on. Besides, if innocent lives did hang in the balance, Ben couldn't just turn his back on them. Regardless of the risks, he was going to stick it out.
"I'll stay," He said finally. "I'm used to people trying to kill me back home. Just another day in the life of Ben Tennyson." Sad how true that statement really was.
Aizen's face was full of relief. "While I would have respected your decision either way, I am grateful you chose to remain here." He put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "I have a feeling that together, there is nothing we can't accomplish."
That didn't really make Ben feel any better.
"Of course," Aizen said, taking his hand off Ben's shoulder. "If you're going to fight Soul Reapers, you deserve to know how they fight. So I will have Tōsen train you."
"What, really?" Ben asked in surprise.
Aizen nodded. "Now Soul Reapers have their own unique abilities, which Tōsen will explain to you during your training, but I have a feeling that once you have a basic understanding, you'll be ready for them."
Ben gave Aizen a half-hearted smile at that. "Hopefully."
"Well, I'll leave you to it, Ben. Get some rest. You'll need it for when Tōsen comes for you. And good luck," With that, Aizen left.
Ben watched him leave before making his way back to Starrk's chambers. So he was going to be taught how to fight Soul Reapers. He had wondered what they could do and now he was going to find out.
…
"So what did Lord Aizen want?" Lilynette asked once Ben returned.
"He wanted to apologize about what happened with Grimmjow," Ben said. "And he offered me the chance to back out if I wanted to."
"What did you say?" Starrk asked.
"I'm sticking around," Ben replied.
Starrk and Lilynette were surprised he'd be willing to say. But Starrk simply shrugged. If Ben wanted to stay, then he wanted to stay, simple as that. On the other hand, Lilynette smiled. She didn't want Ben to leave just yet. He was making Las Noches interesting and she wasn't looking forward to it getting boring again so soon.
The three were startled by a sudden knocking at Starrk's door.
"Now who could that be?" Ben asked aloud as he answered the door. He took a step back when it turned out to be none other than Harribel and her Fraccion. While Harribel looked Ben directly in the eye, her Fraccion seemed more interested in looking off to the side or at their feet.
"Uh, hi, Harribel," Ben greeted, looking back at Starrk and Lilynette, who were just as confused by the Third Espada's presence as he was.
"Hello, Ben Tennyson," Harribel replied before looking over at Starrk and nodding respectfully. Starrk returned the gesture.
"What brings you here, Harribel?" Starrk questioned.
"We heard about what happened," Harribel explained. "I wondered whether or not Grimmjow would try to pull something like this, especially after all the rumors regarding Ben being more powerful than Espada 6 through 10."
Ben frowned as he crossed his arms. "So he tried to kill me just to prove he was better."
"But why did you have such a hard time against him when you were able to fight Nnoitra evenly?" Mila Rose spoke, looking at Ben for the first time since she got here.
"I underestimated Grimmjow," Ben explained to her. "I had a feeling he loved to fight but I didn't expect him to be that vicious." His eyes were full of determination. "It won't happen again."
Everyone could tell that Ben wasn't saying this out of arrogance, of course since he could just use another alien to fight Grimmjow, his confidence was not unfounded.
"But for now," Starrk spoke up. "I'm gonna have to keep a closer eye on him to make sure Grimmjow and Nnoitra don't pull anything else."
"Maybe if you're lucky, they'll decide to fight each other first to see who gets to fight you," Sung-Sun suggested.
"That'd make things easier," Ben said as he rubbed his head, then he noticed Harribel's gaze on him, making him very slightly uncomfortable. He was just about to ask her if something was wrong only for her to speak first.
"It sounds like you could use some more allies," she crossed her arms. "My Fraccion and I will help you in any way we can."
Everybody present stared at her.
"Lady Harribel?" Apacci asked with surprise and confusion.
"Ben Tennyson has been torn from his home, forced into a world he knows nothing about, participating in a war that has nothing to do with him, and those he is supposed to fight beside are trying to harm him," Harribel explained. "Besides, we are indebted to him. Helping is the least we can do."
Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun all shifted uncomfortably. Whether it was because Harribel wanted them to help a human, or because they didn't like being reminded over how Ben saved them, he wasn't sure.
"Well, thanks," Ben said to Harribel, before smiling at her. "I'll try not to be a burden."
"Hmm," Harribel said in reply before turning around to leave. Her Fraccion shot one last look at Ben, almost apologetically, before following their leader.
"Huh," Ben said after a minute of silence following their departure. "What a day."
At least Ben knew he had some friends (sort of) in this place. And he appreciated them wanting to help keep those like Grimmjow and Nnoitra off his back until he could think of a way to deal with them on his own. He also needed to find a way to see if Aizen really was legit about all the things he said.
And who was he to turn down the company of four very attractive, albeit dangerous, ladies?
"OW!" He suddenly cried out when something smacked him upside his head. Ben turned to face the perpetrator; an irritated Lilynette. "Don't let it go to your head," she grumbled before stomping off.
Ben stared at her in confusion as he rubbed his sore noggin. He looked over Starrk for clarification but the first Espada just shrugged uncaringly.
"What a day," Ben said again.
Well, everyone. I'm sorry about the delay. Aside from my job and numerous days with lack of sleep, I kept making rewriting chapter, so that hampered my progress.
I also hope this fight scene made up for how short the last one was. The fight with Nnoitra was meant to test the waters. I wanted the fight with Grimmjow to be a wake-up call. I personally feel he's the better over-all fighter between him and Nnoitra, despite being technically weaker. And the manga has shown that he's more than willing to do brutal stuff like tearing off people's limbs, like what he did to Loly. Also, in Ben 10, it's been shown that Swampfire's regeneration is hindered when if he's being attacked too fast to heal from. Grimmjow was a pretty perceptive guy during his fights with Ichigo so it stands to reason he'd be able to at least guess Swampfire's drawbacks.
Don't worry though, I'll make sure Ben gets to kick butt with both Four Arms and Swampfire in the future.
For those of you worried that Ben will only have three arms if he ever turned into Four Arms again, don't worry. I don't think the DNA is affected by loss of limbs so the next time Ben turns into Four Arms, he'll have all of his arms back. I am well aware that Ben's condition reflects the condition of his aliens but since Ben never lost any of his limbs in human form, his aliens should be fine.
That reminds me of a little nitpick from the series. When Ben turned into Swampfire when he had a broken arm, said arm was shriveled up and caused him pain. And in the episode where Gwen had created an alternate timeline, Ben had turned into Swampfire after being tortured by Hex yet was still in great pain? Why didn't he heal those times? Does his regeneration only restore and regrow but not actually heal? Or did the writer's not bother taking that into consideration?
I gotta admit, it's tougher to write Aizen than I thought, especially since I'm trying to make him put an effort in deceiving Ben. Since we all know what he's really like, I felt it more comfortable to write him that way. But at the same time, I can't see Ben willingly help a guy with Aizen's usual personality unless under very extreme circumstances. So I should have written it that Aizen was trying to be more welcoming and friendly from the get-go. I know Aizen's claim about acting to keep the Arrancar in line is a bit contrived but I brought that on myself. Having been rewatching Gargoyles, I took interest in the character David Xanatos, who I believe is a better manipulator than Aizen simply because he knows when to be smug and when to act more humane, so I'm using him as inspiration.
It's taken me awhile but I have started getting back into writing more Ben 10 stories. I may not like what the series has done to itself, but I still love the concept. I already have a few ideas for more crossovers (one being a possible Ben 10/Fate/Stay Night crossover) but I won't act on them until I get further in Bleach: Ultimate Alien. I'm also hoping to write a few fics where Ben gets the Biomnitrix because I always liked fusion and combining powers. Think it comes from watching Dragon Ball Z, Steven Universe, and Transformers so much.
I'm also thinking about trying my hand at AU fics where somebody other than Ben gains the Omnitrix. But all that in due time.
Anyway, that's all I have for now. See you all next chapter.
