"Is this the Prime Universe? It doesn't look that special... I wonder what would happen if I killed my version here."
Charmcaster stepped out of the portal alongside Kaito, Lala, and Gwen, glancing around curiously.
"Focus on keeping watch over the previous universe and don't do anything stupid. Let me know when it's time," said Kaito firmly.
"You do realize the conditions you specified are ridiculously precise, right? I doubt such a coincidence will ever happen."
"That's fine, I'm feeling lucky." Kaito smiled as he opened his status menu.
Ever since he broke the seals of the Carnitrix Universe, the system had started working again. When he checked his stats, two things surprised him: his speed had increased by ten percent compared to before, and right below his level, a new line appeared.
[Special Status]: Luck increased by 5000% (this effect lasts until leaving the current mission world).
"Perfect. We have a few hours at most to collect everything we need from this universe. First, we'll head to the Plumber base and look for important locations."
With that, the group went to a plumbing shop in Bellwood. They entered the bathroom, flushed the toilet, and descended through a hidden elevator that led them to an underground base.
"What a ridiculously unsafe system," commented Lala, staring at the technology.
"It's not unsafe. I assume you're friends of my granddaughter... though that could change," said a familiar voice.
Max was waiting for them at the end of the hallway.
"Grandpa, don't worry, they're my friends," Gwen said quickly. "I know I shouldn't bring them, but this is important."
Max studied her suspiciously, trying to make sure it was really her.
"Back to your old look, Gwen?" he asked doubtfully.
For a second, confusion flashed across her face, but she quickly masked it with a casual smile.
"Just for a bit, you know, a change of pace," she said with a grin. "Anyway, this is urgent, so I have to go."
She walked past him, and the group continued down the corridor, pretending, or rather revealing, that they were in a hurry to avoid further questions.
As soon as they were gone, a Plumber with the appearance of an anthropomorphic fish, much like Ben's Water Hazard form, approached Max.
"They're suspicious, Max. Why did you let them go?"
"It's really Gwen. The DNA recognition system confirmed it. And I don't think anyone could control her... still, keep an eye on them. I want to know what they're up to," replied Max as he watched the group head toward the main computers.
Meanwhile, Kaito stood before one of the consoles. Plumber bases granted access to all kinds of data, though clearance levels depended on rank.
"Got it?" Kaito asked.
"Of course," said Lala with a confident smile. "The Max from the other universe already gave us full access through a Plumber badge. I checked the ones here, they're almost identical. It'll take me just a few seconds to bypass the system."
She explained it mostly to show off, and indeed, within a minute they had total access to the database.
After confirming several locations, just to ensure they matched the ones from the other universe, the group left the base quickly without drawing attention.
Outside, Gwen let out a relieved sigh.
"So... most of those locations are off-world. How are we supposed to get there? Can you even breathe in space?"
Kaito thought for a moment. They could use the Plumber ships, but those weren't exactly fast, they were patrol ships, not war cruisers. If they wanted something faster, they'd need the technology of a conquering civilization. But where could they find something like that?
As they left the area, Kaito was still pondering the problem. With few ideas and even less time, he decided to go with the Plumber ships anyway.
That plan never took shape. A sudden sense of danger made him raise a black barrier around the group, just in time to block a massive laser blast from the sky. More shots followed, shaking the ground.
The heavens lit up with futuristic warships. The roar of engines and the screeching of Tokustar creatures filled the air as hundreds were deployed across the planet.
A female voice echoed through the atmosphere.
"Terrans, you have the honor of being conquered by the grand Incursean Empire."
"This is..." muttered Gwen, shocked.
"...our ride," finished Kaito with a grin.
He turned to Charmcaster. "How much time do we have?"
"The squid-head is still just watching the fight, hasn't moved," she replied.
Kaito analyzed the situation. He didn't know how long until Vilgax activated the Chronosapien bomb, but with his luck maxed out, why not take the risk?
"Forget the ones on Earth, we're going straight for the ones in orbit."
With that, he unfolded his demonic wings and shot into the sky.
The air cracked around him with a deafening boom as he sped toward the largest ship.
"Ben Tennyson, wielder of the Omnitrix, cease your resistance!" blared a voice over the ship's speakers.
"They mistook me for Ben?" Kaito chuckled to himself. He was moving so fast that no one could see him clearly; to them, he probably looked like the same reckless hero as always.
Naturally, he ignored the warning.
He tore through the ship's walls without slowing down. Appearing in the middle of a corridor, he was quickly surrounded by Incursean soldiers. He didn't bother with them, just knocked them out one by one as he advanced.
After a few minutes of searching through the maze-like halls, though in real time it had been less than two seconds, he arrived at the throne room. There sat Emperor Milleous on a smooth golden throne, with his daughter Attea beside him and several elite guards standing by.
"Emperor Milleous, I presume?" said Kaito.
The emperor didn't answer. Instead, he slowly raised a hand and pointed forward. Obeying his signal, the guards leapt in different directions, firing from all angles with the agility characteristic of their species.
Kaito took them down effortlessly and advanced toward the throne.
"Let's finish this quickly, I'm in a hurry."
Milleous showed no fear, only a mocking tone.
"You have no idea what you're doing. Killing me won't solve anything. Even if you defeat my army, I brought specially mutated Tokustars for this invasion."
"Mutated?" Kaito smirked. "You know the Omnitrix has a DNA repair function, right? When they return to normal and remember what you did to them, what do you think they'll do?"
Fear flashed across the emperor's face, though he quickly tried to hide it.
"I have a plan for Tennyson. He won't be able to use that function."
"Fine, let's say Ben doesn't fix anything. The Plumbers alone are already a serious threat. Long before the Omnitrix appeared, they fought and won against countless dangers. And when they couldn't... do you know what Plumbers do with threats that are too dangerous?"
Milleous' expression darkened.
"They send them into the Void... No, that can't be... how did I not consider that? Was this invasion never meant to succeed? I thought we had the perfect plan."
Kaito shrugged. "Maybe your strategist wasn't as reliable as you thought."
The emperor frowned. "Impossible. The plan was personally supervised by my daughter..."
He froze the moment he realized what he had just said.
A soft laugh echoed beside him.
"Haha, even I didn't expect it to end like this," said Attea, smiling.
Milleous understood everything instantly. His voice carried disappointment, sadness, betrayal, and yet, a hint of pride.
"Why did you betray me, my daughter?"
"Why?" she replied indifferently. "You know how long Incurseans live. I'm not waiting centuries for you to die so I can become Empress."
"And you think an army will follow a traitor?"
"Of course. No one will call me that to begin with… because no one will know," Attea laughed. "Besides, even if I hadn't made a plan, I doubt you could win against that thing." Her gaze shifted toward Kaito. "So in the end, my betrayal didn't change anything."
"Sorry, but I'm in a hurry," interrupted Kaito. "Save your family drama for later."
In a blink, he was behind the emperor. He struck Milleous' thick neck, then again, since his first blow had only bounced off awkwardly. The second hit did the job.
He turned to Attea. "Negotiate your peace or whatever later. Now tell me, which ship is the fastest one you've got, where is it, and what do I need to use it?"
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+15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon.com/IAMME26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)