At Mr. Baumann's store, Ben had just finished pounding Fistrick, Liam, and Thunderpig for trying to rob the store.
The battle was intense. And Ben was tired physically and mentally, he had been going at his job as a hero non-stop for weeks.
So when Mr. Baumann began chewing Ben out for wrecking his store in the scuffle, the teen hero's mind was bending like a twig about to be snapped.
"Why must you always ruin my shop, Tennyson?! Are you a jinx or something?!"
Ben tightened his fists. "What's more important? Your shop or your life?"
"This shop is my life! And you always make a mess of it! One of these days I'm having you court martialed! Honestly, you call yourself a hero?! You need to change!"
Ben grabbed the storekeeper by his shirt collar and pulled him right up to Ben's nose. "And you need to stop acting cocky, fat man!" Ben shot back. "Last time I checked, you're not my boss!"
Rook, the Plumbers, even the criminals watched Tennyson in shock.
"It doesn't matter how much authority the Plumbers have over me, I still have a mind of my own. So I don't care about you or your stupid little shop!"
Mr. Baumann felt his heart stop. He saw the intensity in Ben's eyes. It was pure darkness.
"And if I ever get tired of working with the Plumbers or defending ingrates like you, I can just give up my title as a hero and hang up the Omnitrix for good. And I can only imagine what Earth would be like without my protection. What if the Incurseans returned to take over Earth? Or Vilgax trying to conquer the universe?"
Everyone in earshot listened to Ben's menacing words. He became a completely different person.
"The Plumbers are a bunch of dead weights while I'm the weapon that fights their battles for them." Ben said. "Without me, they'd all be dead in a coffin. So don't act all high and mighty, Baumann. You need to know your place, got it?!" He shoved the storekeeper and stormed away.
Rook watched his partner march off, shocked by what he had just heard.
"Man, Tennyson told him off." Liam said with a cluck as he and his fellow criminals were taken away.
"Come to think of it, Tennyson's right!" Thunderpig snorted. "He really does all the work!"
"Yeah, Tennyson's the real backbone of the Plumbers!"
"KEEP WALKING!" snapped an angry Plumber who shoved Fistrick in.
Rook saw the sour expressions on every Plumber's face. Ben's words really hit them hard. "Everyone, please do not be upset with Ben. He's been working too hard, that is all. I am sure he did not mean what he said. I will talk to him."
"You better, Rook." Magister Patteliday advised. "Cause if you don't, we will. And that kid will regret what he said and more."
Rook felt the pressure already. As he walked away, he thought of what he should do. He knew Ben was very stubborn and self-righteous, therefore it would take more than words to persuade him.
He thought about Rachel, Sasha and the Grant Mansion aliens. But they were at the Plumbers Academy as guest instructors until the original teachers recovered from battle.
So what was he to do?
It was already dark and Ben sighed as he walked down the empty sidewalk. "I need a break, but it's impossible for me in this universe..."
At that moment, Ben got an idea. "That's it!" With the Omnitrix, he became XLR8 and rushed off into the distance.
At Friedkin Univeristy, underneath the school, Ben Tennyson had become Ghostfreak, his Ectonurite alien and snuck into his cousin Gwen's underground hangout without being detected.
Alright, where is it?" Ben looked around the shelves of Gwen's magic collection and spotted what he wanted. A thick book with a golden lock.
"Bingo!"
Another Ectonurite popped up in front of Ben. "Bingo what?! Did you win a prize?!"
"AAAAH!" Ben screamed like a girl. "Dana?! What the heck, man?!"
Dana innocently giggled as she waved at her startled friend. Dana, an Ectonurite Ben and Rook befriended in the Null Void. She suffered from amnesia, all she could remember was the name she gave herself and that she could morph from alien to human.
Dana was also very air headed, much to Ben's annoyance.
"Hi, Ben! I was just in the neighborhood so I popped in to say hi!"
Ben scowled. "Yeah? Then why don't you pop in on someone else! I'm finally gonna catch a well needed break and I don't need any aliens messing it up for me!"
Dana looked at the book Ben was holding. "You mean came all the way down here just to read a book?"
"It's not just any book, Dana!" Ben said, waving a finger. "This book leads to the world of Ever After, a place where fairytales are real!"
Dana's one pink eye widened in amazement. "Shut up!"
Ben nodded. "Yep! It's a world that's also alien free! And it's just I need for a little peace of mind!"
"Can I come too?!" Dana squealed. "Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease-"
"OKAY! Okay!" Ben snapped. "But only if you promise to stick with me and stay out of trouble! Deal?"
"Deal!"
Ben knew he was gonna regret bringing Dana along. But he also knew that if he refused to take her along, Dana would be upset and blab about this to the others. Then Ben would have no vacation at all.
"What are you waiting for?! Open the book! I wanna meet Snow White!" Dana flew around Ben in excited circles. "Can we meet Snow White?! Can I get her autograph?! Ooh! Ooh! What about Cinderella?!"
Ben undid the lock and opened the book. The pages glowed a bright gold color and the boy and alien girl were sucked inside.
"WHOOOOOOOOOOOAAAA!" Ben and Dana wailed as they fell into the beautiful world of Ever After! Luckily, Dana grabbed Ben and they safely landed in the middle of a frightening looking forest.
"Wow! Is this where fairytales live?!" Dana wondered out loud. "Look at all the spooky trees and thick fog! It's awesome!"
"This must be the Dark Forest." Ben said. "This is where I met Cerise Hood and Maddie Hatter. Maybe they're hanging around here! Dana-"
Ben turned his head and Dana was nowhere to be seen.
Already exasperated, Ben rubbed his temples in an effort to keep his cool. "I can never catch a break no matter where I go." He marched on foot to find his Ectonurite friend.
