BEN 10: RISING OF THE SHIELD HERO
CHAPTER 1: The ARRIVAL… Or the SUMMON?
FIRST OF ALL, I put some Author Notes here.
WARNING - The story is being rewritten at the moment so there could be original versions in the later chapters.
This chapter is a rewritten version of Chapter 1.
I will rewrite all the chapters before Chapter 10. Probably.
This is my first entry in Fan Fiction net, and English is not my Native language. To be honest, I am not exceptional at English literacy. But I have plenty of experience in novel works: to be frank, writing and I have been in a partnership for more than 8 years – stories in my language, of course. Not a professional, though, yes as a writer for a hobby. Therefore, please forgive me if you find any hindrance in reading, while I will try my best by any means I can.
After reading the light novel, I decided to write from the first person perspective.
"Maybe if I pretend everything as a big joke, when the time comes, I'll be able to do what I have to do."
- Ben Tennyson -
Inside a building, there was a circle-shaped altar, likely used for some sort of ritual beforehand. Standing in that particular place were four young men, each acting panic, cocky… or calculating.
And there stood a teen in a green jacket with two white stripes on the right arm and a white line on the left side of the front. A single black circle with a white "10" in the middle, existed at some point across the white line. His hair was brown and messy, but still good-looking, and wore a black shirt under the jacket and dark blue pants.
This brown-haired teenager was me.
Out of the four young men standing, I was the only American and others were undoubtedly Asian… in fact, they were Japanese.
Each of us had a weapon in our hand, or on our body. The blond man who seemed to be the oldest of us held a spear. The black-haired handsome boy who I thought was the youngest of us had a sword and the boy with light brown curly hair held onto a bow.
For me, it was a small shield attached to my right forearm.
Beneath the left sleeve of my jacket, a watch with a square faceplate lay on my wrist. The faceplate was black with two green stripes forming an outline for the hourglass symbol. It resembled a digital wristwatch.
"Where is this place?"
Out of anxiety, spoke the guy with a sword.
Surrounding us were robed men, who looked weird in more than one way. They looked like Europeans… their attire looked medieval. Many of them wore hooded robes while some were in heavy knight armor.
But their appearances didn't tell me anything.
"Ooh, Please brave heroes! Please somehow save this world!"
English! He spoke English! So they were… anyway… since the Omnitrix seemed to translate that Japanese guy's words, the device probably did its job.
One of the robed men answered like he was praying to the gods. I got the gist of what had happened here beforehand so I wasn't fazed by his action. I mentally sighed and averted my gaze from them as I decided to analyze the place I was in. We were in a large building that had signs of supposedly medieval architecture.
"""WHAT?"""
The three others exclaimed in unison, snapping me back to reality. I was not particularly surprised since I had… a glimpse of the situation and… to be honest, I was keeping myself calm.
I was where I had never been to. I didn't have my comrades by my side. So I wasn't trying to do something stupid. My guard was up all time. Of course, I had been an easy-going guy… At that time, though, I didn't think of committing something funny.
"No spoiler anymore, Benjamin. I've told you more than enough."
The warning of an old friend came into my mind, which reminded me to be even more cautious.
Oh, now I notice them… they all wear modern fashion. I eyed the three armed young men who were standing next to me.
"To put it simply, due to various circumstances, we were able to summon you, Brave Heroes, through an ancient spell."
Ancient spell… they said. It led to the fact that this was a world where "magic" existed. I have a cousin who can use magic, so it didn't surprise me. But… something's off.
The Asian youths understood whatever these robed men, who were supposed to be Europeans or expected to be speaking an otherworldly language, told them.
Because the men had been speaking English and the youths were good with English? Or the robed men had been speaking Japanese all this time? It's confusing, let's just drop the topic.
For some reason, I remembered my ex-girlfriend who is Japanese and lived in America.
"Summoned!?" exclaimed one of the other three.
"This world is currently facing a global state of crisis. Brave Ones, please lend us your might."The robed man bowed deeply to us while saying so."
The way they reacted to the request was quite unexpected.
"What a pain."
"Is that so?"
"Can I just go back to my old world? I already heard this kind of story before."
With anger rising up my throat, I frowned at them. But I chose another solution.
Shall I mock them? I was staying quiet to read everyone in the hall. Even if I felt my anger, I had no reason to blame them. Pretty much everyone in modern society doesn't really experience this kind of tragedy or catastrophe. Many of them are ignorant about whatever happens to others. Yes, some of them would follow the "trend."
After all, no 10-year-old kid randomly picks up a device made for the peace of the universe and kicks the butts of the villains that randomly appeared on his summer holiday road trip with his grandpa and cousin.
Is that a form of discrimination, you say? No, it's just the way people are. Experience and environment shape your mindset and the way you think… and even the way you solve problems in life. Facing the trouble head-on or avoiding them… is yours to choose. A reminder that you don't need to compare yourself with others.
"Tsk," I grunted quietly.
Suddenly, the room went silent. When I looked around, everyone in the room was staring at me.
"What?" I shrugged off their gazes smiled weirdly.
And yes, they averted their attention away from me to argue again.
"Aren't you people guilty over summoning us without our consent?"
The sword guy spoke up, his weapon pointing at the robed men, seemingly threatening them.
"For instance, we won't just fight for world peace and then return to our old world empty-handed, right?" The guy with the bow scowled in the robed men's direction. "You guys don't seem to take much consideration into our own plans, do you? Depending on what you have to offer, we might end up becoming this world's enemy instead, got it?"
Rewards, huh? For someone who had served the universe as the hero of heroes, it sounded absurd. But I was in no position to complain about their preferences. There might be many kinds of "heroes" and professional or commercial heroes are one of them.
"Well first, I'd like you all to have an audience with the king. We can discuss your reward then."
The representative of the robed men opened the heavy-looking door to guide us through.
"Guess it can't be helped."
"Right."
"Duh, the guy we'll be meeting changes, but I bet the story's still the same."
I heard the complaints of the heroes and chuckled. So a new page has begun for me.
My name is Benjamin Kirby Tennyson. Commonly known as "Ben Tennyson" or "Ben 10" back in my homeworld for my occupation as a Hero. My alias is… the wielder of the Omnitrix – the device that carries the fate of the universe and keeps the DNA data of almost every sentient species of the Milky Way Galaxy.
It was after I returned from the time trip to the beginning of the universe.
The days of peace had finally come to Bellwood. No… peace had come to the Universe overall. There was no Time-war or no biomechanical villain who tried to time travel to make the universe their own anymore. I could finally relax my mind. Or at least it was what I expected after the "Time War."
Sitting at a table outside the smoothie shop, I was enjoying my banana flavor drink with nothing in particular to think about on my mind.
"Bad for you, Rook. Smoothies today tastes better than yesterday's."
I muttered to myself feeling bored as hell. I didn't have energy that I couldn't even convince my limbs to move around. My sworn partner, Rook Blonko, was taking a break from work that day. More like FORCED to TAKE A BREAK… Rook didn't have any special superpower but he always tried to keep up with my capabilities in battles and solving crime and had to shoulder the responsibilities of magister in Plumbers. I couldn't help but praise him for everything he had done for me.
Suddenly I sensed a presence behind me which made my guard up. I tilted my head and saw a familiar man in the white lab coat, who had green goggles on his torso. I immediately recognized who he was.
"Oh, it's just you, Paradox."
"How is your day, Benjamin?"
Professor Paradox wore a smile, but his expression, nonetheless, was unreadable. His voice had a British accent. Paradox was a busy kind, so I didn't expect the Time-Walker to visit me without any reason. Seems like he needs my help…
"Just an average day… for a jobless person. Without chasing after a criminal or solving an ancient history book,... it is boring…"
Being a hero of the universe came with benefits and disadvantages. Say, when everything is peaceful, you become pretty much a NEET without anything to do. School, huh? W-well, I can forget about it. Hah…
"So anything you want from me, Paradox?"
"Listen here, Ben. How about I bring you to a reality where a counterpart of you doesn't exist?"
My eyes widened slighty. Not because of "the Brain Freeze" thing. The only alternate universe I had been to, where my counterpart didn't exist was Generator Rex's world. I averted my eyes from him to enter the depths of thinking.
"I'm interested. It's not like I've got something better to do."
"I still have to tell you that there are also superheroes of their own in most worlds, Young Master Benjamin. Like some planets in our universe do…"
I could rest easy if they got heroes of their own. And what's the difference then? It'd be boring as always.
Oh, I could just go around the world to find commissions to accept?
I raised an eyebrow at Paradox in disbelief.
"–but…"
The professor took out his watch, called Chrono Navigator, and glanced at it.
"While the issues aren't so bad to the extent that Time Walkers need to interrupt, your intervention will be appreciated."
I can see him being so generous to offer me a vacation trip…
"Glady, Paradox. I will take up on your offer."
And then, Professor Paradox explained the situations of that world to me.
"A while back ago, I met with this person who travels across the multiverse to maintain the timelines and alternate realities. In a sense, while he isn't a Time-Walker, he describes himself as a Time-Keeper… He has my interest…"
I quietly listened to his story.
"–truly an interesting fellow, you see. He guaranteed to help you during your journey. Rest assured, Benjamin. He is a good guy, but… he seems to have some motives. It is beyond my knowledge."
"He is so generous," I praised the stranger whom I'd never met.
"I know you'd like it. Then… I want to tell you about… "
As a blue portal appeared before us two, the whole realm was stunned and the time itself stopped.
"Now… things you need to know before travelling to the other side. Keep in mind that…"
After the Time-Walker explained things further, I walked towards the portal hole.
"No spoiler anymore, Benjamin. I've told you more than enough."
"You have to take the role of the Hero of Shield in the world you'll visit. Before that, you need to enter this library to read a book that is the bridge connected to the other side. There you have to find a book named "Four Cardinal Weapons." I believe you can utilize the universal translator for the matter."
The Four Cardinal Weapons, huh?
Let's continue the story from the moments after I was summoned into the medieval world.
I was in the throne room of the castle, together with the King, his advisors, the Knights and the other cardinal heroes.
"Hou, are these successors the Ancient Heroes? I am the King of this nation, Aultcray. The thirty-second ruler of Melromarc. Brave Ones, please raise your heads."
Aultcray Melromarc XXXII. The King of the nation I was summoned to. Yes, I'd never heard of the country "Melromarc," and this fact might confirm that this world isn't mine.
I remembered the warning of Professor Paradox to not just trust everyone I would meet. There is more to them than meets the eye.
I was struggling to look and act polite in front of the King himself, but the other cardinal heroes didn't seem to try specifically. Somehow,... I felt something was off about King Aultcray. Royalty can be… complicated at times.
The moment I narrowed my eyes, staring at him, he returned a gaze at me. That gaze bore a meaning… threatening? Intimidating? Scary?
Damn, I can't easily trust anything from just seeing…
Somehow, he got the vibes similar to the Forever Knights, an alienist terrorist group that wore a mask of the royal guard. From what I'd seen, the people of this world treated the heroes as the gods… But the King… was different. Of course, I don't essentially like someone treating me as a God… But he just… seemed to have a superiority complex. Or something like that.
Royalty… And discrimination. These two things strangely get along with each other… if there exists the royalty, then it means there might be a system of social classes. Which is far more stronger with the presence of the royal family.
Uh… Since I know nothing about this world, everything and anything can happen… Maybe even something weird or… illogical.
"Now then, let me explain our situation. This land and this entire world are facing their demise."
To summarize what the King told us, at that time, there was a foretell predicting the world's end. Something was going to ruin the world. The cause of that wasn't properly explained. Though I would never believe such a rather baseless foretell in normal situations,… it was absurd that I had no choice but to believe. Since "something" had already happened.
According to them, the world would be assaulted by waves of catastrophe which would one day turn everything to ruin. To save the world, these waves must be repelled before they could be dispersed.
This era marked the prophesied year.
There sits a giant, ancient hourglass which continues to drip down ceaselessly. It can forecast when the waves will arrive and it began its warning a month ago. According to the legends, each wave will come in roughly one-month intervals.
Initially, the residents of this country were not too concerned over the prophecy. However, as prophesied, when the hourglass had completed its first turn, a wave of disaster occurred.
A dimension crack appeared in this country, Melromarc, where hideous and brutal demons crept out in large quantities.
Other adventurers and knights barely managed to repel them. However, the next incoming wave would be even more powerful.
It seemed like the worst-case scenario was about to occur.
At this rate, the disaster won't be repelled.
That was the basic outline of their situation.
"I understand your dilemma. But who gave you the right to summon us into doing manual labor for free?"
"That is one hell of a convenient story."
"… Even if that is the case, and this isn't me being selfish or anything, but if this world is going into ruin then let it be destroyed. This matter doesn't even concern us."
Hearing their comments, I grit my teeth, glaring at them for a short moment. But I realized that… the summon might have called random young men. It didn't particularly summon the heroes.
"... if this world is going into ruin then let it be destroyed…" sometimes it's funny that reality can be cruel. Imagine you asked help from a guy who had no intention to help you when you really needed it…
Or were the ancestors of this world some nuts who called everyone they summoned a hero? But… not my thing to be concerned with. I had an Omnitrix, the most powerful known device in my universe. I have been kicking villain asses with this not-weapon peace device.
Or aren't they just your average human beings? Are they quirky humans? Retired heroes? Do they have superpowers?
I had muted myself all this time… So I decided to interfere with the bargaining.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty. I think they want to get paid."
"What?!"
One of the heroes exclaimed, but I didn't care anymore. The King laughed in response to my words.
This guy has one heck of a sense of humor. I chuckled, eyeing the King.
"So what about you? Then are you satisfied with some snacks?" a hero pointed out.
"Er… probably," I answered nonchalantly.
They reacted interestingly enough to my answer.
Why do you care when you can casually MAKE money? Old techniques, boy. You could consider me a hypocrite… But I am pretty much self-sufficient. I would somehow work things out to live through.
Sorry, yeah, the economy of Melromarc. I'm gonna inflate your system.
"I had already made arrangements to aid your cause with money. And surely, since the Brave Heroes will be protecting our world, I have already prepared a fitting place for you Brave Ones to rest."
King Aultcray took over the spotlight and their attention was immediately redirected.
"Don't think that we can be tamed with only this much though. You'll have to continue giving your cooperation if you don't want us to turn rogue."
"… That's right."
"Right~"
Reward or not, greed won't work things in your favor, buddies. In fact, it can destroy you… greed itself would tame you and order you around to work you in its favor.
But yeah, just because I had moneymaker alien forms in my arsenal, I shouldn't insult them like that. So I retracted my gaze from them.
"Well then, Heroes. Let us hear each of your names," said the King.
The Sword Hero stepped forward and began his self-introduction.
"My name is Ren Amaki. Age 16, a high schooler."
This guy is handsome. He has a pretty face. He seemed to have taken care of his facial appearance. He is… a bit short, not intending to insult, only about 165 cm. But should this guy wear as a girl, no one would doubt he's not a girl. Sorry, Ren, pretty boy.
The flower boy had short-cut light-brown hair; long, slanted eyes, and white skin, and overall, he looked like a slender swordsman.
"Okay, next up will be yours truly. My name's Motoyasu Kitamura. 21 this year, a university student."
Carefree type but still gave off a real man vibe. His face is… too refined even for a handsome guy. I am guessing this guy has one or two girlfriends and he's definitely the Playboy type. He has a ponytail! Well, I can't judge, can I? He looks cool with that! And he has…. A caring brother kind of feels.
"It's my turn next. My name is Itsuki Kawasumi. 17 right now, another high school student."
He seemed to lead a fleeting life yet also possessed a reliable, tenacious strength. His aura was quite vague and mysterious. A few curly hair strands made him look like he had a wavy perm hairstyle. He gave off the feeling of a docile younger brother.
Damn, I feel so out of place. Seems like I am the only American here. Three Japanese guys in a European-looking royal palace, huh? And does their given name come first or later? Uh! This is my turn already.
"So it's my turn, my name is Ben–"
"Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki, huh?"
The King casually looked past me for some reason. I suspected he ignored me intentionally. Man, you are the King of a nation. Just because a kid shared a glare with you, you shouldn't ignore him out of pride, you know. I wondered if he held a grudge against me for that.
But I stayed quiet. I didn't really care about his weird behavior. Had he intentionally ignored my existence, then that wouldn't have been a good sign. He possessed a dangerous glare and had a bad aura… I'd like to avoid this type of person if I could.
Summoned to this world, my duty was only to save people… and perhaps to fight off the "waves." I don't care about the hindrance… in fact, I could handle it professionally if the King asked me for service.
"Now then, everyone please confirm your own status. As a matter of fact, I would like you all to visually check for yourselves."
The Ren boy stared at me for some reason before he turned back to look at the King. He might have wondered why I didn't speak up when the King neglected my presence. But he didn't seem to dare bring it up, since even two older boys and I seemed to not care.
The Ren boy might have some kind of judgemental skills or sense of justice… and then I supposed he tended to stay low and read the lines before acting. As much as I hated the heroes' immature manners, I liked this guy…. Well, for the time being, at least.
Don't judge a book by its cover.
"Eh?"
"Just what is this 'Status'!?"
"Etto, how do I go about seeing this?" Itsuki timidly asked for the king's guidance.
"The hell, man. You guys didn't even notice that much after coming to this world?" Ren said.
Ren was utterly shocked by his colleagues' ignorance.
I was practically keeping my profile low by staying quiet but… it also included me who didn't understand what this "status" was.
"Well whatever, do you see that icon in the corner of your vision?"
"Eh?"
Only after he said that did I notice a weird, dim icon along the edge of his vision.
"Focus your mind on it and you'll see."
Illusion! Or else, Magic! And as its light lit up silently, a screen with bigger icons similar to a PC's appeared into my vision, as a screen popped out of nowhere in front of me. Rather… in my mind? I was surprised and utterly shocked. What the hell? Who put these things inside my eyes… no my brain? Noooo… Yes.
Benjamin Kirby Tennyson
Occupation: Hero of the Shield
Unknown occupation scanned. Analyzing… Error… Error… Retrying… Error… Error…
Level: 1
Equipment: Small Shield (Legendary Armament), Parallel World's Clothes, Unregistered Device… Scanning… Error… Rebooting… Error… Error…
Skill: None,... Error
Magic: None
Unknown occupation? Unregistered Device? Oh, yes, these things could not explain everything, ha. Wait… why do these parts show errors? My brain suffered from some kind of damage? Man, this is getting weirder and weirder. Why don't these things show statistics like Sumo Slammers?! Er… it would be nice if I could get a free smoothie from here anything I want!
Regarding the fact that the occupation and skill categories showed "errors," I assumed it could essentially analyze what a person had done in his life. If you think that way, it is… terrifying.
I was, though, curious about the unknown occupation and skill that it displayed.
I looked around to check on others. But the red "ERRORS" appearing on my screen made me speechless and shocked. Man, I don't want to go to the infirmary, seriously…
"Level 1 huh… this doesn't look very reassuring."
"Right, I don't even know if it's possible to fight like this."
"That's exactly what I meant."
"Tools like these don't exist in the Brave Ones' world? This Status magic can be used by everyone in this world, helping to improve ourselves."
"Is that so?"
The power of the biological bodies is represented by numerical values, huh? So this world also has computers of its own. Interesting!
I had seen many strange things in my life and I wondered what would surprise me later on.
"So then, what should we do now? Our current values seem rather troubling."
I subconsciously cupped my chin with my left hand, thinking if the aliens would share the stats of human form. I had played Sumo Slammer so I understood the importance of the stats to an extent. But… Attack Power 1? Are you serious? Imagine Humongousaur punching something with a damage of 1 point. When my troubling eyes met Ren's, I smiled at him… awkwardly.
"Relax, guys. Look, this is only beginning!"
I cheered them up, trying to sound as optimistic as I could. I chuckled at myself remembering how Rex called me a "glass-half-full guy."
The King and three other heroes turned their gaze at me.
"But what can you do if you die at the start? Game over and Retry?"
Itsuki responded with a hostile tone.
"The Omnitrix won't let me– er… sorry, but I think we can work it out to… upgrade…"
My voice gradually faded and disappeared.
I didn't feel like the King was listening to me or giving attention to my theories, rather he was annoyed. Sorry, mister… That goes for the other heroes, too. They quickly ignored me and continued the discussion, following the King's lead.
"From now on, you Brave Heroes will need to venture forth so that you may hone and strengthen both yourselves as well as your legendary armaments."
"Strengthen? Does that mean that our starting equipment isn't strong enough?"
"Yes, the legendary weapon of each summoned Hero has its own special method of enchantment. By doing so they can become very powerful."
"Legend this, legend that. It's fine not to change weapons as long as it can function properly as a weapon, no?"
Motoyasu whirled his spear around while commenting. I looked down at my small shield. Wait, this thing is even a weapon?
But then come to think of it… I have been using the Omnitrix which Azmuth stated to be not a weapon… to bully the interstellar villains.
And I was not sure what this small shield was capable of. Magic and all, this legendary weapon could be more amazing than I thought it was.
"That doesn't matter right now, so we can leave it for later. More importantly, what we need is to improve our own abilities, right?" one of them asked.
I wondered how these heroes would consider this world.
"So are we a team, yet?" I asked excitedly but the King continued to explain them, ignoring my question.
Grrr…
"Each of you Brave Heroes will need to recruit your own companions and begin your adventures separately."
Grr, I thought I could be in the same team as those guys and boss them around, bruh.
"And the reason for that is?" One of the three demanded.
"Yes. According to legend, it's said that the legendary armaments will reject one another should you Brave Heroes band together, interfering with the growth of both the owners and the weapons." The King explained.
"I don't really get it, but if we act together, we can't increase our power?"
I internally sighed as the other three exchanged glances among themselves. Whatever, if things didn't work out one way, try another way. Finding a friend or two shouldn't be difficult. I gotta use the power of my jokes and puns when it came to the matter of befriending people!
"That really does seem to be the case…"
"Between improving ourselves and recruiting comrades. I wonder which should be done first?"
"Allow me to prepare your companions. At any rate, the sun is already beginning to set. Brave Ones, please take your time and rest for the day. You may depart for your journey tomorrow. During that time I shall make arrangements and scout for talented individuals who can accompany you on your destiny."
For now, I ignored the King's dangerous glares and left the castle for dinner.
-(TRANSITION)-
Now back to the present.
I am currently lying on my back, fighting with sleepiness and fatigue while trying to consider things I need to survive here. Technically, I need nothing more than I have now, even if I still have to study this world a little more than everyone suggests. Professor Paradox's warning is one thing that keeps me cautious… don't trust anyone blindly. It also suggests indirectly that I ally with reliable people.
Yes, I got the gist of the things that happened to this world a long time ago. But… hearing the other heroes say this world is like a game… leaves me with doubts.
To be frank, I've never actually played a game that would look like this world. Uh… magic, summoning, and level stuff… yeah, it totally sounds like a game.
RPG… is that what such kinds of games are called?
"Due to the circumstances, I input an ID mask function of the Omnitrix version in that. When you transform, use it. This world is magically advanced but technically medieval. Aliens are yet to be discovered, so you can be wronged with a monster. Please refrain from transforming in public places. If you have to do it, use the ID mask."
"I'd like to add an evolution function but he said there is no need and you will manage it."
Wait, who is he? Paradox mentioned him several times. But who is he? I couldn't help but be curious.
But Paradox said that I will meet him in a month. I hope I can get the answers to my questions when the time comes.
The night is now silent… and lonely.
Man… it's gonna be a long, long journey.
* Chapter (1) End *
This is equivalent to light novel Chapters (1) and (2). I thought it could cover up to the Trial Scene. I couldn't adapt to the story and so the chapter became quite long. My apologies for that if it got boring.
Any reviews are welcome. I have seen the behaviors of many authors on this site… so perhaps I will answer the questions when the next chapter is up. Thanks for reading.
Also, Private Messaging is open to receive advice from readers.
A/N for rewritten/ republished Chapter 1 – so the conclusion is that I gave Ben a bunch of monologues. The writing of the light novel version is simpler than this story, I dare say. But somehow, the chapter covered light novel chapters 1 and 2.
Monologuing and first-person perspective writing will probably decorate the character of Ben Tennyson like an Anime or a light novel character.
If you find errors or issues reading the chapter, feel free to notify, advise and criticize me. That's all for the chapter.
A FanFiction by Chris Chronos