Branching

"You won't be defeating me this time, Tennyson!" Animo shook a fist in the air. "I, Doctor Aloyisus James Animo, am-"

"Repeating yourself." Ben rolled his eyes. "Do you seriously have to do this whole spiel *every time?*"

"It's called *branding*, Tennyson, you wouldn't get it." Animo huffed. "Now, prepare to face your doom!"

"Nah." Ben pulled up the Omnitrix. "I've got a new guy I wanna try out."

"Ben, is this really the time to be testing new forms?" Rook asked.

"Hey, I'm never gonna be Ben 10,000 if I don't start using new guys!"

Ben slammed down on the Omnitrix dial, transforming into a large, tree-like alien.

"Alright, let's see what this guy can do!" Ben's new form cracked his knuckles.

"Rise, my loyal moles!" Animo threw his hands up into the air as the ground suddenly started rumbling nearby. "Rise up and destroy this pest once and for all!"

Several giant, mutated moles suddenly burst out of the earth around them, their focus aimed squarely on Ben.

"Uh, Rook?" Fractree blinked. "Are you seeing this?"

"The giant moles?" Rook asked. "Yes, they are quite hard to miss."

"No, the giant worms!" Fractree said. "It's like they're clipping into the moles!"

"I do not see anything of the sort." Rook said. "Are you experiencing some form of hallucination?"

Before Fractree could respond, one of the moles swiped at him, sending him flying a good few meters before he hit the ground hard on his back.

"Alright, not really sure what's going on, but I'll have to figure it out later." Fractree grunted. "If this thing can do what I think it does, getting knocked to the ground might've actually given me an advantage."

"Rise, my loyal worms!" Animo threw his hands up into the air as the ground suddenly started rumbling nearby. "Rise up and destroy this pest once and for all!"

Several giant, mutated worms suddenly burst out of the earth around them, their focus aimed squarely on Ben.

"Uh, Rook?" Fractree blinked. "Are you seeing this?"

"The giant worms?" Rook asked. "Yes, they are quite hard to miss."

"No, the giant moles!" Fractree said. "It's like they're clipping into the worms!"

"I do not see anything of the sort." Rook said. "Are you experiencing some form of hallucination?"

Before Fractree could respond, one of the worms slammed its body into him, sending him flying a good few meters before he hit the ground hard on his back.

"Alright, not really sure what's going on, but I'll have to figure it out later." Fractree grunted. "If this thing can do what I think it does, getting knocked to the ground might've actually given me an advantage."

"Whoops." Fractree sheepishly cleared his throat. "Sorry, Rook!"
"Do not worry, I am used to it." Rook replied flatly.
One of the moles attempted to take a swing at Rook like they had with Ben, but the branches surrounding him were sturdy yet flexible enough to absorb most of their hits; even when one of its claws managed to shear off a chunk of them, they grew back quickly enough to block their next blow.
"Oh, hey, that works." Fractree blinked. "Hey, Rook, can we pretend like I planned that?"
"No."
"Ignore the furry, go after Tennyson!" Animo snapped, pointing aggressively at Fractree.
"I don't think so." Fractree slammed his right hand into the ground. "Time to send these puppies to the pound!"
Branches burst out of the ground around the moles and Dr. Animo, trapping them in place as Fractree pulled his left hand out of the earth, causing the branches surrounding Rook to wither away and dissipate.
"Do you really think this organic cage can hold us?!" Animo laughed before turning his attention to the moles. "Dig us out of here, my minions!"
The moles quickly dove underground, taking Animo with them, as Rook walked over to Fractree and carefully helped him stand up without uprooting his hand from the earth.
"How long do you think it'll take him to figure out that the branches coming from underground are... y'know, underground?" Fractree said.
As if in response to this, a furious shriek of rage from the hole dug inside the cage seemed to indicate that he had come to the realization.
"Not long." Rook replied with a slight smirk. "I will call in a team for collection."
"Sounds good." Fractree said. "In the mean time, I gotta try and get a grip on this alien. It's like the same thing is playing out a bunch of slightly different ways all at once!"
The moles began scratching at their wooden cage, but the branches surrounding them were sturdy yet flexible enough to absorb most of their hits; even when one of their claws managed to shear off a chunk of them, they grew back quickly enough to block their next blow.
"Oh, hey, that works." Fractree blinked. "Hey, Rook, can we pretend like I planned that?"
"No."
"Do you really think this organic cage can hold us?!" Animo laughed before turning his attention to the moles. "Dig us out of here, my minions!"
The moles quickly dove underground, taking Animo with them, as Rook walked over to Fractree and carefully helped him stand up without uprooting his hand from the earth.
"How long do you think it'll take him to figure out that the branches coming from underground are... y'know, underground?" Fractree said.
As if in response to this, a furious shriek of rage from the hole dug inside the cage seemed to indicate that he had come to the realization.
"Not long." Rook replied with a slight smirk. "I will call in a team for collection."
"Sounds good." Fractree said. "In the mean time, I gotta try and get a grip on this alien. It's like the same thing is playing out a bunch of slightly different ways all at once!"
"Whoops." Fractree sheepishly cleared his throat. "Sorry, Rook!"
"Do not worry, I am used to it." Rook replied flatly.
One of the worms attempted to take a swing at Rook like they had with Ben, but the branches surrounding him were sturdy yet flexible enough to absorb most of their hits.
"Oh, hey, that works." Fractree blinked. "Hey, Rook, can we pretend like I planned that?"
"No."
The worm switched from slamming its body against the branches to attempting to eat them. This seemed to work for a moment, but it was barely able to get its head through the hole it had made before the branches abruptly grew back, decapitating it.
The worm's body outside the cage quickly regrew its head as its head trapped with Rook began growing a new body. Rook swiftly shifted his Proto-Tool into Blaster Mode and vaporized the creature before it could get any bigger.
"Ignore the furry, go after Tennyson!" Animo snapped, pointing aggressively at Fractree.
"I don't think so." Fractree slammed his right hand into the ground. "Time to send these puppies to the pound!"
Branches burst out of the ground around the worms and Dr. Animo, trapping them in place as Fractree pulled his left hand out of the earth, causing the branches surrounding Rook to wither away and dissipate.
"Do you really think this organic cage can hold us?!" Animo laughed before turning his attention to the moles. "Dig us out of here, my minions!"
The worms quickly dove underground, taking Animo with them, as Rook walked over to Fractree and carefully helped him stand up without uprooting his hand from the earth.
"How long do you think it'll take him to figure out that the branches coming from underground are... y'know, underground?" Fractree said.
As if in response to this, a furious shriek of rage from the hole dug inside the cage seemed to indicate that he had come to the realization.
"Not long." Rook replied with a slight smirk. "I will call in a team for collection."
"Sounds good." Fractree said. "In the mean time, I gotta try and get a grip on this alien. It's like the same thing is playing out a bunch of slightly different ways all at once!"
The worms began slamming their bodies against their wooden cage, but the branches surrounding them were sturdy yet flexible enough to absorb all of their hits. One worm switched from slamming its body against the branches to attempting to eat them. This seemed to work for a moment, but it was barely able to get its head through the hole it had made before the branches abruptly grew back, decapitating it.
The worm's body inside the cage quickly regrew its head as its head outside began growing a new body. Rook swiftly shifted his Proto-Tool into Blaster Mode and vaporized the creature before it could get any bigger.
"Oh, hey, that works." Fractree blinked. "Hey, Rook, can we pretend like I planned that?"
"No."
"Do you really think this organic cage can hold us?!" Animo laughed before turning his attention to the worms. "Dig us out of here, my minions!"
The worms quickly dove underground, taking Animo with them, as Rook walked over to Fractree and carefully helped him stand up without uprooting his hand from the earth.
"How long do you think it'll take him to figure out that the branches coming from underground are... y'know, underground?" Fractree said.
As if in response to this, a furious shriek of rage from the hole dug inside the cage seemed to indicate that he had come to the realization.
"Not long." Rook replied with a slight smirk. "I will call in a team for collection."
"Sounds good." Fractree said. "In the mean time, I gotta try and get a grip on this alien. It's like the same thing is playing out a bunch of slightly different ways all at once!"

"Oh man, *not helping!*" Fractree clenched his eyes shut. "Alright, come on Ben, pick *one* series of events and focus on it! Ready... set... *now!*"
"Oh man, *not helping!*" Fractree clenched his eyes shut. "Alright, come on Ben, pick *one* series of events and focus on it! Ready... set... *now!*"
"Oh man, *not helping!*" Fractree clenched his eyes shut. "Alright, come on Ben, pick *one* series of events and focus on it! Ready... set... *now!*"
"Oh man, *not helping!*" Fractree clenched his eyes shut. "Alright, come on Ben, pick *one* series of events and focus on it! Ready... set... *now!*"
"Oh man, *not helping!*" Fractree clenched his eyes shut. "Alright, come on Ben, pick *one* series of events and focus on it! Ready... set... *now!*"
"Oh man, *not helping!*" Fractree clenched his eyes shut. "Alright, come on Ben, pick *one* series of events and focus on it! Ready... set... *now!*"
"Oh man, *not helping!*" Fractree clenched his eyes shut. "Alright, come on Ben, pick *one* series of events and focus on it! Ready... set... *now!*"
"Oh man, *not helping!*" Fractree clenched his eyes shut. "Alright, come on Ben, pick *one* series of events and focus on it! Ready... set... *now!*"

Fractree opened his eyes to reveal just a single version of reality in front of him, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Hey, Rook, did I accidentally trap you in a branch cage or did I get Animo first try?" He asked.

"You got Animo first try." Rook raised an eyebrow. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good; that's what I picked." Fractree replied. "In that case, Animo's mutants should still be moles."

One of Animo's mutants suddenly appeared back on the surface, having crawled its way back up from underground. Rather than being a mutated mole or a worm, the creature was a horrific hybrid of the two, having the long, thin body of the worms and the limbs of the moles.

"...Or not." Fractree blinked.

"They *were* moles when they began digging." Rook said. "Perhaps Animo found earthworms while digging and decided to fuse their DNA into the moles."

"What are you simpletons talking about?!" Animo huffed, emerging from the hole on the back of another worm mole. "I hybridized them before I got here!"

"I am certain you did not."

"Hey, Animo, did I get you with the cage first try or did I accidentally get Rook first?" Fractree asked.

"Why are you asking that again?" Rook gave him a confused look.

"Well, you..." Animo's expression became puzzled as he trailed off. "You, um... well, it seems you did *both*, but that can't be right. It had to have been one or the other."

"I am... confused." Rook blinked.

"You and me both, buddy." Fractree said. "I think I'm gonna need some more practice with this guy before using him out in the field again."

"So in other words, I was correct to be concerned." Rook looked at him expectantly.

"Yes, but I'm not gonna admit it."