Inkaliber: Welcome back folks! It's time for another chapter! As you might be able to tell, we're now getting into the events of the Ox Talisman's retrieval. Don't expect things to be exactly the same as in canon. Things'll be quite different at first.

Zemrocku: One difference being it'll all be focused on Bellwood… Was I supposed to keep that secret?

Inkaliber: You're good, Zem. Just remember that Adran had some fun ones too. Don't leave him out of it.

Adran: Thanks, Ink. I think we've got a pretty fun idea for this whole thing. I think our ideas will make enough twists to this story, people will have a hard time guessing where they're going.

Zemrocku: And look who decided to show up late. Hi Adran.

Adran: Hi, Zem. Yes, I was busy. Glad I could be here though. I look forward to the story as much as our readers.

Zemrocku: Same. I reread the entire thing the other day when I was supposed to be doing chores around the house.

Inkaliber: LOL! Let's not get that crazy with it. Anyway, time to answer some reviews before we get off track.

Wanderingsage7- Thanks! I liked making Shen be protective and the fight was rather fun to write. Agent Xi is gonna be a rather fun character to work with. I guess you'll have to wait and see who all becomes involved. Thanks for the love!

Reader- I'm glad it had the intended effect. I enjoyed getting these chapters put out there. I had to show the sass everyone loves Jade for and have her show off her reactions to different aliens. Gwen really needs some normal friends. Sari causes chaos without even meaning to.

Some1call4MR-E- The Chans indeed seem to be a lot more into the world outside of Earth. This allows for Jade to be more into the role she'll have and have supportive parents.

I have to ask if you've paid attention because Sari did introduce herself as "Sari Pax Prime". She is planned to be one of the main characters in the series. I do plan for her to be pretty relevant whenever she appears. If you've forgotten who Ellie is then I will ask you to either look back at the prior story in chapter 13 "Compromised" or wait for further details in the story. Also, Shendu had the Shadowkhan in the previous story and it's Valmont with all the connections.

I do hope you can enjoy the story and keep up with the characters. This story is one of the ones that mean a lot to me.

Inkaliber: That looks like everyone so let's go! I don't own Ben 10, Jackie Chan Adventures or any other series to appear in the story and the universe. I do own OC characters, objects, ideas and concepts unless stated otherwise.

Voices

"Talking."

'Thinking.'

"YELLING!"

"Author/Guest/High or demonic entity talking. Also, surprise at the end of a section."

"AUTHOR/GUEST/HIGH OR DEMONIC ENTITY YELLING!"

"Whispering."

"Author/Guest/High or demonic entity whispering."

[Language Indicator]

"Machine or alt communication talking/Talking in flashback."

"MACHINE OR ALT COMMUNICATION YELLING/YELLING IN FLASHBACK!"

"Machine or alt communication whispering/Whispering in flashback."

November 13, 2008

Mayan Temple, Mexico

Jackie walked up a tall flight of stairs, breathing a bit heavily as he soon reached the top. He had arrived in this place in search of a Talisman, Jade having pointed to the paper after seeing a vision of this exact temple. And so the man climbed the stairs, wishing he had brought more water. He stood with his hands on his knees, taking a deep breath. He then looked up at the structure, huffing.

"Uncle wasn't kidding when he said the 'four corners of the world'," sighed the archeologist. He was handed a water bottle, sighing in relief. "Thank you." He took a swig of the liquid, nearly choking as he had come alone. He looked towards Agent Xi, the outfit of her human disguise now being one an explorer would usually wear.

"Took you long enough, Hot Shot," joked the alien woman. "I've been waiting a whole ten minutes for you, ten minutes that could have been spent checking out the scenery." Jackie cleared his throat, looking concerned and annoyed.

"Don't do that, Agent Xi. What are you doing here? Captain Black said you had a mission. I-" The woman slurped up a slushie she suddenly had, smirking.

"I told you, it's Viper when I'm in disguise. This IS my mission, helping you come back alive from these hunts." Jackie crossed his arms, huffing.

"Oh, right. And Viper is a totally normal human name." The woman rolled her eyes, frowning.

"It's called a codename. Not to mention you have a few people running around literally named Snake. Can we talk about this later? We've got a job to do and the Dark Hand won't be far behind. Also, I better get something to eat before we leave because I heard the tacos here are amazing."

Jackie groaned as the woman walked ahead, following after her just to be safe. They carefully traversed the area, making sure they didn't trigger any traps. There seemed to be a fair amount of bull and oxen symbolism throughout the temple, even down to hoof marks indented into the floor. They finally came across a large bull head statue that was depicted on a paper Jackie had, the man humming. He reached for the nose of the bull, feeling around for a switch as Viper suddenly vanished.

"It should be in here somewhere… AHA!" The bull head began to open its mouth as he pulled his hand back, the man coughing as blue smoke seemed to fill the air slightly. He then looked in the mouth, only to gasp as he saw the empty space where a stone would be. "It's gone!"

He looked back just in time to have a sword drop towards him, the man catching the blade between his hands as he kicked the attacking Shadowkhan backwards. The sword disappeared into smoke as a hand pierced through the enemy, Viper looking a bit annoyed. She looked around, growling.

"The temple is surrounded by these things. If it's gone then we're taking the fast way out." Jackie bemoaned this as he was grabbed by his arm, crying out as he was zipped through the building. They were outside as the ninjas were swarming in, the alien woman huffing. "For a guy who's very active, you're heavy." Jackie rolled out of her grip to save her upper body strength, brushing himself off as he stood up.

"I don't even weigh that much. My doctor says I'm as healthy as a-DUCK!" Viper tilted her head, looking confused.

"Duck?" Her eyes widened as she did as told, narrowly avoiding a shuriken that nearly hit her in the side of the head. They looked around as the ninjas began to rush out of the temple, the warriors looking wrathful. "Um, facing thousands of ninjas was not on the vacation brochure." Jackie looked around, quickly spotting an open vehicle.

"THE CAR! GO-GO-GO!" Viper didn't question it as she jumped in the back of the open roof car, Jackie looking around for the keys. "Where did you put the keys?" The woman gave him a deadpan look, huffing.

"Um, I don't even drive a car. I ran here. This isn't your car? Don't these things need a key?" Jackie looked towards the steering wheel, quickly noticing that there wasn't an ignition.

"If you didn't come in this car and I didn't drive it… then who-" He cried out as the car drove on its own, Viper having to hold on to the side as it backed up before taking off at high speeds. Jackie cried out as the steering wheel turned on its own, a seat belt buckling him in as he stopped screaming for a moment. He then cried out as the vehicle approached a river, finding that there were no breaks to stop it as the exhaust turned into boosters.

The vehicle hopped over the river, the trunk opening to reveal a blaster that fired back at the Shadowkhan that were chasing them. The vehicle soon reached a road, driving quickly as the dirt changed to asphalt. The Shadowkhan stopped at the road as vehicles took over the pursuit, the Enforcers each driving a vehicle.

"We've got them now!" cried Ratso. "That old thing can't keep up with high quality vehicles like this! I'm just glad I got the new paint job on this thing. Yellow and black are so in season!" Finn huffed, narrowing his eyes.

"Geek out about your stupid car later!" cried the redhead. "Smoke Chan!" The sides of the front bumpers opened up as the vehicles revealed machine guns. The villains began to fire on the car as it took a sharp turn, Ratso being the only one to make the turn as well due to the other two having to take it slower. He grinned, pressing harder on the pedal.

"I've got you now!" The hero car suddenly skidded to a stop, the villain crying out as he swerved to avoid it. The hero vehicle then drove a circle around the car as it was on one set of wheels, Ratso too distracted by trying not to get hit to see a light shining over the car. The all-terrain vehicle then went back on both sets of wheels as it sped off, the other villains beginning to catch up. Jackie dared not touch the wheel as he looked back, his eyes widening as the Enforcers were now gaining on them.

"WHY DID IT STOP!?" cried Jackie. "NOW THEY'LL CATCH UP AND-" The exterior of the vehicle began to morph and change almost instantaneously, even the inside shifting as Viper had to crouch down as a hardtop formed over them. It now looked like an exact replica of Ratso's vehicle, save for the same kind of symbol Sari wore being on the grill. The radio then began tuning on its own, spooking the duo.

"[Spanish] Please-keep your hands and-feet-inside the vehicle at-all times," requested the vehicle as it jumped between different radio channels. "Please-and thank-you, or you-may-kiss your Skid-plates-goodbye." Jackie looked around, panicking.

"I don't speak Spanish!" Viper sighed at this, facepalming. Ratso growled from his car, looking annoyed.

"HEY!" cried the villain. "THAT'S MY CAR! B-But I'm driving my car! I paid two thousand dollars for this paint job! Bullet proof chassis like these ain't cheap!" Chow growled, changing the gear of his vehicle.

"We got one of those Transformer freaks!" cried the Asian goon. "How come they get alien robot support!?" Finn pressed a button, making a rocket launcher pop up from the back of his vehicle.

"Well they can kiss that chrome ass goodbye!" cried the redhead. He fired the weapon, only for the trunk to open as the laser was pointed at the rocket. "...I should have seen that coming." The blast hit the rocket, making it explode as Finn's car spun out of control and crashed into an electrical pole. Chow's ride sped up to be beside the alien, pulling out a gun.

"Nice wheels!" cried the goon. "Mind if I give them a pressure test!?" He opened the window as he tried to shoot at the tires, his car on autopilot as he tried to hit his target. A large arm suddenly popped out from the underside as the vehicle did another wheel trick, a stinger-like protrusion on the end that zapped a bit with energy. "...So, send me the bill?"

The vehicle Chow was driving flipped over as electrical blasts sent it rolling, the villain now wearing a seatbelt as he screamed. The high tech car was now on its top, the man losing his glasses as they fell to the ceiling. Ratso sped past as he tried to catch up to the heroes, looking annoyed as they were reaching what looked like a cargo carrier with its loading bay open.

"END OF THE LINE!" roared the olive skinned man. "NOBODY RIPS OFF MY HOT WHEELS!" The car bashed into the back of the metallic entity, the man trying to run it off the road. He bashed a few more times, growling as the hood opened slightly to reveal a blaster that was glowing on the end. The hero car then turned as it drove backwards, the same kind of blaster charging up faster.

Ratso sighed, slumping a bit. "Oh poop." He cried out as he slammed his breaks, only for the blast to make him spin out as the windshield broke. His wheels popped as his face was covered, the vehicle stopping before it could hit a large tree. The villain looked like he would roar, only to cry like a child as he hugged the steering wheel. The unknown vehicle drove into the plane as the door closed, Jackie crying out as he was thrown out of the driver's seat.

"Ow," groaned the martial artist. "Bad day." Viper was suddenly at his side, helping him up as a screen inside the plane powered on to reveal Captain Black's face.

"Looks like the extraction was a success," stated the man. "The Talisman?" Jackie took a few deep breaths, Viper shaking her head.

"The Talisman was gone long before we got there," stated the woman. "Like someone got it from there just recently as there was a break in the dust." The head agent hummed, nodding his head.

"So it looks like Miss Chan might only be able to track the talismans when they're being used. It's likely that someone activated it upon taking it." Jackie finally got his footing, gesturing to the car.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS CAR!?" cried the archeologist. "I NEARLY HAD A HEART ATTACK THREE TIMES!" The captain didn't look surprised, his serious expression still present.

"Reinforcements. Jackie Chan, Agent Xi, meet Bumblebee: a Cybertronian from the planet Cybertron. Apparently their war has made its way to Earth because a mysterious energy source drew the attention of separatists known as the Decepticons. The Autobots followed to stop them and the Plumbers are allowing them to stay in return for their assistance in operations." Jackie popped his back, only to back up with an outcry as a mechanical shifting sound could be heard from the car.

The vehicle began to unfold as metallic hands pressed against the floor of the now flying cargo plane. The humanoid form popped up as the back of the vehicle became metallic boot-like structures and the front end folded forward to cover the chest. A head popped up with a yellow helmet that had horns on it, a steel face stretching a bit as glowing blue eyes opened.

"Now this is what I call an upgrade," stated the metallic entity as he looked over the paint job on his armor. "They even had it in my colors." Jackie looked shocked, pointing a shaking finger.

"YOU SPEAK ENGLISH!?" cried the archeologist. "THEN WHY WERE YOU SPEAKING SPANISH!?" The Cybertronian simply laughed, keeping the details to himself as Viper simply took off her DNA mask and rolled away while shaking her head.

Bellwood, Pennsylvania

Ben fiddled with the dial of the Omnitrix, not even having it active as he used it as a form of fidgeting tool. He had just gotten the device back the night prior, the feeling of the interface against his wrist calming the nerves he had built up. Over the week the kid team had been working in the training building when Max wasn't busy adjusting it to accommodate the girls. The group was currently going through another day of school, Jackie having been sent with Viper to recover the Talisman Jade had sensed activated. He took another deep breath as he stopped playing with the device, finishing up the quiz they were currently taking rather quickly.

"And that's time," informed the teacher. "I'll be coming around and collecting your quizzes." Some of the students looked nervous or moaned in dismay as the man collected the papers, Ben simply handing over his quiz. The bell quickly sounded off, the teacher nodding his head. "Have a good day kids."

The class quickly began to filter out, Ben waiting a bit for the others to get up before doing so himself. He walked between Jade and Ellie as the girls talked, his mind running with many thoughts. His sister then snapped her fingers in his face, catching his attention.

"You alright there, 'Mr. Hero'?" playfully questioned the ghost girl. "You've been in and out of that goofy head of yours all day." Ben smirked a bit, rolling his shoulders.

"Yeah," replied the boy. "Just lost in thought, I guess. I mean, so much is happening right now with all this magic business and not to mention the massive metal people that have been living right under our noses. Speaking of said people…" Sari ran over with a grin, hopping up and down as she looked excited.

"I learned SO much about American culture today in the classes," stated the hidden alien. "Some children listen intently while others choose to nap in the middle of simple lectures. I still don't see how people like them could hope to gain an education but I've filed all the information to my processors. It's so much fun here!" Gwen approached them with a tired look, sighing.

"How did you guys think you did on the quiz?" questioned the redhead. "I was a bit drowsy from Mr. Chan's 'magic homework' so I can't say for sure." Ben shrugged, smirking.

"I think I'm getting a B but we'll see if I messed up or not," replied the boy. Sari gasped at the idea of someone getting a B, but Ben shrugged it off. "Still, I don't envy you with all the magic stuff taking up your time. We can't all be magic enthusiasts like Jade." Jade groaned at this, shaking her head.

"Uncle has me studying it but I just understand it almost immediately," stated the girl. "He wants me to listen and read regardless, saying there's no way 'little girls can get magic so easily'. I respect him as one should but it just comes as naturally as breathing to me. Still, if magic requires study then that's literally what I asked for." Gwen rolled her eyes, frowning.

"At least you weren't accused of using Dark Magic just because you don't need a focus," grumbled the redhead. "He still hasn't given me my book back. Says he has to check it for 'dark magic'. I steer clear of that blood and guts stuff, thank you very much." Jade's eyes went blue again, pointing to the sky as her face mellowed out.

"Dark magic is the process of using magic to alter the world in unnatural ways," corrected the Chinese girl. "It upsets the balance of power in the world, though it's still part of the world. Without it, life could not exist. These are the basics of balancing chi… And I'm doing the glowy eye thing again aren't I?" Ben patted her shoulder lightly, earning a small smile from her.

"We'll get it all figured out," reassured the boy. "We just gotta- civilian ten o'clock." The group paused their conversation, a few students passing by with some fliers. The group walked outside, spotting someone who had a lot of fliers and was passing them out.

The boy had tan skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. He was wearing a light green long-sleeve shirt, khakis pants, and brown sneakers. Gwen hummed, looking at her watch.

"I didn't know the clubs were doing recruitment drives today," stated the redhead. "I thought that was yesterday." Jade nodded her head, pulling out a flier for the gymnastics club.

"It was yesterday," confirmed the Chinese girl. "Maybe he-" She shivered as her eyes went blue again, only for the feeling to almost immediately vanish. "Talisman sense. It's not in Mexico anymore?" Gwen quickly bumped the girl's elbow gently as the boy noticed them, walking over.

"Hola, mi amigos!" cheered the boy. "I have been given permission by the principal to hand out fliers for a very special event." Ben hummed, taking the flier.

"Really?" questioned the boy. "What's it about?" The new boy grinned, nodding his head.

"In one week, the great El Toro Fuerte will be making his debut performance here in the States. He is the greatest luchador in all of history, the reigning champion in Mexico before he was scouted." Jade looked away with a teeth click, taking the flier from Ben.

"He's that great, huh? Bet my uncle could… Hello~." Ben gasped as he was pushed out of the way by Ellie, the girls looking at the poster together. "Look at the muscles on this guy." Ellie purred, rolling her brows.

"Reigning champ looks like a well-earned title," complimented the ghost girl. "And it's on Saturday so no need to worry about a school night." Gwen hummed, noticing something before looking towards the boy.

"How much are the tickets?" questioned the redhead. "A debut like this should be rather expensive." The boy hummed, working the math out.

"My English is still a bit rusty as one would say but I believe the price was fifty American dollars," stated the boy. "I can promise he is worth every penny spent, for he is idolized by many." Gwen hummed as she thought of ways to get around this, having an evil grin as Ellie hummed.

"You know, I think you were introduced in class a few weeks ago," recalled Ellie. "Paco, right?" The boy grinned eagerly, nodding.

"Si!... I mean yes. Sorry. I revert and some have told me to stop speaking strange." Ben rolled his eyes, huffing.

"Did Cash tell you that?" questioned the boy. "He thinks any language other than English is stupid." Jade nodded, looking equally annoyed.

"No one can make you change your language just because they don't understand it," agreed the young Chan. "Heck, I revert to Mandarin when I'm angry or scared. Then there are times where I just don't notice. You're fine just how you are." Ellie played with her hair a bit, smiling at the Hispanic boy.

"I'm Ellie, and this goofball is my brother Ben," introduced the ghost girl. "This is our cousin Gwen and this is Jade, a family friend. Sari should be around here somewhere and-" She reached out to stop Sari from getting up in the boy's face, the metal girl giggling in embarrassment. "She tends to have problems understanding personal space." The Cybertronian rubbed the back of her head, giggling.

"Sorry," apologized the girl. "I get excited when I see new people." Ben's communicator in his pocket went off, the boy smirking.

"Well, looks like Jade's other Uncle has invited us over," stated the boy. "Grandpa just reminded me. Gotta bounce. Take care!" Sari had to be pulled along as she looked at the boy some more, Paco going back to handing out fliers.

"You know, I did not realize humans mate with other species," stated the metal girl. "His genetic coding was different from any human I've ever scanned." Gwen shushed her, her eyes narrowing.

"What did we say about the alien talk in public?" questioned the magical girl. "And what's this about Pablo-" Ellie rolled her eyes, huffing.

"Paco, Gwen," corrected the ghost girl. "It's rude to get someone's name wrong." Gwen sighed, shaking her head.

"Sorry. I haven't had time to memorize his name. Let's just get to Mr. Chan's place before we get a lecture on being tardy. I'd rather stay on his good side to get my book back." Ben rubbed at the band of the Omnitrix, humming.

'I wonder what's going on this time?' thought the boy. 'Maybe the old guy wants to ask more about the magic we've encountered.' The group made their way down the sidewalk, Ben feeling a buzzing in the back of his head.

'That would seem like something to ask about,' thought a mechanical voice that mirrored his own. 'Still, best not to assume until we get there.' The quintet finally arrived at a building that was freshly redecorated on the outside, a bunch of antiques visible from the window. Some were still being set up, a few agents finishing up the moving process. One of them carefully placed a large vase on a pedestal, making Uncle cry out from the foot of the stairs to the upper area.

"Chinese antiques go on other side!" cried the old man. "Those are expensive chopsticks, not drumsticks! Does no one respect the hard work Uncle does!?" The men sighed, using all the patience they had to keep up the work. Ellie looked around, whistling.

"Some of these look neat," stated the ghost girl. "You can tell the attention to culture and the care that goes into it." She was about to look over an antique plate, only to cry out as her hand was finger slapped.

"No buy, no touch! Uncle not running museum!" Ellie rubbed her hand while pouting a bit, Ben having to take a deep breath to not go off on the man. "Xiaoyu, why you bring friends?" The Chinese girl simply bowed respectfully, her eyes closed.

"They're family friends, Uncle," reminded Jade. "Maxwell's grandchildren, remember? They know of magic and are well behaved." Gwen shot a raised eyebrow at Ben, the boy keeping his hands in his pockets. Uncle sighed, nodding his head.

"Uncle remembers. Magic lessons begin after lousy workmen finish stocking Uncle's wares. AIYAH! Do not put that there!" Jade simply led the group to the living area, Ellie still huffing as she rubbed her hand.

"I MIGHT have bought something if he didn't hit me," huffed the ghost girl. "I'm not some little girl that randomly grabs at shiny things." Gwen laughed, shaking her head.

"Ellie, a lot of this stuff is way over what allowances gives us," reminded the redhead. "Some of them even look priceless." Jade pulled out the El Toro flier again, humming in interest.

"Wonder how much he works out to get those," giggled the foreign girl. "Jade like-y." Ben huffed at this, crossing his arms.

"So he's got big muscles, big deal," stated the boy. "They don't make everything." Gwen smirked, crossing her arms.

"Says the boy who defaults to Four Arms," joked the magical girl. "He's as muscly as muscles can get." Ben sighed, shaking his head.

"Yeah, and that doesn't always win fights. There are times where I had to use a weak alien to stop a bad guy, or did you forget Graymatter exists?" Gwen smirked playfully back, crossing her arms.

"Only because you had to. If it was your choice, you'd always use him." The boy looked away, huffing.

"I mean, he's super strong. Just because he's my favorite doesn't mean I'm not learning to use the others more." Gwen giggled, looking smug.

"He's super strong, which is exactly why girls like us love the look. He's got muscles for days." Sari hummed, tapping her chin.

"His musculature was different from any other human I've seen," stated the Cybertronian. "Not impossible for a human but still rather impressive." Ben looked forward, flexing his arm a bit.

"I mean, I've got muscles but I don't go around flaunting them. Granted they're not big or anything but I can still lift more than you." Jade snickered, distracted by the poster.

"Yeah, as Four Arms," blurted the Chinese girl. Ben shook a bit in slight shock, only to walk out the door in a huff. "What? What's up with him?" Ellie ripped the poster away, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, I don't know," huffed the ghost girl. "Maybe he's upset because he's not considered strong without the Omnitrix. Maybe it's the rude comment that reminded him of… Oh you've gotta be kidding me. Did anyone check this guy's mask?"

The girls were looking over her shoulder again, Jade's eyes glowing blue as she saw the pentagonal stone with an ox head detailed in blue in the center. She gulped, her body shivering.

"The Ox Talisman. It gifts the user the power, durability, and strength of an Ox. I felt the talisman earlier and it felt a lot closer. I didn't think it'd be this close." Gwen smirked, nodding her head.

"Looks like we have even more reason to see the hunk's debut," stated the redhead. "Ellie, you go tell Ben while Jade and I bear another lesson from the wizard guy. We have a week before the show but we need to be prepared." The ghost girl nodded, Sari following her out. Jade then looked towards Gwen, a frown on her face.

"Hey… I didn't actually say something about the Omnitrix, did I?" questioned the foreign human. "I didn't mean to be rude but-" Gwen sighed at this, nodding her head.

"Yeah, you did. It was actually pretty uncalled for. He's actually won fights without using the Omnitrix before. We might pick at him from time to time but we've known him long enough to know what buttons not to push." Jade looked away, a sad frown on her face.

"I didn't mean to go too far. I was just distracted by the poster and said the first thing that came to my mind. My father or even Uncle would be scolding me right now. I have to talk to him." Gwen stopped her before she could walk out the door, shaking her head.

"He needs time to cool off and we have to talk with your Uncle. Ben's a big boy and he can bounce back from this. He's not usually the most approachable when he's upset. The next time you see him not moping about, you can apologize to him." Jade sighed at this, nodding her head in acceptance.

Later on, Ben could be found grunting as he pulled on a rope tied to a weight machine. He had swapped to a sleeveless black top and gray sweat shorts the moment he arrived, thanking XLR8 for the speed boost. He took deep breaths as he took time to hold back the weight he set the machine to, his eyes closing a bit. He then let them down gently as he breathed out, taking a moment before bringing them back forward. Ellie phased through the ceiling, Sari in her grasp as she looked to be having a hard time carrying her.

"Sari, you could stand to lose a few pounds," moaned the ghost girl. "You're heavy." The metal girl looked up at her, tilting her head in confusion.

"I don't think losing weight is necessary," rebuked Sari. "I am told that I need to amass Energon if I wish to grow." The sibling then sighed as she set the metal girl down, looking sadly towards Ben.

"How did I know this is where you'd go? You know, you could have just said something." Ben kept his eyes narrowed, stopping to take a break.

"I was too upset," huffed the boy. "I would have started an argument or yelled at Jade. I didn't want to do that. Besides, not like anyone wanted scrawny Ben to be there anyway." Ellie leaned against the machine, sighing.

"Ben, you're overreacting. Sure Jade went a bit far but we're just kids. We aren't gonna get that big and strong for a long time if it ever happens. That guy had to train for years to get that buff." The boy looked like he was thinking, only to sigh.

"I know that, but it doesn't feel good. 'Yeah, as Four Arms'. I know I can take a lot of hits but sometimes it sucks to be compared to anyone. I'm not going for anything crazy." Ellie then sat beside him, rubbing his shoulder.

"Says the guy pushing his limits like he's an experienced weightlifter." Ben didn't respond like she wanted, making her sigh. "Alright. I tried talking this out but we're gonna have to do this the hard way." Ben was about to ask her what she meant, only for her to stand up and walk onto the training mat.

She then activated her ghost form, turning around as she waved at him to come at her. "You, me, no powers except me saving myself from getting bruised or having broken bones." Ben stood up, huffing as he started to walk away.

"I'm not in the mood for this, Ellie. I-" His instincts kicked in as he stepped back, avoiding a kick that would have sent him reeling back. "Hey! I said-" He blocked a hit that would have knocked him over, stumbling back a bit.

"You brought this on yourself. Now are you gonna come at me or am I gonna kick your butt? Isn't the score six to four? Sounds like I'm taking the lead and you're just gonna sit around and suck your thumb." She stepped back as Ben growled, the boy's fists clenching as he resisted the urge to use the Omnitrix.

"Ellie, now is NOT the time to be pushing me. I-" He grabbed a foot that was meant to hit him in the face, moving her leg a bit as he glared at her. "Stop." She then smirked, sticking her tongue out.

"Make me, 'Jennifer'." She then used the hold on her foot to spin around and kick him in the face, sending him reeling backwards as she flipped back to her feet. She rolled away as a kick was thrown at her, sliding against the mat as she watched her brother growl. Sari held her hands to her mouth as she watched Ben try to land a hit on his sister, the ghost girl blocking and dodging as best as she could. The Cybertronian gritted her teeth as the siblings looked like they would punch each other, suddenly getting in their path and grabbing their hands in a way that made them both wince.

"STOP IT!" cried the metal girl. "You shouldn't be fighting each other!" Ben pulled his hand away immediately, groaning as he rubbed it.

"Metal hands hurt on normal hands," groaned the boy. "Ow." Ellie waved her hand in pain, groaning.

"Right," huffed the ghost girl. "Guess you've never seen a spar before. I probably should have told you about this beforehand. Sparring is usually used for training or to blow off steam, something Ben kinda needed on the other side." Sari slowly sighed, nodding her head.

"I-I see," realized the Cybertronian. "Sorry. I know what sparring is but Prowl has never acted like this with me in training and you two looked like you were just gonna wind up hurt." Ellie smirked, shaking her head.

"Ben would never hurt me like that, no matter how upset he is. Not that he could hurt me without his little watch… That was another taunt, Sari so please stop looking at me like that. Anyway, ready to talk now, big guy?" Ben looked away from the girls, still upset.

"Ellie, I'm just tired, okay?" huffed the boy. "I'm tired of people saying they expected more when they see me. I'm tired of being compared to other guys or one of my aliens. I'm not tall, I'm not the strongest guy, and without this stupid watch… Ben Tennyson can only do so much. I don't know why it hurts so much now but-" Ellie blew raspberries, rolling her eyes.

"Ben, I think we both know why it hurts. Don't forget that I have memories in my head that help me know what boys our age are like. At least you're not clueless like someone I know. The only problem you have right now is that you're doubting yourself, after everything you've been able to do without the Omnitrix at that."

Ben looked towards her, his face looking blank. "You told me what your future self looked like, so just go for that instead of looking like some big buff wrestler guy. Speaking from the girl side now, imitation is one of the things that definitely makes a guy less attractive to the right kind of girl. If you try to be someone you're not, it will only make you look more desperate and make you hate yourself in the end."

The boy took a deep breath, the Omnitrix's dial seeming to turn on its own slightly. "Come on. If you're gonna be working out then you're doing it the right way instead of the 'I want to kill myself to get impossibly strong' way. Mom would kill both of us if you did that." Ben shivered at the thought of his mother being angry, chuckling nervously.

"O-Okay now. Let's not bring Mom into this." Ellie hummed, slipping back into childish mode.

"Oh really? And what's my incentive to not do it?" Sari looked between them, humming.

"First they talk, then they fight, and now they're talking again," listed the metal girl. "They're even teasing each other. Humans are so strange. Perhaps this is a question for one of the older humans." She simply followed along, Ben trying to beg Ellie not to tell their mother that he's working out for a girl.

As this little back and forth went on, Gwen and Jade could be found flipping pages in a book that looked older than both of them combined. Uncle had been talking to them about a spell they would be researching, the entry on said spell being a few pages long in a huge book. Gwen looked like her eyes would pop out of her skull while Jade read over the contents as if it were a magazine. The old man was mixing the spell together before them, making sure that the ingredients were well known. Uncle brought up a bug, making Gwen wince.

"The spell should now be complete," stated the old man. "Once the roach is added, its effects will be activated." The redhead of the duo tried not to gag, having bad experiences with bugs.

'Bugs,' mentally groaned Gwen. 'Why is it always bugs?' Uncle then began a chant that Jade almost immediately recognized as her eyes went blue. The old man added the insect to the mixture, only for it to make the liquid explode. Uncle hummed at this, rubbing his chin.

"Spell not work? Uncle add all ingredients." Jade ran her finger over some text, humming.

"You missed two eyes of newt and added an extra shake of garlic," stated the Chinese girl. "The book clearly says that the newt eyes balance out the chaotic energies of the spell while the garlic adds to it, so the lack of balance made it react violently." The Chi Wizard blinked a few times, adjusting his glasses.

"Uncle knew that. Was testing if word from Maxwell was true. You truly read ancient Mandarin? Uncle usually deciphers ancient text as most texts degrade over time." Gwen smirked, looking towards her companion as her eyes went back to brown.

"Trust me," reassured the redhead. "I don't read the language and it would have taken me longer to understand what the Rooster Talisman does if she didn't read it out for us. She even was able to sense where the next one activated, albeit it's only when they're actively used. She-" Jade shot her a deadpan look, having seen how Uncle had gone from intrigued to contemplative.

"And now felt like a good time to point out my weird connection to ancient and powerful relics because?" questioned the foreign girl. Gwen giggled sheepishly, realizing that she might be causing trouble. A leather bound book was dropped in front of her, the girl catching it.

"Uncle find no dark magic in book, though many spells are too dangerous for now," stated the old man. "Work with this. Uncle return book when master advanced spell work. Uncle must do research so girls may go play." Gwen pouted at not having her book back, flipping through the little pages.

"At least I have that entropy spell memorized," whispered the redhead to herself. "Come on. Let's go see what the plan is. The others hopefully have something in mind." Jade followed along, the girls leaving Uncle to his books.

As the girls walked, a motorcycle blew right past them and nearly hit them. "HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE DRIVING! The nerve of some people." Jade itched at her shoulder, huffing.

"Let's just go," stated the foreign girl. "Today's been crazy enough as it is." The duo continued on their way, Jade still itching a bit. The next day saw Jackie and Viper return to Section 13, the duo being briefed on the findings so far. Jackie had his hands on the desk, his eyes wide.

"YOU MEAN THE TALISMAN IS HERE!?" cried the archeologist. "We flew out to Mexico, had a run in with the Dark Hand, and I nearly had a heart attack all for nothing!?" Max sighed, sliding a poster to the duo.

"Miss Chan said it activated while she was at school," informed the Magister. "This poster shows us who has it and where they'll be next. As he's a luchador, I don't expect him to remove his mask, and if he's using the Talisman then it's likely he won't give it up willingly. We'll likely either have to send in an undercover agent to replace his opponent to remove it or we have to negotiate a way to get the talisman away from him." Viper hummed at this, clicking her claws together as she looked over the details.

"Well he's certainly a beefcake," observed the alien girl. "How strong is he with this talisman? The Rooster has been found to lift anything you can mentally think is possible to move, with the caveat of the actual weight still affecting you. If it acts as a multiplier then that's gonna make him the most dangerous man." Jade stood behind them, pointing upwards as her eyes were blue.

"He will have the strength of an Ox, more so if he believes himself stronger," informed the girl. "He's definitely going to be a challenge for most to handle." Jackie gasped as he turned around, frowning.

"What are you doing here?" questioned the archeologist. "Shouldn't you be at home with your parents or friends?" Jade smirked, shaking her head.

"Daddy and the Tennysons are here so technically I'm here with both. I'm part of this too and Daddy's making sure I'm able to protect myself in case someone tries to grab me or I get into trouble." She then bounced the Rooster Talisman in her hand, smirking. "AND I know how to get the Talisman as long as no one gets in the way. If I can get a good mental grip, I can use the Rooster to pluck the Ox away from the mucho macho beefcake." Jackie grabbed the talisman from the air, huffing.

"You are not getting involved. You are going home." Jade held up her ticket, smirking.

"Uncle Jackie, it's Mr. Tennyson and my father's word against yours. I respect your concern but if you wish to keep me out of this they are the ones you must convince." Jackie gave Max a deadpan look while Viper giggled.

"I like this one," joked the woman. "Let's hope this works, Kid." Jackie sighed at this, realizing he was outvoted. Soon the night of the main event came, lights shining from the stadium as a crowd began to develop. Ellie looked around, humming in interest.

"News really gets around, doesn't it?" questioned the ghost girl. "It feels like every wrestling fan in town is here." Gwen winced as she saw some shirtless guys, none of them having quite the physique.

"Including the weird ones," moaned the redhead. "I hope we can get the talisman and watch this in peace." Jade looked around, looking a bit upset.

"Hey, has anyone seen Ben?" questioned the foreign girl. "I have his ticket right here and we haven't really talked much this week. I know I went a bit far but it's like he's been avoiding me. It's not exactly a nice feeling." Ellie snickered, looking around.

"Oh, he's around," joked the sibling. "You'll find him." Jade frowned at this, not amused. She then looked at her hand, gasping as the ticket was gone. She looked around as she also felt something tap the shoulder that had been itching, looking around.

"Okay, what's going on? This isn't funny." Max stood with them, sighing.

"Come on, Ben," sighed the old man. "We don't have all night." A flash went off behind one of the porta potties, Ben walking out with a mock look of hurt.

"Aw come on, Grandpa," joked the boy. "It wasn't even that long." Jade looked perplexed as the boy had the ticket in hand, only to see the Omnitrix's face was red as she huffed.

"You guys pranked me," moaned the foreign girl. "Here I was worried you wouldn't show up." Ben smirked, shrugging a bit.

"Hey, at least I keep it real. This El Tauro guy is using the Talisman so someone has to be the real one here." A gasp was heard, Paco standing nearby.

"Do not put disrespect on El Toro's name!" cried the boy. "He is the greatest!" Jade blew raspberries, her hands on her hips.

"He's a hunk I'll give you that but he's not the greatest," began the Chinese girl. "My uncle Jackie is the greatest fighter ever." Paco crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing.

"No. El Toro is the greatest." Jade frowned, her hands squeezing a bit.

"Jackie."

"El Toro."

"Jackie."

"El Toro."

"Jackie."

"El Toro."

"Jackie."

"El Toro." Ben began to look a bit depressed, feeling like he was being compared again. Ellie quickly picked up on this, draping an arm over Paco's shoulder as she giggled.

"Let's let the muscle guy do the talking," stated the ghost girl. "Tonight's about having fun so let's go!" Gwen raised a brow as she followed after the duo, humming to herself.

'Once is fine but twice now she's played around with him,' thought the redhead. 'Something's up.' Ben was about to follow, only for Jade to grab his wrist while looking down.

"Hey, Ben?" requested the girl. "I'm sorry about what I said. I was distracted and wasn't thinking. I insulted you and that wasn't right of me." Ben sighed, nodding back at her.

"Look, let's just agree that neither of us handled that situation well and just try to have fun," offered the boy. "Not every day you get to take the magic rock from a fake wrestler, am I right?" Jade giggled at him, only for her eyes to go blue at the same time that his instincts made his spine tingle.

"Dark Magic. The Dark Hand is here." Ben frowned at this, nodding his head.

"Let's hurry then. The sooner we get that rock the sooner we can get out of here." The duo quickly moved to catch up with the group again, unaware that someone had their own plans. Jackie snuck into the back rooms of the stadium, looking for the dressing rooms. He soon found one with El Toro's name on it, knocking gently.

"Hello?" questioned the archeologist. "Mr. El Toro?" He heard a huff inside.

"Si?" replied the man. Jackie winced as he tried to think of something, only to cry out as he was suddenly a few areas back. He looked around, Viper frowning at him.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" cried the woman. "This was not the plan!" Jackie shook his head, sighing.

"The plan puts Xiaoyu in danger. I had hoped to retrieve the talisman from the mask by posing as a cleaner." Viper groaned, rubbing her temples.

"Jackie, I'm the alien here and even I know real luchadores never remove their masks. Xiaoyu has had headaches from this guy using it all week so you think he'd just leave it behind?" Jackie was about to respond, only for an annoyed huff to be heard.

"CHAN!" cried the voice of Finn. The duo turned around, seeing the Enforcers and a few other goons. "And… Hot dang! He brought a chick!" Chow hummed, looking her over.

"Hey, ain't she that Kineceleran chick that busted one of the operations overseas?" questioned the goon. "That's the same dame from the footage." Viper groaned at her identity being out, Ratso pointing up with a hum.

"Um, shouldn't we be getting them?" questioned the olive skinned man. "I mean, that's why we're here." Viper crouched down, huffing.

"Get back to the others," ordered the woman. "The big guy was one thing but these are chumps." She then ran circles around the group, making them cry out as an air current formed that swept them off their feet. "I said GO!" Jackie did as told, Viper disappearing as the villains fell onto the ground back first.

"Okay," groaned Finn. "Now we can get them." The group split up, attempting to locate the duo. Unaware of the struggle, the kids could be seen taking their seats as Jade looked around frantically. Gwen watched Ellie sit with Paco, narrowing her eyes as the two of them seemed to be talking.

"My mother came to the States for better opportunities," explained the Hispanic boy. "My father was never in our home so I have yet to meet him. It is something I've come to live with, even if I wish to know who he is. At least I can have more burritos at dinner as the only hombre in the casa." Ellie giggled at this, Gwen's eyes widening as she recognized the giggle.

'No. Freaking. Way,' thought the redhead. She then grinned evilly, hiding her smile behind her hand. 'I am NEVER letting you live this down. Aunt Sandra is SO hearing about this.' Ben looked towards Jade as the girl looked completely stressed out, sighing as he rubbed her shoulder.

"Jade, everything's gonna be fine," reassured the boy. "You've got our win condition and we're a team. As long as we stick to the plan and work together, no one can stop us. Whoever's got you on edge, we can take care of them together." The girl blushed a bit from the contact, grabbing his hand to remove it from her.

"Thanks but… was your arm always this tense?" questioned the Chinese girl. She felt the area, Ben's breath hitching a bit. "I… didn't notice. Not bad." She suddenly blushed harder as she realized what she was doing, still holding the boy's hand as she rested her arm against the arm rest.

She gasped as she saw the Shadowkhan on the beams above the stage, her eyes going blue. "Shadowkhan? But Tarakudo-" She winced as her head pounded, Ben holding her close as he followed her line of sight, his eyes focusing as they almost looked different.

"So now there's ninjas. Great." Jade opened her eyes, still groaning a bit.

"He's s-supposed to be sealed. If the Shadowkhan are here then… someone has found a way to summon them." Ben looked towards the Omnitrix to see that it was green again, quickly leaning towards Gwen.

"Hero time, Lucky Girl. We got magic ninjas on the beams." Gwen sighed, lowering her head.

"But I wanted to see the muscle guy fight," groaned the redhead. "I'm coming but I'll have to find an empty porta potty." Ben looked towards Ellie, sighing as he saw she was distracted.

"Fine. Stay with Jade." He stomped towards Ellie, smiling as sweetly as possible. "Ellie, Mom and Dad called and they really need to talk with both of us. We need to get to the 'open air'." The ghost girl sighed, standing up.

"This better be good," stated the sibling. "I was ready to enjoy this match." The duo vanished up in the stands, a flash of green and purple lights going off. The lights went down in the arena, the announcer standing in the ring. The man cleared his throat, a mic being lowered down for him.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" cried the man. "Welcome to another exciting night here in the Battle Dome! We have quite the opener for tonight's events! A champion from our southern neighbor, vs a crowd favorite! Let's give a warm welcome to everyone's favorite: Captain Boom!"

The jumbotron repeatedly played an explosion as a muscular man in shorts that looked like torn jeans and a hi-vis vest stepped out, wearing boots usually seen at construction sites as he flexed a bit. Some of the crowd repeated "BOOM!" as the man jumped sideways towards the stage. Gwen frowned, tilting her head.

"This guy is the town favorite?" questioned the redhead. "I've never seen or heard of him before, though I really don't keep up with the wrestling community." Jade opened her eyes as she looked at one of the shinobi again, only to wince as she saw flashes of a serpentine creature that wasn't looking at her. "You alright?" Jade moaned, rubbing her head.

"I thought I saw something but the memory hurts to think about," groaned the girl. "I need headache medicine if the plan's gonna work." Gwen quickly flipped through her spell book, trying to find anything that could help. Back in the backrooms, the Enforcers looked around in an attempt to find Jackie. They were about to give up and go a different way when a stack of boxes fell on top of them.

"Oops," winced Jackie. "SORRY-I-CAN'T-CLEAN-THIS-UP-GOODBYE!" The villains pushed themselves out of the pile, growling.

"After him!" roared Finn. He and Chow ran ahead as Ratso slipped on some knuckles, the olive skinned man quickly following. One of the goons could be seen trying to catch up, only for the man to cry out as he was dragged by his foot across the ground. Jackie leaped over a dolly that was being pushed, Chow jumping over as well while Finn pushed the operator to the ground. "Out of the way!"

Jackie turned down a corner, only for it to be a dead end as there was an elevator out of service. "Nowhere to run now, Chan. Where's the Talisman? We know it's here somewhere." The martial artist turned around, Ratso's weapons sparking a bit.

"You want it?" He flipped something in the air like a coin, Ratso catching it. The man opened his hands, finding a golden coin.

"OOH!" cried the man. "A dollar coin from the fifties!" He then cried out as he was kicked in the face, Jackie catching the coin before ducking below an attempted punch from Chow. Finn grabbed a metal chair as he prepared to beat Jackie over the head with it, only for the weapon to disappear as he swung with it. He looked at his hands, his eyes widening.

"What the-" He cried out as something dragged him by his tie. He was flung into a pile of ventilation tubes, becoming trapped in one as he hopped around for Viper to laugh at.

"Looks like someone needs time to vent," joked the woman. She ran off, leaving Finn to groan in anger as he hopped around. Jackie blocked a few attempted strikes from Chow, quickly rolling away as the man brought out a baton. The archeologist reached for the closest thing he could find… an aluminum bat. He looked up, chuckling.

"Um… play ball?" questioned the man. He then found himself forced to use the tool in defense of himself, the metal denting from the hits it took. Jackie then saw Ratso running towards them with an electrified fist reared back, the sight of this making him duck. He then hit Chow in the gut with the bat, the villain stumbling back into the fist as he cried out from the shock. Ratso immediately backed up, looking a bit sheepish.

"Sorry," apologized the goon. He tried to get strikes at Jackie, only to yelp as the bat hit the back of his hands and made them sting. "Best tech money can buy and now he's beating us with a toy bat." He then gasped as the knuckles were removed from his hands, turning around as Viper slugged him in the face.

He then stumbled around, giggling a bit. "Night-night, Mommy." He then flopped forward, groaning. Jackie took deep breaths, dropping the bat onto the ground. Viper nodded her head, smirking at him.

"Reinforcements should be on their way to collect these goons," stated the woman. "Be honest, what would you do without me?" Jackie pointed behind her, looking concerned. "There's something behind me, isn't there?" She sped forward with Jackie in tow as Shadowkhan tried to jump them, the warriors giving chase.

"And now, for his opponent!" cried the announcer on the stage. "The Burning Bull of Mexico, the Master of Lucha Libre! EL TOR~O FUERTE!" Plumes of flames shot up from pyrotechnic machines, a symbol of a yellow bull's head appearing on the jumbotron. Paco cheered as he stood up, jumping up and down with adoring eyes.

The man looked exactly like the poster showed him to be, down to his tan skin and his brown goatee. He wore a red luchador mask with yellow accents, a black tank top, yellow leggings, black boots, and red armbands. The Ox Talisman sat in the center of his forehead, shining slightly as if to signify its presence. The man removed his top as he tossed it aside, a few women and teen girls cheering out as he ran for the stage. He then slid in under the bottom rope, crying out as he flexed for the people.

"Hot dang," purred Gwen. "Where was the poster without the shirt?" The ninjas above looked like they were ready to pounce, only for green beams of energy to pierce a few of them and turn them to smoke. The warriors looked around as their weapons were drawn, one of them suddenly being piled on to where it turned into smoke. The ninjas looked towards the pile, Ditto standing up with a growl.

"Ninjas vs Aliens!" cried the creature. "ATTACK!" The cloning creature ran up to the enemies as he multiplied, ignoring the pain from hits as he tried to overwhelm them. One of them tried to go for a killing blow, only for Ellie to fly through it so fast that it turned to ice before shattering. She then fired two more of the green lasers, going intangible to dodge a few weapons thrown at her before she crashed into the offender.

Down on the stage, El Toro held his opponent above his head through his own strength. He tossed the man, causing him to spring against the ropes before coming in for a clothesline. Gwen began to look bored at the sport, not seeing what the crowd saw as exciting. She had seen enough fighting that this really wasn't entertaining for her. She had her hand on Jade's forehead, trying to help her with what healing magic she had access to.

"If your Uncle didn't take away my spell book I'd have an easier time with this," huffing the redhead. "I no longer see the appeal of big buff guys if all they're gonna do is fight each other without anything interesting happening." Jade giggled, blushing a bit.

"S-Still hot though," teased the girl. El Toro huffed as he lifted his opponent above his head, tossing the man. The man then used one of the gimmick stage traps, making a large ball fall from the ceiling that was meant to bounce around. The luchador grabbed the sphere, the talisman glowing for a moment as he tried to get a good hold of it. Jade winced as she grabbed her head, gritting her teeth as the pain was starting to get to her.

The wrestler soon realized that the ball wasn't as heavy as it looked, allowing him to let down on the talisman power as he tossed the ball away. This, in turn, let the pained girl feel some relief. The Shadowkhan chasing Jackie and Viper suddenly turned as soon as the talisman was activated, abandoning the duo as they went about their main objective.

"Hey, they stopped chasing us," stated Viper. "You don't think-" Jackie's eyes widened, the man rushing after the villains.

"Xiaoyu!" cried the martial artist. Viper quickly raced after him, knowing he would do something foolish at this rate. Up on the catwalk above the stage, Ditto fought through the pain inflicted on all of him as he picked up one of the villains' swords and speared it through its user and another enemy. Another Ditto flipped one of the ninjas over himself with a battle cry, sending it flying into a concession stand that was unoccupied due to the operator retrieving new products. This earned a few strange glances towards said stand, Ellie kicking one ninja into another.

"Hey, genius!" huffed the ghost girl. "Try not to alert the civs to the fight." All Dittos looked towards her, chuckling.

"Sorry," apologized the entire group. The catwalk suddenly began to shake a bit, the metal creaking. "Um… You guys split mass too… right?" The walk then began to move as the top of the stadium began to open, revealing that it was caused by a feature rather than a breaking. El Toro lifted his opponent over his head one more time, twisting with the man a few times as the crowd counted to three.

"UNO!" cried Paco. "DOS! TRES!" The masked wrestler then slammed his opponent onto the ground, the ring shaking as this happened. The announcer patted the mat a few times, hitting the tenth time before he stood up with a wave of his arms.

"And Captain Boom is out cold!" cried the man. "Your winner, E~L TORO!" The masked wrestler simply raised a fist, the crowd going wild. A crash in the back suddenly had El Toro turn around, the Shadowkhan that had abandoned Jackie and Viper now rushing into view. Ditto winced, shaking his head.

"Um… I think the secret fight just went out the window, Sis," informed the alien. Viper found the enemies as she ran ahead of Jackie, a few of them turning towards her as they had bolas in their hands. The ones left on the catwalk jumped down, Max pulling the emergency lever to start the alarm. This set the crowd into a panic, the people beginning to scatter with Sari using them to slip away. Paco stood up, his eyes widening.

"Is this part of the match?" questioned the boy. "I have never seen wrestlers like them." Gwen noticed some shadows in the area begin to stretch out, some Shadowkhan beginning to crawl out.

"Oh no you do-" began the girl. She pulled out her spell book in preparation, only for her eyes to widen as she growled. "Oh you've got to be kidding me! That cooky old wizard didn't add in any good light spells!" The wrestler on the stage clenched his fists, realizing that the warriors were trying to enclose around him.

"So, this day has come," stated the wrestler. "I will not fall to you, diablos!" The ninjas leapt at him over the fleeing crowd, only for the man to grab one by the leg and flinging it around to smack away the others. Once the crowd had finally dispersed save for a star-shocked Paco, Ditto pulled himself together.

"Looks like it's time to get a bit more dangerous," stated the little guy. He turned the dial before tapping it, a large figure soon taking his place. The being was made out of teal crystals, his eyes being yellow in color as his body was partially covered in black stone.

"Diamondhead is ready for…" began the hero in a deeper voice. "Whoa! Since when did Diamondhead trade the suit for rocks? That's new." Ellie rolled her eyes, floating beside him.

"Can we figure it out later?" requested the ghost girl. "Magic ninja army, remember?" The hero nodded his head, clearing his throat.

"R-Right! LOOK OUT BELOW!" He jumped down, crushing a few of the enemies as he did while creating large shards that pierced through a few more further out. He then held out his arm, firing shards into the shinobi army before he ran forward and slugged one that had blocked the initial attack. Ellie flew down soon after him, firing her freeze rays at some of the enemies that tried to jump at the luchador.

"AYE CARAMBA!" cried Paco from the stands. "I do not think this is part of the match anymore." Viper ran around the shinobi that were throwing bolas at her, trying to not get her feet caught as their accuracy was rather close. She struck down three of them, only for the fourth to catch her by surprise as it used her own shadow to catch her legs.

"And this is why I don't like magic," growled the alien woman. She tried to push herself up as the enemy leapt at her, only for Jackie to cry out as he kicked it into a table hard enough to where the wood broke. One of the ninjas tried to jump out of the man's shadow with a blade held high, only for a crystal shard to pierce its chest and make it turn to smoke.

"Eyes up, Mr. Chan!" cried the crystal creature. "These aren't movie ninjas!" Jackie turned to scold the creature, only to cry out at the sight of it. "Really?" Sari suddenly crashed through a few shinobi, being in her true form as a metal faceplate was over her mouth. She rolled along on laser skates while hitting some with a powerful hammer attached to her arm.

"I've always wanted to use this thing!" cried the metal girl. "Prowl doesn't let me use it back home after I wrecked the training room!" She cheered as rockets and wings popped out of her back, allowing her to fly past a shocked Ellie.

"SERIOUSLY!?" cried the ghost girl. "You can't just use a super weapon indoors!" Sari looked towards her, huffing.

"No fair! Prowl said the same thing!" Paco continued to watch the group, his eyes widening more and more.

"They are… SUPERHEROES!" cried the boy. "Just like the Spiderman in the American comics! El Toro, teaming up with people of incredible power! It is my dreams come true, only I am not in there!" Ellie flew away from Sari, Gwen suddenly holding out her hand.

"Watch out!" cried the redhead. Ellie looked forward as a Shadowkhan suddenly crashed into her to where she crashed into the stands. Paco moved before anyone else could, approaching the girl with wide eyes.

"Señorita, are you alright?" Ellie pushed herself up, groaning as she shook her head to regain her focus. The young boy saw her in slow motion for a few seconds, his eyes widening a bit. "Whoa." He suddenly felt a shiver as his hairs stood on end, the boy pulling her towards him to where a Shadowkhan crashed into the seat.

"Children, get out of here!" roared El Toro. "It is too dangerous!" He picked up the huge ball from earlier, rolling it towards a few shinobi whilst Diamondhead made a ramp to have the ball hit a few more.

"They're after that rock in your mask," huffed the crystal man. "Unless we somehow take them all out, the only way to stop them from hurting people is to get that talisman out of here. HEADS UP!" El Toro ducked as the alien fired a volley of crystals at some shinobi that tried to sneak attack the man. The luchador looked up, quickly noticing an open wall.

"Then it is time for the bull to charge!" The man ran forward, Jade quickly pulling out the Rooster Talisman. The man crashed into the wall, the pained girl using the moment to try and pull the talisman out of his mask.

As this was happening, Paco and Ellie leaned back to avoid a slash from a Shadowkhan's sword. Ellie fired a ghost ray to poof it, only for another to quickly jump at them. Paco acted on instinct, picking something up and tossing it at the enemy. A piece of metal stabbed into the shadow ninja, the stadium seating now having a piece torn out. Ellie looked back, her eyes widening.

"Um… how long have you been able to do that?" questioned the ghost girl. "That's not normal." The boy looked back with nervous eyes, only for the shiver to hit him again as he suddenly held his hand up. A part of the skin in his palm tore open, allowing a gland to fire webbing at a Shadowkhan and make it impale itself on a pole. The young man looked towards his wrists, his eyes widening as the other also split open.

"Que es esto?" questioned the boy. "But I do not have a tai… I mean-" Ellie saved him this time as she picked him up, flying him away from some thrown shuriken. El Toro winced as he tried to keep his mask from flying off, the Talisman pulling against the fabric. It finally tore out with some pieces, leaving a crooked star-like shape in the mask where it once rested.

"Gotcha," huffed Jade with glowing eyes. Gwen gasped as it felt like her healing magic was being manipulated, cutting the spell off as Jade used the energy to write a seal in the air. "Begone from this place, wicked shadows!" She slammed the symbol against the bleachers, creating a shockwave of light that caused the Shadowkhan to writhe as if they felt pain. They then became like dust, flowing back into the shadows from whence they came.

Ellie hissed as the shockwave affected her slightly, causing her to fall towards the ground. Paco acted on instinct again, this time creating a web to stop their fall. As soon as their feet hit the ground, Paco's eyes widened as he watched the ghost girl turn back into her human form with a moan.

"E-Ellie!?" The girl felt a bit weak, not feeling the energy to explain herself. Max approached the duo, a frown on his face.

"Young man, I believe you have some explaining to do," stated the old man. "But first-" The sound of sirens could be heard outside, Max pulling out his Plumber badge. "I have business to attend to. Don't go anywhere." The Hispanic boy gulped, not liking the sound of that.

"Um… Mama told me to hand this over to men like you." The boy pulled out a similar badge, handing it to Max. The man's eyes widened in utter shock, an expression that Ellie knew was a rare sight.

Later

The group soon found themselves back at the Plumber Base, Jade having an ice pack on her head while El Toro could be heard talking with Max in the man's office. Ellie sat next to Ben as she rubbed her arm, still feeling a bit weak. The kid group remained silent for a moment, unsure what to say. The silence mostly stemmed around the newcomer, the boy not saying anything. Gwen cleared her throat, deciding to be the first to say something to Paco.

"So… you're like Spiderman?" tried the redhead. The others looked at her, causing her to shrug. "What? A new kid shows up with super strength and webs and you don't want to know more?" The boy looked down, sighing.

"As I told Ellie, I never knew my father," explained the boy. "I only knew of my…differences because I grew up with them. Mama told me Papa was a good man who made bad choices. I did not know about the webs until today." The door opened, the group jerking as Shen walked in with a new ice pack for Jade.

"A good man who found himself breaking the law for the right reason," stated the scientist. He held up Paco's badge, Ben and Gwen both going wide eyed. "He saved the Earth from becoming exposed to high level technology before it was ready for it, at the cost of becoming a wanted felon. Records say he went into exile and has yet to be found."

Paco winced a bit, not exactly proud of what he was hearing. "You are a rather rare case, boy. It's not often we see hybrids of two different species. I would need your mother's permission to give a proper examination." Jade cleared her throat, reminding her father to change out her ice pack.

"I do not mean to interrupt, Daddy, but what exactly did his father do?" questioned the girl. "I don't get how doing the right thing saw him become a criminal." Shen sighed, shaking his head.

"He exposed himself to humanity. By law, any species not yet exposed to the greater galaxy is to be kept from knowing about its peoples until the civilization has colonized a second planet successfully." Ben huffed a chuckle. Shaking his head.

"And yet that doesn't stop the bad guys from showing up and flaunting themselves to people," stated the boy. "Like how the Limax tried to take old people to be eaten." Sari huffed, looking away.

"That sounds disgusting," huffed the metal girl. "It's wrong to eat sapient species." Shen nodded his head, a sigh leaving his mouth.

"Unfortunately, there are those who see the non-spacefaring peoples as livestock or resources," stated the man. "Even personal rivals do this to each other. I had heard that the Limax received a harsh punishment from the main branch that locked them to their sector of the galaxy." Paco scratched at the back of his neck, feeling a bit of an itch. Gwen hummed, leaning forward.

"So, what kind of alien is he?" questioned the magical girl. "He looks human, save for those slits in his wrists." The scientist gestured towards the boy, still having an unreadable expression.

"He is an Arachnichimp hybrid. Think of Arachnichimps as monkeys with spider features and the ability to do anything a spider can do." Gwen shivered at this, now regretting her question.

"Cool," finally commented Ellie. "So you're a literal Spider Man, well Spider Boy. What else can you do? Anything you wanna show off?" The boy chuckled nervously, looking away.

"Mama… does not like me showing it off," admitted the boy. "She wanted me to grow up as a normal niño but I found time to practice in secret before we moved here to the States. I would not be surprised if she puts the collar on me. It is normally meant for the flea season but it also keeps me human… But what about you!?"

He had a huge grin on his face, scooting a bit closer in his seat. "You were like an angel flying through the sky, releasing a cold fury upon the wicked diablos. Is one of your parents from space as well? I must know." Ellie blushed at the angel comment, rubbing the back of her head.

"I'm not EXACTLY an alien," stated the girl. "I don't usually like talking about it but-" The door to the room opened, Max stepping out.

"You've been cleared, Paco," stated the old man. "You'll have to go through a physical to check for any diseases and I'll need to have you here for examinations so that you aren't labeled a dangerous youth by other branches. I'll handle talking to your mother about this little incident. I'm just glad our little talisman retrieval mission was successful." El Toro stepped out next, Paco grinning like the fan boy he was as the man looked around.

"They are all niños?" questioned the wrestler. "This one was the crystal man?" Max nodded his head, Jackie pushing past him to check on Jade.

"Xiaoyu, are you okay?" questioned the actor. "What happened?" Jade huffed as she was checked on, pulling her arm away.

"I'm fine, Uncle Jackie," reassured the girl. "Just a headache. Nobody hit me or anything. I just got a bit overwhelmed with all the magic going around but I can work on it." The former actor placed a hand on her forehead, huffing.

"You are burning up. When was the last time the ice was replaced? I knew-" Jade began to frown, showing slight hurt. Shen cleared his throat, earning Jackie's attention.

"I can parent my daughter, Cousin Kong Sang," reminded the father. "I appreciate that you care but her place in all of this is mine to decide. She remained away from combat as I told her to unless necessary. Until she can handle the fighting herself, she is only allowed to be involved in locating and safely retrieving these Talismans. She stuck to the plan I allowed and performed honorably."

This caused Jade to slightly smile, her father crossing her arms. "If you have words to say, Cousin, you may speak with me in private later." Jackie sighed at this, looking away.

"Speaking of the kids, everyone did well," complimented Max. "There were slight hiccups but it went better than we expected." Viper sped into the room, a smirk on her face.

"Talisman secured in the vault, Majister Tennyson," informed the dinosaur woman. "Uncle Jing's charms and spells are working wonders for keeping intruders out." Jade tilted her head, humming.

"Uncle?" questioned the girl. "But… he's my Uncle." Viper snickered at this, rolling towards the duo with her clawed hands behind her back.

"He keeps insisting that everyone calls him Uncle. Besides, you've got another uncle that's rather easy on the eyes, good with kids, and has a talent for action. There isn't a target I haven't caught yet. Play my cards right and I could be a pretty good aunt." Jackie blushed as she suddenly pecked him on the cheek before speeding off, her giggle echoing through the air.

"But… we're not even dating," stuttered the actor. Jade giggled at this, having a feeling that Jackie missed the hint. It looked like hybrids might be in season in the near future.

Inkaliber: And that's gonna do it for this chapter. The Ox Talisman has been retrieved, Paco has appeared as a Spidermonkey hybrid, Ben starts working out, and we get a glimpse into the mystery that is Ellie. With a new talisman under the group's belt, only time will tell what can happen. Jade has a bit of work to do if she wants to be in on the action. Final thoughts, fellas?

Zemrocku: In the week it took to make this I got sick. This sucks. We had a few disagreements so this almost didn't come out in time but hey, thanks to the readers for their patience.

Inkaliber: We all hope you get better soon man. How about you, Adran?

Adran: I think, for all the disagreements we had on how this should go, it ended up pretty dang good.

Inkaliber: And that's an excellent note to end on. This is the last chapter of the month but it won't be long until this story is back in action. Now, where was I? Oh right! EHEM!

What did you guys think? Did you like how Paco was introduced? Was the fight with the Shadowkhan interesting? What kind of chaos is this little group in for? Let me know what you think down below and I'll try to respond ASAP, next chapter at the latest. This is Inkaliber, signing out.