Omni Crew Origins: Ryder

Story
Nowatch: So, Argit has been with the team since the beginning.

Nowatch is sitting with Ryder and Ben at the kitchen, Nowatch writing notes for his paper. Yami has fallen asleep on the couch, Jane and Kairi crying over a chick flick.

Nowatch: I always thought he just jumped on after your first big success.

Ryder: Nah. He’d been on since before I joined. And I joined not too long after that.

Nowatch: Are we finally at the part where you join the team?

Ryder: Yes! And it is a tale of heroics and amazing power!

Ben: Ha! You mean how we bailed you out of being hunted like a rat?

Ryder: Hey! I was never a rat! I was at least a gazelle! Fast and uncatchable except by only the fastest!

Ben: But still prey.

Nowatch: Prey? Does that mean Khyber was involved?

Ryder: Sharp kid. End Scene

With Mt. Rushmore in the distance, a construction crew is working on building a large tower, Argit supervising it.

Argit: That’s it! Take that pillar a little bit to the left. No, my left, you morons!

John: Let them do their job, Argit. They know what their doing.

Argit spins around, John and Ben walking over.

Argit: If it doesn’t fit my perfect image exactly, it is an insult to my brand.

Ben: It looks like it’s coming along well, though. You got my request for a large game room, right?

Argit: Yes, yes, of course. Simple matter for one such as myself. Any luck finding new candidates for Argit’s Team of Heroes?

John: First off, we are not using that name. Second, no, not yet.

Ben: I put the word in with Rook, who’s going to send us any leads he gets.

An engine roar soars overhead, as the Rustbucket flies over. It comes and lands nearby, as Kevin disembarks from it.

Ben: Kevin!

Ben runs over, giving Kevin a handshake.

Kevin: When I heard you moved to South Dakota to start a superhero team, I half thought they were kidding. John! Get over here!

John walks over, shaking Kevin’s hand.

John: Good to see you again, Kevin. What are you here for?

Kevin: Need a helping hand. Khyber broke out of Plumber Prison, taking his dog and the Nemetrix. I wouldn’t have bothered, but Gwen’s busy studying for an exam. And Khyber’s not one you can handle without a partner.

Ben: You don’t even have to ask. Argit will finish the tower by the time we get back. (He looks back at Argit) Right?

Argit: Eh, wouldn’t hold your breath. These workers are shoddy.

Kevin: Uh, why is he?

John: Explain it on the way. Just know that he’s more of a pain than ever before.

The trio get back on the Rustbucket, flying off. End Scene

Two dust trails travel across the open plains of the midwest, on the approach to a city far in the distance. Ryder, wearing his helmet while riding the Tenn-Speed, is being chased by Khyber, who’s riding Diomedes, speeding to catch up.

Khyber: Run all you want, Ryder. You are still my prey, and your Omnitrix arm will hang on my trophy wall.

Ryder: Okay, are you seriously going to hang an arm on your wall?

Khyber: It wouldn’t be the first time.

Khyber spurs Diomedes, which whinnies and speeds up, her enhanced speed having her race evenly with Ryder. Khyber draws a knife, slashing at Ryder. Ryder leans to the left away from Khyber, maneuvering out of reach. Khyber whistles, as Diomedes pursues Ryder to the side, as Khyber throws the knife at Ryder’s back tire. Ryder activates a thruster, propelling the rear of the Tenn-Speed into the air, him driving on only the front tire for a moment, the knife missing the back tire.

Ryder: Never underestimate my technology. And of course, my Omnitrix!

Ryder’s back tire drops, as Ryder activates the Omnitrix. The Rustbucket flies miles above their heads, Kevin positioning themselves a bit behind the chase.

Kevin: From what I can tell from the sensors, there’s three living things down there. Khyber’s riding his pet, while a third target, human it seems, is on a machine, motorcycle from the looks of it.

Ben: A motorcycle? That would be so cool to have. Even though my sports car is pretty awesome in itself.

Ryder slaps down the Omnitrix, transforming into Gutrot. He releases green gas from the ports on his body, encompassing the ground and obscuring the view from above.

John: What’s with this gas? And there was a flash of light before that.

Ben: This looks like Gutrot’s smoke. One of the aliens in the Omnitrix.

John: I’ve never heard of that one.

Gutrot continues to release the gas, it blowing behind him, Khyber’s figure being outlined in the smoke behind him.

Gutrot: Ha! I made that a pepper spray like combo, so it’ll greatly effect your beast of burden!

The silhouette of Khyber and Diomedes disappears in the smoke, leaving Gutrot bewildered.

Gutrot: Where’d he go? I would’ve seen him pull up out of the smoke.

A figure punches Gutrot, causing him to swerve out of control for a moment. Ben and John watch from above, trying to figure out the situation.

Ben: What happened? Khyber just vanished!

Kevin: Possibly a Thestral. Gutrot’s predator species. Undead pegasus, immune to gas, can turn invisible to hide within a gas cloud.

John: Isn’t that a creature from Harry Potter?

Kevin: Aliens. Where’d you think Rowling got all those ideas for all those weird creatures?

Ben: Either way, that’s an Omnitrix wielder down there, and he needs our help. Lower the hatch.

Kevin types in a command, the hatch lowering in the back. Ben heads to it, activating the Omnitrix.

Ben: Jetray will be the best to catch these guys!

Ben slaps down the Omnitrix, transforming into Stinkfly. He looks at himself, and sighs.

Stinkfly: Well, at least I can fly.

Stinkfly flies out the hatch, heading towards the smoke trail. Gutrot swings his arm at the side, it being caught by an arm. Khyber becomes visible, as does his Thestral mount. It is a skeleton of a horse, with black leathery wings similar to bat wings. There’s a very thin, translucent skin over Thestral’s bones, with glowing piercing eyes. She bares her sharp teeth at Gutrot, Gutrot slightly freaked.

Gutrot: Like I wasn’t freaked out before.

Thestral pulls back, galloping in the air as she flies through it, up and behind Gutrot. Thestral gets ready to dive down at Gutrot, as a slime shot hits Thestral, her screeching from it. Khyber looks over his shoulder, spotting Stinkfly in the air. Stinkfly tugs on the slime, forcing Thestral to turn towards him.

Stinkfly: Hey there, Khyber! What, I start boring you?

Khyber: Ben Tennyson.

Khyber looks back, seeing Gutrot riding off towards the city. Khyber scowls, turning back at Stinkfly.

Khyber: As much torment it was to track that one down, I can’t turn up the opportunity of taking you out.

Stinkfly: Yeah, yeah. Good luck catching me!

Stinkfly flies up into the air, as Khyber whistles, Thestral flying up after him. John watches from the Rustbucket, watching the aerial battle, and the motorcycle revving off.

Kevin: The kid’s getting away, but Khyber’s the priority.

John: Maybe that kid can help us out. Plus, I want to talk to him anyway.

John takes off in a run, as he leaps out the open hatch. He falls towards the ground, as Stinkfly flies past under him, followed closely by Thestral. John falls past, and activates the Omnitrix, transforming into Sonic Boom. He lands, and takes off in a run, a dust cloud shooting up behind him. Sonic Boom runs and catches up to Ryder, who had reverted. Ryder turns his head, looking at Sonic Boom.

Ryder: Hey! You’re pretty fast!

Sonic Boom: You wield an Omnitrix right?

Sonic Boom spins and runs backwards, tapping his Omnitrix symbol.

Ryder: Oh, show-off! Let’s see who’s the fastest!

Sonic Boom: What? No, wait!

Ryder activates and slaps down the Omnitrix, transforming into Upgrade. Upgrade merges with the Tenn-Speed, increasing the powers of the thrusters. He accelerates forward, shooting past Sonic Boom. Sonic Boom groans, as he spins back around.

Sonic Boom: Oh, great. An adrenaline junkie.

Sonic Boom picks up speed, chasing after Upgrade.

Stinkfly flies up behind the Rustbucket, landing on the back of it. Thestral gallops up after him, as Stinkfly shoots streams of slime at them. Thestral flies above it, as Khyber whistles a command. Khyber leaps off Thestral, landing on the Rustbucket with Stinkfly. Khyber draws a pistol, firing at Stinkfly. Stinkfly flies up to dodge.

Stinkfly: You’re coming after me yourself? That’s so not like you.

Khyber: Haven’t you ever heard of a distraction?

Thestral circles around, flying straight into the engine of the Rustbucket. The engine blows, as the Rustbucket drops and nosedives towards the ground, going for a crash landing. Thestral comes out, unharmed, as Khyber leaps off the Rustbucket, landing on Thestral to go after Ryder.

Stinkfly: Oh, man!

Stinkfly flies to get in front of the Rustbucket, shooting jelly slime to catch and slow Rustbucket in the air, and cushions its landing. When it does, Stinkfly lands and reverts, while Kevin comes out.

Kevin: Seriously?! I can’t believe a freaking horse flew into my engine.

Ben: How long until you can fix it?

Kevin: A little while. You’d be better off trying to catch up to them on your own though.

Ben: Got it. This is nothing a little XLR8 can’t handle.

Ben slaps down the Omnitrix, turning into Cannonbolt. He sighs, then curls up, rolling in the direction of the city. End Scene

Upgrade and Sonic Boom are now neck and neck, as they travel down the main street in the town. They come to a stop in the center of town, both of them reverting.

Ryder: Whew! Now that was a race! I haven’t had that kind of fun in a while! Outwitting Khyber is only fun for so long!

John: Well, if you want some fun, I may have a proposition for you. I’m forming a team of Omnitrix wielders. (He flashes his Omnitrix.) You in?

Ryder is about to answer, when a roar echoes through the air, and the ground begins to tremble. John and Ryder spot Khyber riding on Crabdozer’s neck, who stampedes towards them.

Ryder: Back for round 2, Khyber? I’ll play keep away with you for as long as you want!

Ryder revs his engine, his tires screeching. He burns rubber down an intersection, John reaching for him.

John: Oh, figures!

John leaps out of the way as Crabdozer runs by and makes a sharp turn, going after Ryder. John activates the Omnitrix, dialing through it. Ryder looks back over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of Crabdozer after him.

Ryder: Now that I’ve got your full attention, I think it’s only fitting that I kick your butt with Diamondhead!

Ryder slaps his Omnitrix down, transforming into Mole-Stache. Mole-Stache is sitting back in his seat, hands not being able to reach the handlebars.

Mole-Stache: I must say, this is not the alien that I had petitioned for.

Mole-Stache molds his mustache into hands, grabbing onto the handle-bars with them. Crabdozer picks up speed, about to ram the Tenn-Speed with his horn. Mole-Stache twists the handle, speeding up to dodge. Khyber pulls out a rifle, focusing his scope on Mole-Stache.

Khyber: It’s such a shame that you’re defeat is due to the malfunction of your most prized tool. But that is the way of nature.

Bandages droop down, wrapping around the rifle and tugging it out of Khyber’s hands. Khyber looks onto Crabdozer’s back, seeing Mummy Dusk.

Mummy Dusk: It’s also human nature to travel in packs.

Khyber: Not Tennyson. Yet another Omnitrix?

Mole-Stache: Your prize trophy getting a bit less valuable there, Khyber?!

Khyber scowls, as he climbs up Crabdozer, going after Mummy Dusk. Mummy Dusk waits, as Khyber punches at Mummy Dusk. Mummy Dusk wraps around Khyber, as he leaps off Crabdozer, leaving her on its own.

Mole-Stache heads towards a building, driving up it. However, the front tire lifts off the building, as it flips over. Crabdozer stands right underneath him, mouth open.

Mole-Stache: Oh, poppycock!

Cannonbolt rolls into Crabdozer, knocking her aside as Mole-Stache flips the Tenn-Speed over his head, him activating bottom thrusters to gently lower himself down. Cannonbolt and Mole-Stache revert.

Ryder: Thanks. I guess that’s twice you’ve saved my skin.

Ben: We stick together. It’s what we do.

Crabdozer roars, getting back on her feet. Ben smirks, as he activates the Omnitrix, slapping it down.

Humungousaur: Usually, I’d love the thought of getting Humungousaur. But against this guy…

Crabdozer transforms into Tyrannopede, lifting her head and roaring to the sky.

Ryder: So that’s what that’s the predator to.

Humungousaur charges Tyrannopede, but it bends her head down, grabbing Humungousaur in her mouth. She tosses Humungousaur up into the air, as he comes falling back down towards Tyrannopede’s open mouth. Ryder activates the Omnitrix, transforming into Xylofreeze. His eyes glow white, as he lifts a car off the ground, shooting it into the air. It hits Humungousaur, knocking him off his current trajectory, falling to the side and crashing into the road. Humungousaur gets up, groaning.

Humungousaur: Why not just lift me up, or move that thing’s head?!

Xylofreeze: You guys weigh way more than a car. That was easier and more guaranteed.

John transforms into Goat Foo, as Khyber releases a series of jabs and punches at him. Goat Foo blocks them with his arms, and retaliates with a hoof thrust at Khyber’s head. Khyber catches Goat Foo’s arm, though Goat Foo releases a mana blast from it, blasting Khyber off. Khyber rolls back to his feet, as he looks over his shoulder, watching the battle.

Goat Foo: What’s wrong? I’m not g-g-g-good enough for you?

Khyber: You are more of a menace than those other two. But you are still not my target.

Humungousaur tackles Tyrannopede, while Xylofreeze uses telekinesis to chuck cars at Tyrannopede, the attacks backing Tyrannopede into a building side, breaking a support pillar. Then, the Rustbucket flies over, firing a laser blast at Tyrannopede. Tyrannopede takes it, then shoots web up at the Rustbucket, it pulling back.

Kevin: That was close! Ben! Give me some cover!

Humungousaur: Get more cars up there!

Humungousaur grabs a car and tosses it at Tyrannopede, it missing. Xylofreeze uses his telekinesis to catch the car in midair, and boomerang it back at Tyrannopede. Kevin fires another shot, it hitting the car, causing an explosion. The explosion force knocks Tyrannopede to the ground, it reverting into her Anubian Baskurr form. She lays whimpering on the ground, as the Rustbucket lands on the abandoned and cleared street. Kevin comes out, walking over to Khyber’s Pet.

Kevin: Almost feel sorry for the mangy mutt.

Humungousaur: It’s a killing machine.

Xylofreeze: That being said, that’s a new one on me. He used a Panuncian as the host for the Nemetrix last time.

The building they had rammed before begins to crumble, pieces of debris falling off as it begins leaning and falling towards the street. Humungousaur runs forward, catching and holding the building up. Xylofreeze uses his telekinesis to hold debris up and putting it back into place. Xylofreeze strains, a piece of debris slipping through his powers. Kevin sees the debris block heading straight for Khyber’s Pet.

Kevin: Ugh!

Kevin runs forward, absorbing metal as he shields Khyber’s Pet from the debris. The two are buried, though Kevin pushes it off them and drags Khyber’s Pet out of the way, as the building comes down, Humungousaur and Xylofreeze getting out of the way. The two revert afterwards.

Ryder: Well, at least it was empty.

Khyber’s Pet barks, as she licks Kevin on the face. Kevin laughs as she does, while Khyber is shoved to the floor at their feet, hands and legs trapped in mana bounds. The others look up, seeing Goat Foo there.

Goat Foo: I suppose you have a pair of cuffs, Kevin.

Kevin: Yeah, I’ve got one.

Kevin puts cuffs on Khyber, dragging him away. Khyber’s Pet snarls at Khyber, helping Kevin to lead Khyber onto the Rustbucket. Goat Foo reverts.

John: So, you consider my offer during that fight?

Ryder: About joining your team? Sorry, but I don’t like being cooped up in one place.

Ben: Not like you would. We’d probably be traveling quite a bit for battles. Besides, we’ll have a blast as we becomes heroes of the world!

Ryder: Hm. I was beginning to think that it was starting to get boring on the road by myself. I was traveling with a friend, Ester, but she decided to settle down. Yeah, sure, why not? I’ll join your team for a while. Till I get bored.

Ben: Trust me. You won’t get bored easily.

Characters

 * Omni Crew
 * Ryder
 * Ben Tennyson
 * Yami
 * Jane Smith
 * Kairi

Flashback Characters

 * John Smith
 * Ben Tennyson
 * Argit 10
 * Kevin Levin
 * Ryder

Flashback Villains

 * Khyber
 * Khyber's Pet (good at end)

By Khyber's Pet

 * Diomedes (first appearance)
 * Thestral (first appearance, debut)
 * Crabdozer
 * Tyrannopede (first appearance)

By Ryder

 * Gutrot (first appearance)
 * Upgrade
 * Mole-Stache (accidental transformation; intended alien was Diamondhead)
 * Xylofreeze

By Ben

 * Stinkfly (accidental transformation; intended alien was Jetray)
 * Cannonbolt (accidental transformation; intended alien was XLR8)
 * Humungousaur

By John

 * Sonic Boom (first appearance)
 * Mummy Dusk
 * Goat Foo

Trivia

 * Ryder is the third member to join the team.
 * Ryder encountering Khyber is based on Khyber being one of his main enemies in his canon series.
 * It also set up for him being in jail in order to escape in the future.
 * In this series, Ben doesn't have the Tenn-Speed, it belonging to Ryder.
 * Kevin gets Khyber's Pet after this incident.
 * Thestral is directly based off the creature from the Harry Potter franchise. It was inspired by a trip of mine to Harry Potter Wizarding World at Universal Studios, Florida.
 * It is hinted that J.K. Rowling got the idea for the Thestral in her books from this alien species.