Ben Tennyson was walking down an old dirt road on the outskirts of his home town of Bellwood. He was walking because he was deep in thought. Spanner, a young time traveler from the future revealed to him and Kai that the two teens were married, which caused many issues between the two. Then, Ester, who was Ben's current girlfriend not too long ago, broke up with Ben on good terms and started dating Antonio, an enemy of Ben's.
Before riding off with Antonio, Ester said she was tired of fighting fate, meaning she accepts Ben and Kai being together in the long run. When she and Antonio left, Ben asks Kai if she believes in fate, she denies it. But after slipping on a banana peel, Ben accidenally kissed Kai, and both seemed to enjoy it.
But once the feeling of the kiss wore off and the adrenaline faded away, Ben told Kai to just stay friends and not get romantic in any way anymore. Before Kai could say anything, Ben turned into XLR8 and ran away, leving Kai in the dust.
Now completely alone, Ben sat on a lone rock and began to question everything. Is fate really something to believe in? That if something is destined to happen, you can't stop it from happening? If that's the case, was it really fate that let Ben have the Omnitrix? Or was it really just dumb luck that he wound up with it and it was dumb luck that got him this far as a superhero? He took out his phone and looked up everything about fate and luck and how hey differ from one another. According to his results, luck is something that unintentionally happens to someone by chance while fate is the presumed cause, force, principle, or divine will that predetermines events.
In other words, luck happens without meaning to and fate happens for a purpose.
Now Ben felt even more confused. Should he just accept his fated future with Kai? Should he believe that everything really is preordained? He sighed, feeling dread along with helplessness.
"Ben, my boy."
Ben looked up and saw his time traveling ally, Professor Paradox in his usual chipper mood.
"Oh, hey, Paradox." Ben said in a gloomy voice.
"Why so down in the mouth, Benjamin?" asked the professor.
"Well, it's just...do you ever feel like everything in your life is just one big setup that you can't escape from?" asked Ben. "And if you try to change it, you can't?"
"This wouldn't have anything to do with your relationship with Kai, would it?" asked Paradox.
Ben threw his hands up. "Oh, for crying out loud!" he exclaimed, standing up. "Don't act dumb! You know it does! Because it was fate that you got time powers in order to manipulate me into accepting my miserable fate! Because when you're a time traveler, you know everything!"
"Not everything, Ben." Paradox responded.
Ben knitted his brow. "What are you yammering about?"
Paradox used his powers and transported himself and Ben to the Bellwood pier. Ben looked around. "Why'd you bring me to the pier?"
"To have a decent talk." answered Paradox. "You see, Ben, the future is never set in stone. It's merely a shadow of what will come depending on the present." He pointed to a rather frazzled looking elderly man riding a motorized scooter. He pulled up to a fortune telling machine and put money in it. The machine printed out his fortune and when the old man read it, he deflated in agony.
"That man has been putting money in that machine for most of his life, believing it to be an actual seer into the future." Paradox explained.
"What?! But that's just ridiculous!" Ben nearly shouted. "That's just a stupid machine!"
"And Spanner is just a stupid little boy." Paradox replied, making Ben pause his words. "Ben, just because Spanner is a time traveler, doesn't mean he knows any better. But I've been time traveling much longer than he has. And what Spanner doesn't understand that I do, is that life is like a vending machine. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't. But no one can truly say if they're lucky or favored by fate. Luck or fate, none of it matters." He gestured to the many people walking the pier. There were people smiling, people laughing, people enjoying the rides and the snack bars. "Look around, Ben. Many of these people are in charge of their own lives, creating their own futures. And here you are, fearful and uncertain, being controlled by what a young boy tells you about your love life, a life that isn't set in stone because the future is constantly changing. Is that how you want to live the rest of your life?"
Recognizing the professor's words, Ben finally comes to his senses. "No, nobody should go through life like that and neither will I." He grew a little smile. "Thanks, Paradox."
Paradox smiled back. "Any time, my boy. Any time." And the professor left in a flash of light.
"BEN!" a voice shouted. Ben turned and was happy to see Kai running to him. "Ben! I've been looking for you everywhere! Paradox said this is where I would find you!"
Ben chuckled. "Yeah, that does sound like him. Anyway, Kai, listen. Everything I said to you earlier, I want to apologize. You see, when Spanner said we'll be together in the future and Ester implied that we're bound together by fate, I was terrified by that idea. Because, well, I still had a little heartbreak inside me when you rejected me all those years ago."
Kai blinked in surprise. Then disappointment filled her eyes. "Oh."
"So, when I was learned that I was 'destined' to be with someone who hurt me in the past, my head was spinning with all kinds of crazy stuff about fate and luck and if my life was just a big lousy setup that I can't run away from. Well, Paradox was able to clear my head and told me that Spanner doesn't decide our future, especially not some waste-of-money fortune telling machine. Nothing and no one decides how to live our lives. The future is never set in stone and we're in charge of our own lives, we make our own futures and we do what we want to do."
Needless to say, Kai was impressed. "Wow. He told you all that?"
"Yeah, Paradox maybe goofy sometimes. But he always means well." Ben said that with true honesty.
"I'm just glad he was able to save you from yourself. Otherwise, you could have wound up locked away in a funny farm!" Kai joked.
Ben rolled his eyes. "Oh, ha, ha." he said sarcastically.
"So, what do you want to do right now, Mr. Take Charge Of His Own Life?" asked Kai.
Ben looked around. "Well, it's a perfect night and here we are at an awesome amusement park." He smiled at Kai. "What do you say we have some fun?"
Kai smiled back. "Sound good to me!"
"Maybe we can take a ride on the Tunnel of Love." Ben suggested.
Kai looked at Ben. "Uh, Ben-"
"Hey, I'm not thinking about the future. I'm just doing what I want." Ben said. "And I want to enjoy my life with you." He offered his hand. "But only if you want to." He smiled. To say Kai was surprised would be an understatement. Ben just said he was still hurt from Kai dumping him. But now, it looks like Ben has finally forgiven her. Smiling, Kai took Ben's hand and the two walked off to the Tunnel of Love together.
