Max followed after the screeching parrot in the RV.
"What!? No way they managed to find the damn bird!" Bakugo said in disbelief.
"I'm honestly amazed they can actually keep up with it. That RV looks like kind of a wreck." Asui said with her usual bluntness.
"If I had to guess, the increase to its size and mass likely reduced its flying speed. Cockatiels could already only fly around 49 kilometers per hour, so it should be able to keep up easily enough. Especially since the streets seem to be empty." Yaoyorozu pointed out.
"So, as long as he continues to fly over the roars instead of cutting over buildings and such, the Tennysons can follow. Good. Then let's hope they stop this creep." Koda said in a surprisingly serious tone.
"Ah, just like the good old days- before I retired." Max reminisced.
"So, exactly, what kind of plumber were you, Grandpa?" Gwen questioned.
"Er- yuh- a darn good one!" Max quickly deflected the question.
Several of the sharper audience members found this suspicious. "Okay, there's DEFINITELY something up with old grandpa there." Jiro said suspiciously.
"What do you mean?" Kaminari asked.
"First off, if he was a plumber, why would he be nostalgic about chasing ANYTHING, let alone giant monsters like that bird?" Aizawa questioned.
"Not to mention, he dodged young Gwen's question. You usually only do that when you don't want to give the real answer to the question." All Might elaborated, having plenty of experience dodging any questions remotely related to One For All.
"So, Max is definitely hiding something. But just WHAT is it?" Midoriya pondered.
He then noticed Ben in the passenger seat. "Uh, Ben, what's the matter?" He asked.
"I save an entire Megamart from being a giant hamster's chew toy and what do I get? Nothing. It's not fair..." Ben complained.
"Ben! You should be happy you were able to protect innocent lives and save the store! That good deed should be reward enough." Midnight scolded the boy.
"Yeah, what you said, Nemuri! Being a hero isn't about getting fancy things, it's all about helping people that can't help themselves and getting those good karma vibes!" Present Mic agreed.
Some of them could've sworn they heard a record scratch as the hosts looked at each other. "Did THEY seriously just say that?" Anemone asked.
"Boy, ain't no fuckin' way, boy." Maverick said, shaking his head. [1]
"Being a hero isn't about others knowing you did something good, it's about YOU knowing you did something good. Being a hero is its own reward." Max told his grandson sagely.
"Wise words, Max Tennyson. I think that's an ideal any hero could aspire towards." All Might said with a smile.
"Wow, they're really serious. No sarcasm or irony or nothing." Maverick said in disbelief at the heroes' lack of realization.
"Agreed. Okay, stop." Anemone said, the screen briefly pausing. "Teachers. Heroes. You don't see ANYTHING wrong with what you just said?" She questioned, the heroes looking at her in confusion.
She sighed at this. "The ONLY difference between you all and Ben in that moment was that Ben planned to be direct about what he wanted. He saw those cards and was going to ask for it, after he was offered ANYTHING HE WANTED. Meanwhile, all of you act like you are heroes, doing your work for PURELY altruistic reasons, yet you get rewarded more than Ben could ever dream of. Ignoring the fact you are paid for your hero work, which is fair enough, you're providing a VITAL civil service, but it's more like your side-hustle if anything. Because, with the exception of Aizawa, all of you have deals that could make you richer than most celebrities: Midnight endorses and sells all manner of perfume and Present Mic obviously has his radio show that made all of Japan know his voice. And, of course, All Might is the UNDISPUTED king of hero merch. And all of that has made you more well-known that the thing that got you those jobs in the first place, being heroes and saving lives." The cobra woman pointed out.
This heroes were surprised by this outburst, but after thinking about it, they realized the words of their hostess were the truth. Of course, they were heroes to save lives, but they still got VERY wealthy from the activities associated with being a hero, rather than being a hero itself. And it also resonated with a small handful of the students as well, like Mineta being a hero, or Bakugo wanting to be famous.
Or, of course, Ochako wanting to make money. "Is our reasons for being heroes really that wrong? That even a ten-year-old is more of a hero than us?" She asked, shedding a few tears.
But then, she felt someone gently hold her chin and lift it up to face them. It was Anemone. "Now, now, Ochako. I didn't say your reasons were wrong. I just want you to remember what's truly important. Protecting people and saving lives. Actually being a hero. Not the rewards that come with it. Because, as Max just said, being a hero is it's own reward." The cobra woman told her, before slithering back to her spot. [1]
"What? Were you reading the greeting cards at the Megamart?" Ben questioned.
"Well, yes." Max admitted.
This got a few laughs out of the students. "At least he's willing to admit it." Hagakure said.
"You'd be surprised at how you can find wisdom in the most unlikeliest of places. Even I've gotten some pretty deep fortunes from fortune cookies." Sato said.
Gwen was on her laptop, researching the villain they were facing and gasped at her laptop. "Bingo! Five years ago, Dr. Animo was a promising researcher in veterinary science. But it turned out he was doing all these twisted genetic experiments where he was mutating animals. And when he didn't win some big prize called 'The Verities Award', he flipped out." She explained as she showed them Animo's info. "Anything about this sound familiar, Ben?" She asked her cousin smugly. Ben angrily looked out the window.
"Oh, come on. Are we STILL on that? This guy is butthurt because he lost a rewards everyone decided someone else EARNED, because he was doing messed up stuff to animals. Ben's been saving people lives and just wants a shiny trading card!" Mineta complained.
"It IS feeling like they're blowing this out of proportion." Aoyama agreed.
"But, it's a good comparison, as Ben is obsessed with the card like how Animo is obsessed with that award. Animo is at the extremes of his obsession and Ben could easily become just as obsessed if he doesn't take things seriously and realize he's going too far for a simple piece of cardboard." Aizawa said.
"Well said, sensei. We've already seen him ransack the cereal isle in pursuit of the card, as well as abuse his power to receive gifts from grateful civilians. So he's honestly not far from Animo now, honestly." Iida agreed with the teacher.
Max watched the parrot disappear by flying between some buildings. "We've lost him. He could be going anywhere in Washington D.C." Max said in irritation.
"Or 'Washington B.C.'..." Gwen said, remembering Animo's earlier words.
Ben gasped at this. "That's it! I know where he's going! The Natural History Museum!" The boy declared.
"A museum? Why would he want to go see some old, boring junk?" Ashido questioned.
"Have you ever heard the saying 'one man's trash is another man's treasure', Ashido?" Iida questioned.
"But, to answer your question, Ashido. Inside the natural history museum are the skeletons of several dinosaurs. Some of them being among the most complete specimens ever discovered." Anemone explained.
"Wait, then... No..." Yaoyorozu began to ponder, before a horrifying thought crossed her mind.
"What is it, Yaomomo?" Jiro asked, holding her girlfriend's hand as she saw her starting to panic.
"DNA persists in bone much longer than in soft tissue, as bone has protection against DNA degradation. So, it's possible he could get samples of dinosaur DNA from the bones." Yaoyorozu began.
"Ooh, kind of like Jurassic Park! But with bones instead of mosquitoes stuck in sap!" Kaminari said, before getting jabbed by Jiro's earphone jacks for interrupting Yaoyorozu. [2]
The vice-representative sighed, before continuing. "And if he got these samples, he could potentially mix them into his transmodulator to actually turn creatures into dinosaurs." She pointed out.
"Ooh, SO close. And yet, still more believable than what REALLY happened." Maverick said quietly to Anemone, who nodded.
They parked in front of the museum. And as they walked towards the entrance, Ben found a giant feather. "Something tells me we're on the right track. Good thinking, Ben!" Max praised his grandson.
"Alright, Ben! Good job!" Uraraka cheered.
"Tch. It's not like the whackjob didn't leave him enough dinosaur hints." Bakugo scoffed.
"Oh, if I had a nickel for any time a villain foiled themselves by monologuing. That wealth could honestly contend with my merch sales." All Might sighed.
"Guess even a doofus can surprise you once in a while." Gwen gave her cousin a backhanded compliment.
"And you should know!" Ben shot back.
Many students groaned at the kids' bickering. "Oh, come on! Can you at least give it a break when you're fighting villains!?" Ojiro complained.
"Even Midoriya and Bakugo aren't this bad." Asui said in a deadpanned expression.
"Again, this is why dragging CHILDREN to villain fights is a bad idea." Aizawa groaned.
While walking inside, Ben found a box labeled "M Mart Electronics". In front of them, next to a mammoth exhibit, was Dr. Animo, fiddling with his machine. He stopped and realized they were there. "You - are very persistent. I HATE persistent." Animo said angrily.
"Then he'd hate us! Am I right, guys?" Kirishima declared.
"Right. We'd never let a villain get away with these crimes!" Midoriya said.
"Especially one doing something so cruel to these precious animals!" Koda declared resolutely.
"We all know about you and your 'freakazoid' experiments, Dr. Animo! It's over!" Ben declared.
"Oh, but it's only just begun...! See, I only needed a few components to push my work into phase two: the reanimation of dormant cells." Animo explained.
"WHAT?!" The teachers and the top 5 students in the class exclaimed. [3]
"Th-th-that's impossible! Cell reanimation is possible with modern sciences, true, but only within an extremely limited time frame! No more than an hour! So certainly it would be impossible after millions of years!" Yaoyorozu exclaimed.
"Not to mention there's no longer any organs to circulate blood through the body and give the cells the oxygen and nutrients they need to survive and continue to divide that would allow the body to function properly!" Midnight added.
"I'm sorry, but I'm quite confused. May you please explain what he is talking about?" Aoyama asked.
"He's planning to bring-" Todoroki began, before being interrupted.
"SPOILERS!" Both hosts shouted at once.
"Er, does this guy come with subtitles?" Ben asked in confusion.
"Breathing life back into that which has been long since lifeless. Observe!" Animo explained, before he turned the dial twice this time.
Now, everyone in the audience was caught up and they were equally as shocked at the smarties. "Wait, you're kidding! He's ACTUALLY gonna bring dinosaurs back to life from fossils?! No way! This isn't Pokemon, we don't have a fossil machine!" Kaminari said in disbelief.
"Well, they do now." Aizawa said in a tone filled with dread.
"Ben, if you're gonna do something, now's the time." Todoroki said, concerned for the entire Tennyson family.
His transmodulator shot beams into the mammoth, bringing it to life. It let out a trumpet as it stomped down from its pedestal.
"WHAT?!" They all demanded in disbelief.
"Okay, that's bullshit! Even if you buy the whole 'bringing dead things back to life' thing, that was a fake-ass replica! No way that was a real thing! How did it bring that to life?!" Bakugo demanded.
"That is... actually a good point, Bakugo. That display should be nothing more than foam and clay. It IS true that the natural history museum houses Lyuba, one the most preserved specimen of a mammoth mummy currently discovered, but it most certainly isn't THAT." Iida agreed.
"So there should be no organs to keep its body running and no bones, muscles and tendons to allow the body to move." Present Mic said.
"Behold the genius that is Dr. Animo!" The mad scientist declared, before he ran away.
"Now would be a really good time to go hero...?" Gwen suggested to her cousin.
"No duh. You guys get Animo, I'll take care of 'Jumbo'." Ben instructed as he slammed the watch down.
At first, the transformation seemed very similar to Wildmutt's, with the veins of Ben's arm swelling massively as they spread all the way to his eye, wish flashed and became orange. A rear view of Ben was then shown as he became much taller and INCREDIBLY muscular, before a second set of equally muscular arms burst out from under his first set, before the view of the boy spun around to reveal the face of a red-skinned alien with two sets of eyes. The alien then let out a roar of aggression as he took a battle pose and flexed his four powerful arms.
Everyone couldn't help but cringe as they saw Ben's muscles swell. Then, their jaws hit the floor when they saw a second pair of arms explode from his ribs. "Oh, god! Does Ben feel anything during these transformations?" Hagakure asked worriedly.
"Oh, no. The transformations are instant. And Ben has stated in the past transforming just feels like a good stretch. We just added this for some extra flare." Maverick explained.
"I think we could do without that flare, thanks." Mineta said nauseously.
Gwen and Max gasped at the sheer size and muscular bulk of this mighty alien.
Once they finally got the full view of the alien, everyone's reactions were similar to Max and Gwen's. "Whoa! This dude's a unit! He's almost as big and muscular as All Might!" Sato said in disbelief.
"But he's got two extra arms to even things out." Sero said in awe.
"It's almost like me." Shoji said in awe, looking down at his own arms.
"Even I must admit, I'm quite intrigued by this one." All Might said
Once again, one of Present Mic's cards shined with green light, await him to give the information. "Four Arms! A Tetramand! Hailing from a warrior race, he's SUPER strong, able to lift several times his own weight and can travel whole city blocks in a single bound. Their durability is also through the roof, due to their tough thorny skin. They're even totally immune to the cold and highly resistant to heat and fire!" Present Mic declared.
"This has to be the manliest alien of all time!" Kirishima said in amazement.
"Yeah! I can't wait to see what this guy can do! I bet he can throw awesome punches just like Midoriya!" Uraraka said, mimicking the punch the green-haired boy did to save her during the entrance exam.
However, not everyone was so thrilled at this alien. "I'm starting to feel like this universe has something against me specifically." Todoroki said, already feeling completely outclassed by Heatblast and now knowing he could do next to nothing against this alien.
"Let's wrestle." Four Arms declared, before he ran toward the mammoth, grabbing it by the tusks and tipping it to the ground.
"Heck yeah! Get him, Ben! You got this!" Ashido cheered.
"But don't forget. Animo's still out there. And there's no limit to what he can do with that device." Shoji said.
"And don't forget, he's still got the giant parrot with him. Maybe even that frog, too." Aizawa reminded them.
Max and Gwen ran out of the mammoth exhibit and after Animo, but came across the giant parrot. Gwen quickly looked around and plucked a spear from a caveman exhibit. She twirled the spear around and beat the parrot with it until it ran away.
"Oh, no!" The students all cried out when the grandfather and granddaughter encountered the giant bird.
"We knew it had to be here because of the feathers. But I still wish it wasn't." Midnight said in concern for the two.
However, that worry soon turned to amazement when Gwen used the spear like a staff to drive off the parrot. "Yeah! Alright, Gwen! Girl Power!" Ashido cheered.
"That was so awesome! Even without a Quirk, she could totally be a hero!" Hagakure cheered, no one noticing Bakugo's "Tch", though it was noticeably weaker than last time.
"Poor Cockatiel... It never wanted or asked for any of this. It was forced to be that way... I know you don't mean it, little friend." Koda sniffled.
"Ben's not the only one with skills." Gwen declared proudly as Max followed behind her, wide-eyed.
"So, we're definitely adding a martial arts class when we get back, right?" Present Mic asked, to which the other teachers nodded.
"Why are you letting your TEN YEAR OLD granddaughter do all the work, dude? Shouldn't YOU be the one driving the giant bird off with a spear?" Jiro questioned.
"To be fair, the man has retired. This likely means he's within his sixties. I'd say he's quite far past his prime." Iida defended the elderly man, not noticing the hosts trying to hold back their laughter.
As they entered a new room, they saw Animo, who smiled before shooting beams at a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton. Skin formed and wrapped around its bones and an eye lit up the previously bare socket. The T-Rex took a step and roars a mighty roar at the two Tennysons.
Once again, the audience found themselves in disbelief at what the device could do. "It... It really did it... It actually brought a dinosaur back to life." Yaoyorozu said in shock.
"A complete animal... from nothing more than a skeleton." Todoroki said in equal stunned disbelief.
They were silent for a few moments, before someone decided to speak up. "Okay, so, everything he's done is totally wrong and evil, but... am I the only one thinking he actually deserves that award?" Kaminari asked, causing everyone to look at him like HE was an alien. "I mean, come on! He made a machine that can make animals evolve by thousands of years and bring dinosaurs back to life! That has to count for something!" He admitted.
"His technology may be incredible, Young Kaminari, but it isn't JUST about your scientific advancements, it's about being worthy as well. Proper ethics and scientific conduct. Neither of which Dr. Animo has a single shred of." All Might said, with a growl towards the end.
The mammoth threw Four Arms into a wall, then proceeded to charge at him. Four Arms got to his feet, ran up to the mammoth and punched it in the trunk. The mammoth lifted Four Arms with its tusks and launched him high in the air, landing into a skeleton.
"He STILL hasn't taken that thing down yet?!" Bakugo demanded.
"I mean... It IS a giant mammoth. That would be a problem for anybody." Asui said.
"Still, Four Arms doesn't even seem hurt at all even after he got thrown into a bunch of walls. He might be tougher than All Might." Sero pointed out.
Four Arms groaned as he was upside-down. "You are going DOWN, 'Peanuts'!" He declared.
The mammoth charged at Four Arms as he got up. Four Arms grabbed a hold of its trunk and started spinning around. He spun so fast that the mammoth's legs no longer reached the ground. Eventually, he let go, letting it fly into a wall and knocking it out.
"Awesome! Way to go Four Arms!" Midoriya cheered.
"That's what I'm talking about! Like I said, that's gotta be the manliest alien ever!" Kirishima shouted happily.
"Amazing! A fully grown Mammuthus Primigenius, or Woolly Mammoth, was as much as six and a half tons! For him to lift it at all would be impressive, but to spin it around at speeds of a blur means he's generating countless times greater force than what is required to lift the mammoth!" Yaoyorozu said.
"More damage to the museum than what was necessary. That will be difficult to fix without someone with powers like Cementoss... But all in all, not bad. The kid did alright." Aizawa admitted.
"Incredible! Monsieur Four Arms is truly amazing!" Aoyama cheered as well.
However, this also left Four Arms very woozy. "Ohh, I think - I'm gonna hurl..." He groaned, holding his mouth shut.
A few members of the audience cringed at this. "Okay, perhaps not as amazing as I first believed." Aoyama said awkwardly.
"I mean, you try spinning around as fast as a blur and see how well you do." Ojiro pointed out.
"I feel your pain, Four Arms." Uraraka said sympathetically.
Dr. Animo fled on the back of the T. Rex, which almost hit Max and Gwen with its tail. "I'd love to stay, but I need to claim the award I so richly deserve." Animo declared.
"You don't deserve any kind of award! You deserve to spend the rest of your life in prison!" Koda snapped.
"Damn! He got away!" All Might cursed.
"Eh. It's no big deal. Four Arms will be right there in a minute to deal with him. No biggie." Mineta said nonchalantly.
"Well, unfortunately, young listener, it's never that easy." Present Mic told him.
Suddenly, the parrot swooped down towards them, causing Gwen to gasp. It then snatched her up in one of it's talons, causing her to scream as she was swept away.
"GWEN! NO!" The audience cried out.
"But why would it take her?! Animo never told it to!" Jiro said in shock and concern.
"The only thing I can think of... is that it wants a snack." Midnight said, worried for the young girl on the screen.
"Hurry, Ben! You've got to save her!" Ashido said urgently.
"Ben!" Max called urgently to his grandson.
Four Arms leapt over Max to chase after the parrot and Gwen. As he left, Max bent down, picking up a photograph.
"That's the same paper Animo had earlier, isn't it?" Sato asked.
"What could it be? The parts of the machine he needed earlier? But why is this important?" Shoji wondered.
"Ooh, maybe Max can figure out out to reverse engineer it somehow and turn its effects off!" Hagakure theorized.
"Or maybe it's something that could give an idea of where he's going?" Todoroki guessed.
"Hey, idiots! More important matters going on now!" Bakugo reminded them.
Four Arms grabbed a hold of the parrot. "No 'bye-bye' for you." He insisted. However, the feathers he held onto suddenly pluck and Four Arms fell to the ground while the bird flew away with Gwen.
"Oh, no! He fell!" Kaminari said worriedly.
"Yes. Unfortunately, feathers and hair that can be torn out of the body with relative ease are poor choices for handholds." Iida said in concern.
"It's okay. If he can take hits from a mammoth, he can survive the fall, right? Then he just has to chase after it again... Right?" Uraraka asked.
And just when it seems like things couldn't get worse, the watch started timing out as well.
"OH, COME ON!" All the students complained together.
"I'm starting to see what you meant when you said we'd hate that noise." Jiro said in a strange mixture of annoyance at the watch and concern for Ben himself.
"It can't change him back now. It just can't. He'd die." Midoriya said in horror, remembering the time he clung to All Might's leg. It was already terrifying to begin with, even more so when All Might actually tried to push him off in the air.
Though, luckily, Four Arms only reverted after impacting the ground. (Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at this, but said nothing.)
Ben climbed up out of the crater. "GWEN!" He cried out in horror, greatly concerned for his cousin.
"Well, at least he survived." Koda said in relief.
"But how is he going to track Ben down now?" Shoji asked nervously.
Max then quickly drove up in the Rust Bucket. "Somebody call for a taxi?" He offered.
"Alright, Max! Great timing!" Mineta said.
"It's definitely better than nothing, but they still have no idea where Animo is going. Or if that parrot is still with him." Aizawa pointed out.
"Well, he said he was after the reward. So, he's likely going to target whoever that is." Midnight theorized.
"Then they need to figure out where he is and find him." Asui said.
"Saving Gwen should be their top priority, young listener. In situations like these, it's best to save the person who's in IMMEDIATE danger." Present Mic told the students.
The parrot carried Gwen across the sky by her backpack. Surprisingly, the young girl only seemed annoyed more than anything, having her arms crossed in boredom. "'Spend a summer with your grandpa, honey. It'll be an adventure'." She dourly mimicked her mother's words as she was flown towards the Washington Monument.
"How is she so calm about this!? That parrot could drop her at any minute and she'd go splat!" Uraraka said in horror.
"Well, another possibility the parrot took her in the first place was to be a distraction for Max and Gwen, at which point, she knows it can't afford to drop her too soon." All Might theorized.
"Still, that girl's got some guts to be CALM in a situation like this, let alone SASSY." Jiro said, impressed with Gwen's level-headedness.
Animo still rode on the T. Rex as the beast crushed a building, with the gold Sumo Slammer Card getting brought with them, latched onto the dinosaurs' toe.
The cast were horrified as the T. Rex smashed through a building, likely with people inside. "This man is a monster! He has absolutely NO regard for human life!" Iida said angrily.
But then, they were dumbfounded that the Gold Sumo Slammer card A: was in that building in the first place, B: survived the wreckage the T. Rex caused and C: got stuck in the T-Rex's toe. "Oh, come on! No way that happened! What are the odds?!" Kaminari asked in disbelief.
"As a wise hero once said, 'never tell me the odds'." Anemone said.
"But now you just KNOW that's gonna get the kid distracted, which could get him- or someone else, killed." Aizawa groaned.
"No way! I know Ben will do the right thing when it comes down to it! Like a real man!" Kirishima declared, starting to believe in the boy.
"Ah, I do love my work." The madman said sadistically.
"Your work is the most horrible, awful thing I've ever seen from science!" Koda snapped.
"What he said! I demand justice and revenge for the cute pet store animals!" Hagakure declared.
"And the frog." Asui added.
Meanwhile, Gwen, still hanging from the parrot, reached for her cell phone. "Well, my mom said only use in an emergency." She said, before pausing slightly. "I guess this qualifies." She decided.
"Oh, good. Now she'll be able to tell them where they are." Midnight said in relief.
"Assuming they fly near any recognizable landmarks." Ojiro said.
"Or that those old phones can keep a good signal. Last I remembered, you could barely walk two feet without losing service, so I can't imagine she'd get great reception flying through the city." Present Mic said.
Ben was looking out for the mutated parrot. "No sign of beak breath!" Ben told his grandfather.
"There can't be that many places for the parrot the size of an elephant to roost." Max said, before handing over a paper to Ben. "Here, look at what Dr. Animo left behind." He told the boy.
"'Dr. Kelly accepts Verities Award'." Ben read the clipping and turned to Max. "He's gonna finally pick up on his award! We gotta stop him!" He declared.
"So, THAT'S what it was! A newspaper article!" Midoriya realized.
"But why would he want to keep that if it made him so mad?" Mineta asked.
"To remind him why he's doing what he's doing and what his end goal is. Fueling his fire, if you will." Todoroki said, looking at a picture of Endeavor on his phone, but also looking to Midoriya, reminding himself of his goal to surpass them both.
"But now they know where he's going. Dumbass doctor shot himself in the foot!" Bakugo laughed.
"But don't remember, rescuing Gwen is their first priority, THEN stopping Animo." All Might reminded the explosive boy.
"First thing's first. We have to find your cousin." Max reminded him. (The heroes nodded at this.)
Suddenly, the phone rang and Gwen's name was on the phone. "Gwen!" Ben and Max worriedly said together.
"Hang on Gwen, we're coming!" Max told his granddaughter over the phone.
"Thank goodness. They'll be able to find her now. Things are looking up." Shoji said.
"Unless, of course, the parrot drops her first." Aoyama said worriedly.
"Dude, why would you put that image in our mind!?" Mineta complained.
The mutated parrot left Gwen to barely hold onto the top spike of the monument. "I can't hold on much longer!" Gwen cried out in panic, dropping the cellphone.
Max and Ben arrived just in time to see Gwen's phone smash upon hitting the ground. "Oh no. Gwen'll be next." Max said worriedly.
"Oh, no! Hurry, Ben!" Yaoyorozu urged the boy.
"I really hope he has an alien that can fly." Sato said in concern.
"Well, that bug-looking alien we saw a silhouette of last time had wings, so probably that one." Asui said.
There was a short pause before. "Are we sure Heatblast can't fly?" Ashido asked, her and many of the other girls grossed out at the thought of a giant bug.
Ben looked down to the Omnitrix and saw the cool-down was no longer in effect. "Not if I can help it. It's hero time!" He declared, slamming down the faceplate.
This time, only the veins and muscles IMMEDIATELY around the Omnitrix swelled. And only for a moment as the watch sank into the boy's wrist, which turned green as his hand turned black. Then, two insectoid eyestalks emerged from either side of Ben's head as his face turned pitch black. A rear view of the boy was shown as a pair of razor sharp dragonfly-like wings emerged from his back as two sets of insect legs sprouted from his torso, a menacing leaf-shaped stinger protruding from behind him. Finally, the Omnitrix icon appeared in the center of his head as the view panned out to show the full view of this giant insectoid alien, which quickly flapped its wings, preparing to take flight.
"Eww! Giant bug! Icky, icky, ICKY!" Hagakure whined.
"I mean, it looks pretty gross, but at least it can fly to save Gwen and it's big enough to carry her." Jiro said.
"And that stinger tail looks like it could do some good damage in case bird brain comes looking for a snack." Bakugo added.
For the final time this episode, Present Mic's cards lit up, allowing him to regail the students with knowledge on this alien. "That was one of your cards, right, Mic? You gonna tell us what this alien is?" Aizawa asked his friend, only to receive no response. "Hizashi?" He asked, turning towards his fellow teacher, who looked frozen in fear.
"G-g-giant... alien... bug..." The radio host said in fear, before promptly passing out. [1]
"Mic!" The other heroes cried out, tending to him.
The students, meanwhile, sat around awkwardly. Even the hosts were unsure of what to do. "Well... someone needs to read this, so... Midoriya? You're good with impressions, right? You want to give it a try?" Anemone asked as Maverick snapped his hands, a pair of shades similar to Mic's own appearing on the greenette's face.
Midoriya jumped a bit at this, before nervously picking up the cards. "I guess I can try..." He said, clearing his throat. "Stinkfly! A Lepidopterran! Obviously, he can fly, but he's also capable of deploying a high pressured green, slimy fluid from his mouth and even his eyestalks. And this sticky fluid is strong enough to restrain helicopter blades and much more powerful aliens, as well as being able to extinguish fires. And the sharp stinger on his tail can tear through metal. Unfortunately, he's also got some SERIOUS B.O!" The former Quirkless boy announced, while absolutely nailing the teacher's voice and speech patterns.
"Wow, Midoriya! That was really good!" Uraraka cheered.
"So, it's a giant SMELLY bug that shoots sticky green slime that looks like snot... Yeah, I REALLY don't think I'll be a fan of this one." Yaoyorozu said, turning slightly green.
"So, it shoots slime? That makes him kind of like me." Ashido said.
"But your slime is acidic, not sticky. So, it's more like mine." Mineta said, before thinking of something and smirking. "Ooh, maybe that's what power our kids would wind up with." He said, bouncing his eyebrows.
Ashido just looked at him for a few moments while Kirishima was growling at his tiny classmate. "Oh... Well, too bad we'll never find out." Ashido said, looking back to the screen as the diminutive boy facevaulted.
Stinkfly quickly took flight to save his cousin. Gwen screamed as she began to slip off the spike, before completely losing her grip and falling. But thankfully, Stinkfly swooped in and grabbed her. "Gotcha!" The Lepidopterran declared.
"Yes!" The teachers and most of the students cheered.
"Alright, now mess up that bird!" Kirishima declared.
"No! The bird is innocent! It's just Animo's slave doing whatever he wants it to! It's not its fault!" Koda said.
"We feel bad for it, too, Koda. But don't forget, it IS still attacking people. Someone has to stop it somehow." Jiro told him with a hand on his shoulder.
"Regardless, that would be too dangerous with Gwen on his back. He wouldn't be able to maneuver as freely as he probably can without something to ensure Gwen doesn't fall off his he does a roll in mid-air or something. He should drop her off somewhere safe first." Aizawa said.
"Huh?" Gwen questioned in confusion, before realizing Stinkfly saved her. "Butterfly!" She exclaimed in surprise.
"How does that look like a butterfly!?" All the girls, plus Mineta, Koda and Present Mic, all cried out together.
"Stinkfly!" Stinkfly corrected, turning his eyestalks around to look back at her.
"Eww, why would you name it that!?" Kaminari asked.
"Well, it's a giant fly and it stinks. I'd say that's pretty spot-on." Dark Shadow reasoned.
"Indeed. It somehow fits perfectly. Like being truly iconic. It's like trying to imagine All Might or Mr. Aizawa with different hero names. They simply wouldn't work." Tokoyami agreed.
"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, thanks for the save." She said sincerely.
However, this nice moment between the cousins was ruined when Gwen saw the giant parrot and gasped. "Incoming!" She warned him.
"Not the bird again!" Hagakure whined.
"Look out, Ben! Get out of there!" Midoriya urged the boy.
"No, please! Just stop! You don't have to listen to that awful doctor!" Koda pleaded.
"I don't think it has a choice, Koda. And right now, it may just be following its predatory instincts to try and eat them. So, their only real option is to put the bird down before it hurts someone." Asui told him.
"Hang on!" Stinkfly told her, taking evasive action.
Max saw the battle in the air and ran to the monument. Gwen yelped while hanging onto Stinkfly's back as the insectoid alien avoided the avian's talons. "Whoa! Watch the nails there, Polly!" The Lepidopterran taunted.
"Good. At least he's still capable of some aerial maneuvers." Yaoyorozu said.
"But like Mr. Aizawa said, he can't do anything crazy with Gwen still on his back. And it doesn't look like he can outspeed the bird." Jiro pointed out.
"He should try to go inside the monument. It's probably too small for the bird to get in, so he can drop Gwen off safely in there. And if it tries, he can give it that stinger to the face." Bakugo said.
"Excellent strategy, Young Bakugo. Excellent work!" All Might praised.
"Oh, I think I'm, gonna be sick." Gwen groaned while still holding onto Stinkfly.
"Spew on me, and you'd better learn to fly, quick." Stinkfly warned her.
A few laughed at this exchange, but more were disgusted. "Now's probably the best time to mention, this could totally happen on a rescue mission. People are scared and in a panic, who knows what kind of a mess they might make. And some of that mess might get on you." Present Mic said.
"EWW!" All the students freaked out.
"Yep. That's why I decided NOT to become a rescue hero." Midnight said.
"And you can't say anything close to what Ben said to them. Not if you want to protect your images. And even if you don't care and I find out you told someone something like that, I'd rip up your license myself." Aizawa told them.
Meanwhile, Max was getting exhausted from walking up the Washington Monument. "Like it would've killed the Founding Fathers to install an elevator..." He grumbled.
"I feel your pain, Max." All Might said sympathetically. Getting around in his weakened form was a nightmare. He hated to admit, he used his segway a lot more than when he had Midoriya following him while carrying things for his UA training. But even then, it wouldn't help him with all these stairs.
Stinkfly then noticed Max gesturing to them from a window of the monument. "I can't shake cracker-breath. You're gonna have to trust me." The insectoid alien told her.
"Trust you?" Gwen questioned incredulously.
Gwen screamed as Stinkfly dropped her off his back and grabbed her with his hands, flying towards the Washington Monument.
"Ben! That is incredibly dangerous!" Iida reprimanded the boy, chopping away as usual.
"To be fair, Iida, it's not like they have many better options right now." Uraraka said.
"But what's that gonna do? He still has to hold her, so I doubt he's gonna be doing barrel rolls like that." Kaminari pointed out.
"I mean, it's better than her holding on for dear life on his back with nothing to keep her in place." Ojiro said.
Max readied himself to intercept his granddaughter. "Come to Grandpa...!" The elder urged them.
"That's the plan!? That's insane!" Shoji said in shock.
"Well, it's like Ojiro just said, they don't have many better options. Because big bird back there just won't let up." Midnight said.
"Wait, why isn't he using that slime stuff Midoriya talked about earlier?" Ashido asked.
"Uh..." The hosts said, looking to each other uncertainly. "He didn't know how to do it yet?" Maverick asked.
"How does he not know how to do it?! I thought you said he knew all his aliens by this point and he's trained with them!" Sato asked.
"He has... But he also has his favorites he's picked and used more. And- surprise, surprise- a ten-year-old picked the fire monster a few more times than the big bug." Maverick said.
"Now!" Stinkfly declared as he dropped Gwen off in Max's arms. (everyone sighed in relief, but said nothing.)
As Max was dragging Gwen back into the building, the mutated parrot dove towards them, only to get knocked from its course by Stinkfly shoulder barging it down.
"Alright!" All of the students, minus Koda, cheered.
"That's one down! Now he just has to deal with Dr. Whackjob!" Jiro declared.
"Make him pay for the poor bird, Ben!" Koda shouted.
"Go! Stop Animo. We're all right." Max told his grandson.
Gwen groaned nauseously. "Speak for yourself." She grumbled.
"You're alive! That should be good enough!" Bakugo snapped.
"He's REALLY going to struggle with the civilian side of the hero life." Present Mic said.
"Let's hope he learns to tone it down before the Provisional License exam." All Might agreed.
Stinkfly nodded and flew away.
Meanwhile, at Kelly Industries, Dr. Kelly showed his reward to the tour group of VIPs. "And here is my Verities Award. Of course, it was an honor just to be nominated with a distinguished group of scientists." Kelly chuckled.
Dr. Animo and T. Rex smashed through a glass wall to invade Dr. Kelly's company. "Kelly! I believe you have something of mine." Animo declared, jumping down and grabbing the Verities Award. "I'd like to thank the committee for this honor!" He said as if he were LEGITIMATELY receiving the award.
"Oh, jeez. This guy's lost it." Sato said.
"He never had it to begin with." Koda growled.
"Honestly, I don't see the big deal. The trophy likely isn't even real gold." Aoyama criticized.
"It's not about the trophy itself. It's about what it means. That you've lead science forward with incredible advancements and discoveries, while also keeping your ethics and methods honorable, being a beacon that leads to a bright future other scientists should follow by example." Yaoyorozu explained. "And Animo has trampled on ALL of those ideals." She added bitterly.
The T. Rex roared, swiping its mouth towards Kelly, before Stinkfly swooped in and punched the beast before damage could be done, but quickly got swiped by its tail, getting up to see a gold Sumo Slammer card in a pile of rubble. "Whoa, I struck Sumo Slammer gold!" The Lepidopterran said excitedly.
"Alright, Ben!" The students were quick to cheer as he saved Kelly. But then he got swiped by the tail. "Ooh!" They cringed.
Then, everyone couldn't help but sigh at Ben wanting the card. "Ben, come on! You've got a villain to stop!" Uraraka reminded him.
"Seriously, he got distracted by it THIS easy?! I'm starting to think Max was right about him being obsessed." Ashido said.
But suddenly, he heard a scream from Dr. Kelly. "Somebody help me!" The legit doctor screamed as the T. Rex tried to eat him.
"What?!" Everyone cried out in horror as they saw what Animo had planned.
"Animo, no! Why?! You already have your reward! You don't need to do this!" Kirishima shouted.
"Why is he getting rid of the other doctor?! He's already got the reward, like Kirishima said!" Sato asked in horror.
"He believes Kelly robbed him of HIS reward and stole an honor HE deserved. It was a blow to his pride, which a self-absorbed madman like him finds unforgiveable. So he's getting rid of Kelly to reclaim the honor he thinks he lost." Midnight explained, narrowing her eyes at the evil doctor.
(Why is that striking a chord with me?) Bakugo questioned.
The flying hero looked at gold Sumo Slammer card. "Oh, man! This hero stuff ain't easy." Stinkfly complained, flying off to save Kelly.
Everyone sighed in relief at this. "Thank goodness. He made the right choice." Iida sighed in relief.
"He may be a child who can't fully control his emotions, impulses or desires, but he does aim to do the right thing at the end of the day." Tokoyami said.
"Yeah! The kid's already a hero in my book!" Dark Shadow cheered.
"Indeed. Now let's see him act like a hero. And put others first." Midoriya said eagerly.
Dr. Kelly screamed while falling towards T. Rex's mouth, but was saved by Stinkfly.
"YES!" Everyone cheered.
"Great save, Ben! Now take down that quack and bring this all to an end!" Koda cried out.
"What are you, you little pest?" Animo demanded.
"I'm Stinkfly, and I'm here to kick some tail!" The insectoid alien declared.
"Not a bad line." All Might admitted.
"Uh-oh! You better look out, Ojiro!" Hagakure teased.
The martial arts hero chuckled at this. "I think I'm safe for now. It's Animo who's in trouble." The tailed boy said.
Dr. Animo shot the beam at Stinkfly, who dodged and punched him, making him drop the award, which shattered upon hitting the ground. "No!" Animo cried out in despair.
"You didn't deserve it, anyway." Asui said harshly.
"All these awards and titles are meaningless. Your actions are what people should remember you for. And I can think of few actions worse than Animo's." Todoroki declared.
"Take this freak down, Tennyson!" Bakugo shouted.
Stinkfly then taps his shoulder, before stealing Transmodulator. "My Transmodulator!" The mad scientist screamed, before Stinkfly threw said Transmodulator to the ground, releasing a shockwave that reversed its effects, causing the T. Rex to de-animate back into bones.
"Whoa! It went back to being bone!" Kaminari said.
"The modulator thing must've still been keeping the transformations going somehow!" Sero guessed.
"Or that wave it sent out after being damaged was something of a 'reverse switch', if you will." Yaoyorozu theorized.
"But then, if the T. Rex turned back, then maybe the others did, too!" Koda said hopefully.
Now only bones with nothing holding it together, the skeleton began crumbling under Animo's weight. "No...! No...! No!" Animo cried out as the skeleton fell apart and he plummeted to the ground, trapped underneath the skeleton.
"I guess you could say he's... BONED!" Mineta declared, to which everyone groaned.
"No... Just no, Mineta." Ashido sighed. Asui's tongue then smacked him upside the head.
Meanwhile the mutant parrot was approaching Gwen and Max, when it suddenly turned back to normal size and perched on Gwen's arm.
Everyone was concerned for the powerless Tennysons when the bird approached them again, but they soon let out a sigh of relief once the parrot turned back to normal. "Thank goodness. They're safe." Asui sighed in relief.
"And even better! The effects ARE gone now that the transmodulator's gone!" Ashido cheered.
"Then that probably means that the hamster and the frog are normal again, too!" Koda said happily.
"Don't even try to kiss up to me now." Gwen said harshly to the now-normal parrot.
"Oh, come on, Gwen! It wasn't his fault!" Hagakure said.
"Even so, that bird has caused her some trauma. You can't fault her for not wanting anything to do with it." Tokoyami told her.
"Yeah, birds are messy as hell, anyway." Dark Shadow added.
The police arrested Dr. Animo at Dr. Kelly's workplace, with the mad scientist squirming and resisting all the while. "Let me go! I deserve that award! I've got it coming to me! I want it!" Animo insisted as he was loaded into the cruiser.
"Mon dieu! He sounds like more of a child than Ben!" Aoyama groaned in annoyance.
(Please tell me I didn't sound like this when I kept saying I'd be the richest, most famous hero ever.) Bakugo thought to himself.
"Well, at least he really IS getting what's coming to him now. Prison." Yaoyorozu said.
As he watched the arrest unfold, Ben couldn't help but contemplate on Dr. Animo's words. "For some reason, that sounds kinda familiar." He pondered.
"Well, at least Young Ben was able to learn from his adversary and see the error of his ways. I don't see him becoming anything like Animo now." All Might said, proud of the boy for seeing what he could become and hopefully distancing himself from such behavior in the future.
"Yeah. After a few more adventures like these, I really see Ben being on his way to being a great hero. Maybe even as great as you, All Might." Midoriya said.
"No, Young Midoriya. Not as great as me. Even better." All Might corrected.
The Rust Bucket left Washington D.C. "I didn't get that gold Sumo Slammer card, but at least I snagged a trophy from Animo." Ben declared as he placed part of Transmodulator in a box.
"Ben! That should've been turned over to the police as evidence! Or containing dangerous weaponry!" Iida scolded, chopping away once again.
"But, what if the government just repaired it can continued Animo's work? It's not out of the realm of possibility. Even now, in a time of peace, other than the fight against villains, nations are still trying to find whatever they can to help them stay ahead." Aizawa pointed out. Back when All Might was still a hero, he knew he wasn't just a deterrent for villains, but also a deterrent for any other countries to try anything against Japan.
"Well, at least with Ben, we know it can't be used for anything evil. And that it's not getting fixed any time soon." Jiro said.
"Plus, I guess saving the city from 'Dr. Wacko' was its own reward." Ben admitted.
Many smiled at this. "Looks like he learned his lesson in the end after all. He's really becoming a man." Kirishima said proudly.
"Yeah. There's something he wants more than some video game or trading card. And that is to do the right thing and help people. He said so himself." Midoriya said happily, seeing someone be the kind of hero he wanted to be, even at such a young age.
However, there were a few who felt conflicted with this scene. "Yikes... Kinda makes you feel less heroic when we do this for a paycheck, huh?" Present Mic asked, to which Midnight and All Might nodded.
The more materially-inclined students felt a twinge of guilt as well at this. "Wow. A ten-year-old is already more heroic than we are." Uraraka said morosely.
"Indeed. Wishing for money and fame to stand out seems improper now." Aoyama agreed.
"Screw that! I ain't letting a kid outshine me! And you extras better not give up, either! We'll kill that kid with our heroics!" Bakugo declared, being surprisingly motivational for once, many of the class steeling their resolve alongside the bomber boy.
"Don't forget you saved me, too. Thanks." Gwen said sincerely.
"Aww, that's so sweet!" Hagakure cooed.
"It took long enough, but it looks like they're finally getting along." Uraraka said with a smile.
"Yeah, well, that's what we heroes do best: rescue dweebs." Ben said proudly.
Gwen scoffed at this. "You are -such- a major doofus." She insulted him.
"I know you are, but what am I?" Ben childishly countered, giggling afterwards.
"I retract my previous statement." Uraraka said with a sigh.
"Well, it's still pretty early on in their trip. If they're already having some bonding moments this early, they'll probably be besties by the end of the trip." Ashido said with a smile.
"They're still just kids. They'll bicker from time to time. But it is clear that, at the end of the day, they're family and they'll do anything for each other." Asui said, smiling as well.
"So, what did you guys think?" Anemone asked.
"That was amazing! Four Arms was incredible! And Stinkfly was really great, too!" Midoriya said excitedly.
"Heck yeah! Four Arms is the manliest! I don't think I'd stand a chance, but I'd still like to throw down with him!" Kirishima declared, slamming his hardened fists together.
"No. You WILL die." Maverick refused.
"And I thought Grey Matter was pretty cool, also. I wouldn't mind seeing more of him in the future." Asui added.
"It's also really cool that Ben's already getting a solid grasp on the powers of his aliens. I can't wait to see what they'll be like when he fully understands them all." Uraraka said eagerly.
"Indeed. And it is nice to see Ben learning these lessons and growing from the experiences. It's like he's maturing into a true hero before our very eyes." Yaoyorozu said.
"Agreed. Although I'm still quite disappointed in him for ruining that cereal aisle." Iida added.
"The kid's still got a long ways to go, but he's getting there. As long as he can stop acting like a child and THINK before he uses the most powerful thing in the universe to win a stupid toy." Aizawa said.
"Well, he IS still a kid, to be fair. But at least he's not robbing people or looting places." Present Mic said, not seeing the hosts wince at this.
"So, Four Arms, Stinkfly and Grey Matter. Along with Heatblast, Wildmutt, Diamondhead and XLR8, that makes seven. So we've still got three more." Jiro listed.
"They better kick ass. After Four Arms, I'm expecting something BIG to top them." Bakugo declared.
"Oh! Jiro, you bringing up XLR8 reminded me. The letters and numbers are actually a species thing on how they name their children. Like 'K8-E' for 'Katie'. Just thought you might like to know." Anemone explained, many of them nodding in consideration.
"Alright, then! Time for the next adventure. If things got too hot for you this time, don't worry. The next one's a great chance to cool off, in a nice, big lake." Maverick said.
"A water adventure." Asui said eagerly as the screen came to life once again.