A Hero's Origins
By TheAlienBrony22

Where's The Fun In Feeling?

The RV was parked in the midst of a wind farm, with Luna trying to work on the engine as a thin stream of black smoke billows out. Sunset was keeping an eye on Dash, who was still very much unconscious from the fight with Gilda. Chance was trying to make himself comfortable, but his wound was constantly flaring up, making his entire body tense up and strain itself, earning an exhausted and poignant groan of pain from the incapacitated alien hero. "I should've refused to relax, this hurts more than anything..." Chance groaned, resting a hand on his bandaged wound.

Sunset looked up at her friend, all while she laid a cold and damp wash rag on Dash's forehead. "Well that's tough, you still need to let that wound heal, mister alien superhero, that means resting and relaxing every once in a while," Chance frowned, and Sunset crossed her arms, raising her eyebrow. "Don't give me that look, you already had to wait and persevere through six days in the hospital back in San Fran, this kind of thing takes time. Eventually, Luna got over her injury when Flash got merged with that drone and the xenocite, she even kept the crutches! You can use those to move around, as soon as we know that your wound won't tear open." Sunset remarked.

Chance groaned. "Something's gonna get torn open in a second, and it isn't gonna be my wound..." Chance grumbled.

The brunette sighed as she continued to tend to her unconscious friend, never breaking eye contact with the bed-ridden teenage hero. "Bottom line is, you're not entirely at fault here, but some fault still falls unto you. It was borderline stupid for Dash to rush into this kind of fight, and you should've told her this won't be like the invasion. The DNAliens were one thing, but Gilda was already an entirely different beast, and that was before her sudden mutation. Now, she's truly become a monster," Sunset gritted her teeth and gripped her hands tightly as she tried to repress her anger. "She knocked Dash out cold, and ripped a hole in your body! You both could've gotten killed, possibly end up worse than dead, and you don't seem to be phased at all, that you could've died up there!! What's up with you!?" Sunset reprimanded, her voice breaking as her eyes started glowing blue.

Chance gritted his teeth and sat up, managing to get onto the ground, before taking a knee out of exhaustion. "I'm taking this seriously. Think about it, Sunset. If Dash and I didn't deal with Gilda, or if we died on that tower, do you really think she'd just let you and Luna go, considering she took in some of your magic, and became some weird magical alien chimera? Those are ten of my aliens inside her, and I'll take responsibility for that being my fault, for having hope, and a bit of good faith..." Sunset's anger started to lessen, but she didn't relent. "But, let me remind you, that your magic has still been pumping through her veins, like a never-ending rush of adrenaline... Gilda might've been my monster, when she absorbed my aliens at the time, Nitrofrost and Riptile respectively, but she did get her hands on your geode, too, and absorbed the hell out of it, making her a triple threat to just the two of us alone. She's become more dangerous now, much more than she already was before... it's either we need to get stronger, or lay down and die... and I'm not ready to die, not if it means letting innocent people be slaughtered." Chance gravely explained.

Sunset was about to say something else, but then the ground started to shake, a loud whirring engine and massive rumbling could be heard from outside. Luna and Sunset get up and head outside, all while Chance tries to follow them, but has to lean against the wall as his side flares up in pain. "Aghh! God damn it!" Chance gritted.

Chance barely manages to catch himself on the wall, all while his wounds feel like they're on fire. Chance manages to throw himself to the booth and slumps over onto the cold cushioned surfaces, trying to move himself with every bit of strength he slowly recovered, though he still felt rigid and stiff. "This has to be the worst day of my life... the second worst being manhandled by Gilda!" Chance gritted, feeling himself slowly slip into unconsciousness.

Luna and Sunset rush out the door, only to see a white pod-shaped ship has crashed into the ground. Luna froze at the sight for a moment, but soon saw that the pod was smoking heavily. The door fell open as Zuchi and Rook crawl their way out, the both of them clearly worn out from the sudden crash, covered in bruises, ash and soot.

Rook groaned and steadily propped himself up against the smoking pod. "I told you we should not have tried using such an ancient model of space travel, but you did not wish to listen to my warnings, miss Zuchi. Now, we are still stuck on Earth, and our food has been reduced to charred remains." Rook remarked, clearly not amused by their situation.

Zuchi shook her head and jumped up to her feet, dusting the ash and soot off of her body. "Zuchi thought we'd make it, how was Zuchi supposed to know that Revonnahgander was actually right? Zuchi's gut feelings never steered her wrong before." Zuchi argued.

Rook frowned, clearly not amused by the saiyan girl's pride in herself. "Was that before or after the highbreed managed to do what King Cold and his clan could not do previously, which was enslave the entire saiyan race in one fell swoop, temporarily putting your race on the brink of extinction?" Rook rebutted bitterly.

Zuchi whipped around and gave a glare at the revonnahgander, who was clearly giving her the stink eye. "Zuchi not the one who picked up a pitchfork and stupid gooey fruits! Zuchi only eat meat, kind that's high in protein! Zuchi not some sissy sad ass cat boy, who's useless like father!" Zuchi insulted.

Rook was now justifiably angered and got up in the saiyan's face, taking Zuchi back a bit by sheer surprise. "You do not talk about my father like that! Unlike you, he is an honorable man, even if he is stuck in the past of what once was! You, on the other hand, have no family to run back to, and you should know very well, that none of us had anyone but ourselves, had it not been for the wielder of the Omnitrix! Then again, for all you know, your family? They're probably all dead!" Rook yelled.

Rook immediately caught onto what he just said at the last moment, and covered his mouth, as if he had just swore. Rook saw Zuchi's expression. Her bangs draped over her eyes, obscuring the furious and absolutely livid levels of rage she had in her face. Her power started to rise. Zuchi growled, bearing her fangs as she let a powerful aura flare up around her body. "You do not have any right to talk about my family... you didn't even know them like I did!!" Zuchi roared out, her eyes momentarily flickered yellow for a moment, but it was probably a trick of the sudden burst of aura that was now flaring up around the saiyan girl.

Luna and Sunset were barely familiar with these two individuals, but they did recognize them as a bunch of survivors taken prisoner by Reinrassic after he conquered their races, destroyed their home planets, and put them in a perpetual state on the brink of endangerment and extinction. Luna stepped forward and cleared her throat, attracting the attention of both arguing parties, and suddenly the mood seemed to shift.

Rook was the first to recognize the woman and immediately crawled out of the small crater, keeping eye contact with Luna the whole time. "Y-You! You were there when Reinrassic came to collect the Omnitrix! It is an honor to properly meet you, miss. I am Rook Blonko, son of Rook Da, and one of the last sons of Revonnah. It is my greatest privilege to meet one of the companions that aided the wielder of the Omnitrix, especially on better terms." Rook introduced, bowing out of respect.

Luna slowly nodded her head, all while the saiyan girl started to recognize the two ladies present. While Zuchi's anger was not yet quelled, she was willing to suppress her anger, just to be polite in front of Chance's allies. "Revonnahgander keep guard up. We not done between us." Zuchi remarked, crossing her arms.

Sunset sighed and stepped forward, looking at Zuchi with caution. "It's been a little bit since we saw you two. What's been going on, hm?" Sunset asked.

Rook stopped bowing and pointed to the wrecked smoking pod. "We were trying to navigate through some of the old functioning alien spacecraft back at one of the many plumber bases we ended up crashing into, but then we started hearing about a commotion going on in the city you're probably leaving from. We figured that your friend, the one who wields the Omnitrix, was about to face the fight of his life, so we tried to use this old defunct saiyan pod to find your location." Rook explained.

Luna looked at the pod, and could only shudder. "Here I thought I was done looking at those old Brumaran space pods. They're not typical for saiyans in terms of space travel, but they were what remained when Frieza, and the rest of his race, got beat back and sent running to another corner of the galaxy," Luna looked around and seemed a little less tense than she was before, but she was clearly still concerned about something. "If you were able to find our location, why exactly were you trying to find us now? The problem was resolved a few days ago." Luna inquired.

Zuchi hopped out of the crater and landed, scratching the back of her head. "Time work strangely on your planet. Thought it was still a full day or two, that's how time usually work on Sadala. Revonnahgander picked up on a latent signature of energy, so Zuchi brought ship in for proper landing." Zuchi remarked.

Rook seemed a bit more displeased and scoffed. "If you saiyans call "crash landing" a method of landing your vehicles, perhaps it is wise that you stay on your jungle planet, there is a lot less for you to destroy." Rook remarked.

Zuchi gritted her teeth, her aura began flaring up again. Sunset quickly got in-between the two aliens and tried to keep things civil, though it was clear that the saiyan girl was getting very aggral, and Rook was clearly not getting along with the saiyan, either. "Okay, you both are at a nine. I need you both at a three, okay? My friend is trying to rest after what happened back on the golden gate bridge, and Chance, despite his wounds, wants to get up, but he really needs to rest. If you two could just stop pissing each other off, and be rational, reasonable people, that would be very appreciative." Sunset explained, almost cautioning them as her eyes flickered blue for a moment.

Rook took Sunset's words into consideration for a moment, and seemed right that there was an incident, and the wielder of the Omnitrix had sustained several injuries, and was willing to agree. Zuchi, on the other hand, didn't seem concerned, or wasn't listening at all. She just heard that Chance was wanting to get up, despite what wounds he had, and that seemed to excite the saiyan, causing the hairs on her tail to stand on end, and a burning desire for a fight roared in her eyes.

Rook was the first to do something, and Zuchi was met with a swift knock to the head, immediately bringing the saiyan back to reality. "Please control yourself, he is likely not in fighting condition. He has yet to recover from his last encounter, and from the sounds of it, it sounds dire. To try and even fight him in his yet-to-be-seen condition is dishonorable, scummy, and above all else, they are not in the right physical or mental state of mind to be a good fight. Understand, miss Zuchi?" Rook cautioned.

Zuchi growled like a vicious animal, and though she wanted to send the revonnahgander flying with just a burst of her aura, she had to admit that Rook made some good points, the kind of points that make sense to a saiyan warrior. Zuchi slowly backed off and rubbed the part of her head where she got hit, noticing the foreboding and cautious glares coming from Luna and Sunset. "Zuchi understands... Zuchi still want a good fight, though. Army-Trix wearer might be human, but still got potential to be warrior." Zuchi commented.

Rook sighed out of relief, but also out of mild irritation, earning confused looks from Sunset and Luna. The revonnahgander sighed and tried to find the words to explain what Zuchi meant. "She has been speaking of that for a few days. It must be linked to her race and their unique ability to sense levels of power. Whatever she is picking up about the wielder of the Omnitrix, is either true, or likely an excuse for her to finally cut loose and fight." Rook explained.

Sunset and Luna share a glance, and watch as the two aliens disappear into the RV. The pair quickly follow after them, hoping that they wouldn't try to break anything.

Rook and Zuchi notice the alien hero lying unconscious in the booth, looking pale, wrapped in bandages and bleeding heavily from his wounds, the wrappings slowly changing from white, to red, then to a deep crimson.

Rook winced at the sight, but Zuchi seemed rather satisfied. "Powerful puncture wound. Must've fought strong beast, or incredibly capable warrior. Wound still bleeding, meaning he's still alive. Army-Trix wearer still got fight in him." Zuchi remarked with a smirk.

Sunset and Luna were aghast by how the teenager's wound had reopened, but they were fairly aggravated that they knew this would happen. "Sunset, go get the first aid kit and check on miss Dash while you're at it, I'll make sure he doesn't pass out from blood loss," Sunset quickly runs to the back of the RV, all while Luna slowly rips the bandages and gauze off of the teenager, exposing the large claw shaped cut in his stomach, leaking and bleeding profusely. Luna nearly let a shriek escape her lips, but she kept herself composed, just barely. She quickly put her hands over his wound, trying to apply pressure anywhere she could without more crimson fluid spilling out of his wound. A stifled groan of pain escaped the unconscious boy, and Luna was just trying her best to do what she could. "You two, I'd like it if you made yourselves useful, rather than gawk at the boy who saved your lives as he unknowingly bleeds out. Do you have any recommendations?" Luna inquired.

Sunset quickly came back, noticing Luna's hands were completely caked in crimson, and that her friend's wound was so much worse than it was before they stopped. Sunset grabbed a bottle of peroxide and a fistful of cotton balls, drenching the white fluffy balls of material in the chemical, then quickly, but carefully stuffing the wound as full as possible, as well as wiping away any blood off the surface of the open wound. More groans and grunts of pain came from the unconscious hero, all he felt was what equated to torture, trauma and torment. A burning sensation, along with numerous sharp, jagged and rancorous sensations rocked his body. He was in agony, but at least he had people willing to help him this time with something like this.

Chance's body shuddered and twitched, but thankfully, the bleeding was beginning to lessen a lot. Though Sunset wasn't reassured about that, she was still worried. "I can't believe he managed to tear his wound open again! This is the third time in the span of two days he's done this, he needs serious medical help, and a serious vocabulary lesson on what the word "Relax" means! For Faust's sake," Sunset's face slowly contorted into that of an angered and furious expression, something that caught Zuchi's attention, as well as her intrigue. Luna rested a hand on Sunset's shoulder, and the brunette's anger slowly transformed into melancholy, a saddened expression forms on her face, an exasperated sigh escapes her lips. "Not even to mention that Dash also needs attention and constant observation, but she has the luckiest luxury of only being knocked unconscious during the final front of the fight. How do we fix this, how is he supposed to heal if he keeps trying to move, and makes his injuries worse?! What's it gonna take for him to finally realize that he needs to just chill out!?" Sunset questioned, who was rightfully concerned for, and aggravated at both of her companions.

Rook walks over to Chance's body and puts a hand on his forehead. At first, it seemed rather normal, but then a sudden pulse of heat started to push through, warming up the Revonnahgander's hand in mere moments. "I do not know if this kind of temperature is normal for humans, but I know that it would be too easy for him to succumb to a heat stroke. Providing some cold comfort would be wise and more effective to his recovery." Rook advised.

Luna looked over towards the fridge, shuddering for a moment as she looked back at the revonnahgander. Rook saw the uncertainty in the woman's eyes, and seemed to be picking up on the idea that she was hiding something. "T-There isn't another option? Isn't there anything else that can be done?" Luna asked.

Rook saw Chance's jaw move, his teeth were chattering, like he was freezing, but his face was turning red. His face and body were starting to become covered in a shower of sweat, and the teenager's breathing was becoming more difficult. He was clearly still unconscious, but it was very clear that his body wasn't reacting right to whatever was happening.

Rook shook his head. "I wish there were another way. If we had senzu beans, it would be very easy to heal the wound, replenish any lost red and white blood cells, and on the off-chance that he has not eaten anything, it will also solve that problem. I have a couple of special beans on me, the last remaining trace of Revonnah and its existence, but they are now becoming an exotic antiquity among the agricultural circle of the galaxy. For all I know, these beans have a fifty-fifty probability of either worsening his condition, or restoring him back to how he was before the previous fight." Rook explained.

Luna looked uncertain, but she walked over to the fridge and grabbed an ice pack. She noticed the bottle of remaining senzu beans in the side of the door, and grimaced for a moment. "I don't want to have to rely solely on those beans. Forgive me if it sounds ridiculous and selfish, but I'd rather my student know that the natural process of healing one's self through rest and relaxation can be beneficial to their state of mind. It doesn't have to be entirely clinical, like how you're making it sound. Besides, I'm not partial to such odds, so my answer is final." Luna rebutted.

Rook opened his mouth to say something, watching as Luna placed an ice pack onto Chance's forehead. Though he winced from the sudden chill he felt, Chance did seem to start relaxing, tensing up less and less as his body, his muscles specifically, they were slowly starting to relax. His state of unconsciousness was still a problem, however, but it seemed like the start of a proper process to recovery.

Rook sighed and thought for a moment, noticing that Luna's uncertainty was starting to mix with a feeling of guilt. "I am getting the feeling that something has not worked out like it was supposed to. Am I correct in that assumption?" Rook asked.

Sunset walked over to the back, noticing Dash resting peacefully. Sunset let out a shaky sigh and tried to calm herself down, to try and be a little stronger for both of her incapacitated friends. "It certainly hasn't been easy living since we took down Reinrassic, that's for sure. We dealt with a rogue plumber that had a similar power set to Gilda's, we fought a giant space tick that tried to eat the planet, fought Gilda and she mutated into some kind of magical Omnitrix Chimera, and now you two have crossed our paths again. This is slowly becoming the new normal for us, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing, or a bad thing." Sunset explained, letting a dry and saddened chuckle escape her lips, a concerned expression shined in her eyes as the Revonnahgander nodded his head.

Zuchi walked forward and placed a hand on Chance's chest, nearly pulling back from how cold and dead it felt. She closed her eyes as small specks of blue light start to shimmer where her hand was. The light slowly pulsed through Chance's body, with him being incapable of responding to it, but Zuchi seemed to have a knowing look in her eyes as she pulled her hand back, now focusing her gaze on Luna. "A Senzu could easily fix the damage, but simple rest and relaxation is not good enough to fix internal bleeding." Zuchi stated.

Luna and Sunset, as well as Rook, went wide-eyed at the saiyan's response. "Human's chest isn't burning up no more, but it does not feel lively. Blood stopped pumping, or something is bleeding when it shouldn't be. Senzu can fix issue, but must be given now. Damage could be too great for even senzu to heal," Zuchi squinted her eyes at Luna, the guilt was starting to eat away at her, and the uncertainty has slowly transformed into shame. "Still think rest and relaxation work now?" Zuchi questioned.

Luna looked at Rook and held out her hand. "Hand me the bean, please! I concede!" Luna shouted.

Rook nodded and reached into a pouch he had and pulled out an orange senzu bean. Aside from looking like it was made out of some kind of bright orange jam, jelly, or another form of edible gelatinous material, it would have to do for the time being. Luna quickly moved over to Chance and opened his mouth, placing the bean inside as she aided the unconscious teenager with consuming it.

Almost like a sudden miracle, Chance started to move on his own, his face scrunched up out of reflex, unfamiliar with the crunchy, yet gooey gelatinous texture that was now clinging to his tongue. The taste of something fruity, yet herbal and sweet permeated his lips, and in an instant, his body seemed to be reacting in a positive way to the bean itself.

Chance groaned and grunted as he felt his wounds start to instantaneously heal. His wound was closing up, and as strange as that felt, he also felt a lot of the blood he lost didn't seem to matter, as more blood started to become produced at a rapid rate of succession. The freezing cold and burning sensation that the teenaged boy felt in his body during his unconscious state, was starting to finally return to normal, and he was slowly starting to wake up.

Chance's eyes slowly fluttered open, feeling much like how he did before Gilda mutated and smacked him around like a ragdoll, but at the same time, everything felt different. He couldn't put his finger on what exactly was different, but he felt like something woke up inside him.

The teen groaned and rubbed his face, yawning and slowly sitting up as he let his eyes adjust. "Oh god, that was a painful dream. It was like some frozen cold force was deep freezing my organs, and then tossed them in a deep fryer, because why not... what happened?" Chance looked around, soon noticing the two extra individuals, Rook and Zuchi, standing before him, semi-relieved that the senzu bean had worked as it was supposed to. "Oh hey... when'd you two get here?" Chance asked.

Rook stepped forward, offering his hand to the teenager. Chance smiled and grabbed his hand, letting the revonnahgander pull him up from his seat. "We were on our way to assist you with the opponent you faced, but we found you a little too late after the fight had ended. If it makes you feel any better, you need not have to thank me for utilizing the phenomenal healing properties that senzu beans have. Think of it as my way of paying you back for saving my race from extinction, for the time being." Rook explained.

Chance nodded his head, letting a smile form on his face. "Well, it technically wasn't me, it was the Omnitrix who purged those parasites, I just smacked Reinrassic around like a sandbag, or at least, I tried to. Speaking of, what're you two doing here anyway?" Chance licked the interior of his mouth, noticing the strange fruity flavored gelatinous texture, and was rather thrown off by the taste. "And why does the inside of my mouth taste like some kind of jelly bean?" Chance questioned.

Zuchi snatched the pouch full of beans from Rook's hip and showed one off. "Senzu bean, special supplement. Heals wounds, restores stamina, and makes you full for ten days. Fancy beans are bite sized miracles." Zuchi explained.

Chance seemed confused, but shrugged it off. He was glad to be back on his feet, much to the strange looks of chagrin on Sunset and Luna's faces. "Well, I'm sure there's a lesson to be learned here. If you're gonna take on strong foes, you need to make sure you can stand on equal ground against them, or at least be a little tougher than them, but I doubt I'll be able to do that. I'm scrappy when the Omnitrix doesn't work as intended, but that isn't gonna be enough when dealing with Gilda. Even in alien form, she wiped the floor with me, how am I going to beat her in that mutated form?" Chance wondered.

Sunset groaned, clearly not liking his response. "Chance, for crying out loud, open your ears! You just got up from a coma, your body was constantly freezing up and heating up, you were coming down with something before Rook pulled that pouch of magic beans out as a suggestion. Let's relax for a moment, we'll deal with Gilda when the time comes, at least you won't be alone next time she rears her ugly mug, right, miss Luna?" Luna looked down at the ground, she looked ashamed, guilty, but above all else, she seemed disappointed. "Miss Luna, we couldn't've known Gilda would turn out like this, mutating into some kind of magical Omnitrix monster-thing, neither of us could've seen that coming, let's be real. What happened to Chance and Dash, it already happened, and we might be able to get them back on their feet right now, though it'll never fix how thick-skulled they can be. Maybe with one of those fancy beans, Dash can wake up, and maybe we can get another side to this story. Wouldn't that be the right thing to do?" Sunset attempted to reassure the older woman, but she was clearly lost in her thoughts.

Chance scooted forward and patted the woman's back. "You okay, miss Luna? Ya seem a bit... well, you seem to be beating yourself up over something. I know that feeling, I did and still subconsciously do that to myself when I messed up bad, even when it wasn't me who was at fault. Ya wanna talk about it, get it off your chest?" Chance didn't get an answer, not right away, but it was much less of a verbal response, yet it did do the former plumber some good. Luna kept her head hung low, but she pulled the teenager into a hug, clearly distressed. A few stifled sobs could be heard from the woman, but Chance simply returned the embrace, trying his best to provide some sense of support, reassurance and comfort. "I guess I got my answer... ya worry too much, ya know that? It ain't healthy for you to stress yourself so much." Chance commented.

Luna let a smile form on her lips, though she still felt her tears pouring down her face. "Don't you go saying that, I know that's the kind of preaching you're not fond of practicing," Chance let out a wry chuckle, he knew he deserved that one, but he didn't let Luna go. In a way, Chance knew she needed this, he had no rhyme or reason as to how he came to this conclusion, but something about how Luna reacted, it struck a chord with the teen hero. In a way, it was a familiar feeling that he felt... only difference was, no one capable was around to help him understand. "I... I'm just not ready to go back to that life again, I wasn't ready for any of this to happen... Plumber activity picking up, regardless of how shady it was, world ending threats coming to Earth like they own the place... knowing my students are in danger, my family is in danger again... I wanted to prepare you both for the worst, you and miss Shimmer, but I've been putting it off, just because I wasn't ready... because I was scared," Luna's voice cracked and broke as she spoke, but Chance let her continue speaking, still trying to reassure her in silence. "I figured the Omnitrix would be all that you'd need, but with what happened with miss Gilda, and miss Dash's condition, I- I-I... I just feel like I've been neglecting you both, and that was my worst mistake, because now someone else got hurt... this isn't how I wanted to handle this, nor was this how I expected things to go, but now, I know I have no excuses... I've put this off for long enough, and for that, I'm sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry." Luna woefully explained.

Chance looked over at Sunset, who kindly took one of the orange beans and made her way to her unconscious friend, but not before shooting a mildly frustrated look at the boy she'd been traveling with. As Sunset disappeared behind the curtain, Chance simply picked himself up off the ground, and pulled Luna up with him, embracing her tightly. "You can apologize all you want, but I still think you don't need to apologize for any of it. If I were in your position, I'd probably be doing the same things you're doing right now, and that's okay," Luna shot Chance a look, though it was clearly muddled by the tears and the emotions she was feeling. Chance ignored it and sat Luna down in the opposite booth. "Here's a thought, how's about we have some lunch, relax a bit and discuss this like allies, true equals on the same team. Shall we?" Chance suggested.

Rook and Zuchi looked at each other for a moment, but then Zuchi whipped her head to the back of the RV, suddenly being met by a blitzing rainbow blur pushing past her. Dash had found herself refreshed, healed, rejuvenated, and most importantly, reawakened from her unconscious state of being. "Someone say lunch?! I'm starvin'!" Dash blurted out.

Sunset groaned and grabbed Dash by the ear, causing the girl to freeze up and wince in pain. "Your side of the Gilda story first, then you can eat!" Sunset gritted irritably.

Chance sighed, this was a very off day, even for them. The teen quickly made his way to the fridge, hoping for a miracle that they had enough food for six people.

A couple hours later, the six of them have prepared their meals, and despite supposedly being already full, Dash was stuffing her face in a similar manner to how Zuchi was. The two girls were both going through plate after plate, devouring their food like starved cavemen, all while Rook and Chance simply made sure they didn't try taking their meals by mistake. Sunset and Luna were casually eating their food, not entirely pleased with the situation they were in.

Dash leaned back and pat her stomach, sighing in relief as she let out a belch as she slumped in her seat. "Whoo!! Man, I'm beat. I didn't think I'd be so hungry, but now I certainly feel full!" Dash remarked.

Zuchi smirked and continued to eat, stuffing her face with every bit of food she could get her hands on. Sunset frowned and glared at Dash, clearly getting impatient with her friend. "Dash, you need to tell us your side of the story. How did you know Gilda, and has this kind of thing ever happen before?" Sunset asked.

Dash sighed, and sat herself up. "Sheesh, you really won't let this go, will you?" Dash questioned.

Sunset's eyes flickered blue as a scowl formed on her face. Dash's eyes widened as Sunset leaned in, grabbing her geode as she readied herself to use her magic. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, Dash. My friend was bleeding out a couple hours ago if it wasn't for these two giving us aide. Either you're gonna talk, or I'm going to root through your head till I find what I'm looking for, understand?!" Sunset growled lowly.

Dash scooted away from Sunset, clearly scared of Sunset's intimidation. "Y'know... despite changing to be a better person, you can still be a bit of a bully, right?" Sunset generated a bright blue tendril from the palm of her hand, readying herself to try and restrain Dash. The athletic girl gulped and put her hands up in a defensive position. "Okay! Okay, you win!! Fine, I'll tell you how I met Gilda, and how I found out about her power. Don't expect it to be a long and complex story, though!" Dash yelped out, clearly unwilling to let Sunset try and restrict her with her new magic power.

Sunset's hand was carefully grabbed by Chance, who tried to slowly lower it to her side. "Let's take a breather. Dash, start us off, how exactly did you and Gilda even meet?" Chance asked.

Dash sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose as Sunset calmed herself down, letting her magic flicker and fade. "Well, it's not an overcomplicated story, I'll say that again for those who didn't hear me the first time. Me and Gilda were like, the best of friends, long before I ever moved to Canterlot City," Sunset seemed a bit puzzled, but decided to let Dash keep talking. "Back when I was younger, I lived in New York City with my parents. The first friend I ever made was Gilda, who claimed she was a local. With how well she knew the city, and where tons of things were, it was enough for me to believe that she was a pretty chill person." Dash explained.

Chance took a bite out of his lunch. "So what happened next?" Chance asked, swallowing down the piece of food he was eating.

Dash sighed and pulled out a small billfold from her pocket. Inside it was a picture of her and Gilda when they were younger. "Gilda was three years older than me, but she was always a fighter. When she stood up for me against a couple robbers, it was like she was my own personal superhero. The way she commanded respect from everyone around her, it made her seem so cool! Gilda was my first friend, but our dynamic started to change as we got a bit older, and I should've seen the red flags when I had the chance..." Dash paused and took a long sip from her glass of water. "Flash forward three years, and I had turned ten, where she turned thirteen. Me and Gilda were the talk of the neighborhood. Gilda was always making connections, and I was basically her eye candy. Took me a long while to find out what that meant, and that just makes me hate Gilda even more. Back then, I praised her, kissed the ground beneath her feet... but then, we both found out about her powers." Dash explained.

Rook swallowed his food and began cutting another piece to eat. "You are saying that you both found out about her abilities at the same time? How could she have been so oblivious to her own powers for so long without unintentionally draining energy from light fixtures, machines, or even batteries?" Rook questioned, taking another bite of his meal.

Dash frowned. "I don't know, man! I don't even think Gilda knows what woke her powers up that day, but something did. We were hanging out with a bunch of goons, "hood rats" as my mom would call them. We came up with a plan to prank call people without spending quarters on payphones, and the idea was to finesse the wires so the booth wouldn't have to recognize any input of change. At first, it was all good, we were all having tons of harmless fun, but when it was Gilda's turn," Dash paused and noticed that her hands were shaking. She was terrified beyond compare just remembering what happened, that she was having a hard time getting the words out. Eventually, Dash was able to force herself to speak. "This was when our friendship changed, when she ended up becoming something I didn't want to be a part of." Dash choked out, sounding scared as she momentarily covered her mouth.

Sunset leaned over and hugged Rainbow Dash for a moment, trying to reassure her friend that nothing was wrong. "It's okay, Dash, it's good to talk about this sort of thing. People like Gilda don't take a lot of consideration in what they do, and how their actions affect those around them. You can tell us, I'm your friend... and to an extent, so is Chance," the teenaged hero sunk in his seat, but he nodded in approval, giving Dash a thumbs up. "He knows what it's like to be in your position, more than he cares to admit, and so do I. It's okay if you don't want to continue, but you've done such a good job so far already." Sunset reassured, trying to encourage her friend to keep talking.

Dash felt sick to her stomach, but she tried to keep it down as she spoke again. "The energy crackled from her fingertips, it pulsed through her body, traveling through her veins like conductive wires... she was like a whole other person, someone who vaguely looked like and sounded like my best friend, ranting about how the energy was making her happy..." Dash took a moment to wipe her eyes, noticing a couple tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. "The phone blew up in her hand, and her body was being overcharged with energy. By the time she absorbed every bit of energy from the booth, she was a walking blue being made up of electricity. A being that was vaguely shaped like the girl that used to be my friend, and after that, she was never the same. She was more aggressive, more manipulative, always trying to absorb energy like she needed a drug, even if it meant getting into trouble with the cops... by that point, my parents had made the decision that Gilda was too dangerous for me to be around, and they didn't want to risk my safety anymore than what was already done, so the first chance we got, we packed up everything we had and left for my uncle's place in Canterlot City, and from there, the rest is history." Dash explained, her voice caught in her throat as she let out a sigh.

Rook and Zuchi looked at each other, then walked out of the RV, leaving the remaining four to their thoughts. Chance got up and rested a hand on Dash's shoulder. "That must've been a lot for you to handle at one time, especially at such a young age. I'm sorry that happened to you, I truly am. How do you feel, knowing you let your feelings out? Any better, or any worse?" Chance asked.

Dash shrugged her shoulders, a look of fear and terror was clear in her eyes, she was aware of how it felt, and despite not knowing how to describe these feelings, she attempted to put them to words as best she could. "It... I-It almost feels like a bit of both. It feels like a weight's been lifted off my back, but now there's something heavier weighing me down... it feels like things have barely changed at all, but the changes made feel... well, good, in a way," Dash took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, feeling Sunset pull her into a hug. "Maybe when I get back to Canterlot City, I can try to talk with the others, maybe talk to my parents about Gilda, see if I can't get some advice... especially after seeing her become that... t-that thing." Dash explained, letting a small smile form on her face.

Chance nodded his head and sat back down. "It's a start, but dealing with Gilda on your own is a no-go. Better to have backup with you, no matter who it is, as long as they can throw a punch, and take a few hits themselves. Gilda was already dangerous before we came along, and now that she has magic and my alien powers, she's like a rampaging bull with steroids in her blood. Bottom line, fighting Gilda one-on-one in her current condition, not the best choice. I know I sound like a dumb and very broken record, but getting stronger is the only way to stop Gilda in her tracks, and we're like mosquitos fighting a semi-truck." Chance stated.

Dash nodded her head, and looked towards Sunset. "Don't suppose you guys would mind having a fourth wheel with you guys, wouldja?" Dash asked, chuckling.

Luna smiled and pointed to both Sunset and Chance. "These two are already enough for me, miss Dash. Maybe sometime tomorrow, we can work something out, so you can head back to Canterlot City, while I take this into my capable hands. I promise you, we won't kill Gilda-"

"Speak for yourself, miss Luna. With all due respect, I can't make promises I can't keep. Gilda was fighting to slaughter when she mutated, and I'm the one who has to match her ferocity." Chance interrupted.

Luna sighed, shooting a small glare at the teenaged boy. Chance held his hands up and walked out of the RV, while Luna fixated her gaze on Dash. "As I was saying, we'll make the honest attempt to not use lethal force. Maybe with enough coaxing and fighting, we can literally knock some sense back into her. At least, I hope we can." Luna explained.

Dash nodded her head, smiling. "You're welcome to try. I know you might not like what I'll say next, but he's got a point. Gilda was intent on being rather murderous. If you can bring her back to her senses, it won't be for long. Gilda was never one to listen to reason, not until she's truly out of options and cornered like easy prey." Dash commented.

Luna frowned at Rainbow Dash's words, but she nodded in approval, taking some stock into what the girl was saying. Luna pulls back the curtains, noticing the teen sitting on one of the grassy hills, staring into the sky.

As Sunset and Dash go to the back of the RV, likely to have their own private conversation, Luna pulls out a small set of headphones, as well as a small palm-sized satellite receiver. She places it against the window, and turns the device on, plugging the headphones into the receiver, and switching the receiver on.

'This may be a breach in privacy, but I have to know what's going on with him.' Luna thought to herself.

Outside the RV, Chance sat on one of the grassy hills, looking at the windmills turn as the stars start to come out. Rook and Zuchi walked over to join him, wondering if he was pondering his situation. "Human alright? You're looking at sky like dumb puppy." Zuchi remarks.

Chance shook his head, watching as the sun sets, turning the beautiful orange hue into a violet-blue cascade, with various stars decorating the night sky. "Just watching the stars, haven't done this since my dad left, I'm considering doing this more often in my downtime, y'know, "relax", like Sunset's been badgering me to do since I got injured," The saiyan and the revonnahgander look at each other for a moment, then decide to lay on the hill, with the wielder of the Omnitrix following their lead. The cool summer breeze felt relaxing, and it was for the moment. But then, Chance felt another feeling within him. A sense of loneliness and insecurity. "My dad and I always did this on the 4th of July, before we set of fireworks. He said the stars reminded him of friends he lost along the way. At the time, I asked if I'd ever get to meet them one day, and he just seemed to give me a look. It wasn't out of anger, a line hadn't been crossed, he seemed sad, but it was the good kind of sad. It was just... a look, like he knew the answer, but he wouldn't tell me." Chance remarked.

Rook sat up and nodded his head. "My father is a wise man, and though he can be stubborn, stuck in his way of doing things, I know he always knows something. I just cannot imagine the idea of my father not missing our family, it almost feels... wrong, but I know he feels something." Rook stated.

Zuchi closed her eyes and sat up, crossing her legs. "Zuchi not too close to her family. Zuchi was born to be warrior, conqueror, but then Frieza clan show up, attempt to ruin everything. Zuchi's father hated her for being weak, but Zuchi always thought it was just her father's way of telling Zuchi to get stronger. Then Nameks came to assist saiyans in fight, suddenly Zuchi doesn't see father anymore... Zuchi still not know where father is, let alone even know if father is alive... Zuchi doesn't care, but at same time, Zuchi hates the idea of father being dead. Father not love Zuchi, but Zuchi will always cherish father." Zuchi explained, rubbing away the few tears she had in her eyes.

Chance takes a deep breath, pauses for a moment, and slowly exhales. "Sometimes, when I know Sunset and Luna aren't paying any attention to me, I tend to ask a question in my head... will I ever see him again? Him being my dad, I mean. I can't help but wonder, why do I ask that question, when I remember that he died five years ago. Is it a sick joke I'm not understanding, or am I finally in denial, after so long?" Rook looked to the teenager, seeing a deep look of confusion, melancholy, as well as frustration on the human's face. "I think it's because I don't understand any of this, if I can be honest. Aliens, magic, the whole shebang, it all still baffles me! Sometimes it's hard just being the hero, especially since it's already difficult just being me. Sometimes I just go with the flow, because it's easy. But, when something seems wrong, like people are at risk of getting hurt, killed, or likely end up worse, I always act like this is all a strange dream. I act like it's not real, so that when the time comes, I have enough conviction to do what I have to in the end, because that's what people need me to be. I've always wanted to be a hero, but now that I am, now that I have the power, the more I get hurt, the more I risk my life for others, the more I feel the responsibility weighing me down, slowing my progress to a crawl. I want to keep going, I want to keep pushing, even if all this weight drags me into the murky depths, trying to drown me, but who's going to save me, I wonder." Chance explained.

Rook and Zuchi seem surprised that the human, the same human that saved their lives, as well as their species from total extinction by parasitic enslavement, was having doubts. "I was not aware that someone so young could think this way, especially a human. You have done plenty of good with the Omnitrix, and I bet you have done plenty of good as yourself." Rook encouraged.

Zuchi patted the human's back, smirking. "Revonnahgander is right. Human got potential to be great warrior. Overcoming one's own short comings, confronting inner demons, not letting past define you, they are best ways to prove that you aren't like everyone else. Most saiyans never throw away their pride, but the ones who do, or define their pride in someone else, is what allows them to reach greater heights. That was once thought how the legendary Super Saiyan had come to be, but no saiyan, as of late, has yet to achieve the legend. Zuchi wants to be one of the few that can, but Zuchi holds herself back, and it frustrates Zuchi that she handicaps her strength, just because everyone else can't give Zuchi a real fight." Zuchi explained.

Rook sighed. "As barbaric as that sounds, miss Zuchi is correct in her phrasing. Back when we were escaping the ship that belonged to Reinrassic, when my father got overtaken by one of those xenocites, I froze up. I never once thought I would have to fight my own father, even if his actions were not his own. You, Chance, you convinced me to fight, and you fixed my father, saved him from becoming anymore of a monster. You are a hero in your own right, and I have faith that you'll be a better hero in the future." Rook stated.

Zuchi nodded her head. "Do your allies know of your struggle, or how you truly feel?" Zuchi asked.

Chance shook his head, confusing the saiyan. "I haven't told Luna and Sunset any of this for one sole reason. I don't want to push them away, I'm not good at processing my emotions, especially since the only emotions I've known before ending up stuck with the Omnitrix are hate, sadness, depression, despise, spite, dread, pain, paranoia, fear and hopelessness. I'm not as used to being in the constant presence of actual caring people who care what I have to say, who care about my well-being, who have had my back even when I fucked up... it just shows I've been around Jean and Moonshine for way too long, and by the end of the summer, I'll likely be stuck with them for the rest of my life." Chance explained, sitting up as he held his head low.

The revonnahgander and the saiyan looked at each other, both uncertain of how to respond to such. "Then why doesn't human just turn them in to Plumber custody?" Zuchi inquired.

Rook nodded in agreement. "Indeed. The Plumbers may not be your most conventional or average law enforcement agency, but they do still uphold the law. Why not just have the Plumbers arrest them for child endangerment?" Rook questioned.

Chance scoffed and sneered at the prospect. "It wouldn't work, they'd find a way out, and then they'd be another problem, one that gets worse and worse with passing time. Truly, the only thing that could stop them, is the death sentence. On Earth, we have a very important set of sayings and phrases, and two of them mean something to me. "Sometimes parents don't deserve to have a child, and sometimes, a child doesn't deserve to have parents". The first phrase hits personally for me. Ever since my dad left back in 2007, my mom had been on a behavioral decline. Once she found out on my 10th birthday that he died during his service to our country, she finally snapped. She seemed more angry at me, than she ever was sad that dad was gone. Think about that for a moment, she was seeing Moonshine five months after the Christmas of 2007, the day and year, my father left to do one more job, one more tour for his country... my mom didn't give a damn that he was dead, and she knows damn well I'd be better off if she took his place." Chance explained bitterly, biting his bottom lip hard.

He felt the toxicity, the venomous sting in those last few words he let escape his lips. He felt justified in saying those things, but he also felt ashamed. Chance took a deep breath, letting a couple tears stream down his face as he exhaled. "I wish I knew why I felt this way. If I felt this way about miss Luna, or Sunset, I don't think I'd ever forgive myself, let alone believe I deserve redemption. Ever since what happened with Gilda the first time, she betrayed my trust, my kindness, my attempt to be generous when I wanted to give her a second chance. It's like I haven't been able to trust my own judgement, and if I can't trust my own judgement, how can I trust anyone else's judgement on a situation like this." Chance explained, his tone of voice slowly became more grave and uncertain.

Rook put a hand on Chance's shoulder, as did Zuchi. "Do you actually think you are capable of doing something horrible, and not regret it?" Rook asked.

Zuchi stood up and pulled Chance to his feet. "Does human think he should truly be punished for the crimes of others?" Zuchi asked.

Chance was silent for a moment. A long moment. He looked at his hands, rubbed his cheeks, feeling the streaks of tears become cold to the touch. His eyes stung from his moment of weakness, but all he could do is look at the moon, then look back at the RV. He looked at his shirt, then he looked at the Omnitrix. He felt... something. It was like being vulnerable, but it felt more natural... like it was his decision to be vulnerable.

Chance finally stopped thinking about everything he wanted to say, and decided to say it.

Chance's face became that of anger, rage, pain, grief, shame, and most importantly of all... the determination to stand tall and confess. He took a deep breath and looked to the sky. He opened his mouth and decided to scream into the night. "I hate feeling like everything I do, with or without my power, is not enough!! I'm tired of feeling like every time I need to get stronger, I'm looked at and perceived like a thick-skulled meathead with no brains to be found!! I want to get stronger, so I can carry the burdens that others can't handle, to try and help others like Sunset and Luna are trying to help me!! I'm not heartless, I'm not a freak, I'm not a killer, I have a soul, a very damaged soul!! I'm a hero, I'm the son of a soldier, and I'll die like one if I have to fight for this entire universe!! I am Chance Blazkowicz Marsten, dammit!! I won't quit on others like my mom quit on me!! I won't quit until I've helped everyone I can get the justice they deserve!!" Chance exclaimed, his voice was breaking up, cracking as he fell to his knees, slamming his fists into the ground, hard enough to leave indents of his knuckles in the dirt.

The teenaged boy bellowed out a scream like he prepared for a war, his eyes were wide, filled with anger, pain, grief, shame, as well as a re-ignited sense of hope. More tears poured out of his eyes as he continued to scream into the night, all while Rook and Zuchi watched on, both rendered speechless. Luna and Sunset, along with Rainbow Dash, walked out of the RV, unsure as to what exactly was happening, but they could hear everything. They saw Chance slamming his fists into the ground, screaming like his life depended on it.

Needless to say, seemed like everyone was getting in their feelings. Some had it bad, others had it worse, and some were just scratching the surface of their issues.

Chance collapsed onto the ground, having exhausted himself with screaming so much. By the time Luna ran up to the teenaged boy, he had already passed out, and she could see the streaks of tears on his face from letting his emotions go unshackled. Luna sat down beside him, as did Sunset, Dash, Zuchi and Rook.

As the passed out hero lets his mind rest and be at ease, the remaining five simply make sure he's not alone. One thing Chance knew for certain, however, was that he always tried his best, even if it isn't enough. He just hopes to believe in what he's saying someday.

Author's Note

A neat little in-between episode, something that takes place after the last chapter, and something that takes place before the next episode. This one was less action oriented, simply because I wanted to tackle the different perspectives of not knowing why everything seems worse.

You try your best, you give it all you got, and then some extra... yet, nothing seems better than it was before, it feels worse, actually.

I told you the first encounter with Gilda would be eating at Chance, and now that Gilda has mutated into her amalgam form, it's been made so much worse.

This was Chance's breaking point. His past suffering from a time before he found the Omnitrix, his resentment of his biological mother, the pain that Moonshine has inflicted onto him at a young age, and finally, his injury. Chance finally snapped and broke down, screaming like had no other option left.

You needn't worry, the heroes are actually in a much better state of mind after this, but tomorrow is when the action comes back... as well as Gilda herself.

Hope you enjoyed, this has been long overdue. It's also a bit shorter, around 9,600+ words, but I prefer it that way.