Advanced Training

Story
In the barracks, Gwen wakes up, and starts pacing. John and Tack wake up from it, while Kevin continued to sleep.

John: (sleepily) What are you doing? Wake up call comes sooner than you expect.

Gwen: I’ve been thinking about that Null Void malfunction, which let those Vulpimancers and Kolar out. Kolar didn’t seem smart enough to open it from the inside. And according to Kevin, it shouldn’t malfunction like that, so someone had to had activated it.

Tack: Can’t this wait till morning?

John: We’ll be under watch during the day. Maybe there is security footage that will show who messed with it. Let’s go.

Gwen: Great. Kevin, wake up. (Kevin snores)

John: He’ll only slow us down. Let him sleep. End Scene

The three are in the security room, accessing the tapes of the Null Void room.

Gwen: Okay, here is the footage of the day of the malfunction.

On the screen is the Null Void Projector Mark 1, which was inactive. A few moments later, it opens, staying open for a few minutes. Then, the herd of Vulpimancers come out, charging through the door. Some time later, Plumbers come in, deactivating the Projector. A few hours later, it opens, Kolar using his hands to tear open the portal, coming out.

Tack: There’s Kolar. How can he open the portal like that?

Gwen: I’m going back to right before the portal opened. (Types, going back. She then zooms in on the keyboard.) There, someone is pressing the buttons.

Tack: But there’s no one there. Maybe it’s an alien that can turn invisible.

John: That’d explain how he got to the academy without being spotted.

Gwen: But why? What’s in there that this guy wants?

John: Go back to right before Kolar breaks out. (Gwen types, going to that point.) Now, Kolar opens the portal from the bottom left. Focus there. (Gwen types again, zooming in. They see a very small portal still open. Kolar then opens it.)

Gwen: It never closed. Not all the way.

Tack: It’s a rope. The invisible alien turned the rope invisible, and went into the Null Void. The portal’s still open, so he can come back.

John: It’s gathering something. Or, (John stops, a grave expression on his face.) Gwen: John? What’s wrong?

John: This guy is gathering the basilisks stored in the Null Void, and lead them here. The nine basilisks that were rounded up are still in there.

Gwen: How? What’s the bait?

John: He is. (Heads for the door.) Tack, go to Hulka. Warn him to get everyone ready in case they get free. Gwen, wake Kevin up and meet me at the Projector. I’ll go ahead and stop it. (Runs out the door and down the hall.) End Scene

John opens the door to the Projector room, and it was all the way open. There was a grey lizard like alien with camouflage coloring, with three eyes, a red, green and blue eye.

John: Who are you?

Alien: Charles. And you’re too late. The cockatrice will be here soon, and they’ll kill everyone on this miserable base.

John: Like I’ll let you. (Slaps down Omnitrix, turning into a vulpimancer.)

Wildmutt: (Roars. Then makes grunts, as if confused by the form taken.)

Charles: As if that’ll stop me. (Turns invisible.)

Wildmutt moves his head, looking around. Then, the noses on his necks react, and he jumps, landing a foot away. He sees Charles as a red blob, picking up on his scent. Wildmutt pounces at Charles, pinning him down. The Omnitrix reacts, scanning Charles with a yellow beam of light. Then, Charles slips out of his grip, being slippery. Charles kicks Wildmutt in the head, knocking him back.

Then, a basilisk comes out of the portal. It was almost too big for the room, about 20 feet. It charges for the door, and Wildmutt charges, pouncing at it. The basilisk shakes its head, hitting Wildmutt and sending him into a wall. Wildmutt falls, reverting. The basilisk breaks down the wall, leaving the room. Two more then come out of the portal, and they leave the room as John stands up. He runs towards the hole, as Gwen and Kevin arrived outside it.

Kevin: You were supposed to stop them.

John: Whatever. Go and stop them, I’ll prevent more from coming.

Gwen: Be careful. (Gwen and Kevin run off)

John turns back towards the Projector, and starts running towards it, when he releases a gasp, as if stunned in pain. Blood pours, covering a tail. Charles becomes visible, and pulls his tail out, revealing a stinger, which retracts into his tail. John was gasping, going into shock, putting his hand over the wound.

Charles: Now, you’ll be a nice snack for a basilisk. And that will end our problems.

John: (gasping) You wish. (Activates and slaps down Omnitrix.)

Mummy Dusk gives a sigh of relief, as his wound was gone.

Charles: Impossible!

Mummy Dusk: Get used to it.

Mummy Dusk raises his hand, extending his fingers. Charles begins to disappear, but Mummy Dusk wraps the bandages around him, lifting him off the ground. A fourth basilisk starts to come out of the portal.

Mummy Dusk: Not today.

Mummy Dusk stretches his arm, and uses Charles to hit the basilisk on the head. The basilisk is stunned, and Mummy Dusk extends and enlarges his fist to knock the basilisk back into the portal. Mummy Dusk then throws Charles into the Null Void. Mummy Dusk hits the Omnitrix, shifting to Upgrade. He then merges with the Projector, and closes the portal. He then comes off the projector, which explodes afterwards. Upgrade then reverts, and collapses to the ground.

John: Ah! (Looks at wound, which was closed, but still hurt.) Got to help the others. (Starts to get up, but falls back down.) In a minute. End Scene

In the large lobby, the cadets were firing their blasters at the three basilisks. They had the room sealed off, preventing them from escaping. The basilisks resist the blasters, charging at the groups fighting them. Hulka was leading one group, Kevin and Gwen led the second group, while Kodek leads the third one.

Kodek: Keep at it, cadets! We can’t allow this beast to destroy the base.

Suddenly, a freeze ray hits the basilisk, freezing its eye. It screeches, backing up. Kodek turns, and Big Chill lands beside him.

Kodek: How’d you get in?

Big Chill: Intangibility. You want this one?

Kodek: Uh, no. You can take it.

The basilisk charges forward, and Big Chill flies at it. He turns intangible as the basilisk snaps at him, freezing its head. Then, its entire body freezes over, as Big Chill phases out the other side. He slaps the Omnitrix, going Wildvine. He stretches his arms up, grabbing the ceiling. He goes up, and stretches his root legs. He grabs the basilisk, lifting it up. He then drops it, the basilisk shattering.

Gwen fires a mana blast at the basilisk, it barely affecting it. The Plumbers keep firing at it, but the weapons do nothing. Kevin had absorbed metal.

Kevin: Dang it! We can’t stop it. We need something sharp or something. If only (he was focusing on his hand, when it suddenly morphs into a point.) Whoa. That’s new. Gwen! Get me on top of that thing!

Gwen: Are you crazy?

Kevin: Probably. Just do it!

Gwen: Tur-bo!

A pink tornado forms, launching Kevin into the air. Kevin lands on top of the basilisk, and focuses, morphing his hand into a blade, stabbing it into the basilisk’s head. The basilisk screeches, collapsing. Kevin falls off.

Gwen: Kevin, how’d you do that?

Kevin: Doesn’t matter. There’s still another one. All units, focus your attention to the last one!

Wildvine swings over to the third basilisk, throwing seed bombs at it. It takes them, and snaps at him. Wildvine stretches and tries to dodge, but it grabs and tears off a root leg. It regenerates, and Wildvine lands.

Wildvine: This guy won’t work. (Hits Omnitrix)

Shocksquatch: Shocksquatch!

The cadets continue to fire blasters at it, and Shocksquatch jumps, hammering his arms into the basilisk’s head. It was distorted, and Shocksquatch shoots lightning at it, stunning it. Gwen fires a mana blast, and Kevin charges in with a blade hand.

Shocksquatch: That’s new.

Kevin: Just learned to do it.

Kevin swings his blade, and the basilisk lifts its foot, going to stomp on him. A grappling hook is fired, wrapping around its leg. It was Tack, and he pulls, causing the basilisk to fall over. Shocksquatch then fires a mouth lightning bolt, hitting the basilisk in the head. It stops moving, dead.

Shocksquatch: All right. Threat averted. Now, I need to take a nap. (Reverts, and collapses, falling unconscious.) End Scene

Gwen: Only a 98%! I can’t believe this!

Kevin: Relax. We all passed.

John: We finally get to return to Earth. (Then, Hulka walks into the room.) Magister Hulka. Is something wrong?

Hulka: You’ve been nominated for a medal, for your brave actions beyond the call of duty, involving the cockatrice incident. A lot of lives would’ve been lost if not for your quick instincts.

John: Wow. Thank you, Magister.

Hulka: You’ll be officially awarded tonight at dinner. You all leave tomorrow. Good job, and good luck. (Hulka leaves)

Tack: Wow. Someday, I’ll be as good as you.

John: Maybe someday. We need more heroes.

Characters

 * John Smith
 * Gwen Tennyson
 * Kevin Levin
 * Tack
 * Hulka
 * Kodek

Villains

 * Charles

Aliens

 * Wildmutt (first appearance; accidental transformation)
 * Mummy Dusk
 * Upgrade
 * Big Chill
 * Wildvine
 * Shocksquatch

Aliens Unlocked

 * ChamAlien

Spells

 * Tur-bo

Trivia

 * The basilisks return, still alternating names.
 * Charles hints that he wasn't working alone.
 * John retrieves a medal for his actions on stopping the basilisks.