Chapter Text
Under a blanket of stars on the remote world of Duffie, Vilgax the Conqueror waited on a cracked plaza of ancient alien stone, the ruins around him half-swallowed by sand and fallen rock. Behind him, one piece of the old world still refused to die: a quartz archway, tall and clean-lined, its surface crowded with sigils so old they looked more like wounds than writing.
He didn't know what the structure was, nor did he care. It wasn't important.
He'd chosen Duffie for one reason only. It was close enough to where he'd secured his new superweapon, and far enough from civilization that no one else would get in the way when he and Tennyson finished this.
Minutes ago, he'd transmitted the coordinates.
Tennyson would come soon.
Boom.
A sonic crack rolled over the barren landscape. Vilgax turned, his red eyes narrowing as a streak cut across the horizon. His vision sharpened, zooming in until the smear resolved into a red, humanoid, manta ray-like alien with black, lightning bolt-like stripes dropping from either shoulder and converging at a familiar green hourglass dial on its chest. Its wings spread wide, revealing yellow patagia beneath. Yellow lips pulled tight over a determined expression, connecting to yellow horns above his eyes that resembled large eyebrows angled upward.
Jetray arrowed straight toward him.
A slow, satisfied curve touched Vilgax's mouth. "About time," he rumbled under his breath.
Jetray bled off speed and dropped onto the plaza more than ten meters away. Emerald light flared, swallowing the alien form whole, and when it faded, a young man stood in its place.
Ben Tennyson—eighteen now. Broader through the shoulders, several inches taller than the last time he and Vilgax had clashed.
He wore white-and-green sneakers, dark blue jeans, a black T-shirt, and a new green leather sports jacket with white sleeves and green cuffs. On the left side of his chest was a familiar black circle with a white "10" in the center.
Strapped to Ben's left wrist was the completed Omnitrix. Sleek, compact—more like an actual watch than the bulky gauntlets of the past. White casing, green highlights, and a black faceplate marked with the intergalactic peace symbol: a green hourglass-like emblem.
Vilgax stood tall, every inch the warlord he'd remade himself into since their earlier clashes: red armored plating across his chest over black, skin-tight material; blue, suit-like armor along his legs with silver padding on thigh and shin. A yellow shoulder plate sat on his left arm, stamped with a red "V" over a black circle, and his left hand was encased in a heavy golden gauntlet that looked built to crush starship hulls. His right arm, by contrast, was bare, green skin and corded muscle braided like rope, ending in a black bracelet set with a red gemstone. A massive silver sword rode sheathed across his back.
"Ben Tennyson," Vilgax said with both disdain and respect.
Ben's mouth kicked into a smirk like he couldn't help himself. "The one and only." He tipped his head. "Unless we're counting all my alternate dimensional counterparts, but that's a long story."
Vilgax's expression remained impassive.
"The Plumbers said you escaped from the Null Void last year." Ben sighed, combing a hand through his brown hair. "Seriously, it's a prison dimension. How do you always get out?"
"I have my ways," Vilgax stated. "No prison, whether in this dimension or not, can contain my hatred and desire for vengeance upon you."
"Whoa. That almost sounded poetic," Ben remarked. "So, after a two-year hiatus you're back to conquering worlds?"
Vilgax didn't answer immediately. "Once you've had a taste of divine power, you know you can't go back."
Ben immediately knew what Vilgax was referring to: Dagon.
"Of course." He slumped his shoulders in exasperation before waving it off. "Anyways, I've got Gwen, Kevin, and the Plumbers Helpers to rally off your invasion, so it's just you and me. Motto e mono."
Vilgax smirked. "And you came just in time to see me test my latest weapon. The Fulmini Scepter."
"Should I care?"
The warlord narrowed his red eyes. "You should. Dagon's power was at my fingertips. I was so close to fully making it my own. And then you stole—"
"Blah, blah, blah," Ben interrupted. "Now you're mad so you searched all over the galaxy to find something equivalent to that power. Just to get your revenge on me." He shook his head. "Seriously, Vilgax, I've heard better sob stories from Brain Stealers 2: The Cosmic Walker."
Vilgax growled in annoyance. "Joke while you can. My weapon comes from an extinct race of warlords that has proven to destroy worlds in a single slash."
Ben went straight-faced. A weapon that powerful? That sounded like it could be on Ascalon's level. Was Vilgax bluffing… or was his claim legit?
Vilgax's red eyes began to glow. "And once I'm finished with this one, yours will be next!" A twin pair of red lasers fired from his eyes, striking the spot where Ben had been standing and throwing up a cloud of dust.
As the dust settled, Ben's human form was gone. In his place stood what looked like an old-fashioned stove with arms and legs. The metal was iron-colored with a dull shade of green, and an orange glow shone from the grille on the front of its head. The Omnitrix dial was positioned on the dull green lock on its chest.
"NRG!" he called out in a thick Russian accent.
Crouching low, Vilgax charged forward at incredible speed. NRG answered by firing a powerful reddish-orange radioactive beam from the grille on his head. Vilgax skidded to a stop and projected the Shield of Seagle, a golden and hexagonal dome, to shield himself from the blast, blocking it for several seconds.
Then Vilgax sidestepped out of the beam's path and surged toward NRG at superspeed. Before NRG could react, the warlord grabbed him by the top and slammed him into the ground. NRG snapped both arms up, locking Vilgax's arm in place. Vilgax's eyes widened as he realized his mistake.
"Try this!" NRG fired another powerful beam of radiation directly into Vilgax's face, sending him flying back. He crashed more than a hundred yards away and landed face-down.
NRG pushed himself to his feet and faced Vilgax. "Now for the finisher!" Radioactive energy built around the open slits of his helmet as he prepared to unleash an even larger blast.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The Omnitrix dial chimed and blinked green. In an emerald flash, NRG was replaced by Ben.
"Huh?" Blinking twice, he looked down at the Omnitrix. "Seriously Omnitrix? You do this now of all times? Cheese and crackers!"
Across the plaza, Vilgax rose to his feet. "Your inability to control that device will only lead to your downfall. Now, prepare yourself for your annihilation!"
Ah… I almost missed Vilgax's death threats. Ben inwardly commented.
The Omnitrix chimed, indicating it was ready for use. Almost.
"I don't think so." He tapped the black faceplate, which brought up a green, holographic ring filled with alien head icons. He scrolled through the playlist until he found the one he wanted and tapped the faceplate to select it. The faceplate slid back and the core popped out. "Especially when I got Four Arms!"
Ben slammed the core down, and in a flash of emerald light, he was replaced by a small monkey-like alien with blue fur over a dark-blue center. He had four arms, two legs, three fingers on each hand, three toes on each foot, and a tail with stripes near the tip. The Omnitrix dial sat in the center of his chest.
"Spidermonkey!" He announced in a high-pitched, simian voice.
"Huh?" The alien simian looked himself over. "This is not what I meant by 'four arms'." He then hooted.
At superspeed, Vilgax charged forward and slammed Spidermonkey with the Shield of Seagle. He didn't slow for long as he skidded to a stop and swiped an arm, sending the Arachnachimp sailing backward. Spidermonkey crashed into a cluster of boulders, the stone cratering from the impact.
"Ugh…" Spidermonkey groaned painfully, pressing one hand to his head. "Sometimes I wish I had my old watch back." Vilgax was already charging again. Spidermonkey nimbly backflipped just in time, avoiding a punch that cracked the rock where he'd been.
He lifted his tail and fired webs straight into Vilgax's face. Annoyed, the intergalactic warlord tore the webbing away and threw a stone-shattering punch, only for Spidermonkey to slip aside. Spidermonkey sprang in and snapped a kick into Vilgax's face.
Vilgax stepped back and fired laser beams from his eyes. With impressive reflexes, Spidermonkey vaulted over the beams and answered with another blast of webbing to his opponent's face.
Growling, Vilgax ripped the web off him. "You wrench!"
Spidermonkey landed several meters away, cackling. "I believe the term is 'monkey threads'."
Agitated, Vilgax charged at him again.
Without wasting a moment, Spidermonkey slapped the Omnitrix dial. In another green flash, he was replaced by a six-foot-tall creature with yellowish-brown skin, a tan underbelly, and broad shoulders. Green eyeballs of varying sizes were scattered across its arms, chest, and back, while its face held a mouth framed by a large pair of bat-like ears. It wore black pants with green cuffs on its wrists, knees, and ankles, and the Omnitrix sat squarely on his belt.
"Eye Guy!"
When Eye Guy shut all of his eyes, several merged into the one on his chest, causing it to swell dramatically and jut outward. It glowed bright green as energy gathered within. Then, without warning, a brilliant green beam blasted from the giant eye straight at Vilgax.
Deploying his shield again, Vilgax blocked the beam and charged through it. When Eye Guy ran out of juice, he stopped firing. Only for Vilgax to snap a wicked uppercut into the Opticoid's chin. As Eye Guy lifted, Vilgax followed with a lightning-fast punch to the gut that sent the eye-covered alien careening back.
He tumbled across the ground before crashing into another boulder, cracking it on impact.
Eye Guy slumped forward, groaning. "Okay…I didn't see that coming."
Shaking his head, the Opticoid charged back toward his archenemy. He jumped to throw a haymaker, but Vilgax sidestepped out of the way. Eye Guy followed with a kick that Vilgax blocked and parried. Closing the distance, Eye Guy fired another laser beam at point-blank range.
Vilgax was quick enough to deploy the Shield of Seagle and block it. With his other hand, he reached behind him and unsheathed his large sword, which was beginning to glow blue. He swiped it forward, unleashing a blast of blue energy that expanded outward and sent Eye Guy hurtling back.
He spun in midair and landed on his feet dozens of meters away. With all of his eyes, the Opticoid stared forward, his eyeless face somehow still managing to convey surprise. "That's new…"
Vilgax sneered proudly. With his free hand, he punched the ground and shattered it, snatching up a stray boulder and hurling it at his foe like a baseball.
Slapping the Omnitrix dial on his belt, another green flash consumed his body. In his place stood a short, humanoid, amoeba-like creature with swampy-green skin, a tanned stomach and muzzle, black sprouts, and black-green spots along his tail, limbs, and back. His sharp green eyes narrowed; whisker-like lines marked his face. A short, straight tail flicked behind him.
"Upchuck!" Three very long prehensile tongues shot from his mouth and latched onto the boulder. He opened wide and swallowed the entire thing in a single gulp.
"Eh. Little salty for my tastes." He remarked. Widening his stance, Upchuck hurled a large green projectile from his mouth directly at Vilgax.
Vilgax deployed his shield to block it, and the projectile ignited into a green-tinted explosion. Upchuck waited for the dust to settle, only for Vilgax to be standing there, unfazed.
Upchuck groaned in annoyance. "Fine then. Let's got with a guy with a little more 'umph'."
He tapped the Omnitrix dial again, and green light swallowed his body once more. When it faded, he was replaced by a beetle-like creature reminiscent of a Japanese rhinoceros beetle. He had grey skin, with dark green spiked armor running from his face down his back, and along his arms and legs. An underbite jutted forward; his rounded, toothy grey jaw was hinged to his face by two spikes. He had two toes on each foot and only three fingers on each hand. Green, skin-tight clothing covered the parts of his torso left bare by his shell, and the Omnitrix dial sat on his chest.
"Eatle!" Using his hands, he shoved rocks and dirt from the ground into his large, toothy mouth and munched down, ingesting them. Green energy momentarily sparked around his horn before he unleashed a powerful green energy beam.
Vilgax deployed the Shield of Seagle…which had turned blue instead of gold. The green beam struck the blue shield and pushed hard, but the warlord held strong.
He smirked victoriously as Eatle's powerful beam reacted with the Fulmini Scepter, causing it to activate.
"Finally!"
Without warning, a blue energy dome with green electric arches began to expand around Vilgax.
KA-BOOM!
A massive explosion of power erupted, sending shockwaves rippling across the area. Eatle stopped firing and threw an arm up, shielding his eyes as dust and rock blasted toward him.
Unbeknownst to them, the sigils on the stone archway behind them briefly shone light-blue before going dormant again.
As the dust settled, Eatle looked forward, only for his eyes to widen in surprise.
Vilgax's left arm was glowing with bluish-white energy, bulky grey stone armor segments overlapping it. With two blue energy-spikes protruding from his forearm. The stone plating on his shoulder had a V-shaped opening that crackled with blue electricity.
Vilgax opened his eyes, now glowing bright blue.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The Omnitrix chimed before Eatle transformed back to Ben. "Aw man…"
Cobalt electricity crackled around the Omnitrix as the faceplate blinked blue several times. Ben stared down at the wristwatch, confused and agitated. "Not now Omnitrix."
Vilgax wasted no time. He thrust out his left hand and unleashed a large, powerful blue beam.
Ben tapped the faceplate and the device thankfully activated, the holo-ring flaring to life. He swiftly selected a head icon and slapped down the core. Green light enveloped him just as Vilgax's beam barreled past where he'd been standing, carving a trench through the rocky ground and striking a cluster of boulders, instantly reducing them to molten pebbles.
The empowered warlord ceased firing and lowered his arm, only to find his opponent gone. He scanned the area, searching for any sign of the Omnitrix bearer.
"Where are you Tennyson?" He growled.
A breath later, the temperature dropped off a cliff.
Frost raced across the ground in a widening ripple, climbing Vilgax's armored legs, sealing around his torso, and then swallowing him whole in a thick, glacial casing. The ice finished with a sharp, final crack that echoed between the broken pillars.
Above him, a blue-and-black humanoid moth-man hovered in the night sky like a phantom, a large set of wings keeping him in the air. The Omnitrix dial sat centered on his chest.
"Big Chill," he said calmly and ghostly. "Figured you could cool down a little."
The glacier held for the space of a heartbeat.
Then Vilgax's blue eyes ignited, brighter and harsher, and the ice around his face began to glow from within. Thin, needle-straight lances of energy erupted outward, punching through the frozen shell. The glacier exploded apart in a storm of shattered slabs and glittering shards that screamed through the air like thrown knives.
Big Chill went intangible, his body becoming translucent as the debris tore through the space he occupied. Chunks of ice whistled past and smashed into the plaza hard enough to crater stone.
"Hey! I like my sushi cold, not hot."
Vilgax stepped from the wreckage as if he'd been wrapped in nothing more than mist. Steam curled from his armor in thin ribbons, hissing. Without looking away, he reached over his shoulder and unsheathed the massive sword on his back, which was now glowing with the same blue energy as his left arm.
He drew it fully free, planted his stance, and swung.
The blade didn't need to touch anything.
A crescent of blue energy ripped forward through the air in a violent arc that crossed the plaza. Big Chill snapped his wings and shot upward, narrowly clearing the slash as it tore beneath him.
The energy wave didn't stop.
It sailed out across the barren landscape and struck a mountain in the distance. For an instant, the ridge line seemed to pause. Then the mountain sheared cleanly, the upper half sliding away in a slow, inevitable collapse before detonating into thunderous rubble that rolled down the slope in an avalanche of stone.
Big Chill stared back, wings stalling for a fraction of a second.
"That's not cool…"
Vilgax's laugh rolled out of him, deep and satisfied, as if he'd just demonstrated something obvious.
"This is just a fraction of the Fulmini Scepter's power! Once I destroy your world and take the Omnitrix as my trophy," he clenched his left fist, "I will be unstoppable!"
Big Chill's gaze snapped forward again, his posture sharpened from surprise into resolve. "Not if I can help it."
He lunged.
Air roared past him as he charged straight at Vilgax, wings beating hard enough to kick spirals of sand and frost off the plaza. Cold gathered around his right fist as he flew, ice materializing in a tight whirl that grew denser and heavier with every foot he closed. By the time he was in striking distance, it had formed into a spiky ball, jagged and brutal like a mace of frozen glass.
He swung for Vilgax's face.
Vilgax's left arm flashed up, and the blue shield deployed and caught the blow, holding. The impact sent a ringing vibration through the air, and Big Chill felt the shock bite up his arm even through the ice.
He didn't pull away.
Instead, he flared his wings wide, and cold mist poured from him as he summoned more ice into being. Spear-shaped constructs formed in the air around Vilgax, sharp and clean, their points aimed like a firing squad.
Big Chill flicked his hands.
The spears launched.
Vilgax moved swiftly. His sword blurred, and with several swipes he carved through the incoming spears, splitting and shattering them mid-flight. Ice fragments scattered in glittering bursts, some bouncing harmlessly off his armor, others dissolving into frost as they fell.
He surged forward through the lingering ice mist and leapt, closing the distance with a terrifying snap of speed. His left fist reared back, the blue energy around it swelling, and then it drove forward like a meteor.
It happened so fast that Big Chill didn't have time to activate his intangibility.
He crossed both arms and braced.
The punch hit.
POW!
A shockwave detonated outward, rippling across the plaza, blasting sand into the air and rattling the ancient ruins. Big Chill's feet left the ground as the force crushed into him, and he was hurled backward like a thrown doll. He slammed into the stone hard enough to crack it, then bounced and skidded, carving a shallow groove before coming to a stop in a spray of grit.
In a green flash, Big Chill reverted to Ben, sprawled face-down on the cold stone.
Okay… He's definitely stronger than before.
He sucked in a breath, grit scraping his cheek as he grunted and pushed himself up. Pain flared through his ribs, but he shoved it down and snapped his gaze up at Vilgax. The warlord was already stalking forward, sword still humming with that dangerous blue glow.
Ben didn't wait for him to close the distance.
He tapped the Omnitrix faceplate and the green holo-ring sprang to life. Ben's finger flicked to a familiar head icon and pressed down the core.
Green light swallowed him.
A nanosecond later, a semi-armored, velociraptor-like alien stood in his place, wearing a sleek, black skin-tight suit with a bold green stripe down his chest. A cone-like black helmet formed naturally over his head, the visor sliding into place as if blinking. Black orbs capped his clawed feet. His tail snapped behind him, banded with five blue stripes.
"XLR8!" He yelled in a raspy voice.
The world slowed as he exploded forward.
Stone blurred beneath his feet as he hit his top speed, a blue streak skimming across the plaza. Vilgax's head turned, tracking, but XLR8 was already on him.
At the last possible second, he slapped the Omnitrix dial.
In a burst of green light, XLR8 was replaced by a hulking, broad-shouldered alien with white skin and natural yellow armor plated across his back.
"Cannonbolt!" He announced with a deep voice.
Before Vilgax could properly adjust, Cannonbolt curled; his body armor snapping into a dense sphere of yellow and black.
The ball hit like a wrecking ram.
Vilgax was driven backward across the plaza, boots gouging lines through stone as he fought the momentum. He still lost the contest. Cannonbolt smashed him straight into the quartz archway behind him.
The impact rang like a bell.
Ancient stone cracked. Dust erupted. The incomprehensible sigils carved into the arch flared brightly blue like the structure had just been jolted awake.
Vilgax's eyes flicked to the glowing carvings, curiosity flashing across his face for the briefest instant.
Then Cannonbolt rolled away, pivoted, and came barreling back for another hit.
Vilgax's attention snapped back to his enemy.
As the yellow ball thundered toward him, Vilgax thrust out his left hand. He caught it, holding firm against the spinning mass. Cannonbolt's rolling form dug a trench through the plaza as Vilgax forced him to a halt, the ball grinding in place and throwing up sparks and pulverized stone.
Vilgax's grip tightened.
Then he fired.
A large blue beam erupted from his left hand at point-blank range, blasting Cannonbolt free. The ball shot backward, tumbling end over end across the plaza before slamming into the ground and unrolling with a pained groan.
Cannonbolt pushed onto his front, palms flat against stone, blinking up at the towering warlord.
"No matter how many aliens you spring on me, you don't stand a chance Tennyson." Vilgax declared.
Cannonbolt's mouth curled, showing sharp teeth. "Maybe not…" He slapped the Omnitrix dial with a blunt hand.
Green light surged again, reshaping bulk into height, rolling mass into a towering frame.
A twelve-foot-tall humanoid of dense, red, armor-plated muscle marked with lighter stripes like tattoos replaced Cannonbolt. Two pairs of four-fingered arms flexed as if eager for violence. Gold bands gleamed at wrists and ankles, black fingerless gloves tightening around huge hands. Black pants sat low with a gold waistband, golden sashes crossing his chest where the Omnitrix dial rested at their junction. A black ponytail fell down his back.
"Four Arms!" He exclaimed with a deep, raspy voice. "But I bet I can still beat you with three arms tied behind my back."
Vilgax's expression hardened.
He charged.
For someone his size, the speed was obscene. Sand burst beneath his boots as he crossed the distance in a blink, blue energy rippling along his left arm and sword hand. Four Arms dropped into a crouch and launched forward to meet him, the plaza cracking where his feet pushed off.
They collided like two meteors.
Four Arms' upper hands locked with Vilgax's, palm-to-palm, fingers biting into gauntlet and forearm. The force of their clash spiderwebbed fractures through the stone around them, dust puffing up in a ring. They shoved, shoulders trembling, neither giving an inch.
Four Arms snarled and shifted tactics.
He twisted Vilgax's arms, torquing the warlord's balance just enough to slip under him. His lower arms flashed up in a brutal double uppercut, catching Vilgax's midsection and chin in rapid succession.
Vilgax's head snapped back.
Four Arms released his grip and surged into a wicked combo of haymakers, upper hands and lower hands alternating, each punch landing with a crack that echoed off the ruins. Vilgax's tentacled chin whipped side to side with the impacts.
Then Vilgax answered.
A punch came in hard and fast. Four Arms blocked, bracing with crossed forearms, boots sliding a half-step as the shock thudded through his bones. Vilgax followed immediately with a leap, knee rising into a vicious kick aimed at Four Arms' head.
Four Arms tried to shift.
Vilgax was quicker.
He grabbed Four Arms by the foot mid-kick, yanked, and slammed him into the ground with bone-jarring violence. Stone exploded under Four Arms' back. Before the Tetramand could rise, Vilgax hurled him bodily into a set of boulders.
Rocks detonated. Dust rolled over the plaza.
Four Arms growled and shoved himself out of the rubble, shoulders heaving, eyes burning.
He charged again.
This time the exchange became a blur of fists, blocks, and heavy impacts. Four Arms landed a thundering punch that rocked Vilgax's chest plate. Vilgax answered with a backhand that forced Four Arms to pivot and re-center. The two moved across the plaza in violent steps, cracking stone beneath them, scattering sand in every direction.
Then Vilgax's hand went to his sword.
The blade hissed free, glowing blue like a piece of night lightning.
Four Arms' eyes widened a fraction. He ducked the first swipe, the energy-tinged edge slicing air above his head with a sound like tearing metal. He dodged the next, then the next, twisting his huge frame with surprising agility as the glowing blade carved shallow gouges into the plaza where it missed.
Vilgax shifted his grip and raised the sword high.
He brought it down.
Four Arms shot both upper hands up and caught the blade.
Metal screamed under the pressure. Blue light spilled against Four Arms' palms and forearms, trying to burn its way through. His arms trembled as he poured strength into holding it back. His teeth clenched. His lower hands braced against Vilgax's forearm and shoulder, trying to shove him off balance.
Vilgax leaned in, inexorable, forcing the sword downward inch by inch.
They locked again in a deadlift of willpower.
And then the Omnitrix chimed and turned blue. Cobalt electricity sparked around the dial at Four Arms' chest.
Four Arms noticed this. What's going on?
Vilgax saw it too.
His grin returned, sharp and predatory.
He broke the stalemate with brutal simplicity via driving his boot up into Four Arms' chin.
The kick snapped Four Arms' head back and sent him tumbling onto his back. He hit hard, skidded, and stared up in shock as Vilgax stepped over him, looming with the glowing blade poised for the final strike.
The sword lifted.
Four Arms' upper hands started to rise, too slow, too heavy.
The Omnitrix chimed.
The dial snapped back to green.
Four Arms was shrouded in green light just as Vilgax brought the sword down.
The blade struck the ground instead.
Stone split with a deafening crack, a deep gouge carved where Four Arms had been a heartbeat earlier. Dust and sand erupted in a violent plume.
Vilgax kept his stance, sword embedded in the plaza as the cloud swallowed everything. He listened, eyes narrowing, waiting for the telltale footstep, the rush of air, the bravado.
As the dust began to thin, white silhouettes resolved in a ring around him. Small figures, too many to count at first glance, each one a compact white humanoid that looked like it had been built from sleek silicon rather than flesh. Each had headphones clamped over its head, connected to a square appendage on its back like an MP3 player with a port, marked with a "10." The Omnitrix dial was placed on their chests.
"Echo Echo!" All of the Sonorosians announced with high-pitched, synthesized voices.
"Wall. Of. SOUND!"
The Sonorosians unleashed super-sonic wails.
The plaza shook. The air itself turned into a battering ram, and Vilgax was hit from every direction at once, hammered by overlapping frequencies that made his armor vibrate and his body sing with pain. The ruins around them trembled, sand skittering across stone.
Vilgax grimaced, shutting his eyes in excruciating pain. His jaw clenched hard enough to creak.
Then he moved.
"Enough!" He ripped his sword free, gripped the hilt with both hands, and roared as he drove the blade down into the ground.
Blue energy cracked outward from the impact point like lightning trapped in glass. It expanded in a violent ring, a shockwave of power that tore through the sonic field and launched the Echo Echo clones off their feet. White bodies tumbled end over end, some skidding across the plaza, others flung into the broken ruins and disintegrating upon impact.
The wave did not stop at the ring of clones.
It raced behind Vilgax and bled into the strange stone archway standing at the edge of the plaza. Once more, the sigils carved into the structure flared to life, now glowing the same fierce blue as his weapon.
A low hum rolled through the night.
"Hmm?" Vilgax turned toward the structure, curious.
Without warning, the air around the arch tore.
A swirling blue portal blossomed into existence—unstable and hungry.
Vilgax straightened slowly, the pain from earlier ebbing into cold focus.
Meanwhile, at the end of the plaza closest to the portal, three Echo Echo clones forced themselves back to their feet.
"A. Portal?" Echo Echo #1 asked.
"Where. Did. That. Come. From?" Echo Echo #2 questioned.
Echo Echo #3 turned to Vilgax across the plaza. "What. Did. You. Do?"
Vilgax's blue eyes widened in recognition. "That arch. An ancient Hyperspace Jumpgate of sorts. The Fulmini Scepter's power must've activated it."
The portal's edges sputtered. Its swirl began to stutter, as if the ancient mechanism couldn't contain the energy that had awakened it. The hum rose in pitch. Sand lifted from the ground in thin spirals.
Then it went wrong.
The portal lurched, and the pull began.
Pebbles slid. Dust streamed. Shards of broken rock and chunks of ice left from earlier scraped toward the arch, rattling across the plaza in a growing tide. Even the air seemed to lean, wind whipping toward the blue vortex with increasing violence.
Vilgax reacted instantly. He thrust his sword into the ground again, planting it like an anchor, muscles braced as the pull tugged at his armor. Sand tried to take his feet from under him, but he held.
On the far side of the plaza, the three Echo Echo clones fought their own battle with gravity.
"Look. What. You. Did. Vilgax!" Echo Echo #1 shouted.
One had both hands locked around the jagged edge of a cracked portion of the plaza, feet dangling and kicking as the wind screamed around him. Two more clung to his leg, gripping tight, their small bodies flapping and jittering in the gale like they could outfight an event horizon through sheer stubbornness.
They shouted over the roar, voices strained and frantic as the pull dragged them inch by inch.
"Oh. No!"
"Hold. On!"
"Don't. Let. Go!"
Vilgax turned his head just enough to see them. His lips curled. Perfect!
Echo Echo #1—the one holding onto the crevice's edge—noticed the shift in Vilgax's expression.
"Vilgax. You. Wouldn't."
Sneering, Vilgax fired blue lasers from his eyes.
Twin lances speared across the plaza and struck the ground in front of the Echo Echos. Rock exploded, and Echo Echo #1 lost his handhold.
"You. Would!"
The three Echo Echo clones dangled in open air, limbs flailing. Then, the portal caught them. All three screamed in terror, anticipating the end as they were yanked into the swirling blue, swallowed by the churning vortex like sparks disappearing into a storm cloud.
Vilgax watched without blinking.
Then he lifted his left arm.
Blue energy projectiles hammered from his palm in rapid succession, blasting the archway structure. The ancient stone cracked, fractures spiderwebbing through glowing sigils. One more barrage, and the arch collapsed inward with a grinding shriek.
The portal spasmed.
Its swirl collapsed into itself, snapping shut with a thunderclap that sent a final gust of wind across the plaza, scattering sand and debris in a tired exhale.
Silence returned, heavy and sudden.
Vilgax rose to his full height, pulling his sword from the ground. He surveyed the plaza, the ruined arch, the empty air where the Omnitrix bearer had been moments ago. He looked around, confirming there were no more Sonorosians clones within view.
…
…
…
He had done it. He won.
A low, satisfied laugh escaped him, building into something triumphant.
"At last! Ben Tennyson is no more!" He held up his glowing blue sword. "I am victori—"
Before he could finish his declaration, a supersonic wail slammed into the back of his head like a sledgehammer.
Vilgax went careening forward, hitting the ground hard. His sword skidded a short distance away.
He snarled and twisted, pushing up onto one elbow, eyes blazing as he looked over his shoulder.
Echo Echo stood there. "Don't. Count. Your. Chickens. Yet."
Vilgax's expression shifted from rage to disbelief. "How?!"
Echo Echo tilted his head, as if the answer should have been obvious. "Dude. I. Can. Clone. Duh."
Vilgax's blue eyes narrowed in realization. "You kept one hidden away."
Echo Echo turned to the destroyed archway where his clones had been sucked into an event horizon. "Enjoyed. Doing. That. Did. You?"
Vilgax's fingers dug into the stone. He pushed himself upright, pain and pride twisting together into something uglier.
"More than you can imagine."
Echo Echo slapped the Omnitrix dial and, in a flash of green, was replaced by a tall humanoid whose face and arms were aquamarine crystal while the rest of his body was indigo rock. Six crystal shards protruded from his back, with two smaller ones on his chest. The Omnitrix badge was positioned on his chest.
"Diamondhead!" He shouted in a deep, confident voice. Shifting both hands into jagged points, the Petrosapien rushed forward.
Vilgax snatched his sword, and the blue glow surged back along the blade.
As Diamondhead sprang forward with his blades reared back, Vilgax blocked him with his sword. The force sent Diamondhead backward; he landed in a crouch.
The warlord charged with his glowing sword reared back, striking at the Petrosapien, who managed to raise his crystal arms and block it. Vilgax pushed forward, the power in the blade increasing, Diamondhead's feet carving grooves in the ground.
Narrowing his eyes, Diamondhead put all his strength into his arms and broke the lock, forcing Vilgax to stagger back a few steps.
The teen hero took the opening.
First, he summoned crystals beneath Vilgax's feet to trap him. Then, two chunks of crystal sprouted from either side of the warlord. The Petrosapien clapped his hands together, causing the crystal chunks to slam into each other, trapping the intergalactic warlord inside.
Diamondhead lowered his hands, waiting to see if his trap would hold.
It did not.
To his surprise, the crystal chunk cracked and split.
"Enough of this!" Vilgax shouted within the crystal; the glow of his blue eyes intensifying.
With a burst of strength, the crystal shattered as Vilgax launched toward him.
Diamondhead and Vilgax traded slashes, the former shaping his forearms into gleaming crystal blades while the latter met him with alien steel. Their strikes rang out across the plaza in sharp, metallic shrieks, sparks and crystal dust bursting with every clash. Diamondhead pressed in with quick, chopping cuts and wide, cleaving swings, but Vilgax's footwork was brutal and efficient with small pivots, tight counters, each parry turning into a threat.
In short time, Vilgax found Diamondhead's rhythm and broke it. He feinted high, then drove his sword through the opening with a vicious horizontal cut. The blade tore across Diamondhead's torso in a shower of bright shards, and the impact sent him flying.
Once again, the Omnitrix chimed and turned blue, cobalt sparks snapping off the dial.
A fair distance away, Diamondhead hit the ground on his back. He shook his head, grit scraping against crystal, then pushed himself up, inwardly surprised at how easily Vilgax was handling him. Still, he charged forward to engage in round two.
They crossed blades again. Diamondhead tried to overwhelm him with sheer volume: a rapid series of slashes that left pale streaks in the air. Vilgax absorbed it, his glowing sword moving like a metronome, catching each strike with minimal motion before slipping inside his opponent's guard. Every time the Petrosapien tried to reset, the warlord crowded him, forcing him to defend while stepping backward over broken stone.
"At one point, Diamondhead was able to defeat me in a Conqueror's Challenge." Vilgax drove forward with a heavy downward chop that made Diamondhead's arms shudder from the force, then followed with a brutal kick to the midsection that sent his crystalline opponent tumbling across the ground. "But now I have become more powerful than any of your pitiful transformations!"
Diamondhead grunted as he returned to his feet, unaware that the Omnitrix dial was now blue and sparking. "Bold claim. But I know a guy who has and can beat you. Way Big!" He went to slap the dial; instead, it chimed and green light consumed him.
After the flash, Ben had returned to human form. "What?" He looked at the Omnitrix, which was blinking between blue and green while sparking.
Beep. Beep.
Finally, the faceplate settled on green. "UNCATALOGUED DNA SAMPLE ACQUIRED." The Omnitrix reported with a synthesized, feminine voice. The green holo-ring appeared, but was only displaying one head icon: a new one that Ben hadn't seen before. "FULMINI DNA NOW ACCESSIBLE IN ACTIVE PLAYLIST."
Confused, Ben tapped the faceplate to scroll a few times, but only one head icon appeared. "Where'd my aliens go?" With a sigh, he tapped the icon, and the faceplate slid back as the core popped up. "Alright Omnitrix, you want this new guy, you got him!"
He slapped down the dial, and emerald light consumed Ben's body as he underwent a drastic transformation.
When the flash faded, a humanoid figure stood in his place, mainly comprised of blue, electric energy. His arms were massive, stretching down to his feet. His head, arms, chest, shoulders, and legs were rock-like. Four energy spikes protruded from openings on both shoulder plates. A moss-like substance clung around his neck and shoulders. The Omnitrix dial was positioned on his chest.
"Shock Rock!" He exclaimed with a bright grin. He couldn't help but laugh as a strange surge of power coursed through him. This power… This rush… Kinda reminds me of Feedback.
"Impossible!" Vilgax yelled.
"Not really. Just the universe giving you its annual reality check." Shock Rock countered.
Narrowing his eyes, Vilgax rushed forward at incredible speed.
Shock Rock was undeterred. Focusing on his abilities, he materialized two large energy swords in his hands that were reminiscent of Rex Salazar's blades.
He crossed with Vilgax's sword to block it; much to the warlord's surprise.
"Yeah, I learned a few things from an old friend." Shock Rock grinned cockily.
Vilgax pressed in immediately, trying to overwhelm him with brute force and reach. Alien steel enhanced with Fulmini energy met pure crackling Fulmini energy with a shriek that rang across the plaza. Vilgax swung in a brutal diagonal meant to split Shock Rock from shoulder to hip, but Shock Rock slid a half-step, caught it on the flat of one glowing blade, and rolled his wrists to redirect the strike.
Vilgax's follow-up came faster, a horizontal sweep aimed at Shock Rock's torso.
Shock Rock pivoted, his feet barely seeming to touch the ground, and brought both energy swords up in an X to catch the blade. The impact kicked up sand, but Shock Rock didn't give an inch. Instead, he shoved back, forcing Vilgax's sword wide, then snapped one energy blade down in a clean, punishing arc.
Vilgax's eyes flashed.
A blue shield deployed in a flare between them, taking the swipe with a booming crack that vibrated through the ancient stone beneath their feet. The barrier held, but it was still a forced defense. Vilgax hadn't expected to be on the back foot so quickly.
Shock Rock clicked his tongue like he was bored already.
With a casual flick, he tossed both energy swords aside. They dispersed into sparks before they even hit the ground. Rolling his shoulders, he stepped in.
The first punch sank into Vilgax's gut with a heavy, concussive thud.
Vilgax's body folded forward, a sharp grunt forced from him as the blow dug through armor and breath alike. Shock Rock didn't let him recover.
He drove a haymaker into Vilgax's head.
Then another into the side of his face.
Vilgax staggered, boots scraping a jagged line into the ground. Shock Rock's third punch came with everything behind it. A full-body torque, a snap of speed, and a crackle of blue energy that crawled up his forearm.
It landed squarely in Vilgax's face.
The warlord went airborne, thrown backward like a cannon-shot. His sword tore free from his grip, clanging on the ground ahead of Shock Rock.
Vilgax twisted midair, fury and shock mixing in his expression even as he recovered enough to retaliate. Blue energy flared from his left hand in a rapid salvo. Thin lances that shot through the air toward Shock Rock like harpoons.
Shock Rock's green eyes narrowed.
In one smooth motion, he kicked Vilgax's fallen sword up off the ground and into his grasp.
He swept it forward.
The blade—now powered by his own energy—caught the incoming lances one after another, batting them aside with clean, efficient strikes. One parry was sharper than the rest; Shock Rock angled it just right, turning the lance back on its source.
The redirected bolt screamed across the gap and pierced Vilgax's right shoulder.
Vilgax hit the ground with a heavy impact, sliding, then catching himself on one knee. His teeth bared as a growl tore out of him, pain flashing hot through his blue eyes.
Then his gaze snapped up and widened.
Shock Rock spun in place, Fulmini power spiraling around him like a storm. A new long blade formed in his right hand, bright and sparking, humming with caged violence. He vanished in a blur.
Vilgax barely had time to lift his arm.
Shock Rock reappeared in front of him for a fraction of a second and delivered a slash across Vilgax's torso, an arcing cut of pure energy that snapped the air and left a sizzling trail in its wake.
Shock Rock was already gone again.
He reappeared behind Vilgax.
Vilgax convulsed as cobalt electricity arched around him like a thunderstorm, locking him up with a brutal jolt. His breath punched out in a ragged sound as the current bit deep.
Shock Rock glanced over his shoulder, then shifted his stance and charged back in.
Another slash.
Then another.
His speed climbed higher; much faster than one his size. He zigged and zagged around Vilgax in tight, violent angles, delivering a flurry of empowered strikes and slicing arcs that forced the warlord to twist, block, and stumble. Always a half-second late.
Vilgax's shield deployed in time to catch one slash, then a second, but the third clipped his side and sent another burst of electricity skittering across him. His boots dug furrows in stone as he was driven backward, each step heavier than the last.
Shock Rock dispelled the blade in a spray of sparks.
He crouched low, energy gathering in his legs until the ground beneath him began to crack.
Then he launched.
The plaza fractured under the force as Shock Rock rocketed forward and threw a left hook. Vilgax barely managed to block, forearm braced, shield flickering in and out under the punishment. The impact rattled Vilgax's entire frame and made the ruins behind him shudder from the shockwave.
Shock Rock didn't pause.
He lifted both hands, and the Fulmini energy obeyed.
A battle axe formed in his left hand while a scythe unfurled in his right. He alternated between slashing and hurling the weapons, each throw snapping through the air like a lightning bolt with intent.
Vilgax swatted the axe aside with his shield, then ducked a scythe sweep that shaved sparks off his shoulder plate. Shock Rock's next throw came faster. The scythe spun end over end straight at Vilgax's head.
Vilgax caught it by the shaft.
His fist closed around it, crushing down.
The bluish-white energy construct buckled, then shattered, but it didn't disperse harmlessly. The power bled into Vilgax's grip like a liquid current, drawn inward as he absorbed it. His eyes flared bright blue again, and the air around him vibrated with a sudden, ugly intensity.
Vilgax's left hand opened, forming a ball of blue energy that swelled rapidly.
He fired.
A powerful beam erupted forward, wide enough to swallow Shock Rock's entire silhouette. It roared across the plaza and slammed into him head-on.
Shock Rock crossed his arms and planted his feet.
The beam struck, enveloping him in blinding blue-white light. Sand blasted away from his stance in a spreading circle, and fragments of stone lifted and skittered across the ground under the force.
Shock Rock gritted his teeth, then his eyes widened as his body reacted on instinct.
He began to absorb the energy.
It poured into him, feeding him, flooding his chest and shoulders and arms until yellow electricity started sparking off him in jagged arcs. His outline grew brighter, almost unstable.
Vilgax's beam stopped.
Shock Rock remained standing, unharmed… but buzzing like a power grid about to overload.
"Whoa! Too much power!" He shouted, eyes widening.
Vilgax stared, dumbfounded.
Shock Rock lowered his arms slowly, crackling energy snapping off his shoulders and fingertips. His breathing hitched once, then steadied as he fought to contain the surge inside him.
"Here goes nothing." Shock Rock formed a glowing, sparking ball of cobalt energy between his hands; it swelled and became brighter and denser until it looked like a star trying to be born between his palms.
"It's Hero Time!" He thrust his hands forward, firing an even larger energy beam that cut through the ground.
The blast tore a gouge through the plaza as it surged toward Vilgax, ripping up rock and sand in a violent wake. Vilgax didn't flinch. He held out his left hand, palm forward.
The Fulmini armor on his arm glowed.
The beam hit his hand and began to funnel inward as he absorbed it, forcing it into submission. At first, Vilgax looked almost pleased, teeth pulling into a hard smirk as he resisted against the oncoming power.
Then the stone armor on his arm began to buckle.
Hairline cracks spiderwebbed across it, glowing at the seams. The Fulmini plating trembled, fragments flaking away as the strain increased. Vilgax's expression shifted. Not to fear, but to realization.
He was being overpowered.
He grunted, digging in, trying to force the energy down, but the beam only intensified. The cracks widened. Plates popped loose and crumbled, falling away in smoking chunks.
Finally, the armor couldn't handle the strain.
It disintegrated.
Vilgax's attempt to absorb collapsed in an instant, and the beam slammed into him full force. He yelled out as he went flying back, crashing into a large stone pillar. He yelled out in pain as the blue-white power enveloped him, blinding him from view.
Shock Rock held the blast a moment longer, jaw set, electricity snarling around his arms as he forced the output through.
Then, after a long moment, he cut it off.
The sudden silence that followed felt louder than the beam itself.
Smoke curled from the shattered column. Dust drifted down like gray snow. In the cratered ground, scraps of debris faded to dull stone.
Vilgax rested against the deep indent in the pillar with a stunned expression, his eyes shifting back to red. The charred remains of the Fulmini Scepter, now just a useless chunk of blackened stone armor, detached from his arm and dropped with a heavy thud. The Shield of Seagle followed, clattering across the ground. Then the Ruby Ray of Rouleau, reduced to a scorched bracelet-like husk, fell and rolled to a stop.
Vilgax's breathing was harsh as he pushed himself forward.
He finally fell to the ground, landing on his hands and knees. He looked up in shock to see Shock Rock standing over him. "It's over, Vilgax."
Vilgax's head jerked down toward his arms as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "My armor?! You destroyed the scepter! And my battle gear?!"
Shock Rock leaned slightly, as if to get a better look at how pathetic the moment was. "Oh go cry me a river." He mocked.
Vilgax's red eyes narrowed, fury trying to claw its way back through the pain. "You may have defeated me today… But make no mistake, I will have my vengeance upon you."
A white flash consumed him.
One blink and he was gone, teleported away, presumably to his ship, leaving only scorched stone and the charred remains of his former weapons.
Shock Rock stood there for a beat, electricity still dancing along his arms.
The Omnitrix beeped three times and flashed green. In an emerald flash, Shock Rock was replaced by Ben. He let out a long breath he didn't know he had been holding. Looks like I win again. He glanced down at the white wristwatch. You drive me crazy sometimes, but you always come through.
The device responded by pinging several times.
A transmission.
Ben tapped the faceplate to answer. "Hey Gwen… Vilgax's forces are leaving the planet? … Not surprised… Hey, you and Kevin wanna go on a double date with Julie and me to Mr. Smoothy's before you leave for college? I'm buying… Awesome! I'll meet you back at Rustbucket 3."
He ended the call with a quick tap.
Then he glanced back over his shoulder.
The stone archway was… not an archway anymore. What had once been a towering ring of quartz-like stone carved with incomprehensible sigils was now crumbled pieces of stone.
His shoulders dipped. "Hope those Echo Echo clones didn't suffer. Sorry guys." He said solemnly.
Turning away, he reactivated the Omnitrix to search for a flyer. The sooner they can return home, the sooner he can get his victory smoothie.