SZ: *finishes playing Blazblue Central Fiction, slowly putting the controller down*...wow. Just...wow. What a way to end the series.
GammaTron: *playing Splatoon* Don't give any spoilers, SZ. We might have readers who want to see it for themselves. *switches to Pokemon Sun* Beat the main story on Monday, November 21, and caught Tapu Fini Wednesday, November 23.
SZ: Of course. I want them to see it for themselves. Speaking of our readers…*turns to look at the screen* hello, minna. It's Seanzilla115 and GammaTron once again, here to bring ya another chapter of Omniverse Underground.
GT: *nods* Hope you're all getting ready for Thanksgiving…*glares at the scenery set up in Christmas decorations*...
SZ:...Okay. That really annoys me. I mean, it's not even December yet, and most stores have already set their Christmas decorations up!
GT: December nothing! It's not even Thanksgiving! Hell, I saw my local Wal-Mart put their Christmas stuff up in OCTOBER!
SZ: Oh for the love of…*facepalms*...then again, after Thanksgiving...there's the terror known as…*holds a flashlight up to his face* Black Friday~! Dun-dun-Duuuuuun!
GT: ...I am so glad my family does the big holiday shopping before Thanksgiving. I have heard some scary stories about Black Friday, like this one Wal-Mart temporary employee being trampled to death after shoppers actually tore the doors down before the store opened just to get their discount shopping while his co-workers had climbed onto the top of vending machines to avoid the mad rush.
SZ: Well when there's something big just coming out for the holidays, people lose any sense of control and will beat eachother up, or worse kill each other just to get that item. A prime example of this...the day the Cabbage Patch Kids first came out. You want to talk scary stories, that one is a true horror show right there.
GT: No thank you. *shudders* Those toys gave me nightmares…
SZ: Yeah...ahem! Anyways, let us begin with the story. Also as for disclaimers...you people already know what me and GT own and don't own at this point. Now without further ado, let's begin. Lower the screen!
Deadpool: *shouts in a high pitched german accent* LOWER THE SCREEN!
GT: *whistles and UB-05 Gluttony appears* Sic 'em.
UB-05: *roars before eating Deadpool and leaves*
Everyone but GT: o.0
GT: *dressed as Reinhardt from Overwatch*...What? Deadpool made fun of the accent of one of my favorite Overwatch characters. *pulls screen down*
Greymatter grunted as he shimmied out of a hole in the wall. Jumping to the floor, he changed back into Ben and stretched a little. Turning to a cat Beastkin, he nodded to him. The Beastkin flipped a switch and the lights of the building began to turn on.
"That make fifty-seven buildings with working lights that you've helped today, Ben," Tsubaki listed on a clipboard as the cat Beastkin shook hands with Ben before walking off.
"It was just a few wires out of place like all the others," Ben replied as the two began to walk along the street, "Why is it that breaking things is so much easier than fixing them?"
Tsubaki giggled a little, "You sounded just like Makoto when I checked on her an hour ago."
"Heh heh…" Ben sheepishly chuckled a bit at that, rubbing the back of his head, before looking out at the rebuilding city, "How long have we been working on rebuilding Mobotropolis?"
"About a week and a half now," Tsubaki replied, "At least with most of the finished buildings now have working electricity so everyone doesn't have to sleep in tents or the few vehicles that they brought now."
"Well that's good to hear," Ben noted, "At this rate, the city should be fully rebuilt in no time."
Tsubaki nodded before coming to a halt, "Ben...Makoto said that you'd be taking us to our homeworld once we finished with repairing the city. Is...is that really true?"
"Of course," Ben replied, "I just need to talk with Rook and we'll get a ship as soon as possible. You all have family you want to see again, right?"
"That is true, yes," Tsubaki nodded before looking down a bit, "Demo…"
"...What?"
"I'm afraid of what we'll find once we get there," Tsubaki admitted, "I mean...I still have some gaps missing in my memories, so I'm afraid of what the NOL has done while Makoto, Noel, and I were away."
Ben blinked twice, 'Oh yeah...I keep forgetting that aside from her time at the NOL's academy, she doesn't have a single memory after it.' he frowned as he thought of the Izayoi, 'All becase of that weapon of hers…' he patted her shoulder, "Don't sweat, Tsubaki. I'm sure your memories will come back sooner or later." she just gave a half-hearted nod, "...Tell you what, you go grab Makoto and Noel and I'll go find Rook and we'll talk about getting that ship. Sound good?"
"...Hai," Tsubaki nodded slowly, "I'll go ahead and look for them."
Ben nodded. He activated his Omnitrix and selected an alien before pushing down on the top. In a flash of light, Fasttrack gave a mock salute to Tsubaki before running off to find Rook. Tsubaki sighed a bit as she left in the opposite direction to go find Makoto and Noel, a rather guilty look on her face. While she couldn't remember, she couldn't help but feel guilty of what happened when the Izayoi took her over. She recalled it was her family's most valuable treasure, but she couldn't help but wonder why she needed to use it in the first place. Did she really use it to try and kill Noel? Did this 'Hazama' really give her such an order? If so...why?
"...Ugh. I need to get my mind off this…" Tsubaki sighed.
Rook paced about outside the bus, "What to do...what to do… I cannot just avoid saying anything to them, but they will be devastated. Yet if I do not tell them soon and they learn from another source, then I will be in deep trouble with them."
"Deep trouble with who, Rook?"
"Ahh!" Rook yelped a bit in surprise as he quickly turned around, seeing Fasttrack standing there, "...Please do not sneak up on me like that. I could have attacked you right there and then."
"Heh-heh. Sorry," Fasttrack apologized as he turned back into Ben, "So what's up?"
"..." Rook looked up, "A few birds."
"What? No. I mean what's the problem?" Ben asked.
"Oh. That was a saying," Rook noted, "Well...It is nothing important. What is it that you need?"
"I was wondering if you had a spaceship."
"I did before Jake crashed it in its disguised form," Rook replied, "Why do you ask? Do you wish to go back to Earth?"
"Well, it'd be nice to go back to Bellwood, but not yet," Ben replied, "I was asking for Noel, Makoto, and Tsubaki since they all want to go back to their homeworld."
"Ahh...I see," Rook noted, "...I do not know about that."
"...Why?"
"...Well…" Rook began as he took a deep breath, "How do I put this gently…"
"...Rook, answer me," Ben said, a serious tone in his voice as he looked at him, "Is there something you're not telling me?"
"Well...This is rather…" Rook spoke before a beeping noise came from his badge, "One moment." he turned away from Ben and tapped the badge, "Rook Blanko reporting. ...Yes. I still...I understand. What is the ETA? ...That short? But, sir I..." he sighed, "I understand, sir. Signing out."
"...?" Ben raised a brow at that as Rook turned back around to face him.
"You have been training the Mobians, Makoto, and Tsubaki to fight against your alien forms, correct?"
"...Yeah," Ben slowly replied, confused on where Rook was going with this, "Why ask?"
"Two higher ranked Plumbers will be showing up by roughly tomorrow morning to examine the results of your teachings them to handle alien threats to their worlds."
"Wait, what? That was all for practice to help with different situations with Eggman," Ben explained.
"Regardless, you utilized your alien forms, hence training against alien threats to their homes."
"...Rook, you're talking as if Mobius is gonna be invaded soon," Ben stated.
"My apologies. I did not mean to say it that way," Rook apologized, "What I mean is that because of how you trained the others, it is considered field training. The Plumbers are sending two higher ranked members to examine how they have done in that training and see if any of your ideas would be good for the academy."
"Ahh...I see...I think," Ben noted.
"Yes. Now I must be going to explain the situation to Queen Aleena so that she does not become upset with us. Excuse me," Rook walked off, leaving Ben alone.
"...Damn it," Ben sighed as he plopped down on the ground, 'What am I gonna tell Tsubaki and the others? I told her I was gonna talk to Rook, but instead of telling them good news, I'm gonna have to tell them they're gonna have to wait a bit longer instead…' he frowned, 'Still…' he looked up at the afternoon sky, 'Who are these Plumbers that are showing up tomorrow?'
"Okay, try it out now," Ragna ordered, putting the hood down.
The Mobian behind the wheel nodded and turned the ignition key. The engine rumbled before it started going off.
"...Alright. You should be good to go then," Ragna stated, "Word of advice, try not to flood the engine so goddamn much."
"Eh-heh-heh-heh. R-Right," the Mobian chuckled sheepishly before driving off, carrying supplies in the back of it.
Ragna sighed while shaking his head before scowling as he looked out in the direction of the Techadon Factory, still stuck where it had landed. Since its landing, Queen Aleena had set up a security force guarding the thing until they could figure out a way to remove it. Hopefully soon, too, because those Techadon Robots...were seriously a big threat. The fact that factory could produce one to adapt to how a previous one lost made it a pretty big deal. What else was that one of Robotnik's robots managed to snatch one while it was shut down, so who knows what kind of things that fatass could do with it.
'Worst of all...Those damn things were probably the first trigger that guy warned about,' Ragna thought, recalling how Ben reacted to seeing the one he had to use the full power of the Azure Grimoire on, 'What the hell do these triggers have to do with Ben, and what the hell does this even mean?'
"I see that the first of the three triggers has occurred."
"What kind of game are you playing at?" Ragna growled, turning to glare at Paradox.
"None at all, my good Bloodedge," Paradox replied, "Gumball?"
"You know what the other triggers are, right?" Ragna, once again, ignored the offer.
"In a way. They are connected to one another, after all," Paradox replied, "Each building up on one another until the final trigger sets it all off."
"...Let me guess, they're all connected to Ben's past somehow?" Ragna guessed, "Because after those damn robots appeared, that dumbass Vulcanus appeared soon after."
"Impressive deduction, Ragna," Paradox smiled, "Quick as usual to come to the right conclusions."
"Right…" Ragna stated, "Here's another guess: the seconds of those triggers is going to be arriving soon, right?"
"Indeed. In fact...what day is it?"
"Tuesday."
"The second trigger will arrive tomorrow. I should warn you that the second trigger is something that Rook Blanko can tell you more about."
"Rook?" Ragna blinked before facepalming, "And the bastard's gone again. How the hell does that work?! I didn't even sense any magic or feel the wind move! Ugh...he's almost as annoying as that damn rabbit."
"Hey!" a passing Rabbit Mobian shouted.
"Not you, idiot! A different rabbit!" Ragna snapped.
"Hey!" a passing Rabbit Beastkin shouted.
"Not you, either!" Ragna snapped before walking off, 'Now I need to go find the damn idiot who knows more about Ben's past after I left…'
"May I have a word with you, Queen Aleena?" Rook asked once he moved to the side to let the ones who were giving updates on the restoration process leave the tent that was acting as a temporary base for the queen.
"Of course, Rook Blanco," Aleena nodded, "Follow me."
"Of course," Rook nodded as he followed her, "I have been in recent contact with my superior officers in the Plumbers."
"It is about young Benjamin, isn't it."
"Yes, but also for those he has been practicing with using his alien forms," Rook informed, "I hope you do not become upset, but two Plumbers of much higher rank than myself are coming tomorrow to see the ones Ben has been practicing with."
"I see…Though there is more to it than that, isn't there?"
"Yes. In truth, if I am correct on whom they are sending, it is a rather vital task that we prevent Ben from interacting with them at all costs," Rook informed.
"...May I ask why?" Aleena asked.
"...Well…" Rook paused, looking around for a moment before whispering his response to her.
"...I see," Aleena noted, "Thank you for telling me this, Sir Blanko. Whoever performed the memory alterations in young Benjamin's mind, they must have expected him to never have run into anyone that would say otherwise of the events altered."
"It is either that or they did so with the intention of causing it," Rook frowned, "From what I have read about him and seen for myself, Ben is an emotional person, often following what his heart, and his ego when it happens, tells him to do. The results of him meeting those who contradict what he 'remembers' may do more harm than good."
"I see," Aleena noted, holding her chin in thought, "...It is quite a predicament, I will admit…"
"Indeed, your highness," Rook nodded, "Ben meeting them would most likely do more harm than good. What I suggest is we distract him with something long enough until they leave."
"A wise idea, however he is not one of my subjects," Aleena noted, "And we are reaching a point where his alien forms would not be needed for hardly a thing with the repairs to Mobotropolis."
"And I am required to meet them in person, so I will be unable to provide distraction," Rook added.
"..." the two stayed silent for a few moments before looking at once another, "Ragna."
"...Why do I feel like I'm gonna be used as a distraction?" Ragna muttered to himself, leaning against the outer walls of the city.
"Good morning!" Makoto greeted, a just-emptied cup of coffee in her hands.
"You just can't function without that first cup, can you?" Tsubaki shook her head.
"I need to be good and ready for the day," Makoto countered as she put the cup down, the Beastkin doing a few quick stretches, "Besides, I heard we're meeting someone, so I want to be ret2go when they get here."
"...ret2go?" Tsubaki raised a brow at that.
"'Ready to go?'" Makoto replied before seeing Ben come down, "Good morning, Ben."
"Morning," Ben greeted, "How's everyone?"
"Pumped and ret2go!" Makoto beamed a bit.
"Ready to go? Okay," Ben nodded, "Let me just grab something to drink from the kitchen, and w-"
"Actually Ben, you may need to leave here in a few," Tsubaki spoke up, making him turn towards her, "I recently got a message from Aleena-sama that you and Ragna are needed elsewhere."
"Really?" Ben raised a brow, "Well, okay. Wonder what she needs me and Ragna for."
"She didn't say since she wanted to ask you both in person," Tsubaki replied.
"I'm sorry?" Ragna raised a brow as he and Ben stood in front of Aleena, "Where do you want us to go?"
"There are a few communication bases I'd like for you two to check up on," Aleena informed, "While we may have the capital back, the Freedom Fighters cannot rest until Eggman's threat is gone completely. At each base, make sure that everything is working in proper order."
"Ah...gotcha," Ragna nodded.
"Understood, your majesty," Ben nodded as he began to walk off, "Coming, Ragna?"
"In a bit. Need to clarify something with the queen here," Ragna stated.
"...Alright," Ben shrugged as he left.
"..." Ragna stood silent as he watched him leave, waiting until he was out of hearing distance before he turned back to Aleena, "What's the real deal about this?"
"A pair of higher ranked Plumbers will be coming today. Rook has advised me that if Ben were to see them, it would not end well," Aleena replied.
"...I'm gonna take a guess Ben knows...or rather knew these two, correct?" Ragna guessed, earning a nod from the female hedgehog, "I kinda figured...Let me guess; keep him distracted long enough until they leave?"
"It would be nice if you could, yes," Aleena nodded.
"Ahh...understood," Ragna stated as he began to leave, 'Shouldn't be too hard. Still, who are these two Plumbers, and how're they connected to Ben?'
"So who are we meeting again?" Sonic asked as he leaned against the bus, having driven it out a few miles away from the city.
"As I have said several times before, Sonic, we are meeting two higher ranked Plumbers who are going to ascertain what you have learned from your practices with Ben in his alien forms," Rook pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Ahh…" Sonic nodded before blinking, "Wait...why?"
"Sonikku, he told us that it was because it was considered a type of training they do in the Plumber academy," Roll reminded.
"Ahh...so what? If we pass, we're honorary Plumbers or something?" Sonic guessed.
"If it were like that, then anyone who has interacted with another alien race would be one," Rook shook his head, "You would be considered for it, however."
"Ah...alrighty then," Sonic nodded as he stepped forward, "So long long until they get here?"
"They should be here any minute now," Rook replied before his badge went off, "This is Rook Blanko."
=Are you at the designated area?= a voice asked, everyone noting it sounded like a female's voice.
"Yes. No one is around and area has been checked for hidden cameras or recording devices," Rook replied.
=Good. We're arriving at the target area now=
=About time, too. We really underestimated how far off this galaxy was and are almost out of food supplies= a male voice added.
"I will try my best to make sure you will have enough supplies for the trip back," Rook assured.
=10-4=
"I take it that was them?" Sonic asked as Rook hung up.
"Correct," Rook nodded as he looked up at the sky.
"Well, this is annoying," Ragna frowned as he looked at where the entrance to one of the hidden communication bases was supposed to be...only to see a pile of boulders.
"Don't worry. I've got it," Ben assured as he turned on his Omnitrix, "Armadrillo can dig it out." he slapped it down and Ragna blinked twice when the green light went down.
"So Armadrillo is a dragon?" Ragna asked, looking at the black and green Charizard with Ben's Omnitrix symbol on his chest.
"Rrrr?" the Charizard blinked at that before looking at himself, "Rawr?!" 'I forgot it scanned that Charizard.'
"So what do you call this one?" Ragna pondered, "Dragonfang? Nastybreath?"
"Rrrrr…"
"What? With all the names of the others you've used around me, I thought it was obvious," Ragna frowned.
Ben growled before blowing flames at the boulders in their path, melting them in seconds. Both blinked twice at it before Ragna slowly looked at the dragon.
"Okay...Maybe Firestorm?"
"...Rrr," the now dubbed Firestorm nodded as the two walked into the building.
Back over with Sonic and the others, the group looked up at the sky to see something approaching them. It appeared to be a silver disc connected to two ovals at first before it got close enough to reveal itself as a spaceship. Three legs extended from it as it landed in the middle of the clearing.
"So...this is a Plumbers ship…" Makoto noted as she looked at it, "...Huh. Looks like a UFO from the front kinda."
The underside of the ship lowered before extending out a ramp.
"I am glad you two have arrived safe and sound," Rook saluted to two figures that were walking out of the ship.
The first of the two who got off the ship was a young woman in her early twenties, her orange hair reaching her shoulders with a pair of blue hair clips in it. She wore a form fitting blue bodysuit with the arms and legs of it black. She wore a gold belt with several red stones on it with different designs while she wore a blue cape with hood.
"Thank you, Rook," the orangette nodded, her green eyes glancing around.
"Man, look at this place," the second figure noted as he looked around, "Did a war breakout here or something?"
Rook and the others just gave him a stare. The figure was a male around the same age as the woman with his shoulder-length black hair pulled into a wolf-tail at the base of his neck with a pair of bangs framing his face. He wore a grey shirt underneath a black shirt and black jeans with circuit designs on them. Around his neck was a black collar with a lock on it, the back facing them with the number '11' carved into it.
"That is because there has been an ongoing war for the last sixteen years," Rook informed.
"Ooh…" the male winced a bit at that," "Sorry...didn't know about that."
"You would've if you had read the reports," the woman frowned at the man.
"Aw come on. I watched the fight, didn't I?"
"Only because it reminded you of those kaiju movies you like to watch."
"Can ya blame me? It was just.."
"Ahem!" Rook cleared his throat, catching their attention.
'These are his superior officers?' Tsubaki sweatdropped.
"Oh, right," the man chuckled sheepishly before waving to them, "So you're the guys and girls who Ben's been working with?"
"That's ri...wait," Makoto blinked, "You...know Ben?"
"These are Kevin Ethan Levin and Gwendolyn Tennyson," Rook introduced, "A friend to Ben and the cousin of Ben respectively."
"Ahh...soka," Makoto noted, "Wait, what?!"
"Hnn...that should do it," Ragna muttered, moving some old rusted junk out of the way, "Oi, Ben. You good on your end?"
"Hold on," a voice echoed before Greymatter poked out of a console, "Okay. I think I've managed to get everything inside operational." he hopped out and onto the console and began to move a few objects connected to it and turn a dial, "Okay. Try it out, Ragna."
"Gotcha," Ragna nodded as he pressed a button on the console, waiting a few seconds before the screen turned on, "Okay. I think we're good here."
Greymatter nodded as he hopped off and changed back into Ben once on the floor, "Let's get going to the next station."
Ragna nodded as the two began to leave the room, 'Alright, just a few more to go...hopefully those Plumbers the queen mentioned won't take long.'
"Okay, this is the best food I've eaten in weeks," Kevin noted, putting down the emptied plate.
"Arigatou," Roll thanked as she cleaned the picnic tale of the emptied dishes and zipped back into the bus and back out after a minute.
"Huh. She part Kinecellerian?" Kevin asked.
"Part what now?" Manic raised a brow.
"I think he means XLR8's race," Sonia whispered to him.
"Oh…" Manic noted before looking back at Kevin, "Nah. She's just a really fast runner, much like our bro."
"I see…" Gwen noted as Sonic gave an example by running around the bus in a second, "Are all Mobians capable of this?"
"Not really, no," Sonia replied.
"Bro and Step-Sis are just that unique," Manic shrugged before seeing Sonia's shocked face, "What?"
"You used a big word."
"...Okay, you can go back to your room in the van," Manic deadpanned.
Gwen gave a soft giggle at the interaction before she settled her expression once Roll came back out, "Okay, so Rook has informed us all of you have been sparing with a multitude of aliens with their own unique abilities, right?"
"That's correct," Tsubaki nodded.
"Nice," Kevin nodded, "Well then, we'll be asking you individually on a few random aliens and ask for basic stuff on them."
"Mou...a test?" Makoto groaned a bit.
"I feel for you," Kevin nodded before seeing Gwen's glare, "...I mean. Toughen up. It's just a set of questions you verbally answer. And since you're the one who groaned first, you're going first."
"Dang it…" Makoto sighed as she rested her head on the table, "...Mou...fine. What's the first question?"
"Hold on," Gwen spoke before holding a hand up.
Makoto raised a brow before a sphere of magenta energy appeared in Gwen's hand. It shot into the air a few feet above them before turning into a dome, cutting Makoto, Kevin, and Gwen off from the others. Sonic was about to summon his sword when Rook's hand on his shoulder made him look at the alien while the dome turned opaque.
"She is merely making a private room to do the private tests," Rook explained.
"Ohh…"
"Yes. It is helpful to make sure no one attempts to help the one taking the test, and prevent any cheating," Rook added.
"So they can't hear or see us in here, but we can see them?" Makoto blinked twice.
"That's right," Gwen replied while Kevin placed a disc-shaped device with a clear orb in the center on the picnic table, "Ready to start the questions?"
"Hai. I'm ret2go," Makoto nodded.
"...Ready to go?" Kevin guessed.
"Yup," Makoto nodded.
"...Told you it's a good saying," Kevin smirked.
Gwen just gave him a look. Kevin laughed sheepishly before tapping the top of the disc-shaped device, causing the orb to light up. A hologram appeared, displaying an Appoplexian in a pair of congo shorts, combat boots, fingerless leather gloves, a leather sleeveless jacket, and a muscle shirt.
"Name the alien species here," Gwen ordered.
"Oh, that's easy. Appoploexian," Makoto answered, "Ben-kun transformed into this one on quite a few occasions, most of which were by accident, and was a big help in some pretty big battles. Heck, when he went Ultimate as Rath, he turned into a kung-fu master!"
"...There's an Ultimate Appoploexian?" Kevin paled.
"Oh, don't worry. Ben-kun becomes calm and collected when he goes Ultimate as Rath," Makoto added.
"...That scares me even more," Kevin put it bluntly.
"Well, let's just continue on. What are the abilities of an Appoploexian? What are their weaknesses?" Gwen questioned after clearing her throat.
"Hmm...well, they're incredibly strong, and have a lot of stamina," Makoto answered, "They also have quite a bit of a short temper, and pretty much charge right in without a gameplan...well, except the whole smash whatever's in front of them. Simple way to beat them...You put their head in a dome until they use up all their air."
"Good," Gwen nodded as the disc changed to another alien, "On to the next."
"Here's the next stop," Ragna noted as he stopped the truck outside an abandoned building.
"Here?" Ben asked before he ran into the empty place and began to look around, "Pleasebeasecretdoorpleasebeasecretdoorpleasebeasecretdoor…" his hand pressed down on a panel on the floor and a stairway was revealed near it, "Yes!"
Ragna shook his head. Ben may have matured, but he still had his childish moments it seemed.
"This is one of the few that are still operable," Ragna noted, "So make sure you remember the code phrase that we got from Aleena."
"Gotcha," Ben saluted as they walked down the revealed stairway, ending up before a steel doorway.
Ragna rapped his knuckles against the door and a panel slid open.
"What's the code phrase?" a voice asked.
"Queen takes False King," Ragna replied.
The panel slid shut before a series of sounds of locks coming undone were heard. The door swung inwards and the two entered.
"Okay, so three so far have passed," Gwen noted as she dropped the dome once more, letting Manic walk out while twirling a drumstick, "Next."
"Hai!" Roll replied as she walked up and sat down before Gwen reformed the dome, "Sugoi...Are you a mahoutsukai, Gwen-san?"
"In a way, yes," Gwen nodded, "Now then, Rook mentioned you have an alien bonded to you?"
"Oh! You mean Yacker-chan," Roll noted as her Wisp poked a bit out of her hair to give a shy wave before hiding again, "He's been with my family for centuries now."
"So 'Yacker' has bonded with a member of your family each time the previous died?" Gwen asked.
"Hai," Roll nodded, "Before she died, my Obaa-chan was the last one bonded with Yacker-chan."
"I see," Gwen noted, "Well then. Let's start our questions, okay?"
"Hai," Roll nodded.
"Now then…" Gwen began as Kevin turned the disc back on, displaying a muscular red and black humanoid with horns, spiked wristbands, and a devil's tail, "Identify th…"
"ZETI!" Yacker freaked, shooting out of Roll's hair and slammed face/body first into the dome wall, causing everyone outside to look at it when they heard a soft 'thud' on their side.
"Ah! Yacker-chan!" Roll gasped as she picked up the downed Wisp, "Daijobu?"
"Wow. Was not expecting that sort of reaction," Kevin noted.
"...Ano, Gwen-san? Can you move onto a different alien, please?" Roll asked as she looked at the redhead, holding the shivering Wisp closed as it stared at the hologram with haunted eye, "Yacker-chan's really nervous about that particular creature right now."
"Right," Gwen agreed, changing the image to a Pyronite, "I'm really sorry about that. I should've guessed there might be aliens out there that frighten your little friend."
"Heh. That's normally what I do," Kevin grinned before faltering under another look from Gwen, "Uh...Name the alien species and how you first made contact with it."
"Hai," Roll nodded as she looked at the image, "It's a Pyronite, or as Ben-san likes to call this one, Heatblast. I saw him transform into it when...when…" she paused as she looked down a bit, "When he went against the one that murdered my family."
"?!" both flinched.
"The one who did it was capable of controlling ice far better than anyone in the village I came from, even creating ice that could make his powers stronger by destroying the soul with its cold ice," Roll explained, "Ben-san used Heatblast and was able to melt even that ice and defeat him. I recall that Heatblast can absorb flames to make himself even stronger, can fly with the flames, and can even write in the sky with the flames."
"...And...his weaknesses?"
"Oh. Large bodies of water, pressurized water in a constant stream, fire retardants, flames hotter than his, and…" she giggled, "Fire extinguishers."
"...Let me guess; Ben got in an incident involving one?" Kevin asked.
"Ano…" Roll blushed, "It was early in the morning and I was still a bit sleepy. I just smelled smoke and wasn't aware it was just Ben-san sparing with Sonia-chan and…"
"Say no more," Gwen held a hand up, "Let's...just move onto the next alien then," the image then changed to a hologram of a Arachnichimp," Name this…"
"Arachnichimp, and Ben-san calls this form Spidermonkey," Roll explained, "I've only seen it a few times, but Makoto-chan told me the first time she saw him, she got tied up in webbing."
"She told us that," Gwen nodded.
"Spidermonkey, if I recall right, is like a monkey with two extra arms, extra eyes to see better with, is really acrobatic, and can make webs from his tail. His Ultimate form is a big gorilla that can spit out stronger webs, is really strong, and has four spider legs," Roll tapped her cheek as she tried to recall what she knew, "As for its weakness...ano...hmm…Bug spray?"
Kevin held his gut as he laughed.
"Kevin!" Gwen hissed at him before looking back at Roll, "You got everything else right, but you failed on what an Arachnichimp's weakness is."
"Oh…gomen," Roll apologized.
"It's fine. Everyone so far made at least one error in a question we've given," Gwen replied, "Now then, onto the next alien."
"...Ugh...freakin' fatass," Ragna muttered, looking at a few old statues of Eggman strewn about in the area, "I bet before he took over, he put them up and thought everyone would think all of these would make them think he was ruler."
"Wouldn't put it past him," Ben added as he looked around, "Then again, Sonic, Sonia, and Manic all said he did act differently before they first dealt with a crisis involving a broken Chaos Emerald compared to how he's recently acted."
"How bad we talkin'?" Ragna asked.
"From what they described it, the entire galaxy would've been torn to shreds."
"Seriously?" Ragna skeptically raised a brow at that.
"Yeah," Ben nodded.
"...n-nevermind. Let's just look for what we need here," Ragna stated, kicking a statue of Eggman out of the way as he began looking around.
"Right," Ben nodded.
"All set, Tsubaki?" Gwen asked, reforming the dome.
"Yes, I believe so," Tsubaki replied.
"Good," Gwen nodded as she changed the image to a Petrosapien, "What species of alien is this and where is it from?"
"That is a Petrosapien from the planet Petropia," Tsubaki informed.
"No mention of Ben's name for this one?" Kevin asked.
"I hardly see why that is important to the question Gwen asked," Tsubaki replied.
"...Fair enough, I guess," Kevin shrugged, "Continue. What are the abilities this guy has? Any weaknesses?"
"Manipulation of its body to produce a near endless supply of its body structure to create nearly anything. A Petrosapien can manipulate its body into other shapes to a certain degree and can fire shards of its body as projectiles. Its body is incredibly durable in terms of defense, but if a certain noise frequency were to hit it, it'll cause severe damage to it."
"Very good," Gwen nodded as she changed the image to a Vulpamancer, "Name this alien please."
"It's species name or the one Ben gave it?"
"Species, then Ben's name, please."
"Vulpamancer and Ben calls this form Wildmutt."
"Uh, quick question; does anyone understand him when he talks in that form?" Kevin asked before seeing Tsubaki and Gwen raise their hands, "...Okay. I'm good." he turned away and mumbled under his breath, "Why is it always the smart redhead that understands it?"
"Let's move on. What are its abilities and weaknesses?"
"Despite not having eyes, Vulpamancers have a high sense of smell, even able to track its prey after they've attempt to get rid of their scent in water," Tsubaki explained, "It is also able to track through multiple terrains, and it's jaw strength is known to even bend metal. Ultimate Vulpamancers have an increased brain capacity, meaning they are able to speak and think ahead of their prey, and their jaw strength is increased tenfold."
"First Ultimate Rath and now Ultimate Wildmutt?" Kevin blinked twice.
"That's correct," Tsubaki nodded, "As for a Vulpamancer's weakness... Their high sense of smell also acts as a double edged sword. While it can track the scents of its targets, it'll back away from putrid smells in the area, such as the scent of a skunk, or rotten and decaying foods."
Gwen nodded, "Very nice. I see someone studied up for this."
"Thank you. Ever since I learned that Rook had a copy of the Alien Life Form Database, I've been reading it each night just in case Ben unlocked one of the forms," Tsubaki replied, "Before that, I always took notes of each of Ben's forms after a quick spar with him and such."
"Ahh...very good," Gwen nodded, changing the image to that of a To'kustar, "Name this alien, its strengths, and its weaknesses."
"Don't forget Ben's name for it."
"Kevin…"
"What? I just wanna make sure she remembers it."
"How could I forget this one?" Tsubaki questioned, "Especially after it fought a literal God. This is Way Big, a To'kustar which are made inside of cosmic storms. Aside from being giant, To'kustars have incredible strength, and a multitude of abilities, such as being able to shoot a giant laser when it brings its arms into a 'L' or 'reverse' L formation. Its-"
"Wait wait wait!" Kevin shouted, "You telling me Ben fought a literal god?!"
"Yes. Didn't Rook say you were shown the video of the fight?" Tsubaki asked.
"Yeah. But we thought it was some sort of water alien," Kevin replied.
"No. That was Chaos, the God of Water formerly known as the God of Destruction," Tsubaki explained, "The war criminal Robotnik had released him from his prison in attempt to take over the planet, but both were eventually stopped thanks to Ben and Sonic."
"Sonic? But the dude's blue. The one we saw in the video was gold."
"That's because of the seven Chaos Emeralds," Tsubaki replied, "While Chaos used their negative energy, Sonic used the positive energy in them to help Ben to calm Chaos down. We've been slowly repairing the damage caused by Chaos' attack, and we haven't seen nor heard anything about Robotnik since."
Gwen nodded.
"I...Are you sure it was an actual God?" Kevin asked.
"I am quite sure," Tsubaki replied, "Anyways, let's resume. As I was stating before, To'kustars may be powerful, but they need to be extra cautious around crowded areas, such as cities with people still in them. The same could be said for their height because if one were to fall over, it would cause a massive earthquake around the area, breaking parts of the ground it fell on."
"Very good," Gwen nodded as she turned the disc off, "This is going to be off the record, Tsubaki."
"Hm?"
"Is...Is Ben okay?" Gwen asked.
"...He's fine," Tsubaki nodded, "Demo...whenever a sensitive subject is brought up, such as when Kevin or your name is mentioned, he tries to avoid it."
"I guess it makes sense considering what he did in that form," Kevin noted.
"Huh?" Tsubaki blinked twice.
"Ben activated a form we had never seen before. Neither of us can really remember what it looked like, but…" Gwen looked over at Kevin, who rolled up a sleeve to reveal a long, jagged scar on it, "It did leave its mark on Kevin due to it going completely berserk."
'Berserk?' "Do you mean...Grimlock?"
"Grimlock?" Kevin repeated.
"A Cybertronian."
"No. It wasn't a Cybertronian," Kevin shook his head, "I can remember that much of what it was. Didn't even shatter Gwen's barriers to knock her out."
"The doctors explained it was a bit of trauma from being struck so hard on our heads," Gwen explained, "We can remember pretty much everything, but some images are still a blur."
"...Soka…" Tsubaki noted, holding her chin in thought, 'A berserk form that wasn't Grimlock? Strange...what is this form they're talking about?'
"...you sure Ben is okay?" Kevin asked as he put his shirt back down, "We just want to make sure."
"Hmm?" Tsubaki blinked, losing her train of thought for a moment to look at him, "...Hai. He's been a major help to the Freedom Fighters, and our group. Also…" she paused as she looked around for a moment, making sure no one snuck something in to eavesdrop on their conversation, "...Just between us, but I think there's something going on between him and Makoto."
"The squirrel girl?" Kevin raised a brow.
"Beastkin," Tsubaki corrected him.
"You sure?" Gwen asked, "Well...It has been five years since...then…"
"Well, there's an issue with that," Tsubaki added, "Ben's still sixteen."
"...Huh?" both looked at her.
"From what I've gathered, Ben was cryogenically frozen on this planet five years ago. To him, it's been less than a year since...whatever happened. He hasn't told us anything about it. In fact, we learned it from Rook of all people that there was an event five years ago that ended in a complete slaughter of an organization."
"...The Forever Knights?"
"Ugh. I still remember the photos taken by other Plumbers of the aftermath," Kevin shuddered.
Gwen frowned, "He must still be feeling guilt over what he did to them...and to Julie."
"Julie?" Tsubaki repeated.
"Never once mentioned her?" Kevin asked.
"Not even once."
"Guess he remembers what he did in his berserk state," Kevin noted.
"...what do you mean?" Tsubaki asked.
"Before that night, Ben had a girlfriend. Her name was Julie Yamamoto and they were a really sweet couple," Gwen noted, "She was kidnapped by the Forever Knights and we managed to get her out of their headquarters when Ben unlocked that alien. The moment it appeared before one of the knights and literally tore him into pieces, we realized that it was one of the times when the alien actually took control of Ben."
"His forms can do that?" Tsubaki gasped.
"Only three, and the second one was only because of certain needs it needed to do," Kevin informed, "Anyways, we tried to stop him, but Gwen and I were knocked out. When we came to, we were in some regeneration tanks made by the Galvan and it had been two weeks since that happened...and a week since Julie's body was buried."
"?!" Tsubaki's eyes widened.
"Her head was ripped clean off her body, spine and all still attached to it," Gwen explained.
"...Wait...a...are you saying…?" Tsubaki began with a whisper.
"Yeah...Ben killed her," Kevin nodded grimly, "After we fully recovered….we heard Ben went missing."
"And from what you just told us, he was likely brought to this world and sealed away," Gwen frowned, "...But why?"
"...That's what I've been wondering with Makoto," Tsubaki spoke, making them look at her, "From what she told me, she was the second to wake up in this world, which means she was most likely sealed away as well before being brought here."
"What does she last remember?" Gwen asked.
"Protecting our friend Noel from someone named Hazama," Tsubaki replied, "I don't really remember anything past our graduation on our planet due to the influence of a weapon known as the Izayoi, so I'm not sure how long it's been since I last saw her."
"That explains the strange aura you have," Gwen noted.
"Hm?"
"It feels like it was tainted for a while before being cleansed," Gwen explained, "But still, who could've brought both of them here? And not just them, but also you and Noel as well, apparently?"
"I honestly don't know…" Tsubaki sighed, "But it's not just me and my friends."
"...Who else is here from your world?"
"So far from what I know...Ragna the Bloodedge."
"Bloodedge? That's kinda of a dumb name," Kevin snorted as Gwen gawked.
"R-Ragna...is here?" Gwen asked in shock.
"Wait, you know who she's talking about?" Kevin asked, looking at Gwen with a raised brow.
"Every time I was around him, my instincts kept telling me to get away from him," Gwen explained, "It was always weird. Sure, he had a bit of a mouth to him and a chip off his shoulder...that and his strange arm...and his teacher being a two-tailed cat in a parka…"
"Wait...his teacher is a cat?" Kevin raised a brow at that.
"A two-tailed cat in a parka…" Tsubaki whispered, "Why does that sounds familiar...wait. Gwen-san, what was the cat's name?"
"Jubei."
"Jubei...That was the name of one of the Six Heroes that defeated the Black Beast!" Tsubaki gasped with wide eyes, "Ragna was trained by him?!"
"Um...Yes?" Gwen sweatdropped as Kevin snorted back a laugh, "What?"
"Sorry. Just...She's acting like you when we met Bezel," Kevin compared, causing Gwen to start blushing in embarrassment.
"Sorry. Just...I'm at a total loss here," Tsubaki admitted, "The fact that Ragna was trained by Jubei himself…"
"...Well how powerful was he anyway?"
"...Do you recall that Black Beast I mentioned?" Tsubaki asked, earning a slight nod from the two, "...Imagine Chaos, but even bigger, and having the power to destroy half the planet's populace with just its presence alone."
"..." both cringed.
"Hai...and it took Jubei, along with five others to finally defeat it," Tsubaki added.
"And how long was it ago when they beat it?"
"About one hundred years."
"...Well, I'm not surprised if that is the very same Jubei," Gwen noted, "He could beat up Ragna and Ben when Ben was Feedback or even XLR8 with just one move back when Ben was 11."
Tsubaki nodded a bit before she bowed, "Gomen. I didn't mean to take up so much of your time."
"It's fine. We all had some questioned needed answering. So I think it worked out," Gwen nodded.
"Oh...ahem. R...right then," Tsubaki nodded, "L-let's just continue with the test."
"Right," Gwen nodded.
"Okay. The last one should be around here," Ragna noted as he and Ben arrived at an old factory of Eggman's
"Looks like it was abandoned a long time ago," Ben noted.
"Heh. That's because it was abandoned after Sonic took it down when he was thirteen from what I heard from his uncle," Ragna smirked, "Of course, it'd probably take a lot less time for me or you to do the same thing."
"Heh...probably," Ben chuckled a bit at that as he activated his Omnitrix, "I'll do a quick scan of the area with Fasttrack." he slapped down and Firestorm roared, "...Rrrr…"
"Yeesh...that watch still hates you," Ragna noted, earning a look fmo Firestorm that said 'yeah. No shit.' "But it's probably good you turned into this form. Most likely that fatass Eggman set up some traps just in case anyone tried raiding this place. Probably most of them involve speedsters."
"Rrr…" Firestorm nodded, unfolding his wings as he took off.
"..." Ragna watched as he flew off, waiting for him to be out of hearing distance before he pulled out a communicator, "Rook, it's me. How're things on your end?"
=Everything is going well so far. With how things are going, they should be leaving before Ben even notices their ship= Rook answered.
"Right," Ragna nodded, "Just hurry up with it. We're almost done with the job Aleena gave us." the sounds of lasers firing and Firestorm roaring mixed with a hint of panic made him groan, "And it seems we're going to be out longer than I thought. Eggman seems to have some of his EggPawns out here and Ben just ran into-WHAT THE HELL?!"
=What is wrong?=
"Ben's using this dragon alien and he just fired a ball of flames that went into the air and turned into falling meteors," Ragna replied before ducking a laser shot and glowered at the EggPawn hiding behind a boulder...in the wrong direction, "...I'll have to call you back." he hung up and walked up to the boulder while cracking his knuckles.
"Well, how did we do?" Sonic asked once the test was over.
"Aside from one or two incorrect answers, you've all managed to do well," Gwen replied.
"Oh sweet," Manic grinned at that.
"Well...two of you did get more answers wrong than the others," Kevin added, glancing at Makoto and Manic.
"Eh heh heh…" Makoto sheepishly chuckled at that, rubbing the back of her head.
"But again, other than that, you all did well," Kevin added.
"That's good to hear," Sonic grinned.
'Now they will leave to report to Headquarters and…' Rook thought.
"Now all that's left is to speak with Ben," Gwen noted.
"?!" Rook tensed at that, 'Uh oh…I was not expecting this.'
"It's to confirm everything that's been going on, right?" Sonia asked.
"That's correct," Gwen nodded, "Now, where can we find him?"
"...Um well, I'm afraid he's busy at the moment," Rook answered.
"I see...well it won't take long, so…" Gwen began.
"Perhaps maybe a quick tour of the city will do you some good!" Rook exclaimed as he motioned them to follow, "Come now. While things may still be a bit messy, the city is thriving and well."
"Rook, what are you doing?" Tsubaki whispered.
"I am trying to make sure they don't encounter Ben to prevent something bad from happening," Rook whispered back.
"What?" Tsubaki blinked twice.
"As much as I'd like to see the city you're helping to rebuild, Rook, I'd be more relieved to see Ben again," Gwen replied.
'Shoot! Think Rook think!' Rook tensed further before he shook his head, "Ahem! Perhaps you will want to meet the queen instead!"
"The queen?"
"Our mom," Sonic replied, motioning to himself, Manic, and Sonia.
"..Wait. So that means you three are royalty?" Kevin asked.
"Yup," Manic replied before motioning to Roll, "And so's Sis-in-Law here….wait," he tapped his chin in thought, "Since Haseo's her little brother, wouldn't that mean he is, too?"
"Haseo?" Gwen repeated.
"He's spending the day with our Otou-san," Roll explained.
"Anyone else here secretly royalty?" Kevin questioned.
"Iie," Makoto shook her head, "...Well, I guess Tsubaki is too since she's heiress to the Yayoi family on our world."
"Which reminds me, do you think you could take us back to our home planet when reconstruction is finished?" Tsubaki asked.
"Hmm? Your home planet?" Gwen questioned, holding her chin in thought as she pondered for a moment, "Hmm...I don't suppose it'll hurt. What's the name of your home planet?"
"We just called it Earth," Makoto shrugged.
"...Wait," Kevin blinked as he looked at her and Tsubaki, "You two are from Earth?"
"Hai," Makoto nodded, "Is...there a problem with that?"
"No. But there are a few planets called 'Earth'," Gwen admitted before pulling out a small rectangle and extended a holographic display, "Anything significant happen? Geological areas?"
"The majority of the populace live on top of mountains," Tsubaki explained, "This is due to a toxic substance still on the surface due to an event 100 years ago."
"Okay. Population lives in mountainous areas...main land covered by toxic substance…race consisting of humans and Beastkin..." Gwen muttered as she typed it down on the holographic screen, "Ah. There we...oh dear."
"What? What's wrong?" Makoto asked.
"Well…" Gwen began before Kevin looked at it.
"Ouch," Kevin cringed.
"...Is something wrong with our world?" Tsubaki asked.
"Um...How to put this light…" Gwen muttered.
"About the same time as Ben and Sonic fought Perfect Chaos, the planet was destroyed by an unknown To'kustar in retaliation of the weapon Take-Mikazuchi performing a misfire that struck an asteroid the To'kustar was using as a napping spot," Rook informed, looking down at his feet, "Of the populace, only five percent of the population were able to be saved due to extremely lucky circumstances on their parts."
"...what?" Makoto whispered, her eyes widened in disbelief, "Y...you mean…?"
"I am sorry...your planet is gone…" Rook stated sadly.
"...Our families…" Tsubaki spoke up, trying her best to calm down as she looked at him, "Were they among those who survived?"
"It is unknown," Rook replied.
"...So you're telling me there's a chance my family could be dead?" Makoto whispered, her hair shadowing over her eyes as her hands balled up into fist.
"I wish I could give you a clear answer," Rook sighed, "Just..please calm down a-"
"Calm down? Calm down?!" Makoto snapped as she glared at him, tears of sadness and rage forming in her eyes, "I lost my home planet, and possibly my family, and you're telling me to calm down?!"
"Now Miss Nanaya, I'm sure we c-" Rook began before he tensed up, quickly rolling out of the way as Makoto slammed her fist into the tree behind him, causing it to completely break apart.
'Okay, now I'm seeing why she says she likes fighting FourArms the most in spars,' Kevin sweated.
"You fucking son of a bitch…" Makoto growled, the tears trailing down her face as she turned around, "I've wanted for so long to see my family again, and now my home planet as gone! My family, my friends Mai and Cajun, everyone I ever knew on that planet are now possibly gone! And you...you're telling me to fucking calm down after telling us that?! You...you…!" she let out a yell filled with both rage and despair as she charged at Rook.
*CLANG*
"?!" Makoto's eyes widened at Tsubaki's shield having taken the impact, "...Tsubaki….move….now."
"I'm sorry, Makoto...but I won't," Tsubaki replied, standing her ground as she stared at the Beastkin, "I understand how you feel, truly I do...but you can't take it out on Rook a-"
"Why not?! He knew about this and never even bothered to tell us!" Makoto snapped.
"I'm sure he had his reasons, Makoto."
"What reasons?! Our home planet is gone, and he kept this from us!"
"He may have been trying to find a way to tell us so you wouldn't be trying to kill him like you are right now."
"Well he fucking failed at it!" Makoto shouted, "I was really looking forward to finally coming home after we've dealt with Eggman! Ben-kun even promised me he'd take us back, but now...now…" she paused as she began to tremble, small sobs escaping her mouth as she lowered her fist, "How can I trust him...or you...or anyone after this?"
"Is Ben even aware that their home was blown up?" Kevin asked Rook, who was hiding behind another tree.
"No, he was not informed. With the reconstruction and the recent event of a Techadon Factory landing here, I did not yet have time to explain to Ben about it."
"I see," Kevin noted, frowning a bit at him before looking at Gwen, "Any ideas?"
"Right now, I think it's best you take her somewhere private to talk with her," Gwen advised, looking right at Tsubaki.
"...Good idea," Tsubaki nodded, dismissing her shield as she carefully moved Makoto somewhere else, a sad look on her face as she looked at the trembling and crying Beastkin, 'Makoto…'
"..." Rook said nothing as he carefully got out of his hiding spot, noticing the disapproving looks Sonic, his siblings, and Roll were giving him, "...It was not my intention to cause that to happen."
"But it did happen," Sonic shook his head.
"Well, look at it in his shoes," Kevin noted, "Dude probably became friends with them and if he knew they wanted to go home only to find out that their home was gone, how'd you try to break it to them without causing a lot of heartbreak?"
"..."
"Yeah...that's what I figured."
"I feel so very ashamed with myself," Rook admitted, "I...think it is best I stay away from you all for a while. I will only cause more damage if I stay here."
"Sounds like a good idea for now," Sonia agreed.
"Demo…" Roll spoke up as she looked at Rook, "Where will you go?"
"I will be staying in the Plumber ship until it is time for Kevin and Gwen to return to headquarters," Rook replied, "I may go along with them, or I may ask Queen Aleena to transfer me to one of the other Freedom Fighter factions."
"...Yeah. probably a good idea, dude," Manic agreed, "I mean, if that was how Makoto reacted, imagine how Ranga's gonna react."
"..." Rook slowly blinked at that before he began to pale, "...excuse me." was all he said before he rushed into the ship.
"Okay, so aside from only being able to growl," Ragna noted as he jotted down on a notepad, "You can make a meteor that turns into a ton of them, release different kinds of fire-based attacks, make swords out of fire, make your wings become harder than steel, engulf your claws, wings, and tail in purple energy, and a few other things like making homing stars."
=ugh…=
"Shut it," Ragna stabbed the head of the groaning EggPawn amongst the large pile of broken robots he was sitting on top of.
"Rrr…" Firestorm nodded, standing in front of a puddle of melted EggPawns before he timed out, "And now we just need to find that last base."
"Yup..unless that fatass put more traps up around the area to find it," Ragna stated as he hopped off the pile of broken robots. He was about to say something before he communicator went off, "...You go on ahead. I'll catch up with ya shortly."
"Okay, Ragna," Ben nodded as he walked off to find the hidden base.
Once he was out of sight, Ragna pulled his communicator out and answered it, "What is it?"
=The test is finished, Ragna. But….I ended up making the situation bad…= Rook answered.
"...What did you do?"
=...I am afraid if I answered that, you will try and kill me like Miss Nanaya did=
"What did you do to piss off the squirrel girl?"
=...=
"...Rook. Answer my question. What exactly did you do to piss her off?"
=...will you remain calm if I tell you this?=
"That depends on if you just spit it out or not."
=...fair enough I suppose...now...the reason is...well…you recall your home planet, right?=
"Earth? Yeah...wait. Something happen to it?"
=...=
"...Rook…" Ragna began in a warning tone.
=It was blown up during the battle against Perfect Chaos= Rook informed quickly.
"...What?"
=It...was blown up during the battle with Perfect Chaos. The cause was...an incident involving a To'kustar and the weapon Take-Mikazuchi=
"...Any survivors?"
=only five percent…=
"..."
=...you are angry with me, are you not?=
"..." Ragna inhaled deeply before exhaling, "Do you know any of the survivors?"
=I can get their information as soon as I can=
"Right. Get it," Ragna informed, spotting an EggPawn that was trying to crawl away unnoticed, "Lucky for you, I've got something to vent the news on here."
=?!= the EggPawn tensed as it slowly looked over at him, seeing the white-haired man crackled his knuckles =...I'm scrap aren't I?=
"Yep."
Meanwhile, over at the island Eggman was hiding out at, the mad doctor was focused on a computer screen, reading all the data Rodyle obtained for him, specifically what was written in his grandfather's journal. Eggman felt like a kid in a candy store as he grinned widely, decrypting each entry and reading every line as they were revealed to him.
"Yes...this is good...really good," Eggman whispered as he read each line, "The Space Colony ARK really does exist, and my grandfather was a scientist on it. Oh this is too g...hmm?" he raised a brow when he reached a certain line, "...Project Shadow? ...Hold on, Lien-Da mentioned something about that…" he moved away from the holographic screen and made another, "Dial Lien-Da." the screen turned to static and then into an image of a chibi Eggman holding an oversized phone while elevator music played, "...I should've double-checked those two EggPawns who made the waiting screen." it turned to static again after a minute before displaying Lien-Da, "Ah. There you are. You mentioned a different Project Shadow than the one involving the ninja robot that I dubbed that in the works, did you not?"
=Yes I did= Lien-Da nodded =...I'm guessing you came across that part in your grandfather's journal then=
"Yes, now tell me. What is this Project Shadow you mentioned before I start reading into it?"
=...I don't want to spoil much, but...I will say this= Lien-Da stated, a small smirk on her face =He's the Ultimate Life Form, and is just as fast Sonic. Only difference...he's more powerful thanks to his 'special powers'=
"Special powers?" Eggman repeated, "Hmm…" he shook his head, "Tell me, how did it turn out for the me from where you are from? Based on the Chaos Incident and what you said happened to the me there, I'm guessing this one's a flop as well."
=...To be honest, the other you did very good for the most part of it. Even got Sonic arrested because..oop. Don't want to spoil that part=
"Only issue with getting him arrested here is that the hedgehog is back in royalty, meaning diplomatic immunity," Eggman frowned, "He'd have to perform some sort of horrible crime that could not just be swept aside." His brow furrowed, "...I didn't use a Metal Sonic, did I?"
=Nope. I'm not telling you anything else further= Lien-Da shook her head =But...I will tell you who arrested Sonic...G.U.N=
"I see…"
=It's weird, though. The GUN here act differently compared to the ones I knew= Lien-Da admitted =Not really known to the populace, more like a secret task force=
Eggman nodded, "Well, if you remember anything about the Project Shadow you know of, I want you to write it down so I can compare my grandfather's diary with my other self's grandfather's information on Project Shadow."
=...I'll do you one better if you want= Lien-Da stated =The location of Project Shadow=
"...Tell me!" Eggman quickly demanded as he moved closer to the screen.
=Once you know the password to activate Project Shadow, follow these coordinates here= Lien-Da stated as she typed in some coordinates on the screen =Had a feeling you were going to come across Project Shadow in the data, so I went and looked around for the area he's hidden at=
"Hmm...Who's the closest to the location you found?" Eggman asked.
=Apparently...= Lien-Da looked at another screen =Maw the Thylacine. Apparently, he's at a nearby island that he uses as training for his non-robotic soldiers to work with the robotic ones in a series of trust exercises and traps that can only be broken by working together=
"Ah good. Have him check that area for me. From what I've read, he's one of the more intelligent male Grand Masters."
=At once= Lien-Da nodded.
"Oh, and do tell me the news when he finds something," Eggman informed.
=I'll be sure to. Lien-Da, out= Lien-Da said as the holographic screen disappeared.
"Now then…" he went back to his other screen, "Let's see what your Project Shadow is, grandfather."
"Welcome back, dudes," Manic greeted as Sonic and Roll skidded to a halt outside the bus, "How'd it go with introducing Mom to the two?"
"Well, it seems they have standing orders from their HQ to stay on this planet as liaisons of the Plumbers," Sonic explained, "So mom agreed to let them use a finished house on the outskirts of the city as a place to stay. Though, she didn't really seem all that happy about it."
"Well, we are dealing with aliens just after getting the city back, dude," Manic noted, "Then again...we've been dealing with them for almost a year now thanks to Ben and the gals."
"Gwen-san and Kevin-san went to check out the place," Roll noted before seeing the Plumber Ship take off around the city as far/close it could to avoid detection, "And it seems they're having Rook-san take the ship there."
"Looks like it," Sonia noted, "..." she looked at the bus, "Noel showed up an hour ago and we had her go see Makoto and Tsubaki."
"It's major bummers what happened to their world," Manic frowned.
"Tell me about it," Sonic sighed as he leaned against the bus, "I mean, they were so looking forward to getting home, only to find out it's no longer there with only five percent of the populace remaining…" he looked up at the Plumbers ship as it flew by, "Rook better make sure he checks on who survived."
"Hai," Roll nodded before hearing a roar once the ship was gone, "Hm?" she looked out to see a dot in the sky.
"What's up?" Sonia asked.
"That," Roll pointed, seeing the dot getting more detailed.
"...Is that….a dragon?" Sonic asked, squinting his eyes a bit to get a better look at the approaching dot.
"It's coming in fast, too," Sonia noted.
"I hear something screaming," Manic added.
"aaaaaaaaaaaHHHHHHHH!" the blur shot over them before going once around the bus and landing, revealing Firestorm with a panting Ragna on its back, "Never...again...with that one, Ben."
"Rrr…" Firestorm muttered, scratching the side of his head with one of his claws before he timed out, "Sorry. I just get the need to show off in that form."
"Well warn someone next time before you pull that shit," Ragna frowned.
"Did we miss the Plumbers that came here?" Ben asked, "I was hoping to ask them for a favor."
"A favor?"
"Yeah. I want to see if they'll give Makoto and the others a ride home."
"?!" the hedgehog triplets and hedgefox tensed at that, all four of them sharing a worried look at each other.
"...Something wrong?" Ben asked.
"Uh…" Manic, Sonia, and Sonic shared glances.
"So who was sent here? It wasn't Labridge, was it? I swear, that lady spits when she says her 'Ps' on purpose," Ragna asked.
"Ugh. Don't remind me of Lady Spits-a-lot," Ben groaned in disgust.
"...Uh, no. It's not that. It's...well…" Sonic began nervously.
"...Well what?"
"Eh? Why are you so nervous, Sonikku?" Roll asked, "They were very polite and are staying nearby."
"What?" Ragna's eye twitched.
"Wait. Those two Plumbers Rook mentioned are staying here?" Ben asked.
"Hai. In fact, they wanted to see…" Roll began before she noticed Ranga mouthing 'Shut. Up' to her, "Eh?"
"So where are they right now?" Ben asked.
"I'm not sure. They're busy checking the city out right now, Ben-san," Roll answered, "If you want, I..."
"'Seriously, shut. Up.'" Ragna mouthed to her once more.
"?" Roll tilted her head in confusion as Yacker floated out of her hair and over to Ben, giving a wave.
"Hey, Yacker," Ben greeted, "You wouldn't have happened to know where those Plumbers are, do you?"
Yacker scratched his head before shaking in the negative.
"Do you know what their names are?" Ben asked.
Yacker nodded before seeing the look Ragna was giving him. He quickly shook in the negative before zipping back into Roll's hair.
"...Okay seriously, guys. What's going on?" Ben asked with a small frown, "You've been avoiding my questions and not giving me clear answers, so what's really going on here?"
Noel ran out, "Sonic-san, is it true?! Did Gwen-san and Kevin-san really say that our home was blown up?!"
'Dammit!' Manic and Ragna thought.
"?! Wh-What?" Ben felt his mouth grow dry.
"Is….is it true?" Noel asked once more, her eyes welling with tears.
"..." Sonic sighed, "Yeah. It was confirmed by Gwen and Kevin when Gwen searched your planet up based on the description Tsubaki gave her."
"W-Wait. H-Hold on. Tha...That can't be true," Ben spoke up, "Th..Those can't be their names." 'I...I killed them…' "They just can't be."
'Shit,' Ragna thought as he saw Ben's reaction, 'Godammit! Th...This was the second trigger, wasn't it?!'
"...Tell me where they are," Ben spoke up, his voice near a whisper as he gained a serious look, "Tell me where they are right now."
"...Sonic, Roll, I think it's best you go and get them," Sonia spoke up, "We don't want a similar situation with what happened with Makoto."
"...Good idea," was all Sonic said as he and Roll ran off in a blur.
'And once again, I couldn't stop a trigger…' Ragna thought, gritting his teeth in anger, 'Damn it!'
"...Did you know anything about this, Ragna?" Ben asked, his hair shadowing over his eyes as he shook a bit.
"Hm?" Ragna glanced over at Ben, "...Nope."
"How can you act so calm when your planet is gone?" Sonia asked.
"Meh. Just wait until a group of EggPawns comes, then I'll let it all out there," Ragna shrugged before glancing at the tearing Noel, "...Tch. Look, knowing the rabbit, she probably took your families and brought them to her place for safety when the place was gonna blow up."
"...The rabbit?"
"I'm going to go see that mom of yours to tell her what we did," Ragna informed as he walked off, "Don't wait up for me."
"Right…" Sonia nodded slowly as Manic sighed a bit.
"And we get stuck with the tension…" Manic muttered under his breath.
GT: Well...This is a fine can of worms on its way to being fully opened.
SZ: Tell me about it.
GT: Well, we learn more about what happened that night, meet Gwen and Kevin, and find out that Tsubaki, Makoto, Noel, and Ragna's home world was blown up because of a grumpy To'kustar. Kinda ironic; a To'kustar saved a world while a To'kustar destroyed another.
SZ: Kinda is...then again, since To'kustars are based on Ultraman and such, wouldn't put it past me there would be evil and/or bad-tempered ones. But as for the reactions from Ben and Makoto...hoo boy.
GT: And now the second Trigger has happened. Just one more and whatever Paradox is warning Ragna about is gonna happen.
SZ: Eeyup. Question is...what's the last trigger?
GT: That is a surprise...for the next chapter.
SZ: *nods* so I guess until next time, I'm Seanzilla115…
GT: And I am GammaTron. And we bid you adieu and a Happy Thanksgiving.
SZ: Happy turkey day everyone!