Inkaliber: Hello Everyone! Welcome back to another month of chapters for this story! Things are getting back on track as we make our way along the Season 1 trail. We now enter the events of the Rabbit Talisman so let's burn rubber and answer some reviews.

WanderingSage7- I'm glad that you love everything! I myself am also a romantic. As Zem said, the Fentons are in the timeline.

Codepercy- I'm glad that you were able to enjoy everything! Verdona was interesting to write to say the least.

Reader (Guest)- Glad the couple is working out nicely. It was fun writing Verdona the way we did. Hope the new year has been kind to you.

Matheus_Gabriel4455- Well we tried to stick to how Anodites are usually depicted and function. I can't really answer your question about the Shadowkhan Queen thing at the moment.

Icewolf9879- Hope you've been enjoying the classic version dude!

Lincolnronnie94- I guess you'll have to see what the rule entails and how they develop their relationship now that they can go deeper. XD

OmniArashiKitsune- Thanks! I enjoy multi-crossover stories so it's good to know everything's working out.

Some1call4MR-E- The summoning of the dark chi warriors really is rather iconic. Ellie's not exactly a background character but her development is fun to work with. Jackie indeed still has some things to learn and the group will be surprised when they see Dojo's full size.

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

Voices

"Talking."

'Thinking.'

"YELLING!"

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

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

"Whispering."

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

[Language Indicator]

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

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

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

January 14th, 2009

Bellwood, Pennsylvania

[Language Change: Mandarin]

Jade woke up with a yawn, smacking her lips as she worked up the energy to move. She then grinned, popping up from the bed as she rushed to the showers. A quick montage shows her behind a shower curtain humming to herself as she washes off, the song in her head being one of joy. She's then seen adjusting a blue qipao shirt, a black skirt, dark gray leggings, and a pair of navy blue mary-janes. She did her hair up in a bun, slotting her new hairpin into place as she sighed in delight. She then held the talisman belt around her waist, nodding her head with a smirk.

"Shrink," ordered the girl. The belt did as it was told, making the talismans inside shrink with it as it became like a normal belt around her waist. "Thank you Dashi. I love this thing." She quickly grabbed her bookbag, draping it over her shoulders before speed-walking to the kitchen where her mother was seen humming a tune herself.

"You look well rested, Xiaoyu," greeted the woman. "Come have some omelets and rice." Jade grinned as she sat at the table, bowing her head.

"Thanks Mom." She began to devour her food quickly yet cleanly, doing her best to remember her manners. Ai noticed the crystalline hairpin the girl got for Christmas, giggling to herself.

"I see that you are wearing the pin your beloved gave you. Are you intending to announce your relationship at school?" Jade blushes a bit, shaking her head.

"This isn't Hong Kong, Mom. I doubt anyone but Julie and the Tennysons would know what it means. I just… wanna enjoy this next part of my life. It's something new to me." She finds her head being gently patted, her mother sighing with a smile.

"I remember getting my hairpin from your father. Granted I was seventeen but-" Jade suddenly noticed the time, eating the rice faster. "Slow down or you'll choke." Jade finished, hugging her mother before running in place a bit.

"The bus'll be here any moment! Love you!" She ran out the door, her mother giggling at her need to hurry. Jade made it just in time for the bus to stop, the door opening as she ducked her head. A spitball soared over her head, Cash groaning in annoyance.

[Language Change: English]

"Not again!" cried the bully. "I gotta work on my aim." Jade rolled her eyes as she ignored him, moving to take her seat. Cash spotted her pin, quickly starting to reach for it as he had a devious smirk. His hand was suddenly grabbed, Ben holding it gently but firmly as he glared daggers at the bully.

"Back off, Cash," ordered the boy. "I mean it." He let the hand go, staying between Cash and Jade.

"Oh yeah? And what're you gonna do about it, Tennyson?" Ben smirked, crossing his arms.

"Oh, nothing much. Mom might just have a word with your mom about you messing with girls now. You can mess with me but not girls. That's a whole other minefield." Cash huffed a laugh, starting to stand up.

"Yeah right. Like you're gonna tattle on me like… a… little… did you get taller?" Ben stood at the boy's height, looking him straight in the eye.

"It's called a growth spurt. You know, the thing we go through as we grow up?" The bus driver yawned, having a travel mug in his hand.

"Take your seats please," yawned the man. "I hate Mondays." Ben smirked, shrugging as he took a seat beside Jade. The girl was very tempted to hug his arm but the bus was not the place to show off that kind of affection, at least in her mind. Instead, she leaned her head on his shoulder like she would sometimes do with Gwen.

One bus drive and a few classes later, Jade was seen practically skipping as she made her way to her locker. She quickly grabbed her lunchbox, quickly moving to the lunchroom. She spotted the group, running over as she hopped over a stuck-out foot much to Cash's annoyance.

"Oh Ben~," sang Jade slightly. "I have some more gymnastics training today. I could use an audience." The boy nearly choked on his juice, blushing as Ellie snickered and Gwen looked slightly mortified. He cleared his throat, immediately nodding his head.

"I wouldn't mind," accepted the boy. "I'll keep an eye on you." The Chinese girl giggled as she sat beside him, Gwen leaning towards her.

"ARE YOU BECOMING A DEGENERATE!?" cried the redhead as quietly as possible. "YOU'RE GIVING A BOY PERMISSION TO WATCH YOU DIRECTLY, ALONE BY THE SOUND OF IT!" Jade points to her hairpin, a smirk on her face.

"We're engaged, GWENDOLYN," reminded Xiaoyu. "As long as nothing comes off and hands stay where they belong it's entirely free." Gwen put her head in her hands, Sari quickly sitting between her and Ellie with a smile.

"I got a present this… Christmass?" tried the Cybertronian. "I told Optimus about it and he wanted to try celebrating Earth holidays as a way of cultural understanding. I got a nice upgrade. I'll have to show you guys later." Gwen looked towards her, head still in her hands.

"It's Christmas, Sari, but you were close," replied the redhead. "I, for one, have something fun to share with everyone when we get to the 'clubhouse'." Paco quickly sat in front of Ellie at the table, flexing in his El Toro shirt.

"Mama got me this shirt!" cheered the boy. "Es muy asombroso: Very Awesome." Ellie giggled, looking him in the eye.

"What're you flexing for?" teased Ben. "You're a bit behind on the muscle game." Paco rolled his eyes with a laugh, pushing Ben gently so as not to disturb Jade. Cash growled as he broke the plastic fork in his hand, getting up as a few of the kids in the cafeteria looked away. Jade frowned out of boredom, sighing.

"Trouble at twelve o'clock," informed the Chinese girl. The group looked towards Cash as he approached, Ben placing a hand on Paco to keep him from immediately getting up. The bully had a teasing smirk on his face, Jade still looking bored by his presence.

"Look at the loser squad, all together like usual," insulted the lanky boy. "I wonder how long your little group's gonna last when we start splitting into popular and unpopular." Ellie raised her brow, looking almost amused.

"Popular and unpopular?" questioned the ghostly girl. "You've been watching too many high school movies. If anything it'd be more likely we get split up because of junior high school. Even then we'll just come back bigger and stronger because, you know, we have a life outside of school. Given your attitude and bad grades I'll be surprised if you don't drop out before high school."

Cash growled under his breath as his fist clenched, Ben responding by standing up and glaring at him. The bully jolted as he was reminded of the loss in their height difference, the Omnitrix user remaining in place as if daring the other boy to try something. Jade patted his arm gently, smirking at him.

"You've made your point," reassured the girl. "Down boy." Cash huffed a laugh, feeling like he'd won.

"Ha!" laughed the bully. "Hiding behind your little girlfriend, Tennyson?" Ben smirked, standing straight with his arms crossed.

"I'm not hiding. I'm enjoying my time with her and choosing to ignore someone who can't get one." Cash rolled his eyes, looking more annoyed.

"Yeah well... YOU ACTUALLY FOUND A GIRL DESPERATE ENOUGH TO DATE YOU!?" Ben immediately held up his hands, Jade standing up as she had a glare now.

"'Desperate enough?'" questioned the foreign girl. Someone in the cafeteria whistled, the sound of a plastic fork hitting the ground following. Gwen had her hands on the back of her head now, groaning under her breath.

"Oh boy," sighed the natural Anodite. "Here we go." Jade crossed her arms under her chest, still glaring at the bully.

"I don't know what your problem with Ben is and, frankly, I don't care. BUT, don't you DARE call me desperate. I actually LIKE Ben, because he's actually really sweet and can be polite when he wants to be. Ever since I've met you, all you've done is insult people and act like a jerk to everyone. You don't see me calling your mother ugly like you do to Todd."

A background boy walked faster around the outside of the crowd, apparently being said boy as he tried to stay out of anyone's view. "You're just like Ming, the only difference between her and you being that she's actually likeable while you have to hide who you are from your little groupie." Cash growled at her, suddenly grabbing at her hair as the girl cried out.

"HEY!" roared Ellie with a slightly echoed voice. She covered her mouth as the voice seemed to go unnoticed, Jade's hair flying out as Cash held her hairpin above her head. The girl tried to reach for it, crying from her hair being pulled.

"GIVE IT BACK! PLEASE!" Cash chuckled, opening his hand.

"Oops," said the delinquent. The world seemed to slow down as Ben suddenly felt a surge of energy. He jumped forward quickly, grabbing the object as he tucked and rolled. He immediately jumped up from the roll, looking towards Cash with a glare. The bully turned around to look at him, eyes almost bugging out of his head as if Ben had just vanished.

"I'm going to tell you, one last time," promised the boy. "Leave. Jade. Alone." Cash shivered, backing up a bit.

"Ben Tennyson," huffed Miss Hardman. "The Principal's office." Ben didn't even look back at the woman, keeping his eyes on Cash for a moment before giving Jade her hairpin and walking away.

"Why is he getting in trouble?" asked Sari to the group. "Cash was clearly the aggressor." Gwen sighs, rolling her eyes.

"Welcome to the world of teachers coming in at the wrong time and Ben not thinking before he speaks," says the redhead sarcastically. "Well, guess that relationship was fun while it lasted." Ellie pulls out her phone, quickly typing in a number.

"Don't be too sure," stated the ghost girl. "Hey Mom. Cash did it again and a teacher came in at the worst time… Yeah, it was Miss Hardman. Ben was stopping Cash from breaking Jade's hairpin after he yanked it out of her hair." She holds her phone away from her ear for a moment.

"HE DID WHAT!?" roared the voice of Sandra. The line went dead, Paco in the middle of wincing from the yell. Ellie just put her phone away, getting back to her lunch.

"Mom to the rescue. Relationship saved." Jade flopped in her seat, pouting as she looked at her now messed up locks.

"I shampooed and conditioned it," whined the Chinese girl. "I had it exactly how I wanted it." Cash could be seen snickering from his seat, only to cry out as a cup of pudding was thrown on his head.

"Justice," said Sari to herself. The others looked at her like she had gone mad. "What? Great throw, right?" Another kid shot up, a manic grin on his face.

"FOOD FIGHT!" cried the boy. Food was suddenly being flung around the cafeteria, Jade quickly running as the others followed after her.

"YOU. ARE. A. MORON!" roared Gwen in fury.

Location: Unknown

The sound of a blowtorch welding something together could be heard, sparks going flying as rats ran away. A highly advanced part was being welded onto a rig consisting of a chest piece with wires leading to gloves and a helmet with antennae on it. The man working the blowtorch lifted his welding mask, revealing himself to be a man with pale green skin, yellowish eyes, and shoulder-length white hair. He wore a black tank top, khakis pants, and black boots. The man sighed as he took off the welding mask completely, picking up the helmet of the rig.

"At long last," relished the man. "The perfect interface for my greatest creation." He put the whole rig on, slowly walking over to a device that was sitting in a container. It looked like a yellow version of the Omnitrix core, only it was more talisman-thick and the gray areas looked like rows of sharp teeth. "The Predatrix: created to transmodify its user, or in this case anything I target, with the DNA of predators from beyond this world."

He slotted the device into the part he added to the chest piece, the faceplate glowing with power. "Soon I will spearhead humanity's evolution into a new age: an Age of Beasts!" He looked towards one of the rats that was running around, the creature stopping to eat some cheese. "WITNESS THE GENIUS OF DOCTOR ANIMO!" He pointed his finger at the rat and whistled, firing out a beam of light that hit the creature.

The rat quadrupled in size, gaining a carapace-like exoskeleton as its head turned red and it gained a rigid set of backplates. The creature sat, the man laughing. "And the best part, I control when and if my army changes forms and control them at will! If I desired, the changes could be permanent!" He laughs, the rat continuing to wait for orders.

He then scowled, whistling as the rat returned to normal and ran off. "But Tennyson won't be beaten by a mere rat. I need a proper test subject: one that will be indestructible. But where-" The TV was accidentally turned on by a rat running by, the doctor hissing from the sudden light as he had kept the room dim.

"And here we have Aesop, one of the most peculiar friends we have here at the San Francisco Bay Aquarium," informed a keeper on live TV. "Once near extinction, Giant Tortoises like Aesop are returning with numbers in the ten thousands. What makes Aesop so unique is this strange stone that seems to have become embedded into his shell some time in his life." Animo hummed, taking note of the octagonal stone that had a rabbit symbol carved into its back. What many would miss, however, is the glow the stone gained as the tortoise seemed to blink faster than the eye could see.

Where once it was just standing in place, the creature was now munching on a piece of cactus that wasn't there before. "Isn't nature just amazing?" Animo grinned manically, his eyes set on Aesop.

"Oh, my dear, you have no idea."

San Francisco, California

Jackie hummed as he crouched down, looking over Aesop's back as the talisman stuck out like a sore thumb. Jade had come to him a few days prior with the news that she sensed the Rabbit Talisman, warning him of the incredible speed and processing power that it gave to the user. Thankfully, the stone was in the back of a huge turtle. Viper stood to the side in her human disguise, rolling her eyes.

"So, how are we getting that thing out?" questioned the woman. "A pair of big pliers?" Jackie looked back at her, shaking his head.

"No," denied the archeologist. "He can feel pain through his shell as it's literally his body. The only thing we can do for him is have an emergency surgery to remove it from his back. It would cause problems for him in his older years anyway." Viper stood up as she watched Aesop disappear and reappear faster than Jackie could see as the big guy had a piece of cactus in his mouth.

"Whoa. That thing just moved at my top speed." Jackie huffed, shaking his head.

"Now that's just-" He noticed the cactus in the creature's mouth, gaining a deadpan look. "Nevermind. Hopefully the keepers can get him back to the surgery room before-" The wall of the aquarium blasted open, the Dark Hand walking in.

"Alright, you know the drill," began Finn. "Get the talisman or get the turtle before- CHAN!" Jackie and Viper stood at the ready, their eyes narrowing. Ratso pointed up, looking slightly excited.

"Actually, he's a Giant Tortoise," corrected the brute. "They weren't named for hundreds of years because sailors-" Finn yanked on his ear quickly to make him shut up.

"Just get them!" Some of the grunts ran forward first, Jackie picking up fake coconuts as he tossed them quickly to hit the men in the heads. Viper quickly pulled out a gun, firing into the group as even Tohru moved out of the way. One of the bigger brutes got close enough to jump over the aquarium below, Jackie tripping him off his feet not long after he landed. Another goon tackled Jackie into the water below, the two of them brawling for a bit.

The goon suddenly freaked out as he swam upwards, Jackie looking around in confusion. He cried out as a Great White was swimming at him, the martial artist swimming back up to the surface as quickly as possible. He climbed up one of the trees as the shark jumped out of the water, the fish plummeting back into the water.

"WHO KEEPS A GREAT WHITE IN AN AQUARIUM!?" cried Jackie. "HOW!?" The Dark Hand was backed into a corner, Tohru growling as Viper stood a good distance from them to not be grabbed.

"You punks are going away for a long time," informed the woman. "Hope you like the Null Void." A cloaked figure walked to where Aesop was in his line of sight, whistling as he pointed to the creature. The Predatrix glowed on his chest as Animo blasted the animal, Aesop's eye going wild as he began to convulse and vibrate. Jackie climbed down the tree, brushing himself off as he sighed in relief.

"Wildlife services need to be called on this aquarium," stated the former star. "Someone could have been hurt." He hears growling behind him as a shadow is casted over him. "There's something behind me, isn't there?" He looked behind himself, screaming as a creature the size of a T-Rex stood over him.

Aesop had become huge, his scales being rock-like and dark purple in color as stones jutted off parts of his limbs alongside a large horn that rose up from his beak. His shell had become the same gray color as the talisman, said stone now fused to the shell as bumps on the back of Aesop's head looked like rabbit ears. "N-Nice tortoise." Dr. Animo laughed, tossing the cloak off himself as the animal turned towards him. He placed a hand on his chest, a manic grin on his face.

"BEHOLD THE GENIUS THAT IS ANIMO!" cried the man. "Come to me, my minion!" Aesop moved quickly to the villain's side, allowing him to get up onto its neck. Viper fired at the shell, both beast and rider ignoring her as the laser blast doesn't even leave scorch marks. "Now, to Bellwood so that I may destroy Tennyson once and for all!"

Aesop took off at high speed, making a bigger hole in the wall from what the Dark Hand created in their explosion. The man's manic laughter filled the air, quickly beginning to disappear. Viper groaned in frustration, forced to leave the Dark Hand behind as she grabbed Jackie and ran after him.

Bellwood, Pennsylvania

Ben walked into the training area, his arms crossed as he was looking angry. He was trying to explain things when his mother arrived, the woman making things worse by being angry and pregnant. That caused him and her to have to meet with the principal and Miss Hardman again after school. Now he was late, something he knew was going to be called out. As he expected, Ellie lowered into view upside down behind him.

"You're late," said the ghost girl. "Gwen didn't want to start her little display until everyone was here." Ben looked back at her, still angry.

"Oh, excuse me if Miss Hardman decided to keep me after school even with Mom coming to explain things," barked the boy. "'We don't threaten our classmates, regardless of the reason. If you won't deal with this like a proper adult then I will.' Mom was only able to talk them into a week of detention because they thought she was just being hormonal since she's pregnant." Ellie shrugged, turning back over.

"Better than you being suspended only a bit into the school year. Besides, it's not like Cash is getting away with it." Ben tossed a hand up, laughing sarcastically.

"He practically did. He got no more than a 'we don't pull people's hair' and a 'we'll talk about this with your parents' before he was told to go home." Ellie shrugs again, Ben suddenly being hugged from behind as he shivered.

"Calm down," soothed Jade. "At least it's nothing that'll get Dad to break off the engagement." The boy turned around, blushing as the girl was in her gymnastics attire. "What's wrong? See something you like~?"

Ben gulped, not knowing what he could say without getting in trouble. Sari and Paco could be seen watching as Gwen was focusing on a ball of Mana, the surface being calm as she was sweating a bit. She suddenly faltered as the orb became turbulent, popping in a flash of light. Her grandmother handed her a water bottle, the redhead gulping it down. The experienced Anodite giggled, shaking her head.

"You're a much faster learner than Sunny," informed the woman. "It took her months just to get the mana to be one consistent shape. Keep that up and soon we'll be able to move on to turning it physical. The next step is to make a box, then we move on to every third dimensional shape." Gwen quickly saw Ben and Jade approaching, smirking as she stood up.

"Finally," sighed the redhead. "I thought I'd never get to show these off." She reached into her bookbag, pulling out cards that were blank save for one that had her Lucky Girl attire in it. "Grandma made these when I told her we needed a way to quickly get in and out of costume. Mana is SO amazing by the way."

(Imagine an instrumental version of the Ben 10 theme that is more toned and tuned to Gwen's style)

She held up the card with her uniform on it, holding it over one of her eyes. "Vestimorphus!" The card spun around her as her outfit glowed, the girl swiping over her face as the masquerade mask formed over it. Her outfit began to break apart as she stomped, making way for the rest of her suit. A satchel popped into place over her shoulder, the girl dropping her spell book into it. She did her best to strike a "cute and dynamic pose" as the card with her normal outfit in it formed in the grouping.

(End imaginary track)

"Nice, but I kinda already do that without all the awkward dancing," said Ellie. "At least, when I figure out how to go Ghost again. Also, Ben just turns into aliens and Sari can just transform. Aren't they a little unnecessary?" Gwen stuck her tongue out as she blew raspberries, Jade crossing her arms.

"It's cool, Gwen," began the Chinese girl. "Let me guess though, you forgot to add underwear to the list of things in the card." The redhead was about to correct her, only to blink as she looked towards her body. She screamed as she covered herself, running to the bathroom as the two earthling girls laughed out loud. Ben cleared his throat, still trying to work off his blush from Jade's surprise hug.

"Still, Mana can really make cards like these?" questioned the boy as he picked up one of the cards Gwen dropped. "That's honestly kinda cool." Verdona pointed upwards, closing her eyes.

"Mana is far more flexible than magic alone, Benny-Bear," informed the Anodite. "Magic follows strict rules whereas mana is everything you can imagine. It just takes a little creativity. Sadly, poor Gwenny didn't think of anything underneath the suit." Ellie gasped as Gwen pulled her over by her ear, her eyes in a glare.

"YOU WERE THERE!" hissed the redhead. "YOU COULD HAVE WARNED ME! WHAT IF I TRANSFORMED IN PUBLIC!? I'D BE PRACTICALLY EXPOSED!" Ellie got her ear free, rubbing it.

"Hey!" cried the ghostly girl. "It's your job to think of everything. My job is to make fun of your stupid mistakes. Besides… I was a little too excited by finally not losing my clothes randomly to notice." Jade suddenly began pulling Ben along, a smirk on her face.

"Imagine what superhero outfit you can wear later," predicted the Chinese girl. "It's all eyes on me now." The boy nodded dumbly, walking with her tugs so that she wouldn't hurt herself in her pulls. Soon the girl was on a balance beam, carefully walking as she prepared for another of her tricks. She decided to jump as she flipped in the air, landing on her hands as she performed the splits with her legs.

"Whoa!" cried Ben with a wince. "Doesn't that hurt?" Jade did her best to stay focused, shifting her legs in the air a bit.

"Just a little when I'm doing it on the ground but you get used to it. The hardest part really is stretching after you don't practice for over a week." Ben couldn't help his view going across her legs, blushing as he realized he was staring too much.

"I think I'm already getting used to it." The girls sans Sari giggled at his reaction, Jade preparing to roll over when she gasped. Her eyes glowed as she saw the Talisman become corrupted by the genetic transformation, the girl screaming at the same time as Shendu as she began to fall forward. "JADE!" Ben was quickly catching her as he held her up as best as he could.

This unfortunately caused him to fall backwards on the mat, the duo groaning as Jade was sitting on his face. Jade moaned as she sat up, grabbing her head. She looked forward, scowling.

"That monster! How could he do that to such an innocent creature!? Not only is the poor tortoise a monster but the Noble Rabbit Spirit is screaming in pain. I'm gonna- Hey, where's Ben?"

Gwen had another mortified look on her face, being joined by Ellie this time as the ghostly girl covered her face. "What?" Sari just looked confused, pointing down as her answer.

"Is this one of those human mating rituals?" questioned the Cybertronian. "I don't get it." Jade paled, slowly looking down to see Ben's body was beet red. Hers soon gained the same hue as she screamed, the girl getting up to let Ben scream too. Verdona giggled into her hand, finding it more humorous than concerning.

Up on the surface, Aesop crashed through a building as Animo laughed maniacally. The man pointed at a bird, whistling as it became like the rat he transformed. Viper stopped at the edge of town, having Jackie on her back.

"We're here," informed the woman. "You can stop squeezing my chest now." Jackie gasped as he let himself drop to the ground, immediately bowing his head to the ground.

"I-I am so terribly sorry!" cried the man. "Had I known I would have let go immediately!" The woman looked away with an eye roll, smirking a bit.

"Prude. Let's hurry before I have to explain to Magister Tennyson why a monster turtle ate his grandson." She sped off, Jackie quickly getting up to run after her. Animo laughed again as Aesop and the dino bird caused chaos, people running and screaming. He spotted a squirrel, aiming his finger at it.

"Minion number three, RISE!" cried the man. He went to whistle, only to gasp as Aesop shifted to avoid an ecto-blast launched at the man. Ellie snarled as she floated in the air, wearing a domino mask along with regular exercise clothes.

"YOU!" hissed the girl. "Ben told me about a quack scientist who abuses poor creatures!" Animo growled, glaring at her.

"I AM NOT A QUACK!" He pointed at the squirrel again, whistling as he made it turn into a more lizard-like creature with a red, white, and black color scheme. "Soon you shall feel the true genius of Doctor Animo!" He whistled without pointing, making the dino bird fly at Ellie with a screech as its talons were readied. Not having the ability to phase at the moment, the girl had to fly around as the creature tried to bite her.

The others quickly arrived, watching the chaos as the squirrel now joined Aesop in tearing up the town. Animo laughed once again, looking for any other creatures he deemed useful in his onslaught. Ben growled, clenching his fists.

"Animo," grumbled the boy. "Of course he'd be the one to cause this much trouble with animals." Jade pounded her fist into her palm, glaring at the man. Sari quickly transformed, the sound attracting Animo's attention. The man laughed again, gesturing to his apparatus.

"Behold: My Predatrix! With this, you will become the first target of my wrath! Then the world will see you were not an obstacle but a steppingstone in the new age! KILL TENNYSON!" Aesop growled under its breath as it began to vibrate, Ben seeing things in slow motion again as he began activating the Omnitrix.

Aesop moved faster than his processing power, the boy realizing that the creature would swallow him in one bite if he didn't move. Suddenly, a pink energy envelops the group and lifts them into the air. "WHAT!? WHERE DID THEY GO!? FIND HIM!"

The squirrel roars as it runs around, climbing up to the roof. Verdona was her full self, lowering the kids onto one of the roofs as Ben felt like his heart would leap out of his chest. He fell to one knee, barely registering Jade's call of his name.

"I-I nearly got us killed. It was too fast." Verdona quickly placed a hand on his head, using mana to try and calm him down as she soothed him.

"I would say it's not your fault but, given that he told it to hurt you by name, I'd say it's likely half true," said the woman. "Now, instead of panicking about what could have happened, maybe you should focus that big brain of yours on what can be done to fix this." Ben took deep breaths as his heart began to settle back into a normal beat, pushing himself up as the Squirrel slowly climbed up behind them. The boy's danger-sense suddenly went off, the monster roaring as it lashed its prehensile tail out to grab Paco. The Hispanic boy cried out as he was pulled back, the squirrel licking its buck teeth.

"PACO!" cried Gwen. Jade worked on a dime, making the Rooster activate in the belt as she pulled against Paco to keep him away from the beast's mouth. "BEN! DO SOMETHING!" The Omnitrix user spun the holographic wheel of the new Omnitrix quickly, pushing down on the core as a green flash filled the air.

"FRANKENSTRIKE!" cried a Frankenstein-styled alien. The creature had long black hair, green eyes, and grayish skin. He wore black pants, a fur coat around his waist and black boots. Large metal rods rose from his shoulders, the alien looking over his hands. "...Did I just say his name?"

Paco cried out again, making him shake his head. "RIGHT!" He generated electricity, firing it at the mutated squirrel as it squealed and dropped Paco back onto the roof. Its claws broke off bits of stone as it plummeted to the ground below, writhing in pain as Gwen helped the Hispanic boy up. Ellie suddenly flew overhead as the bird was still chasing after her, the girl turning in the air as she flew backwards.

"SORRY BIRDIE!" cried the ghost girl. She fired an ecto-ray at it, making the beast screech before it fired sticky webbing at her in an attempt to cocoon her. "BIRDIE NO! STOP!" Paco looked up as Ellie was encased in webs, his eyes widening as he suddenly got flashbacks of his father doing the same with his tail.

"NO!" cried the boy. His wrists split open around the veins as something popped out of his lower back like a blood blister, the boy suddenly slinging himself forward with webbing that was stuck to the bird's bottom. He crashed into the webbing holding Ellie before the bird could grab her with its talons, seemingly working off genetic memory as he pulled at the weaves of the cocoon to free her face. "Ellie, say something!" The girl took deep breaths before her eyes widened.

"BUILDING!" cried the girl. Paco looked back as they were about to crash into a building, ripping the webbing the rest of the way as he used the cocoon to sling them up higher on the building. He popped his hand and feet onto the surface while having Ellie in one arm, actually sticking as if he were a spider. "Um… why is there a tail attached to your butt?" Paco didn't have time to answer as the bird came circling back around, climbing up the building as quickly as possible.

Animo happened upon the writhing squirrel, growling in anger. He soon spotted a dog that was tied to a pole outside a store, clearly left there by an owner inside. Before he could mutate it, however, a battle cry rang through the air. Jade kicked him hard in the face with a flying kick, sending him off the huge turtle. She pulled a piece of parchment out of the Talisman Belt, tossing it at him as he was made to be mute with its presence.

"I think Ben will thank me for putting this guy on mute," sighed the girl. "Now… how do I turn you back into a nice tortoise, big guy?" The tortoise looked back at her with a growl, making her chuckle. "Or you could be both hungry and still angry." She pulled out a charm and used it to make a fiery shield, only for Aesop to push his head through the flames no problem.

"PAWS OFF!" roared a voice. Fourarms crashed into Aesop's head, the creature flailing around to try and get him off. Jade did her best to stay focused on not falling off, half-drooling as Fourarms seemed to be more toned than last she saw him. She nearly fell backwards, using her gymnastics training to instead backflip onto the ground. She patted her chest like Jackie would, taking deep breaths.

"Alright, Jade. No getting distracted by your fiancé and his ripping biceps and… toned abs… BAD JADE!" She grabbed her head, trying to focus. Gwen moaned, rolling her eyes.

"They are too perfect for each other," groaned the redhead. Back with Paco and Ellie, the Hispanic boy got to the roof as he put the ghost girl down to where he was sitting. He looked her in the eye, blinking a bit as he was having some trouble with direct contact.

"Are you okay?" questioned the boy. "That could have been muy mal: very bad." Ellie looked him over, giggling nervously.

"I-I think you have your own thing to worry about," informed the girl. "Your hair is blue, you have hair growing out all over your body, and I can't tell if your eyes are about to pop or if this is some kind of splitting thing." Paco tilted his head in confusion, his tail slowly wagging behind him. He hadn't even registered the changes to his body, even as his eyes looked like bulging "eight" shapes. Before he could respond, the bird flew up the side of the building with a screech.

"Uno momento, por favor." It fired another string of web from its horn, Paco catching it as he growled. He yanked hard on the strand, flinging himself at the bird as he hugged its beak to where it wouldn't open. His teeth sharpened as he snarled, the bird trying to shake him off as he webbed its maw shut with his tail. He then fired a web at the ground, holding the beak in a suplex position.

Ellie's eyes sparkled as the boy yanked himself towards the roof, slamming the beast hard into the stone. His biceps twitched a bit from the slam, his arms violently splitting in two as they began to morph and heal over. The girl narrowed her eyes as the bird slowly got back up, firing an ecto-ray to make it fall from the building just as it got its beak free of the webbing. The Hispanic boy shivered from how close that had come, his eyes blinking rapidly. Before he could let out more than a "Muchos gra-", Ellie hugged him from behind with a giggle.

"My hero." The boy was grateful that the fur growing on his cheeks hid the blush he undoubtedly had, the tip of his tail not doing him any favors. Viper ran into view of the fight as Fourarms held Aesop's maw closed as tightly as possible. Gwen quickly used mana to create something to hold down the mutated squirrel before it could get up, focusing as the beast tried to get out. Verdona floated down, smiling at her.

"Good job, Gwendolyn," cooed the woman. "You'll be doing this easily in no time." The girl huffed in response, her arms feeling tense.

"Why aren't you helping?" questioned the redhead. "You know, to stop them from tearing up the city or hurting any of us?" Verdona giggled, as if the answer should be obvious. Fourarms cried out as he was tossed into a building, landing on his knees as he turned back to normal while panting. Animo finally succeeded in removing the charm, pointing towards the boy.

"FINISH HIM!" roared the mad doctor. "THEN YOU CAN EAT THE REST!" Aesop rushed at Ben, its maw open as it snarled with the glow of the Rabbit Talisman. Before it could chomp down on the boy, Viper rushed by and picked him up over her shoulder while sliding into the clear.

"You're welcome!" cried the woman. Aesop roared as he chased after them, Viper running as fast as possible. "Hurry up! I can't keep this up forever and he's actually gaining!" Ben kept poking at the Omnitrix, trying to catch it when the safety buffer ended.

"I need ten minutes!" cried the boy. He looked towards the watch, doing his best to think as time seemed to pass him by. 'That thing went right through magic fire like it was nothing so Heatblast is out. Fourarms could barely make a dent in his skin and shell. Maybe speed and strength aren't the answers.'

Aesop looked ready to chomp, only to crash into a mana wall that cracked upon impact. The beast roared in fury at the wall, glaring at it. Verdona winced a bit from the impact, sighing.

"That was a close one," huffed the woman. "That's one tough turtle." Gwen glared at her, making her shrug while focusing. "What? I saved them."

The tortoise suddenly vibrated at high speed, phasing through the wall as it stomped. "Well that's not normal. It's definitely using magic. That makes things a bit harder now, doesn't it?" Viper had to run again as Aesop was right back to chasing them, Animo laughing maniacally.

"YES!" cried the man. "SWALLOW THEM WHOLE AND SECURE MY VICTORY!" Gwen looked towards him, watching the Predatrix glow.

"That's it!" cried the redhead. "Sari! Get that thing from his chest! That's what he's using to mutate the animals!" Sari ran towards Animo, jumping as the sound of shifting metal was heard.

The man looked towards her as a riderless moped was racing towards him, the vehicle turning as it suddenly smacked its back tire into his face. Sari unfolded back into her true form, reaching out for the Predatrix. Ellie's eyes widened as she was carrying Paco above.

"SARI!" cried the girl. "NO!" As soon as Sari touched the device, it had a similar reaction to when she touched the Omnitrix. She cried out as her metallic feelers ripped the Predatrix from Animo's interface, taking it in and disassembling it. Animo's eyes widened, the man holding the sides of his head.

"NO!" cried the man. "MY PREDATRIX!" Sari's body began to bulge and twitch as metal began to grow out of her, a sound similar to the Omnitrix jingle ominously filling the air. She cried out as she suddenly transformed into a mechanical version of the creature that was used in mutating the squirrel, being orange and yellow in place of the white and black. She roared mindlessly, the Omnitrix suddenly activating as the core popped out without prompting.

"Um, that's new," said Ben. The core pulled itself down as it unleashed a bright light, said light having green energy scan around. Viper couldn't hold him, crying out as she dropped him and crashed into a building. Aesop went to chomp down where the light was, only to have a mechanical version of his own head crash into his head. The Omnitrix glowed on the head of the metallic tortoise, blinking rapidly.

"Genetic mutation detected," informed the device. "Beginning genetic repair sequence." A green beam fired from the device, hitting Aesop as a popping sound was heard. Soon the tortoise was back to normal, the talisman rolling across the ground before falling face up. Hearing Sari's roar again, boosters opened on the back of the metal tortoise as it moved forward on tank treads.

Sari swung her tail around wildly, Jade using the Rooster Talisman to summon the Rabbit from where it was. She suddenly blitzed around, keeping Sari's attention as the wild metal beast continued to lash around. Animo tried to escape as he walked quietly, only to gasp as pink energy enveloped him.

"Not this time, Animo," growled Gwen. Verdona was holding the mutated squirrel down easily, allowing the magical girl to float in the air as she kept the villain from leaving. She then morphed the energy, focusing. "BOUND BE THE MADMAN!" The chains flew off from her hands, sticking into buildings as they kept Animo suspended in the air.

"NO!" cried the man. "LET ME DOWN!" Gwen ignored him, being subject to an ear pull this time.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?" cried Ellie. "DID YOU FORGET WHAT HAPPENED WHEN SARI TOUCHED THE OMNITRIX!?" Gwen got her ear free, holding it in pain.

"Ow!" cried the girl. "How was I supposed to know this would happen!?" Paco waved his arms, getting their attention.

"Hurry!" cried the boy. "Jade can't hold out forever!" Speaking of, Jade could be found throwing random charms and objects at Sari with the rooster. The girl reached for another thing at one point, only to find herself in a corner with nothing to use. She gulped, watching as Sari prepared to pounce.

"Bad day," whined the girl. Jackie tossed a rock at Sari, making her look back at him with a snarl. Before she could swipe at him, however, the mechanical tortoise flew at them. It began to unfold, turning into a Cybertronian as tall as one of the small buildings as he grabbed Sari by her neck. He did his best to hold on, looking down at the Omnitrix.

"Okay Omnitrix," began the metal man in a deep voice. "Do what you did for Aesop but on a larger scale." The Omnitrix blinked rapidly, the faceplate twisting.

"Multiple genetic mutations detected," informed the device. "Consuming power for mass restoration. Restoring user to original form for maximum efficiency." A wave of light suddenly pulsed off the Omnitrix as Ben was reverted back to normal, the wave washing over Sari and the remaining mutant animals. The animals went back to normal while Sari's metallic parts began to fold back into place. The Cybertronian girl landed butt first on the ground, groaning as she grabbed the side of her head.

"My servos feel fried," moaned Sari. "Did we win?" Ben sat up with a gasp, taking deep breaths as she looked around. "Is Ben okay?" The boy patted at his chest while Gwen looked around, the magical girl frowning.

"Well, everyone's pretty much okay," stated the redhead. "Can't say the same thing for the town." Verdona giggled, shaking her head.

"A simple fix," corrected the woman. She suddenly flew around like a comet, pink energy flying out from her as the destroyed and broken objects regrew their missing parts. She soon returned, Animo having tape over his mouth as he roared out in fury about his plans being ruined. "All better." Gwen's brow twitched, the redhead growling as quietly as possible.

"You mean to tell me… YOU COULD HAVE DONE THIS THE WHOLE TIME!?" Verdona laughed, landing on the ground.

"I could have snapped and fixed most of the situation. The little guy with the rock in his back was a little too magical for mana to fix though. Magic just sucks up mana for power and, if I had tried to affect him with mana, he could have become something far worse. Best case scenario he becomes a worse mutant for Bennie to fix while the worst… let's not talk about that one." Viper moaned as she rolled over, holding her arm.

"You know, a heads up would be nice the next time you decide to become as big as a house while I'm carrying you," snarked the woman. "That stings." Jackie was quickly by her side, acting as a crutch as Ben shrugged.

"Hey, I was thinking of Big Chill to slow him down with the cold or even Waybig to hold him," stated the boy. "If I got to choose I would have warned you. The Omnitrix just… acted on its own. It was so weird. Azmuth's gonna wanna hear about that one." Sari stood up, brushing herself off.

"I don't remember much after Gwen told me to grab his device," stated the Cybertronian girl. "Where is it?" The others looked towards her, Ellie's face slowly paling.

"Um… right there," informed the ghostly girl. Sari looked down, watching as said device was being disassembled and implemented all over again. The hourglass-fang symbol became the head of a saber-toothed cat, her Autobot symbol missing.

"...Oh dear. Optimus is gonna kill me."

Inkaliber: That's all for this one! The Rabbit Talisman has been reclaimed and Animo has fallen once again. On top of that we get a first look at Ben's Cybertronian transformation on top of Paco beginning to grow into his Arachnichimp heritage. Now Sari is in a peculiar situation after bonding with the Predatrix, a discount Nemetrix. Now she's become a Prime for the Maximals and Predacons to come.

Zemrocku: Just wait for her to have children to create more of her kind.

Inkaliber: I know Adran will be geeking out when he sees this. XD

Adran: Yes, obviously! My favorite Transformer character is now set to become the origin of my favorite types of Transformers in all of the series. Of course I'm geeking out!

Inkaliber: See. I told ya. LOL! XD

Zemrocku: And I have to admit your idea was better than mine. It took a few months of off time for Ink to cook.

Inkaliber: Ha, ha, ha. Very mature. I'm just glad it worked out well. Anyway, time to end this chapter! END BIT!

What did you guys think about the chapter? Did you like the reactions to Ben and Jade's relationship so far? How will the Autobots handle this unknown factor? Let me know what you think down below and I'll try to respond ASAP, next chapter at the latest. This is Inkaliber, signing out.