4 Back to Business

Mister Smoothy

11:25 AM EDT

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

A young man soon came walking in. He had worn his common black shirt and jeans under his green apron. He looked at the two and smiled. "Welcome to Mr. Smoothy. What can I get for you ladies today?"

The snow-haired girl was the first to reply with a smile. "I'll have a Winter Melon please."

'Huh...Nordic. You don't see them often. Her outfit really suits her along with her Brazilian friend.' He turned to her and asked, "And you?"

'Green eyes too...' the emerald woman thought. Shaking her head out of her stupor, she gave her order. "I'll have a Strawberry Sunrise."

'I always liked Latin accents.' "Sure. Coming right up. Can I get your names?"

The emerald Brazilian was the first to speak. "You can call me Beatriz,

Her friend spoke next. "And you may call me Tora." She smiled happily at the man before them.

He smiled at the two. "It's nice of you two to stop by. You may call me Ben." He walked around the kitchen and soon made their drinks. After he received payment, he handed the two their drinks.

"Thanks," Tora and Beatriz both smiled. They decided to take seats near the counter.

"Enjoy."

The room was quiet at first, but a conversation started between them. The three continued to talk for another half-hour, enjoying each other's company.

"We're actually staying here in Central City for a month," answered Tora

"I'm sure that you'll enjoy your stay. You two can come by anytime," he replied.

"I take it that we gave off a good first impression," Beatriz commented.

"Don't sell yourselves short. It normally takes time for people to get on my good side. Now that I think about it, where were you two headed before you stopped by here?"

"Tora and I were on our way to Central City Plaza to check out the sites and do some shopping," Beatriz answered.

Tora's eyes widened from an idea. "Ooh! Do you want to come with us?"

Ben blinked at the sudden request while Beatriz raised an eyebrow at the invitation. "Excuse us while I have a little chat with my friend here." Beatriz grabbed Tora and walked to the other side of the store. Ben was used to seeing girl talk, so he didn't mind.

Beatriz gave Tora an expectant look while tapping her shoes. When she saw her look of confusion, she whispered to her. "Why did you invite him to come with us?"

Tora simply rolled her eyes and whispered back. "Come on he seems nice. As far as I can tell, he seems pretty docile and sweet."

"So?..."

"We're new here and I would prefer to have a local show us around compared to a tour guide. Remember what happened in New York last winter?"

Beatriz shuddered at the memory. Their tour guide was a total sleaze. He barely knew anything about the town. Not to mention, he tried to get into their pants the entire day. "You have a point..."

"Plus, he is pretty cute, especially with those green eyes of his."

Beatriz twitched. "Really? I haven't noticed..."

"So? It is a plan?"

"Fine... He can come along."

"Yay!"

"But if he steps out of line," she lit a small green flame on her thumb, "I'll roast him."

They turned around to see Ben leaning against the counter, hands in his pockets. "So..." He started with a hopeful smile. "Does the offer still stand?"

Beatriz nodded, and Tora smiled back, replying. "We would love for you to accompany us today."

Ben pushed himself upright and clapped his hands. "Great! We can take my car. It's pretty hot out there for us to be walking there. I'll close up shop. Wait for me outside, and I'll pull the car upfront."

They both looked at each other to see the other's reaction of getting into their new friend's car. They had the unspoken agreement of 'We can handle him if anything.' Turning back to Ben, they answered, "Sure," and walked out the front door."

As soon as they were out the door, Ben took a deep breath. "It's been a while since I went out with people on this new Earth, huh Azmuth."

As Ben closed the shop, a hologram projected from Ben's wrist and replied. "Indeed it has. Ever since coming here, you haven't had much social interaction outside of your shop. Then again, you did devote a lot of your free time to your recent projects."

"I'm just glad that I had the Flashes to keep things calm till I got everything set up. It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to bring him back and build my new ride."

"One of which you will show to your new acquaintances." A smile pulling at Azmuth's lips.

Ben rolled his eyes at the implication. "We just met, and I'm not one to rush into relationships. I will admit, they are both really cute. I swear. Beatriz has to be a model or something. If things go well, then who knows."

"Julie was a special one. A little naive with the cult fiasco, but whole-hearted nonetheless."

"Yeah. Even though I'm just a copy, I still miss my family and friends, especially Julie." Ben walks into the back room and changes into his signature green jacket. "I'm sure she's happily married with 'me' right now... disregarding the flow of time across universes." He shook his head. "Getting back on track, I better not keep those two waiting." After pocketing his wallet, phone, keys, and a small metallic device, he walks to the garage.

10 Minutes Later

"What kind of car do you think he drives?" asked Tora.

Bea shrugged. "If it's a windowless van, we book it."

In the corner of their eyes, a sleek black blur sped down the road and stopped right in front of the pair. (The car in Alien Swarm and the series was based on the Mazda RX-8, but I wanted his new one to be modeled after the 2016 Nissan GT-R) Now that it stopped, the two were finally able to get a better look at the car. The color scheme was overall jet black with emerald green highlights. Said highlights formed an "x" on the front and stretched to the side skirts and the rear spoiler. The chrome rims also had an emerald green center.

Bea whistled, and Tora gawked. It looked damn good.

The tinted passenger window lowered to reveal their new friend Ben with a knowing smile on his face. "Thanks for waiting. Ready to head out?" He was wearing the familiar black shirt and jeans, but he was now wearing a green jacket with white stripes and the number ten. Strangely, it suited him very well.

Bea placed her hand on her hips."Sure. I have to say, Ben, you really know how to make a good first impression."

Ben gave a modest shrug and grin. "I aim to please. I'm glad you guys like it. Hop in."

"I've never seen this kind of car before," stated Tora, getting into the rear seat while Bea took the front passenger.

The emerald empress nodded. "I have to agree with sis. What model is this?"

Shifting gears, Ben replied, "I'll tell you later. In the meantime here's a little demo." Reaching for the dashboard, he enabled High-performance mode, adjusting dynamic control, transmission, and suspension. Holding down the brake, Ben charged the engine by stomping on the accelerator and then released the brake. The car shot to sixty miles an hour in less than three seconds.

"Whoop!" Sounds of excitement came from everyone in the car. The G-force was incredible. Luckily, Ben was taking the back roads, so he didn't need to worry about any traffic. They eventually came to a calm and steady forty-five and began to talk.

"So, have you had a chance to see the Flashes?" asked Tora.

Be shook his head. "No. Not really. Things have been pretty quiet since I've been here."

Bea raised a brow. "Really?"

Shrugging, Ben replied, "Hey, it's been peaceful in my part of town. I'm not complaining, but I would be nice to eventually talk to them. Maybe the villains and crooks are on summer vacation. Besides, I'm sure some of the heroes appreciate the quiet. " Ben ended up striking another entertaining conversation with Tora while Beatriz looked out the window and stared at the passing clouds.

'I do admit. It is nice just spending time with my best friend.' She glanced at her friend through the side mirror. 'As much as we love both of our jobs, we really needed this outing.' Her thoughts drifted to Ben. 'He's not such a bad guy.'

"You alright?"

Ben's words pulled Bea out of her thoughts. To recover, she replied, "You might want to keep your eyes on the road, juice boy," with a playful tone and smirk.

A smile tugged at his lips. "What? You think we're gonna crash?"

She tilted her head. "I haven't decided yet."

"Is that a challenge?" He changes gears and pushes on the accelerator.

"Ben? What are you doing?" Tora asked, slightly panicked at the increase in speed.

The speedometer was going over sixty miles per hour. There weren't any other cars around, but the speed was still high. Ben and Beatriz looked straight into the other's direction, a blink here and there, not looking at the road at all.

"Ben? Bea? You're scaring me!" Her hands latched onto the seat.

The speedometer was reaching ninety miles an hour, and the upcoming light was red.

"Ah!" Tora closed her eyes tight, but nothing bad happened.

The next red intersection arrived, and the car came to a sharp yet comfortable stop.

She opened her eyes to see the smiling pair in front of her. "Oh..." She was rather pink in embarrassment.

A few snickers escaped before the car erupted into full laughter.

"Oh, my god! That was hilarious!" exclaimed Beatriz.

"I know," wheezed Ben. "I can't believe you called my bluff!"

"I can't believe you called my bluff!"

"I can't believe you guys did that!" The two turned around to see a squealing Tora in the back seat. She gave off a watery-eyed puppy-dog expression that clearly melted hearts. Even her friend Beatriz was not immune to those eyes.

Beatriz sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck with an apologetic look."Sorry, Tor. We got so caught up in it all that we put you through that. He he."

"If anything, it's my fault. I'm the driver. Can you forgive us?

"Bea is my friend, so I'll let her go... for now." A small sly smile appeared on her face. "You, Ben, however, are not getting off that easy."

He sweat-dropped with a nervous smile. "What do I have to do to make it up to you?"

"Hmm. I'll forgive you if you do two things for me. I'll think of the second one later, but you'll be treating us to dinner tonight."

"Sure." He rolled his eyes.

The best friends proceeded to high five each other.

"Somehow I feel like that was you guy's plan all along." Ben only received giggles.

20 Minutes Later

Central City Plaza

They had just arrived at the Plaza near sundown, and Ben started to show them around. Surprising to them, Ben seemed to know all about the local hot spots and a little bit of the history. They visited many of the nearby landmarks and scenic points along with a few shops. Beatriz also helped Ben pick out a few clothes since she had an eye for fashion. When they visited a dog park, the girls went head over heels for Shibas and Corgis. "Don't leave me. I will hug you and squeeze you and call you George," squealed Tora hugging a Corgi. Ben was finally able to get them moving along to their next stop: the top of the Central Arch in the middle of town.

(Nearby radio speaker plays Zelda's Lullaby (Violin Cover) Taylor Davis)

The three of them were the only ones there as they gazed out into the distance. "Wow!" cheered Tora. "It looks amazing up here!"

Bea chuckled at her enthusiasm. "It really is great to be here."

He shrugged. "I'm sure that you have been to other great places like this"

The three of them ended up against the railing taking in the entire view, overlooking the sky, park, and city lights.

"Truth be told, Tora and I haven't had much time to venture during our stays.

They eventually stopped talking

BOOM!

"Well... That killed the mood," Bea deadpanned. Shaken from their relaxed state, they raced toward the source of the sound.

Down below, a beast was wreaking havoc. Upon closer inspection, he looked vaguely like a giant tiger-cat or a puma. "Where is Flash!" He yelled. "It's time that we settle our score without that runt of a sidekick getting in the way!"

No one was getting hurt, but he was causing a lot of property damage. "With that kind of entrance, the Flashes should be here any second?" stated Tora.

The music was cut off, and a female announcer took control. "This just in. Broadcasting to you live, the Flash and Kid Flash are currently engaging with Mirror Master at the Springfield Natural History Museum. Just earlier today, the Hope Diamond had just made its stop along its nationwide tour?

CRACK!

"Oh no! The Flashes have just been trapped in the mirror dimension. This isn't the first time they have been trapped, but it will take some time for them to find their escape. Local law enforcement is in pursuit of Mirror Master, but his use of mirror gateways make apprehension extremely difficult. We'll keep you up to date on this as best we can. We advise all citizens to vacate the surrounding area until further notice." The loudspeaker was cut to commercial.

"Or not," said Ben dryly.

Bea gave Tora a serious look and whispered. "We need to get down there, now."

"What about Ben?" Tora asked.

"What about me?" Ben wanted to go down there to help, but he had to deal with the girls first. He had just overheard his name come up.

Bea grunted loudly, expressing much of her irritation and discomfort. She pointed straight at Ben. "If you tell anyone about us, I swear to God that I will-."

"Fire, come on." Ben turned to the voice of Tora to see her encase herself in ice and break out of it in a completely different outfit. Ben's eyes widened as Tora was the perfect combination of cute and sexy. Her snow-white hair, sky blue eyes, and shape of her face was an amazing combination. Ben also noticed her silky smooth legs revealed by her rather high cut suit. It didn't help that the suit also gave a distracting view of her cleavage.

"Yeah, yeah, Ice. Remember what I said, Ben." He turned back to her, and she erupted into green flames, transforming into, in Ben's opinion, an Emerald Sun Goddess. Her skin was a hue of green while her hair was a torrent of flame. One thing that stood out to him was that she looked mostly naked, allowing Ben to see her luscious skin and jaw-dropping curves while her other flames covered her... conservative areas. His eyes moved between the two elemental beauties, processing the shock and awe of what's in front of him. Bea flew down to face the obnoxious threat.

Tora walked up to Ben, kissed him on the cheek, and gave it a light pat. "Don't worry. We'll explain this later. You still owe us dinner," saying the last part teasingly. She went down below using an ice slide.

It took a few seconds for Ben's brain to reboot and draw a conclusion. "Oh, I did not just get left behind to fight crime!" He looked down at the two now facing off against the feline freak. A grin grew on his face. "Well, Azmuth. It's hero time!"

Down Below

"I asked to fight the fastest man alive, not some hot head and an ice princess!" He uprooted another tree and hurled it toward Fire. Luckily, the tree phased right through her and she fired another scorching flame. Sabertooth, as he named himself, took on the searing flames without even flinching. From above Ice was sending slabs of ice in his direction. His thick hide and brute strength could withstand her attacks, so she was acting as support for now.

'Fire flew in close, blazing like a phoenix, and launched a stream right at Saber, knocking him into a tree behind him while Ice started hailing him with rock hard snowballs. Saber pulled the tree out of the ground to block the snowfall and then proceeded to throw it at the heroine in question, knocking her out of the sky and behind Fire.

"Ice!" Fire turned and saw Saber get closer. She shot out some fireballs which didn't do much to stop him. Suddenly, Ice shot the ground underneath him with her powers, making her equivalent of a banana peel beneath him, tripping him up.

As he slid forward, Fire and Ice shot extensive blasts to each side of him, making him roar slightly in pain. He jumped out toward Ice, and plucked her out of the sky, throwing her at her friend when he landed. As she hit, he picked up a nearby fire hydrant and threw it at the duo. As Fire and Ice saw it, they countered, firing streams of their respective elements at it, trying to stop the velocity of it enough to get away. As they just managed to duck under it, Ice shot an ice cage around the offending cat's feet and promptly collapsed.

Fire then flew towards him and started fighting up close.

Ice was losing her breath, she was overtaxing herself. She stood behind cover to regain her composure. At that time, Fire was going in close-quarter combat with the cat. While Fire had technique, she lacked the brute force Sabertooth had. Sabertooth, with a few bruises here and there, was able to get Fire off-balanced and on the ground. He picked her up by her neck and declared, "Come on out, Flash. If you don't get here soon, you won't like what you'll see afterward."

Ice was still exhausted, and she feared for her best friend's safety. A thud happened behind her, and she quickly whirled around only to be left speechless in shocked silence by the darkened nine-foot figure towering over her.

Ice stared at the newcomer. She saw what looked like two claws protruding from its wrists extend outward by at least half six inches.

"YOU WANNA FIGHT, SABERTOOTH? RAAAGH! LET'S GO!" The towering figure turned to her. "You okay?"

Surprised at the new guy just talking to her, she simply nodded.

The behemoth's fiery gaze instantly shifted from to the beast. "USING HOSTAGES IS NOT COOL!" The shadow veiled colossus jumped near the pair and then unleashed a primal roar so powerful its resonance echoed for miles.

"LET ME TELL YA SOMETHING, SABERTOOTH!" it shockingly bellowed, pointing menacingly at the man. "Nobody threatens Rath's friends. YOU THINK YOU'RE THE ALPHA PREDATOR HERE? THERE'S A REASON YOUR NAME IS EXTINCT, AND RATH IS GONNA MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE!"

Not at all intimidated, the beast-man merely replied with a snarl of his own. "I'm still waiting for the Flash, but I guess I'll have to establish my dominance to you right after I'm finished with her, feline."

Without further adieu, the newcomer instantly exploded out from the shadows, rocketing past the female duo and crashing into Sabertooth with the full force of a jet-propelled battering ram.

The Fire, Ice, and civilians and newscasters still in the area stared in shock as the now exposed luchador-tiger-like behemoth slammed his forearm into Saber's chest, bringing the tiger-man crashing to the ground.

Standing at about nine feet tall, he resembles a tailless orange and white bipedal tiger with one claw coming out of each wrist. He is wearing a green and black outfit similar to that of a luchador (a Mexican masked wrestler). His green eyes contrasted his sharp black eyebrows. Black stripes ran on his shoulders, head, legs, and upper body while white fur filled his jaw, neck, chest plates, hands, and feet. Finally, an hourglass symbol is on his luchador belt.

Free from the throat hold, Fire stood back up and faced her rescuer. "I don't know who or what you are or why we are friends but thanks. Now, let's kick his ass!"

The battle of the beasts raged on as the newcomer jumped and brought his hulking elbow smashing into Saber's solar plexus. Distracted by the pain, Saber was set aflame by a pissed off Brazilian.

Saber helplessly gasped desperately for the air that the blow had knocked from its lungs and that the fire burnt up. Ice jumped in to douse the flames and freeze Saber's entire lower section and left arm. The tiger-like behemoth picked up Saber by its chest fur. "COME ON!" he thundered into Saber's face. "YOU WANTED A FIGHT, AND NOW YOU GOT ONE! SO SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!"

Saber was not going to give up until he got his revenge. He roared right into the Appoplexian's face and sent a mean right hook, sending the newcomer reeling backward. Saber was able to free his left arm and right leg, but he didn't have the time to free his left because Fire started beating down on his chest with plasma enclosed fists.

The Appoplexian was unable to help itself from grinning. "NOW, THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!" he shouted with pumped-up enthusiasm. "YOU THINK YOU GOT A SECOND WIND? WELL, RATH IS GOING TO RIP IT OUT OF YOU!" He then cracked his knuckles and then his neck as he loosened up for round two. "RAAAGH!"

Without any hesitation, Saber countered Fire's last strike, spit out some blood, and tossed Fire aside to face Rath. Rath narrowed his eyes at Fire and back to Saber.

Unfortunately having never actually encountered an Appoplexian, Saber had no idea what a mistake he had just made. While Saber was strong, he had nothing over on Rath's raw strength, fighting prowess, and just overall unbridled savagery.

With savage ferocity, Rath instantly smashed its fist into Saber's windpipe cutting off his momentum. He then dealt Saber a powerful knee to the stomach, causing Saber to keel over in pain. The battle-hungry Appoplexian picked him up upside down, securely locking him in its hulking arms, and sprang high up into the air. "POLARIS PILEDRIVER!" he thundered as they came crashing back into the ground.

Focusing her power on a high-powered stream of fire, Bea unleashed it on the being getting back up, stopping after a few seconds. Fire gave a wicked grin as Saber soon collapsed in an unconscious black soot mess.

Ice took the chance to make his ice prison, so the police would be able to take him in without any further problems.

Bea stretched her arms from the fight. "Thanks for the help, ... Rath."

Ben waved it off. "Don't mention it. It's what I do."

The civilians nearby were cheering the trio in thanks and taking photos while a few reporters were already targeting the heroes.

Questions were shot at them from multiple directions. "Who are you? What are you? Are you ladies single? Are you an alien like Superman? What are your three sizes? Are you part of the Justice League? Will you go out with me? Are you three new heroes to Central City."

Ice made a small Ice blast to the sky to get the reporters to shut up. "One at a time," asked Fire. "Yes, we are single. We will not tell you that, and we respectfully decline." She turned to Rath. "We gave our answers. Now, it's your turn."

Rath grunted. He still hated the media after his experience with Will Harangue. It didn't help that Rath was the body holding in the emotions. He needed to stay composed. "Rath is a hero! That's all you need to know! I'm not part of the League. I kick criminal butt whenever I see it. Kinda sorta on the last one!"

"Now, Rath and Rath's friends will be on our way." He scooped up Tora into a bridal carry, causing her to redden in embarrassment. Rath motioned Fire to follow.

The three of them moved to a nearby rooftop away from the media and civilians.

Rath gently put Tora down on the roof. "Sorry. Rath wanted some privacy. Didn't want an ice trail."

She nodded slowly. "No, I understand... Who and what are you by the way?" asked Tora.

"And Why did you call us your friends?" asked Bea who just landed.

Rath sent a fake hurt expression to the pair. "Rath hurt that you guys don't recognize me, Tora and Beatriz."

The two girls held back a wince at their identities being known. "Should we?" Bea asked. "I'm pretty sure that we would remember a gigantic luchador tiger man."

Rath grew a mischievous grin. "After all the time we spent together this afternoon..."

It was their turn to go wide-eyed at the sudden revelation.

"Ben!?" Tora exclaimed in shock and awe. "Is that really you?"

"Hold on a sec." He pressed the hourglass symbol on his belt, causing him to be engulfed in emerald light. After Tora and Bea removed their hands from their eyes, they saw the familiar Ben standing there with a friendly expression on his face. "It really is me. The one and only. Considering that you showed your secrets to me, it is only fair that you know this little bit about me."

Tora and Beatriz changed back into their civilian clothes once they confirmed that it was really Ben. "That still doesn't explain how you changed." Tora was still confused.

"We'll trade stories soon. Come follow me, the night's not over yet."

"What are you talking about?" said the two in unison.

"Anybody hungry? Like I promised you guys earlier today, dinner's on me, and I know just the place."

Tora and Beatriz were so consumed about the fight and Ben that they forgot about their hunger. Their faces reddened as growls escaped from each of them.

Ben laughed. "Glad to see I'm not the only one ready to eat.

Ben took them to an all you can eat Yakiniku restaurant. For those who don't know, a Yakiniku restaurant allows you to cook the food on a stove at your table. They had their own private booth, and they each gave a cliff notes version of themselves, nothing too specific but gets the point across. Ben talked about his Omnitrix briefly but focused more on some of his past adventures. He even explained why he opened a smoothie shop. Ben did not mention that he was from a different universe. No one needs to know that. Why would anyone need to know that? Seriously? Why does anyone need to know someone is from a different universe. It's just stupid. After trading stories, they ended up enjoying a casual dinner together. This was Tora's and Bea's first time in this type of restaurant, and they were liking Ben's company.

Once all things were said and done, Ben drove them to their hotel.

Both paused before either of them got out of the car. "We should do this again sometime."

Ben was surprised by that. "I take it that the villain thing didn't ruin things."

"Actually, that is the best-case scenario," replied Tora. "It's hard making friends when you travel the world from time to time, but we can finally relax when we hang out with you since we both know each other's secrets. Bea will be busy with a meeting, but are you free next Friday?"

"Are you kidding? It's a plan," Ben answered in a quite happy tone.

With a small flicker of jealousy, Fire spoke. "I'll be modeling in the Victoria Secret pageant in a few weeks. Why don't you stop by?"

Noticing Bea's intentions, Tora also spoke up. "You should come! If you want to, call us later, and we'll give you the details and the Backstage pass to meet us."

"How could I turn down such an offer, especially from you two? I'd love to go." Ben replied sincerely and teasingly. A slight hue of pink growing on their cheeks.

Beatriz and Tora took out pieces of paper and gave Ben their phone numbers.

Tora smiled. "Bye, Ben. Don't be a stranger."

Bea waved back. "The same goes for me too."

"I'll call. Goodnight ladies," waving them back goodbye. As Ben drove off, he thought 'Looks like I'm back in the hero game."

Back with Tora and Bea. Tora gave her friend a sly smile. "I told you that he was a great guy."

"Shut up!" Bea muttered in embarrassment from her best friend. 'We both like the same guy. This will be interesting...'

Meanwhile In Washington D.C

"Hey, Dawn are you feeling okay? You've been staring in that direction for a while now."

"Holly, you feel the same thing. Right? Something new arrived and it keeps popping up every month. I can't figure it out, but I feel somehow connected to it.

"I know. It's strange. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. Forget about it for now. Come on. Let's go home."

Omnitrix DNA Entry: (Thank Rocker on for reminding me)

Name: Rath

Species: Appoplexian

Home World: Appoplexia

Powers and Abilities:

Appoplexians possess enhanced strength and agility, enabling them to jump great distances and lift objects heavier than themselves. While not the smartest of species, their expert fighting style is a mixture of wrestling, grappling holds, and sheer brute force, allowing them to power their way through dozens of opponents and smash through tough defenses. Appoplexians possess a large, retractable claw on each wrist. Appoplexians are extremely durable. Appoplexians can always remember things relating to fights or battle techniques learned. Their unbridled aggression gives them a psychological edge in combat. There are very few things that an Apploplexian fears, and many opponents find it extremely difficult to stop one that is fully enraged.

Behavior (Special Case):

Appoplexians value emotional openness: if an Appoplexian has a feeling, they express it openly. Generally, the feeling is a blind rage. Appoplexians love to fight and have a great appreciation for the best fighter. Instead of shaking hands when they meet, they engage in a wrestling match until one is established as dominant. Appoplexians believe any problem can be solved by hitting it. Appoplexians are prone to referring to people by their full name or title, as well as beginning a conversation with "Let me tell ya somethin'!" They also refer to themselves in third-person. Appoplexians have an advanced level of shame and wear pants. The Rath strand of DNA lacked the strong sense of shame that most Appoplexians have, as he ran around naked uncaringly.