GT: So how's Cross Tag Battle?
SZ: Loving it. The combat mechanics are easy to get into, loving the roster so far….only peeve is...no interaction between Yang and Makoto!
GT: Dang it, Ark System Works and RoosterTeeth. You had one job and ya fucked up. ...It was Gavin's fault, wasn't it? This is Episode 1 of Let's Play Minecraft all over again.
SZ: You better fix this when season two of DLC for BBTAG comes out..and make sure to bring in more characters like Pyrrha and Qrow!
GT: Or JNPR in general. Ah well. Think that later; work on the BlazBlue aspect now. Hey, Readers.
SZ: Welcome to another chapter of OU..and it's the Q&A one too…*looks at the empty mailbox*...oh dear.
GT: Yeah. Kinda sucks that there's no one asking questions anymore. They all just favorite and probably skip the Author Notes.
SZ: No kidding….looks like the omake after every 5 chapters will be cancelled then.
Kokonoe: *offscreen*what?
GT: Just the review response part.
Kokonoe: *offscreen*oh...fair enough. Start teh damn story already.
SZ: Yeah yeah...ahem. We don't own anything in this story aside from our OCS and all that.
GT: So let's start. *tugs a string and the roof collapses on Kokonoe* ...We should run now.
SZ:..*runs* why do you do these things?!
"Hold on. The hell are you talking about?" Ragna demanded.
"I'm saying all of us, right after Noel, Makoto, and Jin got Tsubaki free of the Mind Eater Curse, were preparing to take down the Imperator, Hades Izanami, from using Take Mikazuchi to destroy the Master Unit," Mai explained.
"Wait. We worked...with Jin?" Makoto asked.
"Yes."
"Jin?"
"Yeah."
"...Yeah, after what he did to Roll's family, I'd rather snap his neck more than anything," Makoto stated with a scowl.
"He mostly did it for Tsubaki," Mai quickly stated, "Plus...it was Kokonoe and Kagura's idea to help get Tsu…"
"WHAT?!" Makoto exclaimed, her tail shooting up.
"...A...I think I'm starting to get it," Noel noted, earning the attention of the others, "I...I think we're from alternate timelines."
"Huh?!" Makoto gawked.
"It does make sense. Why each of you has different memories and...Mai, outside of that boy and his two friends, the memory shown to us...that was something that happened with your timeline?" Tsubaki asked.
"Yeah," Mai replied, "That was the plan. Everything was going to plan until that flash of light happened."
"...Ugh...aside from the Imperator, who else were we facing?" Makoto groaned.
"..."
"...Mai…"
"...From what Kokonoe and Kajun told me, Relius Clover, Hazama...or rather Terumi...Ms. Litchi…"
"Eh?! M-Ms. Litchi?! B-But why?" Noel gasped.
"Relius Clover...Is he related to Carl?" Tsubaki asked.
"He is."
"Though...How did we all end up here? I mean, Noellie and Ragna...they, well...went into a Cauldron, didn't you two?" Makoto asked.
"Yeah. And we woke up on Mobius," Ragna confirmed, "And you said you fell off the side of a building after fighting this Hazama guy."
"Yeah. Last thing I remembered before waking up from a pod with Ben-kun," Makoto replied.
"And...you already know what happened with me," Tsubaki added.
"So the big question is...how exactly did we all end up here?" Makoto pondered, "Also...we worked...with KAGURA?!"
"What's wrong with that, Makoto?" Tsubaki asked, "He's the head of the Mutsuki clan, one of the top families of the Duodecim."
"Yeah, and the biggest lazy pervert in existence!" Makoto argued.
"How do you know that?" Ragna asked.
"..." Makoto pointed at her breasts and behind, "Need I say anything?"
"Yes," Noel and Ragna replied.
"...ugh...fine! I worked with him for a while, got to know him, we had a few drinks, and the next thing I know? I wake up in his bed topless!" Makoto snapped, "And before you ask, no. Thankfully we didn't do the dirty deed...otherwise he'd be in outer space right now."
"Yeah...He's like that," Mai confirmed as Tsubaki gawked at the two.
"..."
"Back on topic," Ragna spoke up, "How exactly did we end up here since most of us are all from, presumably, alternate timelines?"
"I'm...actually not sure…" Mai replied.
"..." Ragna rubbed his chin for a bit, "...Wait a sec...You think the damn Rabbit knows?"
"...That...wouldn't be too far off…" Tsubaki admitted, getting over her initial shock, "...Perhaps we can try and ask once we're done here on Little Planet."
"She better answer…" Ragna frowned, 'Either her or that damn Paradox guy…I hate being left in the dark damn it!'
"See our next destination yet, Manic?" Sonic asked.
"I think I see a mining operation up ahead near a bayou," Manic replied, looking out ahead with his Binocucoms while sitting in the passenger seat by Sonic.
"Welp..looks like we're headin' underground then," Sonic said as he shrugged before pressing a button beside a speaker, "Guys, we're approaching a cave. We're probably gonna be spelunking so if anyone has a fear of small spaces or the dark, speak now or be pulled out of the bus to go into small spaces and the dark."
"What do ya think we're gonna find down there aside from the Time Stone?" Manic asked as he relaxed in his seat, "Heh...betcha there's a lot of diamonds in there."
"Nah. Considering it's a planet revolving around time, it's gotta be quartz," Sonic replied.
"Usual bet?" Manic asked.
"Nah. I say we do this: I'm right? You dress in drag and do the hula to act as bait for the shapeshifting bug," Sonic replied, "You're right? I'll dress in drag and do the hula to act as bait."
"Deal," Manic smirked as they bumped fist.
"I shouldn't have accepted the deal…" Manic muttered, the quartz all over glistening in the myriad of exposed colorations.
"S...sugei…" Noel whispered in awe.
"Well...guess we can call this place Quartz Quadrant," Makoto stated.
"I shouldn't be surprised there's quartz here," Sonia noted, running a hand along one of the larger fems in the walls. "They're normally used for clocks which keep track of time."
"Eh? How did you know that?" Roll asked.
"Lady Windermere loves clocks," Sonia replied, "She'd often have at least three in each room when I was growing up."
"Ahh...soka," Tsubaki noted.
"So do we split up again?" Ben asked.
"Yeah. Spread out and find those two Obelisks," Sonic ordered, "Groups of three to be safe."
"Everything okay, Ragna?" Ben asked.
"Huh? What are you on about?" Ragna asked as the two and Makoto walked along an offline conveyor belt.
"Well, you're kinda slouching to the right," Ben replied, "You only do that when something's annoying you a lot more than usual."
"..."
"...Okay. The silent treatment is a big sign something's up," Ben frowned a bit
"Eh heh...what gave you that idea?" Makoto nervously laughed.
"..."
"...Not buying it are ya?"
"Not in the slightest," Ben replied before catching Ragna's eyes and making a glancing towards the Beastkin.
"It's not those, Ben," Ragna admitted, "Just...some freaky damn shit that the Rabbit's gonna answer for."
"Aw great. What'd she do this time? It better not be like that surprise visit she gave me when I was fourteen and dumped me in the middle of a forest filled with rabid bears and a giant link of sausage wrapped around me with magic," Ben noted.
'Huh. So that's where she went with that sausage I got...or was it someone else's?' Ragna thought.
"...well...not sure how to explain it really…" Makoto muttered, rubbing the back of her head, "...we're...from alternate timelines…"
"...excuse you?"
"Dammit, girl. Did you have to blunt like that?"
"Coming from the guy who regularly bashed through the steel doors of several NOL bases?"
"...Touche."
"Can someone explain to me what's going on?" Ben asked.
"From what we can best guess, something or someone intervened at bad points and we all ended up here," Makoto summarized, "Well...Not 'Little Planet' here, but 'Mobius' here."
"At best? Considering you still remember me, it's probably mine and Noel's timeline we're in," Ragna snorted before cringing, "Which means that there's probably a chance of there being doubles of the girls out there..."
The words 'or dead' were not spoken, but the two could tell he was trying not to say them. Makoto grimaced as she hadn't thought about that either. Then again, it had just been a recent revelation.
"...oh..oh wow…" Ben whispered with wide eyes, stumbling back a bit as he took the info in, "This...is big…"
"And this is why this called for being subtle," Ragna deadpanned as he looked at a sheepish Makoto.
"Hey. He was gonna find out eventually…"
"Yeah, but not like this."
"...You think the others know but now?"
"I doubt that…"
"Wanna bet on it?" Makoto asked.
"What are you thinking?"
"Loser had to act as bait for the bug," Makoto informed as she looked around before spotting a quartz the same color as their lone Time Stone and scooped it up, "Ben, got an alien we could use to cut this into the shape of the Time Stone we've got in the safe?"
"...I think I do," Ben smirked.
"Looks like the mining stopped around here," Manic observed as he, Tsubaki, and Haseo approached the end of a conveyor belt, "Better be careful around here. Might've been a gas leak at worst; lack of funds at best."
"H-hai," Haseo nodded, staying behind Tsubaki as they looked around.
"See anything out of the ordinary, Tsuki?"
"..."
"...Tsuki?"
"Hmm?"
"You feelin' okay?" Manic asked, a hint of concern evident in his voice.
"Oh hai. Just...something on my mind is all," Tsubaki assured.
"Okay," Manic replied, giving a small nod before pulling his Binocucom out, "Yo, Bro, Sis, Ben! You guys find anything yet?"
=Nothing yet=
=Not yet, Manic=
=Sorry, Manic. Not much luck just yet for us=
"Dang..nothing here on our end just yet," Manic stated, "Give me the deets once ya do find something interestin' or suspicious."
=Can do/understood/gotcha=
"Okay Roll, spot anything suspicious?" Sonic asked.
"Not yet," Roll replied before Yacker spoke up and tugged on her left ear, "You found something, Yacker-chan." Yacker gave a confirming noise and pointed with a tentacle towards a deeper section in the area, revealing a magenta crescent moon stone on an Obelisk.
"The crescent moon is new," Sonic noted before pulling his Binocucom back out, "Yo. We found an Obelisk, but this one has a crescent moon on it."
=That was fast= Sonia pointed out
"Hey. Me and Roll are the fastest things alive," Sonic quipped.
=Pending on that race being set up by your mom as a way to help make it up to the aliens that came here to challenge you based on the rumors of you being said fastest thing alive= Makoto recalled.
=And I'm not surprised. All these Obelisks have had a different shaped gem in them, so it was a matter of time before they moved on to other shapes like a crescent= Tsubaki added.
"Semantics," Sonic waved it off, "So who's got the ring?"
=Ano...I gave it to Yacker= Haseo replied as Yacker showed the Ring.
"Ahh...then we'll see you guys in a few," Sonic nodded, "Also, anyone wantin' to join the 'fun', come on over."
"Eh?" Roll blinked.
"It always ends up with three of us fighting," Sonic whispered.
"Ah. Soka…" Roll noted, nodding her head in agreement.
=I'm gonna be sitting this one out= Makoto informed.
=Agreed= Ben, Mai, Noel, and Tsubaki all agreed.
"...Ragna?"
=I'll meet ya there. Need something to vent on anyway= Ragna replied, giving a casual shrug.
"K. See ya in a few," Sonic nodded, putting his Pinocucom away as he looked back at the Obelisk, "So...given the order, what character from Ben's past are we facin'?"
"Or future," Roll noted, recalling that cyborg Echidna.
"Oh yeah…" Sonic replied with a nod, "...Better not be some freaky cyborg gorilla or metal version of me."
"This is Ben-san's most likely, so it probably won't be someone you might face in the future," Roll assured, "...But why 'freaky cyborg gorilla?' It wouldn't surprise me if Eggman-hakase made a metal version of you later on or is making one at the moment, but why the gorilla?"
"Dunno. Maybe one of Ben's past enemies decided to ditch his normal body and go cyborg gorilla or something," Sonic shrugged.
"...Might be that Animo person Ben-san talks about," Roll shrugged.
"The one who screams 'Curse you, Ben Tennyson. Curse you and your meddlesome ways?'" Sonic snorted.
"Hai."
"Animo? Pfft. Haven't heard that old kook's name in a long time," Ragna's voice snorted.
"That was fast," Sonic noted as the two turned to see him approach.
"You weren't that far off," Ragna replied with a shrug, "Helped that I got that conveyor belt working again. Just needed a replacement for the broken belt inside of the main part of the machine. Still, ya really think that we're gonna be dealing with Animo of all morons?"
"...Dealt with him before?" Sonic guessed.
"Tons. The guy's mentally unstable, and has a massive ego, thinking the whole world would be better off as mutated animals or some stupid stuff."
"...So in the opposite extreme that Eggman-hakase went," Roll cringed.
"Yep. Only his plans all sucked," Ragna snorted, "Now come on. I'd like to see who's ass we're gonna kick."
"Got it," Sonic nodded before looking at Yacker, "Go ahead. The faster we deal with whatever pops out, the faster we can regroup with the others."
Yacker gave a salute. He flew over to the Obelisk and held up the Ring. He floated there for a few moment before looking at the Ring with an annoyed expression in his eye. He shook the Ring and even once bopped it against the Obelisk. He was going to ask if Haseo gave him a fake when the two items lit up.
"Hello there," the shadowed hedgehog-like figure looked up from his making a hole in the ground by lying on his side and going around in a circle to see Professor Paradox, "Now who would leave someone like you on Little Planet?"
"Is it not obvious, Walker of My Power?" a deep rumbling voice echoed.
"Yes, yes, Dialga. But come now. It is not often this should happen," Paradox chuckled as the hedgehog-like figure sat up, tilting his head, "You seem to be rather lost. Would you like help with finding what's missing?"
"TAYDENITE!?" Rath screamed as he and a younger version of both Gwen and Kevin stood outside of a mine in space.
"Told you he wouldn't like it," Gwen sighed as Rath grabbed Kevin by the scruff of his shirt and pulled him up to his face.
"What's the big deal?" Kevin asked.
"The big deal?! The big deal is...uhhh...uhhhhh…" Rath dropped Kevin and turned his head to Gwen, "You tell him."
"Because, every time you mention Taydenite, Vulkanus shows up and tries to kill us," Gwen explained.
"What she said!" Rath agreed.
"Come on...You're exaggerating," Kevin assured...before Vulkanus walked out of the mine entrance.
"Hey! What are you doing here?!" he demanded before small humanoid aliens in red and black bodysuits and masks ran out of the cave, mining tools in hand, "Doesn't matter...kill them!"
The crescent moon gem glowed even brighter before cracking open, releasing a smoke. The smoke shot about before slamming into the Obelisk, engulfing it. After a moment, Vulkanus emerged with the humanoid aliens behind him.
"Hey! What are you doing here?!" Vulkanus snapped before narrowing his eyes at the trio, "Doesn't matter...kill them!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...Why aren't you freaking out?!"
"...Seriously? This guy?" Sonic sweatdropped.
"Yokatta…" Roll sighed in relief with Yacker, "It's just the strange alien that put a hit on Ben-san…"
"Oh yeah...I forgot about that," Ragna recalled before cracking his knuckles with a dark glint in his eyes, "Tell you what, you two handle the mooks. I've got a few...words...with this asshole."
"Fine. Let's handle the grunts, Roll," Sonic shrugged as he summoned his sword.
"Hai, hai! Yacker-chan!"
"Laser!"
"Eep! Wh-what was that?" Noel yelped, hearing a faint explosion.
"My guess? Something from whatever the Obelisk summoned this time," Mai guessed.
"What do you think was summoned?" Sonia pondered.
"Most likely something that makes explosions...and using grunts maybe..."
"Grunts?"
"Yeah."
"...Yeah. Whoever's facing what was summoned is gonna be easy if they only rely on grunts," Sonia deadpanned.
"Hey! Let me down!" Vulkanus snapped, waving his...tiny baby arms around as he tried to free himself from Ragna's grip, his metal body practically a bunched up mess of metal and screws.
"Huh...You know, last time I saw you, you had an actual body and not this baby one," Ragna noted, poking Vulkanus, "Relied too much on those grunts and robots for hire, huh?"
"You...I...shut up! Men, kill him!"
"..."
"...I said kill him!"
"..."
"...I SAID…!" Vulkanus began as Ragna turned him...to a pile of his beaten grunts, "..."
"Too easy," Sonic noted.
"It...it was kinda too easy," Roll admitted.
"...I'll pay you to forget this?" Vulkanus offered with a gulp.
"...Yeah no," Ragna bluntly stated as he punted him to Sonic and Roll, "He's yours to finish guys."
"No no wait!"
*SHING!*
"GWARGH!" Vulkanus cried out as he was split into four pieces before turning into the Obelisk that proceeded to collapse and let the crescent moon-shaped gem collapse on top of it all, shattering.
"...That...That was just sad," Sonic shook his head, "Why couldn't we get someone else and not some idiot who relies on grunts?"
"Ano...I think it's because we move so fast that they couldn't get a single hit in while Ragna-san is stronger than he looks."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Ragna snapped.
"Eep!" Roll yelped as she ran behind Sonic, "I-I'm just saying the Obelisk chose a bad person for us to go against!"
=Hey, guys? We kinda need that Ring please?= Tsubaki asked on the Binocucom.
"We found the other Obelisk," Tsubaki informed as she, Haseo, and Manic stood before an Obelisk with a chunk of gold in the shape of a sphere with a hole in the center of it on the top of the Obelisk.
=That was fast...we'll meet you there in a few= Sonic replied.
"Okay, they'll be here soon," Tsubaki noted as she started looking around the large cavern, "It's strange, isn't it?"
"Ya mean the fact that all of these Obelisks we've been seeing so far have been in big areas? Yeah," Manic noted, "Wonder what it means?"
"It could be that these enemies that come out of these Obelisks...the security has always been battling against someone either from your past or future or someone you may know in an alternate timeline," Tsubaki guessed.
"Ahh...th-that makes sense…" Haseo noted before shivering. "J...just hope it's not that creepy chinchilla…"
"...Seriously hope it's not," Manic muttered.
"It's quite disturbing how she acts…" Tsubaki shuddered, "And how she retaliates…"
"Really shocking at that…" Manic agreed.
*poof*
"Mmmm…" Haseo whimpered.
"Sorry, Lil' Bro," Manic apologized as Tsubaki pulled out a brush to help with Haseo's fur.
"Huh...so it's a sphere this time," Manic turned to see Sonic and Roll approach, "And hey bro. The others arrive yet?"
"Not yet. Just been waiting on you, Roll, and Ragna."
"Soka…" Roll noted as Yacker popped out of her hair and flew over to Haseo, happily chatting with the little fox in his alien language while giving him the Ring.
"A-Arigato, Yacker," Haseo smiled a bit as he took the ring.
"Alright...while we wait on the others...who wants to fight whatever pops out this time?" Sonic asked, "Me, Roll, and Rags already fought."
"Don't call me that..." Ragna's voice muttered at that.
"Remember, Bro, it doesn't work like that. It seems to be at complete random when there's a lot of us near one," Manic noted.
"Tch. So even if we already fought, there's a chance we'll get dragged into another. Fine by me. Vulkanus wasn't all that tough," Ragna snorted, "Here's hoping I get in on this then."
"I...I hope I won't fight this time…" Haseo gulped.
"Whew...man this place is expansive," Makoto whistled as she and Ben looked around, "I think we passed that crystal formation a few times now."
"How can you tell? It all looks the same…" Ben groaned.
"Oh, that's because I punched it," Makoto replied, pointing at a fist-shaped indent in the quartz crystal, "See?"
"So...we've been going in what...a circle? ...Well we made a lot of turns though...so...an octagon…? Oh whatever! We're lost," Ben groaned while he threw his arms up.
"Can't you just use Big Chill to find a path?"
"I would, but I need the Omnitrix just in case that red collared creature shows up." he countered, "As it stands, I doubt I'll even have a minute as whoever I turn into. And something about this place gives me a very...boobytrap vibe."
"Oh?" Makoto pondered, adopting a squirrely smile before jumping onto Ben's back, his face lighting up as her impressive bust sandwiched the back of his head, "What kind of boobytrap, hm?"
"...I...I walked right into that, didn't I?"
"May~be," Makoto giggled, "Why~? Something wrong with it?"
"Despite the slight clash of tones due to our being in mortal peril?" he asked sarcastically.
"Just tryin' to lighten the mood, Ben-kun," Makoto chuckled as she hopped off, "...Serious question though?"
"Hmm?"
"Space...what's it like?" Makoto asked, looking at some nearby crystals, "I mean...I know we were technically out there back at the Space Colony ARK, but given the situation that was going on at the time, I couldn't appreciate it fully. So what's it really like?"
"Hm...The first time I really went into space was when I was ten...and most of those times I had to deal with an alien bounty hunter after my watch...or literal Halloween monsters that turned out to be aliens. But...in the short breaks between fighting and running for my life? It felt pretty cool," he admitted, "I mean...I was ten years old...and in Space! It was awesome...even if I did have to outrun an alien werewolf and mummy."
"Ahh...soka," Makoto noted, moving aside him a bit, "To be honest...I always wondered what space was like when I was little."
"Hmm?"
"Usually when I'm not dealing with life's trouble…" Makoto began, 'And dealing with racist jerks…' "Late at night before bed, I looked up at the night sky when it's not cloudy...and wondered what it's like up there."
"I've been to a lot of alien planets...some...kinda weird." Ben began, "But the others...those...those were amazing. A planet made entirely of crystals...it was amazing."
"A crystal planet? Diamondhead's place?"
"Bingo."
"Oh wow! That must've been awesome to see."
"Yeah. And Spidermonkey's planet is a massive jungle while I've seen some Big Chill that live on a planet that's half covered in ice and half on fire! And don't get me started on Ripjaws' planet being an entire planet made of pure water aside from its core."
"Wow...talk about a deep blue planet," Makoto joked a bit.
"Heh..nice one," Ben chuckled a bit, "...Quick question while we're still on topic; why go with a space theme for your moves?"
"Oh that? Heh...ain't it obvious with how strong my punches are?" Makoto smirked as she flexed her arm a bit, "Well...that and my curiosity of space back when I was a kid was a bit of help."
"Well one of my many many questions have been answered." Ben replied, "Okay...so this place is like a maze...but you marked that spot...why don't we just keep doing that; mark spots we've been and hope we work out a map for how to get out of here?"
"Oh! Great idea!" Makoto beamed, "We'll meet up with the others in no ti-" her ears twitched for a moment, "...You hear that?"
"Hmm? Hear what?" Ben asked as Makoto held her hands over her ears.
"...Footsteps...definitely not the others…" Makoto whispered, closing her eyes as she listened to the sound, her squirrel ears twitching every now and then.
"Let me guess...they're getting closer?" Ben asked nervously.
"Yeah," Makoto replied before noticing a crack in the wall, "...We need to hide."
"Wh-" Ben began before Makoto grabbed him and dragged him into the crack with her, her bust sandwiching the back of his head once more.
Makoto said nothing as the sounds of footsteps were heard, the sound getting louder with each passing second. Makoto's eyes sooned widened in fear at the figure that passed by...a masked man. The man in question had short blond/white hair while a gold mask covered his eyes. The man wore formal magenta and white clothing accented with gold buttons and trim with a magenta cape completing the look.
'...Who is that?' Ben mentally pondered, carefully watching the masked man as he passed by, observing the area a bit with a pondering look on his face. Before he could think anything further, Makoto's grip began to tighten around him, the beastkin starting to shake as she began to breathe rapidly...while also trying to stay quiet.
'Wh...why am I shaking...h...how is he even here...but why...why am I so scared…?' Makoto thought, her heart starting to rapidly beat inside her chest.
"Hmm...It's quite fascinating. A planet such as this appearing for merely three days every year in a specific spot on a specific planet," the man noted, fading from view as he walked further into the darkened caves, "To think...even the Master Unit is unable to detect it...interesting…"
"...He's gone...he's gone...he's gone!" Ben gasped out once the man was out of sight, Makoto's grip even tighter on him.
A gasp escaped from Makoto's lips as they fell out of the crack. Makoto rapidly panted as she hugged her shaking body, her tail puffed up beyond belief as her eyes were wide with fear.
"...Makoto? Makoto, are you okay?"
"Wh...why…why…?" Makoto whispered.
"Makoto?" Ben questioned.
"Why's he here...why….why am I shaking so much…?" Makoto whispered.
"Makoto. Makoto wh-" Ben began as he put his hand on her.
"?!" Makoto tensed up as she shot up, grabbing him as she pinned him to a wall, "Stay back!"
"Gah!"
"D...don't you come near me! Don't...don't you touch my mind and mess with it!" Makoto snapped before her eyes widened further, "Wait...why did I say that?! W...why am I remembering this..this..."
"MAKOTO CALM DOWN!" Ben shouted.
"...B...Ben…?" Makoto whispered, taking her hands off him as she backed away, "Th...that man...That was Relius Clover… Wh...why is he here? Why...why…" she put her hands on her head as she groaned in pain, "Why...am I remembering him...messing with my head?! Messing...with my memories?!"
"...Could it be because of the planet?" Ben pondered.
"I...I don't know...I...I'm scared...Ben...I…" Makoto paused as she looked up, tears of fear in her eyes, "Ben-kun...I'm honestly scared here…"
"..." Ben said nothing as he quickly took his Binocucom out, "Where are you guys at?"
=Still at the Obelisk waiting for everyone= Manic replied.
=We...um...we ended up back at the bus= Mai noted.
=I've tried teleporting with my spear, but I think the quartz is messing with it= Sonia spoke =What's wrong, Ben?=
"Makoto's having a panic attack because of this masked man we saw."
=?! ...Masked….man?= Mai slowly repeated.
"Yeah. Wore a lot of magenta," Ben replied, "I'm going to bring her back to the bus."
=...Please do= was all Mai said as she cut communications on her end.
"I can't stop shaking...come on...stop shaking…" Makoto whispered to herself, her back against the wall as Ben cautiously approached her.
"Makoto…" Ben spoke, getting her attention, "Come on. We're heading back to the bus."
"...y...you sure?"
"Yeah...now I need to you just calm down long enough for us to get there." he went on, "Think you can do that?"
"...I...I think I can try, hai," Makoto slowly nodded, taking a few breaths as she tried to calm down, placing her hand on his shoulder.
"Good..then let's go."
"Okay, I've waited long enough. Haseo, mind if I take the Ring?" Ragna asked.
"S...sure," Haseo nodded as he handed him the Ring.
Ragna walked up to the Obelisk and tapped it with the Ring. Both objects began to shine brightly. As the light grew stronger, none of them were aware of the moth-like beast phasing through the ceiling and hiding behind a quartz growing out of the ceiling.
The hedgehog-like figure collapsed to a knee before webbing ensnared it. The figure fell to the side as a large blue tyrannosaurus-like alien with several small arms and a red head with a horn growing out of its forehead roared. The alien changed into a small scaly dog-like creature with the red collar on its neck before three shadowed figures approached the figure.
"Interesting..." one noted, "I think I can use you for something special."
"And you're sure it's this way?" Makoto, wearing a blue and white school uniform, asked as she followed behind Mai, Tsubaki, Noel, and a purple-haired girl with a butterfly clip in her long hair.
"I am not licking the stone again, Makoto," Mai deadpanned, "And yes, it's this way from what I 'saw.'"
"I hope so. I am not skipping out on lunch for this."
"W-weren't you the one who suggested it, Makoto?" Noel pointed out.
"...Can we double check, Mai?"
"I am not licking the stone!" Mai barked.
"I believe we're here," the purple-haired girl noted as they approached a stone wall with an indent in the center of it, "Hmm...Tsubaki, do you have that stone we found?"
"Right here, Kajun," Tsubaki replied, offering a red and gold pyramid to her.
Kajun held up the pyramid to the door. For a moment, nothing happened. After another moment, the pyramid floated out of her hand and entered the slot. The area rumbled as the door slid open.
"Ah!" Noel screamed.
"Noel!" the girls called out as the blond barely held onto the edge of the stone path they were on as everything was collapsing around them.
Noel grunted as she tried to pull herself up only for the rock to break. She started to scream again when a hand made of multiple red and gold stones in cubes, blocks, and pyramids grabbed her hand. The eight-foot-tall humanoid creature made up of the objects grunted as it pulled her up and onto her back.
"Hold on," the creature advised as he scooped up the other four and began to run, jumping along a few falling boulders and managed to get them out of a hole in the ground just as a tree collapsed on it from the ground caving in. The creature sighed in relief before gently putting the girls down, linguring for a moment on Makoto with a raised brow aimed at the Beastkin.
"Who...are you?" Mai pondered.
"Well, I call myself Knack," the creature informed, "Now mind answering how long I've been sleeping? My back's killing me from all that lying down."
The gem on top of the Obelisk broke open, releasing the smoke. It spun around before hitting the Obelisk, engulfing it. After a few moments, soft steps were heard before a tiny figure around the size of a small human child walked out of the smoke. It had a cylindrical trapezoid head with beady black eye with red eyebrows and bits of red spiky hair, all made of red and gold stones in various shapes. It had small arms and stick-like legs all of which connected to a gold orb that acted as its body, a glow emanating from the blue core in the center of it.
"...The hell?!" Ragna snapped, "A...Another baby-bodied enemy?!"
"Heh," the small stone figure chuckled.
The figure spread his arms out and the random shards of gems and scattered broken rocks around them twitched before flying right at the little figure as its parts moved away from the orb. After a few seconds, the child-sized stone creature had grown to nine feet in height and looked far more muscular and made from the shards of quartz and rocks.
"You were saying?" Knack asked, cracking his neck and knuckles.
"...I'm gonna enjoy this," Ragna grinned as he cracked his knuckles before charging at Knack, "Hell's Fang!"
Knack moved to the side, seemingly sliding to his new spot, and avoided the attempted strike. He roared as he slammed a fist into Ragna, knocking him away. Ragna nearly hit the ground before Knack's arm shot out, grabbed Ragna's leg, and brought him back to Knack to get a fist into the face that sent him into the ground.
"Ah! Ragna-san!" Roll gasped, moving toward Knack when the barrier appeared...with just Ragna inside, "Oh...That hasn't happened before."
"So...it's just me this time, huh?" Ragna noted as he got up, spitting a bit of blood out as he dusted himself off, "...heh. Fine with me. I can go as wild as I want."
"Been wanting to see just why you're such a pain to those NOL guys myself," Knack noted as the two started circling each other.
"Oh? Know me, huh?"
"Mostly from what the TV and forums about you have been on about. Gotta admit, the poster's spot on," Knack joked.
"...That damn poster again…?" Ragna growled as his eye twitched.
"Hey now. Language," Knack scolded, gesturing towards Roll and Tsubaki, "Ladies are present."
"Achoo!" Haseo sneezed a bit.
"...And a kid."
'Getting scolded by a golem...Why does that piss me off more than anything else he's said!?' Ragna thought before charging, "Hell's Fang!"
Knack jumped over Ragna's attack and curled up into a ball mid-air. Ragna barely jumped out of the way as Knack-surprisingly-performed a homing attack at where he had been.
"What the...?! That's my thing!" Sonic snapped.
Ragna pulled out his sword and blocked a punch aimed for his face. He moved to the side and swung his sword, earning a grunt from Knack as bits of rock shattered from Ragna's blade. Ragna swung a kick at Knack, only for the rocks and gems to collapse and Knack in his smaller state landed on Ragna's leg. The child-sized Knack ran up the leg before the rock and crystal shards shot back to him as he punched at Ragna, sending the white-haired man crashing into the barrier.
"...Okay. I gotta admit...you're good," Ragna muttered, smirking a bit as he spat a bit more blood out.
"Come with experience wrecking goblins before the Black Beast showed up," Knack replied with a shrug.
"...Goblins?" Manic asked, glancing at Tsubaki.
"I can guarantee you that there have been no history lessons on goblins where I'm from," Tsubaki replied with a deadpan.
"...AU then," Manic muttered.
"Carnage Scissors!" Ragna roared as he tried to attack again, only for Knack to sidestep the attack, "Damn it!"
"That the best you've got?" Knack asked, "Seriously, Noel's better at hitting me and that's when she's not even pulling the triggers on her guns."
"DEAD SPIKE!" Ragna roared.
Knack grunted as he was knocked away by the back and red demonic beastial head that erupted from the ground, more of the rocks and sharks of quartz in him shattering.
"Heh...gotcha," Ragna smirked.
"Ugh…" Knack rubbed a fist on his lower jaw, "Not bad. Wasn't expecting that at all." he grunted as he stood up, bits of electricity trailing from bits of rock and crystal in him where the missing pieces had been, "Starting to see just why you've managed to take down so many NOL bases…"
"What can I say? I like to go wild," Ragna countered with a grin, "Now come on...Is that really the best you got?"
"Heh…" Knack chuckled with a smirk before more rocks and shards moved towards him, making him rise up to twenty feet in height with the rocks and crystals making him appear to resemble a 'furry' beast, "How you like me now?"
"...Dammit," Ragna cursed, "Should not have asked."
"Now then…" Knack spoke as he picked up a boulder, "Let's rock."
"...You learned that pun from your timeline's Makoto, didn't you?" Ragna deadpanned before Kanck lifted up the rock and threw it...right at the ceiling, "Eh?"
The rock slammed into some stalagmites, breaking them and the boulder apart...while forcing two things to shoot out of the smoke from the impact. Soundwave skidded to a halt on the ground away from the two as the moth alien crashed down by him, a wing completely shredded and bent.
"..."
"...Sonikku…" Roll began in a worried tone.
"Is that one of Eggman's robots?" Sonic pondered.
"Heard that guy's engines," Knack explained, "Friends of yours?"
"Opposite," Ragna replied, glaring at Soundwave and the moth alien, "And knowing them...they're after what you're guarding."
"What I'm guarding?" Knack repeated, "No idea what you're talking about, but considering things...temporary truce?"
"...Truce," Ragna grinned, "I'll take the robot, you take the bug?"
"No problem," Knack replied, smacking his fist into his palm.
"Good," Ragna grinned before charging in, "Hell's Fang!"
"...Oh my…" Noel whispered in worry, her group back at the bus as a still shaken Makoto held onto Ben.
"Yeah...it's that bad," Ben spoke with a nod.
"Easy now. Just help get her in the bus," Mai ordered.
Ben nodded as he carefully helped Makoto onto the bus, the Beastkin holding onto his.
"I'll help carry her to her room," Sonia offered as she carefully approached.
"?! No!" Makoto shouted as she moved closer to Ben, "I...I don't wanna be alone right now…Not without him..."
"...It's even worse than I thought…" Mai whispered, "...where's Tsubaki when you need her?"
Back over with Ragna, things seemed even in the battle at the moment….seemed being the keyword as he was having trouble with Soundwave while Knack dealt with the moth-like alien. Ragna swung a right hook and Soundwave moved to the left, dodging the blow an returning with a kick that sent Ragna away from him. With Knack and the moth-like alien, said alien changed into the bulky Crabdozer and roared at Knack.
"Well now...That's something new," Knack noted before rolling out of the way of the charge of the beast, "Looks like a lovechild of a crab, a rhinoceros, and probably obsidian from a volcano." he hefted up another boulder and threw it at Crabdozer, making the beast stumble back from the impact before Knack tackled Crabdozer and began to lay down a barrage of punches.
"Careful. That thing can be pretty nasty," Ragna warned as he tried striking Soundwave again, only to miss, "Damn it! Stand still!"
Crabdozer roared before switching into its slime cobra form just as Knack was sending out another punch. Knack grunted a bit in disgust and surprise as the slime cobra moved away from Knack before turning into its spider-like alien form. It let out a hissing snarl before hacking up a web made of sparking electricity at Knack. Knack roared as his body erupted with a yellow glow akin to sunlight before three large chunks of what he was made of collected together and shot out at the spider-like alien, tearing through the net and crashing right into it, sending it crashing into part of the barrier.
"Heh...not so tough now huh?" Knack asked with a smirk as the rocks and crystals used came back to him before the creature began to change shape, "...That can't be good."
"Whoa! That is huge!" Sonic exclaimed as everyone looked at the new form.
It resembled a carnotaurus at first glance, however that was all it was; a first glance. Its scales were a deep obsidian with jagged spikes running down the back and the sides of the back ending at four purple spikes growing out at the end of its tail. Its underbelly was a dark grey with four pale purple legs with red talons and six small arms with red claws emerging from it. Its head was covered in a thick red plating that made it appear to be a skull with four black horns growing out of the back and a single red horn pointing straight ahead with a slit at the tip. It narrowed its red eyes at Knack before unleashing a massive roar, causing the area to rumble and echoed all throughout the mine.
"...Okaa-san.." Haseo whispered as he fainted.
"Ah! Haseo-chan!" Roll yelped, catching the younger fox.
"Dammit. This thing's annoying!" Ragna growled before a metal tentacle ending in a claw grabbed him by the neck and started choking him, "GRK!"
Soundwave proceeded to use it to slam Ragna repeatedly against the ground before throwing him into the barrier. The dinosaur-like alien swung its tail at Knack, who managed to grab it. He grunted as he skidded along the ground, trying to keep a strong grip on the attacking appendage.
"Ugh...All that today was gonna have was a nice simple game of minigolf with the girls…" Knack grumbled, "But nope! Dragged into a fight with a dinosaur mixed with a millipede or a centipede that shapeshifts!"
"That I can agree on!" Ragna snapped as he tried striking Soundwave again, "Only I'm dealing with an annoying mute robot!"
"This is getting annoying," Sonic scowled as he summoned his sword and began to slash at the barrier, "Break, darn it! We gotta get in there!"
"...There's a latch on the collar," Roll noted.
"Huh?"
"I don't think it's genetically bonded like the Omnitrix," Roll explained as she pointed at the collar while Knack was now being swung around on the tail by the irate beast, "There's a latch on the collar like it's meant to be taken off."
"Ragna, get that collar off that big guy!" Manic called.
"BUSY RIGHT NOW!" Ragna barked before Soundwave punched him in the face and then performed a roundhouse kick, knocking him down, "Guh! You goddamn mute robot!"
"...Of course!" Tsubaki gasped before running up to the barrier, "Knack! The collar! Get the collar off and it will change back to its original form!"
"Better! Not! Be! This!" Knack grunted between harsh shakes of the beast's tail.
Knack began to climb up the body of the beast. The beast swung its head back to see Knack climb before it released a blast of webbing from its horn, ensnaring Knack's face. Knack fell off into a pile of rocks and shards of quartz.
"Knack!" Ragna called out before grabbing the tentacle with a claw on it, "Oh, now you're in for it, you bastard!"
The beast growled as it bent down, sniffing at the pile and moving it with its snout. It tilted its head, not seeing any of the red and gold pieces amongst the rocks and shards. A clicking sound went off and the collar fell off with a loud thud. Knack looked up at the beast and blew a raspberry. The beast roared before its body shrunk and shifted until all that was left was a jackal/dog-like alien covered in dark-blue scales with a line of spikes running down its spine and tail. Knack smirked before reforming with the rocks and crystal and picked up the now whimpering beast.
"Well now...Bad dog," Knack scolded with an amused chuckle.
Soundwave turned his left arm into a blaster and fired at Ragna's hand, forcing him to let go of the tentacle. The mute robot sprinted and grabbed the shrunken spiked collar and put it into his torso cavity. Knack turned before his eyes widened. He grunted as he stumbled back, letting the spike emerging from the middle of the clawed tentacle to slide out of the new hole in Knack's gold and glowing blue core. The composite being groaned before collapsing, burying the alien canine in the rocks and crystal shards before the broken Obelisk added another layer. Soundwave's body shifted before turning into a stealth jet that quickly flew off before anyone could move.
"...Oh that no good…!" Sonic growled, "Cheap shot! Real cheap shot!"
"Well, at least they didn't get the Time Stone. Wherever it is…" Ragna muttered, looking around before spotting the ring indent on a nearby wall, "Heh."
Ragna walked over and put the Ring into it. The Ring glowed before the wall began to crack. After several moments of cracking, the wall collapsed, revealing an exit to the outside, revealing the setting sun. A glowing green Time Stone floated down from where it had been in the stone wall before Ragna caught it.
"Okay. Not too ba…" Ragna began before hearing a whimper from the rubble, "Oh yeah...that thing's still here."
"Yo. We're finally back a-" Manic began as the door opened, letting him and Tsubaki in...before noticing the tone, "...What happened?"
"Makoto had a nasty panic attack," Ben explained before looking down at the shaken squirrel girl that was shivering beside him at the table, "She won't even leave my side."
"...I see…" Tsubaki noted, holding her chin in thought, "...Ben, would it be possible if she stayed with you in your room for tonight?"
"Huh?"
"Given her current condition...I think it'll be safe if she's with someone she truly trust for right now."
"What? But…" Ben began before looking at Makoto once more and sighed, "Alright."
"How did she end up like this?" Manic asked.
"A masked man…" was all Ben said as he carefully led Makoto to his room.
"A...masked..man?" Noel repeated.
"Relius Clover," Mai whispered with a frown, her hand balling up into a fist, "Of all people from our world...Why did it have to be him?"
"Clover? Is...Is he related to Carl?" Tsubaki asked.
"Hai...he's his...father…" Mai replied, saying 'father' like it was pure venom in her mouth.
"?!"
"...You say that like he's Eggman," Manic noted.
"As if!" Mai snapped, startling him, "Compared to him….Eggman is a saint compared to that heartless monster."
"?!" Manic, Noel, Sonia, and Tsubaki looked at her with wide eyes.
"...What did he…" Sonia began before Mai whispered to her, her eyes slowly widening at every word, "...I...how could he….that…!"
"Sis?"
"I...I need to be alone and vent right now…" Sonia said as she walked off.
"...wh-what did you say to her?" Noel asked as she looked at Mai.
"Trust me...you'd do the same," was all Mai said as she walked off.
"Following Sis's lead?" Manic asked.
"Yep."
"...okay. We may need to look up any info on this masked guy, Tsubaki."
"Agreed."
"So...what happened out there? We heard a loud roar," Sonia asked.
"Well, good news, bad news, and not sure news," Manic replied, "Bad news? That beast has one of Eggman's 'bots with it and it flew off before we could grab it. Good news? We found another Time Stone."
"And the not sure news?" Sonia asked.
"Well…" Manic began to say before Ragna entered, a panting blue alien dog/dinosaur/jackal hybrid following after him.
"What is that?!" Mai and Sonia yelped, jumping back.
"It followed me home," Ragna replied before smirking in amusement, "Can I keep it?"
"...He didn't put in a genetic lock…"
"I should have made him into a nice seafood platter when I had the chance," Khyber growled with a scowl.
"Idiot!" the figure snapped, slamming a fist down by the collar Soundwave had placed upon arrival, "The Nemesis Matrix-the Nemetrix-...the perfect counter to the Omnitrix and it doesn't even utilize a genetic lock to prevent others from removing it!"
"..." Soundwave displayed the film of the battle, having used a drone to keep recording it when he had been exposed.
"Still...we were fortunate to have a backup user for this," the figure noted, glancing over at a cage where a creature was pacing, growling at everything around it, "I will work on preventing this situation from repeating itself. Soundwave, Khyber, continue observations. Once they reach the Stardust Speedway…" he turned to the device as another stream of colored smoke entered into it, "We will release this on them."
"How're you feeling, Makoto?" Ben asked.
"C...calmed down a little at least…" Makoto answered, sitting down on his bed as the light from the crystals outside shone in the room a bit.
"That's at least good," Ben nodded before offering her a drink from the device he had been standing before, "Smoothie?"
"...Yes please," Makoto replied, slowly nodding, as she took the drink, "Thanks Ben-kun...I...I really needed a safe place to calm down in…"
"Just what happened out there, Makoto?" Ben pondered as he sat down.
"...I...honestly don't know," Makoto admitted as she looked down at her drink, "Th...the moment I saw Relus, I...recalled something...something...terrifying...I...think it was an alternate timeline version of myself...and I somehow got her last memories…"
"...What did you see?"
"...Relius...he...he was using me...like I was a test subject...he...was messing with my head...he…" Makoto paused as she began to shake again, "He was messing with my memories...making me relive the worst ones...as if he was plucking pieces of my soul one at a time…"
"?!" Ben's eyes widened, moving a hand onto her shoulder, "He was…" he scowled, "And I thought what Vilgax and Aggregor did were the worst things I've dealt with…"
"Ben...I...I really don't want to relive those worst memories...him..messing with my memories...my soul...memories…" Makoto paused, her hand clenching the bed sheets as small tears dripped from her eyes, "Memories..of being abused as a kid because I was a Beastkin.."
"?!"
"Just because I was born the way I am...I was treated horribly by people outside my family...I...I was so scared of finding people who liked me...people..who…" Makoto paused as she choked back a sob, "But no matter where I went...before I joined the academy...people...saw me...as a filthy beast...one..who deserved to be alone...someone who doesn't even deserve her own family…"
"That...I can't even…" Ben spoke, scowling now, "Just…" he sighed, "What is wrong with people?"
"When there's something they don't understand...they hate it...like Beastkin…" Makoto whispered, the tears increasing as she gripped the sheets tighter, "I even became cold towards the people I tried to befriend...to everyone that wasn't my family...I….I...I even hated myself...so much so...I…"
"..." Ben just held her close as she started sobbing into him.
"Ben-kun...I...I truly don't want to relive those horrible memories…" Makoto whispered, wrapping her arms around him as she cried into his shoulder, "I...I don't want that...never again...I...I don't want to be alone again…"
Ben simply nodded, not trusting his voice at the moment, 'Okay...I think I actually found a guy I'd be willing to use the Ultimate Feature on Ghostfreak of all my forms against…'
"Help me! Professor Kokonoe!" A Chibi-style Omake
Starring: Professor Kokonoe, Iron Tager, Skye Sakurai, and Tsubaki Yayoi.
The curtain lifted, revealing something of a dark unlit lab…Said lab being somewhat messy. Then a spotlight sparked to life, revealing a fairly young adult catgirl with a slim body, wearing a large scientist like jacket with abnormally long sleeves that end up looking like paws, with cuts made in them allowing her slender arms to slip through, red pants with two long pink tails with white tips coming from the back, and high-heeled sandals. Her hair was pink, tied in a style consisting of a long ponytail backing up longer tufts resembling large cat ears which tend to overshadow her actual cat ears. Her eyes were a golden-amber with visible bags under them, possibly due to over-working, and she was also wearing glasses. With a certain elegancy, she began to speak.
"Hello lost children. I am Professor Kokonoe, lord and master of the Sector Seven laboratory," She paused to push her glasses back into place briefly, and then began to speak again, "…Well, OK, we aren't in the lab at the moment. This place can sort of be temporarily moved into the Boundary. Well, simply put, it's a mysterious room. A mysterious room where you can do anything you want. To be honest, it's a paradise for all those sad, little children who couldn't make it to the true ending. A sort of Avalon. If you're one of those nutbars who's all 'I don't need help,' or 'I want to unlock hidden stuff,' or 'I'll just look for a flowchart online,' then you can piss off."
She proceeded to sigh.
"Anyway, my job here more or less is to do three things every five chapters. First: Answer common questions that I believe most people are asking. Second: To do a little re-cap of what happened in the past five chapters for you idiots who decide to skip them to get to the good parts in later chapters. And finally, give out supporting information to further your understanding of the terms of BlazBlue and Ben 10," Kokonoe proceeded to glare at you, "One thing I would like to make clear now, is that none of the actions in this segment are considered cannon to the story, regardless of how crazy, funny, or even lovey-dovey it is. If I get one message asking about if this was cannon or not, I'm castrating the sender of said message with a cattle prod and a rusty knife!"
Kokonoe proceeded to sigh once more. It was rather repetitive for her at that point. She began to speak yet again to you, the reader.
"Very well. Now that that's out of the way, lost children of the day…you may enter," She ordered, and suddenly the whole lab lit up and Kokonoe took a few steps back.
As if on cue, the sound of a metal door sliding open echoed in the area. Skye mumbled as he entered, writing in a notebook, followed behind by Tsubaki.
"Hm? Mr. Sakurai?" Tsubaki pondered.
"Eh?" Skye looked up from his notebook, "...Huh. We appear to be in a room that exists outside of what we know." he looked over at Kokonoe, "I take it we can't leave until you say we can, am I correct?"
"Correct...Normally, we'd answer questions, but…" Kokonoe glared at the empty ask box.
"Hm...A pity," Skye noted.
"Yes...so we'll have to do the recap and any additional info."
"That sounds safe enough," Tsubaki noted.
RECAP
"Well, after that first Obelisk, we still looked around, seeing where we had to go to continue on," Tsubaki recalled, "Eventually we found another Obelisk. While we were trying to figure out what to do now that we found another, Roll, Haseo, and Yacker took pictures. The Obelisk activated and summoned, well, a young boy with a key for a blade."
"A key...for a blade?" Kokonoe deadpanned.
"A Keyblade...Hmm...Interesting concept," Skye noted, writing up a blueprint in his notebook, "Perhaps it has the ability to shapeshift into different weapons if mastered…"
"Ahem. Anyways, we managed to beat him after Haseo...tapped into something and used this thing called a Wispon," Tsubaki explained.
"Wispon?" Skye repeated, narrowing his eyes, "Are you sure he called it a 'Wispon?'"
"He did. It looked like Yacker's forms a bit too," Tsubaki added, "Why?"
"We can get to it later," Skye informed, waving her off, "You beat the kid and then what happened?"
"Well, we found an indent on a nearby wall of boulders resembling a ring," Tsubaki explained, "Haseo put the Ring Professor Paradox gave him into the indent and the entire cluster of boulders gave way, revealing a new path for us to take along with a Time Stone. But before any of us could get it...a giant worm came out of the ground and ate it. Ben turned into Armadrillo to try to make it cough up the stone, but it released some sort of acidic spit at him that actually hurt Armadrillo before it escaped."
"...Armadrillo's natural predator perhapes?" Tager guessed.
"We had the same idea in a way," Tsubaki nodded, "After that, we moved on to the next area of Little Planet which was, surprisingly, a casino-like area that seemed to have formed naturally. We all split up and, well...a few of us ended up finding naturally forming springs hidden in the ground."
"Based on your posture and the slight wince you gave...You stepped on one and got sent flying into the air," Skye noted instead of asking.
"...in a sense...hai…" Tsubaki replied as she slowly nodded, "A-ahem! Anyways, we soon regrouped and found the first monolith there, which soon activated and summoned an echidna Ben, Makoto, and Noel had to face."
"An Echidna?"
"You mean one of those mammals with a bifurcated pe…" Kokonoe began to ask.
"Please continue," Sye interrupted.
"...This echidna...he was...in terms of personality...it was as if he thought he was superior to those he thought lower than him."
"Ah. Well, that sounds quite like narcissism," Skye noted, "Anything else?"
"He could use magic but had a robotic arm and eye," Tsubaki recalled, "He could use spells and his robotic limb to keep his opponents at bay, but he was eventually defeated after a tough battle. And then...there was the giant stone roulette table with the other Obelisk there," she rubbed her head as she felt a migraine, "When we went to activate that one...It was, frankly, one of the most bothersome fights ever."
"Why?"
"Ratchet and Clank."
"Huh...So the Lombax and the Zoni inside of a defective war robot," Kokonoe noted.
"Hai. Manic, Ben, and I fought them...and like I said, it was one of the most bothersome fights ever. I mean...stopping and slowing time...the different weapons….the RYNO."
"I take it that's an acronym for 'Rip You a New One,' correct?" Skye questioned, earning a nod.
"But there was something else as well, wasn't there? A certain weapon you hated with a passion," Kokonoe noted in amusement, "What was it called again?"
"...The Groovitron…" Tsubaki replied through gritted teeth, her eye twitching.
"Hmm...Groovitron? I take it that it released a subsonic frequency that interacts with those that had not thrown the device to dance uncontrollably for a set period of time?" Skye guessed.
"Grr…." Tsubaki continued to growl, eyes twitching violently.
"So, after you three took them down, I take it that another monster showed up to steal your hard-earned Time Stone?" Kokonoe questioned, snapping Tsubaki out of her anger.
"Yes. It was a giant moth-like alien that Ben and Ragna recognized from seeing when Ben was eleven," Tsubaki replied, "It phased through everything we tried to halt it, but it got away with the Time Stone, leaving us with just a path to the next area."
"And the next area was...?"
"...Temples submerged in a large body of water."
"Ah. Noted," Skye spoke with a nod.
"Fortunately, Manic and I had worked on new deep sea outfits and everyone split up once again to try to find the Obelisks," Tsubaki noted, "While Noel, Mai, Makoto, and I were handling this fox woman, the others were dealing with a creature called Arakune and…"
"Hold it. Did you say...Arakune?" Kokonoe asked.
"I did yes."
"..."
"...Kokonoe?"
"N...nothing. Just...continue please. What happened with the fox woman?"
"She...she was on a whole other level….it was even worse when she summoned these foxes that absorbed the Seithr in Noel's guns and...she transformed."
"...Transformed how?"
"She became far more stronger and could even split into nine copies of herself. We were starting to lose badly...and then they pushed Makoto's buttons just as Ben managed to get to us with a new alien called Portaler," Tsubaki noted.
"...Seriously? Another unoriginal name?" Kokonoe deadpanned, "...Nevermind. Continue."
"Of course. Things were made a bit easier when Makoto had Ben turn into Omniketsu...and...they made things even worse for THEM."
"How so?"
"They called her mother….well…"
"...oh...OH! Oh…" Skye realized, "Yeah, you never push that button with anyone who loves their mother."
"Yeah...lastly...they pressed a certain…'button' you should never press with Makoto….the 'Half Breed' Button," Tsubaki continued.
"...Welp. She died horribly, didn't she?" Skye noted.
"Yes," Tsubaki replied, "We were able to find another Time Stone once Sonia arrived with the Ring. And then...the bug appeared again. Sonia managed to get to the bus with it and Manic was able to lock it away in a safe that you can phase through, but was nearly captured by the bug when Sonic interfered. It then turned into a slime cobra and escaped, revealing it was a shapeshifter of sorts."
"...shapeshifter...turns into possible predators for the species in the Omnitrix…" Kokonoe whispered, "...hmm….Tager, I might have you investigate something for me."
"Eh?"
"But not right now. Tsubaki, continue," Kokonoe ordered, "Or not since everyone knew...well SAW what happened in this chapter."
"True. I...I'm still surprised by what Mai came to conclude about myself, herself, Ragna, Noel, and Makoto," Tsubaki admitted, "That we're each from different continuums...and the fact Makoto and Ben saw Relius a-"
"Wait, what?" Kokonoe blinked at that before her eyes narrowed, "...Relius Clover? Are you sure they saw Relius Clover?"
"From how bad Makoto was shaking from seeing him, most likely…"
"Hmm...Could it be some form of mental feedback from being on a planet that moves through time?" Skye pondered, "For all we know, Makoto's experiencing memories of another life."
"...and considering her reaction to Relius...what if….no...I don't want to even finish that thought…" Tsubaki shook her head.
"Let's move on then," Kokonoe noted.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
"So...what do you make of this?" Kokonoe pondered as a monitor displayed the red collar with the red and white device on it.
"Hmm...At a cursory glance, it appears to be an inferior version of the Omnitrix," Skye noted, "Judging by it being on a collar with a latch on it means it doesn't have a genetic lock but is meant to be worn by someone around the neck; a pet most likely. But unlike the Omnitrix...it most likely transforms the user into a predator of whatever species are in the Omni Matrix."
"...Nemesis Matrix, then?" Kokonoe suggested.
"Nemetrix," Skye agreed with a nod.
"Fitting. Like an anti-Omnitrix in a sense."
"Yes, but due to the simpler minds of these predators, it would most likely perform lasting mental damage on someone such as a human, Overlander, or Mobian should they be the user," Skye noted, "At best, it's better for an animal to wear them, especially one that's been tamed so to prevent a rampage."
"You suppose there might be a chance of genetic damage alongside the mental damage from utilizing this?" Kokonoe pondered.
"More than likely," Skye agreed.
"Well damn...that's going to be interesting and dangerous," Kokonoe noted.
"Very true," Skye agreed.
"..." Tsubaki scratched her head, a bit lost at the moment.
"Alright. I think that's enough for today," Kokonoe noted, "Get on out of here you two."
"Until we meet again," Skye spoke, giving a bow before walking out.
"Um...Right. Thank you?" Tsubaki spoke, following after Skye.
"Well, I guess here's hoping for more questions," Kokonoe noted.
"Um...Kokonoe, the producers are saying that if we don't get at least one question next time, this is going to be canned," Tager noted.
"WHAT?!" Kokonoe screamed as the curtain fell.
GT: Well...That's something.
SZ: Indeed...and that ending...just damn.
GT: Yep. Whatever Relius did to Makoto in another timeline...Ben ain't gonna let it happen.
SZ: Oh no...you do not mess with his friends.
GT: Still...What is that guy gonna release at this 'Stardust Speedway' place? You may need to wait a bit for the answer, though.
SZ: Hai, so be sure to read and review folks..and please send in the questions, otherwise…*gulps as Kokonoe aimed multiple weapons at us*
GT: You fire one of those and I'll get Sento Kiryu here.
Kokonoe: ...damn it.
GT: Yep. So until next time, read and review!