A hijacked armoured car raced down the highway, a trio of police cruisers following close behind. The chase came to an abrupt end when a pillar of green crystal burst out of the road ahead of them kicking clouds of dust into the air, forcing them to brake hard and skid to a halt as the officers exited their vehicles with weapons drawn.
The first thief exited with a hostage, the man whimpering as he held an advanced gun at his head. His partner soon followed wielding a large tuning fork like rifle, as the police ordered them to drop their weapons he fired. Arcs of electricity shot forward, blasting the lead cruiser to pieces as the officers scrambled for cover.
The thief smirked viciously until he heard a strange 'clinking' footsteps approaching from behind, turning to investigate; he almost lost his grip on the rifle. Stepping through the settling dust cloud was a strange yet undeniably beautiful woman made of green crystal…the same crystal that blocked their path.
Raising his weapon he prepared to fire, the woman proved faster as she lashed out with a bladed arm and sliced the weapon in two. Now defenceless, the thief attempted to flee only to find himself quickly pinned between a trio of crystal spikes that shot up from the road.
"Enough!" the second thief barked, pressing the barrel against the hostage's head "You're gonna let us go, or I'll-"
A black and blue blur whipped past, and the thief soon found himself without either his weapon or his hostage. A cheeky whistle caught his attention as he turned to see a raptor-like woman leaning against the stolen van, twirling his gun on one claw while the hostage openly gawked at her (thighs).
With a loud gulp, the thief slowly turned back to the crystal woman who held up her bladed arm.
He wisely surrendered.
The hostage attempted to smooth out his suit jacket as he thanked his rescuers "Oh thank you, thank you! Please, if I can do anything-"
The raptor woman waved him off "No need, we've already got our 'reward' waiting for us~" she giggled, much to the man's confusion.
-Later that evening-
As the Tennysons watched the news report on the incident, Gwen and Max sat awkwardly while Ben happily tucked into one of the pizzas on the table. Noticing this, Ben held up a slice questioningly.
"You two ok? You've barely had any slices" he pointed out, Max gave him a weak smile in return.
"Yeah, just…not that hungry I guess"
"That sucks…welp, more for us!" said one of the reasons for their lack of appetite.
Gwen had rather been looking forward to having normal food for once, even if it meant feeding Ben;s ego with a celebration. Unfortunately Ben decided to reign in his selfishness for once, and had resummoned XLR8 and Crystal Knight so they could watch and celebrate with them.
"And so the high speed pursuit came to a swift and surprising end, as we can confirm another pair of alien superhero sightings" the newscaster said, images of Crystal Knight and XLR8 being shown in the screens top corner.
"You guys looked so good out there!" Ben said, much to their delight. Gwen however glared at the screen.
"Clearly they thought so too" she snarked, noting how the camera focused on certain…assets of the 'heroes' instead of the action.
"I'm…glad that your 'partners' are getting recognition for their good deeds" Max hesitantly commented "But maybe we should be careful of how much attention we're getting" thoughts of Ben's parents seeing him with the 'heroes'...Max suppressed a shudder.
"Oh, come on grandpa" Ben said dismissively "How can being recognised be a bad thing?"
"Police add that these sightings could also be linked to reports of inappropriate behaviour between these aliens and, possibly multiple, young brunette boys" the reporter continued.
"WHAT?!" Ben snapped, "What the heck are they talking about?"
"Where did they ever get such a ridiculous idea?" Crystal Knight agreed, without a hint of irony.
Max and Gwen simply stared at the 'heroes' as they sat either side of Ben, practically sandwiching him between their shapely figures.
"Hm? Oh hey coach you got a little something there" XLR8 said, gently wiping away a bit of sauce from his chin. She then licked her thumb clean "Mmm, tasty~"
Ben nodded as he grabbed another slice "Yeah this sauce is pretty good"
"That too~"
"...It's a total mystery" Max replied flatly, while Gwen's eye twitches violently.
-Meanwhile-
High above the Earth, Vilgax narrowed his eyes as he watched the primitive's news report.
"I can't decide which is more insulting. The Chaquetrix being wasted on such pointless heroics…or the effects of that fool Azmuth's reprogramming" he growled.
"Shall we prepare more drones for recovery operations?" a Bioid asked, stepping back as the door to the healing chamber slid open.
"No"
All activity on the bridge came to a halt as they watched the hulking figure of their master emerge "I will see to this myself!"
"AHH!" Ben shot up in his bunk, breathing hard as Max groggily sat up from his own bed.
"Ugh, Ben? You okay son?"
"I..I think it was another vision, like after we beat that biker woman" he replied "It was the same squid faced guy, but this time he said 'I'm coming for you now' "
Gwen groaned and sat up, preparing to tell Ben to go back to sleep when Max suddenly bolted out of bed and hurried into the driver's seat "Grandpa?"
"...Just remembered something important, so we need to get going" he answered distractedly, pulling away rapidly and Ben and Gwen shared confused looks.
"But it's three in the morning" Gwen pointed out, Max simply shrugged as he pulled onto the highway "Best way to beat the traffic"
This time Ben and Gwen shared a far more concerned look, as the R.V sped on into the early morning light.
By midday, Ben sat bored out of his mind as he stared out the window. Max had kept up the rapid pace all morning, only stopping when he absolutely had to, and never for long.
"Hey grandpa, what's up with the lead foot?" Ben finally asked.
"I just wanna make it to Mount Rushmore before nightfall" Max replied bluntly, Ben slumping back into the seat with a frustrated groan.
Turning his attention to his cousin as she typed away on her laptop, Ben got an idea "Hey quit doing your nerd junk and let's use that for something useful…like gaming"
"Oh, so tempting…but no" Gwen shot back "Go read your dumb comics instead…or an actual book for once"
Frowning at the brush off, Ben's eyes drifted to the Chaquetrix and smirked before making his way to the bathroom. Once inside he cycles along to Ultra-T and slams the dial down.
He immediately realised a slight flaw in his plan as he found himself pinned against the door (with a surprisingly loud 'thump'), the R.V bathroom not really designed for two individuals. Face pressed against her stomach, just below her chest, Ben found his second flaw with his plan…it's hard to breathe through living metal.
"P-partner-Ben?" her voice stuttered like an audio glitch.
"Hymph umpt..ssr bmmt thms (Hey Ultra-T…sorry about this)"
Ultra-T for her part found very little to apologise for, her circuits lit up brightly as she fully realised their position. She then remembered that humans needed to breathe and, somewhat reluctantly, shifted her form to allow Ben some space.
Moving to lift Ben so his chin was just above her chest, the 'hero' gave him an 'eye smile'.
"Partner-Ben, this is a most unexpected meeting. Though…not an 'unwelcome' one~" she hummed happily, Ben grinned back in response.
"Heh, yeah. It's been a while since I've called you out for anything other than superhero work" he agreed, noting how her circuits flickered with interest.
"Oh~"
"Yeah, I-" he never got to explain his plan, as they heard a knock on the door.
"Hey doofus, you ok in there?" Gwen called, unaware that the door was beginning to open. "Grandpa told me to check on you after…that…noise…" Ben watched as Gwen's face became redder and redder as she took in the scene.
Ultra-T had pulled him closer to prevent him from falling backwards, while he had reflexively wrapped his legs around her waist to avoid slipping. As her voice trailed off into an embarrassed squeak, Ultra-T extended an arm to grab the door and pull it closed once more.
"Apologies, but this room is occupied" the 'hero' replied, her synthetic voice dripping with annoyance.
As the door clicked shut once more, Ultra-T turned her attention back to a confused Ben "Now where were we?~"
A series of furious bangs shook the door "YOU NEON LINED HUSSY, OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!"
"Man she's REALLY steamed" Ben commented "I don't get why, we didn't do anything yet"
"No, we have not" Ultra-T huffed disappointedly.
"Ben, you better not be fooling around with the watch!" Max yelled from the front "Especially not now"
"Oh he's fooling around all right" Gwen snarked, before the rest of Max's statement registered "Wait, what do you mean by 'right now'?"
As Vilgax sat in his command chair, the main console lit up as the symbol for the Chaquetrix flashed on screen. As the image shifted to a view of Earth, it began to rapidly zoom in towards south-west South Dakota.
The warlord couldn't help but grin viciously "I have you now!"
As a chastised Ben and…'frustrated' Ultra-T exited the bathroom the watch timed out in a flash of red
Ben glared at the device "Seriously? It's been like 2 minutes! Ugh, the timing on this thing is a load of-!"
"Lord Vilgax, we've lost the signal" a Bioid reported, Vilgax's clawed hands clenched into fists.
"No matter, I've narrowed down his location" the screen changed to show stills from news reports, each featuring the Chaquetrix aliens in acts of 'heroism' "And I know just how to lure him out"
Ben sat at the table once more, sighing heavily while staring out the window as they passed 'Rapid City'. Spotting massive pillars of smoke rising up from the city, Ben shook Gwen to get her attention. As Gwen covered her mouth in shock, Ben hurried to grab his hoverboard.
"I'm gonna fly ahead, you guys back me up when you can!" as he reached for the door, Max called out to him.
"Hold it Ben, I'm sure the local authorities have the situation under control"
As Ben gave him an incredulous look a deafening 'boom' shook the air, a massive fireball shooting high into the sky.
"Sorry grandpa, but this looks like a job for some real heroes!" throwing open the door, Ben activated the board and sped as Max frantically tried to call him back.
It didn't take long to reach the city, Ben cycling through the watch as he dropped down to street level. With twin flashes Heart's Fire and Scream Queen appeared, both taken aback by the devastation around them.
"Yikes! What the heck happened here?" the flaming beauty asked, moving to absorb a nearby fire.
A buzzing noise steadily grew louder as Scream Queen cast her gaze up, her eye narrowing as she moved to cover Ben. "I think we're about to find out"
As Ben and Heart's Fire followed her gaze to find a dozen, very familiar, drones. As their weapons began to glow the 'heroes' sprang into action.
As Heart's Fire brought her hands up, creating a large whirlwind of flame that engulfed the area, Scream Queen grabbed hold of Ben and went intangible. As the firestorm died down Scream Queen kept a tight (very tight) grip on her 'partner' as Heart's Fire took out any surviving drones with a few well placed fireballs.
"Was that it? That can't have been it" she asked, almost disappointedly.
As if waiting for her to ask, the ground began to shake violently before a colossal spiked sphere tore through a nearby building. As it rumbled to a halt mere feet from the flaming 'hero', she held up her hands as she readied another shot.
""Queenie, get Ben out of here!" she snapped, tensing as the sphere 'split' open with a metal hatch unfolding to reveal the occupant "...and then come back to get me please" she gulped as the figure disembarked, towering over her as she barely reached his waist.
"That's him, the alien from my visions!" Ben gasped, Scream Queen quickly pulling him away as Vilgax's head turned in their direction.
"So the thief who stole the Chaquetrix from me IS here, using the Econurite to remain unseen. A wise move...for a coward." Vilgax sneered, turning his gaze back to Heart's Fire as she began to burn brighter.
"Hey, no one insults our 'partner' like that! Time for some fried calamari!" thrusting her hands forward, she unleashed a giant wave of fire at the warlord.
As Scream Queen brought Ben to a sheltered spot, Ben watched the inferno with undisguised awe "Whoa! I can feel the heat from here, that guys gotta be toast"
Scream Queen however watched the scene with far less confidence "I'm afraid you might have spoken too soon"
Ben gave her a questioning look as the flames died down…and gulped at the sight. Standing tall, steaming but otherwise unharmed, was an eerily calm Vilgax.
"Get that out of your system?" He lashed out, grabbing Heart's Fire as she prepared to attack again. His hand covered her torso as he effortlessly lifted her into the air.
"GAK! Watch…the hands…buddy" the 'hero' gasped out defiantly, as Vilgax glared back in contempt.
"I have no interest in such base desires, I have a far grander purpose in mind for you"
"Is…that…what you…tell your…self…to feel…better…squidface?" she snarked, wincing as his grip tightened.
"You would do well to show respect! I am Vilgax, and you will soon call me Master"
"Not…a…CHANCE!" raising one hand, Heart's Fire let loose a point blank shot into the warlord's face. He glared through the smoke unamused.
With a speed that seemed at odds with his great size, Vilgax brought back his fist and delivered a brutal blow to the 'hero'. Her blazing form soared through the air, punching through several buildings before crashing back down like a living meteor.
"Are you still here 'human'? If you wish to spare her life then surrender the Chaquetrix to me now!" Vilgax's eyes scanned the area, getting only silence as Scream Queen held a hand over Ben's mouth to prevent him from crying out.
"Either you are more ruthless than I gave you credit for, or you believe me to be bluffing. Allow me to dissuade you of such ideas" Vilgax jumped high into the air, his cybernetically enhanced limbs easily propelling him across the city.
Pushing aside Scream Queen's hand, Ben gave her a desperate look "He's going to kill her! We need to stop him"
"It's too dangerous! Your safety is our first priority" she argued, blinking in surprise as Ben grabbed onto her shoulder.
"Then YOUR safety is mine" he shot back, the spectral 'hero's' flushing under his warm yet determined stare "I've told you guys, we're partners. We've got each other's backs no matter what, right?"
"...Fine" she huffed, averting her eye as Ben smiled. Coiling around him as he gunned the hoverboard forward, she watched him with fond exasperation "The things I do for him…Heart's Fire better appreciate the effort out 'partner' is putting in for her"
"Ugh…Did anyone get the make of the dropship that hit me?" Heart's Fire joked weakly, picking herself out of the ruined road "Ok, just stay calm. I've probably got a minute to plan-"
Vilgax slammed into the road a block away, the impact from the landing barely slowing him down as he continued his advance towards her.
"...Well at least Ben's safe" she thought, holding up her hands ready to keep fighting.
"Heart's Fire!" a youthful voice called out from above, the 'hero' looked up in surprise.
"Ben you're here!...Wait…WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" she panicked, as Vilgax followed her gaze. Eager to finally see his mysterious foe.
He was not prepared.
"A child" he muttered, his surprise soon giving way to rage "I have been denied my prize by a mere child?!" privately he had to admit, this actually explained a lot in terms of how the Chaquetrix and its' aliens had been used.
"Again with the 'child' insults" Heart's Fire grumbled, Ben however ignored his rant focusing his attention on his 'partner'.
"Heart's Fire, blast the road!"
Following his orders on instinct, she quickly realised his plan as the road was reduced to a bubbling pit of asphalt. Vilgax staggered as the ground literally melted under his feet, sinking up to his ankles in the sludge.
"You merely delay the inevitable with these childish tricks!" he growled, struggling to pull himself free.
"Then you won't mind one more?" a raspy voice whispered from beside him.
Turning, Vilgax struggled to keep his balance when Scream Queen appeared before him "Boo" pulling open her cloak.
Even Vilgax was momentarily thrown off by the sight of her true form so close to his face. Caught off balance he stumbled back, falling into the adhesive sludge as Ben and Scream Queen regrouped with their flaming 'partner'.
"That should buy us some time, anyone got any ideas?" Ben asked, the 'heroes' sharing uncertain looks as the Rustbucket finally arrived.
The door flew open as Gwen leaned out "Ben come on! Grandpa says we need to go now!"
"Why? We've knocked him down, now we just need to knock him out. Right guys?" Ben asked his partners…only for the watch to time out.
"...On second thought you're right. Let's go!" Dismounting the hoverboard and clambering into the R.V, Ben barely had time to shut the door as Max pulled away.
"Ben, believe me when I say that you do NOT want to pick a fight with Vilgax!"
Hearing his grandfather so worried was unsettling enough, but there was one other thing that stood out to the young hero "Uh…how'd you know his name was Vilgax?"
Gwen narrowed her eyes in suspicion "Is this another thing you just, 'happened' to learn while travelling as a plumber?" she asked sarcastically.
Max flinched at the accusation, looking back as if to speak when the R.V was rocked by several small explosions. As Ben and Gwen were thrown off their feet, Max fought to regain control of the swerving vehicle.
Scrambling back to their feet, Ben pulled the rear window's curtains open as Gwen spotted their attackers.
"We've got another pair of those drone creeps closing in fast!" she yelled to her grandfather.
As they opened fire Max showed considerable driving skills, weaving in between the shots as they tore apart the highway around them.
"We can't keep this up forever!" Gwen panicked, watching as Ben tried and failed to get the watch to work.
"It'll be a lot worse if we don't get to Mount Rushmore" Max replied, cutting across the lanes to avoid another volley.
"Why? What's so important about Mount Rushmore?"
"Gwen, this isn't the time to explain!" he replied sharply "You're just going to have to trust me" he added more gently.
The sound of the Chaquetrix recharging caught their attention as Ben hopped to his feet "About time! Leave these guys to us grandpa"
Summoning Stingwing, Ben held the door open to let the 'hero' take flight. As Ben stood at the door ready to summon his second 'hero', Max was forced to swerve to avoid another shot…causing Ben to stumble towards the open door.
"BEN!" Gwen's horrified scream rang out as Ben frantically slapped the dial down, briefly being engulfed in a purple flash as (a very surprised) Crystal Knight appeared alongside him.
As the pair tumbled from the speeding vehicle the crystalline 'hero' wrapped herself around her 'partner'. Crystal Knight grunted as she skidded to a halt against the highway, looking down to make sure Ben was still in one piece.
She let out a relieved sigh as a slightly dazed Ben lay against her chest, missing her blushing yet pleased expression.
"I thought crystals would be harder than this" he muttered, not fully taking in the situation as he pushed himself up.
"I can be gentle when you need me to be~" she replied, not even registering as the two drones crashed onto the road behind them.
"Hah! Stingwing 2, drones 0" the insectoid 'hero' happily chittered, hovering down to meet them while giving Crystal Knight a sly smile "Oh, is this a private party or have you got room for one more?~"
"Of course you can join in, you don't need to ask" Ben replied obliviously, the insectoid 'hero' covered her mouth as she flushed "Oh wow, so forward~"
Quirking a brow at her odd behaviour, he shrugged turning back to a blushing Crystal Knight "Thanks for the save, I would have been roadkill without you" he bashfully admitted.
"We'll always protect you 'partner'. Can't have that handsome face of yours getting messed up~" she replied in complete seriousness. Ben (of course) gave a small chuckle at the 'joke'.
Looking down the highway, Ben spotted the Rustbucket in the distance as Max prepared a u-turn to collect them. "Let's get out of here before any more of these guys show up"
The moment of victory was immediately swept away as Vilgax impacted into the road. The shockwave from his landing throws Ben and his 'partners' back, the three landing in a heap beside one of the destroyed drones.
The Rustbucket skidded to a halt as Max was forced to throw the vehicle into reverse, Vilgax not even giving it a second glance as he focused on the three 'heroes'.
"I grow tired of this" as he stomped forward, Stingwing and Crystal Knight prepared to fight.
"Give" Stingwing attempted to trap him inside of a slime 'web' as she strafed by. Vilgax simply ripped his way out without breaking his stride.
"Me" Grabbing Stingwing by her tail, Vilgax viciously threw her to the ground. Pausing only to tap a glowing claw against the Chaquetrix icon on her mask, causing the 'hero' to vanish in a flash of red.
"No way!" Ben gasped, watching Stingwing vanish. Crystal Knight unleashed a storm of shards at the cybernetic titan.
"The" Vilgax continued his march, the shards failing to penetrate his armoured form.
"Ben, run!" shifting her arms into blades, the crystal 'hero' charging into the fray.
"Chaquetrix!" grabbing her by the head, Vilgax lifted her into the air as she stabbed forward and..CRACK!
Ben watched in disbelief as her blade shattered like glass before she too vanished, Vilgax stabbing a glowing claw into the icon on her chest.
Now defenceless Ben was easily caught by Vilgax, the young hero futile struggling against his monstrous grip as the warlord leapt away once more.
Inside the R.V Gwen was numb with shock.
"H-he's got Ben. Grandpa we need to-" she blinked as Max, instead of attempting to follow the retreating alien, turned around to continue his drive.
"What…what are you doing?!"
"We can't help Ben right now. We need to get to Mount Rushmore first" despite his calm tone, she could see how torn up he was over the situation.
The drive to Mount Rushmore felt agonising, with Gwen's nerves not helped when Max took an almost hidden side road leading to a 'Road Closed' sign.
"I don't think visitors are allowed up here"
"We're not visitors, we're tennants" Max replied, pressing a button under the dashboard ("Has that always been there?" Gwen wondered) as the ground shifted beneath them.
Gwen watched in a mix of awe and anxiety as they were brought down into the mountain, the road sealing back up overhead as the 'elevator' stopped inside of a large warehouse-like structure.
Following Max out of the R.V, Gwen felt her frustration build everytime he would open a panel revealing some strange device only to walk off without a word.
"That's it! I'm not taking another step until you explain what's going on" she snapped "What is this place? Why are we here instead of helping Ben? And how do you know about the alien guy who's after Ben?"
"Well it's a long story but…" Max pulled a large energy weapon from one of the containers "..let's just say, I wasn't exactly a 'normal' plumber before I retired"
Outwardly Gwen was still reeling from all the shock of everything, internally a small part of herself flatly responded with "No shit"
Since learning that aliens were real, Ben had hoped to ride on a spaceship one day. Now that it was happening however, Ben would rather be back on solid ground.
Held inside of a metal ring, with each limb secured by a pale beam of energy save for his left arm, the Chaquetrix being locked away inside a large metal cylinder.
As he struggled against his restraints Vilgax scrolled through a series of holographic screens, dismissing them with a wave he turned his attention back to the young hero.
"It appears my suspicions were correct, the Chaquetrix has merged with your DNA. No matter" as he approached a series of oversized cutting tools rose out of the floor around Ben's prison "Soon it shall be in MY possession, no longer to be a plaything for primitive minds"
"I wasn't 'playing'! We saved a bunch of people, my partners are heroes!" Ben shot back, Vilgax's expression was unreadable.
"That device has the potential to be the most powerful weapon in the universe!" Vilgax held up his arms in a drastic gesture "And then that fool Azmuth perverted it for his own twisted amusement! But that can be fixed"
He continued on as Ben rolled his eyes, typical supervillain monologue.
"It was you who proved the plan was still viable" he admitted much to Ben's surprise "Despite their…eccentricities…those aliens summoned by the Chaquetrix still retain all their incredible power. And more importantly, they obey any command from their 'master'. No matter how ridiculous it may be"
"I'm not their 'master', I'm their partner. And they listen to me because we're friends, not because they have to" Ben argued, Vilgax titled his head inquisitively.
"...Even by 'human' standards you appear remarkably dull-witted"
Ben smirked "Is that why it took you four tries to catch me?" his smirk was wiped away as Vilgax grabbed one of the more 'jagged' cutting tools.
A series of honks from a very familiar horn, caused both Ben and Vilgax to turn towards the far wall in confusion. That confusion increased as the Rustbucket ploughed through the hull of the ship and into the chamber, slamming into Vilgax and sending him flying into the door.
As Ben wondered if he'd finally gone nuts Max exited the R.V, aiming a large cannon-like weapon at the warlord.
"Claws OFF my grandson, Vilgax!"
"Grandpa?!" Ben gasped, barely registering a shaking Gwen stumbling out the door behind him.
Vilgax looked up at his assailant, and roared in fury "Tennyson!"
Max pulled the trigger, a brilliant white-blue beam of energy shooting out and nailing Vilgax in the chest. As he was blasted through the door, Max tossed the weapon back into the R.V before moving to help Gwen get Ben free from his restraints.
"Warning. Hull Breached. Power Surge Detected." an automated system blared, the Tennysons spotting a wave of electricity travelling around Ben's prison towards the cylinder containing the Chaquetrix.
While it sparked violently, a faint purple flash could be seen from inside the cylinder. XLR8 and Stingwing appeared, only to vanish almost immediately as they were replaced with Crystal Knight and Wild-Gal.
As the surge ceased, and Wild-Gal was replaced with Armizon and Ripjaws, Max pointed at the casing.
"Armizon, the power surge is affecting the watch. You-"
"What the hell was he doing to you?!" Armizon yelled, taking in Ben's bindings and how it forced him into an 'X' position. "Oh, he's a dead man!"
Max blinked in surprise "What?" and then her implications dawned on him "Wait no, that's not what he was-"
"Don't worry short king, I'll take care of this"
She effortlessly tore apart the ring, letting him drop into the waiting arms of Ripjaws, Armizon then turned her attention to the recovering Vilgax.
As Vilgax forced himself up he heard the sound of heavy footsteps rapidly approaching, looking up he found four red fists flying towards his face. Coincidentally it was at this point Vilgax realised four things.
One, female Tetramands are the strongest of the species.
Two, the Chaquetrix creates the physical peak of a species.
Which leads into point three, this means he is facing the strongest Tetramand to ever live.
And that leads to point four….this is going to hurt.
"GRAH!" The force of the blows lifted him from the ground, launching him into the ceiling before falling back into the waiting fists of the enraged 'hero'.
"YOU (uppercut) DON'T (double haymaker) TOUCH (elbow drop) HIM!" with a final punch that shook the very walls, she sent him skidding back along the corridor.
"Holy-" Max gasped, he never thought he'd see anyone deal such a beating to Vilgax.
"That…was terrifying" Gwen admitted to her cousin, who wore an awed expression.
"Are you kidding me? That was awesome, kick his butt Armizon!" he cheered, Ripjaws huffing jealously "Such a show off"
As she paused, breathing hard from the merciless assault, Vilgax returned to his feet. The warlord let out a furious warcry as the black studs on his arms retracted, swelling his arms to truly gigantic proportions as he barreled towards her.
As she charged to meet him the Chaquetrix let out another burst of purple static, her form shifted just as their fists were about to collide. Instead of the expected clash, Vilgax found himself falling forward through and equally surprised Scream Queen. Unfortunately for him, his sheer momentum was too great and his fist carried on its swing and striking the ground.
Scream Queen glared down at him "You might have manhandled the others, but you will not 'cop a feel' on me"
Wrenching his hand free from the twisted metal of the floor, Vilgax glared at his spectral opponent…when the sound of groaning metal filled the hall,
"...I despise you" Vilgax managed to spit before the floor beneath him gave way, sending him falling into the depths of his ship.
As Vilgax fell so too did Ben, Ripjaws having been replaced by Cerebra who was forced to roll to avoid being crushed.
"Ow! This stupid surge better wear off soon" he groaned as Gwen helped him to his feet.
"That won't slow him down for long" Max said, making his way over to a control panel "You two get back to the Rustbucket, I'll take care of the ship"
The plan would not go as smoothly as he had hoped, dozens of drones began to flood into the room while opening fire. As the humans took cover the 'heroes' rushed to help Be-them…help them.
"Big boy, I'm going to need a boost" Cerebra called, readying herself as Ben tossed her up at a passing drone.
While Scream Queen got two to destroy each other by shooting through her, Cerebra prepared to rip out some wiring when the Chaquetrix sparked again. The drone twitched violently before it was overtaken by Ultra-T, who turned its enhanced weapons on its former allies.
As Scream Queen shifted into XLR8, who staggered at her sudden arrival before shaking it off to rejoin the fight, Gwen shook her head frustratedly at the rapid switching and flashes while Max hurried back to their side.
"Time to go kids, we do NOT want to be on this ship when those engines overload" he warned, urging them onto the R.V as he waved for the 'heroes' to follow.
Abandoning the drone, Ultra-T shifted her form as she made her way inside the vehicle while XLR8 rushed in ahead of her. As Max steered the R.V to drive it back out the breech hull, Ben collapsed back into the couch alongside his 'partners'.
"Everyone buckle up, it's going to be a rough landing" Max said, Gwen hurrying to comply.
"Uh grandpa, there's no seatbelts back here" Ben replied nervously, blinking in surprise as Ultra-T fused into the couch while wrapping around him and XLR8.
"Do not worry partner-Ben" her circuits lit up as she formed her head beside his "We've got you~"
"We sure do~" XLR8 agreed, having pulled Ben up into her lap for added 'security'
Watching this Gwen slumped back into her seat with a weary sigh "I want to be mad…but I'd rather just get out of here"
The Rustbucket began to pull forward only to suddenly jerk to a halt "Don't tell me we're caught on something" Max grunted, pressing harder on the accelerator.
Gwen gulped as she looked into the side mirrors "More like caught by someONE"
Ben flinched as he looked back to find Vilgax glaring through the rear window, the warlord having clawed his way back up to their level. With a mighty heave he began to lift the rear of the vehicle, leaving its wheels spinning helplessly.
"There is no escape, this primitive transport will serve as your tomb!"
Punching through the window, Ben cried out as Vilgax grabbed hold of him once more "Unhand him!" Ultra-T's eye flashes as she unleashes a point blank shot into Vilgax's face.
As Vilgax let out a pained cry XLR8 attempted to pull Ben free of his grip, succeeding but at a cost.
"Oh come on! That was my favorite shirt" Ben snapped, staring at the ragged hole in the front.
As Ultra-T's attack wound down, Vilgax struck the 'hero' with a headbutt before stabbing her Chaquetrix icon and timing her out "I will tear the Chaquetrix from your spawn's broken body and force you to watch as I burn this pathetic world to its core!" he roared, redoubling his efforts to crush the R.V.
"You were a fool to challenge me Tennyson, age has left you weak!"
The sound of an energy cannon being primed drew everyone's attention "Then you won't mind if I take over right?"
With XLR8's help, Ben aimed Max's discarded weapon at the warlord's shocked face "No!"
With a brilliant flash of light the beam struck true, Vilgax screaming in fury as he was blasted back once more. Without Vilgax to hold them back, Max gunned the engines forward and put them into freefall as they sailed out the hull breach.
While Max and Gwen tensed in their seats they realised something important…
"Oh no, BEN!" Gwen screamed, looking back in time to see him get flung out the shattered rear window alongside XLR8.
As Ben flailed through the air, the watch let out one final surge "Please be Stingwing or Scream Queen, just someone who can fly!" he begged as XLR8 shifted..and was replaced by Heart's Fire.
"Oh thank god" he gasped "Am I glad to see you!"
Heart's Fire, after getting over the initial panic of appearing mid freefall, used short bursts of flame to reach him. Shifting the position to carry him bridal style, the flaming 'hero' created a 'board' of fire as she brought them back down to Earth safely.
"As much as I love helping you out 'partner', I really hope we're done for the day" she half joked, Ben letting out a tired laugh in reply.
"Don't worry, I think Vilgax has his own problems right now"
Grunting with effort, Vilgax attempted to lift a fallen piece of rubble from himself as he ship began to rapidly ascend.
"Did they think this would stop me!" he snarled "This will be your last mistake Ten-"
"Commencing Self Destruct Launch" an automated voice blared, the warlord's eyes widened in panic.
"No…" as the engines started to overload Vilgax realised he had once again been foiled by a…
"TENNYYSSOOOOOONN!"
As the Chimeran Hammer ripped itself apart in a cataclysmic explosion overhead, Ben let out a sigh of relief as he leant back against the soft mounds behind him.
Wait.
Blinking, Ben looked up to find Heart's Fire looking down at him as they sat in a forest clearing. As he smiled gratefully up at her, the full events of today finally caught up with him.
As his expression shifted into a frown, Heart's Fire let out a concerned hum.
"Is everything ok Ben?"
"Yeah, just tired. Ugh I wanna just stay in Bed for a week after this"
Heart's Fire grinned cheekily "Sounds like a plan. Maybe I could join you?~"
"Sure, you're real comfy" he muttered tiredly, causing Heart's Fire's flames to flash brighter.
"I see them!"
The pair turned their attention in the direction of the yell, entering the clearing was a disheveled and exhausted Gwen, with Max not too far behind.
Ben smiled in relief at the sight.
"Good to see you're ok dweeb. How was the ride?" he joked, drawing her attention as she finished catching her breath.
"Oh don't you start with meee-?" she trailed off, taking note of the 'hero's' satisfied look and Ben's lack of shirt "...That's an image I didn't need in my brain" she moaned, much to Ben's confusion.
"Let's…let's just get you a new shirt and I'll explain everything" Max attempted to shift the conversation.
"Sounds good grandpa" Ben agreed "Heart's Fire, you ready to go?"
As she went to answer the watch began to flash chime "Ugh, stupid time limit" giving Ben one last smile she said "Don't forget about our relaxing day, ok?"
"Ok" he promised playfully as she vanished in a flash of red "Hey grandpa, do you have any fire resistant blankets?"
Gwen stumbled as she made to follow him "Wh-why would you need those?...Ben?...BEN?!"
-Non Canon Omake-
"Why did Vilgax hate you grandpa?" Ben asked as they made their way back to the Rustbucket.
"Um..well…"
(Vilgaxia - 30 years ago)
Max scrambled out of the bedroom window, frantically pulling on his Plumber uniform as lasers raine down around him.
"Phil bring the ship around now!"
Behind him a very naked female Chimera sui Generis waved playfully after him "Call me~"
Beside her a very armoured, and very furious, younger Vilgax fired at the fleeing human.
"You think you can get away with this?! I will not forget this insult, TENNYSON!"
(Present)
"...Nothing I can think of"