BEN 10 DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY HERO ACADEMIA DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. I'M SORRY TO SAY THAT I'M IN TROUBLE WITH THE GOVERNMENT AGAIN. APPARENTLY, TAMPERING WITH THE SUN IS NOT ALLOWED. WISH THEY'D TOLD ME BEFORE I STARTED THROWING NITRO-CHICKENS INTO THE THING.

Where were we? Ah, yes, Midoriya was about to learn some world-shattering stuff. Shall we?

My Alien Academia

Chapter 20

Family Matters, Part 3

Uraraka frowned at her phone, as if it was responsible for her irritated state. It had become a habit for the Rising Stars to talk to each other after school, but one star wasn't shining that night.

Comet: Has anyone heard from Izuku?

Book: Not in the five minutes since the last time you asked.

Comet: Sorry

Crayon: relax, Ochako. im sure Midori is just busy. Maybe his mom needs him and he turned off his phone?

Glasses: Yes, I am certain that everything is all right.

Comet: I know, it's just that he always responds. It's weird.

Tape: Hey, if he doesn't send any messages by tomorrow morning, I can ask Air Jet to swing by his place. He patrols near Izuku's neighborhood on weekdays.

Uraraka was touched that Sero would ask a Pro Hero to go out of his way to check on Midoriya, even though there was no evidence that anything was actually wrong. Even if there was, they could only say anything if they didn't hear from him after 24 hours, or had proof that something bad had happened.

Maybe she was just being paranoid. After all, the League of Villains had tried to kidnap him in Hosu, and they might try again. What if they knew where he lived?

She nervously started to pace. Yes, she was definitely paranoid, but she didn't care.

You'd better have a good explanation for this.

"Well?" Azmuth tapped his foot impatiently. "Answer the question."

Midoriya shrank back. "Um, w-well, the common theory is that a latent gene in our DNA activated about two hundred years ago, and powers began developing at an accelerated rate. Four out of every five people on my Earth now have some kind of Quirk, even if it's just a vestigial mutation."

He was suddenly reminded of a man who lived in his neighborhood. His Quirk was just a pair of hooks on the sides of his head; they didn't do anything, but he was so proud of them, and had sneered at his Quirkless neighbor every chance he got. Midoriya had seen him once or twice since winning the Sports Festival; now, he seemed terrified of the boy he'd thought inferior.

Ben frowned. "Okay, I'm not a scientist by any stretch, but I'm pretty sure that's a complete load. Azmuth, tell me that's a complete load."

"Oh, it is," Azmuth assured him. "Such a drastic change in your species' evolution wouldn't have happened without outside interference."

Supergirl leaned back in her chair. "Someone altered the humans on that Earth? Why would they do that?"

"As a proof-of-concept," Azmuth said.

Ben stared at him for a long moment as he processed that. "Azmuth, tell me you had nothing to do with that."

"I could, but it would be a lie."

Midoriya looked between them. "W-wait, what?"

"That's what I was going to say." Ben fixed Azmuth with a glare that would have impressed Aizawa. "Start talking."

Azmuth sighed and sat down at the foot of the bed. In that moment, he looked every bit his age. "A long time ago, when I was working on the designs for the Omnitrix, I encountered a problem. I couldn't figure out how to stop the DNA of other species from permanently overriding that of the host. However, until I knew what such an override might look like, it would be a flaw that I couldn't fix. My best estimates were that it would take me another hundred years before I perfected the technology, and I refused to wait that long. Controlled experiments weren't yielding the data I needed, so I sought… an alternative. This presented another obstacle—genetic manipulation on a large scale is illegal in our universe."

"Then why didn't anyone say anything when I fixed the Highbreed?" Ben asked.

"The Highbreed were intent on destroying the universe," Azmuth said. "Besides, you did it to save them from extinction, and after the Highbreed's war, no one was in a position to do more than raise a protest, and you were so popular that to do so would be political suicide. As such, everyone just let it go.

"What I was planning had no motive other than to advance my own project. Even my best arguments wouldn't get past the lawmakers. However, the law only specified that large-scale genetic manipulation was illegal in our own universe. So… I went to another.

"Upon reaching this other Earth, I seeded alien DNA into the genetic codes of the humans, to be passed on to their children. The human genetic code is remarkably resilient, and the population made for excellent test subjects. I programmed the dispersal technology to eventually affect eighty percent of the population by the time the project was complete; the other twenty percent remained unaltered as a control group. After that was done, I observed the effects; I took my readings, and used them to build the safety features of the Omnitrix."

At that point, Midoriya was fairly certain that his heart had stopped. Azmuth had just admitted that he had visited his Earth generations ago, altered the DNA of the human race… just so that he could speed up his own work?

"Hold on," he said shakily. "My parents have Quirks. Shouldn't I have been part of the eighty percent?"

"Hmm?" Azmuth shook his head. "No, the monitoring system I left in orbit would send out a 'kill-code', if you will, removing the alien DNA from randomly selected humans if the percentages got too skewed. The eighty-twenty split was the optimal level."

Midoriya didn't want to believe what he was hearing, and he almost thought he couldn't believe it. Unfortunately for him, his understanding of the universe—of the multiverse—had expanded enough that he really didn't have a choice. A part of him wanted to be furious with Azmuth for this violation of his Earth, but he was in too much shock to do more than stare.

Ben, on the other hand, looked outraged; if not for his wife keeping a firm grip on his shoulder, he might have reached out to grab the little alien.

"You experimented on a planet!" he shouted. "How many times did you threaten to take the Omnitrix away from me because I did something stupid, when you… argh!"

Azmuth raised a brow at Ben's anger, but otherwise didn't react. "I had made plans to remove the foreign DNA. It would have been a simple matter after only a generation, and I almost did so. However, I discovered something… unexpected. So unexpected, in fact, that I chose to let the effects of my experiment become permanent.

"You see, the DNA of some of the aliens I used shouldn't have been compatible with others, but the human DNA acted as a bridge, allowing for offspring with abilities more varied and powerful than their parents." He crossed his arms. "In a way, it was almost like a prototype of how the Ultimatrix allowed for the creation of your own children."

"Don't go there, Azmuth," Supergirl warned, her eyes now faintly glowing red. "You leave our kids out of this. After everything you've said, I'm not sure I'd trust you anywhere near them ever again."

Now it was Ben's turn to stop his wife from doing anything, but everyone knew that Supergirl could get free from Ben's hand at any moment.

"If you knew about my Earth," Midoriya said, "how come it took so long for Ken and Jen to come over? Why didn't you just take the Ultimatrix back as soon as it arrived?"

"I was going to, but not long after it came to your Earth, it found you. I've since learned the value of what a good-hearted human can do with that device, so I chose not to interfere. In fact, had Ben not been afflicted with that poison, I would have been content to let you live out your life blissfully unaware of my actions." Azmuth chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "Even then, I almost considered not saying anything, until you asked. I may keep many secrets, but I'm not a fan of lying."

"This…" Midoriya sank into his chair and put his head in his hands. "This is too much. I can't—" He stopped and looked up. "Wait, what about the animals?"

Azmuth blinked. "Pardon?"

"Some animals have been documented with Quirks," Midoriya said. "My principal isn't human, and he's one of the smartest people on the planet."

Ben raised an eyebrow, and then slowly turned. "Azmuth…"

"I didn't know!" he said quickly. "I haven't actually looked at the data over the last few decades, mostly because I've been dealing with your messes! We're still dealing with the fallout from the Highbreed war." He stroked his mustache thoughtfully. "It could be a random glitch in the dispersal matrix; after so many years, it might have degraded. I'll have to examine the readings."

"Yeah, you do that," Ben said, his voice dangerously low. "You lectured me about all the times I messed up, and now I've found out that you're a hypocrite. Not really the first time, though; I don't want to remind you about the sword, do I?"

Azmuth actually flinched. "No, you don't." He saw the looks he was getting from Ben and Supergirl, and sighed. "I am sorry. I'll take my leave for now; we can talk about this later."

"Don't hold your breath," Supergirl muttered as Azmuth vanished in a flash of light.

Ben sat back and rubbed at his eyes. "Sorry, Izuku, I had no idea about any of this."

If the reactions he'd seen were any indication, Midoriya believed him. However, he looked down at the Ultimatrix. "How come you never said anything?"

Holo-Ben appeared and shrugged. "Because nobody's DNA registered as tampered or damaged! At this point, Quirks are normal for your Earth." He frowned. "I mean, maybe if we met someone from that first generation, but it's been about two hundred years. I'm pretty sure they're all dead."

Midoriya sighed; he tried to calm down, but everything from the last few hours—especially the recent revelation—was starting to catch up with him. "What happens now?"

Ben glanced at his phone. "Well, we should probably get you home. You've been through a lot, and you have even more to process."

"W-what about Azmuth?"

Ben grimaced. "I'm going to talk to some people. I doubt he'll face any legal consequences, but his good name is going to take a hit once this gets out—assuming we let it get out. I'm angry with him, but Azmuth has done a lot of good, for more than one universe.

"If you need anything, though, don't hesitate to call us." When Midoriya looked confused, Ben smirked. "We can modify your phone to reach this universe, trust me."

"We owe you," Supergirl said. "You brought us the cure for Ben, and you saved our daughter's life. If you ever need us, we'll be there."

Midoriya stood and bowed respectfully. "I-it was no problem!"

Ben rolled his eyes. "Kid, a bit of advice—just say you're welcome, it'll speed things up."

"Oh." Midoriya hesitantly nodded. "Y-you're welcome."

"As for what we all just learned…" Ben sighed. "If I were you, I'd keep it under wraps. I don't think people would be happy if they found out your Earth had been tampered with by an alien. If you do want to tell someone, make sure you trust them."

Midoriya nodded again. There was no way he could keep this to himself forever; he'd have to tell someone, or it would eat at him until nothing was left. But who could he tell?

His mother? Possibly, but she wouldn't be able to give much advice.

Nezu? He'd be able to process it quickly, but Midoriya wasn't sure how he'd take finding out that his existence was due to a glitch.

The Big Three? They were only two years his senior, and had no idea about the Ultimatrix.

His friends in the Rising Stars? The same problem.

He then realized that he trusted all of them. As those he held closest, they deserved to know—both about his world's secret, and his own.

It took another two hours, but Midoriya was eventually brought home; or, rather, to the beach he'd started at, though he didn't recognize it.

"What happened to all the trash?" he asked as he, Ken and Jen stepped through the portal. Even late at night, it was easy to see that the beach was pristine.

Ken shrugged. "All that garbage was bugging me, so I teleported it into the sun."

It spoke volumes of how done Midoriya was with that day that he didn't react to that statement. Instead, he just nodded tiredly, which got an understanding smile from Jen.

"It's a lot to take in," she said. "Just remember, you can call us if you need anything."

"I will. Thanks." Midoriya was about to ask for a ride to his house, when Jen grabbed him in a rib-shattering embrace.

"Thanks," she whispered. "For saving my dad. And me too, I guess."

Midoriya would have been embarrassed, getting a hug from someone he'd known for less than a day, but he was too busy not being able to breathe.

"Jen!" he gasped. "Air!"

"Sorry!" Jen let him go, and when Ken cackled, she glared at him. "Shut up, or I'll get revenge for that prank last week."

"Go right ahead," Ken dared, and then winked at Midoriya. "I stole her phone and made it play Uptown Funk for three hours straight. Well, Valerie helped."

"I knew it!" Jen dashed over and punched him on the arm. "I knew you were covering for her!"

Midoriya hadn't realized until that moment how grateful he was for their antics. That, and their easy acceptance of everything that he'd found out today, had done wonders to soothe his nerves. It almost made him confident in his decision to tell his friends and family what he'd learned, and what he'd been keeping secret.

"Um, th-thank you," he said as he sketched an awkward bow. "I'm still trying to figure all this out, but I think I'm glad I know now."

Ken, who had been holding his sister back with one hand against her forehead to keep her from hitting him, smiled. "Hey, it's no trouble on our end, and remember, if you ever need something, just ask."

Jen took advantage of her brother's distraction to kick him in the shin, and then turned to Midoriya. "And if anyone asks, you're just talking to your cousins in America. It'll mesh with your cover story, too!"

Midoriya blushed; he had told the Tennysons and their extended family about what he'd said and done to explain his 'Quirk', and they had all rolled with it in good humor. Ben had even said that he didn't mind having another cousin. Midoriya had been embarrassed, but there had been a warmth in his chest; his family really only consisted of his parents, so having people willing to even pretend to be part of his family meant a great deal.

Ken pulled out his phone for a moment. "Well, it's really late, and you've got school." He raised an eyebrow at Jen. "And so do you, so we should all head home."

Jen rolled her eyes, then hugged Midoriya again, much gentler this time. "See you around, Izuku; don't be a stranger."

Midoriya awkwardly hugged her back. "Y-yeah, I wouldn't mind talking to you all again. It was kind of fun."

Jen laughed and stepped back. "We'll try to have less killer mecha-worms and mass chaos next time. Maybe do something smaller, like stop a bank heist."

Ken nodded. "Ooh, or catch airplanes when they fall out of the sky! Superman does that every other month."

"Those airlines have really bad maintenance policies," Jen commented as she headed for the portal. "By, Izuku! Thanks again!"

After she was gone, Midoriya looked to Ken. "I g-guess she doesn't hate me anymore?"

Ken shook his head. "She never hated you. She might have doubted you because you weren't the one Dad meant to have the Ultimatrix, and she was stressed earlier today, but that's in the past for her. As far as she's concerned, she'll have your back, come hell or high water." He gently elbowed Midoriya. "And so will I, and just about all of our friends and family. The superhero community is pretty close on my Earth."

"Th-thanks," Midoriya said, and sincerely meant it. "And if y-you guys ever need me, I'll always be ready to help."

Ken ruffled his hair fondly. "Yeah, I can see why the Ultimatrix chose you. You're a good kid."

In a blur of motion, Ken brought him back to his home. It took Midoriya a moment to regain his balance, and when he turned to say goodbye one more time, Ken was already gone.

Well, I can always talk to them later, he thought, and opened the door. He had barely entered the house when he saw his mother, sitting on the couch and looking very annoyed. He also noticed that she was holding the note he'd left.

"Um… I'm home?"

Inko narrowed her eyes. "I would like an explanation, Izuku." Her gaze traveled to the Ultimatrix. "And you, Ben."

Ben flickered into view and made a show of hiding behind Izuku. "Busted!"

By the time Izuku and Ben finished their story, it was almost two in the morning. Inko had spent the last twenty minutes drinking tea; she held the cup with trembling hands as the weight of Azmuth's revelations came crashing down on her.

"And you had no idea about any of this," she said to Ben.

The hologram shook his head. "I was programmed with limited information on the real Ben, and even less on Azmuth. I had no clue he'd even been to this universe, much less experimented on the people here."

Inko frowned and set aside her cup; she reached towards the television remote, and it slowly flew to her hand. "I… I have a lot to think about. But I do want to know one more thing." She looked Ben in the eye. "The other Ben was proud of Izuku?"

"He was completely selfless." Ben gave Izuku a look. "Maybe a little naïve, but his heart was in the right place. If I needed proof that he was the worthiest person to wield the Ultimatrix, I have it now."

Inko nodded; she walked over to her son and gave him a hug. "You scared the living daylights out of me, Izuku; please, if you're going to do something like this again, give me more than a note."

Izuku hugged her back. "Y-you're not mad?"

"Well, I'm not happy you ran off, but I've been encouraging you to be a Hero for a year, now. I'd be a hypocrite to be mad at you for doing the right thing." She smiled up at her son. "And you saved lives today, without getting hurt. I'm proud of you, my little Hero."

Izuku couldn't stop the tears that flowed down his cheeks, and his mother was quick to do the same. "Thanks, Mom."

"Now, I think you should get some sleep." Inko's wobbly smile was a perfect match for her son's. "Proud or not, you still have school."

"Yeah, okay. Goodnight, Mom." Izuku headed for his room and collapsed on his bed. "That went better than expected."

Ben nodded. "I kinda expected you to get grounded. I guess she was just happy you're okay."

Izuku was about to close his eyes when his phone buzzed; with a start, he realized that he'd missed dozens of messages from his friends while he'd been away.

"I need to tell them."

Ben shrugged. "It's your decision, buddy, but you should at least let them know you're okay."

"Right." Izuku took a deep breath and accessed his messenger app; none of his friends were active, but it wouldn't hurt to give them a message for when they woke up.

All Might: Hi, guys. I want you all to know that I'm okay. Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Some stuff came up that I can't get into now. I promise to explain everything after school.

Izuku wondered if any of them would want to be his friends after he told them the truth. Maybe they'd even hate him. It would hurt, but he would understand; even if they didn't want anything to do with him after this, they deserved to know.

Uraraka could say with some confidence that she'd gotten good at reading Midoriya. Granted, he wasn't exactly a subtle person at the best of times, but her point stood. A casual observer might say that he was his typical nervous self as he got to school that morning, but Uraraka saw that it went deeper than that; every time his gaze landed on someone, it was as if he was seeing them with new eyes, and what he saw shook him.

He also looked tired; there were bags under his eyes, and if it weren't for the aforementioned anxiety, he looked ready to fall over.

Uraraka—not to mention the rest of their friends—was more than a little curious about what Midoriya wanted to tell them. When they tried to get answers at lunch, he froze, looked around nervously, and told them in no uncertain terms that it had to wait until they were alone. Whatever he wanted to talk about, it was for those he trusted most, apparently.

On the one hand, it was touching that Midoriya trusted them that much, but on the other hand, Uraraka was nervous about whatever he wanted to tell them. It was obviously important, but there was a haunted look in his eyes that had Uraraka wary.

When school finally ended, Midoriya led them to Gym Alpha, which was empty.

"I sent an email to Nezu-sensei last night and asked if he could make sure we could use this place," he said. "He'll be here soon."

Uraraka blinked in surprise; she hadn't known that Midoriya had regular contact with the principal, and if her friends' reactions were anything to go by, neither had they.

"Ah, good, you're here!" Sure enough, the little principal strolled into the gym, a steaming mug held in one paw. "My apologies, Midoriya-san, but the others you requested can't be here today. If you wish, you can tell them later."

Midoriya nodded. "Thank you, Nezu-sensei, I will." He took a deep, shuddering breath, and turned to his friends. "So… you're probably wondering what this is about."

"Yes," Todoroki answered simply, with one eyebrow raised.

"Right." Midoriya sat down on a bench and stared at his watch. "I need to tell you all some things. I… I lied to you about some stuff, and I learned something yesterday that I had to share with someone. If you don't want to be friends with me afterwards, I understand…" He paused and rubbed at his eyes for a moment. "But you deserve to know the truth."

Uraraka sat next to him. "Deku-kun, what is it?"

Midoriya waited until everyone had found a seat somewhere—Nezu had decided that Iida's shoulder made for a good perch—and then held his watch out in front of him.

"Show them."

The other students all jumped when a boy in a green jacket suddenly flickered into view. He smiled and waved at them.

"Hi, everyone," he said. "I am the tutorial program for the Ultimatrix. I was created in the image of Ben Tennyson; you can all just call me Ben."

Uraraka stared, and then turned to Midoriya, who was keeping his eyes locked on his feet. "Izuku?"

"Right, so this started about a year ago…"

It took several hours for Midoriya to tell them the entire story. By the time he was done, everyone had missed their trains home, but no one really cared. They were rooted to the spot as they processed everything they had learned. Even Nezu was unable to keep up his cheery smile, and was deep in thought.

"Aliens." That was the first word Yaoyorozu had said since the story began; she had taken notes at first, but her arms had hung limply at her sides for a while now. "We have our Quirks because of alien DNA."

"Y-yeah." Midoriya swallowed nervously. "I reacted pretty much the same way last night."

Ashido was sitting on the floor, staring at her hands with wide eyes. "So, if this 'Azmuth' guy hadn't messed with our planet… I wouldn't be pink?"

"I believe that Izuku is saying that none of us would look as we do," Iida said, absently reaching down to rub one of his calves. "Except, perhaps, Izuku and Momo. Or anyone whose Quirk does not alter their appearance."

Sero's hand drifted to one elbow. "And this was done to us because that guy was trying to build that watch?"

Ben, who had chimed in whenever Midoriya had seemed stuck, waved his hand in a so-so manner. "Technically, it was for the Omnitrix, but yeah."

"Izuku, why didn't you tell us about that—what did you call it? The Ultimatrix? Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Uraraka looked like she was about to cry; whether it was from a sense of betrayal, or just being overwhelmed by everything she'd learned, it made Midoriya flinch.

"I'm really sorry." He shrank in on himself, arms pulling his knees to his chest. "I just… everyone always treated me like I was worthless because I didn't have a Quirk, and then you guys became my friends, and I thought…"

"You were so used to people wanting nothing to do with you because you're Quirkless, so you thought it might happen again." Asui, who sat on his other side, nodded shakily. "That's it, ribbit, right?"

Midoriya could only nod.

The part of Uraraka that wasn't reeling from what she'd just learned wanted to be upset with him. They were friends, and he had lied to them all since day one—though the lack of surprise on Nezu's face when Midoriya had explained the Ultimatrix suggested that he knew about it. On the other hand, Midoriya had said before that he'd never had friends because he 'thought' he was Quirkless… when in reality, he was Quirkless. Uraraka had nothing against Quirkless people, but she had seen reports on the news about the occasional hate crime against those without Quirks. She had always thought that that was ridiculously bigoted, but after what she had learned, the Quirkless were the most normal of them all.

She looked down at her hands, and the soft pads on her fingertips. If Azmuth had never experimented on their Earth, would the lack of those pads be the only thing different about her? Would she have been the same kind of person? Would she have ever met her friends?

Would I have never met Deku-kun?

Uraraka didn't know it, but all of her friends were going through similar thoughts. And all of them considered, in a moment of irrationality, to blame Midoriya—but he was as shocked as they were, with the benefit of having an extra day to process it.

And just because he was Quirkless didn't mean he was unaffected by Azmuth's actions; he was Quirkless because of Azmuth, which had left him feeling like a freak for most of his life. The Ultimatrix had finally allowed him to fit in with everyone else, and even be admired for it, which was why he had lied. If anything, coming clean was a sign of how much he trusted them all.

Uraraka couldn't find it in her to be mad at him. Still…

"Is there anything else you haven't told us?"

Midoriya blinked. "Er… I've been training with the Big Three on Saturdays?"

Yaoyorozu tilted her head. "That explains why Hado-san had that nickname for you, but what does that have to do with your other secrets?"

"N-nothing." Midoriya flinched again when his friends all gave him a look. "I don't know, it was the only thing I haven't told you!"

Uraraka sighed and rested her head on Midoriya's shoulder. "Okay. Okay. So, what do we do now?"

Nezu shook himself out of whatever thoughts were plaguing him and addressed the students. "I suggest that we keep this information to ourselves. Even if anyone were to believe us, the result would only be mass panic; our society is already a powder keg, there's not need to keep the gasoline next door." He glanced up at Midoriya. "However, if you think Togata-san, Hado-san and Amajiki-san can be trusted, I will ensure that they will be present."

"Th-thank you, Nezu-sensei." Midoriya tentatively put his arm around Uraraka's shoulders. "So, you aren't mad?"

Uraraka frowned. "I'm not happy that you lied to us, but I understand why you did. Just promise me that you won't do it again, please?"

"I c-can't say that I'll share secrets that aren't mine," Midoriya said nervously, "but if it has anything to do with me, I'll come to you guys."

Ashido giggled; at first, everyone thought it was because of how cute Uraraka and Midoriya looked together, but then they heard the slightly hysterical edge to it.

"And how are we gonna deal with the fact that we're all part alien?" she asked.

To everyone's surprise, it was Todoroki who answered. "Honestly, it doesn't matter much to me. It answers where Quirks come from, but it doesn't affect our daily lives, does it? We are who we are. Finding out the origins of Quirks doesn't change that I want to be a Hero."

At the unspoken challenge in his tone, his classmates straightened up.

"You are absolutely right, Shoto!" Iida began chopping enthusiastically. "If anything, we should be proud that the past has forged us into aspiring Heroes!"

"I agree," Yaoyorozu said, and smiled at Midoriya. "And thank you for trusting us."

Ashido looked uncertain for a moment, but then, to the surprise of everyone, Todoroki put a hand on her shoulder, and she smiled.

"Hey, I just realized," she said, "now, I really am the Alien Queen!"

That was the last straw; that little joke was enough to send all of the students into a laughing fit. Some of the laughter was a release of stress, and the rest was relief; though their view of the world had changed, that didn't mean that their chosen paths had.

They would still become Heroes, and they'd do it together.

A universe away, Ben rolled his eyes as Kara literally carried him into the house. "We could have just had the Watchtower teleport us home."

"Considering what you've been through, I'm not risking you getting your molecules tossed a million miles for at least a week," Kara said archly.

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Still, taking a Javelin into the atmosphere, and then flying us home? I think you're overdoing it."

Kara just shook her head as she sat Ben on the couch, and then ran her fingers through his grey hair. "First you got those grey streaks, and now this. You're starting to look your age."

"Hey, I'm like a fine wine," Ben protested, and then grinned roguishly. "I just get better with age."

Kara smiled good-naturedly, and then kissed his cheek. "Stay here, I'll heat up those leftovers."

"With the microwave this time?" Ben asked nervously. "You almost set the house on fire with your heat-vision last week."

"You're lucky you're recovering, or I'd throw you into the sun for that." Kara poked him in the shoulder, though it was with enough force to knock him over on the couch. "I'll be back in a minute."

Ben watched her leave, and then closed his eyes for a moment. "I know you're there, Paradox; between Bruce and you, I'm good at knowing when someone's sneaking up on me."

Professor Paradox smiled as he stepped into view. "Hello, Ben; it's good to see that you survived your ordeal."

Ben opened his eyes and glanced at an old clock nearby; the hands had stopped moving, which meant that Paradox had stopped time for this little conversation. Whatever his time-traveling friend wanted to talk about, he didn't want to be interrupted.

"I'm guessing that there are timelines where I didn't make it?"

Paradox's smile turned sad. "Indeed; there are infinite possibilities across the multiverse, my friend." He then held out a paper bag. "Gumball?"

Ben glanced back in the direction of the kitchen. "Eh, Kara's frozen in time right now, so what the heck."

As Ben popped the candy in his mouth, Paradox turned to face the clock. "How long will you be mad at Azmuth for?"

"Probably a while," Ben admitted. "What he did was wrong, and he knew it."

"He was desperate to finish the Omnitrix," Paradox said. "You may not be aware, but your universe was on the verge of dozens of wars, and Azmuth had become convinced that the Omnitrix was the best chance of peace."

"But it was never used for that purpose," Ben pointed out. "What changed?"

"The Plumbers were able to defuse the situation in key areas, creating a domino effect." Azmuth chuckled. "You might have noticed that Azmuth gets tunnel vision when it comes to his passion projects."

Ben sighed. "Like I said, what he did was wrong, but he is still one of the only friends I have left from back home… even if he is a huge jerk half the time. But I'm guessing you didn't come here to discuss the drama?"

"Sadly, no." Paradox turned to face him, and Ben saw something he never thought he'd see in his eyes—fear. "I came to deliver a warning. Something is coming, Ben; something so dangerous that even I dare not stray too close to look for details. When it comes, the champions of the multiverse must band together, or we will all die."

Ben rested his elbows on his knees and sighed. "How long do we have?"

"A year at the most, but likely far sooner." Paradox pulled out a pocket watch and stared at it for a moment. "For now, I am doing what I can to locate those champions. Two are on this Earth, which is why I am here to warn you."

"I'll be ready," Ben promised.

"That is assuming that you are one of those champions," Paradox warned. "This is a cosmic game, with rules and players that have been chosen eons in advance by forces beyond even my comprehension. All I have narrowed down is that one of this world's champions is a Tennyson, but it might not be you."

"Got it." Ben made a mental note to have his family train harder over the coming months. "Any other news?"

"I believe that two more champions are from Midoriya's Earth." Paradox shrugged. "It is likely that your young friend is one of them. However, I do have a lead on how to locate the others; please inform the Justice League that I will be borrowing John Constantine for a while."

"Zatanna won't be happy, but I'll let them know." Ben tried to relax, but with Paradox's warning fresh in his mind, it was hard. "Say hi to Secret for us, okay? We haven't seen her in a while."

"Of course; she's just running some errands for me." Paradox paused, and then put his hand on Ben's shoulder. "Be vigilant, my friend; this danger, this… Crisis… threatens all of creation. I do not think all of us will make it out of this alive."

Ben blinked at that, and when he did, Paradox was gone, and time resumed its march. He sat back to think, and didn't notice Kara's return until she placed the food on his lap.

"Here you go," she said, and then saw how pale her husband was. "Ben? What is it?"

Ben picked up his fork, but his appetite was gone. "I just got a visit from an old friend."

(Datte Atashi no Hiro—LiSA, TV Version)

The music starts, and the scene opens to show Midoriya walking to school. Holo-Ben walks behind him, only to fade and be replaced by the real Ben Tennyson. He also fades as Midoriya enters the gates of UA and runs up to his friends. There are several fast shots of them in different classes, and then it changes to them in various stages of putting on their costumes.

The scene changes again; this time, the Rising Stars are split up. Yaoyorozu, Uraraka and Ashido are fighting thugs at the USJ, Sero and Asui are leaping over obstacles, and Midoriya, Todoroki and Iida are facing Stain. The scenes dissolve and leave Midoriya, battered and bruised, with his visor on the ground, facing a line of enemies; on the left is Stain and the first Nomu, while on the right is Shigaraki and Kurogiri. In the center is a tall, shadowy figure who reaches out for him.

Midoriya takes a step back, only for hands to rest on his shoulders and back. He turns his head and sees Holo-Ben on his right, Ben on his left, and All Might and Hawks directly behind him. The four of them fade, replaced by the Rising Stars, and the Big Three behind them; further back is the rest of Class 1-A and the UA teachers.

Midoriya blinks away tears, and then picks up his visor. He secures it on his face, smiles, and then holds up the Ultimatrix.

I want to apologize for taking longer with this chapter, but I had some bad news. Remember a while back, when my dog busted her foot? Well, my other dog had surgery on her leg to remove what turned out to be a malignant tumor. She's got cancer, and we're in the 'wait and see' part of it, because we don't know how bad it is. So… yeah. I'm in a bad place, because I've had this dog for 12 years.

Anyway, moving on.

Ominous warnings are ominous. This is just setup for a major crossover event for much later down the line. If you know DC, you know that anything with the word 'Crisis' attached to it is bad news.

Anyway, Azmuth created Quirks as an experiment. If you remember that he once created a sword that was basically the Infinity Gauntlet, and you know how protective he is of the Omnitrix/Ultimatrix, so… not entirely unfeasible. Plus, hey, 'They aren't from my universe, not my problem', though since then, he's become a lot more aware of his actions' consequences. It's been a couple hundred years, after all, and he's had time to think about it. There will be more to this plot thread, but not until later.

Also, yes, Midoriya and friends are shaken by this news, but it's not like they found out that they were experimented on. It's like a historical find that's certainly shocking, but it doesn't change them.

As always, please consider buying my book, Alpha Sanction, by Josh Gottlieb. You can download it as a PDF from my website (link in my profile), or get it on Amazon as an eBook or physical copy. Sales give me much-needed cash, and they make me feel good about myself.

If you want to support me on P-atreon instead, you can find a link to that in my profile. Those of you who donate can earn thanks in the chapters, receive chapters early, and even get a free PDF of my book at the top tier! Any and all donations are welcome!

Speaking of which, I'd like to thank the following Patrons:

Serious Muffins: jafr86, SpaceEmperorSpar, Nimrod009, Anders Lyngbye, Matthias Matanovic, ChaosSpartan575, John Collins, Red Bard, Aaron Meek, Shaolin Khalil, killroy225

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Ultra Muffins: Adam Costello, Matthew Bunting, RangersRoll

Next Chapter: Midoriya trains for his exams, but real-life drama rears both its unwelcome head, and its rarer welcome one. Meanwhile, the hands of fate shuffle the deck, and let the cards fall where they may…

Stay safe out there!

Plus Muffin!