Good day, Ultras! Sorry for the upload being later then it normally is, today's been a bit chaotic. However, here is chapter 46 of the Ultra 10 Chronicles: Volume 2: A Hero Earth needs! There's a good amount of fluff in this chapter, as well as relationship building, so I hope you enjoy it!
ADD moment... I should have explained it last chapter, but I forgot. The Chemosapien mentioned by that Cerebrocrustacean last chapter is what GutRot is, from the Omniverse series. Basically, I couldn't find what his species was, so I came up with the name myself. (Chemo from chemical. Sapien from person.) You can check him out on the Ben 10 wiki or in the tv show, his power is to combine different chemicals in his belly, and then to expel them as gas. Hence why that Cerebrocrustacean used him to come up with the chemicals for Vilgax. (End ADD moment.)
There are a few trigger warnings this chapter. The first instance of choice language is in the paragraph after the one that starts with, "By the authority of the PLUMMERS..." The second one is in the paragraph after the one that reads, "You transformed into an alien..." There really isnt any other triggers in the chapter though.
Soundtracks: The soundtrack for this chapter is "Everytime We Touch" by Cascada. However I really felt like the Jonathan Young cover was more of Ben's style. You can listen to Jonathon's cover of "Everytime We Touch" on youtube by going to /watch?v=_VmsK2x9Y4Q
Enjoy the chapter!
The Ultra 10 Chronicles: Volume 2: A Hero Earth Needs
Chapter 46: Betrayal
Ben floated through the night as GhostFreak. Up above the buildings, the city seemed so much more peaceful than it seemed below them. There wasn't any wreckage to weave in and out of, no fires, no criminals, no crime. Just the still, silent night.
He floated towards the hospital his parents were still in. His mother, at least. His father was in an institution now. Ben heard all the hustle and bustle of the hospital. They had been quite overwhelmed waitpeople who were injured during Vilgax's invasion. And, unfortunately, there were many more dead than were injured in the building. The police were trying to bury the dead, as well as maintain order, but people were still scared. In the haze of it all, the hospital was definitely overcrowded and cramped.
Ben floated down until he phased through the ceiling, and continued intangible until he found his mother's room. Although there were a number of people sitting and lying down in the hallway, Sandra seemed to have been in the hospital long enough that she wasn't really disturbed with people waiting for treatment in her room.
"Good," Ben thought. "I'd prefer some privacy about now." Been phased through the door into his mother's room, where he landed on the floor and became tangible again, reverting back to his human form.
"She looks peaceful," Ben thought to himself as he looked at his resting mother.
"I'm sorry this happened to you," Ben whispered, as he knelt beside her bed. Although she apparently had the room to herself, that hadn't stopped someone, probably the staff, from taking all the extra furniture out of the room to allow people to sit on them in the hallway.
"The guy that did this to us… Alex," Ben said softly. "He's… taken care of. He's not dead, you wouldn't want that…" Ben paused for a moment, looking at his mom.
"You're so much better than me. You… I wanted… I want him to die," Ben confessed. "I wanted so badly to kill him for what he did to us. My voice in my head wanted me to kill him, just as much as I wanted to. But… your voice stopped me. I-I knew that if I killed him, I'd disappoint you. I would never be able to be the son you wanted me to be." His mother's silence was deafening.
"I'll be sure to check up on Dad too," Ben said. "He's been pretty broken ever since Alex's attack…" Ben looked at his wrist, seeing that the Omnitrix still hadn't recharged yet.
"Looks like I'm taking the long way out, at least until the watch recharges." With that, Ben made his way towards the door. He reached for the handle when it was turned from the other side. In a moment, he was standing face to face with a nurse. Their eyes met in the briefest moment of realization and shock.
"You're-" The nurse tried to say, before Ben clamped one hand over her mouth, and the other onto he shoulder, pulling her into the room without a sound. He silently thanked himself for learning a silent karate takedown all that time ago through the window into Gwen's dojo. With his foot, he kicked the door shut, just soft enough to not arouse suspicion. Once inside, he let go of the woman's mouth and shoulder, taking a step back from her.
"Sorry about that," Ben apologized. "I'm just really trying not to attract attention."
"You're… you're Ultra 10!" The nurse gasped, dropping her supplies to the ground as she covered her mouth with her own hands.
"Like I said, I'm trying to keep it on the down-low," Ben grumbled again.
"You're the reason that Vilgax attacked, aren't you?" The girl asked. "What'd you do to make him so mad?"
"I have my powers," Ben replied flatly. "That's reason enough for him to hate me. Further, I won't just roll over and die for him, so he especially hates me."
"It's lucky that those Galactic Enforcers showed up when they did," the nurse continued. "Or we would have a lot more people to be treating here."
"You don't seem too freaked out at the thought of aliens," Ben questioned her.
"Not really," she replied. "They're just like humans, you know? Aside from the appearance of course. But some are good, and some are less than good."
"You're pretty open-minded, it would seem," Ben said. The nurse giggled.
"You could say that! When you're like me, you tend to not be fazed by appearances."
"What does that mean?" Ben questioned. The nurse looked around, making sure that no one could see them from the hallway. The only window into the room was far enough against the wall, that it would be difficult to see them.
"I'm not what I seem to be either," she whispered to Ben, leaning in close to him. "I can change my form too."
"This is starting to seem like the beginning of a horror movie," Ben replied uneasily as he tried to get out and away from the girl. The girl chuckled, though whether it was at Ben's uncomfortable situation or at something else, he couldn't tell.
"I'm a Lenopan," she said.
"Don't know what that is, but good for you!" Ben tried to play it off, as he slipped around her, moving towards the door.
"Lenopans are aliens from Lenopa." Ben spun around. Not only had she sounded like him, she now looked like him, complete with the Ultra 10 costume and cape.
"How did you…" Ben started to ask before he stopped himself in surprise. His face… The nurse's imitation of his face rippled like it was made of liquid. It changed color too, becoming a mix of purples and browns. Her face morphed back into her own face, excepting for the color. In addition to her face, her entire body was composed of the mud-like substance.
"See? Just as alien as you!" She giggled as her skin rippled agin, before taking on the normal color of human flesh. Thankfully, her clothes appeared along with it, they being formed out of the mud-like substance.
"Are there more of you?" Ben asked.
"Maybe," the girl replied, as if she didn't have a care in the world. "But it would be hard to tell for obvious reasons. I'm the only one I know of around here! I'm not really well liked on Lenopa, which is why I'm passing as a human here! I even have a human name!" She stuck out her hand to Ben. "Lucy Mann! Doesn't it sound so human?"
"Uh, sure, just like anyone you'd meet on the street," Ben answered, shaking her hand before trying to make for the door again. "Listen, I've got to go. I'm glad that you've found a life here, but stay out of trouble, okay?"
"Staying out of trouble!" Lucy mimicked Ben's voice with unnerving accuracy. "You don't have to worry about me! I've been on Earth for years!" Ben walked out of the room and into the hallway.
"What a weird interaction," he muttered to himself. He looked at his wrist, seeing that the green ready light had returned. "And now it's time to make myself scarce!" With that, he ducked into a bathroom and activated the watch, assuming his ghostly form again. Turning intangible, Ben floated out of the bathroom, and out of the hospital. He flew through the night sky. It was getting really late, and even with his ghostly senses fully awakened, Ben was finding it harder to avoid nodding off. Finally, he made it back to the park, where Gwen and he had been taking refuge for the past little while. Landing, Ben detransformed, the sudden flash of red light startling Gwen.
"Goodness, Ben! You could at least give a little of a warning!" Gwen gasped.
"Sorry about that," Ben apologized. "Kind of forgot I was invisible. I can get carried away sometimes." Ben got an apologetic look on his face.
"Hey, about earlier today," Ben started. "I lost my temper at you, and… and I'm sorry about it."
"You already said you were sorry over the comm link," Gwen replied. "It's water under the bridge."
"I know, but… it's still not alright for me to get mad at you for trying to help me," Ben repeated.
"I've always been more of the studier anyway," Gwen admitted. "You probably just have to find your own way of learning about your forms, and controlling your aura."
"I already came to that solution," Ben thought.
"You're right, but thank you for trying," Ben smiled at her. He made a show of looking at the Omnitrix, as if at a wrist watch. "But look at the time! I'm going to bed now." With that awkward transition, Ben headed towards his makeshift bed, draped with a few blankets and extra jackets. Gwen couldn't help but chuckle to herself.
"How did you change from someone I didn't want to talk to, but had to, to someone I can't talk to, but want to?" She asked herself rhetorically. She closed the Arcamada: Book of Spells, watching it vanish in a puff of smoke, before heading off to her own bunk, adjacent to Ben's. She was just drifting off to sleep, when she heard Ben start to jerk and move erratically.
"No," he muttered. "Not her! I… I can't stop it!" Ben was quickly growing more and more panicked as the obvious nightmare went on. Gwen quickly got out of her bed, and put her hand on Ben's shoulder, trying to calm him, or at least to wake him.
"Ben, it's only a nightmare," Gwen tried to tell him. He didn't seem to register her, still jerking and gasping out horror-filled blabbering. "Ben, you have to wake up!"
"Greetings, Ultra 10." Alex spoke menacingly. "I know much about you. I know where you live. I know who your family are. And better yet, I know that both of your parents were just admitted to the hospital. But that's not all… Best of all, I know who you are, Ben."
"No!" Ben shouted. He tried to raise his wrist to activate the Omnitrix, only to feel as though there were heavy weights pulling his arms down.
"I know about your powers. I know all about your team. And how weak you are at protecting them! Just as useless as protecting your parents from me!" The scene changed, and Ben found himself standing helpless as a missile slowly approached his house. Inside his mother stood, looking out the window, watching the missile come for her, tears in her eyes as she plead with Ben to save her. But, just like him, she was held motionless against her will as the missile flew ever closer.
"Not her!" Ben shouted as he struggled to raise his arm, finally seemingly to break loose of whatever spell he had over him. With his free hand, he slammed down on the Omnitrix, transforming instantly into Accelerate. He took off, running towards the house. But it was just too far, or it kept getting farther and farther, he couldn't tell which. His hearts strained as he ran faster and faster to get to her.
He knew how useless it was, how useless he was. The fastest creature on Earth, and he couldn't save his own mother. Still he ran, faster, faster, faster! All the speed he could go still wasn't moving him any closer to the house. Finally, exhausted, he dropped to his reptilian knees, looking up in defeat at her, standing at the front door.
"I… I can't save her," Ben admitted, feeling like the world's greatest failure.
"I thought you were a hero," Sandra's pitiful whisper echoed through this world. "I thought you loved me?" Ben stood up, somehow in his normal form.
"I-I do! What do I do?" He shouted, running again towards the house. He was running up the driveway, getting so close to her. He reached out his arms to her, only feet away from her, when all of a sudden, the missile impacted, sending him away from her. He could do nothing but watch helplessly as his house blew up, flame obscuring the image of his mother's tear-stained cheeks.
"NO!" Ben shouted, as he flew backwards through the air. He realized that the blast hadn't thrown him backwards. Someone had grabbed him and yanked him back, their hand still on his shoulder. Ben spun around to see him, only to realize that it was himself. But not himself, it was his rage.
"I saved your life!" His inverse shouted at him.
"You should have let me die!" Ben shouted.
"Woah, woah, woah!" Gwen exclaimed. Ben blinked his eyes, looking around him in a confused state. He wasn't at his house, he wasn't in a flame-engulfed building. And his inverse was nowhere to be found. In front of him, he was Gwen, his cousin staring at him with a concerned look. Around her, they were in their hideout. Ben felt his heartbeat slow down to something more normal, and his breathing slowed down, as he was no longer gulping down air like it was the last he'd ever get.
"It was just a nightmare," Gwen reassured him. "Whatever it was, it was all in your head." Ben nodded, still struggling to decide to believe his mind or his eyes. Ben moved to sit up in his bunk, Gwen backing off slightly to give him some space.
"What was it about?" Gwen asked. Ben shook his head.
"It… I… it's hard to remember it all," Ben confessed. "It had to do with Alex, and my mom," Ben stuttered out. Gwen put her hand on Ben's shoulder again, the smooth touch of her fingers comforting him. It was something real, something safe. But more importantly, it was another evidence that what had seemed so real only moments before was in fact all in his head.
"Do you want to try to piece it together?" Gwen asked. Ben shook his head.
"No, I'd just as rather forget it," Ben said. Gwen nodded.
"You alright then?" She asked. Ben nodded. He stood up, stretching a bit as he did so.
"I'm going to go get some fresh air," Ben sighed. Gwen nodded as he walked out of their shelter, into the early morning air. After a walk around the park for some time, Ben made his way back to the shelter. He saw Gwen already resting peacefully on her bunk. Quietly, Ben made his way back to his own bed and got in it, trying to fall back asleep. But visions or memories of Alex's attack, or his dad's insanity-ridden face still haunted him. He tossed and turned for what felt like hours before finally his mind calmed down, and let him get some sleep.
Ben woke to the sunbeams streaming through the cracks in their shelter, and through their entrance. It was still a cool morning, but not yet cold enough for frost, thankfully. Reluctantly, Ben shuffled his covers, attempting to get up. However, something wasn't right. His bed felt too full. Turning his head around, he saw a face surrounded by orange hair on the pillow next to his.
"Gah!" Ben exclaimed, startled at the sight of his cousin. His sudden movement toppled him out of bed, hitting his head on the dirt floor beneath. "Ow!"
"What is it?" Gwen asked, startled as she jolted awake, mana glowing slightly around her clenched fists.
"You," Ben said, rubbing his head as he stood up off of the ground. "What are you doing in my bed?"
"You were having nightmares again," Gwen admitted. "Not as bad as before, I don't think. But you wouldn't calm down unless I was close." Her face was going as red as her hair.
"So you got into my bed?" Ben asked, confused.
"I didn't want to keep having to wake you up to calm you down over and over again," Gwen explained. "And I didn't want to have to keep waking up to wake you up either. So I just thought that I'd lay beside you to help you stay asleep." Now it was time for Ben's face to grow as red as Gwen's hair.
"Well… I, uh… thanks, I guess," Ben stuttered out. "But we're cousins, and we shouldn't be sleeping together."
"Well we are cousins, so nothing romantic is going to happen, right?" Gwen asked. "Because you're still a total doofus, and I don't even want to pretend that I was attracted to you."
"Yeah, me neither," Ben said. "Definitely no feelings here either. But we still should play it safe."
"Do you remember what I told you in your bedroom?" Gwen asked.
"Um… maybe? It's kind hard to think straight when you say it like that," Ben admitted. Gwen got a confused look on her face for a moment before realization dawned on her.
"Sicko!" She shouted.
"Sorry, it's just the way you said it!" Ben rationalized as he backed up a step, hands in a surrender position.
"No!" Gwen exclaimed again. "No, what I meant is when we had our talk after coming to know the other's identity."
"I think I remember that," Ben relented.
"I told you that I wanted to be there for you, like… like the way Lukas was," Gwen said. "Someone you could talk to, and trust to have your back."
"Yeah, I remember," Ben replied.
"Well, if you're having trouble with your thoughts, I want to be able to help you," Gwen said. "And nothing romantic… just if it's hard for you, I'm going to be here to help you through it."
"Thanks," Ben said again, still feeling the heat in his face. "It's getting pretty bright out there, let's go see what's going on." Gwen nodded, and the two of them exited the shelter.
"Vilgax is still gone," Gwen said. "Perhaps it's safe for us to come out of hiding?"
"It's worth taking a look anyhow," Ben replied, pulling his suit out of his pocket. "Let's make a sweep through the city to see what we can find out. Meet you back here at two?"
"Got it," Gwen replied. "Ostendo!" At the word, Gwen's figure glowed with mana, her clothes disappearing and being replaced with her Lucky Girl costume. Beside her, Ben opened his suit, feeling the nanotech crawl over him as it expanded to cover him. He raised the Omnitrix, activating the faceplate and cycled through the forms until he found the one he decided on. In a moment, he was encased in a green flash of light.
"JetRay!" Ben shouted as the light dissipated. Beside him, Gwen raised her eyebrow, which peeked one rthe top of her cat mask.
"I'm taking someone's advice to get to know my new aliens," Ben said. Gwen, thinking it was her, smiled at the compliment. She wasn't wrong, at least not entirety. It had been her idea to study and see what the new aliens could do. At least he was taking her advice. On her hip, her Bazel Charm on Telekinesis lit up as she took to the sky, flying over Bellwood.
"Julie? Cooper? Can you hear us?" Ben spoke into his communicator as he swerved in and out of the city buildings.
"Yeah, what's the matter?" Cooper answered.
"Gwen and I are doing a sweep of the city to see what is all going on," Ben informed them.
"Thanks for the heads-up," Cooper replied. "Let us know if you need any backup, or even with whatever information you find. We're short on intel too."
"You got it," Ben replied before ending the communication. Just as he'd done so, he heard some shouting up ahead. "Guess I'd better give it a look before I call for some help." He swooped down in his alien form, staying far enough away to not be easily seen. Up ahead, there was a crowd of people, most of them looking angry of fearful. They were growing into a mob, angry and upset.
"People, please calm down," a PLUMMER agent was at the head of the crowd. He stood by a couple of police officers. "Remember that it was the PLUMMERs that drove off Vilgax's invasion!"
"We don't want you here!" Someone from the audience shouted, with more of the people shouting their agreement.
"Alien lovers!" Another person from the crowd shouted.
"This can't end well," Ben said as he landed close to the front of the escalating situation. His sudden swoop in startled the crowd, who backed up slightly. He pressed the Omnitrix badge, resorting back to his human form, although he still had his suit on.
"Hey, guys, we're all on the same side," Ben tried to calm down the mob of angry citizens. "Vilgax was our enemy, not the PLUMMERs!" The crowd started to quiet down slightly.
"Ultra 10?" One of the police officers from behind him asked. Ben turned around, only to see the police officer draw his gun. "I've got a warrant out for your arrest."
"Really?" Ben questioned. "Right when I'm trying to keep you from getting booed?"
"You're a vigilante, and you deserve to be held accountable for your crimes," the officer said. "Now you can come easily, or you can come the hard way." Ben looked at the PLUMMER agent.
"Is this guy for real?" Ben questioned as he stepped back from the two cops who were walking towards him.
"I'm afraid that the PLUMMERs don't have any authority in this," the agent said, trying to get out of the situation. "This is a local law enforcement matter."
"Boo!" Several people started shouting from the crowd. "He's just a kid!" Shouted another person.
"Do you hear them?" Ben asked, trying to avoid confrontation with the police officers. "If you take me in, you might have a problem."
"Then we'll have to add instigating a riot to the list of your crimes," the officer said. Ben raised his wrist, activating the Omnitrix.
"You don't want to do that, kid," the PLUMMER agent warned him. "As soon as you go alien, you become a PLUMMER matter…"
"As if you were any help," Ben spat at him. He slammed down on the face plate, exploding in a flash of green light. The instant that the light vanished, the second officer fired at him with his taser, stunning Ben as he jolted on the ground.
"By the authority of the PLUMMERs," the PLUMMER agent said. "I am placing Ultra 10 under arrest for threatening and endangering officers of the law! Officers Henley and Johnson, please help escort him into custody."
"This is bullshit!" Someone shouted from the crowd. A roar of anger erupted. "That was a setup!"
"He will get a trial," one of the officers tried to placate the crowd. "We have to let law and order prevail!" All of a sudden, a glass bottle flew through the air at the officer, smashing on the ground next to him. Within a short while, sticks, stones and any loose rubble was starting to be thrown at the PLUMMER agent and the two officers.
"PLUMMER HQ," the agent spoke into his communicator. "A riot has started on Beale Street! Send reinforcements immediately!" The two officers drew their guns on the crowd.
"Stand down, or we'll be forced to use deadly force!" One of the officers warned.
"Imposters!" "Liars!" "Thugs!" Angry shouts echoed through the crowd, the anger getting louder and louder. The three law enforcement officers stepped back, finding that they were cornered against a building. Roughly, Ben stood up, still cringing from the taser.
"Calm down!" Ben shouted in Accelerate's voice. He pressed the Omnitrix badge, returning to his human form. "Don't do anything rash!" Then he turned around.
"Fine, I surrender," Ben said, offering his hands to the officers. At his surrender, the mob's volume subsided, and they stopped throwing things at the PLUMMER and officers. The police officer pulled out his pair of handcuffs, slapping them over one of Ben's wrists, before turning him around, and cuffing the other wrist behind his back.
"Smart choice, kid," the officer spat in his ear.
"I'm only doing it so that these people don't get hurt," Ben replied.
"Officer Johnson," The PLUMMER agent said. "He did transform into an alien, which makes him a PLUMMER matter." The officer nodded, handing him over to the PLUMMER agent. Within the next few minutes, much of the mob had dispersed, though there was still around two dozen angry citizens, standing around, watching what was taking place. Finally, the PLUMMER reinforcements arrived, dispersing the rest of the crowd and hauling Ultra 10 into their transport van.
"Alright, you guys can drop the act now," Ben said jokingly. He was met with stone silence.
"Come on, guys, you can let me out now," Ben tried again. "We diffused the situation, and no one's hurt."
"The prisoner should remain quiet," one of the agents addressed him. "Anything you say will be used against you." Ben got a confused look on his face.
"What are you talking about?" He asked.
"You transformed into an alien with the intent to injure an officer of the law," the PLUMMER agent he'd stood up for said. "That means that you are a criminal, and need to be taken into custody."
"Like Hell I will," Ben shouted. He felt his wrist for the Omnitrix, activating the face plate. He was just about to slam down on the dial when he got a gun butt slammed into his face, knocking him out cold.
Sometime later, Ben woke up, a deep headache feeling like it was splitting his head apart. He was sitting all alone in a dark room. A small window through the door was the only source of light entering the space, and it didn't brighten much of anything up. After a few moments in the darkness, the door opened up, and one man walked inside. As soon as he entered, hidden lights in the ceiling turned on, illuminating the space.
"Think your guys could go easier on the lights?" Ben complained. "I've already got a headache, curtesy of your agents." The man entering had no emotion on his face.
"Would you take your suit off so that we can properly book you?" The man said.
"I don't even know why you're holding me here," Ben responded. "And until I get some answers, I'm not taking it off."
"The vigilante Ultra 10 held on crimes of threatening and endangering law enforcement officers, initiating to riot, unlawful destruction of property, serial assault and battery, reckless endangerment of citizens and other charges to be determined," the officer said. "Now take off the suit."
"You've got this all wrong," Ben told him. "I surrendered myself to stop the riot, and tp protect those police. And I only protect people against criminals and villains. It's them that cause the damage!"
"No, its you that has it all wrong," the man said. "I ordered the PLUMER agents to arrest you because you are inspiring certain people to resist the PLUMMER's efforts to protect Earth. And with you behind bars, those people aren't going to get hurt as we try to rebuild Earth's defenses." With that, the man turned back towards the door.
"So you are saying that those charges are trumped up?" Ben asked. The man chuckled, the sound not joyful, but cold and calculated.
"Those charges are brought against you because of what you've done. But you are in here because of what we need done," the man took another step towards the door. "And don't try to activate the Omnitrix, your hand is completely enclosed in a device I had made just for you." Ben looked down at his hand, seeing it fully encased in metal. In front of him, the man exited the room, the lights in the ceiling again turning off, leaving him in total darkness.
A/N:
So the PLUMMERs finally made their move. If they can stick the violence onto Ultra 10, and then get rid of him, they could assert their dominance without much violence, or at least that's their thoughts. But what are your thoughts? How is en going to get out of this one? His team, by himself, or are the Galactic Enforcers or someone else going to come to his aid? What did you think of the Bwen fluff this chapter? The two are really learning to trust each other, which is the start of any relationship. Have any other ideas, comments, ideas, suggestions or critiques? Let me know in a review! Don't forget to like and follow while you're at it! I really enjoy every review you guys leave, so thank you for all of the reviews!
Thanks for reading, and have an awesome day!
Review Responses:
Amanny: The entity inside Ben's mind is quite hard to read at. He wants to help Ben to be a hero but doing it for good only I thing I got it wants Ben to not die for its own survival. Who knows? They might cooperate or they will fight against each other.
Yeah, Vilgax just got even more intimidating. Nope I didn't see that coming. It's sad the Cerebrocrustacean died, all he wanted was to avenge his family and planet but unfortunately him Vilgax is not that easy to be fooled. I'm guessing the resistance from Galactic Enforcers is blocking the Oppressor.
1. What did you think of all designs of Vilgax from each series of Ben 10?
2. Which couple is your favorite in Ben 10?
3. What is your top 10 favorite aliens?
4. Which outfit of Ben did you like?
Thanks for the review, Amanny! The entity inside his mind is definitely mysterious, but you're reading at him pretty good! He doesn't necessarily seem to be evil or good, just trying to keep itself alive. Although it seems willing to flip flop on how it accomplishes that. (Back in chapter 34, it was rather quiet and submissive, and wanted to take on the hero persona by winning Lucky Girl for Ben. In chapter 45, it was much more verbose, and wanted to prove to Gwen that she was wrong, and that Ben was a hero.) As for Vilgax, he is a conquerer of worlds. As a result, some of his subjects adore him, and others hate him. But almost all of them fear him. As for the Oppressor, that is a good thought. We shall see if it's true... Thanks! As for your questions...
1. I really liked Vilgax's bionically upgraded body, which is what we mostly see in the original series. I also liked his design in the reboot series, though it was too cartoony to be too scary.
2. Out of canon, I love the Ben/Gwen ship, though I've grown to like the canon Gwen/Kevin ship too. I never really got on with the Max/Verdona or Max/Xylene as neither one was in the story long enough for me to get a good feel for them. As for Ben, I never thought that the Julie chemistry was really there, though they do make really good friends. I just never got the feeling that they would be a good couple. Charmcaster I felt had much better chemistry with him, and Eunice also semed to click, though I didn't get to see enough of her to really be able to tell.
3. My favorite would have to be (1) FourArms, and then (2-3) HeatBlast or WildVine, then (4) BigChill, (5) Wrath, (6) Whampire, (7) EchoEcho, (8) DiamondHead, (9) WildMutt and (10) XLR8 or BlitzWolfer.
4. Ben Classic's outfit would be my favorite, as I liked how they incorporated it (really well I think) into his alien transformations. I also really liked the Ben 10,000 outfit, where the shirt was inverted, being black with a white stripe. I also really like the Ben 10 5 Years Later outfit, as well as the Omniverse shirt. The other outfits are alright, but his classic look I don't think can be beat. Thanks for the review!
yraj2004: Alas, if only that Cerebrocrustacean hadn't murmured to himself, then the course of U10C Vol. 2 would have surely changed.
True, it was sad to see a character simply trying to avenge his family die like that, but if Vilgax had died by anyone other than Ben, then how anti-climatic would that be? Although, it didn't sound like his homeplanet really loved Vilgax. Perhaps they are going to try to revolt from his empire sometime in the future? It may, or it may not, play into the Ultra 10 Chronicles in the future volumes...