NOTE: Before we begin, there's something that I should've been clearer on way back in season 2.
Kevin is not necessarily a good guy, regardless of him saving their lives back in the Null Void, he did that out of the thin line of trust built between him and Gwen. She is also something that I wish I could've written differently, because I admit that she shouldn't have fallen in love with him so easily. A more realistic approach would've been her feeling obligated to help him heal mentally, because she sees that he's struggling to keep himself together.
Him falling in love with her in a twisted sort of way would stay the same. He's fucked in the head at the moment.
Their bond is just something I wanted to be built and held together by a fragile line of trust. As long as that point got across to all of you, then I think everything works out just fine.
Because of the direction I'm taking Kevin he isn't the main antagonist of this chapter (He's not in it at all), because I felt that it wouldn't fit. Someone else takes his place and you can probably guess who it is. Spoiler Alert: It's an Osmosian.
Enjoy and Review!
Chapter 64: Ken 10
Within the universe of space, there lies infinite possibilities, an endless stream of outcomes one could take. Let us take a break from our usual story to peek into just one of those possible futures that could be awaiting our heroes.
"I do not have time for this!" Four Arms declared, punching Vulkanus away towards the edge of the platform. "There is no way I am missing another one of his birthdays! So, I'd appreciate it if you just chilled out in the Null Void!"
FLASH!
Replacing the adult Tetramand was none other than Ben Tennyson, or better yet, Ben 10,000! A tall, strong built man with brown tousled hair and beard. He was wearing a skintight version of his outfit from when he was 10. It was a round-neck short-sleeved bicep-length white t-shirt tucked into his tight, army green slim-fit pants pulled up to his waist. The shirt had a black stripe around his neck and on the front and matching one-inch trim on the sleeves. He also wore a black belt, with matching fingerless gloves and calf-high boots.
Ben had a cocky grin on his face. In his hands was a small grenade-like egg that he tossed at Vulkanus. It exploded in a bright ball of orange light that swallowed up the Detrovite instantly, trapping him inside. "Some scum just can't take a hit." Ben sighed, picking up the egg.
FLASH!
He transformed into XLR8, hurrying to ensure that he doesn't miss the important event that he knows he should've been at an hour or so ago.
Towering over the futuristic city was the home/headquarters of Ben 10,000 and his family: A massive tower with the Omnitrix symbol on top. Within the main room were multi-colored balloons, confetti on the floor, streamers, and a banner with 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' written on it.
Watching over the children was Max Tennyson, much skinnier than he was many years ago, along with his robotic arm. Other than that, he mostly stayed the same with his iconic Hawaiian shirt. He turned to see his grandson finally arrive at the party, transforming back to normal and tossing the Null Void egg to him. "See! Told you I'd make it!" Ben grinned.
Before Max could say anything, a small green blur crashed into Ben's chest. "DADDY!"
Ben laughed, holding his daughter in his arms. "Hey, sweetpea, how're you doing?"
Bright green orbs stared back at him, the little girl smiling brightly at her daddy. She had curly brown hair that reached down to her neck. She wore a dark green hoodie with the Omnitrix symbol printed on the front, and a black skirt. The girl's name was Gwenevere Okumura Tennyson, Ben's youngest child. "I'm great, Daddy! I already tried some of the birthday cake, even though Great Grandpa Max said not to, but I forgot and ate some anyway!"
Ruffling his daughter's hair, Ben set her down. "Now, Gwen, you know that cake isn't meant for you, and you should let the birthday boy eat it first. What did your brother say when he found out?"
"Great Grandpa Max and I kept it a secret, so Ken doesn't know…" Gwen replied, not noticing the shadow behind her.
"Who doesn't know what?"
"Gah!?" Gwen cried as a pair of arms wrapped around her, a fist rubbing against her skull. "Cut it out!" She fought against her older brother's hold, hating it whenever he gave her noogies. Especially with his friends watching in the background.
"Then don't eat things that don't belong to you!" Ken exclaimed, stopping his little attack. When he stepped back, Ben was given a good look at his son, a soft smile forming as he took in the boy's appearance. His son carried a strong resemblance to him when he was his age, but he had his mother's auburn color hair. Kenneth's clothing also looked a lot like his when he was younger. This included a white skin-tight T-shirt with black accents and borders at the sleeves, and his trademark baggy green cargo pants. One of his pride and joys, Kenneth Okumura Tennyson, who was turning 10 years old today.
"Told you I'd make it, son." Ben knelt down as his son ran into his arms.
"Dad! You're here!" Ken was ecstatic that his dad could make it to his birthday, considering that he had missed the last one. His mother was NOT happy about that one.
"You only turn 10 once!"
"Happy Birthday, Kenny!" Everyone shouted, bringing a smile to the kid's face.
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 the Forever Ninja, Dr. Animo, Charmcaster, baby Hex, Kangaroo Kommando, Rojo, Zombozo, and Clancy. Next to them was one last silhouette, 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.
"Could you drop that garbage into the Null Void Chamber, Grandpa?" Ben asked after his kids ran off to speak with their friends. Max nodded his head, heading off to the bottom level of the tower to dispose of Vulkanus.
"It's our danger alert!" He overheard Ken talking to his friends. "The call comes in and our Dad takes off to…y'know, save the world."
"Wow! My Dad's just a boring old dentist!" Billy sighed.
"And one day, I'll be right beside him!" Ken struck a heroic pose.
"Oh, really? Well then, I guess we'll just have to make sure you're ready then." Ken and Gwen perked up at the familiar soft voice, turning around to see one of the most important people in their world.
"MOMMY!" Gwen jumped at Haru Okumura Tennyson, who was more than happy to catch her daughter. All grown up now, Haru carried a much more confident and mature appearance. Her curly light auburn hair had stayed the same, but there was a bright light in her brown eyes. She wore a fitting pink white collared dress, along with a white belt around her waist, a blue bolero jacket with the sleeves buttoned to her elbows over the dress, and white heels. On her right hand a silver wedding band could be seen on her ring finger.
"Hello my little star, have you been behaving?" Haru asked, hugging her daughter.
"I've been on my best behavior!"
"She ate some of my cake, Mom!"
"No, I didn't!"
"You literally admitted to it a few minutes ago!" Ken yelled.
Haru sighed at her children, setting her daughter down. "Okay, okay, settle down you two! Now isn't the time for arguing, it's a day for celebration!" That's when she felt her husband's strong arms wrap around her waist, pulling her close.
"Listen to your Mother, let's enjoy this day to its fullest." Ben said.
"Especially since I came back with the gifts!" Haru pointed at the large stacks of gifts that she had brought in. Her children and their friends gasped loudly before sprinting towards the stack of gifts. "Don't start opening them yet! We're going to do it together!"
"Are we still planning to give ours first, or have you decided on going last?" Ben asked.
Haru hummed slightly. "I wouldn't want him to disregard everyone else's gifts just because of ours…"
"And that's exactly why we're going first, right?"
"Oh, yes." She and Ben shared a quick kiss.
Ken was peering at the gifts, wondering just what it was that his extended family and friends had gotten him. Every single birthday was a giant parade of gifts that he looked forward to every year. He was hoping that his aunt Futuba would get him another upgraded VR gaming setup like she did last year, even though his mother didn't like how loud it was. Looking over, he saw his little sister also checking out the gifts much to his annoyance. Ken was going to tell her to cut it out until…
"Oh, Kenneth Tennyson~!" Turning around, the boy was greeted by another familiar face.
"Aunt Gwendolyn!" Gwen jumped at the magical projection of her namesake, flying through it and hitting the floor with a loud thud.
Gwendolyn giggled at her niece. "It's nice to see you too, Gwen." She had also matured a lot after all of these years, much of her nerdy look had vanished. She was dressed in a blue and black spandex suit with the Charms of Bezel on her right arm. Her long orange hair was tied into a ponytail.
"Nice to see you finally show up, doofus." Ben said jokingly as he and Haru walked over.
"Aren't you ever going to grow up?" Gwendolyn replied with a small chuckle. She turned to Haru, pleased to see her "sister" in law. "Haru, you're looking beautiful as always."
"Thanks, Gwendolyn, and you're not doing so bad yourself." Haru giggled.
"Sorry, I can't make the party." Gwendolyn apologized to her nephew. "I'm still stuck here on Zoraster tracking down the red dragon from the eighth pit of Navato." Seeing that his aunt wouldn't be able to make it did damper the boy's mood a bit, but…that's when Gwendolyn opened a portal right in front of him. "But I got you this in the meantime."
"Woof!" A rock creature flew out of the portal, rubbing its face against Ken's. The boy laughed at his new pet and his little sister quickly ran over to hug the rock dog.
"A pet? Hopefully, he won't be too much trouble." Haru said, a bit miffed that Gwendolyn gave her gift first.
"You'll be just fine." Gwendolyn told her.
"What about Devlin? He couldn't come?" Ben asked.
"He's still grounded after the last stunt he pulled. Hopefully, he doesn't try to pull anything while I'm gone." Gwendolyn sighed, thinking about her son. "Anyway, I gotta head out, see ya." Her projection vanished from sight.
BEEP! BEEP!
INCOMING CALL!
"I was wondering when she'd call." Ben said as a holographic screen popped up for them all to see. He answered the call, allowing the familiar face of his older sister and her family to greet the Tennysons.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KENNY!"
Kenny looked up from his new pet, ecstatic to see his aunt, uncle, and cousins. "Aunt Yukiko, Uncle Yu, Souji, Yuu, and Yuuko!"
"Yes, you said our names for the readers, can we move on?" Yuuko asked rudely, earning herself a pinch from her older brother. Yuuko was a young girl with long silver hair and green eyes, with bangs long enough to hide her eyes.
"Be nice, Yuuko." Souji warned his little sister. He was the eldest of Yukiko's children and the oldest of all the kids. He looked a lot like his father at his young age, but his biggest differences came from his hair and eyes. Souji's long silver hair was tied into a ponytail with green eyes that came from the Tennyson side of his family.
"Hahaha! Yuuko got scolded!" Yuu laughed at his twin sister. Yuu had short black hair and green eyes, resembling his mother a bit more.
"Shut up!"
"Hahaha! Yuuko got scolded!" Gwen also laughed.
"You shut up too, you're not even a part of the conversation!"
Ignoring her children, Yukiko Amagi smiled down at her adorable nephew and niece. The heiress had matured into a beautiful woman. She was dressed in a black kimono with a brilliant sunflower print. Her long black hair was tied up into a bun, allowing her gorgeous face to be seen in full. "Happy Birthday, Ken-chan! Sorry, none of us could be there for it this year."
"It's okay, aunt Yukiko! Thanks for wishing me happy birthday!" Kenny always loved seeing his aunt who showed and spoiled him with love and affection.
"You're 10 years old now. How does it feel, kid?" Yu asked. He had matured as well in these last several years. All of his young pretty boy features had given way to the handsome appearance of a strong man. He was dressed in a simple white collar shirt and jeans.
"I don't know… I feel like I'll be getting a lot of gifts though." Ken looked back to the pile of gifts.
"Of course, he's still thinking about all of that." Haru sighed.
Yukiko clapped her hands, happily. "Make sure to open our gift first, Ken-chan! I-I mean-we-" The owner corrected as she felt her husband and kids stare at the back of her head. "Put a lot of time and effort into it that I'm certain will be a fantastic first gi-"
"Oh, aunt Gwendolyn already gave me her gift first. Sorry, aunt Yukiko." Kenny's interruption dashed her hopes. Everyone who had known Yukiko for years could see the subtle shifts in her body language. The owner's eyes stared down at the rock creature that she knew all too well.
"I see… I'll be sure to have some words with Gwendolyn." Yukiko's smile unsettled everyone.
Yu quickly took over before his wife could explode. "You enjoy your birthday, alright, Ken?"
"Sure! It's already shaping up to be an amazing one!" Ken exclaimed.
Yuuko pushed her dad out of the way to be in view. "Make sure to steal some of Ken's gifts, Gwen!"
"Yes, boss!"
"As if I'd let that happen!"
"You don't have a say in it."
"How!? It's my birthday!"
Souji grabbed his little sister by the back of her dress, causing her to kick and fuss. "Enjoy your birthday. We'll talk to you later." The teenager grabbed his other sibling, pulling both of them away before they could cause any more issues.
Yukiko regained some of her senses to address the Okumura/Tennyson family. "It was nice to see you all again, give Grandpa our regards!"
"Will do, big sis!" Haru giggled.
"And Ben."
"Yeah?"
"Don't be late to your kids' birthday ever again."
"Why am I the only one getting scolded!?"
"Be good, Gwen, and have a wonderful birthday, Ken-chan!" Yukiko and Yu waved goodbye.
"Bye, aunt Yukiko! Bye, uncle Yu!" The kids yelled their farewells as the call ended.
Ben sighed, shaking his head at how much Yukiko hadn't changed in personality over the years; although he didn't feel bad for Gwendolyn, who would be getting hit the hardest from her temperament. "Well, now that they're out of the way, I guess we can show you our-"
"Here, Ken." Max appeared out of nowhere, cutting off the parents as he wheeled over the birthday cake. The retired Plumber knelt down before his great grandson, holding a cube in his hands. "Time for presents."
Ken happily took the gift, not noticing the depressed looks of his parents who had once again been snuffed out of first and second place of giving gifts. He pressed the button, gasping as it transformed into a hoverboard. "Cool! The new X3-21! Devlin and Autumn were making fun of me for not having one of these, so this is the best gift ever! Thanks, Great Grandpa!"
"Aw, you're welcome, kiddo." Max chuckled. Gwen and his friends rushed over, gushing with excitement over the hoverboard.
Haru nudged her husband, telling him to hurry up and grab their gift from the pile before Ken got impatient. Ben hurried over to the pile, tossing gifts aside to find wherever it was that Haru placed their gift. He paused for a moment as he noticed the weird painting of some video game characters, which could only have been made by Yusuke. He threw it to the side and sighed in relief when he found the sphere with a nice blue bow on it. "Got it!" Ben hurried back over to his wife.
Nodding along, Haru turned to the children. "Oh, Ken~!"
"Huh?" Ken, Gwen, and their friends turned to the adults. Ben was walking over to them with one arm hiding behind his back.
"I think it's time that you open our gift." Haru nudged her husband again. It was time for him to give his speech that he had been practicing in the bathroom for the past week.
Ben stared down at his son's big expecting eyes, reminding him of himself when he was that young. "Now…you know how your mother and I haven't been too excited about bringing you into the hero business."
"Really? Haven't noticed." Ken huffed.
"Fighting evil is not kid stuff, Ken." Ben looked serious for once that was until Max gave him a look. Coughing slightly, Ben carried on as if he didn't see that. "But since I got the Omnitrix when I was your age I thought you should have this." He handed the sphere to his son, who took it into his hands. The sphere opened up, allowing him to see the BEST GIFT EVER!
An exact replica of the Omnitrix clamped onto Ken's left wrist! It looked exactly like the one his dad had in those old photos of when he was a kid. "YES! My own Omnitrix!"
"NO WAY!" Gwen jumped onto her brother, grabbing his wrist to look at the incredibly real watch. "Can I get an Omnitrix too!?" She asked her parents, practically begging.
"Get off!" Ken shoved his sister off his back, before turning his attention back to the Omnitrix. His actions didn't stop her from invading his personal space to gaze at the watch, utterly mesmerized by the sight of it. "This is so cool! Which of your 10,000 aliens should I turn into!?
"Which of 10 alien heroes." Ben corrected him. "If I started with 10, then so can you."
"Ugh, fine!" Ken was slightly disappointed, but figured there was still some good to come from this. He started guessing which 10 he wanted to download into the Omnitrix. "Jetray? Four Arms? Diamondhead? Atomix!? Fee-"
"Actually, your mother decided-"
"Eh hum."
Ben corrected himself as his wife's gaze bore into him. "Your mother and I decided to download a set for you."
"I don't even get to pick!?"
"Don't worry, we gave you a couple of old school classics! XLR8 and Stinkfly! That way you can get away if things get too intense." Ben explained.
"Why would I run away?" Ken asked. He wanted to fight alongside his dad, not run and hide like a coward.
"There's also Wildvine, Ditto, Buzzshock, Spitter, Snakepit, and Sandbox." Ben listed off Ken's roster of aliens. His friends started walking away as soon as they heard the 'lame' aliens get listed off. "Oh, and Shellhead and Toepick!" Only his sister stayed by his side, but she was also bummed out by the list.
She liked Ditto though, she thought he was cute.
"Dad! Most of those dudes are so feeble! Shellhead is just a big turtle whose only power is to hide in his shell!" Ken argued, hoping his parents could change their mind. "And Toepick grosses out even me!"
Haru knelt down to her son's level, staring him in the eyes. "Sweetheart, it took a lot of convincing on your father's part for me to agree to give you an Omnitrix. We came to an agreement to give you a much safer roster than he had when he was your age."
"But I don't want a safer roster! Just give me all the cool aliens like Cannonbolt or Heatblast!"
Ben sighed at his son, knowing this would happen. "Well, if you're going to whine about it so much then I can always take it back."
"N-no!" Ken held his wrist defensively. "But you gotta trade Toepick for… I don't know… Grey Matter!?"
"Deal." His parents agreed.
BEEP! BEEP!
DANGER ALERT! SECTOR B - DELTA NINER!
FLASH!
Ben transformed into XLR8 without even batting an eye, long since getting used to transforming instantly. "Gotta run!"
FLASH!
Ken, who had just transformed into XLR8, joined up with his father. "Don't you mean we gotta run!?"
Haru spoke up quickly. "I-I don't think-"
"Race ya!" XLR-Ken was gone before she could finish, not bothering to even let his mother talk.
"I'll keep an eye on him, don't worry!" XLR8 reassured his wife before chasing after his son.
"Sometimes that boy is too much like his father." Haru sighed, holding her daughter close. She knew Ben would keep their son safe, but a mother will always worry over her little boy even if he has an alien transforming watch.
"You'll get used to it eventually." Max walked over to them, handing the girls some cake. Haru realized that Max would have the best experience with troublemaking boys since he not only raised three of them, but had to deal with Ben when he first got the Omnitrix.
"Does it get easier?" Haru asked.
"Not at all." Max responded. "But all you can do is make sure he makes the right choices when it matters." He took a bite of cake before continuing. "And watch as Ben now has to deal with a mini version of himself."
"Huh…that will be entertaining to watch, I guess." Haru said after swallowing some of her cake. "I'm sure Yukiko and Gwendolyn will get a kick out of it." Looking down she noticed all of the cake frosting on her daughter's face and started wiping it off.
"Mommy?"
"Yes, dear?"
"Can I get an Omnitrix?"
"Depends on how much of a mess your brother makes with it."
"So, never then." Gwen sighed. "Can I at least get a Persona?"
"That's…" Haru remembered how she got her Persona, how her friends got theirs, and how the Investigation Team members acquired theirs. That was NOT something she wanted her daughter or son to ever experience. "Hopefully, you never have to."
"But Souji can use them!"
"He's a different case, sweetheart."
Father and son arrived at the sector highway, where a giant dark purple slime alien was destroying everything around it. The alien tossed out a large patch of slime on the highway, but XLR8 easily maneuvered through it. XLR-Ken, however, got trapped inside the gunk and couldn't get out of it.
FLASH!
Cannonbolt smashed into the slime alien, sending it flying across the concrete. As it tried to fight back, Ben turned into Heatblast to nullify the slime. Once the rampaging alien was subdued by the flames, Heatblast turned back to normal, and tossed a Null Void egg at it.
FLASH!
"Ugh…" Ken groaned, feeling humiliated and useless. He didn't even get to do anything other than run to the stupid sector! He waited for his father to come and get him out of the slime, so that they could take care of the rest of the crime alerts.
He'll definitely help out on the next one!
Unfortunately for Ken, the situation didn't change at all. In the form of Buzzshock, he could only watch as his father (Diamondhead) was easily defeating another rogue alien that was causing mayhem. Diamondhead then transformed into Spitter, unleashing a blast of acidic saliva at the red-mouthed alien.
Buzzshock took this chance to zap the alien, getting its attention, but before he could do anything, the alien was encased in ice. Anger filled his tiny body, erupting at the person who took his moment of glory. "Dad! I had him!"
Standing behind the alien was his father, in the form of a Necrofriggian that he dubbed Big Chill. "Just wanted to make sure." The moth-like hero responded before turning back to normal. Buzzshock pouted to the side, disappointed at his inability to prove himself to his father.
Above the two of them, news cameras were recording their battles with the rogue aliens, which was a usual thing for them. Watching the feed down below on the television screens was a young boy with black hair and blue eyes. His eyes widened at the father/son duo before he turned away from the screens, pulling his hood further over his head.
Gwen, who was playing around with the rock dog, looked up to see that her father and brother had returned. "Daddy! I saw everything on TV, you were awesome!" She exclaimed, happily. She always enjoyed watching her dad kick bad guy butt, often mimicking the fight scenes with her dolls and toys.
"Thanks, sweetheart, wasn't your brother just as cool?"
"Eh, he was okay." Gwen disregarded him before Kenny roughly grabbed her by her collar. Much to her discomfort, his knuckles started digging into her skull again. "Gyah! Quit it!" He was a bit rougher than usual due to his bad mood and didn't need his sister's unsavory comments.
Ben ignored his kids for the moment, taking out the Null Void eggs and tossing them towards his grandfather. "Hey, Grandpa, could you chamber these?"
Max caught the eggs perfectly, walking over to his grandsons and granddaughter. "So, how was the first day as partners?"
"Three up, three down! Can't complain." Ben replied. Everything went as smoothly as possible on his end.
Kenny took a break in tormenting his little sister. "Sure, you can't! He aced me out of all the action!"
"Just having an Omnitrix doesn't make you a hero. Your job is to watch, learn, then pitch in when you're safe." Ben tried to teach his son.
"How can I pitch in if you never give me a chance!?" Ken stormed away from his father. "I'm out of here!"
"Kenneth!" Ben yelled, but the boy kept walking away.
"At least I got one present that isn't completely useless!" Ken motioned towards the rock dog.
"But you didn't open the rest of them yet." Gwen reminded him.
"I'll open them later!"
"At least get back before dinner!" Ben warned his son, who kept ignoring him. The Hero of Heroes rubbed the back of his head, struggling to understand what was going on through his son's head. "Haru usually gets him to calm down easily. Where does he get that attitude from?"
Max stared at him, thinking back to all of the times Ben threw a hissy fit for not getting his way.
"By the way, where is Haru?" Ben asked.
"Oh! I can answer that!" Gwen spoke up, grabbing his attention. "Mommy is calling the people who gave Kenny the more unsavory gifts! Like, uncle Yosuke and Ryuji!"
"Unsavory gifts? What would they give to a 10-year-old?" Ben questioned.
"Apparently books on how to get a girl's attention!"
"Yeah, that would do it." Ben sighed. "C'mon, Gwen, let's go watch some cartoons till your mom and brother get back."
"Can we watch that one cartoon about the boy who turns into a ghost or the one who turns into a dragon!?" Gwen asked, holding her dad's hand.
"Of course we can, sweetheart."
Kenny rode his hoverboard through the city, still pissed at his dad's overprotectiveness. Was it too hard for him to understand that he just wanted to help out and be a hero!? It's not like anyone got in his way when he was a kid! Great Grandpa let his dad go around saving the day and stuff, so why was he so different!?
What a stupid birthday-
"So, you finally got that hoverboard, huh?"
Ken spun around to see his favorite cousin zooming right by him. "Devlin!?" Gwendolyn's son was riding on his own hoverboard through the city.
"The one and only, Tennyson!" Devlin grinned. "Happy birthday, by the way!"
"Thanks!" Ken's mood had brightened quickly.
Devlin's eyes briefly glanced at the Omnitrix on Ken's wrist before looking on ahead. "Race ya!" The troublemaker zoomed ahead, taking Ken by momentary surprise. He watched as Devlin performed multiple tricks with his hoverboard in an attempt to look cool as he always did. It would've worked if Ken didn't have his own brand of tricks.
FLASH!
Wildvine flew past his cousin, giving a cocky grin. "But can you do this!?" The Florauna grappled off the side of a building, propelling himself through the air and farther into the city. Devlin could only watch in amazement at his younger cousin, wondering just what kind of new tricks he has up his sleeves.
After a few more minutes of city racing hijinks, the two troublemakers rested on the shoulder of Ben's statue. Devlin shared a fistbump with his cousin before relenting his first loss to him. "You win, kinda cheated, but you win."
"So, what have you been up to since the last time we saw each other?" Ken asked.
"Ah…nothing much." Devlin avoided eye contact. "Just trying not to get on mom's bad side, y'know. She's still pissed that I reconfigured our home's security system to play heavy metal everytime someone opened a door. Grounded me pretty heavily for that one."
"Wait, you're grounded? What are you doing here, then?" Kenny asked.
"Snuck out while she's off on her little job or whatever, doesn't matter though, because what we should be focusing on is that!" Devlin pointed at the Omnitrix. "Caught you and uncle fighting on the mega screen! It looks like his in those old photos our parents would show us."
"And it works like his too with a stupid time limiter!" Kenny complained. "Him and mom even went and gave me a bunch of lame forms to use, limiting me to 10 just because he started with 10!"
"Still cool though."
"What would be cool is if he let me help out more! Can't he just see that I just want to be like him!? Stupid Dad and his stupid rules…" Ken continued to rant.
Devlin just stared at his cousin, feeling a pit of jealousy build up inside of him that he was forced to squash. He constantly forced himself to do that whenever he'd see his cousins and friends interacting with their fathers. His mother always reassured him that his dad was just far away or she'd simply dodge the question.
But he knew the truth. The truth that she was hiding from him.
BEEP!
"Kenny! Dinner time!" Ben contacted him through the Omnitrix.
"I better go, don't need to upset mom by being late." Both boys shivered at the last time they had seen Haru upset. That was certainly NOT a good day. Kenny turned to his cousin. "I know you're grounded and all, but do you want to come have dinner? We can just sneak into my room through the sewer and I'll bring us some food."
Devlin shook his head. "Nah, better not risk getting found out and having my mom on my case. I'll just head home."
"Alright then, see ya!" Kenny left on his hoverboard, leaving Devlin by himself. The troublemaker turned his head to Ben's statue, replaying a certain tidbit of information that Kenny unknowingly dropped.
With the coming of night, the Okumura/Tennyson family slept peacefully. One bedroom held the snoring Gwen, dressed in pink pajamas with strawberries printed on, surrounded by giant plushies of her father's aliens. Another room right next to it was Ken's, decorated with posters of action movie heroes and video game characters. The boy slept like a log after stuffing his face with his mother's delicious cooking.
The final bedroom belonged to the parents of the household. Their master bedroom was tamer than their children, but Ben's influence was noticeable. The green wallpaper and posters of his own aliens were kept to one side of the room with the other side having photos of their wedding, children, and Haru's father. Ben stared up at the ceiling, contemplating the day's events. "Do you think it was too much?"
"Too much what?" Haru asked, looking up from her book.
"Overprotectiveness? I mean…we could've been a bit more lenient with Ken's options."
"We talked about this, Ben." Haru placed her bookmark to keep her place. "We agreed to give him an Omnitrix, but only to use it for safety purposes. As he gets older, we'll allow more room for him to get the more powerful options."
"But when I was his age-"
"You had no control over the aliens you got and were thrown into situations with dangerous criminals left and right. There was no way to prepare you for all of that and we both agree that you got lucky more often than not." Haru knew the incidents she was talking about. "With Kenny, we can at least control how involved he gets and let him move at his own pace. He'll get over it soon enough, okay?" She leaned down to place a soft kiss on his cheek.
"You're right." Ben returned the kiss. "I guess I'm just afraid that he'll hate me."
"He can never hate you, you're his father." Haru's soft voice soothed his nerves. "Now, let's get some sleep-"
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
INTRUDER ALERT!
Both parents shot up from their bed, luckily dressed in their pajamas, and rushed out of their room to see who had broken into their home. They weren't the only ones as both Ken and Gwen were awoken by the loud noise. The little girl was holding her head, hating the loud noise that was hurting her head.
"W-what's going on…!?" She gaggled, still groggy. Haru quickly hurried to her little star, trying to soothe her pain.
"It'll be fine, darling. I'm sure it's nothing serious." The matriarch reassured her.
Ken glanced at his little sister for a moment before turning to his dad. "Who would be stupid enough to break into here!?"
"Every once in a while, someone thinks he has something to prove. Let's take care of this!" Ben turned to his son. "Together!"
"A real team!?" Kenny's eyes glowed like stars.
RUMBLE!
Ben quickly grabbed his family before the wall exploded, the explosion sending them flying across the main room of their HQ. The four of them stared at the massive hole in their wall, before the smoke cleared to reveal who it was.
Several black goo-like substances appeared in front of the family, transforming into disgusting creatures that Haru recognized. "Shadows!? Powerful ones!?"
"We need to move!" Ben exclaimed, picking up Kenny, since Haru still had Gwen in her arms. The two hurried out of the main room, as the Shadows unleashed their attacks in hopes of killing the Okumura/Tennyson family. "Initiate emergency lockdown!" Ben ordered the security system. Several walls shot up, blocking off the Shadows from following them.
FLASH!
Standing in Ben's place was a large Vaxasaurian that Ben dubbed Humungousaur. "Kenny, take your sister back to your room and stay there!" Humungousaur ordered.
"But you just said we'd handle the problem together! And what even are those things!?" Kenny demanded, feeling betrayed. He felt his little sister get dropped into his arms by his mother.
"I lied!" The Vaxasaurian yelled. "GO!
"But-"
"I'm sorry, baby." Haru softly kissed their heads, before uttering her next words. "Secure Room K-1!" A trap door opened beneath the children, sending them away from the battle.
"It's been awhile since we've fought together." Haru mentioned as a black phantom mask materialized in her hands. Placing it on her face, the matriarch's clothes changed from her pajamas to her Phantom Thief attire.
"It's been a few years, yeah."
BOOM!
The Shadows broke through the walls, approaching the parents who were all too willing to utterly destroy the Shadows where they stood.
"AAAHHHH!" Ken and Gwen fell onto his bed, disturbing the rock dog, who had been sleeping peacefully up till now. Ken quickly dropped his sister on his bed, trying to figure out some way to get back and help his parents. "No way am I skipping this fight!"
"Kenny…"
He turned back to his little sister, who was curled up in a ball. Older sibling instincts quickly entered his body, reminding him of his little sister, who was likely frightened and struggling at the moment. "Gwen…" He spoke softly, rubbing his sister's back.
"A-are Mommy and Daddy going to be okay?" She asked quietly.
"Of course, they will! Mom and Dad are some of the toughest people around!" He moved her around, placing her underneath his covers. "Just sit tight and go back to sleep okay? When you wake up, everything will be right back to normal."
"You promise?" She asked.
"Yeah, I promise." He reassured his sister as she drifted back to sleep. Kenny listened to the sounds of her snoring for a few moments before turning to his rock dog. "Keep her safe, okay?"
"Woof!" It barked in confirmation.
Knowing that the security system locked the door to his room, Ken glanced up at the air vent and gained an idea.
CRASH!
Humungousaur crashed through the floors of his tower, beating the Shadows senseless until they reached the lower chambers. As he crushed the skull of the one he had just smashed, the Vaxasaurian reached over his shoulder and smashed another one into the floor. It attempted to use its physical attacks against him, but the dinosaur alien was much stronger than it. "RAGH!" His fist flattened its skull like a tin can of soda. Looking up at the hole he made, Humungousaur saw more Shadows attempting to swarm him.
"Come Forth, Lucy! Triple Down!" Bullets rained down from behind the army of Shadows, tearing them to pieces as if they were cardboard. His wife landed gently next to him thanks to the assistance of her Persona. "Thank you, Lucy."
"Seems you haven't lost your touch." He complimented her.
"Oh, aren't you just the kindest of gentlemen?" She giggled before getting back on guard. "We should focus back up, I'm not sure if we got all of them or not."
FLASH!
XLR8 turned to her. "I'll run a quick sweep through the building and check on the kids-"
"Don't move!"
Husband and wife turned to the sound of the voice, suspecting it to belong to whoever was behind this attack. It was unrecognizable, obviously distorted to keep them from figuring out their identity. Standing across from them was a large figure in a dark cloak, the lights of the chamber weren't making it easier to see the person's face. "Who are you!?" XLR8 demanded.
"My identity doesn't matter!" They hissed. "Where is it!?"
"Where is what?" Haru asked.
"The Null Void Containment Unit! It should be on this floor!"
"To avoid situations like this, I made sure to hide the containment unit! Seems it was the correct decision!" XLR8 explained to the intruder. "But since you want to see it so badly, I'll take you right to it!" He raised a Null Void egg with his tail.
"Unfortunately, I'll have to reschedule our little playdate." The figure raised their hand, revealing the Pyronite appendage, shocking XLR8. The figure blew a hole through the wall for their escape.
"Wait…that's-"
Behind them, Gray Matter popped in through a vent, smirking in satisfaction at not missing the action. "Now, I can prove to Dad that I can-"
FLASH!
"Ugh! Oh, man!" Kenny cried, having got stuck in the vent.
Haru and XLR8 spun their heads at him. "KENNY!?"
The figure glanced at their chance for a distraction and blasted a wave of fire at Kenny. With the watch timed out and him being stuck in a vent, there was nothing the boy could do to avoid getting fried.
"NO!" Haru's body moved before she could realize what was happening. She jumped in front of her baby, allowing the flames to scorch her back. "GYAAAHHH!"
"MOM/HARU!"
Kenny watched horrified as his mother's body dropped to the ground, her Phantom Thief attire vanishing, and leaving her back in her pajamas.
XLR8, filled with fury, turned to the intruder, but the bastard was already long gone. Crying in frustration, the Hero of Heroes grabbed his son out of the vent and hurried to his wife. The burns on her back were pretty bad and needed to be treated quickly.
"D-Dad, I-"
"Shut it." Kenny closed his mouth instantly, unfamiliar with the cold tone his father was using. He simply stayed quiet in his father's arms as he took them to the infirmary.
"I TOLD you to stay in your room! I TOLD you to stay with your sister! And you did NEITHER!" Ben yelled at his son, both standing in the infirmary as the medical systems treated Haru's wounds.
Kenny fidgeted in his seat, glaring at the floor. "I… I just wanted to help…"
"And that's the problem! You want to help, but you can't even listen to what I have to say and look at what happened!"
The young boy stared at his mother, feeling complete guilt at her condition. He never intended for his mother to get hurt, because of his actions. It wasn't fair…this never should've happened…and it wouldn't have happened if his dad just listened to him. Anger replaced the guilt, anger that was pointed at his father. "If you would just listen to me and let me help, then I never would've been in the vent! None of this would've happened!"
"You're blaming me for this!?"
"You lied to me! You said I could help, but then told me to sit on the sidelines and do nothing! When will it finally be my turn to help out!? How can I be a hero if you just babysit me and leave me on the sidelines!?"
"Because I can't trust that you'll make the right choices!" Ben argued.
"And how will you know that, if you don't give me the chance to fight?! You got to run around all you wanted when you were my age! Saving the day, fighting supervillains, going to space, and being a hero! You were never told to sit back and learn!"
"That's the point, Kenny! I never should've been doing all of that when I was a kid! Not me, not your aunt Gwendolyn, or even your aunt Yukiko! There wasn't much of a choice, because if we didn't, then things would've been worse! I wish I had someone to help guide and teach me back then, but that's what I'm trying to do with you!"
"I don't need you to try and do anything! Everything you've done so far has been unnecessary! Picking my roster, sidelining me, and lying to me! That's not teaching, it's being controlling! I'm more than ready-"
"YOU'RE NOT READY!" Ben's shout shook the room, scaring Ken to silence. Ben, noticing the frightened look on his son's face, calmed himself down. He looked down towards the Omnitrix on Ken's wrist and frowned. "And I'm starting to see that it was too early for you to have that. Omnitrix shutdown code K-1."
"W-what!?" Ken looked down at his watch and noticed the color turn from green to red. "What did you do!?"
"I shut down your Omnitrix. When your mother wakes back up, we'll discuss taking it away from you in the morning." Ben's explanation left a cold pit in his son's stomach. "Maybe when you're older, you'll-" He tried to reach for his son, but Kenny slapped his hand away. His eyes brimming with tears, already making Ben regret his actions. Before he could say anything, Kenny sprinted out of the infirmary. "Kenny!"
Ben couldn't find the strength to chase after his son. He didn't know what to say to the boy after all that had just happened. He slowly turned to his wife, who was still asleep and healing. Ben wished he could have her advice right now…well there was one person he could talk to.
"So, why did you call me out here?" Devlin arrived at Ben's statue after receiving a call from Kenny. That's when he noticed the red in his little cousin's eyes, meaning that he was crying. "Hey, man, are you okay?"
"No…" Kenny sniffled.
"What happened?" Devlin took a seat next to him.
"T-there was an attack on our home, someone busted in and released these weird creatures on us. Dad promised that he'd let me help, but then betrayed me and sent me off to my room with Gwen. And then when I tried to come help, mom got hurt, and dad totally blamed me for it! Sure, I got in the way at the end there, but it never would've happened if he had just let me help in the first place!" Kenny ranted, trying to stop his tears. "Then he shut off my Omnitrix and said he's planning to take it away from me tomorrow. Worst birthday ever."
Devlin felt guilty for Haru getting hurt and the fight that was tearing his family up, but he decided to focus on something. "What exactly did the guy who busted in want?"
"Something about the Null Void chamber, which dad completely moved without me knowing." Kenny answered.
"Y'know, if that guy wanted the Null Void, then it would be bad to leave it unprotected like that. If your dad isn't willing to let you help, then prove to him you can by guarding the Null Void chamber and finding out what it is that guy wants. " Devlin planted the idea in his head.
Kenny mulled over Devlin's words, seeing the logic in it. "If I can beat the creep and stop them from getting to the Null Void chamber, then dad will have to start trusting me!" Kenny exclaimed, then realized one certain issue. "But without my Omnitrix, that would be impossible."
"Eh, I can probably override whatever shutdown system your Dad placed on it." Devlin said.
"Really!?"
"Y'know when it comes to hacking, I'm a genius at it." Devlin grinned. "We just need the right tools, and I think I know just the guy who has them."
"Great Grandpa Max!" Kenny exclaimed. "Devlin, you're a genius!"
"I know."
Devlin and Kenny hid inside of the HQ's garage, waiting for Max to exit the Rustbucket. "Great Grandpa usually takes his morning walks right about now." Kenny's words rang true as the retired Plumber exited the RV, allowing the two to sneak in.
Devlin immediately went to where he knew Max hid his tools, finding them underneath the kitchen sink. "Bingo!" He grabbed Ken's wrist and got to work on hacking the Omnitrix, which only took a couple of minutes before the watch lit up green once more, signifying that it was successful.
"Wow! You really are good at this." Kenny gasped.
"Mom says I get it from my Dad." Devlin responded before tossing the tools aside. "Now what are we looking for again?"
"The switch to the containment unit. Since Dad always gives the Null Void eggs to Great Grandpa, I figure it would be around here somewhere." Kenny kept searching around the Rustbucket.
"I don't think something that's supposed to be that big would be inside of this old motorhome." Devlin frowned.
"Give me a second."
FLASH!
Ditto split into three, speeding up the search for the switch to the containment unit. As they did so, they missed the hidden creepy smile from Devlin.
"I don't know what you want me to say, Ben." Yukiko spoke over the video call.
"I just want to know if I'm doing all of this right. I'm just trying to keep Kenny safe, but all it's done is push him away from me." Ben sighed.
"Funny, I remember a certain little boy who always yelled and complained whenever I got protective of him or when Grandpa tried to teach him." Yukiko's smile forced a blush to appear on his face.
"I know, I know! He's a lot like me when I was a kid, but it's different. I can guide him; teach him how to use the Omnitrix and how to stay safe. He shouldn't be rushing off into danger or complaining that the rogue alien didn't try to fight him."
"Maybe I'm not the best person to talk to about this, considering how overprotective I was with you and Gwen, and how I am now with my kids, but there's something Yu-kun told me whenever Souji-chan got hurt when he was little."
"What is that?"
"That try as we might, we cannot control our children and their behavior. As parents, all we want is their safety and well-being, but kids have to be allowed to fall and hurt themselves if they want to grow. We can still be there to help them, but that's if they desire it. It's the same thing with you when you were younger, Ben. You made a lot of mistakes that I'm sure you still regret to this day, but you grew and got stronger from it."
Ben stared at his older sister, her soft warm eyes comforting him even after all these years.
"You have to trust Ken-chan to get back on his own two feet after he's gotten hurt."
Ditto peered at the dashboard. "Got it!" He pressed a button, activating the disco setting that Max had installed for some reason. "Why does he still have this!?"
"I figured aunt Yukiko convinced him it looks stupid." Devlin groaned.
"She did…and then he changed his mind." Ditto(2) sighed.
Ditto tried pressing another button, which turned out to be the correct choice. An elevator opened up from where the fridge was, giving the boys their accessway to the Null Void chamber. The boys were so focused on their own goal that they didn't notice the smaller figure behind them.
"Heh, Dad thinks he's so smart." Ditto and Devlin walked into the chamber. The Splixson walked over to the control panel. "Now all we've got to do is-wah!" He cried as Devlin shoved him aside to open the Null Void.
"Devlin, what are you-!?" Ditto's eyes widened as Devlin's body began to morph right in front of him. His cousin's body stretched, bubbled, and screamed as he completed his transformation into a hideous mutation of Ben's original 10 aliens, similar to the mutation Devlin's father went through at his age. "W-what…?" Ditto backed away from him.
"Sorry, Kenny, for what I did to your mom."
Ditto's eyes widened. "That was you-"
POW!
"GYAH!" Ditto crashed into the floor from the tail smack, groaning in pain.
"I can't have you trying to stop me! I've come too far now!" Devlin declared, turning on the chamber. He watched with bated breath as the doors to the Null Void opened right in front of him, a masculine silhouette could be seen floating out of the portal, much to Devlin's immense relief. After all of these years he'll finally be able to see his dad and his family could finally be complete! All of the pain and betrayal he had caused would be worth it as soon as he-
Wait…who was that?
THUD!
Devlin watched as the man, who looked nothing like his father from the images he had found in his mother's room, slowly got up from his crouching position. "What the heck? You're not my Dad…"
"No, but I'm happy to finally meet you face-to-face, Devlin Levin." The man grinned sadistically at the trembling mutant. The person in front of him had small fish-colored horns on his head and red eyes ringed with black marks. His long black hair reached down to the back of his completely black outfit.
"That voice…you're the one who-"
"Planted the mental suggestions of finding your Father into your head, leading you on a quest that involved hurting and betraying the people around you? Yes, that would be me." The man enjoyed the utter despair that overtook the boy's face. "Finding a species in the Null Void that specialized in telepathic abilities wasn't too difficult, all that mattered was finding the right fool to trick, and it all boiled down to the boy with daddy issues."
Sweat was pouring down Devlin's face, fear and uncertainty pounding against his chest. "I-if you're not my father…then who are you?"
"Me? I'm just someone who is pretty familiar with your parents, especially your father." The man outstretched his hand, pulling the mutant boy towards him with an invisible force, grabbing onto his throat. Devlin tried to fight against his grip, but the man's strength was just too much for him. "You can call me Aggregor, a fellow Osmosian."
"W-what-"
POW!
Aggregor's fist bashed against Devlin's face, dazing the mutant, before repeating the process multiple times. The young mutant could do nothing but take the abuse as Agreggor continued to relentlessly beat him to a pulp. "What's wrong, kid? Got nothing to say?!" He released his hold on Devlin before kicking the brat away into the wall. Devlin cried in pain before turning back to normal and slumping to the floor.
"Devlin!" Ditto tried to reach his cousin, but Agreggor got in his way.
"Not so fast, Tennyson!" He grabbed the Splixson by his throat. "Looks like I get my shot at revenge without a hit-"
"LEAVE HIM ALONE, YOU BIG BULLY!"
A laser blast collided with Aggregor, sending him flying across the chamber, and freeing Ditto. The Omnitrix began to time out, turning the son of Ben back to normal. He looked over to see his little sister, their rock dog, and Max standing at the entrance. "Gwen!? Great Grandpa!?"
"Kenny, are you okay!?" Gwen hurried to her big brother, helping him to his feet. Their pet rock dog was just as worried for him.
"What are you doing here!? It's not safe!" Kenny yelled at his sister.
"I can say the same for you! Just wait until Mommy and Daddy find out-is that Devlin!?" She looked over to see their injured cousin on the ground.
"Kids, get back!" Max ordered them, using his robot limb to trigger the alarm system to warn Ben. Right after he pressed the button, Aggregor used his speed to slice through the appendage, causing the retired Plumber to scream in pain. The powerful mutant kicked the old man into the far wall, dispatching him easily.
"Great Grandpa Max!" The kids cried. Their shock turned into fear as Aggregor's attention turned to them, stepping closer with each step they took backwards. Their mutt barked and growled at the Osmosian, who didn't find the mutt to be much of a threat. He simply kicked the mutt once, crushing him to pieces.
"No, Jerry!"
"You named him Jerry?!"
Aggregor's stomp brought their attention back to him. "I guess, you weren't Tennyson, but his brat instead. I wonder how he'll react when he arrives and finds his children dead by my hands-"
"Why…?"
Eyes shifted over to Devlin, who was struggling to get back up. Tears were pouring down the boy's face as he stared at Aggregor. "Why are you here?! I just wanted to see my Dad, to meet him! Is that so wrong?! Why does it have to be you?!" His voice was filled with hopelessness and regret.
Aggregor turned to the boy, smiling with as much sadistic pleasure as possible. "It amazes me that you haven't been able to put it together yet. Seems you truly are Levin's son."
"What are you talking about!?"
"He's dead."
…
"What…?" Devlin felt his heart drop from the revelation.
"Why do you think you barely hear about him, why you don't know enough about him, and why your family keeps telling you that he's just out somewhere!? It's because these fools have been unable to accept the fact that he's dead! That I killed him!"
"N-no…no…" Devlin refused to accept it. He refused to accept the words of this madman who was trying to get into his head again. "Y-you're lying! He's not dead, he's just in the Null Void! You're lying to me!"
"If you refuse to believe it, then I'll just kill you and send you down to hell with him!" Aggregor charged at Devlin, the Tennyson/Okumura kids were unable to do anything to stop him. Devlin stared at the monster as he came for him, silently apologizing to his mother and family for causing this mess-
CRASH!
Moments before Aggregor could reach Devlin, Four Arms smashed through the floor and collided with Aggregor. With the fury of a thousand gorillas, Four Arms grabbed him by his skull and threw him into the ceiling. The Osmosian's body bounced off the ceiling and into the ground. "Aggregor!"
The mutant stood back up as if the attacks didn't do anything to him. "Tennyson! How much I've missed you... Welcome to our little reunion!"
"I don't know how you got out of the Null Void, but you're going right back there, even if I gotta break every bone in your body to do it!" Four Arms threatened.
Aggregor didn't look worried at all, simply cracking his neck. "You should know by now, Tennyson, that I'm not someone you can take lightly! Especially with all of the powerful lifeforms to absorb at my disposal inside the Null Void!" His body began to expand, bubbling with raw energy, all of his body parts morphing into something unnatural.
Kenny stood protectively in front of his sister as Aggregor finished transforming. The monstrous mutant was a 17-foot tall fusion beast of every single alien he had absorbed, resembling the type of Kaijus you'd see in Japanese movies. The beast released a mighty roar that shook the entire chamber.
Aggregor stared down at Four Arms like a hungry predator. "Ben 10,000! I'm going to enjoy absorbing every single lifeform in that watch of yours before ripping you to pieces!" His huge fist smashed down at Four Arms, who managed to evade his attack. The monstrous mutant didn't stop attacking, forcing Four Arms to counter by jumping into the air and landing a devastating punch across his jaw.
"Not enough!" Aggregor grabbed Four Arms, tossing him into the air, and connecting his huge fist into the Tetramand. The Hero of Heroes crashed through the ceiling and he didn't stop until reaching the streets of the city. Aggregor chased after Ben, tearing through the building and leaving the chamber.
"I gotta help Dad!" Kenny exclaimed.
"B-but how!? That ugly guy is like a billion times stronger than you!" Gwen pointed out the obvious.
"Yeah? Well, there's one alien that stands a chance at beating that creep!" Kenny informed his sister before turning to Devlin, who was still crying on the floor. "Devlin!" He rushed over to his cousin.
"J-just leave me alone… I've already ruined enough as is…" Devlin cried.
"I… I can't begin to understand what it is you're going through right now, and I know that you didn't mean to cause all the problems you did. I hurt some people close to me earlier as well…" Flashes of his mom getting hurt and his argument with his dad came to his mind. "But, I know that you want to fix your mistakes and stop Aggregor! So, help me and we'll avenge your Dad too!"
Devlin stared at him for a few moments before drying his eyes. "Y-yeah!"
Four Arms tried to fight back, but Aggregor was too fast for him to react. The mutant bashed him down into the Earth. People were running and screaming in fear as the two battled in the streets of the city.
FLASH!
A massive wave of crystals erupted through the ground towards the Osmosian, each one exploding into Aggregor's body. He screamed in pain as the shards exploded further inside of him, like insects biting the inside of his flesh. Raising his arms, he brought them down for a hammer strike on Diamondhead that caused a massive earthquake throughout the city.
The Petrosapien struggled to get back to his feet, his body cracked and almost broken from the strength of Aggregor's attacks. When he tried to fight back one more, Aggregor smashed his fist without a second thought.
FLASH!
Ben laid defeated on the ground with Aggregor looming dangerously over his body. His large hand reached for the hero's body until something got in his way.
Grey Matter, surprisingly visible for Aggregor, defended his father. "Not so fast!"
FLASH!
Spitter shot toxic acid at the giant's fist, burning the mutant's skin. Devlin swooped in, transformed and ready to go, grabbing Spitter to give him a better shot at Aggregor. The Sphoeroid unleashed his acidic saliva all over Aggregor, who was trying to swat the two down like annoying flies. Several appendages shot out of the mutant's body to swat the two boys down.
FLASH!
Buzzshock touched one of the limbs, sending his electrical volts into the Osmosian's body. The pain from the shocks were amplified by the large amount of liquid spit that was left from Spitter. Aggregor stared at the brats with new found hatred. "How are you brats hurting me!? This shouldn't be possible!"
"It's called using your brain, idiot! Try it sometime!" Buzzshock insulted him. "By using Grey Matter, I was able to hack the Omnitrix and unlock the Master Control! Which means instant hero switches at my command!"
"It also means that your butt is about to be fried!" Devlin's shout reeked of venom. The mutant unleashed a torrent of flames into Aggregor's left eye, melting the socket beyond repair.
"GRAAHHH!" He screamed in pain, holding onto his eye.
"That's just the beginning of it! I'm going to make you pay for everything you've done!" Devlin roared.
Aggregor hissed in pain, deciding to stop playing around. "Fine, then! I'll play by your rules!" His body began shifting again into something more compact. No longer was he the towering giant, but a human sized nightmarish zombie-like monster. "Time to die, brats!"
POW!
Aggregor viciously uppercutted Devlin, sending the mutant flying.
BAM!
The Osmosian slammed Wildvine into the ground, tearing some of his roots out.
WHAM!
Devlin's face was pounded into the concrete by Aggregor's foot.
POW!
XLR8 and Devlin skidded across the concrete back towards Ben and little Gwen, turning back to normal after getting beaten so hard. The young girl watched horrified as the two were beaten senseless. Aggregor stomped over to finish the job, preparing to crush Kenny's skull.
"NO!" Gwen got in the way, protecting her family.
"G-Gwen…stop…" Kenny coughed.
"I won't let you hurt them!" Gwen ignored her brother.
"You won't let me hurt them? Nice effort, kid... Too bad it won't end so easily for you!" Aggregor smacked the girl away, right at the moment Ben woke up. He watched with wide eyes as his little girl crashed into the wall.
"D-daddy…" Was the last thing Gwen said before losing consciousness.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! How was that Tennyso-"
FLASH!
A massive gray fist smashed into Aggregor, not even giving him the time to register what just happened. The last thing the mutant saw was the To'kustar towering over him with unimaginable fury. "HOW DARE YOU!"
SMASH!
SMASH!
SMASH!
SMASH!
SMASH!
SMASH!
SMASH!
SMASH!
SMASH!
SMASH!
SMASH!
Ben didn't stop until he was certain that Aggregor wouldn't get up off the ground. He quickly turned back to normal and hurried over to the kids, checking on his own children. "Gwen! Kenny! Are you two alright!?"
"I-I'm okay, Dad." Kenny replied.
"Need…ice cream…" Gwen groaned. She'll be fine.
Kenny looked at his Dad, feeling a wave of guilt. "D-dad, I'm sorry for what I said earlier. You were right that I wasn't ready, I should've listened to you and stayed out of it."
"No, I'm sorry, son. I should've trusted you more and allowed you to actually help me out. We're a team, yeah?" Ben held out his fist.
"A team." Kenny returned the fist bump.
Devlin stood over the unconscious body of Aggregor, transforming into his mutant state. He sharpened his diamond arm into a blade, preparing to impale the bastard through his skull. "And this is for my father-" He never got to finish the job as a Null Void egg flew past him and captured the Osmosian.
"WHY!?" Devlin turned to his uncle, who was walking over with his kids.
"Because he wouldn't want you to go down that route." Ben responded. Devlin understood the meaning behind his words, turning back to normal.
"I… I'm sorry, uncle, for everything." Devlin apologized.
"It's not your fault, kid. I know it hurts, and it's the fault of us adults who should've told you much sooner." Ben said softly, pulling Devlin in for a hug. "We just couldn't bring ourselves to say it, because if we did, then that would mean it was true. Your mother was hurt the most and blamed herself for it. But she wants to do right by you and to ensure you become someone your father would be proud of."
Devlin was already crying pretty hard, hugging his uncle tightly and refusing to let go. "D-do you think you can tell me stories about him?"
"Yeah, I can do that." Ben agreed.
"I-I should also talk to Mom about all of this too, huh?"
"We have a lot to explain to her, but yeah, you should."
Gwen picked up the Null Void egg, sticking her tongue out at Aggregor. "What should we do with this? What if he breaks out again?"
Max came flying down with his jetpack. "Leave that to me, sweetheart. I've got a special place in mind for him, and trust me, he'll never be able to break out." He took the egg from his great granddaughter and ruffled her hair.
"Woof!"
"Huh?" They all turned to see the rock mutt running towards them. Gwen was ecstatic to see their dog alive and well. "Jerry's alive!"
"Jerry?" Ben questioned.
"I'm still wondering why she chose that name." Ken sighed. Father and son watch as the dog plays with Gwen, smiling at the cute scene. "Welp, all's well that ends well-"
BEEP!
"Eh?" Ben looked down at his Omnitrix, wondering who was calling him, until the ID popped up in front of him and Kenny.
"AW, CRUD! WE FORGOT ABOUT MOM/HARU!"
Haru Okumura Tennyson, confined in the infirmary, watched the chaos that had just unfolded upon the city through the news channel. She could make out the form of her husband, children, Max, and surprisingly, Devlin.
"Benjamin Tennyson…my babies better not be hurt, or you're going to wish that my time in this infirmary was much longer!" She threatened with a terrifying smile.
Within the universe of space, there lies infinite possibilities, an endless stream of outcomes one could take. Some worse than others and some just a little bit better.
Perhaps the future of our main story will be a much better outcome than this one...
Chapter End
NOTE: ALTERNATE TIMELINE! Just putting the reminder out there for you guys. Lots of things to explain with this chapter and why I went in the direction that I did.
1. Yes, Ben marries Haru! As some of you have already figured out by this point, they are the main pairing of the story, and you'll see more of them way later on. Do remember that Ben has a daughter named Gwen, so that child isn't necessarily an OC. Ken mostly looks the same except he doesn't have dark skin or brown hair here.
2. Some name drops of characters who have yet to be introduced in the story, but you all know who they are.
3. Yukiko's children! You got a glimpse of them here, and I hope you liked what little you've seen from them. Go over to TTPLs to see their profiles. Originally, I was going to have Souji (The alternative name for Yu Narukami) be a part of the final battle, but then realized that he doesn't fit. Eventually, you'll get to see what he can do.
4. Yeah, Kevin's dead in this timeline. He died when he was an adult, and it's an alternate timeline anyway, so you'll never see any of this get referenced. Originally, he was going to appear in this chapter, but I could not figure out how to properly work him into the plot. Then I realized that he works better with tragic fates sometimes, either staying as a villain or dead, and it adds to the tragedy of Devlin as well.
If Aggregor being here bothers you, trust me I hate the guy too, but he's the only other thing I could get to work.
Devlin is already known about in this story rather than his existence being unknown and is being raised by Gwen. He was moving around behind her back, because he wanted to meet his father, but she refused to ever really talk about Kevin. He got the Shadows from her, because Gwen experiments on them to figure out how they tick.
5. Ben and Ken's argument is meant to be somewhat similar to Tony Stark and Peter in Homecoming. Ben's side is coming more from the place of a parent who doesn't want his kid to be hurt. At his age, while thankful for his adventures, understands that he shouldn't have been doing the things he did as a child. Plenty of things could've gone wrong and they could've ended up dead.
He and Haru treat Ken as a fragile baby instead of allowing the kid to figure things out on his own.
Next Chapter will be a filler chapter to prelude the finale! I don't think it'll be a long chapter but look forward to it!