| Ben 10: Beyond Bellwood | |||||
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| The Other Ben | |
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| Air Date | 04/04/2024 |
| Written by | Amanda |
| General Information | |
| Primary Universe | Prime Universe |
The Other Ben is the sixth episode of Ben 10: Beyond Bellwood. It was written by Amanda on the 4th of April 2024.
The Other Ben[]
It started when an alien device did what it did!
And stuck itself upon his wrist with secrets that it hid!
Now he's got super powers
He's no ordinary kid
He's Ben 10!
If you see him you might be in for a big surprise!
He'll turn into an alien before your very eyes!
He's slimy, freaky, fast, and strong!
He's every shape and size!
He's Ben 10!
No ordinary powers, he's on the case!
Fighting off evil from earth or space!
He won't ever stop til he makes them pay!
Cos he's the baddest kid to ever save the day!
He's Ben 10!
Ben 10!
The Monstrosity swung for Diamondhead, but Ben dodged out of the way. Kevin Levin had followed them since San Francisco, ever since he had horridly mutated himself by absorbing the power of the Omnitrix. Malformed, he was an amalgamation of Ben's ten aliens plus his own human DNA. He was Kevin 11.
He swung again with his huge, clawed arms. Diamondhead ducked, and Kevin's fist was planted deep into one of the tall white windmills that populated the field. He pulled back, but he was stuck.
"Ben be careful!" Gwen called from their overturned RV.
"I am being careful!" Ben shouted back. Kevin wrenched his hand free just to catch Ben's fist with his face.
About two weeks ago, Ben had thought Kevin was his friend. But he'd realised that the bully was abusing him- using him for his abilities to hurt others and guiding him down a dark path. Kevin took what he could from the watch, absorbing its power, and went on a crime spree to spite Ben for turning away from him. He was cruel, and vindictive, and the first great realisation to Ben that having super powers didn't make him right all the time.
The Amalgam spat a great ball of slime at Ben, which he blocked with his hands.
"Eww," a snap decision he immediately regretted, "gross." He tried, to no success, to shake the goo away. Kevin charged for him while he was distracted- he came down upon him levying his weight as a weapon and-
Froze in the middle of the air.
Suspended in the moment.
In that strange, prolonged instant, neither of them could move.
There was a bright light all around, and Ben fell onto his backside. An audience in all directions cheered as he found himself in a strange arena of sorts. Entirely enclosed. Ben's first instinct was to play to the encouraging crowd, raising his arms triumphantly. As he looked on, though, he realised none of them were human. He saw Heatblasts and Four Arms' and even a Stinkfly or two. He had been moved, and was now somewhere very far from the safety of Grandpa Max's Rustbucket. Far, even, from the relative safety of a fist fight with Kevin. Where was he now? How would he get home? And how long did he have before the Omnitrix timed out? Long enough to defeat the large machines closing in on him? He had to take that chance.
A pair of blade-armed robots, twice Diamondhead's height, approached. He ran for the first machine, uppercutting it as his arm shifted into a long blade- he impaled the android. It was a huge greenish thing, with knives for hands and a once-smooth domed head. Now it had a horn of diamond, as Ben removed his arm but left the sharp tip in place. His arm regenerated into its typical four-fingered shape. The robot stuttered, stumbling backwards, before finally collapsing. The second one took Diamondhead by surprise, slashing one of the blades deep into his shoulder. Ben screamed in pain, but it didn't really hurt- pain was just the most familiar reaction to him given the circumstance. The robot wrenched the blade free ready to attack again. Diamondhead's wound began to heal immediately.
Somewhere Across the Omniverse[]
The Chrononavigator was an ever-growing enigma. The bizarre and unique silver pocket watch had been a parting gift from Professor Paradox, and it afforded Ben some sense of independence in his strange, aimless quest. But it did not come with an instruction manual. It had many features Paradox had not told him about, so Ben had no idea how much there was still to learn about the device. Today it presented him with a new mystery- green.
Upon its face, the Chrononavigator displayed the drifting multiverse around him. Connected by a thin grey strand was a path between the universes behind him, almost like a travel history function. He could swipe his fingers along the face to look around, but he had to scroll quite far just to see the universe with the Red Dwarf and its ragged crew and even then it was almost invisible among the sea of universes that far away from him- omniversal drift was very real, it seemed. Beyond that he had totally lost sight of the path he had taken. Everything had been so much closer together before he last slept.
Every universe he had so far encountered was either red or blue. There was little more Ben could learn of them without going to those universes. But, gliding slowly by, was a green world. And this one had a name, presented in a small box beside the glowing point of light. Earth-10,000,000.3. Ben knew full well there was still much to learn of the Omniverse. Universes both red and blue seemed to host Flesh, and Ben had no idea how to find or slip into the Whisper. But this new mystery was at least one Ben knew how to tackle. It was as simple as tapping his finger onto the light, and stepping through the doorway ahead of himself.
And he found himself in a field of windmills. Somewhere outside of San Francisco, he thought. It certainly looked like a place he had passed through on Grandpa Max's summer road trip all those years ago. Peaceful. Serene. It had been more than a fortnight since he had last felt wind on his face, owing to his reclusiveness in the final days of his home universe.
He breathed, deeply. Fresh air.
Fresh air and smoke.
Small patches of fire burned in the grass around him. Green slime and blackened marks patterned the bases of the windmills, some of which were punctured through. And, firmly on its side, was a large recreational vehicle- a mobile home that looked so much like Grandpa Max's old Rustbucket. But it couldn't possibly be his, could it?
Whoever it belonged to, it was no good to anyone being on its side like this. He brought up the Omnitrix selection dial.
Jetray? No.
Heatblast? No.
The unicorn? Magic might be useful, but today wasn't the day to find out.
Diamondhead. That would work.
He hadn't used this form since he had attempted to murder Queen Chrysalis a few days ago, now he could finally put this alien to a more constructive use. He dug his hands under the roof of the RV and began to lift. Even for Diamondhead, an alien made of pure crystal and definitely one of the strongest aliens he had access to, this task was a struggle. He planted his feet into the ground, growing large but blunt pillars of crystal either side of himself to assist. This helped a lot, and soon enough the vehicle was back on its six wheels.
"Hey!" Ben heard from inside the RV. He probably should've checked for passengers before lifting it. Oh well, the damage was done. If that was the worst mistake he would make today, then today would be the best day he'd had since this whole adventure had started. He circled around to the other side, where the door was. There stood a young girl. No older than ten, surely, with brilliant orange hair. Ben instantly knew who this was.
"You're alive..." he said, softly. The blue shirt with the signature cat motif confirmed it. Gwen Tennyson. His cousin.
"Uh, yeah?" she remarked sassily, "I've survived worse. No thanks to you, dweeb."
"No, you're really alive." Could Petrosapiens cry, he surely would have. Could Ben cry? He didn't even remember the last time he had. He felt sour that he wasn't crying right now.
"Ben, what are you talking about?"
He snapped back to reality, "How do you recognise me?"
"You're kidding, right? You said yourself Kevin was stuck as that monster thing, so you're the only other Diamondhead. Besides Tetrax." She turned to go back into the Rustbucket but stopped herself, "Hey isn't the Omnitrix usually white? And what's with the new clothes?"
"Is Grandpa Max in there?" He ignored the question, "Is he alive too?"
"Of course he's alive." She went into the Rustbucket as she had initially planned anyway, "He's tougher than-" Her voice cut off. Everything went red. Ben began to panic, he was so close to having everything he had lost back again but now he couldn't move. Everything vanished into light and, when it faded, Ben found himself in an unfamiliar environment. The sky was dark. No, enclosed. The ground was dirt. There were concrete walls all about and he could hear... Cheering?
"Valued Audience!" a suave and omnipresent voice announced, "Get ready for a mirror match!"
The arena rumbled deeply, drowning out the growing excitement from the audience of aliens.
"NO!" Ben cried, "Take me back!"
The walls descended into the floor. On the far side of the now doubled space was another Petrosapien, stood among the sizzling remains of now-destroyed machinery.
"Hey!" it shouted at Ben, in a voice eerily similar to his own, "Where have you taken me?"
"What are you talking about?" Ben responded.
"This arena! Where are we?" It started to approach. It wore black and white clothing, divided black down its right side with a white Omnitrix on its left pectoral. "I was with my family! Take me back!" It pointed threateningly at Diamondhead.
"So was I!" Ben roared. The alien charged for him, but Ben ducked. He planted his fist into the ground and a huge cyan crystal emerged beneath the attacker's feet, sending them flying.
"Who are you?" Ben asked, as the Petrosapien picked itself up.
"The name's Diamondhead!" It flexed.
"...Impossible."
The audience cheered, goading the two to fight. The attacker turned to face Ben, and Ben regarded the Omnitrix on its shoulder with new interest.
"You too, huh?" the alien smirked. The white-faced Omnitrix began to alarm, flashing red. Ben tapped his own watch face. Both of the Petrosapiens vanished into the light, and two Ben Tennysons stood facing one another when it faded. The crowd was silent and shocked.
The two Bens were separated in age by ten years, and the one who had received his Omnitrix from Kev 'Leven was shocked to realise he was the elder of the two. It made more sense once he realised that Gwen, too, had been only ten years old, but it still made no sense. This whole 'multiverse' stuff was about to get a lot more complicated than the elder of them had ever anticipated.
"Why didn't you just say you were another me?" the younger Ben asked.
"What?!- Is- Is this not confusing to you?"
"What, like you're the first other me that I've met?"
The older Ben stood shocked for a moment. The crowd began to grow restless. "Aren't I?" He eventually asked.
"Pfft. No." The other one scoffed. "I'm Ben Prime. Which one're you?" He extended a hand, inadvertently presenting his Omnitrix along with it.
Ten years old, the Omnitrix on his wrist, and completely up to par in his knowledge of alternate realities. 'Prime'? That sounded awfully pretentious, but Ben was in no place to question him. This kid clearly knew what he was talking about. In fact the more he spoke, the less the elder of them realised they had in common.
"Where did you get that watch?" He eventually asked the child.
"Huh? It dropped out of the sky for me. Didn't you get yours the same way?"
The older Ben was astounded. Dropped out of the sky.
There came another rumbling. The crowd's boredom reignited with anticipation as another wall collapsed away. Another abducted fighter was revealed, as it spat metal remains from its jagged mouth.
"What the hell is that?!" The elder Ben exclaimed at the site of the horrid twelve-foot-tall monstrosity. For a brief moment he assumed, by its deep crimson skin, that it must be Flesh. But it was not- even by those standards this thing was chaotic and mismatched. Long black hair and three eyes- one engorged with a horizontal slit pupil. Its back was a matte black, with green lines resembling those of Upgrade's skin and out of which grew two immense lace wings that doubled the monster's height. Jagged teeth jutted out of its lipless mouth, and deep dark cracks traversed its body. It had four pectoral muscles, and four arms. One was the distinct fire and rock of Heatblast, and the other was Diamondhead. The other two, smaller and hanging beneath the previous, were covered in orange fur and ended in black claws. It wore large brown shorts over its thick red and two-toed legs. Finally, it had a prehensile, black and blue striped tail.
"Kevin!" Ben Prime answered, determined but frustrated that this fight hadn't yet ended.
"Kev' Leven?!" The other Ben exclaimed.
"That's Kevin E-leven!" The monster corrected him. "Where have you taken me?!"
"Me?!" The child responded, surprised at the accusation, "You think I did this?"
"Not you! Him!" Kevin approached.
"This wasn't me, either. I'm as lost as you are."
"You'll be a lot more lost if you know what's good for you!" Kevin swung his arms down with a crash, the two Bens dodged either side.
"Kevin! We're friends, remember?" the older Ben pleaded.
"Friends?!" The younger one seemed even more shocked at this, "Since when?"
"Sorry, but I'm not in the habit of being friends with dorks." Kevin continued to mock. He swung for the adult again and caught him by the arm this time, lifting him up. "Oh, what's this?" He noticed the Unlimited Omnitrix. "Like father like son, then?"
"I'm not his dad!"
"Let him go Kevin!"
"Too bad I've already got all your aliens or I might get something useful out of you!" the monster growled, Ben restrained the urge to question or correct him, "Still, I've got ideas of my own!" He moved his burning arm to the Omnitrix dial. The fires died out, replaced by green energy. He pressed this energy- which spread like Upgrade- into the Omnitrix. Ben screamed in pain before the Omnitrix began to glow and violently exploded. Kevin and the adult Ben were both launched into opposing walls, hidden by clouds of unsettled dust.
Kevin 11 rose first, to the thunderous approval of the audience. They cheered a second time as he was slammed over the back of his head with a chunk of remnant machinery.
"Stay down, Kevin," the guttural voice of the young Ben's four-armed Tetramand form ordered. Kevin lunged for him and the two locked all four arms together. While Ben was winning the strength contest between them, Kevin still had the upper hand. He spat green vomit over the Tetramand and, as Ben instinctively went to wipe himself clean, began wailing on the blinded alien. But before he could end the fight, the pair were once again sealed within the binding red light.
"My," came the announcer's voice, "you two shall make fine gladiators." And just like that the pair were whisked away.
By the time the other Ben had picked himself up, he was alone. He looked about the arena, at the inhuman faces regarding him with some expectation that he'd be entertaining them. A patterned chiming noise drew his attention- the Omnitrix. The dial spun continuously.
The light came again, and Ben too was taken.
"Allow me to introduce myself," came the voice of the announcer- in the room with him now, "I am Slix Vigma. And you are an enigma."
Ben stood up, "Where am I?" he asked assertively. The room was a dark space, dimly lit in orange light. He could tell there were walls and doors and curtains, but it was too dark for him to see. He caught a blue glow in the corner of his eye and peered out the window. The Earth hung there in the distance. It was a view he'd hoped to leave behind in the pony universe. A red Techadon-looking robot rolled towards him. It prodded him with the back end of its halberd, imprinting some strange badge onto his chest.
A strange six-eyed alien thing, unlike any species Ben recognised, approached. Its red robes stretched to the floor. Its eyes were arranged radially around its oval head. It had no mouth, and spoke anyway.
"Welcome to my Megacruiser, Petrosapien." Ben flinched, it was obvious that this alien had some interest in his abilities. Maybe that's why it had taken his younger counterpart, too. It paced around him, "Earth is a favourite world of mine, its warriors all so fervent. So imagine my surprise when I find two Petrosapiens there, so very far away from the rubble of their homeworld. Imagine further when both of those crystaloids transformed into humans. Who are you?"
"I'm just a traveller. I shouldn't be here. I-" but Slix Vigma chuckled.
"No one wants to be here, human, the choice is not yours. Everything on this ship is mine. Including you."
"...What is this place?"
"You are one of my gladiators now. Keep your shapeshifting handy, it may well save your life here."
And, like that, Ben was dismissed.
Several Minutes Later[]
Ben Prime? If this kid was Ben Prime, then what did that make the other Ben?
If that Ben was 'prime' then, so far as this Ben understood the multiverse, surely that meant every variant was based on him? Without Paradox to shed light, Ben found himself lost as to what the implications of this were- what the truth was. Was Ben really supposed to find the Omnitrix when he was ten, instead of Kev? Was this the life he was supposed to lead? Was this destiny robbed from him because Grandpa Max's road trip had taken him to Yosemite Park while the Omnitrix fell over New York City?
Moreover- there were more Bens out there. Other Bens with their own destinies. Surely, he could assume, Bens that lived up to their potential? Important enough that this child Ben had reached across the multiverse himself to meet them?
"Hey, you alright?" An unusual alien creature, with green skin and lightbulb-like eyes extended off of either side of its head, sat down next to the lonely 20-year-old human. "Must be pretty rough learning aliens are real, right? Was for me, too. The name's Sparkplug." He extended a hand.
"That's not what's new to me today." Ben flashed the Omnitrix, but didn't meet the handshake.
"Woah, Galvan right?" The green hourglass that made up the device's faceplate was a Galvan tech signature.
"What is this place?" Ben huffed.
"This? It's an arena, didn't you realise? I know you didn't do much fighting, we all saw that, but you will."
"I didn't sign up for this."
"None of us did. Do you think anyone would want to fight for their life like this?"
"Alright," he stated confidently, "I'm getting out."
They were in a shared space. Little more than a communal prison cell, it housed a dozen aliens of a dozen races. Each of them bore a strange three-dotted badge on their chest- or head, whichever was most prominent- as a symbol of their captivity. The same as had been stabbed into Ben. The room was flanked by benches on either length and its single solid metal door was guarded by two robots. The guards readied as Ben stood up. The other prisoners regarded him with amusement.
"Oh here we go," one muttered.
"I wouldn't," Sparkplug remarked.
Ben turned the dial anyway, searching through the holograms. Chromastone? Heatblast? Armodrillo! He slammed the dial down. Sheets of yellow metal armour covered Ben's body as his face obscured in the shadow behind a tough helmet. He grew tall and wide, his elbows extended backwards with large iron pistons built into his forearms. His legs, by comparison, were short and stubby- but more than strong enough to hold his newfound weight. He even had a short tail. Ben stretched his new machine muscles and exclaimed-
"ARMO-" but even before he could shout his own name, the transformation failed. With a second green flash he appeared as a mass of diamond might. A third and he became a large lavender salamander. A fourth returned him to a human form. Outwardly human.
"-drillo?!" he exclaimed in shock. The aliens all around laughed.
Ben looked over himself briefly, quickly enough to only observe his human proportions, white skin, and typical black and white clothing.
"I changed back- Oh! My voice!" He spoke in a light but heavily accented, definitely British, voice. He felt for his throat for a moment only to become even more confused. "Ah, that's weird!" He began to shudder heavily and deliberately, uncomfortable in his own body.
"You alright?" asked Sparkplug.
"Yes," Ben responded, "I just need a minute, man." He put his hands onto his chest, "Two heartbeats. Two hearts? I'm still alien."
"You were always alien to me, buddy. How'd you do that?" Sparkplug questioned before Ben turned back to him. "Ah," he saw the Galvan tech signature now upon Ben's chest, "that'd be the watch then?"
Ben paused for a moment before approaching the friendly extraterrestrial, his hands outstretched, "Yes! Very perceptive!" He spoke genuinely, "Now, here's a question for a keen mind such as yourself. What species looks human- but isn't?"
"Uh," Sparkplug considered, "Tetramands?"
"Tetra- Do I look like I have four arms??"
"Oh, you meant yourself. Well you look human to me."
"Yes, that's the problem. I've transformed into a British man and I don't think that's supposed to happen."
The doors at the far end of the room shunted open, the Tetramand Ben Prime and the monstrous Kevin 11 were shoved through. They argued and lunged at the machines, only to be zapped into compliance by the devices on their chests. Ben returned to his human form promptly. The other Ben's suppression patch did not trigger, nor did any of the other prisoners receive punishment, so he stormed over to the pair as the doors slammed shut once more.
"You!" He accused, "What did you do to my Omnitrix?"
"Ben?!" His other self asked.
Kevin snickered and mocked, "Blond's a good look on you, Tennyson."
"Blond?!" This came as a shock to Ben, who hadn't even thought to check. He pulled his hair over his eyes. "Blond! Of course! The Time Lord!" He turned to Sparkplug, distracted, "Minute Man!," and christened the form with a name. He turned back, "Now answer the question!"
"Not what you wanted, is it?" the monstrosity asked, smugly, "yeah, I slipped the dial off."
"What does that mean?" asked Ben Prime.
"It's not my fault you don't know how your own wristwatch works," Kevin spat at him.
"It means the selection dial is broken," Minute Man regarded the symbol on his chest- there was no cosmetic damage aside from the hourglass being white where it had once been green. "Could you fix it?" he asked.
"Ha! No." Kevin walked away, taking a seat along one of the benches where a pile of purple slop was prepared for a meal. Ben Prime was dragged along with him by a glowing blue rope about their ankles.
"What- What do you mean 'no'?!"
"Kevin, he isn't me," the ten-year-old reasoned, "if he's here it means something bad's probably gonna happen! Last time I met another me, the whole Omniverse was at stake!"
"Sucks." Kevin piled the alien sustenance into his mouth without so much as flinching.
"The Omniverse?!" Minute Man was astounded, "All of it?!"
"Yeah! This evil Ben was using Alien X to go around stealing watches! Me and a bunch of other us-es had to stop him!"
"Alien X?" He thought for a moment, "How many other mes?"
"Well there was the one who found us, there was Gwen-"
"BORING ALERT!" Kevin suddenly shouted, before craning his neck around, "Don't you two ever shut up? I'm tryna eat here!"
"Five mes including me, plus Gwen, plus the evil me," Ben Prime answered.
So many other Bens. All of them heroes in their own right. All of them important enough to save the Omniverse and- judging by the fact this one had survived to talk about it- succeed. Ben really was just the other one. The one who showed up late. The rookie with nothing to show for his efforts.
"Fix my watch, Kevin," he flatly demanded.
"How 'bout I clean your clock instead?" Kevin rose to his feet and, before either Ben could react, back-handed Minute Man across the room. He crashed onto the far table, coated in purple slime to the dismay of those who had been eating it. He tried picking himself back up. He'd taken the hit pretty well, considering he thought he was basically human. He flashed, and his hair was brown once more.
"If you do not fight-" That omnipresent voice returned- as did the paralysing red light, "-you will die."
The Arena Once More[]
"Perhaps our reigning champion can encourage a fight out of our newest contender?" The announcer called out to a thunderous audience.
Ben's mouth was full of dirt, and he was still covered in that sticky gooey sludge. He had been transported onto the sandy floor of a new arena space- different to the first one.
"Ben?" he called out for a familiar face. All he heard in response were heavy footsteps fast approaching. He rose to his feet, stumbling clumsily. The 'reigning champion' was a huge orange humanoid thing with one hand replaced by a metal club. He flexed for the audience.
"This puny thing challenges the mighty Technorg?" The champion laughed and the crowd cheered.
"I concede," Ben's head continued to spin. The crowd was silent, then booed.
"You forfeit your life so easily?" Technorg questioned.
"We don't need to fight. It won't help either of us."
Technorg only continued to laugh, "We fight to live. If you choose not to live, then so be it." He moved towards Ben. Ben backed away. The Omnitrix dial was red, yet it still whined and turned. Kevin had broken it severely. Technorg struck down with his heavy weapon and Ben jumped to the side. He was not nimble, and hit the ground hard.
"You don't have to do this!"
"We live and die by the crowd, kid."
"Then play to the crowd," he thought quickly, "just keep me alive long enough and I can get us both out of here."
Technorg lurched over him. His yellow eyes were piercing, his lipless jaw outlined by large tusks. "What do you have planned?" He asked, quietly.
"I can shapeshift. I can get us out of here. There's another one of me willing to help."
"How long?"
"thirty seconds? A minute?"
"Make it convincing," Technorg turned back to the crowd, roaring with laughter and contempt, "Ho ho ho ho! Now he begs for MERCY!"
Technorg turned back to Ben, regarding with a moment's consideration, and recklessly toward him. The cybernetic maul slammed into the concrete wall as Ben scrambled away.
"Hey! I thought we had an agreement!"
"The only thing Technorg agrees to is victory!" The crowd exploded with excitement. Ben clambered to his feet and tried to get away as quick as he could. Technorg yanked at his handless arm- but the club was stuck fast into the wall. There was a hiss, and he moved freely away from the maul. It disconnected from his artificial arm, leaving behind a long handle previously acting as the core of his robotic left forearm. He grabbed it with his natural right hand and, with the freedom of movement afforded, was able to wretch it free and wield it as a weapon. He smiled grimly.
The Omnitrix chimed, still audibly unwell, as Technorg tossed the mace at Ben. He slammed into the far wall, carried by its momentum. Technorg marched into the dust cloud, only to be sent flying back out. The settling cloud revealed Wildvine, having swung the mace himself on his outstretched vine arms. Wildvine scuttled forwards on his five writhing legs and tossed the weapon aside.
"We could've worked together," he informed the recovering Technorg, "but that offer has expired." Technorg smirked in response. Ben reached for the black bulbs growing on his back. "Lights out!" He shouted as he yanked one free and went to throw it at his opponent- only to throw a limp clump of orange fur that fluttered to the ground. "Ouch," Ben muttered. He hadn't noticed the form change while he was monologuing, even as short of a monologue as it was. All he had done was tear out his own fur. A quick visual inspection confirmed that he had indeed taken on the form of the eccentric cats from the Red Dwarf, complete with scruffy, matted orange hair, two triangular ears, and a prehensile tail. "Well then, top dog Technorg. Meet Top Cat!" The crowd was explosive.
Almost uncaring, Technorg moved to collect his tossed-aside weapon and calmly connected it back onto his arm.
"I was promised a shapeshifter," he remarked.
"Yeah, well we're both let down. You wanted a good scrap, I wanted an alien worth a damn. Here we are, both dissatithfie- dissatith- dithati- whatever."
"If your plan had worked, I might've helped you." Technorg muttered.
"It's a work in progreth." The champion closed in on Ben, as the latter tried to anticipate his next move. But he was shocked when Technorg grabbed Ben by the arm and lifted him off the ground, dangling him there as he struggled.
"Is this what passes for a challenger now?" He shouts to the captive audience, "Pathetic. Bring me the mutant thing and the child. This one won't last much long-AH!" Sharp pain shot through the warrior's face, cut by razor blades, and he dropped Top Cat to the floor. Ben landed nimbly on his bare feet- his sharp claws were capable weapons. Ben readied to stand and fight before the Omnitrix shone anew- and ChamAlien stood in his place.
"Sharp claws? Sharp tail?" the alien's tail whipped around, a long needle ejected from its end like a switchblade, "What's the difference?"
"You're full of tricks. None of them helpful to either of us."
"Oh, ya think?" Ben darted off across the dirt floor, kicking up a light trail of dust behind himself. The trail continued, even as ChamAlien himself disappeared into thin air, as it moved towards the arena's tall stone walls. There was a loud cracking noise and an electric flash. ChamAlien, smouldering slightly, fell onto his back- fully visible once more. There was a skylight above, and Ben saw the bright blue Earth overhead as he recovered.
"Invisible contenders make for such poor viewing," came the announcer's overpowering voice as the audience laughed at Ben's misery. Ben clawed impotently at the alien shock collar stamped onto his chest. "Now KILL EACH OTHER." The voice commanded.
"You're just gonna keep getting in my way?" Kevin 11 growled, "Fine! You're not gonna stop me!" Connected by a blue tether at the ankle, stood opposed to him just ten feet away, was a roaring orange beast. Its sharp teeth present for all to see, it slobbered as it vocalised. It had no eyes, but its throbbing neck gills gave it all the awareness it needed. The white Omnitrix dial sat upon a grey shoulder pad. Wildmutt- Ben Prime's Vulpimancer form- stood defiantly between Kevin and the easily-defeated contestants that had been pitted against them. They pleaded for mercy- and Kevin had no intention of bestowing it to them.
Wildmutt charged for the monster, leaping up and descending upon him with tooth and claw. Kevin, top heavy, fell onto his back. After a brief struggle the orange beast was tossed aside. He narrowly missed the cowled figure that had joined them in the arena. a horizontal row of glowing blue eyes peered out from under the hood.
"I already told you, I ain't fighting on your terms!" Kevin defied the figure.
"And I told you- you belong to me. You do as I command. You two will work together."
Once again the animalistic alien jumped upon its target- this time the robed slave master. But the figure caught him with one palm out stretched. He turned about, tossing Wildmutt aside as though he weighed nothing at all.
"You and that useless third one, you are all so painfully defiant."
Even without his camouflage, ChamAlien was fast and nimble. He danced around Technorg playfully as the champion managed only to upset the dust around them- uselessly slamming his weapon into the dirt as he failed to strike Ben. Taking advantage of Technorg's lumbering nature, ChamAlien managed to climb up his opponent's back. Extending out his tail-blade, he put the tip against Technorg's neck.
"Surrender, champion! I have you beat!" He announced, to roaring applause, before leaning in "Last chance to work with me here."
"I'll work with you when you show me something worth working with!"
"Fair enough." As if on cue, Ben flashed once more. A huge weight brought Technorg to the floor, as Diamondhead fell off. "Alright. I can work with this." He reached for the flashing white Omnitrix dial and twisted it 90°.
Visually, little had changed. The Omnitrix was now inverted- the black portions now white and the hourglass now black. He waited and watched as Technorg came back to his feet. The two stared at each other for a moment, expectantly.
"Okay," Ben finally broke the silence after about twenty seconds, "I think that fixed it." The other alien switches had been rather quick, one after the other, but now that he was Unlimited it seemed to have stuck.
"What's your plan?"
"Don't know." Unlimited Diamondhead turned his back to Technorg and faced the crowd, "I've not used this one before." He eyed up the audience, sat high atop concrete walls. He placed his hand gently against the ground and summoned forth huge blue crystals that lifted him above the stone barriers. As soon as he was level with the alien witnesses they began to panic and disperse. Ben jumped from his diamond pillar and into the tiered benches. He began to chase after them- knowing they would lead him to the exits. Technorg climbed the huge diamond growth and followed. The pillar did not stop growing just because Ben had abandoned it.
"Well then?" The hooded figure gestured towards the struggling combatant that Kevin 11 had been so eager to kill just moments ago.
"Well what?"
"I've distracted your partner. Now kill him." The fighter, some obscure purple-skinned species with stripes for eyes, panted and begged for mercy.
"I'm not gonna do what you tell me!"
"You were so close before."
"I'm not hurting him cos you want me to! I do what I want to, six-eyes!"
A brief alarm blared, and the figure was distracted momentarily. Kevin took the opportunity to throw a fireball towards him. It connected, burning away the flowing red cloth. What remained was a bizarre floating machine. Legless, with distended triple-jointed arms.
"One of you will die today, if only to recoup the expenses you have cost me."
Diamondhead and Technorg passed into the corridors beyond the arenas. A platoon of guard robots pushed past the fleeing guests. The gladiators prepared to fight, only for Technorg to keel over. Their suppression patches had activated. Unlimited Diamondhead turned back to help him. He noticed his own patch was sparking, but Diamondhead was not conductive and the device was useless. He pushed his finger against the machine and skewered it on a sharpened finger. He continued on to help Technorg but realised his finger had not returned to its usual shape. It continued to grow and sharpen.
Technorg writhed on the ground as the guards enclosed them. If the shocking continued it would kill him. Ben tried to grab for the patch but his elongated index finger made it impossible- so he snapped it off. It worked for a second before regrowing even faster than before. Ben slashed the patch before the finger became unwieldy again. The electrocution stopped but Technorg remained incapacitated.
The red metal robots that maintained order throughout the ship reached Ben. They brought their halberds down on him, Diamondhead spun on a dime and put his fist through one of them without resistance. When he pulled his arm free he noticed that his knuckles were swelling and cracking. His body was volatile. When it started growing it would not stop, and physical trauma caused it to grow. He looked over his shoulder at the shallow gashes caused by the weapons. Jagged protrusions extended outwards. This fight could not continue for much longer. The Omnitrix began to alarm, as if in agreement.
Diamondhead held his arm out as if to fire a rain of crystal shards, but they failed to leave his body. His arm malformed and only becoming more so, he was forced to close the distance by foot and made short work of the guards designed to handle less resilient species. With each guard he destroyed, it became harder to damage the next. With each attack, his body became less elegant. The fifth and sixth guard encircled him as time finally cut itself short. He held both hands up, surrendering to the machines as the Omnitrix timed out.
"This ship was built to kill belligerents like you," the bizarre multi-eyed mechanoid warned, "I am Slix Vigma. I am the greatest showman in a dozen galaxies. And you are standing on my stage."
Kevin 11 and the human child Ben 10 shuddered. The whole room began to collapse. The outer edges of the pit started to shift, retreating into the walls. A stone circle in the centre of the room, only 20 feet across, was the platform upon which Ben, Kevin, and their slaver now stood. The beaten fighter scrambled to his feet- he was not in the safe zone. He clawed at the outer walls-
"Please! Help me!" he begged as the audience cheered. The floor was vanishing beneath him, slowly but surely. Floodlights activated when only a few inches of space remained- illuminating the deep dark waters at the bottom of the fall.
"Kevin, we've gotta help him!" Ben Prime tugged at the chain connecting him to the monstrous post-human Kevin.
"Who's we?"
"Fine! I'll save him myself! Stinkfly!" He slammed his palm onto the Omnitrix, succeeding only in hurting himself. The dial was still red, he was still timed out. He turned to the machine in charge. "Stop this!"
"Fight or die." Slix Vigma responded, "Understand now?"
Ben watched helplessly as the last of the floor finally vanished into the walls, and the gladiator plummeted into the waters below. Immediately the once-still surface erupted into writhing white spray. Ben and Kevin both watched as a dozen Piscciss Volann lashed and ripped and tore, the body and the gore already hidden beneath the thrashing water.
"Ripjaws," Ben recognised them as one of his own aliens. As did Kevin.
"You think you can scare us?!" Kevin warned Vigma, "I'll fry those fish!"
"Everyone on board just watched that contender perish," said Slix Vigma, "Everyone." The familiar red light engulfed him. "In three minutes this show will end. Fight or die." The robot was whisked away, transported elsewhere and replaced by the adult Ben Tennyson and the weary orange champion Technorg.
"Back for round two?" Kevin smirked as he cracked his knuckles.
"People are dying, Kev," the other Ben stated.
"Other people are dying. I don't see how that's my problem."
"You're an ugly person, Kev. Not your messed up face. Your heart is ugly."
"What? You think poetry's gonna change my mind?"
"The Kev from my universe was a hero. I looked up to him. He gave me this watch. The watch you broke. Did that Ben get his watch because that was his destiny?" He gestured to the young Ben Prime, "Or because you're too vile of a person to hold its power in this universe?"
"Heh heh. I have the power of the watch! Look at me! I'm all ten of your aliens!"
"No. You're ten of his aliens." the adult Ben warned, "Fix my watch, Kev."
"Kevin this isn't a game," Ben Prime cut in, "Please just fix his watch already."
"No one asked you!" the monster spat.
"This guy," Technorg heaved, "This guy causing you trouble?"
"This watch lets me shapeshift. Kevin broke it. My name's Ben, by the way. So is the kid's."
Technorg nodded, "Good to know." and he stepped toward the centre of the arena space. "I am Technorg! Champion of champions!"" he roared, pointing to Kevin 11, "Fix my compatriots device and I may spare your life!"
"What're you gonna do if I don't, tangerine?" the monster mocked. Technorg slammed his mace into his hand aggressively. Before he could act the adult Ben stood in front of him. The Unlimited Omnitrix continued to spin, singing its sickly chimes. He brought up the dial, looking for Upgrade and hoping the transformation might stick even for a moment.
Green wiring wrapped across Ben's skin as his shape became slim and formless. A single glowing circle covered his face, forming his new eye. The rest of his body became black fluid metal. By a miracle the transformation held.
"Fine, I'll fix the watch myself," he spoke in his synthetic voice, sounding almost like his human self. A flash and his body was the huge yellow Armodrillo. A second and he became the lavender-skinned quadrupedal form he had collected from Equestria- his chance to try and fix the watch stolen from him.
Kevin laughed obnoxiously.
"What is that?" Ben Prime jolted, "Is that a unicorn?!"
Being laughed at didn't bother the other Ben so much as the fact that this form was what he was stuck with in this moment. He had seen little of the abilities of this form while in Equestria, and had no idea what his magic was capable of nor how to use it. He felt no sense of control over the energy flowing through his body, all he felt was magic and anger. This thing, this mockery of his idol, was holding him back. In this moment, where Ben was confronted by the greatness he could have achieved, he was held prisoner because a monster took away control of his watch. The anger built to a rage. The magic rose to a boil.
Kevin continued to laugh.
"Uh," Ben Prime hesitated, "Kevin I think you should stop laughing." Kevin only laughed harder.
Ben lunged forwards, aiming his horn like a weapon and unleashing a powerful blast of pure magic as he roared. The monster was caught totally off-guard, and Ben almost delighted in his decisive hit as Kevin was launched backwards- only to realise with horror that he was attached by a blue chain to his younger counterpart.
"Ben!" he cried. Levin slammed into the far wall of the arena and dropped towards the waters below, catching on a ledge in the central column on his way down. He held himself there, with Ben dangling barely above the water.
"Kevin!" the child screamed, "Help me! Pull me up!"
"I'm gettin' real sick of the two of you!" Kevin held onto the concrete with his powerful upper arms. His wings, barely strong enough to lift him at the best of times, buzzed inertly. One of them had been clipped by the wall he had slammed into.
Ben swung. Ten years old. As athletic as he was he still was not strong enough to lift his whole weight. Not enough to climb the tether that tied him to Kevin. Instead, knowing what hid in the calm water beneath him, he tried to hide in stillness. The swinging slowed to a halt, jostling only whenever Kevin above tried to move. Could the aliens beneath see him? He could not see them. The shadows swam indistinguishable from the ripples on the surface. But their lures, suspended just over their heads, Ben could see their lures.
One of them came like lightning out of the water. Its jaw, wide enough to hold a large pumpkin, snapped shut just inches from Ben's face as it narrowly missed. It slashed for the child with its claws as it fumbled back into the water, slicing bloody streaks down his back. Ben screamed. His Omnitrix chimed back into life. The dial showed the phantom he called Ghostfreak and he slammed it down. A second Volann leapt from the frenzy beneath. Ben's teeth grew jagged and sharp as his lips and gums became one and the same. His bones distended, losing mass as they converted into cartilage. Skin, once pale white, became a rough scaly green. The jumping Volann closed its mouth as it slammed, unexpectedly, into one of its own. It crashed inelegantly back into the waves. The rest of the fish-people circled- regarding Ripjaws with intrigue.
"...Why'd you stop?" Ben coughed.
"Do we look like cannibals to you?" One of the aliens asked, its mouth barely above the water.
The other Ben rushed to the rim of the platform.
"Let them fall," Technorg remarked.
"Ben!" The unicorn shouted, "Are you alright down there?" He was blinded by a fireball to the face and reeled back. Desperately he tried to extinguish the flames using his magic, but the magic did not flow. It seemed beyond him and he couldn't understand it. It built and built and built until it burst- and through the release he could feel the burning pain of his scorched coat.
Disturbed laughter preceded as Kevin's huge trunk-like arms topped the edge of the arena and dragged him upwards.
"You hit hard for such a pathetic little horsey!"
"Just 'cos you broke my watch doesn't mean I can't hurt you, Kev."
"That's Kev-in!" The monster rushed for Ben- only to trip as some unseen force pulled against his ankle tether. Five Piscciss Volanns emerged onto the arena floor, each with their claws on the tether, the centre one displaying the white Omnitrix dial firmly on his upper chest- the young Ben Tennyson.
"Enough fighting Kevin!" the alien fishman croaked, "We can get back home if we work together!"
"I'm so sick of you and your friends!" Kevin spat as he went to threaten the alien shoal holding him down, but turned back as the other Ben began to roar. The unicorn- charging itself with another magic attack- galloped toward Kevin.
The explosion sent the both of them flying.
Kevin had intercepted the tackle with a swing of his fist- deflecting enough of the magic that the bulk of it went back into Ben, but not enough that he was not also launched.
As for Ben, he had reverted to his human form somewhere between slamming into the concrete walls and dropping like a brick into the water. He'd lost a few moments- all of it too fast to process. He was in deep water. He was not a good swimmer and had not held his breath- he knew how to swim but not while wearing clothes. He almost had chance to reach for breath, but lucky for him the Omnitrix still worked while it was broken. It flashed. His skin was red and Ben didn't understand why he was no longer drowning- none of his aliens were aquatic, so far as he knew.
A good thing, then, that it didn't matter what he knew. Jetray, the winged manta-bat alien that Ben knew only for its flight capabilities, had a line of gills down his chest beneath his wings. And breathing with gills is not an active process- so long as water can flow through them, oxygen is consumed.
But Ben's vision was still blurry from the panic and fading memory of concussion. That moment of hanging there in the water, it stretched on forever. It was dark all about, save for the hypnotic dancing lights. Slowly, reality set back in. Jetray shot out of the water, just as one of the lights lunged for him. He cut through the air like a blade.
Down below, Kevin 11 swung the Volanns about like ragdolls- slamming them into the ground and tossing them back into the water when he felt merciful. Before he could reach for the Volann bound to him, green neuroshock bursts stung him down his back and paralysed him for a fleeting moment as Jetray turned around for a second pass.
The bolts flew from Jetray's eyes with the precision of a bird aiming for a freshly washed car, and with as much spite. The second run bought Ben and the other Volanns enough time to reorganise their attack against the monster. But not all of them returned their efforts to Kevin- two of them had occupied themselves with Technorg. Jetray landed beside the fight just as Technorg bashed one of the fishmen away with his maul. Jetray fired warning blasts at his feet, grabbing his attention. The other Volann turned to the Aerophibian and went for him, but a neuroshock lance from the tip of his tail caused the attacker to stumble and slip before he could strike.
"Pick your battles!" Jetray rasped.
"I'm here to fight, Changeling, Technorg cares not who!" The Champion flexed to the already-cheering audience, and seemed not to notice that they were no longer cheering for him.
"How does freedom sound?" Jetray turned to the Piscciss Volanns. They shrugged. "Worth a shot."
Ben went back to the other two, to Ben Prime and Kevin 11. The ideal and the monster. For a moment, he almost felt comforted. He could take solace that he hadn't fallen so far from his potential as this version of Kevin had. Kevin held Ripjaws by his throat, the latter digging his sharp claws into the former.
"Kevin!" Jetray shouted. Kevin tossed Ripjaws aside and paid attention. "You might've broken this watch, but I can still take back control!" He felt the Omnitrix dial on his chest and twisted it and-
"Function not available," the Unlimited Omnitrix spoke in Kev 'Leven's voice.
"What?!" He tried again.
"Function not available. No alteration available for this sample." He had no idea this could happen. Of course, not every alien Kev 'Leven had ever used had also been seen in its unlimited form. He had assumed that was just down to choice and happenstance- or the known negative attributes that some aliens gained this way.
"I was wrong about you," Kevin growled, "whatever your name is..."
"His name is Ben," Ripjaws interrupted.
"SHUT IT!" He turned back to Jetray, "I guess I don't have all of your aliens. I've still got more to take from you!"
"You'll never get the chance!"
"Oh yeah? I think that watch has been stable for a little too long. I think you're due for a change!" Ben took to the air before the watch had a chance to change him, blasting Kevin with green rays as he did. He swung about in the air to dive for him when something changed. He pulled up again, missing his opportunity to strike, and hung in the air.
Something had changed.
He felt like something else- something not Jetray.
Yet his skin was still bright red and he remained in the sky.
He felt his wings flap and became aware of the change. He was unconsciously keeping himself in the air by flapping the wings on his back- strange for two reasons; Firstly, Jetray remains in the air without beating his wings, and secondly Jetray's wings were under his arms and not on his back. Ben's frustration manifested as a very real heat within his chest. It grew and burned and came to his mouth- he spat it towards Kevin below. The green fireball held its shape before exploding like napalm over the monstrosity.
Ben fell, intentionally, like a boulder and slammed into the ground- striking a hero's landing. Ripjaws struggled to distance himself from the fire, so Ben ran up and threw a second fireball- pushing the flame back away from his younger counterpart.
"Thanks," said Ripjaws, "Is that a dragon?"
"Huh, I think so," Ben looked himself up and down. He hadn't seen anything like this form on his travels, but 'Dragon' definitely described him.
"What's he called?"
"Uhhh… Firefly?"
"Lame."
"Oh what do you know? You're ten!"
"I know that name sucks. How about Fangfire?"
The dragon spat another fireball at Kevin, keeping him down for just a moment longer. "Let's not overcomplicate it; Fangfare."
"That works."
"What's his deal anyway?" Ben gestures to Kevin. "The Kev from my universe is a hero. No, he's the hero. There's no one else like him."
"Yeah, right," Ripjaws scoffed as his Omnitrix timed out. "Kevin's a monster, inside and out. I almost called him a friend, but he was using me to hurt a lot of people."
"Then something about absorbing your aliens?"
"Yeah, but lucky for me I've got a secret up my sleeve! Cannonbolt!" Fangfare nodded. He had no idea who Cannonbolt was. "When I time back in I might be able to fix your watch with my Upgrade. Plus that Slix Vigma guy is a robot, so if I can get ahold of him I might be able to Upgrade him as well!"
"Sounds like you've got this all figured out."
"I've been thinking, but I can't get much done while I'm tied to him."
"Yeah, and I can't get much done while-" he flashed again and transformed into the small black Buzzshock, "-while that keeps happening. Wait!" The alien's manic energy began to alter his mood, "I can work with this! I know this one! Haha!" Buzzshock instantly reached for the Omnitrix dial on his chest.
Kev's alien Trouble A was a rarely used alien. As electric aliens went it was not spectacularly powerful, but it did prove useful when dealing with other Nosedeenians. Unlimited Trouble A, however, was totally unique in its class. Referred to by some as A-wire, this powerful Unlimited Form stripped away it's whole physical presence. In other words, Ben had just transformed into a being of pure living electricity. And lightning cannot hold in open space- it must seek ground.
Unlimited Buzzshock struck like a javellin into Ben Prime's chest- almost immediately detonating the compliance patch that had been stuck there. He jumped into the blue tether connecting Ben and Kevin and ran along it, deactivating it before jumping into Kevin's patch.
"Hey!" Kevin shouted, "What gives?"
"Truce?" the patch fizzled and popped, as the laughing lightning coursed away. He soared through the air and reached the huge screens overhead- screens that had previously been displaying the finer details of the combat within the arena for the entertainment of the cheering audience. It broadcast Buzzshock's giggling face as Ben made his escape.
Elsewhere On The Ship[]
Slix Vigma busied himself about the controls of his immense, and immensely profitable, gladiatorial warship. His fingers subdivided into nearly two dozen wiry extremities as he prepared their next destination. Every jump would take the ship, its customers, and its slaves to a whole new galaxy. It had proven an effective strategy for totally demoralising any rowdy fighters and made the delusion of freedom quickly vanish. Customers were offered free fuel as compensation for their extended journey home.
"Coordinates aligned." The computer responded to his input, "Triangulum Galaxy. Object 775. Destination confirmed. Engine calibration will finalise in two minutes."
The six-eyed machine had taken his concentration away from his arenas for less than thirty seconds. Last he had seen, arena three held three Earthlings, the Detrovite champion, and his pet Volanns. The champion had busied himself with the livestock as the Earthlings contended amongst themselves. The red reptile and the Volann Earthling seemed to be working together against the Volann's assigned partner. He was past caring, and the crowd was enthralled, so it mattered not what teams they divided themselves into.
Now, the Volann had returned to its human form. The champion and the pets were getting along. The human and the monster it had been tethered to were now disconnected. What the hell had happened in thirty seconds? The crowd was booing. Those in the arena came together in the centre and began... talking? Vigma moved to the compliance patch controls and activated them. Nothing happened. But the monster seemed aggressive. It might be about to start a fight. The camera failed. A twitching, smiling face replaced his view. Arcing lines of power made the outline of a Nosedeenian, howling and giggling.
"Insolent pest!" Vigma scowled, "How did you get on board?!"
"Hey, you brought me here!" Buzzshock lept and danced from monitor to monitor, "Wonder what this does!"
Sparks flew from the console as Slix Vigma screamed in agony- the console was nearly an extension of himself. The room flooded with red light.
The bronze-walled room was surrounded by doors in eleven directions. Slix Vigma knew where he was- ten of these doors led to escape pods- what he didn't know was how he had been cut out from his own systems. He could not see his arenas nor his controls.
"Where are we?!" came the familiar voice of the hideous earthly mutation, as Vigma realised the combatants of arena three now surrounded him. He almost turned to confront them but found himself paralysed- overwhelmed. Green wiring overtook his vision.
"Got ya!" The synthetic voice of the young Ben cheered as he ambushed the machine with his own Upgrade. He dug into Vigma's mind for a moment before turning to the others, "These are all escape pods! We can leave from here!" The Piscciss Volanns wasted no time- the dozen of them all piled into three of the escape pods. A slow trickle of gladiators from the holding cells came into the room, slowly taking the rest until only one remained.
Golden lightning jumped from the overhead lights. It struck the ground with a crimson flash- the adult Ben Tennyson, his hair stood on end, emerged. The Omnitrix shone red, its alarm never-ending.
"Okay," he caught his breath, "I destroyed those zappy badge things, I've closed the arenas, I've shut down the guards, and I've opened all the prisons. Oh and I brought us all here. Did I miss anything?" He looked up to the controlled Slix Vigma, "Upgrade! Nice!"
"Engine Calibration complete in sixty seconds," the ships computer announced.
"Oh yeah, that..."
"There aren't enough escape pods for everyone," Upgrade observed.
"They weren't made for us." Technorg confirmed.
"Sucks to be you guys then!" Kevin rushed for the final pod- and so large was he that only he would have fit. He might've escaped, had Technorg not dragged him back out by his tail.
Ben looked to the Omnitrix. They were so close to freedom, but his watch was near enough useless in this state. Upgrade hovered up to him and grabbed the watch.
"Hey!"
"If he'd broken this watch anymore, it might be beyond Upgrade," said the younger Ben, "but you were right. He just broke the selection dial. Here;" The adult Ben grabbed his arm back. The alarm had ceased and the red went dim- back to normal, but still useless.
"Gaah!" Upgrade suddenly cried. He jerked and jolted- then clawed at his own head.
"No one controls Slix Vigma!" the cruel slaver's voice came out from under the Mechamorph. The black liquid metal alien erupted off of Vigma's machine body and splattered on the ground. His own Omnitrix now sounding the alarm, the younger Ben reverted to his human form as well. Now they faced their robotic overlord on their own- with no aliens to save them.
"You little human meatbags!" Slix Vigma loomed over them, "You've cost me more than you could possibly conceive!"
"You brought us here, Slix," the elder of the pair stood defiant, "what happened today is your own fault!" He moved himself in front of Ben Prime, ensuring that he would be the first to face Slix Vigma's wrath. He turned and spoke quietly but firmly to his younger counterpart, "Go!" he ordered.
"What?! I can't just-"
"Intergalactic hyperjump in T-minus 10... 9..." The other Ben shoved Ben Prime into the escape pod and slammed his fist into the external control panel.
"Wait!" the young Ben's muffled voice came, just before the second set of doors slid shut and he was launched into the inky dark of space- Earthbound. The distant stars stretched and danced- a kaleidoscope of colours raved beyond the window, as the ship was thrown into impossible speeds. Wiry fingers closed around Ben's throat and lifted him into the air with little effort.
"How noble," Slix Vigma commended, "to rob me of yet another contender! Now I'll have to find someone new for you to fight!"
"Why?" Ben choked, "there's one right behind you!"
Vigma's grip released as a shard of blue crystal cut through his chest. Kevin 11 tossed the lifeless machine aside as the hideous mutant's three eyes pierced through Ben just as easily. Ben realised he had perhaps outstayed his welcome. His younger counterpart was safe, and likely hadn't needed his help in the first place.
"I'm not the version of me that you hate," Ben reasoned.
"Well I'm not seeing any reason not to! You're still the same pathetic little worm with his precious alien watch!"
"Do you realise who this watch belongs to? You, Kevin! This is your watch!" Kevin paused, allowing this revelation to sink in this time, "You're from New York, right? Well that's where the watch fell in my version of events! You gave this to me!"
"Why would I do that?!"
"Because you died!" Silence gripped the air. Ben turned to look out the window. "I'd forgotten about that. Grandpa Max and Cousin Gwen too. Everyone in my world is gone. Now we're half way across the galaxy, I can't even say goodbye to them in this universe."
"You forgot your whole family was dead?"
"Hey I was distracted alright?" Ben gestured to his Omnitrix, "Besides, I've never met another version of me before."
"Dissapointed?" Kevin smirked.
"Yeah. In you. Kev 'Leven. My idol. Reduced to a drooling snaggle-toothed monster bullying a ten year old child."
"Hey! He did this to me!" Kevin spat as Ben pulled out a silver pocket watch.
"Did he? Cos I wasn't referring to the monster on the outside." There was another green world on the face of the Chrono Navigator. They seemed to be free from Flesh. Maybe they'd have another Ben, too?
"What did you say to me?!" Kevin 11 marched towards Ben and, before Ben could react, swatted him across the room- knocking the navigator from his hands. "Don't you ignore me!"
Ben reeled from the pain, completely stunned. All he could feel were the dull thuds of heavy footsteps fast approaching. A second rhythm began as his hearing slowly returned. He heard Technorg roar as an orange blur tackled the monster. His eyes slowly came back into focus. The Chrononavigator- where was it? There! Across the room. But he couldn't bring himself to his feet. The whole room shuddered as the two combatants threw their weight around. Ben scrambled as fast as he could, pulling himself along the floor. Finally he reached the Navigator- just as Kevin charged for him again. Quickly Ben pressed down on the green dot and vanished from underneath the monster's body slam.
The enclosed metal space gave way to an endless expanse of stars overhead.
He breathed a sigh of relief. He'd missed his chance to meet his better self proper, but now he might get another chance. His watch was fixed and he was safe.
Except-
In his haste he had misplaced his finger on the Chrono Navigator's input face, and in his carelessness he had failed to notice just how many universes he had to choose from. Only a single millimetre to the right, he had missed the green universe he was aiming for. He did not yet know this, but a black universe was passing just underneath. That is where he was.
There was a wet feeling on his backside, and Ben climbed to his feet to escape the discomfort. His butt was wet, as his weight had pressed an indent into the ground and caused moisture to escape from it. Looking back into the indent he realised in quick horror several things:
- It was not night, as the stars overhead suggested. It was as bright as midday.
- It was neither mud nor water that had wet him, but cold blood.
- He had not been sat on solid ground. In all directions, as far as his eyes could see, were fields of pulsing, living, meat.
A world of Flesh.
| Ben 10: Beyond Bellwood | |||||
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Characters[]
- Ben Tennyson (Prime)
- Gwen Tennyson (Prime)
- Ben Tennyson (Earth-CDXI.411)
- Sparkplug
- Technorg
- Alien Gladiator (death)
- Piscciss Volann Shoal
Villains[]
- Kevin Levin (Prime)
- Gladiator Robots
- Slix Vigma
- Guard Robots
Aliens used[]
By Ben Prime
- Diamondhead
- Four Arms (first appearance in Beyond Bellwood)
- Wildmutt (first appearance in Beyond Bellwood)
- Ripjaws (first appearance in Beyond Bellwood, intended alien was Ghostfreak)
- Upgrade
By Other Ben
- Diamondhead (x3, goes Unlimited)
- Armodrillo (cameo, x2)
- ChamAlien (x2)
- Minute Man (debut)
- Wildvine
- Top Cat (debut)
- Unlimited Diamondhead (debut)
- Upgrade (cameo)
- Banshee
- Jetray
- Fangfare (debut)
- Buzzshock (goes Unlimited)
- Unlimited Buzzshock (debut)
Universes[]
Friendship is Magic Universe[]
Ben had spent the night on the Equestrian Moon, resting amidst his banishment for the murder of Queen Chrysalis. Waking up from his Tantabus-fuelled nightmares, he set out once more on his mission across the Edge of the Omniverse.
Prime Universe[]
This universe, known numerically as Earth-10,000,000.3, is the primary exemplar universe of the Ben 10 multiverse. It is the template upon which all other variations deviate. It is uncountably distant from the home universe of the Ben Tennyson this story has so far followed.
Ben Tennyson, at age 10, discovered the Omnitrix in a meteorite while on a road trip with his Grandpa Max and cousin Gwen. Though the watch was intended for his Grandfather, Ben would eventually prove himself worthy as the saviour of the universe several times over. Now, however, he has yet to carve that legacy.
Unknown[]
There are many dark corners at the Edge of the Omniverse, many more now that the Flesh has spread across it. These worlds lie forgotten, nameless, and innumerable.
Trivia[]
- The working title for this episode was 'The Myth Makes Eleven', in reference to Ben's perception of Kevin from his own universe.
- This version of Ben has already participated in the events of Alien X-tinction. Combined with the Omnitrix's course being altered by Cannonbolt from another timeline, this makes the exact timeline three degrees separate from the unaltered variant. Nevertheless, this exact timeline remains Prime.
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