Guys, we’ve reached 78th!!!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!!!
***
The iconic green and black striped car of the Ben Team weaved through the roads of Apex City.
Kevin, who was currently driving, turned to Ben, who wore a serious expression.
“Hey, what’s with the urgent call?” Kevin asked.
“I was about to land an awesome deal on that Flaxan tech!”
“Keep on selling, and you’ll be responsible for the death of many,” Ben answered seriously.
“The Plumbers just reported an absurdly strong criminal was last detected on Earth, precisely downtown.”
Gwen’s and Kevin’s expressions became serious.
Leaning forward, she asked Ben, “Who’s this criminal?”
Ben’s eyes flashed with seriousness as he spat out two words gravely, “Battle Beast…”
***
At the highest floor of Machine Head’s tower.
“Murder!” A man wearing a white suit with a machine for a head slammed the table with his fist and pointed at the new Guardians of the Globe with both hands.
“These! Assholes!”
The hired villains and the new Guardians of the Globe screamed as they dashed towards each other, but just as they were ten meters away—
Bang!
Shatter!
The windows shattered, and a figure flew inside, landing between the two groups, a small dust cloud obscuring their figure.
“Something’s wrong!” The Machine Head man screamed, his voice sounding like high-pitched music as he stared at the obscured figure, but heroes and villains alike ignored him, staring at the dust cloud.
When the dust cloud dissipated, the figure was finally revealed—Superboy.
His eyes glowing red, he released a laser at the short villain with pink ribbons coming out of his stomach, hot enough to hurt but not to kill.
Boom!
The man was sent flying, smashing into the wall and sliding down to the floor weakly.
Superboy turned to the Guardians of the Globe and flashed a smile.
“Hope I’m not late?”
“Watch out!” Shrinking Rae shouted as she watched a massive tin-can robot fire waves of flames at Superboy, but Superboy had already sensed it.
Vanishing, he appeared behind the tin can—Furnace—and punched through its chest, his fist emerging from the other side.
Then he violently threw Furnace at a window, which broke, and he plummeted from the sky.
Just as he looked at him, the lion-man also stared.
Boom!
As if the two had some tacit understanding, they shot forward at the same time, the tiles below their feet turning into dust.
Boom!
Fist met mace, and for the first time since he became a hero, Superboy slid back, his feet leaving two long black marks, the same as Battle Beast.
“You guys take care of the remaining villains,” Superboy said, his eyes glued on Battle Beast.
“I’ll take care of this one.”
Before the Guardians of the Globe could react, he attacked, moving so fast he left a blur, and gripped the wide waist of Battle Beast.
The two shattered the glass and fell to the ground.
While mid-air, Superboy let go of him and used his feet to stomp on him, both caving his chest in and accelerating his fall.
Battle Beast streaked down like a falling meteor onto the asphalt road.
Boom!
A dust cloud exploded upwards, and Superboy descended within it swiftly.
Bam!
Fist met mace again, and Superboy flew back warily, staring at the tiger-man.
Battle Beast, not injured in the slightest, stared at Superboy with bloodlust.
“At long last… this wretched planet yields a worthy warrior!” he said with a wide grin.
“Come, let us paint this ground with our glory!”
Superboy fired a searing red laser, but Battle Beast raised his mace, defending against the attack, though he was slowly being pushed back.
The laser stopped, and with an explosive shockwave, Superboy vanished, appearing behind Battle Beast and punching forward.
Bang!
Battle Beast placed his mace behind his back, blocking the attack.
Then he turned and smashed it at Superboy, who blocked it at the last minute.
Boom!
He was sent flying, and Battle Beast followed.
Swinging his mace, he jumped and descended, bringing the raised mace down.
Boom!
Visible shockwaves spread from the place he struck.
A massive crater was embedded in the floor, and little cracks spread through the asphalt road. This story is hosted at g.com.
Superboy appeared in the sky with red glowing eyes, but just as he was about to laser Battle Beast, he sensed an approaching car and, with a frown, fired the laser at the asphalt road, carving a line, causing the green and black striped car to screech to a halt.
“Hey! What’s with targeting your allies?!” Kevin screamed as he stepped out of the car, glaring at Superboy.
“Don’t interrupt my fight,” Superboy said coldly, but his thoughts were different from his words.
‘I don’t want you to die.’
“Good!” Battle Beast’s smile widened.
“Insects have no place interrupting a clash of true warriors! Now come, champion—one of us shall fall this day!”
Superboy descended, appearing in front of Battle Beast in an instant, and he punched his face.
Although a mouthful of blood burst from his mouth, Battle Beast’s grin still stayed in place as his mace descended on the unprepared Superboy.
Superboy staggered back, and Battle Beast followed with his attack.
A mace strike to Superboy’s chest caused him to double over, then a mace strike to his cheek!
Boom!
Superboy flew through the air, smashing through buildings.
“We’ve got to help!” Ben shouted as he twisted his Omnitrix multiple times, then slammed his palm on it.
With a flash of green, he changed.
“Rath!” Ben said in a deep voice, now changed into a massive tiger-man with a single claw at the back of his hand.
“Listen up, lion-man! Rath is gonna force your mace up your throat!”
“Interesting!” Battle Beast turned to Rath, his eyes gleaming with interest.
“Come at me!”
“Raaah!!” Rath let out a roar as he dashed towards Battle Beast.
Boom!
The intense battle he expected didn’t happen.
With one strike of his mace, Rath was sent flying back faster than he came, crashing and rolling on the ground.
With a flash of red, he turned back into a groaning Ben.
“You spoke with the fury of a warrior, yet your flesh is as fragile as glass,” Battle Beast stared at the groaning Ben in disgust and contempt.
“This battle is beneath me. I shall not stain my blade with the blood of—”
Battle Beast didn’t finish his words as he placed his mace in front of his head, blocking a laser which sent him skidding back.
Superboy slowly ascended into the sky and stared at Battle Beast, eyes glowing fiery red.
“Our battle isn’t over.”
***
Hehe, just one Power Stone to reach 77th, guys.
You know what to do, right?…
hehe.