Authors Notes: Hi all and heres the next chapter to Heroes of Power we have entered the portal arc at last. Now this will be a three part section of the story and we start with Ben and Rook's side of things. For this chapter I have taken inspiration from the classic Ben 10 series as well as other elements to piece this together. So without further delay lets jump right in!
Ben 10 (c) Cartoon Network
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (c) Dreamworks Animation
:A Perfect Day 2.0:
Bens POV:
All I could see in front of me was light, then it faded to see, nothing but smoke and sounds of metal hitting the floor. I mean seriously it looked like the whole place was collapsing around me. All I could see was it looked like I was in a lab of some kind.
"Ben! Adora!" I heard Rooks voice calling through the smoke.
"We're all good partner!" I replied back and by the sound of my voice I was Chromastone but I still didn't know what was going on. But as I looked through the smoke I heard a sound *PIERCE!* It sounded like metal piercing something, I got through the smoke and I saw some people in front of a sword stuck in some kind of machine. One was a girl with blonde hair and the other was some kind of cat girl and it looked like she'd stabbed the other. So…why was I feeling horrified and shocked.
"Hey Adora." The cat girl said which told me the girl she stabbed was named Adora.
"ADORA! NO!" I yelled and I rushed over to her but then a flash of light changed my view to us looking at that cat girl she was, holding a lever of some kind.
"Please stop!" I heard Adora cry and I had my energy blast trained on the cat girl I felt angry like she was doing something bad.
""If you do this." I said "It'll be on your conscience for the rest of your life!"
"This. Time …" the cat girl tightly gripped the lever. "I WIN!" she pulled the lever.
"NO!" Both me and Adora cried and everything was consumed in a bright light.
POV ENDs:
Bens eyes shot open and he shot up screaming and sweating from his brow. Though something was different he was wearing a green shirt and black pants and it looked like he was in bed. He breathed heavily as he looked around he was…In his bedroom on was daytime with sunlight shining through the windows showing a little clutter in his room.
"Hey Ben." He was startled as he turned to see. Kai on his right and she was in bed with him in a long red shirt and her hair down.
"K..Kai?" Ben questioned.
"Hey you okay you look like you've just seen a ghost?" Kai asked him as he looked around and then to his wrist and he saw the Omnitrix was back to its more watch looking form.
"H…how did I get here?" Ben asked.
"Uh you fell asleep in your room?" Kai chuckled before she gave him a peck on the cheek and proceeded to get out of bed"did you hit your head or something?"
"N..No I I had a strange dream." Ben voiced as he got up as well sitting on the bed. "I..I was in some lab and Rook was there and we were on a planet with…with princesses and magic swords."
Kai had finished tying her hair in a pony tail when she looked at him with a teasing look. "Oh really? Is there something you wanna tell me?"
"Oh no no nothing like that!" Ben blushed rather embarrassed thinking Kai had got the wrong idea. "But it…it felt so real and I feel like…that there's something I needed to do."
His girlfriend then sat down on the bed with him and hugged his arm. "Ben you're doing way too much heroics. You're here home with me. There's nothing else you need to do. Everything is perfect the way it is."
Ben had to admit she did have a point he was home, and he had the one he loved by his side. Nothing else mattered in the world. "Yeah, it is perfect." He said as he leaned his head on his girlfriends and shared this tender moment. Yet he didn't notice the Omnitrix briefly glitch to a more bracelet looking device before it glitches back to a watch.
Hours later:
Ben and Kai were fully dressed, him in his black and green football shirt, brown pants and his green and white sneakers as they headed into the kitchen, where they found Kevin, Gwen and his parents at the breakfast table.
"Ben hey good morning!" Gwen greeted her cousin.
"About time you got up Tennyson." Kevin greeted. "By the way nice cut."
"Huh?" Ben asked as he looked in the fridge door and his reflection in it. He saw he had a scar over his right eye just on his eyebrow. "What the when the heck did this happen?" He asked.
"Oh yeah you got that after your last fight with Dr Animo and his three headed cat mutant you could say it didn't go down quietly." Gwen said. "But we managed to heal you up good as new."
"Or as best you can be." Kevin joked.
"Ha ha your one to joke chin scar!" Ben joked at the 'x' shaped scar on Kevins chin to which Gwen couldn't help but laugh.
"Okay okay settle down you two." Ben turned and saw his grandfather Max Tennyson and he was- cooking breakfast.
"Grandpa Max!" Ben exclaimed and he just rushed to hug him immediately.
"Whoa whoa what's this for?" Max chuckled.
"I…I'm just really glad to see you." Ben said.
"But you saw me yesterday at the shop." Max said a little confused. Though he didn't really know why he felt happy, he looked around at his family and it was as if he hadn't seen his family in months.
"Y..yeah I did." Ben said.
"Well come on son let your grandfather breath." Carl said to him and Ben went to sit at the dinner table, but not before he gave his mother and father a long and large hug, and no-one seemed to notice the tear in his eyes. In any case he sat down between Kevin and Kai. Just then the door opened in the house, and everyone looked to see Rook in the doorway in his blue Proto-tech armour.
"Good morning everyone." Rook greeted.
"Hey partner glad you could join us!" Ben greeted.
"Yes apologies for my late arrival I had to pick up Shar from the Academy after her graduation." Rook smiled as appearing next to him was his sister Rook Shar in her Plumbers uniform with her own Proto Tool. And next to her was Rayona who held her beloveds arm.
"Yes it was a long and enjoyable ceremony." Rayona said. "But Blonko insisted you would not mind."
"Yep defiantly sounds like him." Kevin smirked.
"Congrats on being a Plumber Shar and nice Proto tool, like brother like sister." Ben complimented.
"Yes and like my brother I look forward to defending the universe and kicking the butt of alien lowlives!" Shar said proudly.
"Well come on breakfast is ready and I hope you hungry." Max smiled as he was serving up breakfast.
"Yeah hold your nose and kiss your tastebuds goodbye." Ben whispered to everyone at the table as Rook, his sister and girlfriend joined them at the breakfast table.
However much to his surprise, the breakfast that was served wasn't anything involving tentacles or insects of any kind it was normal American styled eggs and bacon. Ben honestly couldn't believe his eyes.
"W..what?" Ben gasped. "Uh Grandpa are you okay?" He asked.
"Perfect never been better son why do you ask?" Max asked him.
"Well you usually serve something like a deep fried tentacle or even worms that were marinated in something." Ben voiced.
"Not today just good old fashioned american bacon and eggs I figured you deserved a proper breakfast for a job well done, same to you Rook." Max said to his grandson.
"Uh what job?" Ben asked.
"Yes Magister Tennyson what job are you referring to?" Rook also said confused.
"Okay where have you two been these days?" Gwen asked.
"Yeah you guys went on a mission into deep space because of some anomalies." Kai explained.
"But when you got there you found nothing it was a false alarm." Kevin said "Someone should tell the Plumbers they need their sensors upgraded."
"You two came home heroes, and just in time for Gwendolyn's summer break." Sandra told them.
"Oh and of course there's another reason for celebration right dad?" Carl said.
"Thats right son, its also a chance to celebrate Ben I mean it is your eighteenth birthday." Max said which surprised Ben a lot.
Ben was confused for a moment but then realised. "Oh yeah that mission yeah we so did that. And my birthday I guess I kinda forgot that?"
"Yes quite true it was an interesting exploration even if we did not find anything." Rook agreed. "I suppose we lost track of how long we have been gone."
"But what is important is that you are home and safe." Rayona said. "Everything is perfect." Suddenly Rayona glitched and in her place was Perfuma which was a big surprise to Rook who was this girl and why was she there.
"Rook." She asked then glitched back to Rayona. "Blonko…are you okay?"
The Revonnahgander Plumber shook his head as he snapped back to reality. "Ah..n..nothing Rayona nothing at all. "All is as it should be."
"Well come on lets as the humans say dig in." Shar suggested.
"The kids right cant let a good breakfast go to waste." Kevin agreed and so everyone enjoyed a surprisingly well made breakfast. Good laughs and joyful times were shared by all and to Ben everything was perfect. Though a part of him couldn't help but wonder if he'd seen this somewhere before.
Sometime later Ben and Rook were now out on patrol in the Proto Truck in its truck mode combing the streets. The city of Bellwood was buzzing with life and just then a little girl looked at the Max's Plumbing truck that was passing by.
"Hey look thats Ben 10!" She cried and soon everyone looked.
"Yeah thats Ben Tennyson!"
"Go Ben!"
"Alright Ben 10!" Everyone cheered and Ben took in every minute of it as they drove by.
"Hey hey no problem folks just doing my job, don't forget to follow my socials!" Ben called as they drove away from the ongoing paparazzi.
"You enjoy that sometimes do you not?" Rook questioned.
"Hey what can I say partner when your a superhero your paparazzi bait." Ben said.
"Well if my time with you has taught me anything is to except that." Rook smiled.
"Hey your just as much a hero too Rook, it wouldn't hurt to enjoy the spot light a little." Ben said to him.
"As officers of the Plumbers we still need to keep ourselves alert and not be distracted by time in your uh…spot light." Rook said. "But it is good to relax for a while."
"And thats why we're partners pal we help each other and you help focus me when it counts." Ben smiled.
His partner nodded in agreement and as they drove along things were a little quiet and Ben looked a little lost in thought. Something Rook soon caught onto. "I sense something is troubling you partner."
"Oh huh it's nothing Rook." Ben said but groaned a little. "Okay maybe there is something, do…do you ever get the feeling like we should be doing something important but you can't think what it is?"
"I will admit, this morning I did have that same feeling." Rook said. "Like something happened, and we are obligated to fix it."
"Whatever it is." Ben wondered aloud as he saw the cityscape passing by and as he looked out the window. Just then when they were passing by three people one with blonde hair and the other with dark skin and thick hair with a heart tattoo on his arm, the other was a girl with pink hair. They looked like a strange group but then the scene glitched to show them as different people one was dressed like a princess in purple, the other an archer and the third was the girl he saw in his dreams. He was surprised and then.
"Mara…." A voice echoed around him. "Etheria…." Just then the blonde haired girl looked at him right in the eyes.
"Find me." Her voice spoke. "Ben…"
"BEN!" He was snapped out of his trance. "Huh huh uh what what's up?" He asked his partner.
"Did you not hear what I said?" He said with urgency.
"What what Rook what is it?" Ben asked.
"We may have trouble look!" Rook pointed out to him and they saw smoke coming out of a building that looked more like a warehouse.
"Hey thats Mr Baumans place!" Ben exclaimed.
"Indeed and judging by the destruction this could only be the work of some lowlives." Rook realised.
"When is it never." Ben rolled his eyes.
Inside Bauman's place, the whole establishment was in complete chaos with both aliens and human civilians fleeing for their lives. The culprits behind all this were Bubble Helmet, Liam and Thunder Pig they were sticking up Mr Baumans shop and holding Mr Bauman himself hostage.
"Alright Bauman hand over the Tayden's or we're really gonna have to bring the heat!" Bubbles demanded aiming his laser baton at him.
"Okay okay okay please I'll get you what you want!" Mr Bauman panicked as he reached for the cash box but before anything else happened.
"Freeze scum!" Called a voice and the three thugs turned round and saw Ben and Rook standing before them the latter aiming his Proto-Tool at the criminals.
"Red spots!" Thunder Pig exclaimed.
"BWARK!" Liam squarked. "Tennyson!"
"Come on fellas you didn't think that wouldn't get my attention." Ben said. "Man Psyphon needs to hire better thugs."
"You!" Thunderpig growled rather vengefully. "Finally I will have revenge for what you did to my father!"
"Oh for god sakes Thunderpig for the last time I didn't eat your father!" Ben exclaimed.
"Wait he what?" Liam squawked in shock.
"Ben did you eat a criminals father?" Rook questioned.
"Are you being serious no I didn't! I don't even know his father!" Ben exclaimed.
"REVENGE!" Thunderpig jumped immediately into a fight swinging his energy flail surging with red energy.
"I won't even ask." Bubbles shook his head but never the less drew his batons and charged in as Liam sharpened his arm blades.
The two heroes saw the thugs rushing towards them. "Okay that awkward moment aside." Ben said as he activated the Omnitrix and selected an alien. "ITS HERO TIME!" With one slam of the dial Ben was now transformed into Shocksquatch.
Bubbles swung his energy batons and they fired shot after shot towards the heroes. Rook quickly shifted his Proto Tool into an energy shield to block the incoming energy attacks. Liam swooped in slashing his arm blades at Rook who ducked and flipped to avoid them and quickly formed his Proto Staff to block another blade strike from above.
Thunderpig swings his mace at Shocksquatch who blocked his mace strike that surged with energy that the Gimlinopithecus was able to absorb it.
"My retribution is at hand you cannot thwart Thunderpig! I am a warrior!" Thunderpig snarled.
"The only thing I see a guy who watches way too many reruns of Thundercats eh!" Shocksquatch cracked as he delivered an energised upper cut blasting Thunderpig straight into the air and sent crashing into one of the shelves in the store.
"Ooops!" Shocksquatch cringed realising this could be another entry in the Benledger.
Liam slashed at Rook who blocked every strike with his Proto-Staff before he twirled it and landed an uppercut strike right on Liams lower beak pushing him back. Suddenly Rook flipped back to avoid incoming laser blasts from Bubble Helmet's swinging laser batons. Rook quickly changed his staff into the Proto-Bow and fires three arrows at Bubbles who swiftly dodges them, only for Rook to fire a fourth arrow striking him right in his helmet shattering it like glass. "GAH! NO!" Bubbles cried as he couldn't breath well without his helmet.
"Hey anyone up for fried calamari eh?!" Bubbles turned to meet an electrified kick from Shocksquatch and he was sent crashing into a basket of stock that was sent crashing to the ground.
"Feel the wrath of THUNDERPIG!" Thunderpig yelled charging towards his enemies swinging his energy mace.
"Sheesh mello dramatic.." Just then Shocksquatch noticed how Thunderpig suddenly glitched and in his place was Scorpia charging into battle. "Much?" He breathed in shock he couldn't help but wonder if he'd seen her before.
"Find her!" Scorpia yelled before it glitched back to Thunderpig charging at him.
"BEN!" Rook cried and quickly fired an energy snare from his Proto-Tool trapping the villains arms and legs and shocked to the ground.
"Huh what?" Shocksquatch finally snapped to attention.
"Ben are you alright?" Rook asked him in concern. The Gimlinopithecus looked to him very confused but none the less.
"Y…yeah yeah I'm okay partner..I…I just thought I saw…." Shocksquatch pondered but then the Omnitrix sounded timing out and reverting him back to Ben. He looked at the Omnitrix and just noticed it glitched to a bracelet looking device before glitching back again.
"Huh what…" Ben wondered. "Whew thanks for the help boys." They then looked to Mr Bauman who surprisingly looked grateful for their help.
"Our pleasure Mr Bauman it is our duty to serve and protect." Rook said.
"Yeah and uh sorry about the mess I guess that's another one for the Benledger huh?" Ben said in some regret.
"Oh don't worry about it Ben, these things happen. I'll soon have everything right as rain again." Bauman said to him happily.
To say Ben was surprised was an understatement. "What? But your usually ticked when your store gets trashed?"
"Trust me my boy, if you two hadn't shown up when you did those alien thugs would've done a whole lot more damage if you get what I mean." Bauman said.
"Uh yeah I guess so." Ben said.
"But at the very least let us help in cleaning up the damages." Rook suggested.
"Of course by all means." Bauman said happily. "That'll make things perfect." He said as he walked in the back to get some cleaning up done.
However, Ben was feeling unsure about that. He was glad Mr Bauman wasn't mad about the mess, but something didn't feel right. "Perfect. Yeah." Ben said. Suddenly the whole scene glitched without their knowledge and soon he and Rook were sat at a table at Mr Smoothies.
"Huh what?!" Ben said surprised. "How'd we get here?"
"We drove here in the truck." He looked to see Rook at the table with him.
"But weren't we gonna help Mr Bauman clean up the store?" Ben questioned.
"Ben I do not understand we did that an earth hour ago?" Rook said confused.
The Omnitrix bearer was completely perplexed to him it felt like seconds ago. But he did remember fixing up the shop even though he didn't remembered doing anything.
"Y…yeah we did that." Ben said as he took a sip of his smoothy and it sure tasted good.
"Ben are you okay?" Rook asked seeing his confused look.
"Uh yeah yeah I'm good I just…I don't know maybe I'm just seeing things." Ben wondered. But once again the Omnitrix glitched without him noticing.
"Blonko my son!" Called a familiar voice and the two looked to see Rooks family Rook Da, Rook Bralla and siblings Rook Shim, Rook Shi and Rook Ben were here on Earth.
"Father, Mother, wha…what are you all doing here on Earth?" Rook said very surprised.
"We decided it was time to visit Earth to see all what you spoke of." Rook Bralla explained.
"Indeed and to congratulate Shar on her achievements of becoming a Plumber much like her brother." Rook Da said.
"BOOYEAH! I'm back on Earth with the famous Ben 10!" Rook Ben said seeing his idol and namesake.
"Hey Rook Ben good to see you and everyone else. Oh and uh Welcome to Earth." Ben greeted Rooks family in a respectful tone.
"A pleasure as well to see you Ben Tennyson." Rook Da said simply nodding his head in acknowledgement.
"Tell ya what Rook, why don't you give your folks a tour of Bellwood." Ben suggested to his partner.
"Are you sure Ben we are still on duty?" Rook asked considering he never neglects his duties for a simple tour.
"Rook your an awesome partner and a great Plumber but you gotta learn to relax at times." Ben said to him. "Don't worry I can manage patrols solo for a while, go spend time with your family."
"I agree Blonko it is a perfect idea." Rook Da agreed.
"Ah very well then. Thank you Ben." Rook smiled. "We will find Shar so she can join us." So with that decided he left with his family but as he walked away he looked towards two women walking by which suddenly glitched into Spinnerella and Nettossa briefly before they glitched back much to Rooks surprise. However he shook it off and went with his family.
Later, Ben was riding on his motorcycle the Ten Speed through the streets of Bellwood. He decided to go to Undertown to look around. But as he was riding his mind couldn't help but wander namely about what happened at Bauman's shop or even how an hour went by very quick. However, what was on his mind the most was that blonde haired girl, he wasn't sure why but he still had the feeling that she was important to him somehow not as a lover but something else.
"Find me…" Those same words echoed in his head, but he still didn't know what it meant. Not only that, but he felt something was off it was a familiar feeling but he couldn't put his finger on why.
Then suddenly as he rode his eyes suddenly glowed pink and something surged through his mind.
He saw himself in a dark place, it looked like the bridge of an advanced space craft and with him was Rook, Glimmer, Bow, Huntara and Adora they were staring at a message left behind by Mara he wasn't sure why but he felt this was somehow important.
""You have the Sword now. It is the Administrator Key to our planet. With it, you can activate a portal." This revelation immediately got Adora's attention as it did Ben and Rook's was the sword really the key to opening a portal out of Despondos? But what they heard next they couldn't have foreseen.
"So I'm begging you. Don't do it. Leave us here. If you open a portal, death and destruction will follow." Mara stood from her control chair. "For the good of the universe, Etheria must stay in Despondos. If not, everyone will…"
"BEN!" Called a voice.
Suddenly Ben was snapped back to reality, and when he looked around he wasn't on his bike anymore he was in Undertown, namely the market place. "Ben!" He looked and saw Kevin, Gwen and Kai standing in front of him.
"Hey you okay Tennyson?" Kevin asked.
"Wait..h..how did I get here I was just on my bike and…" Ben explained.
"Ben you weren't on your bike you met up with us and we all went to Undertown together." Kai told him.
"Yeah I swear Ben your memories getting very foggy lately." Gwen agreed.
"But..but I was on my bike an…" Ben stumbled he was really starting to get confused.
"Okay okay come on lets get on patrol." Kai told him as she grabbed his arm and they began walking through the market.
Aliens were buying goods of all shapes and sizes at all the stalls, even Professor Hokestar was out making a living with Mr Smoothies of his own creation. A tour hoverbus was passing by with some human tourists on board as well seeing Undertown for themselves. Team Tennyson looked around to keep an eye out for trouble, but Ben was still confused inside he knew he was on his bike earlier and then that flash happened but he didn't know why. And then it got even weirder.
Seconds later he found himself at the artificial Tiffin ice cream shack. "Huh okay is someone using a time machine or something?" Ben wondered to himself. He put that thought aside as he enjoyed his time with his friends and family.
"Man I can't believe they make this stuff taste almost like Tiffins!" Kai said though Kevin was a little hesitant at eating his.
"Eh reminds me too much of when we first met Rath." Kevin cringed recalling that very incident.
"Come on Kevin its not real Tiffin." Gwen assured him.
"Yeah not since me and Rook stopped Argit and Simians little smuggling ring." Ben said but he still looked a little confused. Gwen could see this too.
"Something on your mind?" She asked him.
"Is it that obvious?" Ben asked.
"Kinda." Gwen said. "Come on doofus what's up?"
"Ah I don't know, ever since this morning I feel like there's something I need to do and someone I need to find." Ben explained. "Someone thats…important to me."
"Ooo should Kai be worried?" Gwen asked teasing her cousin.
"Wha! No not like that!" Ben exclaimed while blushing. "More like a friend who's important to me, and well I don't know I'm home with everyone who's important to me, but I…I feel like I'm not where I'm meant to be."
Gwen honestly wasn't sure what to think of all of this. "You're probably overthinking things Ben, your with us your family everything is perfect. Besides we're always gonna be by your side no matter what."
Ben however wasn't sure. Everything looked and felt perfect to his eyes it was normal Bellwood and everything was amazing. Yet his heart felt differently like he felt like he wasn't truly home.
"M..maybe but…" Ben said, just then Gwen felt the side of her head in pain dropping her Tiffin Ice Cream to the floor alerting Kevin and Kai rushing over to her.
"Gwen?" Ben looked at her in concern.
"Hey you okay babe?" Kevin asked her supporting her arm.
Gwens head was still throbbing as her eyes flashed pink and normal again when she looked to Ben she saw him glitch and looked like he was dressed as Hans Solo only in a sleeved jacket in his colour scheme of black and green. Then suddenly he glitched back to his normal appearance.
"I…I'm fine I just felt…some kind of surge." Gwen sighed as the throbbing subsided. "I..its probably nothing."
Just at that moment a large explosion caught their attention, they saw a column of smoke rising from the market place and blasting out of it was a familiar looking yellow space ship that looked like a futuristic looking truck. Ben recognised that ship very well.
"The Vreedles!" Ben groaned. "Seriously?!" So he activated the Omnitrix, dialling an alien in and slamming down the dial he transformed into Jetray.
"I'll get after them get Rook and regroup when you can!" Jetray exclaimed as he blasted off after the ship.
High above the Vreedle Brothers, Boid and Octagon were in the cockpit counting their loot, which was a whole crate of Taydenite.
"Boy did we score big Octagon, that Argistix Security convoy didn't see what was a comin!" Boid smirked.
"Told ya Boid easy money!" Octagon said. "Especially when I had the old brain for this job!" However just as he looked to his vehicles rear view mirror he saw something that instantly made him glare.
"TENNYSON!" Octagon exclaimed he saw Jetray in his rear view mirror with the words 'Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear!'
In response to this the ship blasted off with turbo boosters in the rear of the ship increasing its speed. But a spaceship in the shape of a truck was no match for the Aerophibian. He blasted upwards with his enhanced speed without even flapping his wings he closed the gap.
Boid leaned out of the cab window and fired his energy cannon towards Jetray who moved quickly to avoid blast after blast. "Dagnabbit hold still boy!" Boid exclaimed.
"Man you guys really are bad shots!" Jetray smirked as they swooped through the city skyscrapers while Boid was firing another shot it hit a nearby billboard advertising Will Harangues channel. It hit the supports and the billboard began to tumble towards the ground and the alerted citizens.
"Huh! No!" Jetray exclaimed. He had to act fast he zoomed down towards the billboard and wrapped his tail around the bottom of the middle support and using his strength to try and lift it upwards. The billboard was getting closer to the ground and a blue haired little girl was below it and screamed in terror. But the billboard didnt hit the ground and crush her. In fact Jetray was growling in effort lifting the billboard into the air and placing it on a nearby roof out of the way. He examined it and saw the hole in Harangues face.
"Eh its an improvement." Jetray shrugged, he then looked to the escaping convicts. "This is getting too dangerous I gotta end this now!" He blasted off after them and was able to catch up in no time at all.
Once he was close enough, he unleashed a triple nuroshock blast from his eyes and tail striking the ships rear engines with devastating force sending it crashing down and into the road below which conveniently stopped right next to . Moments later Octagon and Boid emerged from the wreak of their ship beaten and battered. They looked up to see Jetray standing above them with his arms/wings crossed.
"Really guys, you gotta find yourselves a better hobby?" Jetray smirked.
"Dagnabbit!" Boid groaned.
Octagon however wasn't giving up yet. He drew his energy pistol and aimed it at Jetray. "Nah we aint going down without a.." Jetray zapped it out his hands with his eye beams in a Superman styled way.
"Nice try fellas but…." Jetray was interrupted by a loud boom echoing from nearby. He looked and saw a large ball of fire crashing down towards them. It struck the ground with devastating force sending out a shockwave that nearly sent the Aerophibian flying if he hadn't crossed his arms.
When he looked up he saw something emerging from the fire and it was none other than.
"TENNYSON!" Malgax bellowed.
"VILGAX!" Jetray exclaimed. "But how? Last time I saw you you were flung inside your ships power core and turned to stone with zero chance of a comeback!"
"You should know by now that nothing can stop VILGAX! I have come for what is mine! GIVE ME THE OMNITRIX!" Malgax demanded holding out his hand.
Jetray growled. "Okay fellas your lucky I've got bigger problems than…" When he looked back to the Vreedle Brothers to his shock they weren't there an staggeringly neither was their ship in fact the whole street looked like new like a ship hadn't crashed at all.
"You?" Jetray said confused suddenly a humming noise got his attention. He looked to see Vilgax had formed his energy cannons on his arms and fired them at him and hit the Areofibian dead centre in the chest.
Meanwhile:
In another part of Bellwood, Rook and Shar were giving their family a tour of the city. Rayona was also in the company as well with her boyfriend. The Revonnahganders were all intrigued immensely by the city and its people.
"And this is the main street of the city, one of the public entrances to Undertown is approximately twenty two kilometres away." Rook explained like a tour guide. "The business district is some miles to the North."
"This is so awesome!" Rook Ben beamed.
"I must say this is a change from the beautiful landscapes of Revonah." Rook Bralla said.
"Indeed based on the descriptions of Rook Ben upon his last stowaway trip?" Rook Da eyed his youngest son suspiciously the aforementioned younger brother just chuckled nervously.
"Yes indeed it is." Rook Shar said. "Though there were times while at the Plumbers Academy I did miss the harvest celebrations of home."
"As did I." Rook agreed.
"You were both missed but we understand your duty matters." Rook Da said. "For that we are proud of you both. And we have new arts and crafts back home even making most decorative hats with the plant life."
Hearing this Rooks mind soon wandered as they continued to walk. Strangely he remembered a small kingdom of pink flowered trees and its people wearing flower attire. What caught his eye the most was a large pink stone in the centre of one of the largest trees in the kingdom. Just then a certain flower princess appeared next to him just as the memory faded.
Rook soon snapped out of his trance when he heard an explosion nearby. He looked and saw a column of smoke in the distance and then he heard his Plumber badge beeping and pulled it out to answer it.
"Rook its Ben!" Ben as Humungosaur called.
"What is the situation?" Rook called.
"Vilgax is back and I need some back up round up Gwen and the others we're gonna need some help on this!" Humungosaur called.
"On my way!" Rook said as he put his badge away. "I need to go and help…" When he turned to his family he saw they were no longer there, so he turned to his sister. "Shar where is our family?"
"Our family?" Shar said confused which all but confused Rook.
"Yes Father, Mother and our siblings?" Rook said to her.
"Apologies Blonko but I do not recall their visit to this planet today." Shar explained. To Rook this didn't seem right he remembered seeing his family previously but now they disappeared and Shar his sister didn't recall them being on Earth at all.
However there was no time to think about this now given the presence of Vilgax. So with a sigh. "Shar report Vilgax's presence to Plumber Headquarters immediately this is an Omega Level Alert!"
"Understood!" Rook Shar reported as Rook pressed a button on his remote and in seconds the Proto Truck in its space ship mode hovered down from the sky.
Back at the battle, Humungosaur and Malgax faced off against each other clenching each others hands to push each other back. Humungosaur now bore a small scar/cut over his right eye. Malgax suddenly formed his blasters and blasted Humungosaur back, though thankfully with the Vaxasaurian's thick skin he was able to withstand the energy blast.
Malgax formed his jetpack and blasted forwards to Humungosaur who charged and landed a punch to his enemies face sending him crashing into the Mr Smoothie sign.
"Give it up Vilgax! Malware went out of style years ago!" Humungosaur smirked only to be blasted by his foes energy cannon which sent him flying across the street and a black and red blur zoomed ahead. Humungosaur was met with a powerful fist from Malgax hitting him so hard he broke the sound barrier blasting Humungosaur into the city.
The Vaxasaurian slammed the Omnitrix dial and switched forms and landed on the ground as Way Big who bore a small scar on his right eye showing some white in his red armour. His foot hit the ground crumbling the road away.
"Okay." Way Big bellowed. "I tried the easy way! Now we do it the Ben way!" He luged forwards and Malgax charged forwards the same and formed duel energy blades preparing to slash at the Tokustar. However Way Big leaped in the air and landed a massive fist blow sending Malgax crashing into the ground so hard it caused a shockwave in the ground.
However even this didn't stop Malgax as he blasted upwards knocking Way Big off balance and combined his hands together forming a massive energy cannon which he fired. Way Big quickly crossed his arms and fired his cosmic ray the two blasts collided and both sides poured more power into their blasts trying to over power the other. But then a flash of green light emerged and suddenly something else was pushing the blast back.
"HOMINA HOMINA HOMINA!" It was Atomix who had a small crack in his helmet just over his right eye. But once he was close enough to Malgax.
"NUCLEAR WINNER!" A massive explosion consumed them both. Leaving only a smoking crater, pouring with smoke. Atomix soon emerged from the smoke just as the Omnitrix timed out reverting him back to Ben.
"Heh! Ultraman eat ya heart out!" Ben groaned but just then he heard some foot steps emerging from the smoke and to his utter shock. Malgax emerged and was completely unscathed, Ben remembered that Vilgax and Malware together made him unstoppable and the only time he was able to beat him was with Skurds help.
"Oh come on!" Ben breathed in shock.
"Fool you cannot defeat me no matter which alien you use I. Am. INVINCIBLE!" Malgax yelled.
"Oh yeah feel this!" Suddenly a large column of pink energy emerged and struck Malgax and pushed him back soon Gwen, Kevin and Kai arrived on the scene. The Proto Truck then soared in firing missiles at Malgax striking him dead on.
However he wasn't phased at all barely a scratch and Malgax fired a plume of energy blasts from his shoulders. Rook moved his ship quickly to avoid the blasts but one struck his right wing shooting him down. Rook quickly jumped from the truck to eject and was caught by Gwens mana shield lowering him to the ground.
"Not even your pitiful lackeys can stop me now!" Malgax exclaimed.
Kevin kneeled down and absorbed the metal from the remains of the Proto-Truck forming his metal skin while Kai drew Excalibur from her back and Gwen changed to her Lucky Girl appearance ready for battle.
"Nice timing guys!" Ben exclaimed.
"Hey your not the only one who likes to make an entrance Tennyson." Kevin smirked. "Now lets do this!" They all charged into battle with Kevin forming his arms into blades and slashed at Malgax right across the chest but before he could retaliate Gwen formed several mana energy disks and fired all of them at once striking him in his arms and legs.
However the squid faced villain wasn't going to be defeated that easily, forming his jet pack he took to the sky only to be stabbed in the back by Kai and her sword right in the middle where his wings were.
"Ben are you alright?" Rook asked.
"Yeah I'm good and now lets get back in this fight!" Ben declared as he activated the Omnitrix and dialled in an alien. "Time to shake things up with a little Gravattack!" He slammed down the dial and transformed.
However he didn't transform into Gravattack he transformed into something entirely different he was now Shock Rock. He was completely perplexed almost as if he'd just unlocked this alien.
"Or…this guy." Shock Rock said weirded out.
Back with the group Malgax had had enough of toying with Bens friends so he formed duel energy blades on his arms and slashed at his opponents skilfully. Kevin and Kai attacked slashing their respective blades at him but Malgax was skilled in sword combat and easily parried and blocked each strike before he slashed an energy wave at the two blasting them back.
Gwen went on the attack with one of her spells. "Spirius Expectorium!" She proclaimed unleashing a whirlwind of mana energy at Malgax blasting him back but he fought the wind to march forwards. Gwen needed to act fast.
"Stingu Invisibus!" She proclaimed and pieces of road lifted from the ground surrounded by pink mana aura and were flung at Malgax only for him to swat them away with his fists and he formed his energy cannons firing a mighty blast at Gwen hitting her dead on and she rolled along the ground battered but alive.
"ENOUGH! I WILL NOT BE DENIED FACE ME TENNYSON!" Malgax proclaimed. Suddenly he was hit by a boomerang made of pure energy knocking him to the ground he saw the Boomerang return to its owner Shock Rock leaving him stunned.
"You want Ben! You get the ten Vilgeek!" Shock Rock exclaimed.
"A…A Fulmini! Impossible!" Malgax exclaimed in utter shock.
"Oh are we scared squid face!" Shock Rock teased but this was met with Malgax firing a powerful blast from his twin energy cannons but Shock Rock simply held his palms out and much to the villains shock he'd absorbed all the energy he flung at him.
"My turn!" Shock Rock smirked as he fired the energy back at him which hit him and sent him flying across the road and into the next street.
Malgax groaned as he got up from his crater. "You will not defeat me!" He drew his energy blades and changed at Shock Rock. The latter of which formed duel blades on his arms that looked similar to a certain sword. He charged at Malgax and they clashed swords in a sword match clashing their blades.
Rook hurried to Gwen as did Kevin who was helping Kai to her feet. The group looked over and saw the fight between Shock Rock and Malgax who were clashing blades.
"Hey is that a new one?" Kai asked.
"If it is Ben sure learns a new alien fast these days." Kevin agreed.
"You are..quite correct." Rook agreed rather hesitantly. He wasn't sure how or why but he felt like he'd seen this alien before.
The same could be said by Shock Rock who deflected every one of Malgaxs sword strikes and then unleashed an energy blast upon him before grabbing his chest and shocking him with electricity. The Mechamorph armour reacted to the surge instantly given the Galvanic Mechamorph part of Malware was venerable to electrical blasts on its exterior.
He was able to punch Malgax away who was weakened by the attacks. Ben wasn't sure why but the way he was easily able to master this alien so quickly, made him think he already knew how to use this one. Regardless he decided to finish this fight now.
He changed his arms into energy blades and charged them to the max joining them together as one massive blade as he charged towards Malgax who reformed his energy blades and charged at his enemy yelling in a fury.
With one swing of his massive energy blade Shock Rock landed a devastating blow on his foe shattering his energy blades and blasted him clear into the air. Acting on this the Fulmini leaped into the air using his enhanced agility and instantly caught up to Malgax, he enlarged his energy fists and slammed his enemy back down, slamming into the ground with a *BANG!*
The smoke from the impact subsided it revealed Vilgax completely defeated on the ground as Bens teammates gathered round to his victory. "You lose squid face." Shock Rock smirked.
Malgax groaned as he tried to get back up despite being beaten and battered. "I am not finished yet Tennyson I will not be denied my revenge!" Suddenly he pulled out a familiar looking projector from behind his back.
"A Null Void Projector!" Rook exclaimed. "Everyone stay back!" He warned as the rest of Team Tennyson kept their distance just as the Plumbers were arriving.
"Now you shall enjoy the same hospitality that I endured when I was imprisioned there after you defeated me the last time!" Vilgax yelled.
"Uh dude check your history you were blasted into a plasma core!" Shock Rock said. "Never sent ya to the Null Void like the last few times."
"You will not deny me what is m…" Vilgax tried but Shock Rock quickly extended his energy hands punching Vilgax prompting him to release the projector gun and he grabbed it in his hands.
"Sorry Vilgeek this just ain't your day." Shock Rock smirked. Vilgax yelled and leaped at his foe only for him to fire the Null Void projector opening a portal and Malgax couldn't stop himself from falling in and it sealed up behind him.
Shock Rock seemed pretty proud of himself he'd beaten his worst foe ever yet something didn't seem right in fact in that moment he remembered an event from years ago.
Flashback Eight years ago:
In a lonely desert ten year old Ben as Four Arms had the Null Void projector in his hands after getting it from Vilgax. "Sorry Villy. Looks like its just not your day!"
Vilgax ran towards him only for the Tetramand to fire the projector and he fell into the open portal. He looked very proud of himself as the projector was smoking.
The scene suddenly flashed to see Max and his cousin Gwen restrained by Lieutenant Steel and his men. It looked like they were pleading for their lives.
"Ben don't! You have to listen to us!" Grandpa Max said to him.
"Forget it Grandpa." Gwen then spoke. "Bens too much of a lame puke face dimwitted dofus." FourArms looked indignant at that but listened. "He can't even figure out that Vilgax would get the Omnitrix before he sent him to the Null Void."
Present Day:
Shock Rocks eyes did widen realising this was the same case Vilgax wouldn't waste time like this but before he could piece anything together.
"Ben, Ben!" His attention turned to see his Grandpa Max and the rest of the Plumbers. "You okay son you zoned out a minute there." Max asked him.
"Uh wha…uh yeah yeah I'm okay grandpa." Shock Rock brushed off.
"Good job sending Vilgax off to the Null Void he won't be getting out of there for a good long time." Max said as the rest of the team joined them.
"Yeah but…feels like I beat him too easily." Shock Rock said.
"How so?" Kai asked.
"Well Vilgax wouldn't waste any time trying to get the Omnitrix he would've tried to get it before I sent him to the Null Void." He wondered.
"Well he is melded with Malware and we all know what a psycho he was." Max said to him.
"Yeah their minds could've merged when they fused giving him a little lapse in judgement." Kevin agreed though Kai looked in agreement Gwen wasn't entirely sure about that herself but why?
"Y..Yeah maybe, now we just gotta track down the Vreedle Brothers they got away when Vilgax attacked." Shock Rock stated.
"Who?" Max asked which took Rook and Shock Rock completely aback, how could their Magister not know who the Vreedle Brothers were?
"Who?" Shock Rock asked.
"Magister the Vreedle Brothers are wanted criminals and they were also responsible for blowing up the Plumber Academy!" Rook agreed.
The veteran Plumber however just looked perplexed by what they were saying. "I'm sorry I don't recall any criminals by that name."
This made the two even more confused than before. "You sure you two are okay?" Kai asked. "Maybe that last fight took a lot out of you both."
"She's right why don't you two get some rest for a while you'll feel better." Max suggested to them. "We'll wrap things up here." So Max, the Plumbers and the rest of Team Tennyson headed back to HQ as they were teleported away leaving Rook and Shock Rock completely alone.
The latter just looked completly bewildered and confused as did Rook. "Ben are you okay?" Rook asked.
"I don't know, I just….something just doesn't feel right, everyone keeps saying everything is perfect but its just…just weird!" Shock Rock voiced.
"I do admit at first I thought everything seemed fine but now there is something strange afoot." Rook agreed. "I was showing my family around but they vanished and Shar just forgot they were even here. And now Magister Tennyson completely forgets the Vreedle Brothers as if they never existed."
"I know its just…" Suddenly Shock Rock was feeling something. "Oh…AGHHHHH!" His head was throbbing in pain and his energies that made his body were spiralling out of control. Lashing out at everything around him.
"Ben!" Rook exclaimed as he reached to try and help him.
"No Rook stay back!" Shock Rock cried but suddenly a blast of his energy struck Rook shocking the both of them and both their heads were throbbing in pain but suddenly both their eyes glowed white.
Rooks POV:
My head was throbbing in pain, but suddenly I find myself running down what looked like a hallway in a base I was breathing heavily. It was clear I was running and I was not alone. I looked to my right and saw three people running alongside me. One appeared to be an archer with golden armour and the other a young woman in purple and violet with pink hair. The third was a woman wearing a rather cracked mask and wore sorceress robes I was unsure why but I sensed a lack of trust towards her.
"How far are we from the Sanctum we are short on time!" I asked the Sorceress.
"Just at the end of this hall!"She replied but suddenly we found our way barred by what looked like spheroid robots armed with offensive capabilities. I saw the young girl take the sorceress's hand.
"Glimmer, no!" I heard the young archer plead and I could feel a sense of dread it was almost like I knew what this Glimmer was trying to do.
""It is too big a risk!" I agreed.
"There's no choice! Do it!" Glimmer exclaimed, I saw her cringe as it appeared this sorceress was drawing power from her and using it to unleash a powerful blast destroying the robots that were in our way. Then the whole scene went to white.
Bens POV:
All was white then it faded to reveal the whole room was going haywire and I could see from my vantage point I was transformed as Chromastone. I saw several people below and I suddenly noticed that blonde haired girl I saw from before, ah…Adora I think.
"Bow Rook we're in here!" I heard Adora cry and soon the archer, princess and sorceress entered the room. Only for some cat girl to shock her with some kind of taser and tackle her to the ground.
"Forget about them. Pull the switch!"I heard the cat girl yell and I saw what looked like some kind of blue and white alien with some kind of armour trying to reach a switch only for him to be blasted by some dark energy it looked like magic.
""Keep them away from the switch!" I yelled to them whatever it was about that switch seemed important and I saw it it looked like some kind of sword in the middle of a machine, and somehow I knew it was bad news. Then suddenly the scene faded to white.
Seconds later I found myself as Clockwork and it looked like I was trying to keep some kind of portal from opening with his time powers. But as I tried I felt pain in every part of my body and I could see my armour was cracking at the seams.
"Ben stop you'll kill yourself!" I heard Adora's voice call to me. I saw the time sphere was cracking until it blasted me away and I found myself reaching for Adora and her me only for the whole room to be consumed in a bright white light.
Present Day:
Both Shock Rock and Rook yelled in pain before they finally collapsed to the ground breathing heavily, just as the Omnitrix finally timed out changing the Fulmini back to Ben who was sweating from his brow.
"What…what the…what the hell was that?!" He groaned but when he looked to his arm something had changed. The Omnitrix's appearance had completely changed from a watch to a more bracelet looking device.
"Hey what's happened to the Omnitrix?" Ben asked aloud but somehow this felt familiar. But he dropped that as he went to check on his partner who was still reeling from what he'd seen.
"Rook you alright?" He asked him.
"I…I believe so but what was…i..it looked like what I saw in my dream from before." Rook voiced.
"Dream?" Ben asked.
"Yes be…before we arrived at your home I had a dream identical to what I saw before but when I woke up I was on Revonnah with my family and Rayona. Then we went to see Shar's graduation and all seemed perfect but… but it did not feel that way."
"That happened to me too, and I don't know why but this all feels a little too familiar." Ben said. "Like when I was ten Enoch and the Forever Knights captured me on my worst day and he trapped me in some kind of…dream world where everything was perfect so he could get the Omnitrix."
He looked around at his surroundings and it was beginning to fall into place. "And after everything I've seen today I'm really getting that sense of dejavu."
"What are you saying Ben?" Rook asked.
"Well this is gonna sound crazy…but what if we're not where we think we are?" Ben asked him which only got his partner more confused by what he was saying. "I mean ever since I woke up I've been feeling like that, that I was meant to do something important something we were meant to fix and well…"
"Feeling that though we are home, we are not where we were truly meant to be." Rook then said much to Bens surprise. "I have had those same feelings, everyone around us keep saying everything is perfect but my heart tells me that it is not."
"Yeah life is never this simple. And how we're doing something for one minute and then another thing an hour later even when it doesn't feel like it." Ben realised and felt the side of his head. "Ugh man I'm starting to feel a time headache coming on."
"Trying to understand reality can often do that to you my boy." They heard a familiar voice behind them and when they turned round they saw.
"Professor Paradox!" Ben said in surprise. For there he was Professor Paradox who was more than happy to see the two of them.
"Must you always sneak up on us like this?" Rook said surprised.
"Ah Benjamin and Rook it is good to see you my friends, and may I say how good it is to clasp eyes on you both again." Paradox smiled greeting the two of them.
"A pleasure as always Professor." Rook said. "Though I am unsure as to why you are here."
"All in good time Rook, but right now there's a question of understanding the situation you are currently in. Am I right?" Paradox asked Ben.
"Yeah unless you count our crazy dreams because of that new alien?" Ben shrugged.
"Dreams. Or perhaps memories." Paradox then prompted which did make the two look even more perplexed.
"What?" Ben asked.
"I could explain all my boy but perhaps first I should fill in a few blanks." Paradox looked at the chronal navigator gauntlet he had and with a few tweaks blasted a powerful light upon the two of them and their eyes glowed white again.
Then what they saw in their minds were not dreams but in fact memories of people and places that in their minds they did not recognise but in their hearts knew all too well. They were memories of Adora, Glimmer, Bow and the other Princesses in the Princess Alliance. They saw all they had been through from arriving on Etheria to forming the Alliance at the Battle of Bright Moon to even all their fond memories with their friends and their kingdoms. One last memory caught their attention most of all when Adora held up her sword and said.
"FOR THE HONOUR OF GRAYSKULL!"
And she was transformed into She-Ra who alongside many of Bens aliens fought with the Great Rebellion to free Etheria from the force of the Horde. More memories flooded their minds especially ones of them fighting Catra with one slash of her claws they snapped back to reality.
The two of them were still reeling from what they had seen when Paradox stopped the light from his gauntlet. "Wha…" Ben breathed as he quickly regained himself.
"I…"Rook breathed. "I…I remember now, we we never returned from that mission…we…we were stranded on Etheria." He realised to which Paradox nodded confirming it. "But…h..how are we on Earth now?"
Ben was wondering that too as he grappled with all these memories, but then as he felt his scar it suddenly came back to him.
"C….Catra! She she really did it she opened the portal!" Ben realised in partial shock and anger. "But hold on Mara told us if a portal was opened it would destroy everything so how are we still standing here."
"A question that I will now answer Ben." Paradox said as he used his gauntlet to show them what happened They saw Etheria before them. "You see when Catra opened the portal within Despondos amplified the very time and space anomalies that sent the planet there to begin with and the very anomalies that sent you both there. It unhinged the very fabric of space and time." They saw the anomalies around the planet be consumed by a bright light which tore reality vision then turned back to their current surroundings outside Mr Smoothies.
"Time and space were broken open?" Rook said startled.
"What you are looking at now is a reality that has been warped by these anomalies. Creating what you would call a perfect world of events that had not come to pass, say for instance your mission being a false alarm and you returning here." Paradox continued. "This world is an illusion of perfection one no-one can see through."
"But we somehow were able to?" Rook questioned. "We could faintly remember the events on Etheria."
"Precisely you were experiencing what is called Time Drift when one spends too long in an alien reality or timeline one loses touch with ones inner self, and you would have too. But luckily you have Clockwork to thank for that." Paradox explained as he looked to Ben. "When you tried using Clockwork to seal the portal the chrono backlash left faint traces of your original memories in your minds which you simply mistook as dreams scattered like a jigsaw puzzle."
"Until I changed into Shock Rock." Ben suddenly realised.
"Indeed, your Fulmini form was first unlocked on Etheria therefore the omni energy its being is comprised of was able to help slightly cut through the distortion that was preventing the two of you from seeing through the perfect illusion." Paradox explained. "And the use of my Chrono Navigator was able to fix the rest."
"Wait hold on something still doesn't click." Ben wondered. "Etheria is stranded in a shadow dimension right so how the heck are you here talking to us?"
"You really are getting good at this young master Tennyson." Paradox smiled impressively. "Yes the realm of Despondos is a place that I cannot travel. However this reality is a week point within what's left of the fabric of space and time, and it is through this weak point I am able to reach you."
Suddenly Paradox began to glitch which he felt as he reeled in a slight pain. "Professor!" Rook breathed.
"Paradox?!" Ben exclaimed offering a helping hand but Paradox simply brushed it off.
"I..I am okay my friends unfortunately this is a temporary measure I can only remain here for so long before the temporal anomalies force me to leave. So listen closely our time is short."
"How so?" Ben asked.
"See for yourself." Paradox pointed out and the two looked at the sign glitching and then turning back to normal again.
"Hey Ben!" Called a voice and Ben looked to see his biggest fan and friend Jimmy Jones.
"Jimmy!" Ben said surprised.
"Hey awesome work bringing down Vilgax it was so cool with that new alien and all!" Jimmy said excitedly.
"Uh Jimmy that happened literally a few minutes ago?" Ben wondered.
Jimmy just looked confused. "What are you talking about it happened two weeks ago dude?"
"Huh?!" Ben and Rook said startled.
"Well see ya around." Jimmy said as he ran away leaving a completely confused Ben and Rook.
"Okay what the hell is going on?" Ben questioned on the verge of losing his mind.
"This world is beginning to collapse in on itself." Paradox explained. "The glitches and the time dilation that you have been seeing are the signs that this world is coming apart. Very soon everything and everyone in it will be erased from existence."
This put a look of horror on their faces and they soon began to piece it together. "So…the Vreedle Brothers suddenly disappearing?"
"My family vanishing, and my sister having no recollection of them coming to Earth at all?" Rook suddenly realised.
"All have been absorbed by this realities deterioration, along with all memories of them." Paradox confirmed with a heavy heart.
Ben looked to his partner who now looked truly saddened his family was lost to him possibly permanently. Rook was in grief he got his family back and now they were lost to him again, but this time there was no coming back for them. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to Ben giving him a supportive look.
"How do we fix this?" Ben asked the keeper of time.
"Much like any problem, you must go straight to the source." Paradox explained before he offered a bag of Gumballs. "Gumball anyone?"
"Ah no thanks." Ben said. "Okay so go to the source. Wait the portal was opened on Etheria."
"In Hordaks sanctum in the Fright Zone." Rook soon caught on.
"And that is where you must go." Paradox explained. "But you will need help in sealing it."
"Adora!" Ben breathed in realisation.
"Yes for it was her sword that opened the portal and only with her help can you find the portal and seal it." Paradox explained. "Once the portal is sealed reality will snap back to its original form and all will be as it was before and everyone who was lost will be returned."
"But should we succeed in sealing the portal we will still remain stranded on Etheria." Rook soon realised. Ben came to the same conclusion this world would cease to exist and they would still be stranded on Etheria, they finally get back to Earth and it is actually a warped illusion. But he knew it had to be done for all reality to survive.
"Well we vanished once to end up saving a planet and we can do it again!" Ben decided.
Rook was hesitant but realised his partner was right. "I agree, if lives depend on it then we must act now!"
"Very good, I know how hard this must be. But right now Etheria is where you need to be there is more at stake than you realise." Paradox explained.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ben wondered but suddenly Paradox just faded away. "Wait!" He called but it was too late Paradox was gone.
"Okay seriously why does he always have to leave a cryptic riddle?" Ben groaned.
"Ben we can solve the Professors conundrum later right now we must get to Etheria and quickly!" Rook then urged.
"Right, lets get to the Truck and we'll fly to…" Before Ben could finish that plan the whole world around them glitched and they suddenly found themselves in a hallway at Plumber Headquarters.
"What the!?" Ben exclaimed.
"We are back in Plumber Headquarters, how convenient." Rook realised.
"Yeah great one of those glitches turned out to be pretty helpful." Ben said. "Now lets go we gotta hurry!" He and Rook started to run down the hallway to reach the vehicle bay only for the hallway to glitch and they ended up nowhere near it and as they turned a corner they found Kevin, Gwen and Kai standing before them.
"Hey where are you guys going in such a hurry?" Kai asked seeing that the two were in such a big hurry.
"Uh hey guys sorry got no time to talk but you've got to come with us right now!" Ben said.
"But Ben?!" Rook said surprised.
"I won't leave them here Rook!" Ben said to him.
"Ben what are you talking about?" Kevin asked.
"Yeah what's going on?" Kai asked him.
"Okay look this is gonna sound crazy but this world we're in isn't real its an illusion made when a portal was opened on a planet called Etheria." Ben tried to explain the best he could.
"Yeah your right I don't believe it." Kevin shrugged crossing his arms. "You sure you didn't hit your head during that fight with Vilgax?"
"Kevin it's not a joke!" Ben exclaimed.
"He is correct Kevin, this is very real we never returned from the mission Magister Tennyson sent us on." Rook agreed. "We fell through a wormhole created by the anomalies we were sent to investigate and we were stranded on a planet named Etheria."
"But there is no Planet called Etheria?" Kai questioned. "You're making this up?"
"It does not appear on any of our star charts because it is stranded in a shadow dimension." Rook explained.
"Yeah someone called Mara who was also someone called She-Ra sent it there a thousand years ago, and the current She-Ra, Adora is the only chance we have to seal that portal and restore reality!" Ben explained.
"Ben your really starting to freak me out." Kai said seeing that serious look in her boyfriends eyes. "There's nothing wrong there is no Etheria everything is perfect right guys?"
"Yeah it is right Gwen?" Kevin said to Gwen, but she looked a little unsure in that herself.
"No…its not." Gwen said much to their surprise. "Everyone keeps saying everything is perfect but something just doesn't add up it doesn't feel right."
"Thats because it isn't we all know life is never this simple we all wish it was but it isn't." Ben said and it seemed like he was getting through to them.
"But how is.." Suddenly Gwens eyes shone pink as she suddenly saw memories of another reality.
Flashback Chapter 10:
She saw herself in Undertown with Kevin as some of Psyphons gang was arrested.
"Its because he's gone right?" They looked to Argit who for the first time had a look of genuine concern on his alien porcupine face.
"Benny I mean… its cause they know he's gone." Argit said. "So where does that leave us?"
Kevin and Gwen looked at each other with questionable looks on their faces. Kai and Shar had the exact same expression on their faces after hearing that question from the com line. Bauman even if he didn't want to admit it was also concerned.
"I…I don't know." Gwen answered unsure.
Present day:
Gwen suddenly welled up a tear in her eye. "Gwen?" Kevin said getting her attention.
"They..they're telling the truth." Gwen stuttered in horror. "Look." her eyes suddenly glowed and she was now connected to Kai and Kevins minds showing them what they couldn't see.
They were seeing memories that were hidden from them, the two of them saw it all and when they saw all their real memories they really didn't know how to react. "Wha…wait was…was that all real?"
"I'm afraid it is." Gwen said. "That pain I had in my head earlier I wasn't sure what it was before but with all Ben and Rook have been saying it was like I was reconnecting with my true self."
"Paradox refers to this as Time Drift you all lost touch with your true inner selves." Rook explained.
Kai's eyes suddenly welled up with tears in her eyes she now remembered what really happened. "You…you never really returned from that mission. Did you?"
Bens eyes looked saddened. "I wish I could say otherwise but no we didn't." He said. "And I don't know how much time we have but I might as well tell you, me and Rook have been stranded on Etheria for nearly a year we've been fighting on the frontlines of a war to free it from the grasp of the Horde. They tried to open a portal to bring an army through to conquer the planet but it well lead to this."
"We know Paradox gave us the abridged version." Gwen said.
"Well we now give the full version, if we can get to Etheria and seal the portal reality will be restored." Rook said. "Should you remember these events you must tell Magister Tennyson that we cannot fight this alone we need reinforcements. The Plumbers must be ready for war."
"And we'll be ready." Said a voice and they all turned to see Max Tennyson standing behind them.
"Grandpa Max, h…how how long were you standing there?" Ben asked.
"Long enough, and your right." Max said as he looked to his arm and felt it. But in the end he realised it wasn't real. "This world isn't real."
"Y…you remember." Ben breathed.
"When I heard you all talking it all started making sense, and I saw flashes of some…other life but I realised it wasn't real." Max explained. "You two ended up out there because I sent you there leaving Earth vunreble." He started feeling regret and nearly let out a tear. "I'm sorry that I sent you two into such peril."
"No Grandpa it wasn't your fault and if you hadn't sent us we would never have learned of Etheria or what was going on heck not even about the First Ones." Ben smiled in understanding.
"Wait First Ones?" Kevin breathed.
All of a sudden the whole world around them glitched it was far more viscous this time. "What's happening!" Kai exclaimed.
"It is the dimensional distortions the reality is collapsing in on itself!" Rook exclaimed.
"Come on we need to…" Ben gasped when he saw his Grandpa was fading away like a ghost. "Grandpa! No not you too!"
"Ben go and don't worry we'll be together again but right now the universe needs you! She needs you!" Max yelled before he faded away absorbed by the reality.
"NO!" Ben cried as he tried to reach out to him but it was too late he faded away into nothingness.
"Ben!" Rook said putting a hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry but we need to go now!" He said. Ben looked to his friends and family and realised there was no time to mourn they needed to fix this and fast.
"Okay lets go, and this time you guys are coming with us!" Ben said to the group who all nodded in agreement and so the group hurried down the hallway as fast as they could.
"We have got to get to the vehicle bay and to my ship!" Rook called but suddenly they felt a bright light behind them. Looking back they saw a barrage of light behind them.
"Uh guys, might wanna pick up the pace here!" Kevin exclaimed and they all saw it.
"What is that!" Kai exclaimed.
"Its reality unfolding!" Gwen explained as she looked to see Blukig and Driba walk out but then suddenly get absorbed by the light. "And anything that gets caught in it is erased from existence!"
"Lets move!" Ben exclaimed as the group ran as if their lives depended on it. They swerved round a corner but when they did the door in front of them glitched into a wall.
"What the!" Ben exclaimed.
"This way!" Kai said as they headed down another corridor quickly and at the other end of it was an elevator that lead down to the vehicle bay. But as they got closer to it, that glitched and changed into a dead end.
"Its like this whole world is trying to stop us!" Kevin realised.
"I think thats because it is!" Gwen said.
"Gwendolyn is right this world is collapsing as it does everything becomes distorted!" Rook realised.
"Okay enough of the road blocks!" Ben exclaimed as he activated the Omnitrix and dialled in an alien slamming down the dial he's fully transformed into Ghostfreak.
"Everyone grab on!" He said and everyone grabbed hold of the Ectonurite as he phased everyone through the floor.
Many floors later they emerged in the main control centre of the base but everyone there was gone namely absorbed by the disintegrating reality around them. Ghostfreak switched back to Ben. They looked to the lower floors of the base and found what they were looking for.
"There there's the truck!" Ben exclaimed.
"Then lets move it the clock is ticking!" Gwen exclaimed quickly using her powers to create a mana side leading down to the lower levels. The disintegrating reality was closing in on them, so they jumped down onto the slide first Ben, followed by Rook, Kai, Kevin and finally Gwen. Zooming down it as fast as it could carry them. However the realities disintegration, reached the slide and began erasing that from existence at a tremendous rate. The group finally reached the bottom and hurried off it just as the light reached the end of the slide.
"Come on we're almost there!" Ben exclaimed as they ran to the Proto-Truck as fast as they could.
"Yeah if it vanishes out of existence before we reach it!" Kevin exclaimed as the light drew ever closer to them. Suddenly the light closed in on Gwen and as she looked at her arms she could see she was fading away like her grandfather did.
"Kevin! Ben!" Gwen cried and they looked back to see her vanishing before them.
"I…its happening to..me!" Her voice echoed before she disappeared out of existence.
"GWEN!" Kevin yelled.
"NO!" Ben exclaimed but before they could react the light was claiming its next victim. "Kevin look out!"
It was too late the light was already erasing Kevin from existence. "Tennyson go! Don't worry about us stop this thing!" He disappeared completely.
"Kevin!" Ben yelled he looked in horror seeing his best friend and cousin erased from existence before his very eyes he was frozen in shock. Rook and Kai reached the Proto Truck but she saw him frozen in place and was about to become the lights next victim.
She knew what it was she needed to do and she had to act quickly. "Kai what are you doing!" Rook cried.
The light was mere seconds away from enveloping Ben and Kai quickly grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him away with a great pull but in pulling him clear she got caught in the light. Ben was flung to the floor and he looked in horror seeing his girlfriend was fading from existence like his family did.
"Kai NO!" Ben exclaimed as he got up and grabbed her hand trying to help her.
"No…I…I can… I can save you I…I'll turn into Clockwork and turn back time maybe I can…" He tried but.
"Ben…"Kai said as she cupped his face. "Its okay, we'll all be okay."
"I…I'm sorry…" Ben said near sobbing.
"Don't blame yourself now go do what you do best and save us all." Kai said to him as she was nearly erased. "No matter what happens…I will always be with you Ben….and I'll always love you."
She pulled Ben into a kiss with tears running down their faces embracing each other until the last moments when Kai was absorbed by the disintegrating reality. The Omnitrix bearer mourned in his loss.
He heard the sound of humming engines behind him and saw the Proto Truck was in its space ship mode. "Ben come on hurry!" He cried.
Ben was still paralysed by loss but before the light reached him something suddenly held it back. He looked and saw a blue shield was holding the light back, and the one casting it was Professor Paradox.
"Professor Paradox!" Ben exclaimed.
"There's no time Ben I will hold the decaying back as long as I can but you must go NOW!" Paradox exclaimed to him. Ben realised there was no time to argue and so in wiping away his tears he hurried to the truck. Rook opened the passenger side door and he jumped aboard just hanging onto the edge. His partner quickly helped to pull him in.
"Ben!" Paradox called as the two saw him struggle against the approaching universal decay. "A final warning! Beware the secrets that lie at the Heart of Etheria they are not what they seem!"
"What do you mean!" Ben called back.
"You'll know soon enough I have faith in you my boy!" Paradox called just as his shield was starting to fracture. "Just as I have faith you'll know when X meets the tip of the sword!" He called.
With no time to lose Rook engaged the boosters on the Proto Truck and blasted through the launch tunnel of the base just when Paradox's shield shattered like glass consuming him as well. The Proto Truck flew out of the satellite base, and the two looked back to see the Earth, their home was slowly vanishing into the reality consuming void until finally it was erased from existence.
Bens eyes widened in a dramatic stare the planet he fought to protect had been erased from existence he couldn't bare it. "Rook get us the hell out of here!" Without a word Rook activated the controls and triggered a hyperspace jump and blasted away from the Milkyway.
In the hyperspace tunnel the Proto Truck flew at top speed, but inside all was quiet and the atmosphere looked grim. The trauma the two of them had faced was all consuming, they had just seen their home, friends and family erased from existence before their very eyes. Words couldn't begin to describe the hurt they were feeling right now. Ben was both upset and angry all at the same time.
"They…they're gone…we…we just left them!" Ben said nearly sobbing.
"There…there was nothing we could do for them, we would have ended up absorbed by the reality ourselves." Rook said but his partner responded by slamming his fist on the door side.
"WE SHOULD'VE DONE SOMETHING!" Ben yelled in anger. "I could've saved them…I…I could've…I could've …I..if I had just used my powers…"He said nearly on the brink of a meltdown.
"The outcome would have been the same." Rook said to him but his words gave no comfort to the Omnitrix Bearer. "But all is not lost Ben, the two of us are still alive so there is still hope that we can undo what has been done! You have never given up in your life Ben and neither have inspired me to do that! If we do not reach Etheria and seal that portal then Gwen, Kevin, Kai and all the others would have been lost for nothing and we are not going to let that happen right!"
Ben gave a serious look and shook his head, he may've been too late to save his home and family but he wouldn't let Etheria suffer the same fate. However he looked away with a vengeful glare for he knew who was truly responsible for this and if he ever saw her he would make her regret opening the portal that set all this in motion.
"Ben look!" Rook called and when he looked he saw they had arrived at where they were heading.
Etheria. The two of them saw the planet before them, and with no wormhole to fall in this time given this was an alternate reality the planet wasn't stranded in Despondos.
"Etheria." Ben breathed however they took a closer look and saw the planet was glitching and more to the point the stars around them were blinking out one by one. "The stars are going out!"
"This realities deterioration is progressing faster than we realised!" Rook said. "We must get to Bright Moon and find Adora quickly!" He was about to set course for the kingdom but Ben stopped him.
"Rook wait." He said getting his attention. "Thats what we're doing wrong."
"I do not follow." Rook asked confused.
"Remember what Paradox said, this world is a perfect version of reality a what if world. Like what if we found nothing and returned to Earth or…." Ben said the last part in a hinting way.
Rook was puzzled however he was quick to ascertain what his partner was getting at. "What if Adora never met Bow and Glimmer." He said and started figuring things out. "In this reality we were sent back to Earth where we once belonged." He began to piece it together. "So if we follow that same logic."
"She'll be back where she once belonged." Ben pondered and it wasn't long before they both came to the same conclusion.
"THE FRIGHT ZONE!" The both exclaimed.
"Right where the portal was opened!" Rook realised.
"Then thats where we're going!' Ben agreed. "PUNCH IT ROOK!"
Without another word Rook thrusted the accelerator forwards and the Proto Truck blasted off towards Etheria setting its course to the Fright Zone, to find Adora and hopefully seal the portal and restore reality. If they can reach her in time before all becomes undone.
To be Continued
Authors Notes: A..nd scene! and whew what a chapter that was but now Ben and Rook have seen through the illusion of this perfect reality and now must hurry to find Adora before all of reality is destroyed completly. Now as many of you will have noticed I have taken some inspiration from the classic Ben 10 episode Perfect Day which was my source of inspiration while dreaming up this particular chapter with some inclusion on Rooks side as well with further inspiration from Justice League the Man who had Everything and of course the near finale of 3below.
I also had the idea of Paradox being able to reach them in this reality, considering this elapsed reality would esentially be the weak point on the fabric of space and time so he could reach them without the Despondos blockade issue. Also this perfect reality is in itself an alternate universe with its own version of Earth as well. Plus I kinda saw this portal reality as a What If universe in its own right minus the collapsing in on itself part.
Now I hope you've all caught onto the hints that Paradox has been giving Ben for its forshadowing events and Aliens to come. But now we head to Adora's side of the portal reality and lets hope Ben and Rook can bring her round.
Until next time FOR THE HONOUR OF GRAYSKULL!
