NOTE: A fast update with the next chapter! I'm glad that the previous chapter was well received it keeps makes me more motivated to push out some more original content with Priestess 10.

Enjoy and Review!

Chapter 58: Persona Day

On a nice sunny morning, the Rustbucket could be seen parked near a public park. Inside, Yukiko relaxed by reading a book while Max cooked breakfast. The old man turned to his two other grandkids who were still asleep. "Rise and shine, sleepy heads!"

Ben and Gwen slowly woke from their slumber. Ben's attention turned to the Omnitrix, which was weirdly scrolling through his roster. "Hey? What's up with this thing? Don't tell me it broke again-"

"Eekk!" Gwen screamed as she fell from the top bunk.

Ben found the sight amusing. "Heh, something tells me this is gonna be a good day." Then a certain thought hit him. "Wait, aren't I usually on the top bunk with you?"

"I let you have the bottom one, remember Ben?" Yukiko reminded him.

"Oh…" The boy scratched his head. "...I guess I remember that." Getting up from his bed, he made his way to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Ben exited the bathroom, dressed in his favorite clothes and the white hoodie Yukiko had bought him. He made his way to the table, sitting next to Yukiko. "How come you didn't wake us up? You always wake us up in the morning."

The heiress was dressed in a simple white dress with a floral pattern around the sleeves and a cute brown belt around her waist. Yukiko put down her book, which he had noticed wasn't one of her horror novels. Instead it was a cheesy romance novel that Gwen would usually read. "You don't particularly like being woken up so early, so I stopped doing it. Get as much sleep as you want, Ben." She smiled gently.

"Cool!" Ben grinned. Yukiko seemed to finally understand how important his beauty sleep was. Gwen finally joined them at the table, dressed in her new outfit. A dark blue blouse with a cute star design on the front, a white skirt that reached down to her knees with black leggings underneath, and a light blue hoodie that had her usual cat print on the back.

"I hope you guys are hungry!" Max turned to them. "I've cooked up one of my world's favorite breakfasts!"

"Wait, Yukiko isn't cooking today?" Ben asked.

"Nope." Max replied before placing three plates of a standard American breakfast. Ben stared at the plate as if it was a foreign object.

"So, is this some kind of groundhog bacon and salamander eggs?" Ben asked, skeptical.

"Hehe! Nope! Just good ol' American bacon and eggs! But I understand if that doesn't sound good to you." Max laughed.

It took Ben a full minute to rationalize what was happening. For the first time since the summer started he'd finally get to enjoy a breakfast that wasn't Mystery Food X or some weird exotic dish? "Awesome!" Ben and Gwen dug into their food with righteous vigor, but Yukiko took her time with her meal. After finishing their breakfast, Ben let out a burp directly into Gwen's face, grinning for a moment before bracing himself for the inevitable scolding.

"Right in my face! Good one, Ben!"

"Yes, that was an excellent burp! Snrk!"

"Huh?" Ben blinked confusingly at the girls. "Aren't you guys gonna freak out over my bad manners?"

"Why? It was just a joke, right?" Gwen replied.

"A funny one too!" Yukiko agreed.

Ben frowned at the heiress. "You never find my jokes funny."

"Guess I've just learned to loosen myself up." Yukiko's giggle sounded a little too thick than it usually is. The boy's eyes narrowed slightly, finding a lot of this weird.

Stepping out of the Rustbucket, the three were greeted by the sight of a school bus pulling up. Suddenly, the tires popped, forcing the bus to stop right in front of them. The windows opened, revealing a cheerleading squad of girls who were panicking in fear.

"Oh no!"

"What are we going to do!?"

"Somebody help us!"

Ben smirked. "Finally, something to take my mind off of this weird day!" As he said that, the sky above them darkened. As they looked up, the three noticed a spaceship landing down next to them. It opened up to reveal the bounty hunter SixSix and his buddy Vulkanus.

"SixSix and Vulkanus!?" Gwen exclaimed. "What are they doing here!?"

"About to get their alien butts kicked, that's what! Going Hero!" Ben declared, slapping the dial, enveloping everything in a flash of green.


OP: Glory by BAND-MAID

A stream of stardust appeared, flowing like a peaceful river. The stardust joined together into a string of green DNA, twisting together before entering a single star. The star exploded in a blinding flash of light.

Trapped in conventionality, even denials are obvious!

The light disappeared to reveal Ben, who was busy playing his handheld game. His headphones placed over his ears as he engrossed himself in Sumo Slammers.

(That, there, this, whichever - Hey, isn't it true?)

A green flash changed the image to show Ben now preparing for battle. His eyes filled with a strong sense of confidence. His hand hovered over the Omnitrix's dial, ready to transform into Four Arms.

Why is it before you wake up you build a wall, saying it's impossible!

The scene switched over to Yu Narukami, the Fool was dressed in his Yasogami High uniform. He was peacefully making his way through the streets with his school bag draped over his shoulder.

(No discussions, no ideals)

This time a tarot card shattered the screen to reveal the teen now in his battle stance. His eyes were brimming with determination, his sword gripped firmly in his hands. Electricity bristled around his blade like a static coil.

Calling, calling, calling now!

The Omnitrix, Gwen's spellbook, and Yukiko's fan all popped up with each 'calling' that was spoken.

Even together, it's not the same!

Yukiko and Gwen were next to appear by each other's side. Yukiko was dressed in a pink apron with pink mittens on her hands. In her hands was a pot of disgustingly boiling purple liquid that threatened to spill out.

Gwen floated in the air, her spellbook in hand. The young girl was comfortably curled up as she read the book to herself.

Break yourself though, go way!

A tarot card shattered the screen again, showing that the girls were now battle ready. Yukiko's smile was dangerously beautiful, her left arm was raised into the air while the right held her fan, pointed right at the screen. She stood with the grace of a maiden, but a threatening aura could be seen on her.

Gwen was still floating in the air, her hands were extended outward, brimming with pink mana. The young sorceress' eyes were bright pink, burning a fierce intensity with a cocky smile.

Even if you lose your way, keep moving forward!

Max and a young chubby boy were up next. The ex-plumber was dressed in his fishing gear, a long green rod held in his left hand and a bucket of worms in the right.

The young blond chubby boy stood nervously next to him. His eyes looked everywhere but straight, his knees buckling with fear.

Our desires won't be stopped!

Another screen shatter brought forth a change from them both. Instead of his fishing gear, Max was wearing a grey exo-suit with blue markings on the suit's visor. His gauntlets vibrated with power, an excited grin making its way to the elder's face.

The chubby boy was even more different. Instead of his usual nervousness and fear, he hovered in the air, covered in blue energy. His eyes were completely white as his hair raised from the power radiating off of him, the boy almost looked omnipotent.

Oh, ah!

Mount Rushmore was the next thing to appear, but the screen cracked like glass, revealing that half of the National Monument had been utterly destroyed.

The whole wide world! Let your emotions spill!

Standing in front of the bright red background was the Forever King. His large frame towering above everyone else. Right under him was a ninja-like robot with a brown exo-frame. Surrounding them were 8 other silhouettes, blackened out, leaving their identities a mystery.

Keep rewriting, only glory!

The screen shattered once more to show a wide shot of the Tennyson family clashing against the Forever King and this new force. Ben was facing against the king, while the girls and Max were going against the other silhouettes.

If we're together! We can seize it! The war is just beginning!

Finally we have the Tennyson family standing together in front of the Rustbucket. Yukiko and Ben stood in front, her arms draped over his chest, holding the boy close to her. All of their wide smiles could be seen as they enjoyed being with one another.

The final shot was of the spinning Omnitrix, before the dial pressed down to envelop the screen in a blinding flash of green light.


Diamondhead stood across from the villains, his cousins on both of his sides, ready to help. Sixsix wasted no time in launching several small missiles at the trio, all of which were blocked by Diamondhead creating a crystal barrier from the ground. The explosion sent the two aliens flying back away from the bus.

The Petrosapien turned to the cheerleaders. "Don't worry girls, I'm here to-"

POW!

Vulkanus sent the hero flying with a sucker-punch, his body skidding across the pavement. Vulkanus then grabbed both of his cousins, holding them hostage. "Ben! Help!"

The hero looked confused. "What…? You guys suddenly forget how to fight or something!?"

The Detrovite bashed the girls together before tossing them at Diamondhead, forcing the hero to catch them. "I got ya!" This gave Vulkanus the perfect chance to toss the schoolbus of girls at the hero too, but luckily Ben was able to create a giant crystalized hand to catch them. He carefully lowered the bus to the ground.

SixSix flew down, blasting them with his guns. Diamondhead hurried forward, creating a ramp, and tackling the assassin out of the air. Vulkanus attempted another sneak attack, but Diamondhead was ready this time. He dodged the initial punch and countered with several strong hits that made the Detrovite stumble back. He continued to wail on the alien as the cheerleaders cheered him on. Diamondhead sent Vulkanus flying with one last punch and into a dumpster that Gwen was manipulating with her magic. She shrunk the dumpster down into a tiny ball along with Vulkanus.

"Eeekkk!" The Tennysons turned around to see SixSix taking a girl hostage, threatening to kill her with his gun. However, a pink object slapped the gun out of his hand. The assassin turned to see Yukiko smirking at him as she caught her fan.

The assassin turned back to Diamondhead, who was preparing the finishing shot. "You have a lot to learn about school spirit." He shot a crystal at the bus, it bounced off the metal and into SixSix's jetpack, causing it to malfunction and send him flying into the black tar lake.

"Snrk! Hehe!" Yukiko laughed at the defeated villain.

Diamondhead turned back to the bus, fixing the tires with his crystals. "You're good to go."

"Yeah! Woo hoo!" The girls cheered.

"You're awesome!" One declared.

"And so cute!" Another one added.

Diamondhead smiled, blushing slightly from the praise given. He couldn't help but turn back to see how Yukiko was reacting, but oddly enough she didn't seem bothered like she usually did.

"Ben."

He turned back to the bus and froze, his eyes staring at a familiar but hurtful sight. Standing inside the bus was none other than Kai Green, his first crush. He couldn't find the words as the bus pulled off with her along with it. "Kai…"

"Didn't she break your heart after we beat that werewolf in the desert?" Gwen reminded him.

"Yeah…thanks for reminding me…" Diamondhead muttered. The wound that she had left was still there and seeing her again had brought it back up to the surface. But even then, Ben couldn't help but wonder what exactly she was doing here of all places and not at her village.


As the Rustbucket drove down the road, Ben continued fiddling with Omnitrix. It was still bugging out for some reason as if something was messing with it. His attention was taken from the watch by his grandfather's shout. "Hey, who's up for pizza and games at Pizza and Play!?"

Gwen and Yukiko turned to him with such wide smiles, it almost creeped him out by how wide they were. "Sure! This day just got better!"

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the party place for kids. As they entered the place, Ben decided to let himself relax for a bit. Sure, his family was acting a bit weird, the Omnitrix was acting up, and that whole Kai thing was off-putting, but they were about to have some family fun! Ben was so focused on the arcade that he failed to notice the two figures in the background who were hiding behind the RV.

SNAP!

Ben chowed down on some delicious pizza as Yukiko took the photo.

SNAP!

Ben managed to win the grand prize at skeeze ball! He held up his new Sumo Slammer-themed Playstation 3 as Yukiko took another photo.

SNAP!

Ben was now the 1 millionth customer and won a new shirt that was being held up by two gorgeous women. The women both gave him a peck on the cheek, causing him to blush. "Yeah, maybe this wasn't so-"

FWOOSH!

"KYAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Ben fell onto his rear as both women combusted into flame, turning to ash in a matter of seconds. He and his family were utterly confused by what had just happened, but Ben already knew one person who could be responsible. "Yukiko, what the heck!?"

"I-I-I didn't-GYAAAAAHHHH!" She was next, incinerated into ash without a second to react. Even her fan was burnt into an unrecognizable pile. Ben could only stare in horror at Yukiko's abrupt death.

"Yukiko!"

Gwen and Max grabbed him, pulling him to his feet. "Ben, we need to-" A pink tendril slammed into Gwen's stomach, sending the girl flying into the far opposite of the arcade. Then a pink fan slammed into Max's face before a pink tendril wrapped around him and threw him head first through the ceiling.

"W-what!? Grandpa! Gwen!" Ben couldn't believe his eyes as he watched his family get killed before him. The Omnitrix started beeping again, gaining his attention. The young hero grew serious, getting ready to take revenge on whoever killed his loved ones. "Show your face before I-"

"BEN!" A familiar body crashed into him, wrapping him up in a tight hug. "Oh, I'm so happy that we found you!" It sounded exactly like Yukiko.

"Yukiko! I told you we needed to wait!" Gwen's voice was next. But that didn't make much sense…he just watched both of them get obliterated. "You can't just blow a gasket like that, we'll draw attention to ourselves!"

"I wasn't going to let some…some perverts kiss Ben like that!"

"They weren't real! And it wasn't even an actual kiss!"

Pushing against Yukiko's body, Ben freed himself from her grasp. He stared at the two as if they were aliens. "W-what the heck!? Yukiko!? Gwen!?"

"Uh, who else, dweeb?" Gwen raised a brow.

"But you guys just-!" Ben pointed at the copies. His brain went into overdrive trying to figure out what the hell was going on. There couldn't be two copies of his family unless they suddenly figured out how to clone themselves.

Yukiko was about to explain until she noticed the people inside the arcade were starting to shift towards them. Quickly, she grabbed the boy's hand and started running out of the place with Gwen at their side. "No time! We'll explain in the Rustbucket!"

"W-wait!" Ben cried, giving the arcade one last glance before getting tossed inside the RV. Gwen quickly shut the door as Yukiko plopped down into the driver's seat, turning the engine on thanks to Gwen snagging the keys from Max's copy. Yukiko wasted no time in speeding out of the parking lot to escape the arcade.

Ben scrambled to his feet, glaring at the two. "Okay, somebody better start explaining, or I'm out of here! Why are there two of you and only one Grandpa! Who you shoved into the ceiling by the way!"

"They're fakes, Ben! Impostors created to keep an eye on you!" Yukiko looked at him through the mirror.

"This all started with you having a bad day." Gwen started to explain. As she did the memories started to come back to him.

Hitting his head on the Rustbucket's ceiling upon waking up, though Yukiko was there to help nurse his head for him.

His pants falling down in front of the cheerleader squad, revealing his Sumo Slammer-themed boxers. The girls all laughed at him until each one was bashed in the head by a pink fan.

"Things only got worse with a sneak attack from the Forever Knights." Ben remembered fighting Enoch and his goons with his family until a stray energy bolt took him out after the watch timed out. The knights grabbed him while his family was busy fighting, tossing him into their car and getting away.

"Wait!" Ben interrupted the story. "If everything you're saying is true, then how do I know you guys aren't fakes either-"

SMACK!

"OW!" Ben gripped the back of his head and glared at Yukiko. "What the heck was that for!?"

"Do you believe us now?" Yukiko asked.

Ben rubbed his sore spot. "Yeah…only you would hit me that hard. But, how come I didn't remember any of that stuff, and where's Grandpa?"

"You wouldn't remember because-"

"LOOK OUT!"

Yukiko turned to the left and saw an armored vehicle smash right through the Rustbucket. Luckily, the three were all up front and didn't get killed by the sudden attack.

Getting out of the vehicle was none other than Lt. Steel and his men. "Secure the area! Move! Move! Move!" He ordered his soldiers. The S.E.C.T. soldiers surrounded the destroyed Rustbucket, watching as Ben stumbled out of the wreckage. The boy stared down the rifle barrels with wide eyes.

"Lt. Steel! What are you doing!?" Ben asked.

"Saving your fanny." Steel helped the boy up. "Sorry for the drastic measures, Ben, but if they saw us coming who knows what they would've done to ya."

"Who are you talking about?" Ben glared at the army man.

Behind them, Yukiko and Gwen finally emerged from the wreckage surrounded by a blue shield. That's when Steel grabbed Ben and pulled him away from the two. "They're not your family, Ben. They're Limax, alien shapeshifters working for Vilgax!"

"That's not true-" Yukiko was cut off by the clicking of rifles.

"Shut it, Limax! You can talk all you want back down in Area 51!" Steel hissed.

Ben's eyes were filled with confusion. One part of him knew that the two really were his family, but the other part screamed at him that it could be this dream world trying to trick him. "B-but, they said that the others were fakes! And that the Forever Knights were behind all this!"

"And you believed that load of fertilizer?"

"It's a lie, Ben! Enoch is just trying to-" Gwen tried to move, but a rifle got shoved into her face. Before Ben could make any other decision a very familiar dark voice echoed above the desert valley.

"YOU MAY HAVE STOPPED MY MINIONS, BUT YOU WILL NOT STOP ME!" Above them all was Vilgax's spaceship. The Galactic Warlord smashed down onto the Earth with a loud boom that forced everyone to cover their eyes. Stepping out of the smoke was none other than Vilgax himself.

"I hate to say I told you so, but-"

Ben activated the Omnitrix. "I may not fully understand everything that's going on, but I do know one thing!"

FLASH!

"And that's kicking bad guy tail!" Four Arms declared. He and his arch-nemesis stared one another down before engaging in combat. "You're messing with the wrong kid, squid-face!" Vilgax attempted to crush the Tetramand, but his attack was countered by Four Arms' grab. The hero tossed him to the side, before smashing all four arms onto the warlord's body. Four Arms then grabbed Vilgax, spinning the warlord around before shooting him right back into his ship, bringing the spacecraft down onto the desert ground.

Four Arms and Vilgax touched back down in front of everyone, and to their surprise, Vilgax held the Null Void projector. "The Null Void projector!?" Four Arms stepped back.

"Now I shall send you to that wretched wasteland where you sent me-GYAH!" Four Arms drop-kicked Vilgax before he could fire the gun, stealing the weapon for himself.

"Sorry, Villy, but looks like it's just not your day." Four Arms grinned. He activated the projector just as Vilgax attempted to hit him, trapping his arch-nemesis back inside the extra dimensional prison. "That was almost too easy…but wait, when has fighting Vilgax ever been that easy?"

"Because this world isn't real, Ben!" Yukiko shouted.

"It's a dream!" Gwen added.

"Shut it!" Steel ordered. "Kill them both!" He ordered his men.

"Not today, Steel!" Four Arms jumped in between his family and the S.E.C.T. agents, pointing the Null Void projector at him.

"What are you doing, Ben!?"

"Yukiko and Gwen have been telling the truth this entire time! Vilgax wouldn't go down that easily, nor would he attempt to send me into the Null Void before getting the Omnitrix! Which means the real danger here is you!" He attempted to pull the trigger, but before he could the projector melted in his hands. "What!?"

"How surprisingly clever of you." Steel smirked as he transformed into Enoch.

"Enoch!?" Four Arms gasped. "Then the Forever Knights really are behind all of this!"

"We already told you that!" Gwen yelled.

"We need to keep your mind preoccupied while we remove the Omnitrix. Having you believe this was the perfect day was one of them." As Enoch spoke the world around the Tennysons started to evaporate, transforming into a giant membrane. "Now how, about your worst nightmare?"

"Nice trick, but I'm still gonna kick your tin-canned butt-"

FLASH!

Ben turned back to normal, losing any sense of threatening presence. "Something tells me this day is about to go downhill!" Enoch and his knights started to approach him with their swords.

"We need to get out of here now!" Gwen helped Ben back to his feet.

"Maragidyne!" Yukiko unleashed hellish flames to keep the knights back as they escaped.

Enoch wasn't worried at all. "Go ahead and run, kids. It will do you no good! I control this world!" No matter where they ran, Enoch kept cutting them off, really drilling into their heads that there was no escape. Looking up, the three froze as a giant Enoch loomed over them. "Ben Tennyson, I will ensure that your mind never recovers!"

"YAAAAAAAHHHHH!"


SMACK!

"OW!" Ben shot up, holding his sore cheek. "Did you really have to slap me!?" He glared at Yukiko.

"It was the only way to get you up." Yukiko shrugged. She gazed around their environment, confused by the new location. "Where exactly are we?"

Gwen sighed heavily. "Enoch did say he'd create Ben's worst nightmare, and I shouldn't be surprised it's a school." Turns out that Enoch had transported them into Ben's nightmarish version of one of Bellwood's two elementary schools.

"So, this is an American school!" Yukiko gasped, then frowned. "Looks terrible."

"I know, right!" Ben agreed.

"I have a feeling the two of you are agreeing for completely different reasons." Gwen sighed. She then took out her spellbook. "Maybe I can track our way out of here."

"And could you guys finish explaining what exactly "here" is!? I know Enoch wants the watch, but I don't know the full picture of what happened!" Ben demanded.

"We're in the scariest place of all, Ben. Your mind!" Gwen pointed out.

"I don't know… looks pretty empty as I expected." Yukiko disagreed.

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

Gwen rolled her eyes, and started to explain. "Enoch wants the Omnitrix, but to remove it they need time. So, they used some alien technology that would keep you happy in dreamland as they worked to remove it."

"So, that's why the watch was freaking out! Enoch's been scrambling it!" Ben exclaimed.

"Fortunately, Grandpa was able to track the Omnitrix's signal and tap into the frequency of their dream machine. But he only had two ports, so Yukiko and I came inside your head while Grandpa keeps guarding us in the real world."

Ben understood the situation fully now. "If all I need to do is wake up, then hit me!"

"Yukiko's been hitting you this entire time and it hasn't worked."

"Maybe I'm just not hitting him hard enough."

"I agree, maybe if we hit him together, it'll work!" Gwen and Yukiko came to an agreement. Ben backed away from the two scheming girls.

"No way! As if I'm just gonna let you two get free hits on me!" Ben yelled.

"We're just joking, Ben. C'mon, let's figure this out." Yukiko and Gwen walked past him, but the boy still felt like the two were going to get him when he least expected it.

"So, did Grandpa say what'll happen if the watch gets removed before we escape?"

"We'll be dead both mentally and physically." Yukiko answered, making the boy gulp. "Gwen, did you find our way out?"

"Yeah, it should be in this direction-wait!" Gwen's shout warned them to stop moving. The three waited behind a corner. Peeking behind it, the three noticed a familiar kid. It was none other than Kevin Levin. However, something was different about him. Instead of being freakishly mutated, the boy was back to normal and dressed in a nice black tuxedo.

"Uh…why is he dressed like that?" Ben asked.

"I don't know, and I don't like it." Yukiko muttered.

Kevin's head turned to their direction and he began walking over to them, the three standing on guard just in case anything happened. Surprisingly instead of focusing on Ben, Kevin went right up to Gwen and got on one knee, taking out a rose from his chest pocket. "Hey, beautiful."

"Eh." Gwen's mind went blank.

"Eh?" The other two stared baffled.

"Would you do me the honor of having this dance?" Kevin requested, the way he said it making the girl blush bright red.

"I-I-I-I-I mean-" Gwen stuttered, not sure how to respond.

Ben gagged. "Ew! This really is my worst nightmare!"

"I think it's kinda cute, in a strangely disturbing way." Yukiko chimed in.

Gwen finally managed to find her words. "I would love to, Kevin! B-but, we have to get out of here first! So, I can't dance with you."

"What?"

Gwen froze as Kevin's charming smile turned into a snarling growl. "Uh…Kevin?" She and her cousins backed away from the mutant.

"RAAGH!" Kevin roared into the ceiling, his body morphing into the grotesque form the three were used to. The monstrous mutant released a blood-curdling scream at them and started charging like a bull.

"RUN!" Ben and the girls turned on their heels, trying to get as far away as they could from the fake Kevin. Ben tried to activate the Omnitrix, but the watch still wasn't working right. "Of all the times!" The three ran into the computer science room, but then realized their folly.

"We're trapped!" Gwen yelled.

Yukiko and Ben used the tables to block the door. "We need to figure something out or else he's breaking through."

"Maybe if Gwen gives him a kiss, he'll turn back to normal?"

"I'll kill you!" Gwen attempted to strangle the boy, her face red with embarrassment. Their struggle was short as Kevin banged against the blocked door.

"This is no time to be fighting!" Yukiko broke them apart. "Look for something that'll help us!"

Ben turned and saw the computer was on. "Hey, what's up with this?" He pouted upon realization. "A test!? Aw man, I'd rather take my chances with Kevin!"

"Let me handle it!" Gwen answered one of the questions, unfortunately she got it wrong. The penalty was a chunk of the floor giving out beneath them.

"I guess that was the wrong answer." Ben said.

"It's like a penalty game, lose and it's game over." Yukiko realized. The room rumbled again, a diamond blade piercing through the wall. Ben quickly got to work answering the questions.

"What are you doing!?" Gwen exclaimed.

"It's multiple choice. Just choose C for every answer and you'll pass." Ben explained.

"Wow, the American school system is terrible." Yukiko was appalled.

"No! That's just how Ben views it!" Gwen argued. She looked to the side to see that a door began to open up with each question Ben got right. "That works!?"

"How do you think I got through the 3rd grade?" Ben grinned after answering the last question. Their passageway was now secured, so the three hurried through just as Kevin made it into the room. Luckily the door disappeared, preventing him from following.


The three hurried through the hallway, with Gwen leading the way. Her eyes were shining a bright blue color. "Hurry! The exit is just through here-Kya!" She was grabbed by the neck by a metal glove. Enoch stood in their path, blocking off the exit of Ben's mind.

"Sorry, kids. That's off limits." Enoch warned.

"Enoch!" Ben growled.

"Let her go!" Yukiko whipped out her fan. Enoch's grip on Gwen's neck tightend, stopping Yukiko from making any rash moves.

"Don't do anything foolish, we wouldn't want the girl's neck to snap." He took pleasure in the way the three glared at him. "Gentlemen."

Before they could do anything, Yukiko was grabbed from behind by a large muscular figure. Turning around Ben gasped at the sight of two monstrous versions of J.T. and Cash. "School bullies…!"

Yukiko struggled in Cash's grip, her arms restrained, keeping her from using her Persona. "Let me go! You smell terrible!"

"Keep them busy. I'll deal with Tennyson myself." Enoch tossed Gwen over to J.T., who was more than glad to hold her hostage. The two bullies grabbed a fire hose, using it to tie the girls up against their will. Next thing they knew, they were being dragged away into the restroom.

"W-what are they doing!?"

"I can only take one guess and I don't like the thought of it!" Gwen responded, confused as to why she's unable to break free.

"Yukiko! Gwen!" Ben tried to help them, but Enoch tossed him against the wall. The knight slowly approached him, giving Ben the chance to catch his breath. Looking down at the Omnitrix, Ben activated it and slammed the dial but nothing happened. He repeated the process, completely confused by the occurrence. "Why isn't it working!?"

"I told you before, Benjamin!" Enoch grabbed the boy by his collar, lifting him into the air. "I control everything in this world! Including the Omnitrix!" He slammed Ben against the wall to emphasize his point. "Every time that you and your worthless family got in my way will finally be paid in full! My retribution will be realized!"

"As if, Enoch! You'll never win!" Ben tried to break free.

"Oh really? Then, let's see what she has to say about it."

"She-Wah!" Ben was tossed aside to the floor. He groaned in pain before realizing that someone was standing in front of him. He looked up and froze in shock at the person looking down at him. "Kai…?"

"Hello, Ben."

"What are you-" Her hand clamped over his mouth to stop him from talking.

"Nuh uh. Dogs don't talk, they bark."

"Wh-" Ben felt the floor beneath him giving out, his legs being submerged in shadows.

"Bark, Ben. It'll all be simple if you just give in and be my pet. No more being in danger, no more risking the lives of your family, no more heroes." The more she talked, the further his body got swallowed up by the empty darkness. "Just you and me for the rest of time as master and pet."

Ben's eyes stared into her darker ones, noticing the empty abyss that was swallowing him up. As much as he tried to fight it, he couldn't find the strength to fight back. His repressed feelings regarding Kai were beating into his heart like a jackhammer. The darkness had swallowed up the rest of his body, only leaving his head.

"Just let Enoch win and everything will be over."

And with that all he could see was the darkness.


"Ben!"

"Huh?" Ben's eyes snapped open. He found himself staring into soft brown orbs, his hand clasped in the grip of someone's softer hands. It took a moment for the boy to realize that he was standing near the exit of Planetary Studios. His family was behind him, waiting for him to finish whatever it was that he was doing.

But what was he doing?

"Ben, are you listening?"

That's when he finally noticed the girl in front of him was none other than Haru, the girl he and Gwen had befriended upon arriving at Planetary Studios. "W-what? Yeah, of course I was listening! But…uh…I wouldn't be opposed to you repeating it, but for your sake! Not mine." She giggled softly at him and Ben couldn't help but admit that he liked the sound of it.

"I was saying that you should keep being you."

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"I-I mean that…" Suddenly she found herself struggling to say this. "Y-you're so free in who you get to be." Something that she couldn't be. "So, don't let people push you down or beat you up." She wishes she could be the same.

"If you think you can do something, then do it with everything you've got."


SHINE!

Enoch's eyes widened as the black abyss that was Ben Tennyson started to evaporate with a bright green glow. The fake Kai stumbled back, falling to her rear with wide eyes. The fake watched as the light enveloped her as well, erasing her from the mindscape completely.

"What!?" Enoch gasped, stumbling back slightly. It was only when the light died down that Enoch was finally able to see Ben. The boy's entire appearance had changed completely, but not into any of his aliens. He was wearing frameless blue goggles, a cyan shirt and white pants. On his back was a white cape that bellowed in the wind.

"It's over, Enoch!" Ben declared, posing heroically. "Meet Ultra Ben!"

The Forever Knight hissed at the boy, trying to figure out what he had done. "How did you overcome my control?! This is my world!"

"Wrong, Forever Dork! This is my head we're in, which means it follows my rules!" Ben raised his hand towards the bathroom, where he could hear his cousins struggling and the sounds of toilets flushing. With a wave of his hand, the bathroom exploded with a bright flash of light.

POW!

The monstrous J.T. and Cash were bashed out of the exploded restroom, crashing into the lockers. Stepping out of the smoke first revealed Yukiko, who was dressed similarly to Ben except for the white skirt that reached down to her knees. "Ultra Yukiko!" Ben declared.

The heiress didn't look pleased at all. "To think American school bullies flush people's heads down the toilet! I will never go to an American school for as long as I live!"

Following her was…a giant rat who was also dressed exactly like Ben. The rat was about to correct Yukiko until she saw her reflection. "WHY AM I A RAT!?"

"And Ultra Rat!" Ben laughed hysterically.

"Pfft! HAHAHAHAHA!" Yukiko laughed at Gwen's plight.

"STOP LAUGHING!" Gwen roared. She rounded on Ben. "How did you even-"

"It's my head, Ultra Rat. I create the rules in this place, and I've decided it's time to kick some butt!" Ben explained. Even with Ben's silly ideas, the girls were more than happy to get revenge for the humiliation they just suffered.

Enoch raised his arm, summoning the fake Kevin to assist him. "You won't stop me! Not when I've gotten so close!" Kevin charged at Ben, but before the mutant could reach him, Gwen intercepted and uppercutted the mutant back. The rat pummeled the mutant with fists of fury, kicking him into the wall.

"You're not the real Kevin! So, I'm not gonna feel bad about this!" Gwen declared.

Yukiko dodged the sloppy attacks from J.T. and Cash, then smashed Cash's head into the floor with her fan. She flipped over J.T. and covered her fist in a burst of flames, the heiress blasting him through the wall with the fiery punch. Seeing that Cash was trying to get back up, Yukiko obliterated him with a massive burst of flames. "Bullying is a sin, especially if you do it to me." She posed heroically with her fan covering her face.

SMASH!

She and Gwen looked up to see Ben uppercut Enoch through the roof. He chased after the knight, tackling him into the sky. The two glared at one another as Ben pushed them out into space and towards the sun. "Here's your final lesson, Enoch! Never mess with Ben Tennyson!" The hero tossed the knight into the sun, forcing the knight out of his head.

"BEN!"

The boy knew what he had to do, rushing back down towards the school. He saw Gwen and Yukiko standing by a locker, the heiress pointing at it. "The exit!"

"Got it!" Ben flew right into the locker, enveloping the dream world in a bright flash of white light.


Max watched as his granddaughters awoke with a startled gasp. "Girls, what's-"

"Ben's awake! We need to hurry!" Yukiko hurried out of the Rustbucket to reach her little brother. Max and Gwen weren't far behind her, hoping to get to Ben in time.


Enoch rushed over to the scientists after getting ejected from Ben's head. "Quickly, get that thing off of him before it's too late!" Unfortunately for him it was too late, as the boy's eyes snapped open instantly. He dislodged himself from the device and kicked the scientists away from him.

Enoch reached for his sword, pointing it at the boy. "I will not fail!"

"Dream on!" Ben slapped down the dial.

FLASH!

Blitzwolfer released a devastating howl that sent Enoch's goons flying into the wall. Enoch rushed him with his blade, but only sliced air since the wolf dodged his attack. The Loboan axe-kicked the knight into the ground, before grabbing him by his leg. Blitzwolfer spun Enoch around for a bit then smashed him into the floor. Not wishing to spend any more time as the boy's plaything, Enoch kicked the wolf off of him.

Reaching into his pockets, he tossed several small grenades at Blitzwolfer. The wolf was undeterred by the explosives, but charging in turned out to be the wrong move. Each one was a flash grenade that blinded his eyesight. "Grah!"

"Time to put down this mutt!" Enoch declared, raising his blade and bringing it down for one final strike. However, Blitzwolfer blocked the sword with his powerful claws. "What!?"

"Next time you try to blind someone, make sure their other senses aren't just as strong!" Blitzwolfer declared before slicing through the blade with his claws. He grabbed Enoch by his shoulders, keeping the knight nice and close. "Time for you to go to sleep! WHOOOOO!" The sonic blast utterly destroyed Enoch's golden mask, revealing the plain looking man underneath. Enoch's body slumped in his grasp, telling the wolf that the man was unconscious.

"Ben!"

Blitzwolfer turned to see his family had arrived in the lab, relieved to see him okay. He tossed Enoch aside and rushed to his family, who wasted no time in cheering for his well being. "You're okay, right!?" Yukiko asked.

"Yeah, I'm wide awake!"

"First time for everything." Gwen smirked.

"Sure, Ultra Rat."

"Shut up!"

"Nice to have you back, sport." Max patted his grandson's head.

"Yeah, after this I'm more than happy to be up and about." Blitzwolfer replied. Gwen looked at the mess Ben had made and noticed Enoch on the table. "Is that Enoch?"

"Yup."

"He looks so…generic." Yukiko looked at his face. "What do we do with him?" She asked Max.

Max eyed the dream machine, his grandkids followed his eyes and smirked evilly. "I think I got a pretty good idea before the police arrive."


An hour later Enoch, who was hooked up to the dream machine, was found by his fellow knights. One of them attempted to unhook him from the machine to awaken him.

"No."

The knight froze, turning to see the Forever King stepping out of the shadows. "As expected, Enoch has failed me for the last time. From here on, I will personally deal with the Tennysons."

Chapter End

NOTE: I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Let's get to the post-discussion.

1. Ben's growth in this chapter was the biggest highlight. He's aware enough to notice that something was off with his family, but he still gets distracted easily to not piece it together. Ben also puts together the Vilgax thing on his own, because he's tangled with the guy more than enough to realize that Vilgax has never been that easy to beat.

His dilemma with Kai stems from her being his first heartbreak and just how harsh it was. She's shoved back into his face by Enoch and is the main reason he doesn't use Blitzwolfer after Ben Wolf. However, thanks to a certain memory he gains the strength to get over her.

We love Haru Okumura in this household.

2. Yukiko decided that the fakes had to die the moment she saw them. Gwen has been around Yukiko long enough for the heiress' habits to start rubbing off on her and agreed, but she rather they didn't do so in such a compromising way.

3. I kept Max out simply because I wanted the trio to explore Ben's head together. We'll have more of Max in the next chapter.

4. The Forever King is now on the move and plans to get rid of the Tennysons to achieve his plans...whatever those might be.

Next Chapter - Divided We Stand