"Really, Zonbozo?" smirked Ben as he had the clown tied up to a streetlamp.
"You would have thought idiots like him would have learned after the first couple arrests," noted Kevin, changing back from metal to flesh. "But, I suppose old habits die hard."
As the cops came and prepared to arrest him, the three left.
"Kevin has a point," said Gwen. "You still haven't changed."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Think about it, doofus," she joked lightly. "We've fought so much. Vilgax, the Highbreed, etc. Yet you still act like a kid."
Ben opened his mouth but could not think of a retort. Harrumphing, he settled for crossing his arms, as he reverted back to a human.
"See, that's what I mean," pointed out Gwen. "Think about back when we were fighting Darkstar. You were so mature back then. What happened?"
As much as Ben racked his head, he still couldn't wrap his mind around that. He remembered Darkstar being a prick, but his own behavior...
It was as though the memory had disappeared.
"Gwen, what are you talking about?" asked a confused Kevin. "Ben's always been the idiotic Ben we've always known." This prompted a sigh from Gwen in response.
Before anyone could react, a wave of energy washed over the trio, freezing them in place and wiping their memory of the Darkstar incident.
That is, except for Ben.
The Omnitrix began glowing green, and Ben began rapidly transforming before settling as Alien X.
"Aw, what the heck!" he cried out, stuck in the mindscape once more. "Not this again!"
"You think you're happy?" scoffed Bellicus, emerging into view. "Try us."
"What the heck is happening?!"
"That, Ben," soothed Serena, by Bellicus's side. "Is the work of the Omnitrix."
"Huh?!"
"Enough with the shouting!" grumbled Bellicus. "Your watch brought you to us again, though why I do not know."
"It's the failsafe," scolded Serena. "Bellicus, we've been over this. Azmuth implemented a failsafe to protect Ben."
"A waste when paired with this idiot," muttered her counterpart.
"Okay, hold up," declared Bem, stopping the two from arguing. "What failsafe? And how would you know?"
"Oh, bits of this and that," teased Serena. "We are all personalities of YOUR alien, dear, so eavedropping isn't difficult for us. You simply decided to ignore Azmuth's explanation... again. And don't forget our DNA was scanned by the Omnitrix, so we could reside in this. Word of advice dear, we can hear you insulting us. Not earning any brownie points~"
Ben glowered before turning to Bellicus. "And what exactly does the failsafe do?"
"And why should I tell you?" asked Bellicus, his eyes narrowing.
"Because the sooner I get out," complained Ben loudly. "The faster I get done and you can debate all you want in silence."
Bellicus contemplated the idea for a bit before agreeing with a wary expression. "Yes, well, I'm not sure if this absolutely certain, but I do remember that Azmuth described it as a means of forcing a transformation to allow the wielder to survive. Meaning..."
"I'm in danger, and Alien X of all things was the only way out," Ben finished, groaning. "Great. What can actually pose as a threat to a Celestialsapien, anyways? Aren't you guys all-powerful or whatever?"
To his surprise, the other two nodded in agreement.
"Sometimes, Ben," sighed Serena. "You should really listen to yourself talk. More often than not, you state the answer without even realizing it."
Ben blinked before swearing. "You mean to say, that whatever triggered this piece of junk-" He pointed to emphasize his point, "-is another Celestialsapien!?"
"See?" smirked Serena, causing Bellicus to scowl. "He can be smart at times. Reason doesn't equate idiocy."
"Someone who tempts fate does."
"Alright, alright," grumbled Ben, annoyed at being mocked. "I get it already, you don't need to keep bringing up my stupidity."
From the sky descended a Celestialsapien... but something was wrong. The being looked malnourished, assuming Celestialsapiens could even become malnourished. Veins bulged against the being's limbs, and the eyes had a manic gleam to them.
Before the three could react, the being changed its left arm into a spear and stabbed through Alien X before spinning it like a drill and tearing a hole inside Alien X.
All three personalities screamed in pain, whatever invulnerability they had nullified by the presence of the other being.
"I don't..." panted out Ben. "Suppose you can cooperate for once?"
"I can't fight," gasped out Serena. "All I'll end up doing is slowing down your decisions."
"And I'm too brash for your mortal brain to comprehend," grunted Bellicus. "All that will happen is a mish-mash of conflicting ideals and we'll be back to square one."
Ben was ready to give up at this point. Eve in drastic times, the two were too different for him to find common ground with.
Unless...
"Give me control."
The two looked at him. ""Pardon?""
"Neither of you want to be dragged into this conflict, and I guess judging by how the being is currently trying to cut the Omnitrix out of Alien X, its after me specifically. I'll take responsibility."
The three personalities stared at each other before Serena gave a sad smile and Bellicus gave a nod of acknowledgment.
"I agree," rang out one voice.
"As do I," rumbled another.
"Well, then..." replied the third.
"""MOTION CARRIED!"""
Back in the real world, the belligerent Celestialsapien had almost succeeded in carving out the Omnitrix before Alien X, with Ben now in full control, teleported out of the way of the final blow, completely regenerating himself.
"Now," he grinned. "Time for some fun."
The rogue Celestialsapien's eyes widened and narrowed with unbridled fury. It charged in, one fist drastically enlarging, the other turning into a blade.
Ben easily dodged the attacks, making sure to launch a few glancing blows at times just to disorient the enemy.
The only downside was, the Celestialsapien simply regenerated from all attacks.
"What the heck," groaned Ben. "How does this thing keep active so long?"
'Try scanning it's mind to see what's going on,' suggested Serena. 'We are after all vulnerable to each other, and you can easily see into their minds on a whim.'
Ben nodded absentmindedly before willing himself to see the being's mind. Expecting to find two or even three personalities working together, he was shocked to see that there was only on personality, looking absolutely deranged.
"Um, guys," he asked, ducking underneath a slice that carved into the building behind him. "Are adult Celestialsapiens supposed to have only one personality?"
'Impossible!' swore Bellicus. 'It is a sacred crime to kill the other personalities! Benjamin, take him down!'
"Okay, okay, already," sighed Ben, countering a blow with a parry. "Honestly, that might explain everything that has been going on. You're the one who's been messing around with my past, haven't you?"
"You know nothing..." rasped a voice from the Celestialsapien. "Your life is nothing more than a plaything to me, the one who is no longer bound! I can't remake the universe now, as you are in that accursed Alien X form...but mark my words, once you're lying the ground as your precious toy fails you, I'll torture you for an eternity as I remake everything. Perhaps...another life...where you are such a helpless idiot...ruining your relationships with your obnoxious self, watching as the world moves on as you remain a child...or maybe...watching all your loved ones fade away.
"And all this because you refused to submit to my will, my vision of a perfect universe. You brought this on yourself, and that's because you failed."
Ben grit his teeth as wrestled the rogue. "Yeah, about that, I'm Ben 10, and I don't lose to assholes like you!"
Before the Celestialsapien could react, Ben slid underneath the being and shoved his palm against its stomach before releasing a massive burst of energy, which not only shredded the being's lower body half but shattered whatever magic it had used to freeze time.
Gwen and Kevin blinked before their jaws dropped at seeing Alien X fighting with another Celestialsapien. "Ben...what's going on?"
"Stay away!" he ordered turning up the blast as the Celestialsapien howled in pain. "You won't be able to stop him!"
As much as the duo wanted to help, they knew he was right. All they could do was grit their teeth and hope for the best.
Or it would have, if Ben wasn't already winning.
"RaaaAAAAAGH!" roared Ben, causing the beam he was forming to multiply in size and consume the Celestialsapien who gave a final scream before fading.
'Not bad,' admitted Bellicus, who was followed by Serena.
Ben panted before the Omnitrix timed out and he passed out, not noticing the figures teleporting in to view the scene.
"Ugh..." groaned Ben, as he stirred. "What happened." As he looked around, the color from his face drained as he saw that he was surrounded by Celestialsapiens in a sort of dome around him. Directly in front of him was a Celestialsapien with a particularly impressive beard.
"Tennyson," stated the being, "You are here for your recent actions in killing Ixion."
Ben blinked, still unable to process what was going on.
Didn't he deal with enough deity-like beings for a day already?
"Normally, we would excuse this behavior," continued the being. "We very rarely are concerned with the death of our brethren, and encourage the demise of those who succeed in killing off their personalities. However, Ixion was a unique case.
"Ixion, the being you previously fought, was wanted for breaking the Multiverse Preservation Act, many times actually, as well as an attempt just now. As per laws governing the Act, he should have been judged by the universe as an entity. You killing him, however, complicates things."
Ben tried to explain himself. "Oh come on!" he protested, surprising the god-like humanoids with his outburst. "You're going to punish me for defending myself?"
"What led up to your belligerence does not concern this statement," replied the bearded one calmly, loosening his grip on his staff. "We are only here to rebuke you so as to prevent you from interfering with future galactic law enforcement, particularly with someone who changes the universe all too frequently. His blood should have been ours, not yours. Additionally, to punish you for self defense is not moral. For this reason, we have agreed to pardon you."
Before Ben could sigh in relief, the being, who Ben had considered labeling as Starbeard, then narrowed his eyes. "Now, we must discuss your actions involving your Omnitrix's Celestialsapien, who you refer to as Alien X.
"Ixion achieved his mobility because he murdered his other personality. Yet, you managed to not only match such mobility but to overcome him. As we know, you have three personalities. As logic would dictate, you would be in a far more disadvantageous scenario, yet you managed to outmaneuver Ixion. State your explaination."
"Well," began Ben, taking a deep breath. "Serena and Bellicus admitted they weren't the best companions for me in terms of combat, since one takes too long to decide an action, and the other would constantly push for reckless charging. I convinced them to hand me the reigns to Alien X for a while just so I could take out Ixion."
"Define 'the reigns.'"
"They just, I don't know, gave me absolute control of Alien X, I guess."
Starbeard's face was stoic. Ben imagined that had the alien narrowed his eyes even more, they'd be thinner than the width of a piece of paper. "Interesting. Did you three deliberate on how long the control would last?"
Ben tried to open his mouth but no answer came out. He had not thought this through.
"You are a potential threat to the multiverse, Tennyson," boomed Starbeard. "Should you ever become Alien X again, who knows what you can do?Therefore, precautions must be taken."
Starbeard's eyes opened up and shone bright, and before Ben knew it, Serena and Bellicus's masks had appeared in the real world.
"Serena, Bellicus. You two understood the consequences of an unbound Celestialsapien, warning Tennyson of the danger no less. And yet you allowed this to occur?"
The two personalities bowed their heads in acknowledgement of their actions. To Ben, they had never looked so powerless before.
"As much as I would prefer to impose the standard punishment, I'll admit that you felt compelled to protect yourself with whatever means necessary. Therefore, some leniency is to be given."
Starbeard first looked at Serena and Bellicus. "From henceforth, neither of you are allowed to wield your powers, in the event that Tennyson gives them back." To this, he gained the nods of the two. Satisfied, he allowed them to leave before he turned to Ben, who paled slightly.
"From now on," boomed Starbeard. "You are not allowed to use Alien X. This period of time will be indefinite until we figure out an end date."
Ben blinked, the color returning to his face. "That's it?"
"Pardon?"
"I honestly thought I'd get something worse," he admitted.
"...I take it you don't understand what leniency is." To that, Ben could only laugh nervously.
"Nevertheless, you are correct in that this will not all. After all, we need a witness to make sure you comply with these demands. And as only another Celestialsapien can resist another's will, we will place one of us as your...parole officer, as you humans would say. In fact, someone has volunteered t the position, if you would have her."
Ben's face scrunched up in a strange look. "And what poor fool has to deal with me until then?"
"I would hardly consider myself a fool," rang out a voice behind him. "After all, my decision to let you live did allow for my child to survive Aggregor's attempted absorbsion."
Ben turned around and was faced with a female Celestialsapien. He blinked, trying to remember her words before he figured it out.
"Oh!" he shouted, finally understanding who she was. "You were that Mother Celestialsapien, right?"
"Yes, though to others, my name is Artemis." She then bowed. "As thankful as I am for you saving my child, who took eons to breathe into reality, I must inform you that I will not hesitate to use whatever means necessary to prevent you from using Alien X."
Ben laughed nervously. "I-If you say so." To Ben's surprise, she gave a small smile.
"Be at ease, Benjamin. I harbor no ill will against you, only respect. I hope you will accept me into your care."
Ben scratched his head and sighed.
"I need to get a smoothie."
"And that's pretty much it,"summed up Ben, trying to explain to a dumbfounded Gwen and Kevin as to why Artemis was currently tasting a smoothie while sitting next to Ben,
"This is..." sighed Gwen, barely able to wrap her head around this. "A little much."
"A little?" scoffed Kevin, "He lost me once he said Starbeard."
"Artemis," asked Ben, gaining the being's attention "Can you just give them the memories?"
Artemis gave an impassive stare for a few moments before nodding and snapping her fingers, before returning to the smoothie. Once the two had seen the memories, they blinked before shaking their heads.
"Same old, same old," chuckled Kevin. "By the way, ho's she moving around so much without bricking?"
"The proper term is called debating, Kevin Ethan Levin," replied Artemis, still absorbed by the drink in her hands. "To answer your question, one of my personalities has assumed the dominant role in scenarios where usage of powers do not exist, as agreed upon a few centuries ago. When such situations occur, then you may see my body immobile."
Kevin shuddered before Gwen spoke up.
"How are you going to explain this to Grandpa Max and Julie? Your parents? Or worse, Julie?"
Ben gave a blank stare for a few moments before groaning and placing his head on the table.
"Of course things have to be more complicated."