Chapter 5: Flashback: Crüjo, aid Loboan

Ben's mind was in a blur as he attempted to wake up. If his first night on Anur Transyl ended up with him becoming a slave, this time he only had the mother of all headaches in head.

Grunting, he tried to sit up on his bed, fighting the urge to go back to sleep. Rubbing his eyes, he looked up as he heard a cheerful voice calling to him.

"Ben! You are awake!" said Rook.

Ben saw his partner looking at him with excitement, and was glad to note the Revonnahgander wasn't injured. That meant that what he did the day (night?) before worked.

"Hey, Rook. Good to see you too, dude."

"Are you alright? Do you feel pain anywhere?"

"I guess I'm fine. Just very tired and," he clutched his stomach, realizing how much he was starved, "very, very hungry."

"Here, I will give you breakfast." said Rook, going to fetch a nearby plate of (albeit disgusting) food. "You scared us last night, I was worried when we all saw you faint."

"Geeze, blue cat boy, you sound like a mother nursing her children with that tone." said a throaty voice.

Rook sighed, looking at the other side of the room, where Zs'Skayr's gang (and Scout) were chilling out, with Scout laying on the top bunk bed, still tired from yesterday's adventure.

"Well, you were worried too if remember well. Were you not the one checking on him every 20 minutes before we went to bed?" Rook asked, teasing Viktor back.

"If he's our exit ticket from this place, I think it's normal for me to make sure a brat like Tennyson stays alive." said Viktor in denial, pouting and crossing his arms while his partners in crime were laughing.

Ben stuck his tongue out, amused by the morning show. Then he realized something was off with his cellmates.

"Hey, how come you guys can move again?" Ben asked. "I mean, not that I liked sharing this room with talking scarecrows, but I thought as long as you have those Corrupturas on your head, you wouldn't be able to do anything unless someone orders you to."

"That stunt you pulled last night made Lord Transyl change his mind." Viktor answered.

"Huh?"

"He was so impressed by how you lead his army to victory by giving it free will that he agreed to let us move more freely when he doesn't need us."

"Doesn't that mean we could gang up on him and stop him?"

"He still has an influence on our bodies." said Kuphulu. "And besides, we're the only prisoners he allowed to move normally again. All the others are still forced to move while we use our bodies normally again."

"That's a start, at least." Ben said, taking the plate Rook offered him. "Is it me or are some of these... things still alive?" he asked, poking the worm that he swore seeing move.

"It's better than what we've had, he insisted on giving this specific meal to you only." said Rook.

"Uh, why's that? I don't need to eat something that's still alive, not like him." Ben raised a brow, eyeing the gurgling mess that was his breakfast.

"He said something about how 'A weak slave makes an unsatisfied master' or something like that." said Scout, moving on his bed to make himself more comfortable.

"Then why does he keep us for use at all? I don't think we're tough enough to work for him today. We were in a war yesterday and we ended it on that same day, I think that took a lot of energy from us. He still expects us to be in shape now?"

"He gave us the day off." Rook told him, much to Ben's surprise.

"You really nailed this one, Tennyson." praised Kuphulu. "Prisoners told me he never even gave his housemaids lunch breaks, now he lets everyone he captured have some rest."

"I don't know what you did to him yesterday, but it sure worked out for us!" praised Viktor.

"Heh, thanks guys." said Ben, looking at the questionably edible beetle on his spoon. "Hey, where's Rad by the way?"

"Hmm, they found a lot of valuable and precise weapons on the Lovely Duck," explained Scout, making small sounds onto his pillow as he finally found a comfortable position, "but most of them are hard to use for inexperienced people, so they got Rad to be on another squadron for now."

"Ha! I always knew his cynicism and stoic persona would someday get him on his own for real. I guess he's one of those guys who can manage beating up others alone." Ben smoothly said, gulping his meal down while he felt uncomfortable about losing another person on the team. At least, the duck was still alive, but he wouldn't be here to help when they'd try another escape plan. He sighed. "I don't think I can digest this thing by staying here. I'm feeling better now, going for a walk."

"Hey there, kid! Don't leave me hanging." said Crüjo, putting his arm on Ben's shoulder as the teen got up, startling him. "I'm coming with you, you gotta tell me where you got the idea for that stunt yesterday."

"Sure thing, dude." said Ben casually, coming out of the cell while the Loboan followed behind.

"Hmm..." hummed Viktor, making the gears in his mind turning (figuratively, not literally).

"What are you thinking about?" asked Kuphulu.

"You know, there's something off with these two." answered Viktor, eyeing Crüjo and Ben as they walked off together, chatting.

"And what could that be?" asked Rook, raising a brow.

"Well, I got that me and Kuphulu had our field experience with Tennyson before, but when did Crüjo get along with him?"

"I don't get along with him." huffed Kuphulu.

"I heard you shouting 'Cowabunga!' while you were landing in the battle." said Scout.

"It was on the spur of the moment!" argued the Thep Khufan, fuming at the snickering Plumber. "Besides, when did the rest of you decide he was decent enough to work with?"

"I am his partner, I know better than doubt Ben's honesty and morals." proudly announced Rook.

"He seemed lost when he first came in here, but he's definitely the hero I've studied about." said Scout.

"Well, we had a rough past and I still have a grudge against him, but I guess I owe Tennyson one for trapping that human king inside a metal prison before he did anything with my body." explained Viktor. "Hmm, trapping someone inside a box. Now that's an idea we could use to defeat the Vladats..."

His cellmates looked perplexed upon his new plan, they brushed it off anyway.

"But you are right," conceded Rook "when did Ben and your accomplice become familiar with each other like this?"

The prisoners tried to think about it, but nothing came to mind.

One week earlier

"Ewwwww!" complained Ben, looking at the mess that was his breakfast (dinner? lunch? Time was so confusing without a sun). "How do they expect me to eat that? At least I could snatch a snack from the fridge and put Grandpa's monstrosities away when we went on our road-trip, now I have to eat this?! Ugh."

"I know it is not enchanting for you, Ben, but you need some proteins and enough vitamins to pull off a fight if you want to go out of here" advised Rook.

"You can speak, Rook! I know you're trying to stay positive, but it's hard for me to believe you when you're eating this stuff like that." said Ben, turning to his partner.

"I believe these utensils are quite similar to the ones you used on Earth."

"Yeah, but that's not the problem. I don't mind you eating with a spoon and fork, I just have a hard time accepting you're forced to put it in your mouth!" exclaimed Ben, pointing to Rook's Corruptura. "I can choose not to eat it, but I literally have nothing else to take! And you don't even get to choose if you'll eat or not, you have to because Zs'Skayr had to bring an alien ripoff of Dracula into our lives!" he pouted.

"Don't worry, Ben." reassured Scout. "We got through worse during our training earlier. This rotten food is much better in comparison." he said, munching on something that couldn't be described from Ben's point of view, beside the fact that it definitely wasn't any type of food he could possibly find on Earth.

"Uh, thanks, I guess?" said Ben, worried for his teammate's old friend. "I wasn't there when you guys trained, I don't feel like getting stronger if it's for a bad cause. You manage?"

"Well..." awkwardly said Rook and Scout in unison, before being interrupted by Crüjo collapsing on the ground. "That describes it well."

"Man, I feel bad for the guy. I mean, he tried to kill me, but still." said Ben. "Hey dude, why are none of your friends helping you out? I get you're maybe just associates but damn." A growl answered him, as well as a groan from Kuphulu and Viktor.

"Remember. We. Can't. Move." said Viktor, gritting his teeth while he was laying on his bed.

"We want to help, but our bodies are forced to do otherwise." moaned a tired Kuphulu.

"Never thought I'd see grown adults complaining about getting free dinner and going to bed. But yeah, I don't like it more than you do." said Ben, brushing the Corruptura on his forehead with a sigh. "Why did he have to put you in jail like this? You helped him coming back to life and he repays you like this? That's terrible."

"Why do you care?" asked Crüjo. "He didn't do you any favor either. Oh wait, he did! You little brat are still free of your actions while we're being played like a puppet show!"

"I'm a hero, dude. If I see someone in trouble, I help. As long as they're not trying to take over the world of course."

"Whatever. Master Zs'Skayr is the one that really brought him back to life, this is just his way of keeping us in line." growled Crüjo.

"You're really loyal to him, huh?" teased Ben, not dropping the lapdog comparison. "Grandpa Max kept me from doing bad stuff too, but at least I only got a timeout or no Omnitrix for a week. And it's not even about Zs'Skayr for you guys. Lord Transyl is going too harsh on you guys, it's not fair."

"Lord Zs'Skayr told us to obey him like he's our master, and we have no other choi...ce th...than o...beying..." mumbled Kuphulu, before abruptly falling asleep.

"Our training was excessively rough today, we deserve a good rest." said Rook, yawning as he mechanically put his plate in front of the cell door.

"Rad is still on the training ground." commented Scout. "We automatically go back to our cells when we're exhausted and starved, unless a Vladat orders us to stay, so a durable duck like him should stay there for a while."

"You manage?" asked Ben as Rook went to bed.

"I'm fine, thanks. You should get some rest too." answered Scout.

"I still have energy to spare, go ahead and I'll join you when my batteries run out."

"Humans are technologically alimented? I thought you were normal organic beings like us." said Scout, receiving a stare from Ben.

"Yeah, you're definitely friends with Rook. See you tomorrow." said Ben.

"Good night."

Scout put his plate down before joining his old friend, making a relieved canine sound as he hopped on his mattress.

"Guess, it's just us now, huh?" teased Ben, looking at the Loboan laying on the ground.

"Tss, as if! Viktor, blast Tennyson for me, will ya?" said Crüjo.

An extremely loud snore coming from the Transylian was enough to prompt a complain from the bear-like alien, and a very amused giggle from the human.

"Come on, let me give you a hand." suggested Ben, kneeling on the ground to help the thug.

"Not even in Anur hell." groaned Crüjo.

"Anur hell? I wonder if afterlife is different depending on the planet you die on. Anyway, you sure you want to spend the whole night on the floor?"

"YES."

"Suit yourself." said Ben, going to bed.

He still wasn't feeling sleepy though, so he just laid down, looking at the pained Loboan on the other side of the prison cell.

It was kind of hard to believe he had to team up with these guys. It was his third day on the planet, and he still couldn't get used to the idea they were stuck with him. He didn't expect Zs'Skay's henchmen to keep their word and not betray him right after overthrowing Lord Transyl (blame Vilgax for that), but he didn't really have much of a choice. It was either that, or he was stuck as a slave on this planet forever.

He thought back of his home planet, Earth. He sighed, knowing fully well that, if he didn't act fast, it would sooner or later fall under Lord Transyl's control too. And he also knew that it was his fault. If he had been more careful with Ghostfreak, less cocky when he first entered Zs'Castle Zs'Skayr, more thoughtful when he came on this planet in the first place, maybe none of this would've happened.

He felt to he was to blame for the current issue. He looked at the Omnitrix. What would Azmuth say now? Beside lecturing him, he'd probably tell him to assume his faults, give him words of wisdom regarding the watch, then teleport to safety with his teleportation device thingy. He lightly laughed as he thought of the old Galvan, then his thoughts were focused on Grandpa Max.

What would he do to make him aware of the situation? Unlike Ken, Ben had an explanation as to why he wasn't back with his family yet: Grandpa Max knew they went on mission and that the communications to the Anur system were extremely hard to come by without proper tech, so the old man had hardly any reason to worry about Ben being absent for a few weeks. And even if he stalled before going back to Earth, it wasn't like Ben was the only person Max had to deal, the Magister becoming more and more busy ever since he went back to business.

Ben simply hoped there wouldn't be any issue to deal with when he goes back home. What he lived in this place, would forever mark him. It was one of the biggest mistakes he's ever made for now, people had actually died because of him, and he felt like he was the only one to blame for all of this mess. He wanted to escape, he wanted to go back home. He missed having fun times with Gwen, with Kevin, with his grandfather, with everyone he liked spending time with.

But would it work out if he went back after everything that happened the last few days?

He sighed, the tension he felt from the moment he was caught not lessening. He turned to Crüjo, who passed out while Ben was meditating. The young teen rolled his eyes and, aware he couldn't use the watch in this situation, flexed his arms before getting to work.

The day after

Crüjo groaned as he woke up, his body making him get up after a well-deserved rest. He needed more sleep, being worn out from having to block the blows he received last evening. Blinking, he raised a brow when he noticed that he was in bed. Didn't he fall asleep on the ground last night? An old mattress decomposing was certainly better than the cold hard stone ground of the dungeons, but he wondered how he ended up there.

"Your snack is next to your bed, Sleeping Beauty."

The voice came from the bed above his, and Crüjo frowned as he saw Ben peeking at him with a teasing eye.

"What do you want, Tennyson?" asked the wary Loboan.

"Nothing, just making sure you don't starve. I'd rather starve than eating that, but you need energy for the day." answered Ben.

"Why do you care?"

"I don't have anything else to do. It's also called 'being sensitive', you should try that sometimes." said Ben, laying back on his bed, his arms behind his head. "I do need more sleep than you after giving you a piggyback ride yesterday, so have good meal and goodbye." he added, before dozing off.

It took some time for Crüjo to understand Ben was the one putting him in bed, and it annoyed him that the boy helped him despite being told not to. He didn't want help from his master's enemy, but he certainly wasn't in position to refuse, and it felt unpleasant to know he might have to owe him one for aiding him.

Huffing, he gulped down his breakfast before going on the training ground with the others, trying to take his mind off the kid's behavior.

Two days later

Hearing from Frey that his attacks had gotten weaker in comparison did nothing to uplift Crüjo's mood. So what, his sonic blasts weren't as strong as they were before. What was the Vladat expecting when he hadn't returned to Luna Lobo in weeks? Loboan drew their strength from an exposition to the moon, and their abilities were weakened if they spent too much time far from the moonlight. He was supposed to go home after his ùaster's latest scheme, but his plans were compromised by Tennyson's interference.

He wondered how Earth's moon felt. From what told him the Yenaldooshi (as the Loboan who worked with his master in the past stubbornly asked to be called by after coming back, saying it made him feel important.), Earth's moon had no air, but the moonlight in there was unique. Sure, it was simply a reflection from their solar system's sunlight, but apparently it had a soothing energy emanating from it every night, especially during full moon.

It was how humans called their moon when its half was fully visible at night. It was weird to know the light wasn't present everywhere on it during the day (apparently, they didn't have the same concept of hours everywhere on their planet), although he could tell it was probably for the best. Had there been

It probably wasn't much compared to Luna Lobo, but he was curious. If he ever needed to go the human's planet, he wanted to know what its moon felt like. It was likely he wouldn't get to enjoy his stay if he ever had to go there, if Tennyson's behavior was any indication of how humans treated people from other planets. Why did Master Zs'Skayr even decide to go to Earth if it meant dealing with a brat like him?

What bothered Crüjo the most was the carefree attitude Ben kept showing to everyone. It felt like he was rubbing it in everyone's face that he didn't have to obey Vladats like everyone else did. That brat kept saying he was a hero but hardly did something to help, he just kept talking about his stupid childhood memories and his past jobs as if nothing was wrong. And to top it all off, he was currently sitting in front of the Loboan, in a corner of the room, dealing with his stupid bracelet with Viktor's help.

"Try rubbing it on the wall." advised the Transylian.

"Beside getting another cut on my skin, I don't think I'll get much from it." answered Ben.

"How about the voice command override? Can't you just try for a second to see if you can transform while it's on?"

"Almost blew up this entire place while you were sleeping last night, it didn't work at all."

"Can't you connect that tool your blue friend has to the Omnitrix's system to get it to activate?"

"Rook's Proto-Tool is too complicated for me to use, and even with his help, the Omnitrix's signal is too encrypted for anything lower than a Level 20 device to detect, so I can't even reach the database from there."

"Is there anything you can do at all?!" desperately snapped Viktor.

"Heh, what do you think I was trying to do during the last three days?" teased Ben.

"Ugh, I understand why you're the only one using this thing, no one with a decent level of brain power has enough patience to deal with this."

"I'm not sure if that was meant to be an insult, but I think I'll take it as a compliment." said Ben to the yawning scientist.

"Anyway, I'm too worn out to keep working on enabling your Omnitrix. If you're looking for me, I'm sleeping." tiredly said Viktor, before climbing into bed, almost failing several times because of how big he was, much to Ben's amusement.

The young teen sighed, leaning on the wall behind him. He still didn't feel like he was meant to be here.

Even though Dr. Viktor didn't complain much and agreed to help him (thanks to the scientist's hatred of Vladats), it wasn't much with how everyone else looked at him. He had tried to help the other prisoners, bringing them food, sometimes even giving away his own lunch. All he received was death glares, growls, curses, and occasionally, some of them actually tried attacking him, whether or not they knew he was responsible for this whole mess.

He also saw Viktoria again, and for once, he actually missed when she had a crush on him. At least she wasn't calling him a monster and saying he was a disfigured creature back then. He also wondered where she learned those swear words she threw at him.

For now, he had nearly zero approval from Anur Transyl's population. And if it took getting help from Charmcaster last time to prevent them from pelting him in garbage, he was really desperate if he wanted anyone in the Anur system to cooperate with him.

But hey, it wasn't really the first time it happened, was it?

It didn't make the situation any better either. Hard to convince them he was good if he couldn't go Humungousaur and prevent a giant meteor from landing in the middle of town or some other hero stuff.

"You wanna take a nap on the floor or what?"

Ben turned to look at Crüjo. The others told him the thug had trouble keeping up during training, and he could relate. He himself had trouble keeping up the pace during his first soccer trainings at high school, and all the other kids made fun of him for being scrawnier and shorter in comparison. He still managed to be the best player on the team after a few months, but it wasn't so easy, especially with Cash and JT still making fun of him at that point.

"You wanna have a fight now or what?" Ben responded, looking away.

"You should really think about better comebacks next time."

"I'm not in the mood for arguing right now, so just lay off."

"Tch, and I thought you were a threat when you first came here. Now you can't even talk back to someone who can't harm you?"

"I don't want to talk about it. You'd understand, nobody likes criminals anyway."

Crüjo raised his brow, not understanding where Ben was getting at. "That was still weak coming from you. I don't understand how your friends think you can save us. How do they even put up with you?"

"Yeah, I don't understand it either. Good night." said Ben, going to bed with a sour expression.

Crüjo was confused. Early on, Tennyson had provoked him and pretty much everyone else like it was second nature. Now he had barely looked at him and avoided the conversation. He knew that teenagers, especially Earthlings, were moody, but damn. He endured the whole town going after him (Crüjo had to praise Kuphulu for pulling that off), technically twice, what stopped him from ignoring the bear-like alien's remarks?

Humans were really an oddity for him.

Two days after

Zs'Skayr paid the gang a visit. Or at least Ben, because he didn't seem to acknowledge his henchmen moaning in pain on the other side of the room. He had given him the usual speech: Ben's a brat, the Omnitrix and the galaxy should be his instead, humans and everything that lives under a sun should die, he won this time, blah blah blah, whatever.

It was only when the Ectonurite left that Ben let out a frustrated 'jackass' behind his back, kicking a nearby plate out of impatience.

He felt like he was going insane, spending his entire time locked up in here. He didn't want to help with the army, he didn't want to stay put, but just because 'Ghostfreak' wanted to be king again, he had to drag thousands of innocent people in his stupid conquering plan, and all the blame fell on Ben.

Who couldn't blame him, really? He let Zs'Skayr escape, he didn't check if the Ectonurite wasn't on the Lovely Duck when they departed, he didn't recognize the metal prison Dr. Viktor was encased in, he fooled around instead of properly helping anyone, and now instead of fighting, all he did was sulking and walking around in front of the very people who hated his guts.

He decided that it would be nice to get his mind off a bit, so he tried to climb to his cell's window. Climbing without his powers could help him relax while his friends weren't there to talk to, and the prison's stone wall vaguely reminded him of how the climbing wall at the school's gym looked (mostly because it was in a terrible state, but he didn't care).

It took him falling twice, almost injuring himself whenever he moved, a headache coming from hunger, and a sight of the planet's moon, to decide he's had enough.

He still felt a bit unnerved, so he went for a walk, looking at the other prisoners behind bars. Almost instantly, he received spiteful looks and death threats whenever he passed by. He didn't even have the time to register when a knife nearly reached him.

He groaned. He was tired of everyone treating him like dirt. So what? He was human, they weren't. What difference did it make? Rook was an alien for this planet, Rad was too. And they still thought he was the weird one among them.

Next, he had tried numerous times to kick down the doors leading outside. His feet always stopped midway before he could reach the wooden doors, reminding him that he was being tamed like an animal.

Then, he attempted to use the watch again, but his fingers slipped away whenever he tried. No matter how many scratches he gave himself, how much his arms hurt, how he could feel that others were staring at him, he kept trying. All that stress he had almost made him indifferent to others' opinions for once. Everyone has been giving him the stink eye for his looks since he was in kindergarten, these people were almost old news.

Everything was getting redundant at this point. Leaving for another planet, in another solar system, brought him the same problems he's had before, except Scout was literally the only one to ever acknowledge him as a person and not a monster. And the fact that Zs'Skayr definitely spread around rumors to give him a bad name didn't help untangling his situation.

He didn't even feel like it was because he had the Omnitrix. No, Ben Tennyson was an abomination to everyone, even his family freaked out the first time they saw him as an alien (the second time too, since the first time, their memories were erased because of his stupid reckless behavior).

He missed home even more than ever now. He missed playing in his room, he missed arguing with Gwen and Kevin, he missed having to deal with Vilgax or Psyphon, he even missed Harangue's mean and unfounded rantings. He wanted to leave more than any of the Anurians wanted him to. For their grudge and they weren't much different from his childhood bullies at this point.

He walked around in the dirty hallways, going back to his cell, a scowl visible on his face. This new mission drove him crazy. Heck, he didn't consider it more of a mission than a trap. He was lured in there by someone, he didn't accept anything that happened for the situation to become this worse.

Yes, he was responsible for all of this. But that never meant that he tried or wanted to make everyone's lives pure hell like they were doing. He was still a hero, he'd protect Anur Transyl while he was nearby, but they had no say in who or what he was. He was Ben Tennyson, Earth's champion, the one who beat Vilgax, and the one who saved the universe countless times, even as a kid. They didn't know him, so while their words could hurt, they ignored how much he gave for their safety.

And then Ben remembered he was fine with that.

Being a hero was never about fame, money or approval from his peers. He didn't need the townspeople's advice when saving them if all they did was hating him. But it was okay, because the only thing his job ever required, was doing the right thing, for the right reasons, even if it meant sacrificing himself in the process.

Even when he was badmouthed on the news because of either Albedo or Kevin using his alien forms to cause him trouble, he kept helping, because that's what he wanted to do.

A hero.

If something was wrong with him, it certainly wasn't his intentions. He liked attention from his fans time to time, but it wasn't what he originally aimed for. It wasn't what he dreamed of, even when he was a kid. He had gotten the watch by fluke, but he became Earth's protector on purpose.

If he was trapped in there, it was because he acted like a fool. But then he always had someone to back him up. He was still learning, he still needed at least some backup. That's why he wasn't alone. Although he could probably use better company in this situation.

Gwen would've given him a more tactician approach, Kevin would've told him to smash stuff, Max would've told him to be careful, and Rook was already there. It would've been nice to be with them, and he admitted he didn't get along well with his cellmates. That's why he needed to adapt to what he was encountering, just like he always did before.

'Okay, fine. I know this isn't what I imagined when I wanted to go outside and explore the world, seeing what other places have to offer. But at least I got someone to talk to. I wonder if Gwen felt this awkward getting used to Friedkin University like I am with this prison.' Ben thought, thinking of his cousin as the sinister dungeons reminded him of Gwen's school. 'Meh, no. She's smart and cool. And related to me. There's no way they didn't immediately like her when she came there to study. She was always more outgoing and popular with her classmates than I was with mine. Wish me luck with my own new gang, cuz'.'

Gwen probably shared a room with her boyfriend at the campus right now (and not imprisoned in a medieval style basement with horror movies teammates), so if Ben wanted to get used to this place, he would simply need to share a room with his partner and best friend. And his friend. And their current pilot. And a trio of criminals.

Okay, maybe it wasn't this simple. But he'd get over it.

Feeling lighter after his emotional field trip, he finally reached his destination and, needy for sleep, he happily jumped into bed without looking, abruptly landing on someone's stomach.

"Argh!"

"Sorry!" apologized Ben, getting off of the furry being. "Oh hey, uhhh... Crüjo, was it?"

"Hmm..." groaned Crüjo. "Your friends dropped a mountains of question when they came back and I didn't know what to answer. Where were you at?"

"Just went for a walk, needed some space. You know, 'cause I live on another planet!"

The bear-like alien raised a brow, before huffing. "Haha, very funny. Too bad I'm not from here either, I couldn't find your joke funny."

"Wait, you're not from Anur Transyl?!"

"I am, like all Loboans, from Luna Lobo, the moon turning around this planet. You'd know that since you're a Plumber."

"Yeaaaaaah, Rook and Gwen are the smart guys, not me. And Kevin too. And Grandpa. Actually, I'm not really the brain of my team, I'm just the Leader. I punch bad guys, wreck death machines and stuff, save the world." shrugged Ben. "I really don't know much about other planets, didn't you see how I reacted when we landed here?"

"How couldn't I? You were making so much noise I didn't know if your species had a primal scream like mine does or if you were trying to lure me by drawing attention to yourself."

"Well, excuse me for thinking you guys look cool. Heh, I really think Kai would've loved it there."

"That girl again?" asked Crüjo. "What about her? Beside the fact that I'd 'make the perfect lapdog for her'?" he added, making Ben regret he made that joke, back when he didn't know the situation was critical.

"Oh, nothing. She's just my... my... my first childhood crush." he answered, averting his eyes.

"So what, she likes dark places and new environments? There are tons of other planets for that beside the Anur planets."

"Well, she is an archaeologist, but..." Ben looked at him. "Rook and Scout didn't tell you?"

"Um, no?"

'Good, that means Rook wasn't the one who spread the rumors about my hair gel at the HQ either.' thought Ben. "Well, I saw her a few days ago before leaving Earth and... well..."

"Well?"

"...turns out she liked all of my alien forms more than me."

"Well, she can't be the only one feeling like that, I guess." teased Crüjo. "Still, wouldn't your Revonnahgander friend's home planet be more interesting? With the power fruits in there or whatever they are?"

"No, the reason I thought I had a chance with her as a kid was because..." he gulped down. "She fell in love with me becoming Blitzwolfer, not really me."

"Who?"

"Blitzwolfer. My Loboan form."

"Oh, yeah. One of our old associates told me about giving you that form." Crüjo said. Then he realized what was wrong with Ben's love problems. "Wait, she fell for you only because you looked like my people?!"

"...yeah." Ben answered. He suddenly realized he had no reason to tell one of his enemies about an embarrassing memory like that. But before he could berate himself for that, Crüjo intervened.

"Man, that's harsh! Being dumped because you're not from another planet or species. I really wouldn't want to be you in this case."

"Hmm?" Ben was surprised he hadn't received a mockery or any more teasing.

"I got that you're probably not the best looking human on your planet, but that's terrible. Like, do you think of her dumping you when you look at me?"

"Uh, no? I mean, I guess I remember how she wanted to tame me and all when she realized what I could do, but honestly it's not that deep."

"Uh, yes it is! I can't believe you're the one who caused my master so many problems. If you let someone like that girl play you like a fiddle, it's a wonder how you were able to fend yourself against us. How do you cope with knowing someone would rather treat you like an animal than talking to you as an equal?"

"Are you... are you worried about me?" Ben asked. Since when does prison make you get along with others.

"What? No. I'm worried about that Blitzwolfer guy."

'Uh, what?'

"Us Loboans should stick together. Honor is something we take very seriously, even 'Little Police Dog' here knows that. And if my people know something about respect and honor, it's definitely not what that old crush of yours gave."

"So, you're saying you're worried for my alien form, but not me."

"Why would I be worried for one of my enemies? We're not friends as far as I know."

"And as far as I know, it's just that for someone who was pissed that she treated me like something I wasn't, you seem to do the same." Ben frowned, showing the Omnitrix to him. "It's still me in there, no matter what form I choose. If you're not taking my defense when you take Blitzwolfer's, are you saying I didn't deserve being led on only because I became your species then?"

Crüjo was stunned from Ben's delivery.

"You just treated me like she did, you really only like the side of me that isn't the real me."

That's when he realized how hypocritical he had been from the beginning of their conversation. The kid was still thinking of someone who broke his heart to this day, despite being imprisoned and probably about to be tortured, and Crüjo twisted the knife in the wound by reminding him of that event. Repeatedly. He also kept belittling the kid since they met and when he just claimed being a honorable person, he wasn't taking into consideration his feelings when confronting him about the whole issue and actually proved himself to be worse than the human who hurt Tennyson's fragile heart.

He was being an hypocrite even when following his species' code of honor. It probably didn't help that "Blitzwolfer" was a Loboan too then, because he just rubbed his failed romance on the guy's face. Technically, Tennyson was a Loboan too, using his Omnitrix. Did that mean he deserved better than what he was given?

No, he still caused many problems to his Master, he needed to be put back in his place.

Then again, they were all stuck in the same mess and Tennyson had at least tried fixing it since he got trapped in here with them, even if it failed. And while he was being as obnoxious as he always had been, he did just show a more sensitive side of himself to Crüjo, regardless of being on opposite sides. He also made a point on how unfair it was that just because he looked weaker and uglier than Anurians, he was treated badly and got pelted with garbage on his first day on the planet.

Even the commotion he caused with the town was mostly Kuphulu's fault for playing victim despite still being in perfect shape when returning to Zs'Castle Zs'Skayr. And Tennyson did try to stop Lord Transyl when he enslaved them, even if the means to do that weren't very likable. And even if the kid was a terrible planner, he had scored a few strategy points on both attempts to stop the Vladat king.

And even when that failed, he didn't give up and tried to sympathize with other prisoners, although it terribly failed. But even after that, he still wasn't giving up. He kept looking for solutions, consulted Viktor for some advice, tried to cheer everyone up by talking about his probably exaggerated heroic acts, attempted contacting reinforcement despite not being tech savvy, and he actually apologized for beating them up when they first went into the dungeons.

He wondered if the booger's death was the first murder the kid ever saw. If it was, then Crüjo had witnessed the kid going on PTSD the first day. Then why wasn't he being antagonistic with him and the others? He should be, since they caused him to see that.

By all accounts, Tennyson had a point and was being generally decent to other people despite his cheeky attitude. Crüjo, on the other hand, just realized how wrong he had treated the kid or how unfounded his opinion was when the human tried helping them and stopped being as big an annoyance as he was.
Scratch that, Tennyson just proved to Crüjo he was being a big hypocrite! For a thug who doesn't like being proven wrong, Crüjo was the one put back in his place after dealing with the human for almost a week.

He felt so dumbfounded by Ben's words and logic, he found himself babbling instead of talking when he answered.

"Uhhhh... well... I, um..."

Ben didn't really look mad, he just gave an unimpressed look to the werewolf alien before simply climbing on the bed above Crüjo's.

"Well, I-"

"It's fine, you don't need to explain yourself. You're really not the first person to do this, and you definitely won't be the last person to tell me things like that."

"Uh, what do you mean by that?"

"There's my fans, but there's other girls that liked me that did the same. I don't really mind."

"Wait, really?! There are people interested in you?"

"Yeah." Ben followed, not realizing one second that Crüjo wasn't taking him seriously. "There is, hmm, let's see: there's Kai, who I met six years ago during summer while fighting another of Zs'Skayr's men, Looma the Tetramand Princess who was supposed to go with Kevin instead, Attea the Incursean Princess that I got both in and out of prison... I guess Ester is legitimately interested by the real me."

The teen kept blabbering about his past, slowly taking the werewolf-like man's skepticism away. Ben talked as if he had experience with girls before. Sure, he must've had some fans back on his ugly planet, but he hardly recalled anything about people away from Earth gaining interest in humans, especially Tennyson. Hard to believe any of this was true.

"I'm not sure for Julie though, I mean, we broke up but she didn't seem to mind the alien thing that much, only when I almost took control of the universe. And I knew a Tetramand girl from the Galactic Enforcers that flirted with me but chose Four Arms (then her moving brain friend) over me as soon as I timed out."

Crüjo wondered when their conversations had taken a turn from Tennyson's role on his home planet to Tennyson's past failed romances. He kept listening the teen hero talk about his relationships, having a hard time registering what he was hearing.

"Then there's Jennifer, a movie star I once rescued from several kidnappings attempts, but I don't think she was really interested in any part of me. Plus she ended up dating the villain that kidnapped her in the first place, so... it's complicated. There's Julie, who I dated for over a year but we broke up because... let's move on to someone else. There's also Gwen's best friend Emily, but she kinda hates me after I left her hanging on top of a radio tower after our first date. I kind of wonder which school she went to now that Gwen's in college. And during third grade, I liked..."

"...Elena and I couldn't date again after that but I'm fine with it, I don't think she'd be okay after all that thing with the nanochips. I mean, I don't mind partially technological beings, I already said that when I told you about Eunice, but things were still kinda rocky between us. And, if her dad was still around, I don't think he'd approve of us staying together. He didn't like the way I looked at her last time we met (unless it was just another copy). And..."

Anyone who ever told the now speechless Crüjo that outsiders had no social skills must've not known how relationships on other planets worked. Because if what Tennyson said was true, it was possible for someone as brash as the teen to have romanced at least 10 young girls, some of which weren't even from his solar system!

And even though it made sense that 90% of those relationships failed terribly, the simple fact that Tennyson even managed to start them to begin with was hard to take in. Who would want to romance a kid this reckless, immature and cocky?!

"...no, really, I don't think I have a thing with Viktoria. I mean, she was kind when she first saw me, but she's just too young and definitely not my type. And then she chased me to maul me after I accidentally threw her into a lake. Then she crushed on me again when I had pimples all over my face!" Ben exclaimed while thinking of the event again. "Seriously, little girls like her change their minds so fast, your boss barely had the time to resurrect the Vladats that she already 'dumped' me again! That's one heck of a puppy crush if I've ever seen one."

He didn't notice the baffled look his current cellmate was giving him until he realized he had been the only one talking for a few hours now. He took a look and saw the silent Crüjo laying still in the bunk under his.

"Uh, dude? You okay there?"

No response. 'I think I broke him. Did he have his heart broken too? Man, I hope I didn't remind him of that.'

"Uhh, hello? Anyone here?" he asked as he poked the bear-like Loboan's muzzle. "Hey, are you still with me?"

Seemingly snapped out of his thought, Crüjo blinked, shaking his head before he gave a more skeptical look.

"You're telling me that's what you do all day? Go around and use whatever charm you have to get girls to like you?"

"I wish. They just move on their lives when I'm not here enough, and I kinda feel lost when I try to contact them again. You know how it was with Julie and Kai."

"Well, aren't you a looker?"

"Thanks! I appreciate that." Ben answered.

Crüjo huffed. Why was the kid still so damn positive after everything he saw and how people treated him as an off-worlder? Was he really that nonchalant?

Yet again, he seemed to have a breakdown the day he saw the green midget get killed...

"Any problem?" he asked.

"Why are you happy like this all the time?"

"You think I don't know? When it's hero time, if I mess up, somebody could die. From what you told me, if we mess up this time, everybody could die."

"Beside, like, twenty minutes ago?"

"...yes."

"Maybe that's too much to have in your head when you have to win. Maybe if I pretend everything's a big joke, when the time comes, I'll be able to do what I have to do."

"Guess I'm just oblivious." Ben's smile faltered, remembering what his younger self said at the Forge of Creation.

"Wait, really?" asked Crüjo. "That's... seriously what makes you do that?"

"Yeah, I usually don't stay focused on the gruesome stuff for that long. I'm kinda creeped out, but that doesn't stop me from having a good time. I know it's not always helpful when I need to work on something serious, but hey, if it works, it works!"

"Hmm, and how is that any help to you? We had you in so many unfavorable situations, and I don't see how your jokes and quips have any role in getting you out of those."

"I gotta stay upbeat for the team." Ben said with the most solemn voice ever.

"W... W-What?"

"People count on me every day. If I'm enthusiastic for the hero job, others will know I got them covered. I may be scared of what I have to deal with sometimes, but if I keep a cool head and show that I'm not backing down on doing what I gotta do, everyone will feel safe, and no one will even need to worry a bit about what was threatening them before."

Ben received yet another stare from Crüjo.

"You have a weird philosophy, kid."

"Is it wrong, though?"

"I said it was weird, not that I got what it even meant."

"Eh, it's fine, don't think too much about it. I just got my reasons."

"Still, how do you even keep up with that? I would've lost hope days ago if I didn't know Master Zs'Skayr wouldn't let anything bad happen to us."

Ben didn't know whether to chuckle because of Crüjo's blind loyalty (he truly could be a lapdog sometimes), or feel bad because he knew Zs'Skayr probably wouldn't bother helping his men.

"I just always got the right company. As a kid, I got my grandpa and cousin. Then, my friend Kevin joined the team. When they both left for college, I met Rook and we became friends. They're my friends and family, I can always count on them to cheer me up when I need to. If you're with people that can make your day better, you know you got the right company."

"Simply that? What are even the standards to become part of that circle?"

"There's no real standard to be a friend. We stick together, even for a few hours, we talk, we help each other out. It's as simple as that." explained Ben.

"So what? I talked with you for almost a week, I didn't make you cry your fragile human heart out, I'm imprisoned in this cell with you, your partner and mines. And the feathered trigger-happy fiend with us. Does that mean I or any of us count as your... "friends"?"

"It's okay if you don't want, just know you're good in my book."

"We could turn on each other anytime, you still think it's fine if I stay near you?"

"I think we can both agree I wouldn't think of betraying so soon, have you seen my performance in battle? I'm not always that much of a tactical fighter, I wouldn't think about betraying any time soon."

"And if I do?"

Ben rolled his eyes.

"You really think you'd be the first? Your master didn't tell you about when I teamed up with Vilgax, or about who Kevin is."

Once more, Ben's cellmate was speechless, making the teen wonder if he'd have an occasion to impress his opponents like he did some time in the future.

"And to be honest, it's kinda nice that you even agreed to talk with me at all. Usually I do all the talk while all I get is negative remarks, complaints and other stuff telling me to hurry saving the day, it felt nice that you listened. Even if you don't like me and you just do this to save yourself, you really made an effort to talk to me without trying to gain my sympathy for money or because you got blackmailed."

Somewhere else on Earth, Simian and Argit believed they got a cold as they sneezed simultaneously, probably because of their failed attempts to con Vilgax about curing his own cold.

"So, Crüjo, what do you say? How about we call a truce? Deal?", Ben held out his hand to the bunk under him.

The growl answering either meant he refused, or that Ben simply forgot the thug was unable to move.

"Sorry!" he apologized as he went down. "Uh, how do I?..." He put his hand on the Loboan's head, next to his furry ears. "Deal?"

Crüjo looked away, not liking Ben's performance at making peace. Ben brushed his ears.

"Deal." Crüjo annoyingly growled as Ben retracted his hand. He knew it wasn't just an Earth thing when Kai brushed Blitzwolfer's fur, though he could see a small hint of a smirk on Crüjo's jaw after he got back to his bed.

Maybe things wouldn't be that rocky until they escape.

He was interrupted from his musings when he heard heavy footsteps. Both prisoners looked over to the entry to see an exhausted Viktor come in, before landing face first on a nearby bed.

"Ughhh, wake me up next year." came from the Transylian's mouth.

"You okay there, buddy?" Ben asked, before ungraciously dodging a lightning spark coming at him. Now he had a burnt area on the wall next to him for the next few days of his stay on Anur. "Okay, never mind." Ben hurriedly turned away.

Well, at least one of them trusted him, it was a start.

"Why do you even bother, Tennyson? Can't you see I'm not in the mood to deal with a pest like you?" asked Viktor, fully aware that Ben risked getting electrocuted if he dared answer.

"Um, Viktor?" asked Crüjo.

"Yes?", Viktor said, any hint of hostility suddenly vanishing from his voice, though he still sounded and looked tired.

"You know, if you need to vent out, we could always talk." he suggested.

"I'd be delighted! Thanks for the suggestion!"

'Yup,' Ben noted, 'that's a full 180° if I've seen one.'

"Tennyson, wanna join in?"

Both Ben and Viktor stared at the Loboan, a shocked stare from Viktor and an interested, intrigued look from Ben from above.

"I get that he can hear us and we need to work together on this, but does he really need to take part in our conversation?" asked Viktor.

"Well, a certain someone", he said as he avoided eye contact with the teen, "advised me that if we have to stick together, we must try to communicate a bit, as it's supposedly what a team does. I figured, if we have to team up with a babbler like Tennyson, we should give it a shot. And if he tries anything funny, we can always take on him when he can't use his Omnitrix."

"Can't really disagree here." grinned Ben.

"Hmph, fine. But don't expect me to become your best friend, Tennyson." His threat made Ben discreetly chuckle. "So, where should I start? I was trying to reach that impossibly difficult target, when that stranglable vampiric aristocrat comes in and..."

Ben later learned how devoted the scientist could be to obey his master. And how much he hated Vladats.

The young hero guessed Whampire would truly be unwelcome to the team while Viktor was around, he'd really need a good reason to avoid the man gutting him if he ever picks Whampire in battle.

The doctor really wasn't friendly, but he could be talked through with someone to keep his anger down. And as long Ben gave him his lunch (he really needed to get chili fries as soon as he goes home, and he'd definitely rush to Mr. Smoothie), Viktor was less grouchy than he appeared to be.

Ben needed to unite the others around him, he just had trouble doing so. He got Earth's faith back after saving it from an Incursean invasion, maybe if he defeated the Vladats, it would make things easier, though he knew it wouldn't be too easy either, as it'd mean Zs'Skayr's plan would fail. He wondered if the ghost alien's henchmen would forgive him and go back to work when this whole mess is over.

At last, his first week on Anur seemed to be over. He just hoped Rook and Scout didn't wear themselves out with their self-made Plumber techniques, or that Rad wouldn't let one of his guns slip during training, they needed the rest of the inhabitants alive to save the planet.

But would they ever trust him if he did?

Present time

"And you should've seen him! He looked like he was on a roller-coaster when I took him over the town. You should tell me if there's an amusement park in this town, I wanna see how the Haunted Houses look in here."

"Heh, seems you two had a lot of fun saving the day, kiddo." said Crüjo.

"Haha, we sure did! I was so thrilled to be back in action, and he liked being a hero too. I guess it's fun if you're the one who got jailed every time to beat up those who did you wrong."

"It was certainly a change when you came here."

"Wonder if Scout could recruit some-" Ben stopped, looking at the Loboan.

"Hmm? Is something the matter, Tennyson?"

"Uh, well... it's nothing. I just..." he looked at the thug's forehead, "...I just felt like that Corruptura was looking straight at me. Must've been my imagination."

"You and me both there, kid. These things are scary when you know what they can do." Crüjo said as he brushed the fiend over his face.

They got back to the cell, their tour of the dungeons reaching its end.

"We're back." said Crüjo.

"Hey, Kuphulu."

"What's up, Tennyson?" said the Thep Khufan.

"Did he tell you guys about the lab?" he asked, receiving a confused look from his cellmates.

"I was waiting for you to come back and help me explain." said Kuphulu.

"Okay, so...", he turned to Viktor.

"...Must've been my imagination."

Someone was knocking at the door.

Lord Transyl cut off the connection. He hadn't expected his slave to notice he was being spied on. Yet again, Ben Tennyson was a young lad full of surprises, realizing the Corrupturas were being used to check on him was something he was very capable of.

"Enter, Ectonurite." Lord Transyl said as Zs'Skayr phased through the door.

"My apologies, Lord Transyl, but we must discuss the current issue."

"I do not care if the prisoners are slowly dying. Remember that as long as I am in charge of this planet and as long as the young human is in my grasp, I consider them expandable."

"I have to admit I was already aware of that." said Zs'Skayr, though one could see his eye twitch when Ben was mentioned. "But that isn't what we need to discuss. When Tennyson entered the laboratories, he saw..."

"I know." Lord Transyl hissed, turning his back to Zs'Skayr. "That incompetent Transylian would almost deserve a punishment for what he did to my empire." He angrily clutched his chest, where the injury had still not healed.

"I failed?!" shouted a shocked Viktor.

"Yup." Ben and Kuphulu nodded.

"But, my calculations! And my degrees in..."

"In all cases, the deed is done. You didn't resurrect the Vladats correctly, they're all sick, they can't fight anymore. Lord Transyl managed to pull through and the Omnitrix gave me a healthy sample for Whampire to turn into, but that's about it." Ben said.

"So that's why they weren't there yesterday against the Incurseans attacking. They were all in bad health... because of me?"

"I think we can both agree we were lucky you failed your Master's orders this time, it means Lord Transyl hasn't regained all of his strength, he can be defeated."

"That means we have a way of escaping and saving the universe from the Vladats rising!" exclaimed Rook.

"We still got a problem on our hands." said Scout. "With the Corrupturas still active, we won't be able to take him by surprise, attacking him or paralyzing him. He can stop us and enslave us any time soon."

"Indeed, and without freedom of our movements," Crüjo huffed, "we won't be able to save everyone."

"Can't we try to help the other citizens or get them to help us get rid of these insects?" complained Kuphulu.

"I believe the Corrupturas are more of genetically engineered body-controlling bats."

Everyone turned to Rook with a frustrated eye.

"It's. An. Expression." They collectively told him.

"Oh."

"Scout, tell me, was he also like that when you two were at the academy?" Ben asked.

"Yes, yes he was. I stopped counting after the first three days of missing the point of my metaphors."

"Hey!" Rook pouted.

"Don't take it bad, cat boy." said Crüjo as he patted Rook's back.

"Still, shouldn't we try something just to make our escape easier?" suggested Viktor.

"Bad idea." answered Kuphulu. "We only had the day off. I doubt he'd let us roam free any longer. Lord Transyl could put us back to training when he wants."

"And when could that be?"

There had been no time to answer, because everyone except Ben suddenly stood straight, including Scout who came down the bed in a mechanical way.

Seeing their shocked, angry and somewhat desperate looks, Ben couldn't help but comment. "I think that means now."

A bunch of groans and tired growls could be heard from outside, indistinguishable from the other cells for whoever didn't know the group. Ben saw them forcefully leave the cell, looking back at him with a worn out expression.

"I'll keep the fort in check while you guys are busy training." Ben told them.

"Don't forget to feed if you don't want to fall sick too." advised Viktor.

"See ya!" Ben waved to them as they went away.

He felt that they were about to wave back when they were gone. It wasn't much of a problem if they couldn't, he knew they were on good terms for now.

It felt kinda weird to become friends with them so easily.

He remembered that he, Kevin and Gwen had a few issues at first, and it helped when they tried to bail Kevin out of the Null Void last time Zs'Skayr invaded (Lucy's unhelpful attitude helped them back then), or when he absorbed the Omnitrix again but he and Gwen briefly talked to him. Those were the good old days of going on a road trip. Maybe one would help Zs'Skayr henchmen (or maybe even ex-henchmen) loosen up further near him if he invited them on one, when Lord Transyl is gone for good.

For now, he felt that he could trust them. Things were kinda rocky, but they had at least some faith in him.

He hopped on his bed, waiting for lunch to arrive. It wasn't easy, but they'd do this. Together.

He messed up the first time, he'll mess up again, but he always manages to get back on his feet.

Regardless of the past, of the issue and of the risks, he wasn't gonna cower down when he knew many people had his back.

He could do this.

*puts on a cap and opens an umbrella, to dodge the flurry of late chapter complaints downing on me* *drowns anyway*

Hello there!

In case you noticed, yup, I pulled a reverse Peridemption (excluding calling Zs'Skayr a "CLOD!") on Ben with Crüjo, Kuphulu and Viktor, blame the color green for that.

Now that Ben managed to get all of the Anur Trio on his side and that they found the weak point in Zs'Skayr's plans, could he find a way to escape the vampire's clutches?

Don't forget to review if you liked, and see you guys next time! *warps aways*