NOTE: Welcome back everyone! The new arc begins with this chapter. I'm looking forward to this and I hope you guys have fun reading it.

I will state this again that Ben does not have a Shadow nor does Gwen. They are both too young to manifest one, and even with their issues they have Yukiko and Max to help them through them. Unlike the Investigation Team who all suffered from their problems for years, because they never talked to anyone or got help. Teenage angst and hormones don't help either.

This doesn't mean that Ben and Gwen won't eventually get one, but for now it's not possible.

Kevin would most definitely have one at any point in his life. Kevin's life is that fucked up, but there's a chance that a Shadow wouldn't even manifest, because not even Kevin knows who or what he actually is.

Enjoy and Review

Chapter 52: Regrets (1)

Thunder boomed loudly over the park grounds, the flash of lightning adding a certain amount of dramatic flair to it. Motorhomes of many kinds could be seen all throughout the park, having parked for the night to not drive through the storm. A fog had set itself in through the nightly stormy air, which would've made driving even more dangerous.

The Rustbucket was just one of many RVs that was taking shelter this night. A single flickering light of a television could be visible if one paid close enough attention. Inside the motorhome was Maxwell Tennyson, the older man was watching TV. Usually, he'd have been asleep at this time of night, but he just couldn't get any rest.

"Ugah…."

Unlike his grandkids, however, who were all sleeping in the back like babies. It brought a soft smile to his lips to see them sleeping peacefully. The last couple of days had been hectic with Ghostfreak's return and then Xylene. His kids deserved some cooldown before they joined back up with Rise and the others in Vegas.

Taking a sip of water from the cup in his hands, Max turned back to the television. He was currently watching a rerun of a soap opera that Vera had recommended to him once before. The ex-plumber never saw much of a point in watching it, since soap operas were too dramatic for him. But there was nothing else better to do, so he might as well just sit through it, although the episode made him slightly uncomfortable.

It was about the falling dysfunctionality of a family, something that he regretfully found familiar enough. The father and mother were stuck in a shouting match, she was sick and tired of him not being home. He was always out of the house, and anytime he would come home he'd barely make any time for his kids or her. The father would respond that what he does is important and that there was no way for any of them to understand what it meant to be him.

All the while, the children were watching the fight from the kitchen, just the uncomfortable looks on their faces was enough to unsettle Max. He'd seen those looks before, sometimes even haunting his dreams.

Eventually the mother gave up, fed up with her husband's selfishness and victimized behavior. It wouldn't be until the next day for the dad to return home and see that his wife and kids were gone. She had taken the kids with her and left him all alone to rot in his solitude.

CLICK!

Max shut off the TV, fed up with watching the show and tired from his lack of sleep. Getting up from his seat, Max prepared to pull out the futon to get to sleep. That was, until a boom of thunder caught his attention. Looking out the window he took notice of the fog that had grown even thicker since the storm started. "Jeez, that's some thick fog." Max muttered. His eyes turned to the clock on the microwave and saw that it was five minutes to midnight.

"Better get to bed then. Need all the energy I can get for our drive in the morning." Max whispered to himself. As he walked away from the window, Max found himself staring back at the TV screen, his reflection staring right back at him. That was when a memory buzzed itself to life in his head.

"If you stare into a turned off TV at midnight on a rainy day, you will see a strange figure in there."

Yukiko's words from when she explained her experience during the previous year to them had resurfaced. If you asked him if he ever thought a dimension inside of a TV could ever exist or was possible, he'd probably say 'yes'. After all, years as a Plumber taught him to expect the unexpected. Inside that world lay the origin of Yukiko's powers, which slightly confused him since he had encountered a group who may have used similar abilities to her.

S.E.E.S.

Max wondered what had happened to that particular group after he ran into them three years ago. But Yukiko and Yu had explained that their powers are activated by crushing a tarot card, whereas S.E.E.S. all pointed guns to their heads. It was really confusing to him even now.

He saw that the clock was just about to hit midnight and decided to at least humor himself tonight after that awful soap opera. Getting closer to the television, Max put his hand on the screen right as the clock hit twelve. He waited for something to happen for a few more minutes, but nothing ever did.

Max shrugged, chuckling to himself. "Well, Yukiko did say that they defeated the one controlling it. Guess, that world no longer exis-" Max pulled his hand away until something reached through the television and grabbed his arm. The ex-plumber's eyes widened in shock and tried to fight back against the assailant, but whoever it was too strong. Max found himself inches away from the television and turned to his kids. "KID-!" It was too late, and Maxwell Tennyson vanished inside of the television.

"Ugh… keep it down, Grandpa." Ben murmured, turning over in his muttering. He didn't wait for a response before descending back into his slumber. He nor his cousins were aware of the terrible fate that just befell their grandfather.


OP: More Than Like by Bish

The spell we're under is the real deal, I'm watching closely

Oh, I wonder if we can change this shattered world

Ben and Yukiko stood back-to-back in a grassy field, the heiress and hero stared up into the bright sky above them. Ben's eyes were filled with determination as the camera turned to Yukiko, who had a single tear running down her face.

Let's keep on journeying and picking up the pieces, every last one

The Tennyson kids were seen gearing themselves up. Yukiko finished tying her hair into a ponytail and whipped out her fan. Gwen closed her spell book, allowing the mana to swirl between her fingertips. The last one was Ben, who was holding a glowing blue object in his hands.

Oh, if we can reach beyond the shattered tears

A single picture frame sat on top of a dresser. The image contained 5 people, but one of the faces had been cut out.

You think other people are impossible to understand

I'm gonna take away that sad notion

(Oh yeah! Oh yeah!)

Let's begin

Naoto was seen ducking out of the way of a blazing sword swipe. The weapon belonged to a woman white hair, who was dressed in a black and orange jumpsuit. She jumped back before unleashing a vortex of flames at the detective.

Yu raised his blade that was coated in lighting to block the gauntlet covered fist. The attacker was a large man with dark skin, black and white hair, and he was dressed in a similar jumpsuit as the woman.

Kenji was seen talking to a young boy around Ben's age with black and white hair. The boy has dark skin and black colored eyes. He's dressed in an orange shirt, and yellow sweatpants. In his hands was an orange staff.

I just can't let it go, because it's just too sad

A man resembling Max Tennyson stood on top of a pillar. His malicious yellow eyes glowed in the night as power erupted around his body, transforming him into an unknown entity.

Your words, more than anyone else's

Yukiko is seen smashing her tarot card, Sumeo-Okami coming to life and torching everything around her.

Your answers, more than anything else

Are what I want to know

Gwen's eyes turned bright blue as her magic surged to life. Behind her a glowing silhouette could be seen.

I want to keep shaking them up

Even if now isn't the time

Ben struggled to his feet, his body littered with scratches and bruises. He activated the Omnitrix, the device sparking with green energy.

My words, more than anyone else's

My answers, more than anything else

A 10-year-old Max Tennyson ran through the empty field, in his hands was a toy spaceship that he pretended to fly. He then turned into a young adult, dressed in a spacesuit as he prepared to take off into space. Then finally, his present self was standing across from three young boys and a woman. Their eyes conveyed no emotions as they stared at him.

Are what I want to give

So, hear them and know

The scene transitioned to Ben and the Max lookalike standing inside of a spaceship graveyard. Ben charged the lookalike with a green electrical surge surrounding the Omnitrix and punched out at the clone, creating a massive explosion.

I want to see the same things as you

The final shot was of Max and his grandkids sleeping by a tree. Ben was leaning on the old man's shoulder, drooling on his shirt. Yukiko leaned on his other shoulder as Gwen's head rested on her lap. Max smiled softly as the warmth of his grandkids surrounded him.


Ben's eyes slowly opened; his mind prepared to greet the sunny morning after the thunderous storm the night before. Or at least, he thought he'd be seeing the bits of sunlight. Instead, the only thing that was visible to him was a blue ceiling. "Wait a minute… I recognize this ceiling!" Ben shot up in his seat and found himself staring at two familiar people.

"Welcome back to the Velvet Room, Benjamin." Igor said.

"Long nose and old lady!"

BONK!

"GAH!" Ben gripped the top of his head after Margaret bashed him on the head with her book.

"And I see that your manners are still non-existent." The assistant sighed.

"Jeez! Is every woman in my life just gonna keep hitting me!?" Ben cried.

"If you keep putting your foot in your mouth, then yes." Margaret answered.

Ben grumbled in his seat, crossing his arms. "What am I even here for? Last time I was brought in here, it was just a bunch of weird cryptic stuff."

"An unfamiliar journey awaits you, young Benjamin." Igor said.

"A journey?"

"Yes, which means you'll need this." Margaret held out her hand, blue particles swirling around in her palm before taking the shape of a key. The attendant tossed it towards Ben, the object landing gracefully in his hands.

"A key?"

"Yes, to access the Velvet Room at any point during your quest." Margaret explained.

Ben glared at the two. "What journey!? And why would I willingly want to come back here!? You two are weird!"

"How Amagi manages to put up with you is beyond my understanding…" Margaret sighed.

"Can I just get some straight answers!?" Ben asked.

"The path ahead of you is full of questions, young Benjamin. One does not simply reach their destination because they were given the correct path." Igor said.

As much as he wanted to, Ben couldn't find it in him to refute that. It's not like anyone told him to be a hero or how to use the Omnitrix. He just figured it all out on his own. As much as he wanted to keep talking, his eyes started to feel heavy.

"It would seem that our time is up for now." Igor hummed. "Do not forget that key, young Benjamin." That was the last thing Ben heard before everything turned dark.


"BEN, WAKE UP!"

"WUAH!" Ben fell out of his bunk, landing face first on the floor. He groaned loudly at the rude awakening before getting up to his feet. The young hero glared right at Gwen, who had been the one to wake him up. "Jeez, dweeb! Have you ever heard of waking someone up peacefully!?"

"I thought about it, but then decided I owed you back for putting Stinkfly barf into my bowl of ice cream yesterday." Gwen answered.

"Tch, I'll be sure to put more into it next time." Ben spat. He sniffed the air, smelling something dreadful. He looked towards the stove and saw Yukiko happily cooking 'breakfast'. "Why is she cooking breakfast?" Ben whispered to Gwen.

"Grandpa isn't here for some reason, so Yukiko decided to get started on breakfast." Gwen answered.

"What? Grandpa's not here?" Ben raised an eyebrow. The boy walked over to Yukiko. "Yukiko!"

"Oh, good morning, Ben." Yukiko turned from her cooking to smile at Ben.

"Good morning." He returned the greeting. "Uh, where's Grandpa?"

"I'm not really sure. He wasn't here when I woke up, so I assumed that he must've stepped out for something. So, I decided to cook breakfast this morning before he returns." Yukiko answered.

"Maybe he's just grabbing some groceries?" Gwen suggested.

"Or he's just going for an old man walk." Ben said.

"Either way, breakfast is almost done, so hurry up and get dressed, Ben." Yukiko pushed him out of the way.

"Yeah, yeah."

After Ben finished getting dressed, the three tried to eat their breakfast before Yukiko opted to just make them bowls of cereal. The three kids sat in the Rustbucket, keeping themselves busy until Max's return. However, after two hours worry started to sprout in their hearts. "Okay, I can get running errands, but it taking over several hours is ridiculous." Gwen looked up from her laptop.

"Seriously! I know old people can be slow, but Grandpa doesn't move like most old people." Ben tossed his comic book to the side.

"Perhaps he got lost?" Yukiko suggested.

"He's not Ben."

"Hey!"

"I'll just try calling him." Yukiko grabbed her phone and dialed Max's number.

Ben 10, he's a kid and he likes to have fun~

But when you need a superhero, he gets the job done~

"W-what is that!?" Gwen turned to the front of the RV, where Max's phone was still charging. She picked up the phone and turned to Ben. "How did you even change the ringtone to record your voice!?"

"Upgrade, duh!" Ben smiled proudly at himself. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Delete." Gwen deleted the ringtone.

"Hey!"

Yukiko frowned deeply in thought, ignoring her bickering cousins. Their grandfather hadn't taken his phone with him when he left, which was dangerous and concerning. If he had gone out to run errands, then he would've taken his phone with him unless he forgot, but even then, he would have contacted them some other way, or even left a note telling them that he had left. But there was nothing left behind to indicate that Max had gone anywhere, which could only mean something had happened to Max last night while the three of them were asleep.

Standing up from the table, Yukiko turned to her cousins. "Okay, you two, that's enough arguing." They didn't hear her, so the heiress did the only thing she could do.

SMACK!

SMACK!

"OW!" Both cried after getting smacked on the head. "What was that for!?"

"Listen!" Her tone had shut down any more complaints. "Grandpa is missing, and we have no idea where he could be! We need to look for him!"

"Where would we even start?" Ben asked.

"We could ask around the park grounds. If Grandpa was taken or left, then somebody had to have seen him, even with the storm last night." Gwen said.

"Then that's where we start! Even if it takes us all day and night!" Yukiko declared. She then turned to her cousins with a sly grin. "And I think you know what that means…!"

"...No." Their pupils shrink with fear at the realization, slowly backing away from Yukiko. The heiress stepped towards them with mischievous intent present in her eyes. "NOOOOO!"

"YOU CAN'T RUN!"


SEVERAL HOURS LATER:

"Well, that was pointless." Gwen huffed. The young girl was dressed in the blue detective outfit that Yukiko had put her in back during the mall incident.

"I think we learned some valuable information." Yukiko disagreed. She was wearing the pink detective outfit from the mall incident.

"That Ben oddly looks good in a dress?" Gwen smiled evilly. Both girls turned to Ben, who was wearing a green outfit similar to theirs. He was too small, so the skirt of the outfit went past his feet which made him trip and fall a couple of times. "So good that nobody realized he was actually a boy." Ben's face looked murderous at the reminder of people mistaking his gender.

"I'm taking this off!" Ben exclaimed, removing the outfit immediately. Thankfully, he still had his regular clothes on underneath.

"It's fine. I already have plenty of pictures." Yukiko sighed happily at the photos she had taken.

"Pictures!?" Ben cried. "When did you do that!?"

"When did you think I wasn't?"

"Blackmail." Gwen grinned.

"You guys are the worst!" Ben groaned. He slumped in his seat, staring out the window to look at the night sky. The sun had already long since set and the search for their grandfather had taken all day with no possible leads. "I miss Grandpa."

The humor his cousins attempted to fill the air in disappeared. The girls joined him at the table, the sadness of their missing grandfather had grown since the morning. Yukiko just couldn't figure it out for the life of her. Their grandfather suddenly vanished in the middle of the night and none of them had heard it at all. Even with that storm there should've been loud noise, screaming, signs of some kind of struggle taking place! But there were no clues that could lead them anywhere.

"Maybe there's something we're missing." Gwen said.

"What do you mean?" Ben asked.

"Like, there had to have been something, right? If Grandpa was taken last night, then one of us had to have heard something, right?" Gwen explained.

Ben's eyes widened for a second as he remembered something. "Wait! I just remembered something!"

"Really!?" His cousins exclaimed.

"Last night I heard Grandpa scream something! I can't remember what it was, but it was definitely something!" Ben exclaimed.

"And you couldn't mention it before!" Gwen yelled.

"I barely remember it! I was still barely awake before falling back to sleep!"

Yukiko knew they needed to capitalize on Ben's thought before he lost it. "Ben, was there anything else you heard at that moment?"

Ben stopped his arguing and nodded his head. "Yeah, I heard something like tv static. It wasn't very loud, but it was there right before Grandpa's voice vanished."

"TV…static…" Yukiko muttered. Her dark eyes turned to the television that sat on the Rustbucket's counter. Now that she thinks about it, their grandpa was watching tv before they went to bed. If there was a slight chance of… "No… it shouldn't be…"

"Yukiko?" Gwen and Ben look at her with uneasiness and worry.

Yukiko snapped back to reality, realizing that her behavior must've been affecting her little cousins. Regardless of how tough the two were, they were still kids that relied on their 'big sister' when Max wasn't around to be that guiding light. Yukiko relaxed herself and gave the two a head pat each. "Sorry, you two, I didn't mean to worry you. It's just that… I might have an idea about what happened to Grandpa."

"What!?"

"And for our sake… I really hope that I'm wrong." Yukiko placed a hand on her heart, praying for her grandfather's safety.

"Wrong about what?" Gwen asked.

"I'll explain more once it hits midnight." Yukiko responded. For the next few hours, the Tennyson trio patiently waited for the clock to strike twelve, the children doing their best to not fall asleep.

Finally, the clock approached midnight, rain was drizzling against the Rustbucket's exterior, and Yukiko's stress was at an all-time high. The heiress wasn't new to this feeling, but it was something that she wishes her family would never have to experience. If she was wrong, then all they would need to do is think of a different way to find Max.

If she was right…

Ben stared at Yukiko with annoyance. "What's the point of just sitting here when we could be thinking of more ways to find Grandpa?"

"I'm sure Yukiko has a reason, doofus. Why else would she suggest this?" Gwen responded.

"What's the big deal about midnight?" Ben grumbled.

Gwen wracked her brain in thought, trying to think of why Yukiko had them stay up this long. She felt like she's heard of this before, but for some reason she can't remember the exact words. The young sorceress turned to the clock and saw that it was finally midnight, meaning they were about to get their answers.

Nothing happened for several moments, pushing Ben's tired patience past its limits. "See! We waited around for nothing! Let's just-"

ZZTTZZ!

All three flinched at the sound of the television turning on by itself. Gwen and Ben were the most confused by the phenomenon. "Uh… did one of you turn on the tv?" Ben asked.

Gwen shook her head. "No, the remote is still on the counter." Gwen looked at Yukiko and noticed that the heiress was shaking. "Yukiko?" Yukiko's breath was lost as she stared at the familiar sight before her, something she was praying would never happen again.

The static continued for a few more seconds before clearing away, allowing the three to see something out of a sci-fi film. In the background was a large twisted space station with several black rockets stationed outside. On the front wall of the building was a massive symbol that resembled the Omnitrix symbol, except this one was blood red. Multiple holes could be seen, since the station appeared to be damaged.

Standing in front of the building was a single man, dressed in a standard Plumber suit. The suit was ripped in certain places with dried blood stains. On the belt around his waist was a badge with the Omnitrix symbol, but it was also red. His head was covered by a helmet, preventing the trio from seeing his face. The man brought his wrist up to his helmet. "If you're seeing this message, then that means it's already too late."

"Too late? What does he mean?" Ben asked.

"Shhh!" Gwen shushed him.

"I'm sure by now you've been wondering where dear old Max went."

Gasps escaped the mouths of the kids, but Yukiko stayed firm. Her hands clutched up against her chest as she tried not to jump into the television right now.

"Well, you don't need to wonder any longer." The man reached up, taking off his helmet and allowing the Tennysons to get a good look at his face. Ben and Gwen were shocked to see the face of their grandfather staring back at them, but it wasn't normal. Their grandfather would never look so sinister or malevolent, nor were his yellow eyes normal at all. "Because Maxwell Tennyson is right here. And my shuttle is prepared to launch!"

ZZTTZZ!

"GRANDPA!" Ben and Gwen rushed the television after the broadcasting had ended. The two quickly turned it back on to see if their grandfather would appear again, but instead it was just a rerun of some soap opera. "W-what happened!? Why was Grandpa dressed like that!?" Gwen asked.

"And what was that freaky place!? It looked so weird!" Ben exclaimed.

"The Midnight Channel."

Both kids turned to Yukiko, who hadn't said a word the entire time or even reacted outwardly. Her eyes were burning with a fierce determination that the two normally saw her use against their enemies.

"The Midnight Channel…?" Gwen repeated until it clicked. "That's right! The thing you and your friends faced last year!"

"Wait, that place!? The whole TV World thing!?" Ben exclaimed. "But I thought you guys had dealt with that entirely. Why is Grandpa there?"

"That wasn't Grandpa, Ben. Or at least, it's a perception of him. What we just saw was Grandpa's Shadow and his dungeon." Yukiko explained.

"Which means that Grandpa is trapped in there… but how did that happen?" Gwen asked.

"I don't know, but what I do know is that we don't have a lot of time." Yukiko replied.

"Not a lot of time?" Ben tilted his head.

"Gwen, check the weather." Yukiko commanded.

"S-sure." The young girl opened her laptop and checked her weather app. Once it was opened, she turned the device to show her cousins. "We're on a time limit, right?"

"Yes, we only have five days until the next fog is said to roll in." Yukiko said.

"And when it does…?" Ben gulped.

"Grandpa will die."

Chapter End

NOTE: And this concludes the first part of this original arc. I know not a lot happened, but that's the point of set up. I do hope you all enjoyed.

If you're wondering about if the Investigation Team will be taking part in this adventure, I'm going to stomp out those thoughts now. They are NOT going to be taking part in it and it'll just be the Tennysons. If you're wondering how exactly they'll be getting through the dungeon without Rise and getting out without Teddie, I've already figured all that out.

It was a long debate on whether or not to include them, but at the end I want to save the entire team for something else in the future.

Yukiko is obviously surprised by the return of the Midnight Channel, but most of her reaction is from Max being the one trapped inside. If it was some random person, then she'd be treating it like any other time they've gone in. She gets to take charge here, because unlike all of the previous chapters Yukiko is finally in her element.

If you want a reminder on what the costumes look like, then look up "Tantei Opera Milky Holmes". They are wearing the pink, blue, and green outfits.

S.E.E.S was mentioned here by Max. You're still going to have to wait awhile before I can do more with them.

If you didn't just skip past the opening, then you would've noticed that Yu and Naoto were fighting the Secret Saturdays. Yes, they do exist in this story, but won't be major characters in it. They have their own thing to do and will just be cameos every once in a while. There are technically only two other series that are part of this crossover: The Secret Saturdays and Generator Rex.

Rex will appear in the future, which means I am doing Heroes United. It's going to be a long time before I even get to that.

That Yu and Naoto chapter will be written out and posted after I'm done with this arc.

Next chapter will begin the exploration of Max's dungeon.