A Hero's Origins
By TheAlienBrony22

Gilda 11

The trio arrive at a hotel in New York City, while Luna is at the desk, making sure everything is going according to how she planned, Sunset is just in awe at how luxurious the lobby itself was, while Chance didn't seem all that interested to be there.

Sunset smiled. "Wow, this hotel has everything! Indoor pool, full day spa... Maybe Rarity should've come with us on this trip, all the craziness would've been worth it, right Chance?" Sunset asked, turning towards her friend.

Chance looked every bit as uninterested in the place the moment he heard that they were gonna stay in a hotel. "When you girls said you wanted to stay in a hotel, this overpriced fancy faux palace for the rich and prissy wasn't what initially came to my mind. That Rarity chick definitely seems like the type to enjoy this place, though." Chance remarked, typing away on his phone.

Luna approached the two, with a couple of well-stuffed backpacks. "Now Sunset, don't get used to it, it's only for one night," Sunset smiled and grabbed her bag, all while Chance typed away at his phone, purposefully not paying attention. Luna sighed. "Mister Marsten, try not to be in such a bad mood while we're here. I know this wasn't what you expected, but you can still have fun here." Luna said, trying to reassure the teenage boy.

Chance rolled his eyes and pocketed his phone, only to hear the sounds of a struggle. Chance looked towards the source of the sound, only to see a buff figure wearing a white hoodie trying to flee the scene, with something clasped in their hands. The teen smirked. "Just what the doctor ordered to alleviate my boredom." Chance pressed the button on the Omnitrix as he readied one of his transformations, only for Luna to grab Chance's hand tightly, and saw her give him a stern look. "Hey! What gives?! The bad guy's getting away!" Chance remarked irately.

Luna pulled Chance aside and brought her lips close to his ear. "Listen to me right now, young man. I know what you're thinking, I knew what you were planning to do, and I don't need to remind you that the lobby has security cameras, now do I?" Chance pulled away for the moment and looked around, only to see a few security cameras pointed in a general direction that happened to have him in their peripheral view. "Let's at least wait till we get to our room before you transform, alright? It's just one common crook." Luna whispered, pleading for Chance to have some restraint.

Chance broke free of Luna's grasp, and saw a couple guards in suits try to stop the figure, only for the figure to leap above them and stomp them both to the ground and run out the revolving door. Chance looked back at Luna, clearly displeased by the crook getting away. "'Just a common crook' she says. 'You can wait a little longer' she says. 'The Omnitrix is not a toy' she constantly reminds me of the obvious. Look where that got us, now someone's getting away! I'm not gonna let this slide!" Chance remarked in a disappointed and irritated manner.

Chance pulled his arm free from Luna's grasp, then he ran towards the front door. Luna just stared, watching as Chance vanished as he ran past the guards and through the revolving door, chasing after the crook. Luna sighed, a concerned frown forming on her face. "That boy just can't sit still without trying to get into another fight." Luna remarked.

Chance sprints down the road, seeing the crook up ahead. Chance looked around, he was lucky to know that there wasn't any people on the streets that night, and wasted no time pressing the button on the Omnitrix, then slamming down on whatever alien was randomly selected. In a flash of green light, Chance transformed into Vitaguar, and roared out as he managed to lunge forward and tackle the crook to the ground. Vitaguar tore the hood clean off, only to reveal a tall African man with tattoos on his body. "Ow! Hey, c'mon man! Be cool, be cool!" The man exclaimed, struggling to get himself free, but it didn't work.

Vitaguar raised an eyebrow at the man, only to then notice the item he took stuffed in his pocket. It was a large red and yellow cartridge with the only two visible words being shown on a label. Pocket Quest. "Mind tellin' me why you ran off in such a huff dodgin' the hotel staff, mate?" Vitaguar snatched the cartridge from the man's pocket. "Don't tell me it was for one ah these little beauties." Vitaguar remarked with a smug grin.

The man panicked, seeing the cartridge in the alien's hands. "I-I was just tryin' to find a gift for a friend of mine, she just her brother. C'mon man, don't you know what it's like?" The man asked.

Vitaguar looked unamused and unconvinced. "You got a name, slick?" Vitaguar asked.

The man sighed and stopped struggling. "It's Reggie." The man introduced.

Vitaguar smiled and got off of him, then helped him back up to his feet. "Name's Vitaguar. Listen, I get that you wanna make your friend happier than a jumping June bug, but that don't mean ya gotta steal for it. Look, I'm sure there's a Pixelshack you can drop by a couple blocks from here, so why don't ya get a game there," Reggie was clearly out of his depth if an alien was giving him advice, yet he was listening, taking in every bit of information he could. "Speakin' of stupid, why the bloody hell would a hotel even have a game like this anyway?" Vitaguar asked.

Reggie shrugged. "That place has a kiosk dedicated to games that'll release durin' the holidays. Christmas is months away, but that won't stop 'em from droppin' special demos. Those cartridges would cost around hundreds of thousands, to maybe even millions of dollars in cash... but that money won't be worth it if me or my friend get locked up," Vitaguar looked at Reggie, seeing him back up with his hands up. "Take the game, man. I'm gonna go to the Pixelshack and see if I can find anything worth a couple bucks. You're a strange dude, almost reminds me of that psycho chick who's on the prowl this time of night, only more civil. Catch ya later, man!" Reggie remarked, running off down the street.

Vitaguar wasn't sure what the guy was talking about, but he decided to keep that in mind for later, if it ever seemed important. Vitaguar quickly raced back to the hotel, hoping to make it back before he timed out. As he left the scene and started going back to the hotel, someone was watching him from the shadows of an alleyway.

The next morning, Chance was in the RV, sat down in his usual seat, which was the booth closest to the passenger's front seat. He was eating a bowl of cereal, only to notice that Sunset and Luna were coming back, and they looked agitated. 'Oh this can't bode well.' Chance thought, swallowing down the last bite of his breakfast.

Luna and Sunset entered the RV, and looked over at Chance. Chance casually smiled and waved at them. "Hey there, how was the hotel experience?" Chance asked.

Sunset groaned. "Terrible, absolutely hot garbage spray painted in gold!" Sunset exclaimed angrily.

Chance was a bit surprised by Sunset's anger, but he decided to be a bit patient today. Chance looked towards Luna, and she was equally as pissed off, if not less than how Sunset was. "The neighboring clientele wouldn't turn down the music, they wouldn't stop permeating the hallways with that putrid skunk smell, and I don't even want to imagine what our room looks like with a UV light shining on it. Needless to say, for a one-night stay, it was absolutely horrendous," Luna looked at Chance, who had a knowing look in his eyes. "Now I know first-hand what it must've been like for you, for the past five years. For such a highly-rated hotel, it was borderline disgusting and unacceptable!" Luna explained.

Chance snickered a bit. "Sounds like New York City, to me." Chance commented.

Luna sighed and sat down in the booth, tired and exhausted. "I couldn't help but notice that you didn't come up to the room. Why?" Luna asked.

Chance shrugged. "Fancy hotels like this place aren't my style. I prefer motels, because they're simple, cheap like Chapstick, and above all else, you know that despite being run down, and the likely possibility someone died in the same room you booked for the night, it's still better than this fancy drug cartel in disguise. If I had to pick between a motel room in the basement, and the penthouse suite for this hotel, I'd pick the basement one-hundred percent of the time, every time. But in this case, I didn't have the cash for a motel room, so I came back here to the RV, and slept like a baby." Chance explained, patting Luna on the back.

Sunset sat down, and just looked at Chance with the oddest feeling coursing through her brain. "Chance, how do you even know any of that, let alone know if any of what you just said is true?" Sunset asked.

Chance's happier expression soon fell into a frown. "Ironically enough, it's one of the only perks of living with a couple of dumb junkies. You recognize your environment long enough and get used to it after a certain amount of time, and you can pinpoint the little details no one else notices, decide for yourself whether or not you wanna contract tetanus or an STD just from using the kitchen sink." Chance explained.

Sunset's eyes went wide and she shuddered. Chance moved under the table and crawled his way out from underneath, just to grab his empty bowl and put it in the sink. "I'd love to stick around and talk some more, but as of right now, I'm gonna go explore NYC and see what it has to offer. First stop, the arcade I passed by when I was chasing that crook down last night." Chance stated, heading to the back of the RV to get a quick change of clothes.

Luna stood up from her seat. "That sounds like a good idea, we can all go together, make some memories. Been a while since I hit up an arcade, though. Last time I did that, I was on an odd-job as a plumber," Sunset looked at Luna skeptically, and Chance poked his head out from the curtains, curious as to what Luna was even talking about. "To make a long story short, I never thought I'd see arcade boxes produce an electric-conductive mold before once a pipe had burst, but that was certainly a learning experience for everyone involved." Luna explained, smiling sheepishly.

Chance rolled his eyes and got back to getting dressed. After a couple minutes, he pulled the curtains back, showing that he was dressed in his casual clothes. Luna was buttoning up some kind of short-sleeved shirt, it was navy blue in color, and had numerous light blue stars on it. Chance snickered, trying hopelessly to hold back the urge to laugh. "Well, I never saw you wear that before. How long has that been in your closet?" Chance asked, chuckling a bit.

Luna smiled and rolled her eyes. "It belonged to my mother. She gave it to me on my twentieth birthday, said I'd grow into it. Since it fits me perfectly, I'd have to agree that she was right." Luna explained.

The trio walk down the street towards a large sign. Luna stares at the sign, a bright blue background with red letters on it. "Total Zone. With a name like that, I'm more inclined to think it's an auto shop." Luna remarks.

Chance walks through the door. Inside, the trio sees many people around Chance and Sunset's age playing on arcade machines. Chance boots up a baseball-batting game. As the digital pitcher throws the ball, the screen immediately flashes 'Game Over'. Chance was confused and fed the machine a couple more tokens, but was met with the same result, only the pitcher didn't even have enough time to throw the ball. Chance frowned, he was getting agitated and he was not going to take this lying down.

Meanwhile, Sunset was playing a 2D fighting game, one that showed a bunch of scantily-clad ladies fighting to the death. At first, Sunset was all for it, until one of them ripped off her character's head, and started to use their spine like a jump rope. Sunset flinched and backed away slowly.

Luna was trying her best on a motorcycle racing game, and despite drawing a crowd of teenagers as she was narrowly close to breaking the high score, she ended up getting booted from the game and brought back to the title screen. Luna groaned out in frustration and got off the bike, trying not to lose her mind in front of numerous people.

The trio met back up and could clearly tell that each one was cheated in some way. "A baseball game ate my tokens and didn't even give me the chance to hit the ball! It's just like real baseball, someone always gets fucked and their talent is squandered!" Chance complained.

Sunset shuddered. "I don't think the 2D fighter games here are for me. The women are way too underdressed, and one of them used my character's spine like a jump rope, like it was a normal thing to do after you win. That's where I draw the line in the sand." Sunset stated, shuddering.

Luna sighed, still clearly frustrated. "I know both of your pains. I was cheated out of breaking the high score, and now I'm just mad," Luna took a deep breath, and sighed. "I'm gonna head back to the RV and bring it on around, we can at least see the sights before we move on. I'll be right back!" Luna stated, walking out of the front doors as she ran down the street.

Chance looked at a guy, seeing he had a manager pin, and decided to take his problem to him. "Hey, these machines ate our tokens and aren't up-to-code for what's allowed in an arcade, nowadays!" Chance commented, tapping the guy's shoulder.

The employee scoffed and pointed to a sign. "Can't you read, idiot? The sign says 'play at your own risk', dude. Not my fault you and your friend are dumber than rocks." The employee remarked with a smirk.

Chance punched the employee across the face and was about to do it again, until Sunset held him back. "Chance, don't! He's not worth it, he never was!" Sunset exclaimed, trying to hold Chance back from hitting the employee again.

The employee held his mouth, seeing a bit of red on his lips, and started to panic. "Y-You... you h-hit me!" The employee sputtered out, now starting to get scared. Chance stared the employee down, and he just ran away to the nearest bathroom, screaming like his life was in danger.

Chance took a couple breaths, and looked back at Sunset, seeing the disappointment and uncertainty in her eyes, it was a sobering sight for the alien hero, and he started to calm down, realizing what he had done. "Oh no." Chance muttered.

The arcade was silent for a moment, everyone had seen what he did, and while he was expecting people to get on his case, a lot of them just cheered, which threw him and Sunset for a loop, confusing them both. "Guess that guy wasn't popular with the customers. Not that I blame them, he was a serious jerk," Sunset let him go and turned her friend around so he could face her. "But, that still doesn't justify what you did, even if I did appreciate the gesture. You didn't have to strike him so hard like that, we could've gotten in so much trouble!" Sunset reprimanded.

Chance sighed, looking disappointed and ashamed. "I know, and I'm sorry, really I am, but I don't know what happened! It's always with those kinds of people that something gets under my skin, and I can't help but wanna give them a piece of my mind, tell them off about their horrid behavior towards others. I already had to deal with people like that back at that disheveled crack den that has my stuff in it, I don't need that shit when I'm so far from Canterlot City, it's like I never left." Chance explained.

Sunset pulled Chance into a hug, then smacked him across the face, causing him to hold the left side of his face carefully. "I know, and while I still don't know the full version of your side of the story, bits and pieces, small little tidbits about you are starting to reveal themselves, and it makes me question how someone like you could still want to be a hero. Ruminate on that for me, will ya?" Sunset asked.

Chance and Sunset frowned as they leaned against one of the machines. "Man, these games stink, they're like rip-offs, but somehow worse." Chance remarked, trying to change the subject and lighten the mood.

A figure stood right next to Chance, smiling and chuckling. "Yeah, you're right. These games do stink. But, I bet the place will be much better without that spineless sissy," Sunset and Chance turned to their right and saw a girl standing next to them, leaning against the same busted baseball game Chance was getting agitated with. She was dressed in a black jacket with the sleeves torn off, and was nearly as tall as Chance was, though she definitely had a bit more muscle than Chance did. She had black fingerless gloves, a torn up gray t-shirt, blue jeans, and black boots. Her blue eyes were mysterious, yet seemed to crave a challenge. Her black hair was short, messy and spiky, it was like an untamed shadow was latched onto her head. "What a poor excuse for a manager, right? Leave it to ol' Roddy to get too big for his britches, thinking he could get rich with an arcade manager's salary." The girl remarked with a smile.

Chance smiled and chuckled. "These games may suck, but not as much as that dweeb's breath. MAJOR case of zombie mouth, smelled like he frenched a corpse on the way to work, am I right?" Chance remarked.

The girl busted out laughing. "Oh man, that was good, you're funny!" Chance bows and gives a thumbs up, then the girl goes over to a token-dispensing machine and places her hand on it. "You did the right thing knockin' him back to his senses. If you didn't, I would've. Here, ya owe me one, slick." The girl remarked.

Before Chance and Sunset could register what the girl was about to do, her hand sparked with some kind of electrical energy. The moment energy started to leave the machine and into the girl, the machine seemed to break and started dispensing tons of tokens. Chance and Sunset were surprised to see what just transpired. Chance was more or less impressed, smiling from ear-to-ear and ready to partake in the bounty, whereas Sunset was worried about what this girl's deal was. "Yo, you literally broke the bank! How'd you do that?!" Chance asked, scooping up a handful of tokens.

The girl leaned against one of the games and blew on her fingers, eyeing the smoke that came off her fingertips. "I got some skills." The girl responded.

Sunset looked down at her friend, who was eyeing the tokens like a man dying of thirst finding a stream of water. Sunset had to be the voice of reason and shook his shoulder, causing him to wince in pain and drop the tokens. Sunset panicked and put a hand to her face. 'I shook the wrong shoulder!' Sunset knelt down and looked as Chance slowly got over the pain. "Sorry for that, but we can't take these. They aren't ours, anyway! You know Luna's gonna get suspicious, right?" Sunset warned.

Chance sighed and looked at Sunset, clearly bothered. "They're not in the machine, so I'd say they're ours, now!" Chance grabbed some tokens and stuffed them in Sunset's pocket. Chance looked back up at the girl, seeing her confident smile. "Thanks for the tokens, but I don't think we properly introduced ourselves. I'm Chance, nice to meet!" Chance introduced, getting up as he offered a handshake.

The girl smirked and shook his hand. "Gilda." She introduced.

Sunset took the tokens out of her pocket and got in-between them. "I know you didn't ask, but I'm Sunset. And we were just leaving." Sunset stated firmly, grabbing Chance's hand hard and pulling him away, causing him to stagger a bit as he was dragged along.

Gilda watched as Chance got dragged away by the other girl, only to then go wide-eyed, gasping as she saw a few other girls moving towards her. Gilda quickly moved backwards, only to then see she was cut-off, stuck.

Chance managed to break free from Sunset's grasp, and simply glared at her. "What the fuck's your problem?! Squeeze my hand any harder, and you just might break it!" Chance warned.

Sunset stared him down. "We need to avoid that Gilda girl. She's total trouble, and most likely a bad influence!" Sunset cautioned.

Chance rolled his eyes. "Seemed pretty alright to me," Chance looked back at where Gilda was last, only to then see a bunch of unfamiliar girls surrounding said spot. Chance and Sunset moved and saw Gilda being surrounded by three other girls. One of them had sporty shorts and a tank top on, another had one of those tribal Indian feathers on their head, and the other girl had a fauxhawk and looked like a serious rival, sporting a t-shirt that said 'Dragonz Rule' on the front of it. "Uh-oh, this can't be good." Chance stated worriedly.

Gilda was backed into one of the games, and could clearly tell she was in some serious trouble. "Long time, no see, G. Where you going? Home to recharge your batteries, freak?" The sporty girl sneered.

Gilda smirked. "Now why would I go home to recharge my batteries when your sugar daddy will help me out?~" Gilda remarked, chuckling coldly.

The fauxhawk girl decked Gilda in the face, knocking the back of her head against the screen. "Silence! You are going to pay for what you've done, demon!" The feather girl called out.

Gilda chuckled, only to cough and sputter, letting a bit of red paint her lips. "Still mad about your hideout gettin' trashed? You're gonna have to try a lot harder than that if you want me to pay!" Gilda taunted.

The fauxhawk girl grabbed Gilda's throat and raised her off the ground, astonishing Chance and Sunset, who watched in horror. "You're all talk till you start bleeding, birdie! This is where it ends, right here, right now!! You aren't getting out of this alive, that's the price you'll pay for stickin' on your own!" The fauxhawk girl declared, and started to squeeze Gilda's neck.

Chance ducked down and moved a couple lanes over, pressing the button on the Omnitrix, dialing in one of his aliens. "Good thing she's not alone, this time." Chance remarked, pressing down on the core as he transformed.

Chance felt the Omnitrix embed itself into his arm, letting skin and muscle grow over it and up to his arm. He closed his eyes as the muscles went into his eye, forcing them to open, revealing them to be all white. His skin became a very light shade of sky blue, and his hair slowly formed into that of some kind of feathery plumage that jutted out from his head. His lips pursed together and extended into a large beak, opening up to make a sound reminiscent of a bird call.

Chance felt his fingers merge together and toughen up, opening up as sharp talons. Several blue feathers sprouted across his arms and all over his body, only for it to be sealed in a one-piece suit with a white top, and black pants, with the Omnitrix being dead-center in the middle of the creature's chest. Tail feathers grew from his tailbone and his feet became more like that of a bird's, only covered in a white protective fabric.

The alien posed as if he performed a jump kick, and cawed as he flapped his arm wings.

Gilda swung her feet, kicking at the girl with all her might, but it was just tiring her out, and wasting the air in her lungs. Before Gilda blacked out, the sound of a bird's cry echoed out, causing everyone to look at Jump-Kick, who landed on the scene. The girls were confused as to why there was a man-sized blue jay standing in their presence, but one of the girls was stupid enough to speak up.

The sporty girl laughed at the alien hero. "Oh man, you're a little early for Halloween, aren't 'cha buddy?" The girl asked, still laughing at the avian alien.

Jump-Kick dashes over to them and grabs the girl with his foot, then proceeds to launch her into the air with relative ease. She shrieks out, and Jump-Kick spin-kicks her away as she falls back down. The avian hero jumps up and seems to disappear. "H-Hey! Where'd he disappear to?!" The fauxhawk girl exclaimed.

Gilda and the girl holding her turn around. The feather girl disappeared as something snatched her up into the rafters. Another is picked off and they are all piled over to where the sporty girl fell. As the fauxhawk girl lets go of Gilda and backs up, Jump-Kick appears behind her. "'Trick-or-treat'!" Jump-Kick said with a wry smile.

Before the girl knew what happened, she felt something hit her and launch her into the other girls, all while Sunset just watched on in shock. Without a moment's hesitation, Sunset left the building as Jump-Kick helped Gilda up to her feet, dusting her off. Once the Omnitrix started beeping, he simply waved and made a mad dash for the front door, leaving Gilda confused, but appreciative for the alien's assistance.

After some time has passed, Chance was in the RV, being scolded by Luna, who was told of what happened by Sunset. "You expect me to trust you after what you did in there?! Assaulting an employee, misusing the Omnitrix's power on a bunch of powerless girls, I don't have the words to describe how infuriated and disappointed I am in you at this moment!" Luna reprimanded.

Chance sulked, only to glare over at Sunset. "Congrats, Sunset, you earned the title of 'Snitch'!" Sunset sighed and walked to the back of the RV. Chance looked back at Luna, who was very furious. "Look, it's no big deal! You're missing the context here. The employee wanted to talk shit, so I let him have it! Besides, Gilda was getting ganged up on by a bunch of other chicks, one of them was aiming to kill her, I couldn't just standby and watch that happen! I did the right thing numerous times with and without the Omnitrix, why are you both having hissy fits over this one occurrence?" Chance asked.

Luna glared at him, and while he didn't back down, he did feel an unfamiliar chill run down his spine. "It's not how many times you use the Omnitrix, mister Marsten. It's about how you use it! This time, you have misused that device's power!" Luna stated firmly.

Chance groaned. "I did not! I used it just fine, like every other situation! I haven't once ever considered using this thing for my own entertainment, because it'd get stale pretty fuckin' fast!" Luna's patience was wearing thin, and Sunset was watching from behind the curtain. "Besides, it's their own fault, anyway! They shouldn't've been fuckin' around, and now they found out what happens when you do! No one likes a bully, it's either fight back and the bully drags you down with them, or succumb to getting the shit beat out of you and have little to no reason to fight back when they start swinging, because if you do, you're in as much trouble as they are, if not more! Sound familiar?" Chance inquired, scowling at .

Luna growled, gritting her teeth as she slammed her hand on the table. "That's it, young man! I've had it up to here! You don't seem worried about the consequences of your actions, so here's the consequences in full-swing! You're grounded!!" Chance's eyes widened, not out of surprise, but was more-so not expecting Luna to start screaming. "No more 'Pocket Quest' stuff for 8 weeks! No games, no trading cards, no-!"

"-Fair!" Chance interrupted.

Luna leaned in and stared him down. "Neither is getting booted and banned from an arcade because you assaulted an employee and a bunch of girls! You're lucky none of them pressed charges!" Luna argued.

Chance furrowed his brow and groaned. "Yeah, well neither is being hunted down by alien bounty hunters and getting my shoulder cut open! it was bound to happen at some point, let's be honest here!" Chance rebutted.

Luna sighed and sighed in frustration. "Again, you're lucky the employee didn't press charges! If the girls did find out who you were, you're still lucky they didn't!" Luna reminded.

Chance groaned. "I didn't fight the girls as myself, that was Jump-Kick! Something I'm sure the Vice Principal's pet didn't say anything about that!" Sunset quickly ducked behind the curtains. "Besides, the employee was being an asshole, I merely treated him like most assholes we've come across this summer, someone who clearly needs to learn some proper manners!" Chance argued.

Luna walked over to the curtain and pulled it back, leading Sunset over to the booth. "It was a spur of the moment decision! I just didn't want you to get in more trouble than that girl was worth! I was looking out for you!" Sunset defended.

Chance gestured to the pissed off and furious Luna standing above them. "And how in the god damn did that work out for ya, snitchy?" Chance asked rhetorically.

"Enough! Both of you!!" The teens flinched as Luna stared them down. "Chance, this is not the time, nor the place for your antics! Go to the back of the RV and think about what you've done!" Luna shouted.

Chance got up and stared at her. "No, that's not happening! I'm not gonna be punished again, just because I was trying to help someone in need, and stick up for my friend!" Chance walked towards the door, only for Luna to grab him by the arm, gripping it tightly. Chance whipped around and pulled his arm loose, now he was getting furious. "You can't fuckin' do this! This is my vacation too, ya know! You can't always tell me what to do, like I'm some obedient brain-dead foot soldier who follows commands at the drop of a hat. You're not my mom!" Chance exclaimed angrily, sneering at Luna.

Luna was stunned, as was Sunset. To some degree, even Chance was a bit hurt by what just escaped his mouth, but he stood firm, staring the woman down. He could see it in her eyes, she wasn't just stunned, she felt hurt. He saw the tears forming in the corners of her eyes, he crossed a line. Luna didn't say a word, she just stood there, her lip quivering as she walked away, sitting in the driver's seat.

Sunset looked at Chance, seeing the furious, yet remorseful look in her friend's eyes. Chance scoffed and opened the door, only to then slam it closed behind him. Sunset looked at the door, then back at Luna. A bit of her makeup was starting to run, and she looked back at Sunset. She tried to stifle a couple sobs, but Sunset knew that wasn't going to last long. Sunset sighed and got up from her seat, walked over to Luna, and rubbed her back. "Hey, I'm sure he didn't mean it. If it makes you feel better, I'll go after him, make sure he doesn't get into another fight and resorts to transforming in public." Sunset reassured.

Luna sniffed and nodded her head, only to bury her face in her hands. Sunset quickly moved to the door and opened it, closing it carefully behind her as Luna started to break down.

As Chance walked down the street, he saw the Total Zone arcade up ahead, with Gilda leaning against the glass windows. She looked up and smiled, approaching Chance. "Hey pal, where'd ya go? Ya missed out on this dope fight between a giant bird and a bunch of stupid bitches!" Gilda asked.

Chance smiled, chuckling a bit. "You're talking about Jump-Kick, right? The giant blue jay that's good with his feet, he's one of my homies. We're pretty tight knit, ya know?" Chance answered.

Gilda smirked as the two started to walk down the street together. Behind them, Sunset was trying to catch up, hoping to learn more just by being sneaky. As the two teens walked down the street, Chance decides to try making conversation. "So, how'd you get your powers? Let me guess, bitten by radioactive jumper cables?" Chance asked.

Gilda snorted. "Nah, though that would be metal as hell. I was actually born with my powers, it was only till three years ago I started really using what I've been given. I'm like an energy sponge," Gilda pulls out a couple polaroid photos of different kinds of machines. "Motors, air conditioners, lights, batteries, whatever! I can soak it up, then dish it out when I have to... or want to." Gilda explained.

Chance laughed and patted Gilda on the back. "Well damn, color me thoroughly surprised! That's awesome!" Chance complimented.

Gilda chuckled. "Hey, why don't I show ya where I kick back and relax?" Chance raised an eyebrow in confusion. Gilda scoffed and smacked Chance in the back, causing him to wince yet again. "Don't worry, it's all on the up-and-up. Trust me, you're gonna love it!" Gilda remarked.

Gilda stopped and moved towards an alleyway, with Chance cautiously following behind. Gilda pushes a dumpster away from the right-most wall, and reveals a huge hole in the ground, one that's been chiseled and molded into a pseudo staircase. Gilda hopped down and started walking, and Chance, against his better judgement, hopped down and followed suite.

Sunset looked down at the hole, a rising sense of concern was starting to whell up within her, and she just tried to keep herself calm. 'You told Luna you'd keep him out of trouble. So, keep him out of trouble by going back, and tell her what you saw.' Sunset thought to herself.

Without another moment of hesitation, Sunset carefully walked away from the hole, and the moment she was out of the alleyway, she immediately sprinted down the street, trying to make it back to the RV in time.

After a bit of walking down into the depths, the teens arrive at an abandoned, yet very clean subway station. A few TVs and game consoles sit on the floor, an ATM sits next to the abandoned ticket booth, and a tattered Pocket Quest poster is hung up on the wall. "Holy underground utopia! You live here?!" Chance asked, in awe of how strangely clean the place was.

Gilda looked back and smiled. "Yeah, and I have the whole place to myself! Pretty rad, right?" Gilda inquired.

Chance nodded, but then a question popped into his head. "What about your folks, your parents, do they live here too?" Chance asked.

Gilda's smile faltered for a moment, and she sighed. "Those assholes are long gone! Apparently, they weren't too happy to know they're 'little princess' was a freak!" Chance raised an eyebrow at that, but Gilda simply kept talking. "But that just means I answer to nobody! I make the rules, I'm top dog down here!" Gilda proudly stated, flashing the same confident smile she did earlier.

Chance chuckled at her proclamation. "Alright, get down with your bad self!" Gilda rolled her eyes and tossed a can of soda his way. Chance caught it and cracked it open. "So, if you don't mind me asking, why were those chicks after you, mainly out for your head? I heard one of them say something about a trashed hideout, did you have something to do with it?" Chance asked curiously.

Gilda paused for a moment and a sheepish smile formed on her face as she laughed nervously. "Yeah, it most likely did. I kinda trashed their hangout under the 39th Street bridge, but that's what they deserve for actin' like a bunch of cowards, thinkin' they could stand me up when Garble's acting like a tool!" Chance raised an eyebrow in confusion, unsure of who this 'Garble' was, but upon hearing that name, he kinda had to agree that he sounded like a tool. "What about you? When you came back after that bird dude kicked those girls to the curb, you seemed like ya had something on your mind." Gilda stated.

Chance frowned, staring down into the can of soda, seeing the uncertainty in his own eyes in the aluminum reflection. 'I can't tell her about my powers, not yet. I need to make up a truth now, before the real truth spills out later,' After thinking about Gilda's question, Chance decided to spill his guts, metaphorically speaking. "My 'mom' wanted to take me and my friend on a road trip, just to get us away from the craziness of our home town. My friend was the girl you saw me with back at the arcade, and she can be a bit of a stickler for the rules, but I always believed that you're not living life without a little risk. My mom was not excited about how I punched that employee dude, but if he didn't want the smoke, he shouldn't've struck the match. No one insults my friends and gets away with it. Know what I mean?" Chance explained, keeping his composure.

Gilda looked a bit impressed, but she scoffed and smiled. "Damn, I didn't know you were about that life! You must be god's right-hand rebel, huh?" Gilda chided, walking over to Chance and nudging him with her elbow.

Chance shrugged and rolled his eyes. "I do my part for the community every now and then, even if my mom isn't supportive a hundred-percent of the time. Literally last night, I wanted to go after some guy who stole something from the hotel, but she told me that it wasn't worth the risk. Heard one of the alien heroes, Vitaguar, got the stolen property back and left it in the care of the hotel's finest security guards," that peaked Gilda's interest, and her attention was now laser-focused on the teen. "Apparently the stolen item was an exclusive game demo for the new main line Pocket Quest game. Who'd ah thought?" Chance explained.

Gilda thought about what he said, and something came to her brain. An idea had manifested, and a sly smirk formed on her lips. "Say, is it that same Pocket Quest game that won't be out till Christmas?" Gilda asked.

Chance nodded. "The very same one. Pocket Quest Starry Platinum version, the 4th iteration of the series! I kinda wish I had a copy myself, but my mom ended up grounding me from playing anything related to it for the next eight weeks! How fuckin' dumb is that?!" Chance remarked.

Gilda nodded. "Suuuper dumb, man. Listen, I think I know what'll cheer you up." Gilda assured, smirking confidently as she had a mischievous look in her eye.

Several hours pass and nightfall cascades over NYC. Several miles out from Gilda's hideout was a warehouse. Chance and Gilda slowly approach the place, crouching down and staying low. "This was your plan, B&E?! Might as well shout Mazeltov about the new year while we're at it!" Chance remarked.

Gilda nudged his arm and they both moved forward to the back door. "Relax, my tip's pretty solid. She was a bit apprehensive to get me this kind of info, but once I told her it was for a pal, she was willing to do all she could to help out. Inside this warehouse is a shipment of that Pocket Quest game you were tellin' me about. We go in, get our copies, and get out. Simple as that." Gilda explained, trying to reassure the alien hero.

Gilda looks over at the keypad, and grabs hold of it, overloading it with electricity. "Excellent. Hey, help me kick in the door." Gilda requested.

Chance, however, had a much better idea. Chance looked around the area carefully, and noticed a pair of gloves and a crowbar. Chance grabbed the gloves, and nudged the crowbar with his feet towards Gilda. 'I can't believe I'm doing this. I hope to god that this doesn't backfire.' Chance thought to himself.

Gilda put the gloves on and used the crowbar to pry the door open, managing to do so with success. Before she took a step, Chance grabbed her and kept her still. Gilda looked at him weirdly, only for him to point towards a sensor near the bottom of the door's frame. Gilda nodded and pressed a finger on the sensor, overloading it with electricity as well, causing it to spark and dismantle itself.

Gilda cautiously walked inside, turning on the lights. Chance walks in a little bit after her, surprised to see thousands of stacked cardboard crates, all marked 'Pocket Quest'. "Hot damn, this place is huge!" Chance stated.

Gilda walks over to a crate and uses the crowbar to pop it open; it's full of copies for the new video game. Gilda stuffs one copy in her jacket, and stuffs Chance's copy in her back pocket. "Check it out, man! Christmas came early this year!" Gilda cheered.

Chance smiled, and the two of them quickly moved back to the door they came in, only to be met by a familiar sight. Chance's eyes widened as he saw numerous drones flying in the air, fixated on him. "Oh no..." Chance muttered.

Gilda was unsure as to why there were floating robots suddenly spilling into the room, but Chance grabbed Gilda's hand and pulled her towards one of the loading doors. "We need to get out of here, now!" Chance called out.

Gilda followed his league, and tried to help him lift the large door open, but it wasn't budging. "Shit, must be locked!" The drones started firing at the two, and they separated from each other, with Chance ducking down behind a crate, trying to dial in one of his aliens. Gilda, on the other hand, hopped onto a forklift and grabbed hold of it, charging the vehicle with energy. "Time to 'rev things up'!" Gilda stated.

The forklift suddenly speeds forward, heading for one of the shelves. At the last minute, Gilda ditches the lift as it crashes into the shelf, causing the whole thing to topple over, letting the contents crash onto the drones, and to then topple the other shelf right after.

Gilda runs behind the same crate that Chance hid behind, and the drones were getting more abundant. "Okay, this got pretty crazy, pretty fast! Oh, if only Dash was here, she'd love to see all this go down!" Chance paused for a moment, looking at Gilda with concern, but shook the concern off and continued to try and dial in an alien, but the Omnitrix was being strange. Gilda poked her head out, and looked towards the door they entered in, seeing that it was momentarily clear. "Dude, the door's empty! If we can get through the bots, we're home free! Got any ideas?" Gilda asked.

Chance looked at her, then back at the Omnitrix, only to shudder. "I've got only one idea, but can you keep a secret?" Chance asked.

Gilda opened her mouth to say something, but when she looked back at Chance, she saw a look of hesitation, regret and unease written on his face. Gilda looked back at the drones that were swarming the warehouse, and sighed, looking back at her new friend. "It's a done deal. Now, what'd you have in mind, anyway?" Gilda asked.

Chance nodded and pressed the button on the Omnitrix, letting the core pop up. Chance twisted the dial and found the icon he was looking for, all while Gilda looked at him strangely. "What're you doin' with your watch?" Gilda asked, only for Chance to slam the core back down, causing Gilda's eyes to widen as he was enveloped in a flash of green light.

Chance felt small bright brown hairs sprout from his arm, and his fingers elongate into long, sharp and very dense claws. He felt his body become rounder, more rotund as his shirt formed around him like a suit. His nose and mouth elongated into a long, sharp and jagged snout, his skin got paler as more hair sprouted over his body. He clenched his eyes shut and let them open up, becoming all-white.

The Omnitrix formed on his chest, and he now wore a black and white suit, something reminiscent of overalls, but more unified. He let his claws separate as he raised them in the air, then burrowed into the ground.

Gilda uncovered her eyes, only to be both surprised and confused when she saw Excavole staring at her. "Uh... I know I tend to call people rat bastards, but this is a bit too literal." Gilda remarked.

Excavole rolled his small beady white eyes. "I know! Just shut your trap and keep quiet!" Excavole ordered.

The alien mole started to drill through the floor, creating a deep human-sized hole in the ground, only to momentarily stop and poke his head out, just to gesture for Gilda to follow. The girl was hesitant, but went along with it, hopping down the hole as the two of them dug their way to freedom.

As Excavole dug through the ground, pushing and breaking through dirt, stone and concrete, they eventually found themselves outside of the warehouse, and in a darkened alleyway. The problem wasn't over yet, however, as the drones started to break through the warehouse, and started to hone in on their location. Excavole looked up at Gilda with a serious expression. "Do you know how to fight?" Excavole asked.

Gilda smirked and let her hands crackle with energy. "Oh, you know it! Let's send these buckets of bolts back to the scrapyard!" Gilda exclaimed, firing off several bolts of energy at a few incoming drones, destroying them upon coming into contact with the energy.

Excavole ran towards a couple of the drones and slammed his sharpened muzzle through both of them, piercing their metal shells and ripping them apart with his claws. Gilda encased her hands in energy as she punched and slammed against the drones, only to then absorb the energy they had and fire it out in short bursts, destroying fifteen to twenty of them at a time. Excavole sliced through the drones like a hot knife through butter, even straight up impaling eight to ten of them at a time with some kind of corkscrew drill attack.

The two stood side-by-side, steadily getting surrounded by drones. Before either of them could do anything else, the drones suddenly backed off, flying away as they moved up into the night sky. Once the drones were no longer visible to the teens, the Omnitrix started beeping, and in a flash of red light, Chance was returned to normal. "Phew. As much as I love having this watch, the problems and complications that follow it are difficult, to say the least." Chance remarked, sighing as he leaned against the wall.

Chance looked at Gilda, who was also tired, but was in a very happy mood. "So you're the guy behind that strange mole dude?" Chance sheepishly nodded, and felt Gilda slug him in the arm. "Hey, there's no need for that modesty crap! Be proud of what you got goin' on! So, that watch thing lets you become that mole dude whenever you want?" Gilda asked.

Chance sighed. "It's not just Excavole. The watch sends out this special energy that alters my DNA, allowing me to transform into not one, not two, not three, but ten different super-powered alien heroes." Chance briefly explained.

Gilda seemed surprised, but at the same time, it confirmed something for her. "So that blue jay back at the arcade, when he showed up and no one could find you, you were him the whole time?" Chance nodded his head in approval, making Gilda smile widely. "Dude, you're the MAN! Damn, way to make me look like a one-trick pony! C'mon, show me what other aliens you can morph into!" Gilda requested.

Chance shook his head. "I can't, even if I wished it could be that simple, it doesn't usually work in my favor. This thing tends to have a mind of its own, and I haven't the oddest idea as to why it does most of the things it does. I just know that it's important, and it's my responsibility... another thing to add to that growing list." Chance remarked, seeming saddened and bitter as the Omnitrix glows red.

Gilda looks at it briefly, then reaches for it, causing Chance to hide it behind his back. "Gimme it! Maybe I can make it work." Gilda told the teen hero.

Chance shook his head again. "If I could take this thing off, don't you think I would've done it already? It's stuck to me," Chance sulked as he sat down on the ground, feeling a weight on his shoulders. "Not like it matters, I'll have to go back to my mom eventually, and she's gonna be pissed when she finds out I took part in something as incriminating as breaking and entering. I'll probably be grounded the entire summer, or till I graduate and move out." Chance remarked.

Gilda thought for a moment, and then an idea came to her. "We should be partners! Hear me out, between the two of us, with our powers? We could do whatever we want, whenever we want!" Gilda turned towards Chance, seeing the confusion on his face. "I mean, think about it, we could totally cash in! What do you say? Friends?" Gilda asked, offering her hand to Chance.

Chance was about to reach out and take her offer, but he felt something strange. Chance pulled his hand back and looked at Gilda. "On two conditions," Gilda was now confused, but decided to let him speak. "One, we can't hurt, endanger or end the lives of innocent people with what we do. I can't handle the idea of blood being on my hands, it's not worth having power if people end up dead anyway. Two, and this is just as important, no secrets between us! Got something you wanna say, say it to your partner's face and mean it!" Chance held his hand out, offering it to Gilda. "We got a deal?" Chance asked.

Gilda wasn't initially happy with how things suddenly got flipped against her, but she had to admit, this guy had guts. Gilda took his hand and helped him up, dusting him off. "Deal." Gilda stated.

The two walked away from the scene, with Chance looking unsure of all that has happened thus far today. He wanted to head back to the RV, but something in his head told him that was the worst idea. 'Those two probably want nothing to do with me... I don't blame them.' Chance thought, following close behind Gilda.

Sunset heads into the RV and carefully closes the door, only to be met by Luna, who looked very concerned. The dried black streaks beneath her eyes was enough to tell that tears were shed, and it caused Luna's makeup to run. "Where's Chance, did you bring him back?" Sunset was silent, simply moving past her and getting in the front seat on the passenger's side. "We're gonna have to go after him, aren't we?" Luna asked. Sunset silently nodded, she was just as concerned for her friend, but she couldn't help but feel guilty for turning back like that.

Luna got in the driver's seat and turned the RV on, with the radio blaring. "We interrupt this broadcast with breaking news! The warehouse containing the yet-to-be-released game, Pocket Quest Starry Platinum, has been attacked by several strange drones that descended from the sky a half hour ago. Since then, they retreated back into the night sky, but who knows when they'll be coming back? What fended them off, or what scared them off? More news as it develops." The reporter stated as music began to play.

Luna and Sunset looked at each other, both of them equally concerned and aware of what that meant. The RV quickly sped down the road, hoping to find Chance in one piece, or more optimistically, still on Earth. Luna's concern was starting to mix with a rising sense of frustration, as well as embarrassment. "Of all the stunts Chance has pulled, this has to be one of, if not the worst of them all! He better be alive, let alone okay, when we find him. I should've gone to find him myself, that's what I should've done!" Luna remarked, a distressed, ashamed and irate expression formed on her face.

Sunset wanted to reach out and say something, but Luna was going through the emotions, and she simply sat in silence, watching as the buildings passed her by.

Meanwhile, in a subway station, Gilda and Chance hop over the ticket checks. They come into the empty station, which has two tracks on the floor. Gilda looks up at one of the lit up light fixtures. "Dope! Hey, gimme a boost, I need a quick recharge after dealing with a bunch of robots!" Gilda remarked.

Chance walked over and got underneath Gilda, getting between her legs as he stood up, propping Gilda up on the back of his heck. Gilda quickly positioned her feet on Chance shoulders, causing him to wince and grunt in pain, but he persevered. Gilda grabbed the light fixture and absorbed the electricity out of it. She hops off Chance and runs onto the empty tracks, gripping a switch. She charges the switch with electricity, causing the rails on one track to shift and connect to the other. Already, Chance felt as if something was wrong with this situation. "Uh, Gilda? What're we doing?" Chance asked.

Gilda looked back at Chance, only to realize she didn't fill him in. "Oh... right, I guess I didn't tell ya, my bad. Here's the rundown," Gilda pointed to the tracks. "A jewelry train loaded with expensive accessories comes down this track, so when it crashes into the incoming prisoner transport tram? BOOM! Instant - jackpot! You turn into that Excavole guy and we're outta here! Pretty sweet, right?" Gilda explained.

Chance's eyes widened, his body was twitching. He didn't say a word, nor did he move. 'A prisoner transport tram? They could get killed if I don't do something! Then again, it's a bunch of prisoners, some of them have to be already sentenced to death-row, this is just cutting out the middle man and getting money for it, but is that fair for those who got a light sentence, or innocent people who were probably wrongfully accused and put away?' Chance was torn and watched as Gilda watched the tracks, ready for her pay day.

Chance clenched his eyes shut, trying to make a decision. 'Luna would be disgusted by my lack of actions. If I let this happen, nothing will be the same again. I'll be just like him. Do I really wanna be the spitting image of the same man who waltzed in and ruined my life for the past five years?! Do I really want to be remembered as someone who was worse than him?!' Chance looked at Gilda, her back was turned to him. Chance gritted his teeth and started getting angry. 'Good choice, now tell that bitch off!' Chance thought.

Chance walked up to Gilda and shoved her to the side, knocking her off her feet and sending her to the ground. Chance moves the switch and switches the tracks back to normal. Gilda was surprised, but also very annoyed. "What the hell, man!" Gilda exclaimed.

Chance whipped around and glared at Gilda. "Shut the fuck up! This is not what we agreed on! Innocent lives are still at stake if we do this!" Chance stated.

Gilda raised an eyebrow and sighed. "Of course this is what we agreed on! Those suckers doing jail time got their sentences for crimes they committed, and I'm sure some of them got the death penalty anyway, so it's a win-win for both of us!" Gilda rationalized.

Chance's frown worsened as his anger rose. "And what about the ones manning the trains, huh!? Do they deserve to die in a fiery molten metal inferno, what about the few prisoners that were falsely accused? What about them?!" Chance stepped forward. "This isn't a risk we can just easily take!" Chance reprimanded.

Gilda shrugged, seeming not that bothered by the prospect. "Hey, 'No Pain, No Gain'. Now, enough fuckin' around, help me switch the tracks back, if you'd kindly." Gilda requested.

Chance stood between Gilda and the track's switch. "We can't do this!" Chance pleaded.

Gilda smiled. "Sure we can! I still got enough juice to switch the track back, we got time to fix this!" Gilda reassured, trying to put a hand on his shoulder, only for Chance to aggressively smack it away.

Chance groaned. "Do you need to clean the wax out of your ears?! Let me re-iterate, then! I'm not gonna let you do this, Gilda. No amount of money in my wallet is worth letting innocent blood stain my soul!" Chance exclaimed, his aggression echoed throughout the tunnels.

Gilda's smile finally drops. She could see that Chance was adamant on not risking lives for monetary gain, and it was starting to remind her of someone she thought she could count on. Gilda gritted her teeth and grabbed Chance by the throat, picking him up off the ground in the same manner that the fauxhawk girl did to her earlier that day at the Total Zone. She squeezed her hand around his throat hard, all while he squirmed to break himself free. "We shook... We're partners!" Gilda stated angrily.

Chance gasped and tried to pry her hand off of him, but still managed to squeak out a few words before his vision started to get blurry and dark. "I... I won't... l-let... yo-ou... d-do... t-t-thi-i-is...s..." He protested weakly.

Gilda scoffed and tossed Chance aside, causing him to land at a couple familiar individual's feet. Gilda looked back at the subway's entry, only to be surprised seeing Sunset, and Luna had arrived on the scene, and knelt down next to him. Chance's face was getting very blue as he weakly gasped and sputtered, coughing, panting and hacking as he gently held his own neck. "Oh great, just what I needed... witnesses." Gilda remarked, already pissed off by her partner double-crossing her.

Luna held Chance's face in her hands, and he weakly looked up at her. "I-I... s-sorr...y..." Chance tried to speak, but it all came out as a hoarse and raspy gasp.

Luna was absolutely livid. Not at Chance, but at the girl who put her hands on him. Luna grabbed a nearby metal pole nearby and brandished it like a staff. "Miss Shimmer, I may require your assistance!" Luna stated.

Sunset looked down at her friend, seeing him try to form a smile on his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but Sunset just put a finger to his lips. "Can you move your arms any?" Chance weakly moved the Omnitrix onto his chest, and winced as his left shoulder started flare up. He grunted and let out stifled and restricted gasps of pain. Sunset sighed, pressing the button on the Omnitrix, popping the core up, with the very first alien it dials up on is Nitrofrost. "I'm gonna try something. If you feel better afterwards, feel free to jump in." Sunset stated.

Luna roared out aggressively, swinging the metal pole at Gilda, only for the teen to back away and evade her attacks. "You're a bit too old to play hero, lady, maybe I'll put you out to pasture, just like my partner. How's that sound, at least you'll both go togeth-Urgh!" Gilda felt the metal pole jab into her stomach and then slam into the bottom part of her chin, staggering her and knocking her back.

Luna spun the metal pole in numerous ways, and gripped it tightly as she leered at Gilda. "Keep your hands off of him, you abhorrent monster!" Luna insulted, only to then see Gilda frown and charge up an energy attack.

Before Gilda could fire the attack, there was a flash of green light that caught her attention. Gilda was surprised, and a bit confused, but knew she was in some serious trouble. Gilda looked at Nitrofrost, he let out a spine-chilling grunt of dissatisfaction. Luna smiled, knowing her student was safe, but then noticed that Gilda had now changed her target. Gilda fired the bolt of energy, shocking him a fair bit, but not enough to put him down.

Gilda gritted her teeth and groaned, approaching the alien. Nitrofrost held his hand out, readying a powerful icy blast. "Back off." Nitrofrost warned.

Gilda let a wicked smirk form on her face. "Or what, icy pop? You gonna make some sherbet for your mommy?" Gilda taunted.

A large jagged ice spike jutted out from the ground mere inches away from where Gilda stood. Gilda flinched and jumped back, and looked back at the alien hero. "Fight me, and you're the one who's gonna get frostbite!" Nitrofrost cautioned.

Sunset and Luna stood beside Nitrofrost, ready to fight. "Really, 3 v 1? Hardly seems fair, don't cha think?" Gilda turns around, looking at the generator next to the track switch. Gilda smirks, "Then let's even up the odds!" Gilda remarked.

Before the three of them could do anything, Gilda ran over to the generator, grabbing onto it and absorbs all of the electricity. Nitrofrost, Luna and Sunset look around as the lights around them pop out and glass shatters; the entire subway station goes dark; Sunset uses her geode to provide some form of light source.

The trio looks over to the generator, but Gilda's not there anymore. Before they can look around for her presence, Gilda sneaks up behind Sunset and Nitrofrost, then grabs them both from behind. Gilda looks at the geode Sunset has and pulls her hand away from it, just so she could grab it. Gilda also tried to use her other hand to grab the Omnitrix, and managed to do so. Gilda starts to absorb them, but something starts to go awry. Gilda feels an odd sensation course through her body, causing her body to tense up and undergo some kind of internal and external spasm attack.

Energy crackled around Gilda as she cried out in agony, feeling the unnatural and unexpected pain of whatever was happening to her. Her skin suddenly became pure white, as did her hair. Her blue eyes became golden in color, and her clothes seemed to change color as well. Gilda's body was repelled and launched to the other side of the tracks. Nitrofrost and Sunset felt woozy, but managed to snap themselves out of it as they looked over at Gilda's location. They tried to move and see if she was alright, until a blackened torrent of ice and slush collided with Nitrofrost, sending him flying against a metal beam.

As Nitrofrost gets up and brushes off the literal black ice, he gets a good look at Gilda. The entire left side of her upper body and head has been transformed to have his same misty and snow-like composition, but there was also something else about her that was different. She seemed to have a lion's tail and large brown bird wings sprouting out from her back. Her eyes were also glowing with a golden hue. Sunset noticed her geode was reacting, and was frozen in terror. Gilda chuckled. "Sike! I absorb energy, remember?" Gilda reminded, her voice was raspy, but still had a similar inflection with her words. Gilda looked at her wings and chuckled. "Well, this is pretty cool! Guess that fancy rock on your neck ain't for sale, huh." Gilda remarked, causing Sunset to sneer in disgust.

Nitrofrost got back up and stared at Gilda. "You don't have to do this!" the alien hero pleaded.

Nitrofrost rushes Gilda, but she flies out of the way and blasts him in the back with an intense wave of ice. Nitrofrost groans and falls to his knees on a track. Gilda lands on top of his back and smirks in a psychotic manner. "It's time I got what's coming to me. Nobody's gonna call me 'freak' anymore! Especially her," They all suddenly hear a train horn to the left, seeing a prison tram come barreling down the track. Then, a second horn. Nitrofrost gasps, and Gilda just smirks. "Payday." Gilda said with a manic chuckle.

Quickly thinking, Luna whacks Gilda over the back of the head with the pole, causing a loud metallic thunk to echo out as she staggered to the ground in a daze. The prisoners' lives are saved; meanwhile, the jewelry train is about to ram into the trio. Nitrofrost grabs them both and creates an icy cold mist twister. The train conductor braces for impact, but the train simply goes right through the swirling mist. The trio has disappeared. Gilda gets her bearings back, only to look around the now empty station, puzzled and pissed off.

Gilda growled and let out a mix between a bird's caw and a lion's roar. "Forget the fuckin' money! Time to get some sweet, priceless revenge!" Gilda remarked.

Outside of the station, back on the surface, Nitrofrost managed to carry Luna and Sunset back to the RV, before inevitably collapsing onto the sidewalk, timing out and changing back into his normal self.

Sunset and Luna look down at Chance, his clothes were all torn up and ripped to shreds, he had more bruises on his body than a professional boxer, but at least he was breathing right this time.

Luna slung Chance's good arm over her shoulder as Sunset held the door, letting them both in before entering herself, closing it shut.

A few minutes later, Chance is now adorned in a few bandages, but otherwise, he was still fine. He could move, he could breathe, he could talk, but he's been silent ever since they got out of the station. 'I fucked up big time... She's gonna be pissed, I know it.' Chance thought, feeling a sense of shame wash over him like a tidal wave.

Sunset looked at Chance, and reached out to try get his attention, but he simply looked her way and shook his head in disapproval, clearly wanting to remain in his own head for a bit. Luna walked to the booth and looked down at Chance, it hurt her to see him wrapped in bandages, but Luna did know that some people can't learn certain things the easy way, and Chance was one of those people. "I'm sorry, Miss Luna." Chance spoke out.

Luna was a bit surprised to hear those words, but it felt bittersweet. Luna closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and sat down beside him. "I'm sorry as well, mister Marsten. I shouldn't've pushed you so hard as of late, and I shouldn't've gotten angry when you were just doing what you thought was right. You stood up for Sunset and saved that punk from getting killed, and one of those actions came back for the roundabout, nearly getting you killed," The trio sat in silence for a moment, but Luna gently pats Chance's back, making him wince slightly, yet he doesn't fight the gesture. "You know, this reminds me of an old saying my old tutor used to say. 'No good deed goes unpunished'. I always wondered what he meant by that, but for a time, I finally understood, and it made things so much harder for me. I guess in a strange roundabout way, you could say your kindness and show of good faith was misplaced in the wrong hands, and now Gilda is on the loose... I know you didn't want this, but I can only hope that with time, we can both learn to forgive each other for today's blunders." Luna explained.

Chance gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the table. "This isn't over, not yet. Gilda's still out there, misusing Nitrofrost's powers and... whatever in the numerous rings of hell she absorbed from Sunset's geode... I think I know where she's going, and we need to get there, ASAP. She has to be stopped." Chance stated, standing up as he tried to get out of the booth, but Luna simply sat him back down.

Luna smiled. "Save your strength till we get there. Where exactly are we going, Chance?" Luna asked, getting up as she moved to the driver's seat.

Chance nodded, a look of betrayal and irritation forming on his face. "The 39th street bridge. Those girls must've had a hideout underneath it, and Gilda trashed it at some point, that's why they were out for her head. She even admitted it when I asked, I bet she's gonna turn them all into a bunch of punk-sicles!" Chance explained.

Luna nodded, and started the RV, turning around as she sped down the road, hoping to get to the address in time. As the RV moved down the road, Sunset looked at Chance, seeing the shame, guilt and betrayal on his face, it made her shudder, the feeling of regret formed on her face.

Meanwhile, huge pillars of black ice and waves of tar-colored slush and snow erupt under the 39th street bridge, at the thugs' hideout. The fauxhawk girl gets in front of the two other girls, as if she were protecting them. Two dudes behind them, one being a tan-skinned guy with a blonde mohawk, and the other was Reggie. "Gilda, please! We can talk this out, can't we?" The girl pleaded.

Gilda walked forward, brandishing her icy claws with a scowl on her face. "I don't think so, Ember." Gilda remarked, thrusting her mutated arm forward, blasting an ash-colored blast of mist towards the girls.

Back with the RV, it was currently stuck in traffic. "No, come on!! Get the hell movin', you lobotomized morons!" Luna exclaimed out the window.

Chance groaned and got up, activating the Omnitrix. "Goin' Vitaguar! I'll see you two at the 39th street bridge!" Chance pushed down on the core, enveloping himself in a flash of green light. Once it dissipated, Chance was not transformed into Vitaguar, like he intended, but instead, was transformed into Riptile, and he barely even fit inside the recreational vehicle. "Oh man... Well, this can still work!" Riptile remarked.

Riptile manages to get out of the RV through the front door. He closes it, and then starts jumping on the roofs of the cars in traffic. "Move it or lose it, ya filthy animals! Alien hero comin' through, ya lousy paper pushers!" Riptile called out as he jumped along.

At the hideout, five teens, comprised of Ember and the two girls she was with earlier, as well as the two dudes are stuck under a large pipe encased in black ice. Gilda simply crosses her arms and laughs at their misfortune. "Hah! So much for your gang, losers!" Before Gilda could ready another attack, the icy powers of Nitrofrost soon faded away, returning Gilda to normal, kinda. The wings, lion tail and other altered parts of her body remained the same, even with her hair staying white with purple tips. "Huh? What's going on?" Gilda asked, looking at herself.

A loud rumbling crash echoed behind her, startling her a bit, only to then recognize the large Omnitrix symbol on Riptile's belt. "Your power is gone, toots!" Riptile stated firmly.

Gilda smirked. "Really, because it looks like you're about to give me some more, pal!" Gilda rebutted.

Riptile crossed his arms and scowled at her. "You aren't gettin' shit!" Riptile proclaimed.

Gilda laughed, making Riptile look confused. "Dumbass, you don't have a choice!" Gilda turned around and let energy crackle around her hands as she aimed towards the trapped teenagers. "I still got enough juice to flash-fry these sons of bitches extra crispy!" Gilda exclaimed.

As the teens panicked, closing their eyes as they prepared for the end, Gilda was suddenly grabbed from behind, forcing her to blast her energy upwards, causing a bit of debris to fall. Gilda lets a smug grin form on her face and absorbs Riptiles' arms wrapped around her. Laughing manically, she bulks up as her skin turns into a sickly green, and she punches Riptile away. Gilda laughs as her skin lets a few warts and bumps grow all over her body, her teeth become sharper, and her right eye morphs into a large orange reptilian eye. Riptile is stunned, borderline shocked and appalled. Gilda runs up to him, suddenly grows a second tail, and whips Riptile with it so hard, he goes flying back.

Gilda stands and cracks her knuckles with a toothy smirk on her face. "Hahahaha, this is gonna be REAL fun!" She stated, her voice was now deeper and sinister sounding.

Riptile got up, already having trouble, but he simply put his fists up and croaked at the mutated backstabber. "TELL me about it while I'm kicking your ass!" Riptile yelled out.

The two charge at each other and started to square off and lock fists, trying to outpower each other. "Just so you know, when I'm done mauling you alive, I'm taking ALL your alien powers!" Gilda stated.

The two throw each other into walls and start to seriously beat on each other; Gilda was winning, overwhelming Riptile. As the two aliens fought, the RV parks up top near the bridge, Luna and Sunset get out and help lift the pipe off the teens, only for Riptile to be thrown into the black ice, shattering it and the pipe into numerous pieces before jumping back into the fight.

The teens were horrified and confused as they got to their feet, but Luna simply grabbed Ember and looked at her in the face. "Consider this 'Moving Day'. Pack your things and get out!" Luna ordered sternly.

Sunset smirked at the terrified teens. "I'd listen to her if I were you, this is just another Tuesday for us." Sunset advised.

Gilda throws Riptile into a wall and pounces on him, pummeling and beating the hell out of him. Riptile catches her fists, but struggles to hold them back when the Omnitrix starts beeping red. His eyes widen, but he starts to push her back. "NO! NOT YET!!" Riptile finds his footing and is somehow overpowering Gilda, which even surprised her. "I WON'T DIE BY SOME CHEAP IMITATION!!" Riptile roared out.

In a sudden burst of willpower, adrenaline, or maybe even both, before the beeping stops, Riptile tosses Gilda back, rushes towards her, and starts laying into her, he punches her, kicks her, even going as far as to claw and bite into her. Chance wasn't being merciful, he was going all out, giving her all he had. He went for the face, the gut, the sides of her body, over and over and over, it was becoming less of a fight and more of a one-sided massacre. Blood started to leak from Gilda's mouth, as well as from her wounds, and she was starting to lose the will to fight. With one last attack, Riptile jumped and slammed both of his feet into Gilda's chest, sending her flying back into a column of the bridge, knocking it down on top of her.

Riptile takes deep breaths and sighs as he was enveloped in a flash of red light, transforming him back to his normal state. Chance hobbled over towards the pile of rubble, seeing Gilda's mutated state crawl out, she put her hands up in a surrendering motion. "C-Come on! I-I give, I give! I'm sorry! Please, just...lighten up, man! Are you always this aggressive towards girls?" Gilda pleaded, seeming genuinely shaky, even in her mutated state.

Chance breathed heavily, the bandages on his body slowly fell away, and while his body was still bruised, and even more so from the beating Gilda gave him, he still shambled over towards Gilda, clearly still mad, yet somehow, less than he was before. Chance smirked. "I just did, by about 300 pounds or so, give or take," Gilda let a small smile form on her face, but soon Chance's face fell back into a scowl. "I think that's enough bullshit for the night, don't you think so?" Chance asked.

Gilda nodded her head, and sighed. "...I guess I went too wild with power. I don't have anyone else like you to help me... well, I used to, but she didn't like that I had powers, so she left... I haven't seen her, or heard from her since then." Gilda somberly admitted.

Chance cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "I'm guessing this person you're talking about is Rainbow, right? Rainbow Dash?" Chance inquired.

Gilda was a bit surprised that he knew who she was talking about, and nodded her head. "How'd you know?" Gilda asked.

Chance rolled his eyes and sat on one of the pieces of rubble. "Dash always was an adrenaline junkie, and the moment she got super speed, that's been more apparent. Around the time I got my powers, she was super fucking arrogant, her ego was bigger than Riptile ever was, and she tried to start some shit. She made a lot of mistakes and is trying to make up for them, one of those mistakes involved my friend over there," Chance pointed towards Sunset, who wasn't paying attention to the conversation. "That girl is the first and closest thing I have to a friend, something I haven't had in five to, most likely eight years. I made a promise to someone that I would not let anything happen to her, and I intend to keep that promise. It's easy to do good and do what's right when you have someone or something worth fighting for, at least, that's what my dad used to tell me. He had me and my mom, and he went down fighting for what's right, fighting to protect the ones he loved. You get what I'm saying." Chance explained.

Gilda frowned and looked away. "My dad was hardly ever around, so my mom took me to live with my grandpa. The only reason I'm on my own is because I figured they wouldn't be able to handle me with my powers..." Gilda admitted.

Chance sighed and looked melancholic. "Yeah, I know what it's like to not have your dad be around. Haven't seen mine in eight years. But her," Chance gestured to Luna, who was watching the interaction carefully. "She's the closest thing I have to a loving and caring parent, and it's hard for me to admit that. She helped me get this far, and I couldn't be more appreciative of her efforts to get me out of trouble." Chance confessed.

Gilda sighed and looked at him curiously. "Does all of this chit-chat have a point, or do you always make conversation with the people who beat your ass?" Gilda asked, getting tired of talking.

Chance thought for a moment, and looked at Gilda, smiling. "Ya know, we can still be partners, if you're up for it. The only difference is that we'd be kicking ass for good, instead of for ourselves," Chance got up and carefully held his hand out, a pained but genuine smile forming on his face. "If you stick with us, you'll be able to realize that for yourself, and you'll be able to get a better grasp on your powers. We can work together to make ourselves better. Whaddya say?" Chance offered.

Gilda was surprised, confused, she wasn't expecting him to show mercy, especially with how aggressive he was just a moment ago. "...W-What's in it for me?" Gilda asked, her Riptile mutation starting to wear off.

Chance chuckled. "For starters, people will like you! They won't see you as a freak, but as one of the good guys, like us!" Chance gestured to Luna and Sunset. "Maybe Dash will wanna talk with you again, sky's the limit, if you ask me! What do you think?" Chance asked.

Gilda, now reverted back to her semi-normal human form reached out to take his hand, but the moment he pulled her out of the rubble, she flashed a mischievous smirk and grabs his throat with her free hand, pinning him down on the rubble pile, catching him by surprise once his guard was down.

Luna gasped. "Chance!!" Luna exclaimed. She quickly rushed over to get Gilda off of him, only for her to swat her away with her lion tail.

Gilda chuckled and grabbed the arm that the Omnitrix was latched onto, and immediately tried to pull it off. "Hoho, man! you are so damn dim!" Chance tries to move his left arm, but Gilda stomps on it to keep it pinned, earning a cry of pain from the alien hero. "Did mommy drop you on your head when you were a little baby?" She said in a mocking cutesy voice.

Sunset ran forward, gripping her geode as he grabbed Gilda by the back of her neck, immediately looking into her head. Unfortunately, this didn't have the effect she wanted, and was immediately met by red electrical waves of energy that forced Sunset out of her mind, sending her tumbling off the rubble pile. Gilda smirked and looked back at Sunset. "Hah! Stupid bitch, I don't know what the hell you were trying to do, but it didn't seem to work, so I don't care," Gilda continued to pull and pry at the Omnitrix, all while a strange symphony of synthetic mechanical noises sounded out from it. "Now gimme that watch! Some goody-goody dipshit like you shouldn't have it! You should be at home, cryin' for your mommy!" Gilda demanded ruthlessly.

That set Chance off. He gritted his teeth as the Omnitrix suddenly turned green, and started to spark with some kind of green energy. "You're the one who must've been dropped on their head when they were born, I told you I can't take it off! I'd tell you to fuck off and go run back to your parents, but something tell me they didn't want you to begin with!!" Gilda paused for a moment, and immediately started to pull on the Omnitrix even harder. Chance, out of desperation, decided to try something. He wasn't even sure it would work, but he had to try something, otherwise things could go from bad to worse. "Omnitrix, help me!!" Chance exclaimed out of desperation.

As Gilda continued to try and pry the Omnitrix off of him, the Omnitrix soon started to glow even brighter. Gilda wasn't sure what was happening, but the Omnitrix suddenly sent out a large burst of green energy feedback, launching the two teens in separate directions. Gilda was sent into the other side of the bridge, causing it to collapse, and Chance was sent flying into Luna's arms, holding him tightly as Sunset rushed to their side. Chance's knees started to buckle, and he clung onto Luna, just to keep himself standing. Luna smiled and supported him, but then the sound of rubble being disturbed caught their attention.

The trio looked back at where Gilda had crashed, and saw her escape the pile of rubble, still partially mutated from Sunset's geode, but she didn't seem pleased that she had no alien powers anymore. Gilda gritted her teeth and clenched her fists tightly. "NO!" Gilda cried out.

Gilda looked back at the trio, and scoffed, flying away from the scene. Chance looked at Luna, then at Sunset, and didn't hesitate to hug them both. The two were surprised, but it had been a hectic day, things were said and regretted, they simply looked at each other with knowing looks, and made their way back up to the RV.

In the early morning, the RV drives out of the city. Chance is on his bed, folding up laundry, then notices his torn-up shirt from last night. Chance frowns at the sight of it, and does not hesitate to toss it back in his bag. 'The less I have to see that, the better... not my proudest moment, but I'll probably have more moments just like it.' Chance thought.

"Chance, can you come up here for a moment?" Chance sighed and got up as he pulled the curtains back, walking to the front of the RV, looking at Luna. "Take a seat, I want to say something important." Luna stated.

Chance gulped, seeming worried, but he took his seat up front, ready to listen. "Could you please look at me when I'm talking to you?" Chance sighed and looked towards Luna, seeing a patient smile on her face. "I want you to know that I've decided to reduce your grounding to two-and-a-half weeks. It's only fair, I overreacted yesterday." Luna stated.

Chance wasn't expecting that, but at the same time, he was appreciative, meant he had less time to wait. Chance was about to get up and get back to his chore, until he felt Luna put a hand on his wrist. "Mister Marsten, if you don't mind me asking... what was your relationship with your mother like, before things took a turn?" Chance turned around, seeing the caution in Luna's expression. "I-It's fine if you feel that's too personal, I get that you must be in a fragile state of mind right now, I don't blame you, I just want to make sure-"

"Everything was a bit stunted when Dad left, but it was otherwise normal, practically business as usual," Luna stopped talking, and let Chance speak. "She tried her best to reassure me that it wasn't my fault that he left, and as the years went by, I just didn't believe a word she said, and I still don't to this day. She always made a bad habit out of lying to Dad, lying to me, she's even lied to herself, convinced herself that nothing is wrong." Chance solemnly admitted, sitting back down.

Luna wasn't expecting that kind of answer, but that last bit was what set off a red flag or two in Luna's head. Sunset walks out from behind the curtains and sneaks up to the front of the RV, carefully taking a seat in the booth. "You got onto me yesterday about trust, but I can't even trust that drug-addicted shell shaped like my mom! I trust you and Sunset more than my own mom, my biological mother... it really puts things into a depressing perspective for me... you acted and cared more like a parent yesterday, than my mom has for the past five years! I wish my mom cared and gave a damn about me like you did, but she'd rather be happy within a lie, than to accept the truth and grow the fuck up!" Chance exclaimed, furious as his fist made contact with the glove box. His vision got misty, but he didn't care.

Luna looked at the boy beside her, staring down at him, he didn't even acknowledge the tears cascading down his face. "She probably wouldn't even care that her only son is far away from home, getting mixed up in some of the most ridiculous and dangerous situations, knowing that it's very much possible that she may never see her son alive again! She's not a mother anymore, she's not even my mother anymore! She's just a neglectful shell of her former self, and if I wasn't around you two this summer when I found this watch, I probably would've ended up just like Gilda. Alone, bitter, untrusting, dangerous... psychotic." Chance confessed, his body trembled, he clenched his teeth hard.

Chance stared at his reflection in the rear-view mirror, surprised and ashamed of seeing himself in such a state. "I thought I was stronger than this... I thought I could handle it if things went too far..." Chance closed his eyes, more tears streamed down his face. "I thought I could trust her..." he muttered.

No one said a word, but as Sunset opened her mouth to say something, Chance got up and walked back to the RV, leaving Luna and Sunset to share a concerned look with on another. "Should I-"

"No, give him some space, please," Sunset sat up-front with Luna, buckling herself in. The both of them looked concerned, but also exhausted. "I know you want to talk to him, I do too... but, clearly this has been a challenging turn of events for him, for all of us..." Luna advised.

The RV continues down the road, Sunset slumps in her seat, looking back at the curtain, unnerved by the deafening silence.

Somewhere within the abandoned subway tunnels, Gilda sits by herself in the dark. She tries to return herself to her usual coloration, but can't seem to do so.

Gilda, out of sheer frustration, kicks a trash can a good distance away. Gilda looked at her hand, focusing her concentration on it. "If they thought I was a freak before? Just wait!" Gilda's hand is enveloped in a frozen cold air as ice forms on her fingertips, she smirks at the sight. "I'll get my revenge, you bastard! I'm gonna split everything I do with you fifty-fifty. I do the crime, and you do the time." Gilda remarked, a wide psychotic smile formed on her face.

Gilda's laugh echoes through the tunnels, she walks further into the tunnels, dead set to stay on her path of chaos, destruction, and pure, unadulterated carnage.

Author's Note

And that was my version of 'Kevin 11'. Initially, the plan for this story always had a constant connection between its many, many, many WIP drafts. Gilda taking on the role as the Kevin Levin of this story's universe.

In this case, Gilda and Chance are two sides of the same coin. Both have superpowers, but have entirely different reasons for using them the way they have.

The ending of this episode is done a similar way to the canon, only in the vein of showing that things haven't ended on the best note.

Unlike Ben 10's canon for OS, this'll be a bit more consistent as the episodes go on. Chance, unlike Ben, when he messed up in this episode and it was never mentioned again or had any cohesive build-up in any way, this will be eating away at Chance for more than a couple episodes, and the dangers yet to come are gonna start taking their toll, more than they already have.

Also, I wasn't feeling that creative to come up with a better title for this episode, couldn't think of a good pun name, so I stuck with the generic idea of replacing Kevin's name with Gilda's.

I hope you enjoyed this episode, because I definitely enjoyed writing this one. 15k+ words for a single episode, that's very lengthy!