NOTE: Here we are! I hope you guys enjoy this prologue. Yes, it's the Omniverse episode, which means I won't cover this when I eventually get to Omniverse.
Enjoy and Review!
Prologue: Trouble Helix
Galvan Prime, home to the smartest species in the universe, continued its peaceful rotation around its sun. Down below, in its high-tech capital was a tall spire that overlooked the miniscule buildings. Hundreds upon hundreds of Galvans continued on with their day as they usually would, furthering advancements that could benefit their own society or the universe at large.
Within the tallest tower was the creator of the Omnitrix, Azmuth, the smartest being in five galaxies. Next to him was his assistant Albedo, a fellow Galvan. Azmuth had green eyes, wearing a simple tunic with the Omnitrix symbol on it and metal on his legs, neck, and most of his arms. His chin was stretched further down due to his advanced age, visible tufts of hair sticking out of both eyes. Two smaller whiskers also stuck out from Albedo's chin, though not as prominently as Azmuth's.
The two of them were inside Azmuth's main lab, currently working on a project, some kind of triangular device with green circuitry running across it. Their hard work unfortunately came to a screeching halt when they heard two voices shouting outside of the lab.
"Y-you can't-!"
"I need to see him now!"
"Azmuth is busy!"
"I don't care! I need to see him NOW!" The intelligent frogs turned around to see the door to their lab forced open by none other than Maxwell Tennyson, several Galvans clinging onto his towering body in a valiant yet ultimately futile effort to hinder him. "Azmuth, I can't take it anymore! You have to do something about Ben!"
Azmuth turned away dismissively. "As you can see, I'm exceedingly busy at the moment. Albedo, modify the power cycles."
"I made an appointment! I made ten-oof!" Max grunted as he hit the top of the door frame. He bent down slightly to enter the lab. "You keep postponing!"
"First Thinker Azmuth has told you he's busy, human, accept it!" Albedo said rudely. The apprentice's arrogance diminished as Max loomed over the two Galvan inventors, cowering slightly in contrast to Azmuth's stoic silence.
"Accept this, one of you is helping me with the Ben situation now." Max demanded.
"Low priority, come back in two years." Azmuth merely waved it off, still not concerned. That was until a blue and black streak zipped into the room, poking and prodding at the many tools and inventions littering the lab.
"Woah! Cool! What's this?!" XLR8 asks, poking a random machine with his claw. Latched onto his back was Bella, wearing a denim overall dress with dark blue flats on her feet. Bella's hair was styled in girly twin tails, with wolf-shaped hairpins on both sides.
"Obviously, it's an oven, dunce-face." Bella assumed confidently.
"Think we can get it to turn on?" XLR8 asked. The two shared a devious grin before splitting up, scouring Azmuth's lab for some kind of activation switch. Gwen and Alice eventually showed up, looking somewhat exhausted after trying to keep up with the energetic duo.
Gwen's hair was much longer than it was before, now reaching down to her mid back. The young sorceress was dressed in a light blue hoodie with her iconic cat print on the chest, and a pair of white shorts with her white flats.
Alice's hair still flowed freely, unlike her sister's, but her bangs curved around the middle to give her hair a moon-like shape. She was dressed similarly to her sister, except her overalls were actual pants instead of a skirt and rolled up to her knees. Alice had a pair of dark tennis shoes on her feet and a black hairband clinging to her silvery hair.
"I thought I told you kids to stay on the Skipper!" Max yelled.
Gwen held up her hands. "We tried, but you try stopping those two numbskulls from running off!"
"They tried locking us in the ship so that we wouldn't follow them." Alice added.
"I think I found it!"
BAM!
Everyone looked over to see Bella and XLR8 pressing several buttons at random, which caused the machine from earlier to crash down from its elevated height. It collided with the ground, shattering to pieces. The troublesome duo winced slightly at the broken machinery. "Oops." XLR8 mumbled.
"Good job, moron!" Bella slammed her face into his.
"Me?! That was your fault!" XLR8 pushed his claw into her chest.
It didn't take long before a fight broke out between the two of them, their cartoony fight cloud tumbling all over Azmuth's precious laboratory. Max looked down at the smartest being alive, sighing deeply in frustration. "This is what we've all been dealing with! Ben has been stuck as a different alien each week, causing trouble every chance he gets! His folks have been driving me up the wall about getting this fixed!"
Normally, Azmuth wouldn't have concerned himself too much about something like this as it was likely the boy's fault the watch was malfunctioning yet again. However-
BOOM!
XLR8 had kicked Bella through one of his older projects, promptly blowing it up. Gwen and Alice quickly moved to subdue the two and keep them from destroying more of his lab.
If he still wanted his lab to remain intact and to peacefully continue working on this important piece, he'd have to fix this immediately. "Very well." Azmuth sighed before walking over to XLR8, who was currently struggling inside of Gwen's construct. He jumped up to the Omnitrix symbol on the boy's chest and smacked it once.
FLASH!
Ben blinked, realizing he was back to normal. Since he was no longer an alien, Gwen released him. "Aw man…! Fun's over!" Ben pouted.
"Thank goodness." Max sighed in relief.
"Great, now you're back to looking like a dunce-face." Bella whined from the headlock Alice had her in, right before she started wheezing when her sister increased the grip. "I-I mean, I'm glad to see you're back to normal!" Alice released her after that, allowing her sister to breathe normally.
"Ugh! Now I have to go back to school!" Ben complained loudly. Since he was stuck in alien form, his parents had no choice but to make him stay home for the past few weeks.
"At least now you can catch up on all of the homework you've totally been ignoring." Gwen's cheeky reminder worsened his mood even more, eliciting another groan from the Omnitrix wielder.
Max plopped the troublemakers down outside the lab. "You two sit here quietly while I have a word with Azmuth."
He then turned to the responsible children. "Keep an eye on them."
"Gotcha, Grandpa." Gwen replied. Seeing that they understood their assignment, Max left the hallway to re-enter the lab.
"This is boring!" Bella whined. "We come all the way out here in space and aren't allowed to do anything?!" Unlike the Tennysons, this was the twins' first time in outer space.
"We only came out here to get the watch fixed, not to fool around." Alice reminded her sister. "A quick trip and back is the only reason Ma allowed us to even come." After everything that had gone down last year, including the Halloween attack, Azmuth's rampage, and the Tennysons' hectic Christmas, the twins had decided to come clean to their adoptive family about everything. It was nerve-wracking at first, but thankfully the Maplewoods still accepted them as family.
"Yeah, but come on, there's gotta be something exciting going on!" Ben joins in.
"Learn to appreciate the quiet moments, Ben. You never know when they'll be gone." Gwen says softly.
Ben raised a brow. "What? Are you turning into Yukiko or something? She always says lame stuff like that."
"Never mind, I'd rather you learn the hard way." Gwen rolled her eyes.
BOOM!
The four kids all jumped in sync, surprised by the loud explosion outside. They looked outside the window only to see multiple explosions erupting within the city below the tower. "Woah! What's going on outside?!"
"Don't even think about it! Grandpa told us to stay here. It's probably some freak accident!" Gwen assumed.
Ben activates the Omnitrix, scrolling for his preferred alien. "Yeah, but I'm not the type to sit still when I see explosions going off!"
FLASH!
Feedback stood above the rest, grinning cockily at them. Bella immediately climbed on top of his shoulder, her own confidence showing. "You two stay here in case Grandpa comes back! We'll handle whatever's going on!"
"Finally, some action!" Bella exclaimed.
Before the girls could say anything, Feedback and Bella exploded through the window, descending down into the city. The Conductoid's trail of electricity collided with the rogue creature, knocking it away from the Galvans. "Okay, ugly, time for a beatdown!" Feedback declared as the Galvan defense force quickly joined the heroes in fighting off this menace.
Standing up, the heroes caught full sight of the creature. It was a malnourished-looking Galvanic Mechamorph whose circuitry was a sickly yellow rather than a healthy, vibrant green. His body was deformed in a few places, with his wiry hands looking more like sharp, jagged claws than actual hands. He tried to attack, but Feedback easily blasted him back with a beam of electricity.
The Mechamorph stumbled from the blow, leaving him open for Bella to land a harsh axe-kick to his head, knocking him into the ground. She effortlessly flipped backward, kicking off one of the small buildings to punt the Mechamorph into the air. Feedback then jumped above him, blasting him back down with even more electricity.
The monster stumbled back to his feet, his malformed posture now shaky, but still raring to go. "Azmuth… I'm coming for you!"
"Sorry, he's busy at the moment!" Bella tried to kick him again, but the monster grabbed her by the leg. He slammed her down into the street, right before attempting to impale her with his sharp fingers. Feedback quickly swooped in with a round of electrical punches into the Mechamorph's chest. Bella flipped back onto her feet and slashed her claws into his face, causing him to scream in pain.
"OUT OF MY WAY!" The Mechamorph tore into a building, chucking chunks of debris at them. Feedback easily blew apart each projectile, causing a dust cloud to briefly form, giving the Mechamorph the perfect opportunity to smash his large fist into Bella.
She went flying across the city, while the Mechamorph grabbed Feedback. "The Omnitrix…! I want it!" His fingers stabbed into the faceplate.
"You and everyone else! Take a number!" Feedback's tendrils stabbed back into the Mechamorph, forcing him to loosen his grip. Feedback kicked him away, leaving him open for Bella to drop down and strike. She landed a powerful double-kick into his stomach, the ground beneath them shattering from the impact.
"And that's for being a creep!" She hissed.
Feedback smugly walked over, planting his plugs on the Mechamorph's chest. "Now let's shut this guy down, for-"
FLASH!
"-Good?" Ben blinked as he reverted back to normal.
"Okay, that was way faster than usual." Bella remarked.
"Tell me about it-OOF!" Ben and Bella were thrown off by the Mechamorph, tumbling along the concrete for a moment. They got back up to see the monster was recovering from their assault earlier. Bella stood protectively in front of Ben until they heard the watch beep.
"Huh? A quicker recharge too? Awesome!" The hero activated the watch and selected his preferred alien. "Time for Diamondhead to take the stage!"
FLASH!
Four Arms stared at his four hands, confused. "Oh, now you give me Four Arms."
"Whatever! Let's just kick his butt!" Bella yelled as she charged forward. Her best friend didn't argue, quickly following behind her to take down the Mechamorph. The wolf-girl kicked at him with fast strikes before dropping to sweep his legs from under him. Four Arms leaned in and grabbed the Mechamorph's legs, easily swinging him around like a merry-go-round with his overwhelming strength.
The Mechamorph stabbed his hands into the ground, disrupting Four Arms' momentum, then kicked out to knock the Tetramand through a wall. He tore two chunks of concrete from the ground, brutally smashing them into Bella to get rid of her. He then looked up to see Four Arms leap into the sky, coming down with his arms raised for a grand slam. The Mechamorph leapt back, but a surprise kick from the recovered Bella sent him flying right back into Four Arms. The Tetramand's arms collided with his body, the two smashing into the ground with explosive force.
"Ha! How'd you like that, scrawny?!" Bella mocked the deformed Mechamorph. Her victory was cut short by a yellow light glowing harshly through the dust, blasting Four Arms out of the smoke cloud and sending the Tetramand flying back over to Azmuth's tower.
Bella took a step back as the Mechamorph loomed over her. "Aw, crud."
POW!
Four Arms climbed back to his feet, groaning slightly. Before he could fully get back up, Bella's body crashed into him, throwing them both into the first floor of Azmuth's tower. Both heroes froze at the sound of the Omnitrix beeping as Mechamorph slowly stomped through the hole in the wall.
FLASH!
The monster kicked Bella to the side, reaching down to grab the Omnitrix, only to be completely startled as a pink tendril wrapped around his wrist and pulled him away. A split-second later, a foot smashed against his face, blasting him into the opposite wall. "Hands off the dweebs, creepazoid!" Gwen threatened.
Alice sprinted towards Ben and Bella, helping them back up. "Are you two okay?!"
"H-he got a lucky shot in…!" Her sister stammered.
"Give me a minute and I'll show him what I can really do!" Ben said defiantly.
"Yeah, you two are fine." Alice rolled her eyes.
The Mechamorph soon recovered from the wolf-girl's attack, hissing angrily. He looked towards the ceiling, recognizing the energy readings up above. "Azmuth…! Azmuth!"
"Azmuth? What does he want with Azmuth?" Gwen asked as she joined them.
"How am I supposed to know, cootie breath? The guy hasn't explained anything to us!" Ben responded.
When the Mechamorph looked back at the kids, his face started glowing a harsh, sickly yellow once again.
It didn't take a genius for them to figure out what he was planning.
"GET DOWN!" Gwen quickly conjured a bright pink barrier to block the ferocious energy beam the Mechamorph was firing. The shield soon cracked under the overwhelming pressure, knocking all four of them down. With the kids defeated, the monster jumped through the ceiling to reach the top floor of the tower.
"AZMUTH!" The Mechamorph roared as he burst through the floor, surprising Max and the two Galvans. The human and Albedo both attempted to stop him, but they were effortlessly dealt with. The Mechamorph then approached his creator unimpeded, seething with barely contained anger.
"Malware, this is not the way." Azmuth said.
"You promised me an upgrade! You said you'd make me like the others!"
"Your condition is complex. It has taken more time than I anticipated."
"NO!" Malware pushed his sickly, deformed face right up to the Galvan. "No more time! No more lies! I want to be fixed NOW!"
"How dare you speak to Azmuth that way?!" Albedo defended the Galvan leader, completely ignorant of Azmuth's attempts to get his apprentice to shut up. "Azmuth has been working tirelessly on a secondary helix that is meant to heal you!" Albedo pointed to the triangular device they had been working on prior.
"Give it to me!" Malware approaches the helix.
"HA! A creature of your low intellect could never understand the method to operate it!" Albedo mocked him. His anger spurned outward, Malware stretched his face to reach the Galvan's, scaring the pompous little know-it-all.
Before he could pop Albedo like a balloon, Azmuth intervened. "The second helix is not finished. To use it in its incomplete form could cause untold destruction. I need more time to help you."
"NO! Your time is up!" Malware opened his chest, swallowing the helix whole using several sickly tendrils. Then he reached for the proud Albedo, capturing Azmuth's arrogant apprentice inside his body. As he did so, the Tennyson kids and twins arrived in the lab, riding on a pink platform courtesy of Gwen.
"We're not done here, pal!" Bella yelled.
Malware looked back at them. "Oh, I think we're quite done here, child. I will soon be whole again!" His back morphed into jet boosters, blasting him out of the lab and into the yellowish sky.
The kids hurried over to Max, while Azmuth glared up at Malware's disappearing back. As the humans approached him, Ben spoke up. "Friend of yours?"
"His name is Malware." Azmuth answered.
"Malware? Like a computer virus?" Alice asked.
Instead of answering, the creator started running out of his lab. "We must hurry if we wish to catch up to him!"
The humans and Azmuth left the tower, staring up at the circuitry-like moon orbiting high above the planet's atmosphere. "So, where exactly did Malware go?" Gwen asked.
"He can't have gone too far out into space. He doesn't have FTL capabilities." Max said.
"FTL?" Ben tilted his head.
"Fast Till Lunch?" Bella assumed.
"No, numbskulls, it means faster than light." Gwen corrected them.
"Which means we can still catch up to him!" Alice realized.
"Exactly!" Max took out his keys, unlocking the Skipper. The spaceship had two green boosters and a white body with two red 'L's painted on both sides. "We can track him with the Skipper!"
"There's no need. I know exactly where he's headed." Azmuth got their attention. "He's headed for the moon, Galvan B.
"And you know this how?" Max asked.
"It's a long story."
"You can explain on the way. Everyone get in!" Max ordered. The kids boarded the Skipper with Ben taking Azmuth into his hand. As he placed Azmuth into his seat, the ship's booster-seat protocol activated to keep him protected. The kids all laughed at the aged genius' predicament, causing Azmuth to scowl in humiliation.
The Tennysons and friends listened intently to Azmuth's explanation of Malware's origins. During an experiment that terraformed the moon, the First Thinker had created a new species called the Galvanic Mechamorphs in the process. The Galvans then gave the moon to the Mechamorphs, who built a peaceful civilization. After Azmuth shut down the Helix experiment that made Galvan B inhabitable in the first place, Malware came out of the process incomplete and corrupted. "But unlike the rest, Malware is capable of absorbing technology rather than mimicking it. I've tried many times to help him, but Malware's condition is…complex, and his attitude is tragic."
"So, basically it's all your fault?" Bella's blunt response made him frown.
"Well, I-"
"He had been begging you to help him and yet you kept putting him off. No wonder he hates you." Ben said, putting the pieces together.
"Actually-"
"Let's add the fact that you were also hiding in solitude until last year, because of how people throughout the universe perceived the Omnitrix. If it wasn't for us finding you, then who knows what would've become of Malware." Gwen added.
"Troublesome…" Alice muttered.
"I get it!" Azmuth yelled, shutting the children up. "You all have no idea of the kind of responsibilities that I have to take care of. I always intended to fix Malware someday, I just needed time."
"Yeah, well, now we're gonna have to clean up your mess. You better thank us after this." Ben said.
"We'll kick Malware's butt, grab the heel-thingy, and save the day!" Bella leaned back in her seat.
"I don't think it'll be that easy, kids." Max said.
"Indeed." Azmuth agreed with the ex-Plumber. "I believe Malware is going to link the main helix with the secondary one he stole to try and rewrite his lifecode."
"Isn't that what you were intending to do?" Ben wondered.
"Yes, but not this way."
Gwen hummed as she realizes what Azmuth is getting at. "They use different kinds of energy, right? If Malware combines them, then it'll release an explosive kinetic burst of energy that could do a lot of damage!"
"In that case we need to be smart about this. A plan would suffice." Alice said.
"I've got a plan! It's called "kick Malware's butt"!" Ben declared.
"What kind of moron would agree to a plan like that?" Gwen muttered.
"Good plan for once, Ben!" Bella happened to be that kind of moron. The two brains of their operation just sighed, far too used to dealing with these meatheads.
"Focus up, kids, we're here!" Max announced, landing the ship on Galvan B. Everyone unloaded out of the Skipper, taking in the once-peaceful world, a beautiful sight marred by countless Galvanic Mechamorphs which currently seemed to be nothing more than dried up husks.
"Are they…?"
"Not yet." Azmuth's words somewhat relieved the kids. "They've been corroded and withered nearly to the point of non-existence."
"Can you help them?" Max wondered.
"Only if I can use your ship's power supply. If I am to save them in time, you'll have to face Malware without me." Azmuth responded. Max turned back to the ship, reaching under one of the seats to pull out some old Plumber gear.
"In that case, we'll have to hit him hard and fast-" Max stopped when he realized two out of the four kids weren't standing near the ship anymore. "Where are Ben and Bella?!"
Gwen and Alice were also surprised at the speed at which the two had already taken. Everyone could see the two morons rushing towards the central structure of Galvan B. "Ben! Bella! We need a plan!" Max shouted.
"Don't bother, Grandpa. You heard them on the ship." Gwen sighed.
"It's best to let them distract Malware while we grab the helix." Alice suggested.
Max finished equipping his gear, now wearing white mechanical armor over his right arm with a large mechanical rifle in his hands. "I really shouldn't be surprised at this point, but it's best to let them do their thing sometimes. Alright, girls, let's take the other end."
"Right!"
Malware kept his eyes on Albedo as Azmuth's apprentice continued working on plugging in the helix. He was growing frustrated at the speed at which the Galvan was moving, worsened by the novice inventor's insufferable need to constantly puff up their ego. Honestly, he was tempted to just kill the little know-it-all and figure out the helix on his own.
"Yo, Malware!" The deformed Mechamorph turned around to see Heatblast and Bella approaching him. "Our fight isn't over yet!" Bella yelled.
"You two nuisances! Stay out of my way! I simply want to be complete!" Malware declared.
"We get that, but Azmuth said-GAH!" Heatblast was blasted into the wall by an energy beam.
"Azmuth says lots of things, but where is he now?!"
"Trying to save the Mechamorphs that you almost killed! They're your own people, jerk!" Bella yelled, her nails sharpening.
Malware's anger increased as he absorbed her words. "Of course he'd rather help his perfect creations than his own FAILURE!" Malware lunged for the girl, but she jumped out of the way. Bella twirled with a kick to his face to knock him down. She then backflipped before kicking off the ground to punch him.
Malware's larger arm swung into her, sending the young wolf spiraling into the ceiling. Suddenly, a burst of flames burnt his skin, causing Malware to skid across the chamber's polished floor. Heatblast kept the pressure going in an attempt to burn him down. "How do you like the heat?!"
"Foolish, child! Your pathetic flames won't be enough!" Malware unleashed a sickly yellow beam that pierced through the fire. Heatblast was forced to abandon his attack to avoid getting hit. That left him open for Malware to grab him and slam him into the floor. "I wonder how Azmuth will feel after I destroy his greatest creation, the Omnitrix!"
"As if I'd let that happen!" Bella drop-kicked the Mechamorph off of her friend. She pulled back her head before spitting a burst of toxic saliva, splashing onto Malware and corroding his technological flesh.
"GAH!" Malware screamed, holding his arm as Bella taunted him. "How'd you like that?!"
"Worthless brat!" Malware extended his jagged fingers in an attempt to pierce through her. She narrowly avoided getting impaled, only to be electrocuted by the mechanical monster. Bella screamed in pain until a fireball blew the tendrils away from her.
As the two distracted Malware, Max and the girls snuck into the building to reach Albedo, who was finishing up the helix. "You have to stop fiddling with that thing! We're getting out of here!" Max ordered.
"I can't! If I don't finish it now, then the secondary helix will explode and destroy the moon with us on it!" Albedo explained, pressing a sequence of buttons on the control panel to link the two helixes together. The apprentice then hurried out of the primary helix, joining the humans' side as the green texture permeating the building's surfaces changed to a harsh, hostile red, the alarming shift accompanied by a huge burst of corrupted energy surging out of the double helix.
While the humans were shocked, Albedo merely looked proud. "Not even Azmuth could solve that, not under these conditions!"
"Is now really the time for that?!" Alice hissed at the Galvan, scaring the little know-it-all.
Malware punched Bella into the wall while blasting Heatblast away. He turned around to see that his goal was about to be complete, stopping his assault entirely as he focused on his long-sought goal. "YES! I will be cured!" Malware jumped towards the helix, merging with the energy and absorbing every last bit into himself.
FLASH!
The Omnitrix timed out, turning Ben back to normal. He and Bella quickly rejoined the others; all they could do was watch as Malware finished his own transformation. "YES! YES! IT'S WORKING! I CAN FEEL MY LIFECODE CHANGING!"
"Am I crazy or did he just win?" Ben asked.
"Wait for it…!" Albedo informed them smugly.
Instead of the green a normal Mechamorph would have, a bloody red color took over the sickly yellow of Malware's body. "GYAAAAAAAAH!"
FLASH!
When the light vanished, there wasn't a trace of Malware in sight. "So…we won?" Bella asked.
"We got lucky." Max corrects.
"Eh, a win's a win." Ben shrugged.
"Actually, it's my win." Albedo stepped forward. "I'm the one who sabotaged the helixes to overload as soon as the Mechamorph touched the control rods. So I'm the hero today, Omnitrix bearer."
"I really don't like you." Ben said bluntly. The other humans murmured in response, agreeing they all really disliked Albedo's arrogant attitude.
"Probably a good thing you haven't met Yukiko."
"...The lengthy human, correct?"
"Yeah."
"And why is that?"
"She would've melted you into a puddle just for opening your mouth." Gwen's answer made Albedo shiver slightly, a sense of foreboding filling the apprentice's body. It made no sense for the novice inventor to be so afraid of some human female, but something deep inside warned the young Galvan to be careful in the improbable event of suddenly encountering Yukiko.
RUMBLE!
Their attention was soon taken by the sound of rubble moving, all twelve eyes widening at the sight of a pure black and red Mechamorph rising from the ashes like a corrupted phoenix. The rejuvenated Malware savored the power coursing through him, bellowing mightily in a harsh, distorted voice. "Upgrade…COMPLETE!"
"You have what you wanted; now you're like the rest of the Mechamorphs!" Albedo yelled.
Malware chuckled darkly. "What I am now is far more than what they could ever hope to be! I am superior!"
"Please spare us the evil speech! I've heard too many to last a lifetime!" Ben scoffs.
"Evil? No- Visionary! I feel power building inside of me! I see the world that only I can create! It was Azmuth who found me flawed; he was the one who called me Malware!" The completed Mechamorph announced.
"Considering the new look, it's not far off the mark." Gwen comments.
"Watch!" He shot his hand out, stealing Max's rifle. Malware absorbed the entire weapon into his body, adding it to his abilities. "I am not the flawed one! The rest are inferior! I do not upgrade others' creations like them! They upgrade ME!" Malware morphed his hand into a gun, heavily resembling the weapon he had just assimilated. "And I will upgrade myself with Azmuth's greatest creation…"
It didn't take a genius to know what he was referring to. Ben raised the watch, glad to see that it was fully charged. "Dude! I already told you before, you're not the first creep that's tried to take the watch! And just like the rest…!" He slammed down the dial, transforming into Cannonbolt. "You're going down, Cannonbolt Style!"
Malware fired at the heroes, forcing Gwen to create a barrier to protect them. Cannonbolt spun in place before rolling at Malware. The Mechamorph fired repeatedly at the Arburian Pelatora with the alien hero rapidly changing directions to avoid the shots.
The twins dashed forward, double-kicks aimed at the monster's chest. Malware changed his other hand into a long scythe, attempting to slice the girls to ribbons. Cannonbolt then smashed into him, interrupting his attack and throwing the corrupted Mechamorph clear across the chamber.
Malware shoved his hand into the ground, a blocky pillar rising beneath the three of them to crush them into the ceiling. "There is no point in delaying the inevitable!"
Bella and Alice smashed through the pillars, rushing towards him on all fours. The twins danced between his energy blasts, kicking against his chest to knock him into the wall. Alice brought down her sharpened claws, but Malware opened his chest to avoid her furious swipe. He slithered around the girls, catching them both off-guard as he bashed them away with a mighty swing of his larger, bulkier arms.
Cannonbolt came from behind to smash into him, but the Mechamorph saw it coming, opening his body to let the hero pass through him harmlessly. Malware then enlarged his fists to land powerful blows into the Arburian Pelarota's armored shell, grabbing him and smashing him into the ground. Cannonbolt recoiled and opened up, allowing Malware to grab the faceplate. "In a matter of moments, I'll have access to all of the codes!"
Suddenly, a pink construct slammed into him, knocking him away from Cannonbolt. Seeing that he was down, Gwen continued slamming her enlarged pink fist down on the Mechamorph's hulking frame like a mana-fueled sledgehammer. "Too bad for you, he's not fighting alone!"
Malware struggled against her construct, a crimson beam erupting from his face to destroy the mana fist. The twins then converged on top of him with a barrage of punches that buried him further into the ground.
The Omnitrix started beeping again, turning Ben back to normal. He got back up to his feet, covering his face as another explosive blew the twins away from Malware. Ben looked back to the Omnitrix and smirked as he saw another successful quick recharge. "Yes!" He turned the dial just as Malware started marching back towards him.
"Give me the Omnitrix!"
"As if I'd ever be stupid enough to do that!"
Malware lunged at the boy, bringing his hands down to grab him.
FLASH!
Crystalline spikes stabbed through Malware's hands, causing him to scream in pain. Diamondhead gripped both his arms, bringing Malware in close. "But I'll give you a knuckle-sandwich!" He declared, punching the Mechamorph hard enough to send him flying through the helix. Diamondhead rushed forward, firing a sharp storm of crystal shards at his opponent. Malware blew them all away with a condensed burst of energy, right before smacking the Petrosapien down into the floor.
Diamondhead slammed his hand into the ground, a burst of spikes stabbing through the floor but failing to land a hit on Malware's fluid body. In response, Malware fired off more high-powered shots into the hero to send him flying across the chamber. The Mechamorph then jumped on top of Diamondhead, grabbing the Omnitrix yet again. "Say goodbye, little human!"
The Petrosapien smirked. "You can't get through crystals, can you?" He formed a crystal barrier around the Omnitrix, preventing Malware from getting it. "Too bad, so sad." He taunted, punching the Mechamorph off of him. Two blurs converged on the alien as he briefly flew through the air, battering him relentlessly with unyielding strikes. Alice and Bella knocked him away, allowing Gwen to unleash a brutal torrent of mana discs into his back, right before she leaped into the air to smash her strength-enhanced fist into his back. The sheer force of the impact left a sizable crater on the ground, leaving Malware struggling to get up.
Diamondhead slammed down on top of him, pressing his hand to Malware's back to completely envelop him in a crystalline prison. As the crystals engulfed him, Malware turned his face to stare the hero directly in the eyes. "This isn't over, Ben Tennyson, I will return! And when I do, all of you will become part of-" Diamondhead sealed off his head, shutting him up.
"Yeah, yeah, I've heard that one before too." Diamondhead scoffed as he turned back to normal. His family and friends walked over to him, taking in the sight of the defeated Malware.
"Good work, son. You girls too." Max said to the kids.
"Are we sure that's going to hold him?" Alice asked.
"Totally. There's no way he's getting out of that." Ben answered.
"Told you our plan would work." Bella said smugly to Gwen. The sorceress rolled her eyes at the noisy twin.
"Whatever." Gwen scoffed.
Max brought the four in close. "C'mon, let's head back to Azmuth."
After reviving the drained Mechamorphs and ensuring that Malware was locked away, the Tennysons dropped the two Galvans back at home. Azmuth and the rest of his people were bidding farewell to the heroes. "Goodbye, Tennysons. Thank you for not destroying everything." Azmuth said.
"See! He did thank us!" Bella said.
"Yeah, for not causing as much trouble as usual." Alice responded.
"Next time." Ben and Bella shared a fist bump, already coming up with pranks to pull.
"Do you two ever use your heads to avoid causing trouble?" Gwen asked, already knowing the answer.
"Nope!" The two shouted, giggling to each other.
"I think we've had enough trouble for one afternoon." Max starts up the Skipper, taking off from Galvan Prime. "Let's head home, you four have school tomorrow."
"AW MAN!" Ben and Bella whined.
The reminder of school made Gwen blink a bit. "Speaking of school, aren't Yukiko and some of the others graduating this year?"
"That's right. Yukiko wants us to hold a graduation party before we go on our road trip this summer." Max explained.
"It sucks that Ma won't let us come with. We have to help take care of the farm all summer." Bella whined.
"It's called having responsibilities, sister." Alice reminds her.
"Shut up, dork." Bella hissed lightly.
"Don't worry, I'll send you some photos. While you're busy milking cows, I'll be saving the day like usual." Ben brags. "Malware was defeated by me, after all."
"As if, dunce-face!" Bella jumps from her seat to attack him. The two broke into another fight, causing the Skipper to almost spiral out of control.
"CAN YOU TWO COOL IT?!"
"SISTER!"
"BEN!"
Cerulean eyes found themselves descending in a vast ocean of blue, unable to move a single inch. Her cybernetic body was like an anchor as she sunk into the dreamy liquid, her eyes staring at the moon; a familiar sight that she could never have enough of.
She blinked and saw a singular figure staring back at her. Someone familiar, someone that brought her and everyone comfort in their darkest hour. The person that sacrificed himself to ensure they all had a future to live.
His dark blue hair swayed lightly in the water, his hand came up to her chest, materializing a tarot card between them.
The Fool.
Suddenly, her body was able to move. She reached for the card, taking it from him as if it were a gift. A small smile tugged at his face, not a single word shared between them. As his body began to fade, her hand reached back out for him. She didn't want him to go, she couldn't lose him again.
Why did he have to leave?
Why was she the one to live?
Why did he pick her?
…
If she were stronger, would he still be alive?
…
BEEP!
The sound was loud, ear-piercing as it disrupted the world around her. Like the flip of a switch, the ocean-like setting vanished to reveal an empty bedroom, her bedroom. Her sleep capsule opened, allowing her to step outside of it. Metallic footsteps, a reminder of her non-human nature, echoed in her ears. The robotic woman stopped in front of the bedroom's mirror, taking in her appearance.
She had short blond hair and light blue eyes, a red tie around her neck with advanced features on her metal headband. She wore a black military coat dress, with a black jacket underneath and matching black pants.
The only human thing about her was her face, but everything else was purely robotic. Years ago, she hadn't thought much about it. But when she met him, all of that changed and she found herself wanting to be human. But that was illogical and impossible, something that she could never physically be.
But she could manifest a Persona…
So…didn't that mean she was human, too?
KNOCK!
"Aigis! Are you awake yet?" A stern yet soft voice came from behind her door.
Aigis turned to the door. "Yes, Mitsuru, I am ready to start the day."
"Good, we have work to do. Come downstairs once you've got what you need." Mitsuru said before walking away from the room.
Aigis gave her reflection one last look before walking towards the door. As she passed the empty dresser, the robotic woman glanced at the lone picture that sat on top. It was several years ago, back when everything was perfect. All of them were gathered together for a photo one last time, celebrating their ascension of the accursed tower.
A happy memory.
Aigis wondered if she'll ever feel like that again.
Prologue End
NOTE: As you can tell from this prologue, this will be the conclusion to the first saga of P10. I do aim to make this one pretty...emotional in places. This will also be my first time really writing some of the P3 characters, so hopefully I can do them justice.
See you guys next time!