Author's Note: This one's shorter than the previous chapters because it took me four months to write this. Had some writer's block plus got surgery, moved, and resumed school during that time. I also posted a couple new Ben 10 fics on ao3 if you're interested.

The goodbyes were… well, they were goodbyes. Glitch didn't know what else to call them. Truth be told, he forgot about them pretty quickly. Kevin and Max and Ben and whatever was going on with Gwen just wasn't at the forefront of his mind, not with everything else happening. He normally wasn't one to get distracted quickly. Flying was amazing. And space? Space was a whole 'nother level.

Glitch still needed some help transforming and he was far from being able to fly on his own but Verdona was patient. At first, Glitch was grateful for the help. Verdona's mana wrapped around him, snug and supportive, like a warm blanket, reaching and bleeding into his own. He recognized it in the way he was sure so many family-oriented species recognized their own kin. It wasn't something Glitch was familiar with himself but he desperately wanted to be. He relished in it, soaking in every moment his grandmother's mana ticked his own, and cherished the lightness it brought him. Even when he'd flown before, however brief it was, it'd felt nothing like the way it did when Verdona carried him through the cosmos.

But as time stretched on, he realized how much he must slow Verdona down. They stopped on empty and semi-populated planets, giving Glitch a chance to rest, and he knew his grandmother wouldn't do that if he wasn't there. She didn't need breaks. She'd be there already if not for him dragging behind her. Glitch was grateful, of course. He needed those breaks and they were exciting but he imagined Verdona must be so bored. Neither ate or slept so there was no way to measure the passage of time and Anodites were naturally restless beings. This couldn't have been fun for her.

He thought about saying something. Offering to let her fly ahead. Telling her she could just leave him. Asking for directions so he could just catch up. He didn't though. As bored as Verdona must be, Glitch thought he'd rather have her bored than offended. He didn't know why exactly he feared the offer would offend her but it was a fear nonetheless. Of course, she might be grateful for the chance to fly on her own but it felt like too big of a risk. Even if she took it, she might not be happy he asked.

The journey was a long one and that left a lot of time for Glitch to think, though he supposed that was nothing new. After he'd left the Omnitrix, most of his life was spent idle. It was nice after the constant fight to keep the Omnitrix functioning and the Fulmini from escaping but it got lonely, even when there were others around. Kind of sad, maybe, but he couldn't bring himself to strike up a conversation with Verdona or ask for any sort of other mental stimulation. His passiveness was always his downfall and he spent most of the journey cursing it.

But they got there eventually and it was worth the wait. Anodyne was beautiful.

If flying with Verdona felt like finding family, seeing Anodyne for the first time felt like coming home. There was so much extrasomatic energy around that felt so much like Verdona yet so different. Would he be the same one day? Nearly indistinguishable from this planet of bountiful energy? Right now, in this moment, high on the excitement of arrival, Glitch thought he'd like that one day. There was something indescribable about it that just felt so humbling. Awe-inspiring. Divine, even. He wanted to be part of it, even if he didn't understand it.

Glitch noticed other Anodites before they reached the surface. They were flying around, as free as Verdona when he first met her. Some of them were the rich, flowing pink that made up Verdona. Glitch also spotted a number of blues, reds, and purples, their lights bleeding together in the distance. Any Anodite who flew by stared at him and Glitch had to wonder if there was something strange about his coloring. Sure, even the purple ones weren't as dark as him but that couldn't be that unusual, could it?

Picking up on his confusion, Verdona told him, "Your techno-organic nature conflicts with the raw life energy here. They can sense the Mechamorph in you."

"Oh," Glitch said aloud, feeling a little dumb. Of course they could. And it wasn't like other Anodites had black markings like he did. Even if their senses weren't so refined, they could tell he was different just by looking at him. Like Earth, his mind supplied, even if he hated to think that way. At least here Glitch wouldn't have to hide. Hopefully. Verdona wouldn't take him here if he did, right?

Glitch could feel the crackle of mana on the soles of his feet the moment they touched down. Verdona remained floating and Glitch couldn't help but feel a little out of place that he was the only one standing. It would be okay though. That was what he was here for. He'd learn to fly one day, one day soon if he worked hard.

"I need to report that I've returned," Verdona told him, lowering as far as she could without touching the ground. "Will you be alright on your own? I hoped that you would make friends here but Sunny is the only young Anodite I know and she can be a bit of a brat. Keep an eye out for blue light. That's usually a sign of youth."

Glitch shut his mouth and nodded, making sure to mentally take note of everything his grandmother had just told him. He could do that. He'd never really made friends before but he wanted to and that meant he'd try. "Try to make friends, Sunny's a brat, keep an eye out for blue light because that means someone might be around my age."

Verdona put a hand on his head. "Good. I will try to be quick. Pulse your mana if you get into any trouble. I'll sense it, even if it's just a little one."

Glitch wanted to tell her that he didn't actually know how to do that but Verdona was already zipping away by the time he opened his mouth. Glitch shook himself, trying not to let it bother him. He was on a new planet and had new powers. It was time for a fresh start. He could do this. Glitch knew he could.

…

No he couldn't.

The open, welcoming lull of the planet's aura below suddenly wasn't so comforting. Divine still but not humbling, not awe-inspiring. Beautiful, yes, but Glitch couldn't enjoy it. It was pulling, pulling, pulling and Glitch was afraid he'd get sucked in, only he wasn't. He didn't know if he was supposed to pull back or push against it. Heck, even if he did know, he still didn't know how to do either of those things. He didn't even know how to pulse his mana like Verdona had told him. He wasn't even totally sure what his mana was! What was he thinking coming here?

Anodyne kept thrumming beneath his feet, the mana so thick in the air that Glitch would've sworn he was choking on it if he had lungs. He felt so far away from it even though it was right there. It expected something of him. Or he expected something of it. He didn't know. He couldn't tell. Everything just felt off. Wrong. Overwhelming. There was just so much mana everywhere and he didn't know what to do with it.

Something tapped him and Glitch felt his senses coming back to him. Sight, sound, touch… When had they left him? He hadn't even noticed. That was a bit concerning actually. Glitch didn't think that'd happened before but it didn't exactly feel new either. Hopefully this wouldn't be a recurrence. He couldn't afford to disconnect like that on a foreign planet. Especially when he didn't know anyone who could help him if he got into trouble.

Something tapped him harder and Glitch tried to look around for it but his body was too stiff to relax. He winced, discomfort shooting through his body. It wasn't pain, not really. Just unpleasant. He tried again, less abrupt this time. Slowly, Glitch managed to turn and found an Anodite hovering right behind him, already charging up another disk of mana to prod him with.

Her mana was blue, just the beginning of pink starting to bleed into it. She was young then, if what Verdona said was true. Glitch had no reason to doubt her words. This new girl had to be around his age. If not for the color of her mana, the curiosity on her face was telling. None of the older Anodites above looked at him the way she did.

She seemed pleased that she'd gotten his attention, leaning back with a satisfied smile on her face. "I've never felt something like you before."

She reached out to touch him. Part of Glitch wanted to lean away but something about her… He didn't know what it was but Glitch found he didn't mind. He extended an arm and let her run a finger across the Galvanic markings along his forearm. "I'm a Mechamorph."

"I don't know what that is," she responded, withdrawing her hand. For a moment, Glitch was afraid he'd scared her off but she broke into a grin a moment later. "Race ya!"

Before Glitch could even blink, she was off like a shooting star. Looking after her, Glitch found himself matching her grin. Maybe he wasn't quite ready for making friends or manipulating his mana but a race he could do! Shifting into his car form was easy as a warm, sleepy Rath and Glitch could speed along on wheels far better than he could ever hope to fly.

The race was fun, especially when the girl noticed he was keeping up. She seemed thrilled by the challenge, a teasing light in her eye as she sped up. Glitch matched her gladly. Anodyne didn't have a rough enough surface for his wheels to get a grip on but something about the aura clinging to the ground was perfect for them to catch on. Glitch didn't understand it and he didn't care. He was going fast and that was all that mattered.

The world– this new world, this beautiful new world– became a blur around him. The Anodites in the distance and the dancing energy all melted into one brilliant, swirling symphony of color. Really, it looked like one of those mosaic paintings they had on Earth, or maybe a kaleidoscope. Ben had given him once, having quickly grown tired of it after winning it at some arcade, and Glitch had loved it, even if he couldn't use it properly when he didn't have hands. Speeding across Anodyne felt like driving through that joyous little tube.

And he had someone with him! LaGrange would never race with him through a kaleidoscope. They normally went in the desert, where it was all open and there weren't many changes for offroading. But there was no road here and Glitch let the girl choose their path. He supposed it wasn't really a race then since he wasn't trying to pull ahead of her. He was content with letting her stay one step ahead though. It was her companionship that remained stark and bold through the blurry mosaic around him.

But then she stopped. It was so abrupt that Glitch didn't know why. He was sure she had a good reason but he was going too fast to slam on the breaks. Instead, he reverted to his humanoid form and smacked into something firm yet malleable, too soft to be a building but too hard to be nothing. Glitch peeled himself back to look up and found himself face to face with Grandma Verdona. She wasn't looking at him though. She was looking at the girl.

"Sunny," Verdona said sternly and Glitch gulped. That was Sunny? Hadn't Verdona warned him to stay away from her? Or not warned, exactly. Cautioned? Advised? She wanted him to make other friends. Or did she just want him to make friends on his own? Maybe she wouldn't mind.

"Grandma," Sunny said sweetly, tucking her hand behind her back. Verdona wasn't having it though and Sunny's expression soured. "Come on, I was just having a bit of fun."

"Wait, Grandma?" Glitch questioned aloud before he knew what he was saying. Why was Sunny calling Verdona Grandma? That was what Ben, Gwen, and Ken called her, and Glitch too he supposed even if he hadn't really yet. They'd just met afterall. But this girl…?

Verdona looked amused, glancing between the two of them. "Well, I guess the Apoplexian is out of the bag. Sunny, this is my grandson Glitch. Glitch, this is my granddaughter Sunny."

Granddaughter? But didn't Max only have two sons? Frank and Carl. He'd met them. He'd seen pictures of when they were young too. Did that mean Max and Verdona had some other kid he didn't know about? Or that Verdona had been in some other relationship around the time Carl and Frank were born? Sunny was Glitch's age which eliminated a few possibilities. Did Frank and Carl know about her? Or even Max?

Sunny seemed unconcerned though, peering at Glitch with the same curiosity as before. "Glitch? What a weird name."

"I'm a Mechamorph," Glitch repeated, not knowing how else to respond. Where had his name come from anyway? His memory was failing him at the moment. Had Ben given him the name? Or had he called himself prior to Ben slipping into the Omnitrix?

"I still don't know what that means," Sunny said, pouting a bit. Glitch was fairly sure it was good natured but he had such a hard time knowing when someone was making fun or actually upset. He hoped it was the former, not the latter.

Verdona clapped her hands together, looking thrilled. "You will learn soon enough. You two are training together! Glitch, come. I will show you where I live. You will be staying with me. Sunny, be at my door first thing tomorrow. Glitch needs to learn how to fly and you need to work on your height. I saw you during that race. Your lucky your mother didn't see you flying so close to the ground or she'd have a fit."

Sunny groaned and slumped over a bit, giving Glitch a half-hearted wave as she floated off. Glitch was a bit disappointed his new friend– cousin?– was leaving but the prospect of training was too exciting. Tomorrow couldn't get here fast enough!